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finelinevogue · 3 years

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Can you do something where Y/N is sick and Harry has to take care of her please?

i actually had written something similar to this before so i present you a lengthy blurb;

You were pretty sure if you got invited in to hell it would feel something like this.

Hot. Sticky. But chilled.

You had come down with a concerningly high temperature. Along with the added luxuries of a deafening headache, cold sweats and an upset tummy. Your body was burning all over, as if it had just been freshly cooked in the oven but you felt colder than ice. It was a confusing juxtaposition, but there it was.

You'd called Harry, since he was in the studio recording his new music and asked him to come home early. You didn't even get to the reasoning of why he should come home before he hung up, telling you he was already vacating the premises. You hated to be that needy girlfriend who had to call about nearly everything, but Harry loved it more than anything. He loved the fact that you needed him. It gave him purpose, apparently .

You couldn't work out whether you regretted asking him to come home, or whether it was a blessing. It was a very fine line.

It was a blessing because, he looked after you like a mother would her child and made sure he stood by your side any time you found yourself lurched over a toilet. He made you chicken soup from scratch and even tested it to make sure it wasn't too hot, or salty - despite being a vegetarian himself. He even made you honey and lemon tea, which he had to run to the store for the honey. When you say run, you mean run. He didn't want to leave you alone at all, so he put on his running shoes and sprinted to the shop and back. However, it was a slight regret because of how fussy he was over you. He loved it to bits - nursing to your every need.

You truly believed you didn't deserve Harry. He was just too kind and pure for his own good. You were unarguably lucky. Laying on what felt like your death bed, didn't feel so lucky though.

It was now 10 pm and you could hear Harry turning on the alarm for downstairs, the loud beeping noise preventing you from sleep. That's all you'd done all day. Sleep. You thought it'd be more magical than it was. It was just uncomfortable though, because of how cold and hot you were.

Your much better looking other half trudged through the bedroom door within a minute of the alarm going off. He was only wearing checkered pyjama bottoms and a white t-shirt and yet he made it look like Gucci Runway 2021.

The jingling of keys signalled Charlie was also present. Charlie was your 2 year old Golden Retriever. He was beautiful. When you and Harry has moved in together 2 years ago you'd managed to persuade him to get a dog. Within a few weeks of moving in you had a 5 month old puppy running around your house. He was your best friend, no doubt about it. He was also ridiculously photogenic.

"Hey Chaz!" You cooed as Charlie walked over to your side of the bed, where you were snuggling down under the sheets. You reached out your hand to give him some loving and attention. You could tell by the small smile and sparkling eyes that he was one happy boy.

"Alright, buddy. Let's leave mum alone." Harry came behind Charlie to manoeuvre him into his bed, which was in the corner of the room. It was more like a big cushion. He started to whine after being forced to leave you - having not seeing you all day. Harry was strict in keeping him downstairs so not to disturb you whilst you were sleeping.

"H it's alright, let him on the bed. He can curl up on my feet." You sympathised with Charlie, as you always did, hating to hear or see him upset. Harry was like the 'bad-cop' when it came to parenting Charlie, because you were too sweet to say no to him.

"You're one spoilt boy, aren’t you?" Harry messed around with Charlie, before telling him he could get up on the bed to see you. Charlie leapt on the bed and wandered over to give you all the kisses he could, before Harry came to calm him down - as you really didn't have the strength.

"I missed you too, Chaz." You quietly laughed, not wanting to set your headache off even more.

"You gonna let me kiss mum now?" Harry rhetorically asked, but as he came over to you Charlie laid down on you so your face was buried underneath his body. You could feel him panting with his adorable tongue out above you, as he hid you from Harry.

"Someone's jealous."

"Feeling like a bloody third wheel over here." Harry tutted and you laughed until you got hot with the movement.

"Harry? Can you move him please?" You whined as you tried to shuffle around.

"Okay Chaz. Let's let mum get some sleep, alright?" Charlie is slowly removed from you and ends up curled on top of your feet, keeping them warm for you.

Harry slipped into the covers and shuffled his way over to you, putting the back of his hand over your forehead and hissing quietly at the simple touch.

"Baby you're so hot." Harry complained.

"I know." You teased with a wink at him, taking his worry out of context and turning it into a flirting compliment.

"Oh piss off!" He chuckled and wrapped an arm around your waist to bring you closer. "What am I going to do with you, baby?" Harry then planted only a few delicate kisses to your lips - not wanting to overwork you and your tired body.

••••

You woke up with drowsy eyes to find you're in bed alone.

Your throat was incredibly dry and your whole body was sticky from sweat. Your pyjamas were damp and your face looked like it'd just been drowned in a rainstorm. It was disgusting. Still, you brought the duvet up to cover yourself more, as you let out a dramatic shiver. Why was it so cold?

Mixed into the background noise you could hear the cheering of crowds and it really confused you, until you looked at the wall and noticed the football was playing on re-run on the TV. Manchester United Vs Manchester City. You hated that you knew that just from their football uniforms, but that's what you get for living with a football-crazed boyfriend.

You noticed Harry emerge from the bathroom, a washing up bowl in his arms. He came and sat down in bed, the bucket of water to his side. "What are you doing?" You quietly asked, peering up at him through tired eyes.

"Oi, you're meant to be sleep y’minx." Harry told you off.

"I can't. I'm too uncomfortable. I'm hot, but i'm cold. I also find it hard to sleep without you next to me." You huffed out in annoyance.

"My poorly baby." He leant down to kiss your forehead, "c’mere, baby." He urged.

He helped you move, seeing as your body was really weak, so you could lay down against Harry’s body. He was sat up against the headboard as you nestled down between his legs, your back to his front. It was a lot more comfortable than before - probably because Harry was closer to you. Charlie noticed the disturbance and waited for you to stop moving around, before maintaining the job of guarding your feet.

Once he was happy in his position he fell asleep again, making you jealous of his ability to do that. Especially now.

"Why's the football on?" You asked, motioning towards the TV.

"Had to keep myself awake somehow." He explained, but it only made you more confused.

"Why?"

"So I can take care of you, y’muppet." His words actually melted your heart - more than chocolate could melt on your forehead right now.

After you'd settled, Harry reached into the bucket and drained out a cloth. He made sure all the excess water was cleared before moving it away from the bucket. You hummed in appreciation when he placed it against your forehead, rotating it to the back of your neck also in order to relax and cool you. It made you realise just how hot you were.

"I think i'm dying, Harry." You groaned as the nausea came over you again. Harry kept a firm hold of the cloth on your forehead, dabbing gently and careful to not let any water drip down into your eyes.

"No you're not, baby." Harry gave you a light-hearted laugh.

"Well, living shouldn't feel as shitty as this H." You grumbled, not appreciating his lack of understanding.

“Then just let me take you to the chuffing hospital!" He exclaimed, making Charlie stir slightly.

Harry had been demanding you go to the hospital all day and all evening, but you were too stubborn to go. That, and you were terrified of hospitals - more terrified of needles and blood than anything else. However, you were starting to reach the point where you were giving in to his request, though. It was becoming unbearable to sleep and harder to breathe. You were worried for yourself.

"I don't like it." You pouted like a child, as Harry wrung the cloth through the fresh water again.

"I don't care whether you like it or not, Y/N, I really think we should go. More like need." Harry insisted and you could tell he wasn’t giving up without a fight. You didn’t want that either.

You hated how he was right.

It was only going to get worse from here, and you didn't really want to be alive when that was going you happen, so going to the hospital to get checked over and drugged up seemed like the best option to go for. The more sensible option.

"Fine." You finally accepted, Harry slinking his arms tight around your waist after discarding the cloth in to the bucket. He nuzzled his head into the crook of your neck and planted an abundance of kisses there, your skin burning just to the touch.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." He repeated in-between kisses.

•••••

It took 20 minutes to get in to the car. 20 minutes.

All because Charlie was reluctant to letting you get up and go. So Harry had to dress you into a more appropriate attire, with a dog sat on your lower body. It was then half an hour later that you were in the hospital.

The hospital was quiet at this time of night and for that you were grateful. It was obviously a night where little numbers of people were doing silly things to get themselves hurt. There was the odd patient for a minor cut injury and there were a couple of people in for burns. There was even a woman in because she accidentally superglued her hand to a bottle of superglue - ironic, but painful.

You sat patiently on Harrys lap, waiting for someone to escort you to a cubicle. You were freezing cold, to the point where your teeth were chattering - your outside body was giving off the opposite temperature. You tried to get as close to Harry's warmth as possible, pushing your body against his.

"You're alright baby." Harry shushed you, as you let out a small tremble.

"If I do die—"

"Which you won't." Harry chuckled.

"I know, but if I did I want you to know that I love you." You told him. Even though he's heard you say it a million times before, it still made his heart flutter as you spoke each word.

"I love you, baby." He kissed the side of your head. "But you're going to be just fine, so no more talking about you dying okay?"

"Why? It's only a natural thing." You pointed out.

"Sure, but I don't want to think of a world without my girl living in it. So zip it before I make you."

You never thought of dying as a world without Harry before now and it wasn't the time to start thinking about it either. It was a horrible thought and you understood why Harry didn't want you speak about it. That world would be so dark and empty and you hated thinking about it.

Harry was called to the front desk to fill in some forms for you, since your hands were too cold and shaky to do it for yourself. He accidentally wrote 'Styles' as your second name, before realising his mistake and scribbling it out.

“Shit.” Harry went red in the face and chuckled over his silly mistake. His hand was shaky and you smiled at how he got so flustered over something so simple. You rested your hand on top of his, bringing his attention to you.

“One day.” You told him and he leaned to give you a kiss on the lips. You couldn’t help but feel like his lips were a future promise to make sure he wouldn’t have to scribble out his second name the next time it was written next to yours.

The doctor saw you shortly afterwards and you thanked your lucky stars that there was no injections or removal of any blood involved, Harry sticking with you the whole time. Turns out you were suffering from a moderate fever, but the doctor said with good rest it should pass. The doctor had given Harry permission to make a big fuss over you - explaining how he was going to love it and you were going to hate it - and to make sure to come back with even the slightest worsen of the fever. You got given a prescription list of various medications that you'd need to take over the next week or so. After collecting the drugs, you were back in the car on the way home.

"Told you you weren't going to die." Harry smiled, happy to have you still by his side, whilst holding your hand over the gear console.

"Unfortunate for you, I guess."

"Will you shut you, y’bloody nuisance. You know I can't do life without you, Y/N." He spoke softly, squeezing your hand tighter to assure you that he's going nowhere.

"Same here." You smile at him and he smirks back at you with his dimple-loving smile.

"You’ll always be it for me, baby." Harry speaks, before you drift back off to sleep.

Happily.

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jinx-jade · 3 years

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A Swallow’s freedom Part 1: The death of Marinette Dupain-Cheng

The death of Marinette Dupain-Cheng was all caused by one Lila Rossi. She may not have physically killed her, but the death of Marinette could all be pinned back to Lila Rossi’s first day of school.

When Lila first joined Miss Bustier’s class, she would spin these grand, too good to be true tales. This was most likely to grab the attention of those who value things and people that are shiny and new.

Then Lila slowly made her claims more realistic.

She made them harder to prove wrong or right.

At some point, Lila had Alya remove any interview that could cause a problem if the wrong person saw it. Of course, she never told the ladybloger that this was the reason for wanting them taken down.

Slowly, Lila became the talk of the school, the new star student, the new popular girl that everyone wants to be, the person everyone wants to be friends with.

Lila got everything she wanted.

She was treated like royalty who had suffered at the hands of a monster.

A monster that Lila created, not that anyone willing to stand up to her knew.

The monster’s name was Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

To paint Marinette as a monster took time and effort. Unlike the grand stories Lila started with to get the school wrapped around her finger, Lila had to start small.

The liar would mention how Marinette was never where she should be.

She would point out mistakes in Marinette’s excuses.

Slowly, Lila moved from real problems to false claims that no one could prove wrong.

Lila planted her seeds wherever she could. Some had even gotten back to her parents and they grounded her to the point where she wasn’t let out of the house, doing school online.

Much to Lila’s joy, Marinette Dupain-Cheng slowly disappeared into the background. No one paid the bluenette any mind, not even her parents.

Tom and Sabine seemed to prefer Lila over Marinette with how they’re always checking on her when she’s at the bakery, giving her free treats, and showering her with compliments.

Marinette slowly became fed up with how she was being treated. Researching her family tree to find a relative that she could potentially stay with, in some sort of half thought through runaway plan.

During Marinette’s research, using a bit of aid from her magic, she learned that Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng were not her parents, they were her Aunt and Uncle.

Her mother was a woman named Chéng Féng and her father was unknown. According to medical records, Chéng Féng died only moments after naming her daughter. Digging a little deeper, Marinette found her original birth certificate. The name Chéng Yàn printed clearly on the document, even if it was only an online version.

With her curiosity piqued, she cast a simple illusion, creating a globe of the world.

Taking a needle and pricking the tip of her finger, she dripped two drops of blood at the north pole.

The blood drops went two separate ways. One went to someplace in China, Hong Kong before the blood turned black. The other drop went to the USA, New Jersey before breaking into a small rose red and large crimson droplets.

This is where knowing the meanings for blood magic came in handy. Black blood means dead. Crimson means full blood. Rose-red means half-blood.

Marinette.

No.

That felt wrong now, but Chéng Yàn didn't feel right either.

Not yet at least.

Letting out a sigh she went back to her previous train of thought.

She now knew her mother was deceased, her father was alive, and she has a half-sibling.

Digging through her mother's travel history wasn't difficult. Finding out who her father is was even easier.

A few tabloids had taken pictures of Bruce Wayne with his current lover Chéng Féng. The timeline matched up perfectly. Of course, she also checks with a bit of magic, just to be sure.

Once she was a hundred percent certain, she continued her digging, learning about her father and apparent little half-brother. If during her digging she ran into information about the bat family's identities, well, then no one else needed to know.

The bluenette fell asleep in the early morning hours instead of the night hours. The reason was due to some late-night planning.

Her plans did include running away, but strangely they didn't include meeting her father and brother.

Her plans included traveling the world and helping people get out of bad situations.

To be fair, she had been half asleep while making this plan, yet the longer she looked at it, the more she thought it was a good idea.

She thought through all the reasons to stay and leave, the pros and the cons. Surprisingly she found no reason for her to stay.

Paris’s villains have already been dealt with. She was already doing school online. She didn’t have any friends or strong bonds to keep her in Paris.

Sure she had to take care of the kwamis, but they already gave their blessing for her to leave. They seemed to have collectively come to the agreement that this environment was toxic and slowly killing their guardian.

Before running away, they figured out all the big details, then moved to all the smaller details. Once the planning was complete they started their mission.

The kwamis only referred to their guardian as Chéng Yàn to help her get used to the new name. Her original name, which was her mother’s gift to her before she passed. A gift that her Aunt and Uncle stole from her because they wanted a child of their own, including a name of their choosing.

Chéng Yàn let out a slow breath to calm herself. There was no point getting worked up over something that won’t matter at the end of the month.

Using her time wisely, Chéng Yàn rewired the inheritance from her mother to only be accessible to herself. Making sure that her Aunt and Uncle wouldn’t ever see a cent of it.

To her surprise, it was quite a large inheritance, it would easily have her set for life. Especially if she kept doing her clothing commissions, but her commissions would be too easy to trace back to her. Maybe later she will start some kind of business, but for now, she’ll simply live off of her commission money, which was nothing to laugh at.

At the end of the month, everything was ready for the last phase of her runaway plan.

Miss Bustier’s class was getting icecream from André, right next to the seine.

One of them seemed to notice Marinette and points her out to the others.

Just in time for them to see her jump.

Gasps and screams could be heard from the class of sheep.

The police were called when she never resurfaced.

The authorities swept the seine for the young girl’s body, but all they found was Marinette’s signature blazer and purse. They claimed the current must-have swept her body away, and with that, Marinette Dupain-Cheng was pronounced dead.

No one noticed the girl who had been watching from the shadows leaning against an alley wall dressed in a red leather jacket, a white sweater, black leggings, and black combat boots. Her hair was freshly cut to shoulder length with the tips dyed red.

She pushed off from the wall, walking deeper into the alley before stepping through a portal.

To where?

She didn’t know.

Right now there was only one thing she knew for certain, Marinette Dupain-Cheng was dead.

#maribat #maribat march 2021

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like-rain-or-confetti · 3 years

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Request: Grief Always Lifts (Volturi x Reader)

You didn't expect to be sent away from the Cullen's. You were quickly chastised, never to look at it as being sent away, rather putting you in the care of someone else for your benefit. Losing a parent was never easy and it didn't need to be said that you were struggling. You went on day by day, the simple mundane things reminding you of your father and in turn, your loss. Carlisle and Esme thought it best you had a break from America. Somewhere new to really work through your emotions. The last place you thought they'd send you is to the Volturi.

Sure, Italy was nothing like you were used to but the coven they said would care for you isn't entirely the caring type. You weren't even sure as to what made them agree to having you in their care but you had no doubt Aro probably latched onto the possibility of rekindling his friendship with Carlisle. Regardless, you agreed. A symptom of your grief that they had noticed. You weren't entirely present, agreeing to be convenient and not having a particular want for anything. Carlisle and Esme insisted that if you weren't comfortable, you didn't have to go but you left reassuring them you'd be fine.

Marcus recognised the look in your eyes, beyond the exhaustion and blank stare your emotions were loud and clear to him. You felt so much pain that with some irony, you looked to be dead. As though the loss had killed you. However such a statement couldn't be further from the truth. You were very much alive, nearly drowning in whatever was going on in your mind.

The three leaders welcomed you and made sure you knew the higher ranking guards names. Anyone you came across was introduced. Many matching your own blank expression take away the exhaustion that hung over you like a blanket since a few days after your fathers funeral.

Demetri and Felix were the ones who took you to your room. You took in the room before turning to the two guards. "Thank you for all of your help." Your voice was as monotone as the minute you had arrived. Although your facial expressions were at bare minimum. You didn't blink very much and it gave off the illusion that your face was trying and very much failing to emote and keep up with your words. Demetri nodded once and the two took their leave, letting you settle in.

"They look like they haven't slept in days." Felix said quietly. "Apparently they have been sleeping, that's just how they are currently." Demetri responded. Felix looked perplexed. "They were sent to us for a reason Felix. The Cullen's wouldn't have asked us if they weren't desperate." Demetri said. "Sure, it's just odd to see them so lifeless." Felix replied. Demetri nodded. "Seeing them like this in comparison to how we last saw them is very strange. Even the twins seemed to be caught off guard."

"Is the room to your liking?" You looked over your shoulder to see Caius approaching you. "It's great." You responded. "Thank you so much, I don't think I've ever stayed somewhere to extravagant before." Caius cracked a smile. "We have expensive tastes here. I imagine that isn't the only thing you have noticed though." "You're right. The decor isn't exactly modern yet you still have the random TV, electricity and such. I think what I'm trying to say is that it's a perfect combination of old decor and convenient modern day technology." Caius hummed. "That is good. I can't say many of us use most of the modern equipment, although it has its uses every now and then. Such as warm water for you." It was your turn to crack a smile. It was nice they remembered the little details. "I've never had a room with a balcony. Not had one with such an amazing view either." You could see out to the ocean beyond the cliffs, the sun setting creating a cool breeze. "Yes, it is very beautiful. My wife adores the view. She doesn't see the buildings as much from the tower but she sees the sun rise and set. That's enough for her, she says." Caius said looking in the direction of the setting sun. You noticed Caius was never this talkative with anyone, never mind a human. It had gone from polite pleasantries to a conversation and you weren't sure what to make of it. "We must ask something of you, (Y/N). A few things actually." "Okay...I mean, it makes sense since you're letting me stay here." "We only ask that you do not leave your room when we are feeding. A guard will tell you when we are going to feed and when you can leave. At most you'd be in for an hour. We must also ask for your phone. You are more than free to make calls using the phone at reception but due to all of the things mobile phones can do, we must insist." You nodded. "Sure, that's reasonable." You dug into your pocket for your phone before handing it over. "Oh wait, can I turn it off first?" Caius looked down at the device in his hand. "I believe that would be best because I don't know what I'm looking at with these things." You cracked a smile, holding down the power button. "There." "Thank you." Caius nodded.

They noticed that you slept, a lot. Sure they were told between 8-12 hours is enough but they let you sleep a little longer in case of jet lag or time differences. That was until it became apparent that these were no longer an issue. It couldn't have been healthy. It was no surprise to anyone when Demetri and the twins opened your door to find you asleep. They already knew that of course, as did the rest of the castle. You were tucked into the covers, your face buried into your pillow, only the top of your back being visible to them. It would have been amusing or even adorable at the time, if it wasn't very concerning.

Demetri crouched at your bedside. "(Y/N), it's time to wake up." Demetri said softly. You shifted before shaking your head. "Come on, darling. You'll sleep the day away." "Let me." Was the quiet grumble you responded with. This was confirmation that you weren't in high spirits today. Demetri rubbed at your arm that was under the covers. "We can't let you do that, darling. We'll be more than satisfied if you get out of bed and get changed. It'll make a lot of difference." "No, it won't." There was a whimper in your voice that time. Your grip on the covers tightening, your knuckles going white. "It doesn't bring him back. It doesn't make the day any easier because he's gone." Demetri moved closer. "I dreamt about him." You said, a sob breaking through. Demetri rubbed your back as you sobbed. Anyone with a sliver of empathy would have found it difficult to watch. Demetri had no doubt that he seemed like a villain to you right now. Asking almost the impossible but it was better for you. Not to mention, the leaders had already decided that this couldn't continue. "I know you're suffering right now sweetheart." Demetri rubbed back again soothingly. Demetri looked to the twins, nodding to them. A silent message to relay what had happened here to the leaders, to confirm the distress they could likely hear. "One step at a time. This is all you have to do today. In fact," Demetri paused, looking around the room. "why not get changed into those softer clothes you have. The ones you say are more comfier like your night clothes. Can you do that?" It took a lot of coaxing but you caved, doing exactly that.

A couple of more days passed and you seemed to just cry your way through them. Aro was the first to approach the matter. "I know that this all feels like an ending but you may find that-" Your gaze shot up to Aro's like a deer in headlights, feeling tears build up once more. "Aro, I don't think I'm ready to hear this right now." You managed out in a whisper. The only way the words would leave your mouth. "I thought I'd have my sister with me forever." Aro told you with a sad smile. "We were many years apart but she was my sister. We may not have grown up together but we were going to make up for that...with forever. One day that changed. I lost her. I won't lie to you, I will always remember that pain, and I'll still feel it every now and then but with time, it isn't so raw. It doesn't consume you as it does when it's fresh." You dropped your gaze from his once more, swallowing hard against the lump in your throat. "This feels like a pain that will never go away." "It lifts every day, my love." Aro responded. "Loss creates wounds and sometimes they scar but that's alright." Aro nodded.

A tear ran down your cheek as you bit back a sob. Aro's words were actually comforting. It validated your feelings, telling you that you could feel that way whilst not undermining or dismissing it as something to be ignored as it would go away. Furthermore, it was a meeting point to help you understand that the pain you felt wasn't going to drown you, no matter how deep the pain went. It would get easier and you wouldn't forget.

A day passed and it was possibly the most draining day you had yet. You felt tears constantly. Sometimes they fell yet it was for no reason, they'd leave as quickly as they arrived without explanation. Therefore you couldn't give any explanation to the Volturi. You were somewhat reluctant to see Marcus when he asked for you but you also knew you weren't in any position to refuse.

You found the door was open as you entered. The room only illuminated by the fire to the right of the room and surrounded by two couches that looked old and exceptionally expensive- a dark brown wooden frame with padding covered with a rich red fabric. You quietly sighed to yourself the moment your eyes landed on Marcus. His back was turned to you, a very old, large book holding his attention. Or so you thought. "I know your pain, child." He said as you moved towards the fireplace, your arms crossed over chest. "I'm sorry for your loss." You grumbled. Marcus turned to look at you before moving towards you. He gestured for you to sit in the seat behind you. As you did, he sat down opposite you. "I'm more concerned about yours." He responded. "We find ways to cope with loss. You have lost your way whilst trying to find yours." "I'm fine if that's what you're asking." You said. "I'm not asking. I know how you are feeling, (Y/N). I know not what you are thinking." Marcus replied. "You could always ask Aro. He's seen inside my head-." "Aro's sight is nothing to me in this case." Marcus interrupted. "It's meaningless. Hearing it from you gives it meaning." "You want me to talk about it." You said flatly. Marcus said nothing but looked at you expectantly which had confirmed your suspicions. You looked away, contemplating if you should. You came to the conclusion that it wouldn't hurt. "I can't really figure out where I've to go from here, in life. I've never had to live without him." You answered. "You go on, little one. There is no direction. No one is pointed in the correct direction. At the end of the day, you go there yourself. With everyday, you go on and that's exactly what you're supposed to do." He responded. "When someone puts their all into you, their love, their effort, their time, they grow a bond to you that can never be broken, not really. It's always there. So when someone loves you so much...it's never goodbye." Marcus continued. "The truth is...losing someone is never easy. It changes you and it changes your life but it's never more important to remember that life goes on and people will miss you when you're no longer around. I know you well enough to know you'd want your loved ones to carry on. That's what is being asked of you now." Hearing Marcus' perspective was actually important to you in hindsight, seeing as he endured such a painful loss that still haunted him to this day. It meant he understood the feeling of something missing in your life. He knew that better than anyone. Although much like Aro's advice it was difficult to put into practice.

Four days passed and you were fed up of the grief and the constant tears for the tiniest thing. When Caius wanted to see you, you couldn't help but think that he was going to lecture you. Tell you to get over yourself like you had told yourself time and time again. So when you met him on the balcony, you asked. "I suppose you're going to tell me to toughen up right?" You asked Caius. Caius turned his head to look at you, instead of the ocean view. "Is that what you need to hear?" Slowly you shook your head. "So what would be the point?" He asked and you shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just thinking about everything he wanted from me. If my time with him was enough." Caius hummed. "A parents wish is to never outlive their children. They raise you wanting you to be better than they could ever be and live your life as much as you can. Even more so, enjoy it. Be safe and happy, free of doubt." Caius continued. "He got so many years of your life and I bet if you asked him...he wouldn't give up even a moment of the time he had with you. I'd say your father did a wonderful job raising you." "Was it enough though? Was it enough to make him proud and continue believing in me?" Caius cracked a small smile. "I think your father couldn't be more proud of you every day he walked this earth and if there is life beyond the living, he's just as proud." "How do you know? That I made him proud?" You asked after a moment of silence. "Simply because I am proud of you and not only are you not my child...but I am also very difficult to please." Caius responded with ease. You had to swallow hard against the lump in your throat. "Everyone in this castle, every vampire no matter the rank has outlived their parents. Although you may be surprised to know that many among us, had their own children that they have since outlived. All of different ages, from the old to the young. Every single one would tell you the pain of outliving their children was much worse." Caius assured you. Your eyes narrowed. "is that supposed to make me feel bad for my feelings?" You wouldn't have expected any less of him. Caius hummed in amusement. "Not at all, it's something to consider that your father wouldn't have had it any other way." Caius responded.

You weren't sure when things had changed but the grief wasn't so heavy on you. So much so, you got out of bed at a decent time, got changed and came down for breakfast. Felix checked in on you as soon as it was evident you were awake but left you to get ready for the day in peace. After breakfast you found both Felix and Demetri in one of the living rooms watching TV.

You had gotten closer to the two over time. Demetri went out if his way to make sure you were looked after and Felix tried to be something of a friend or even a distraction as he tried to include you in almost everything.

"Well look who's here!" He grinned. "Come and pick us a movie. You've got good taste as we've learned." Felix patted the empty seat next to him. "No, I need to sit on that side of you- that's my good side." You said. "If I need to have your magnified gaze on me it should at least be on my good side." Felix paused, a small smile growing on his face. You couldn't help but giggle at his expression. "I'm sorry? You're good side? What does that mean?" He said through chuckles. "Is this a human thing I don't know about? You have sides to you now?" "No!" You started but began giggling hysterically. "Listen, I need to know how many sides you have. Is this like personalities? Which side came down to breakfast this morning?" Felix continued and you laughed even more. "Or is it an angel and devil kind of thing? Did you leave your bad side upstairs, sitting in the sink? Which is another conversation all together by the way." "No!" You laughed. Felix turned to Demetri. "I was sent to check on them Demetri, do you know where I found them? Sitting in the sink! When did humans ever do that!?" "It was to get closer to the mirror!" You cried out in your defence. "To check on your good side by any chance?" Felix responded. You had doubled over so much in laughter and uncontrollable coughing Felix looked at you quizzically. "Breathe, (Y/N), it's kind of popular amongst your kind!" Felix's statement didn't help you. Instead you laughed more, curling up into a ball where you stood. "What are you doing now!?" Felix said in mock exasperation, beginning to chuckle himself. "I have to or I'm going to pee myself!" You managed out and Felix suddenly roared in laughter. "Friend, Demetri, listen, Carlisle needs to order a new human. This one is broken." Felix laughed hysterically as Demetri smirked with a playful eye roll. You wiped at tears that had built up in your eyes. "Ah, see, now that you've stopped yourself from relieving yourself on our floor, it's coming out your eyes instead. Humans are great!" "Felix, that is not how that works." Demetri said, his eyes wide as you continued to laugh. "Yes I kn- you ruined my joke! Of course I know that!" Felix face palmed.

Felix stood up, pulling you to a stand and bringing you to sit with him, his arm over your shoulder. "There, there, deep breaths. I've got you kid." Before you could blink he was on the other side of you. "Soothe both sides of you." A other giggle escaped you as he grinned. Demetri looked at you both with a smile. This was much more like the human they were accustomed to.

The day before you left, you visited Caius at his office, wanting to thank him for everything he had done for you. You were beyond aware he didn't have to say anything to console you. Yet he went above and beyond. "Come in." You heard his stern voice behind the door. "Hi, do you have a moment? I can come back later if it's more fitting?" You asked, looking at him as he moved a few sheets of paper to the side of his desk. "Not at all, you chose a very good moment. What is it?" Caius stood up, moving away from his desk and approached you, closing the door behind you. "Hm?" Caius promoted, slightly softer in tone than he had before. "I wanted to thank you, for taking me in and being there for me when I needed it most. I didn't have the expectation but you went above and beyond more than I could have ever asked of you. I'm grateful." You said. "Well, you certainly needed it. That I can tell you. It's a joy to see you've been more like yourself lately." Caius responded. You felt yourself gradually grow a little more emotional by the second. In some strange way, you were going to miss him and others of the Volturi. Despite being rather rough around the edges. "I don't know if anyone has ever told you this." You began. You feared his reaction but couldn't keep the thought to yourself. "You'd have been a really great father." You said swallowing against the lump in your throat. Caius looked slightly taken aback. His expression changed to something you couldn't quite describe. Awe wasn't the correct word but looked to be the closest thing. His eyes softening as though you had melted his heart with those words alone. He said nothing, unable to believe what he had heard. You immediately closed the gap, hugging him tightly. Caius inhaled sharply, uncertain what to do as you hugged his waist and your head against his chest. You couldn't see it but felt as Caius relaxed, a small smile growing upon his face. You felt a hand cradle the back of your head softly as his other arm wrapped around you. He bent ever so slightly, his head resting on top of yours. "You take care of yourself. Understand? I expect to hear of your transformation soon." He said quietly. When you broke away, he wasn't so emotional. Instead he gave you his signature smile. "I promise." You responded as he led you towards the door.

Marcus was the next you visited, around two hours later. Softly, you had knocked on his door to his own study and received a soft "Enter." in response. "Hi." You began meekly. "Do you have a second?" You asked as Marcus was putting a book back on book shelf. One of many that covered the whole wall with cabinets at the bottom. "I do." He nodded, turning towards you. "I...Oh hell, this gets harder to do each time." You said, eyes wide. Marcus tilted his head. "Take a breath. I won't bite." Marcus offered you a comforting smile. You smiled at the irony. "I wanted to thank you. You took me in and helped me through probably the most difficult thing I've ever endured in my life. You didn't have to and you did anyway. I wanted to say thank you. I appreciate it more than I could put it into words." Marcus smiled slightly. "Then allow me to thank you, dear (Y/N)." You raised an eyebrow, confusion crossing your features. "It's not often we have such young hearts here, all of ours have faded. You may have shown us that humans can be such wonderful things. Some of us might argue you to be the most wonderful of all. So thank you for blessing us with your presence, little one." You felt tears build again, rendered speechless. Marcus smiled, if anyone understood. It was him. "Your father would be so proud of you and every moment you've spent with us has been nothing short of a gift to us. Never forget that." You nodded. "I'll never forget what you've done for me. I can't express how thankful I am to you and the Volturi. I don't think I could have gotten through this without you." "Ah, ah, remember my dear. You were always going to come through. You've always had that strength in you. That was never strength that we could give. You've had it from the very beginning. It just takes some time." Marcus softly took hold of your arms. "I know it's going to make longer than our time together to properly heal from this. Although I'm more than confident that you will be just fine." As tears threatened to fall, you smiled at him. "I really don't get how you don't have children." You said and Marcus chuckled. "It wasn't supposed to be." "They'd be so lucky!" You responded as the two of you moved towards the door. Marcus chuckled. "If I ever had a child, I'd hope they'd turn out like you."

When you finally got a hold of Aro, it was in the throne room with Marcus and Caius. You bit your lip. "There's so much I want to say..." You said to him. "...but every time I go to talk I nearly cry." You admitted, the lump returning in your throat. Aro chuckled slightly. "Allow me then, my dear. You've shed enough tears." Aro stood up, descending the stairs with his hand extended towards you. You held out your hand and he took his, cradling it close to his chest. A warm, genuine smile grew on Aro's face. "We have such high hopes for you, young (Y/N)." He said softly. "Your time with us has been wonderful. You are a beautiful soul, my dear. The pleasure was ours, truly. You have no need to thank us." Aro finished. "I trust you will join our kind soon enough. Until then, be safe and send my regards to my dear friend Carlisle." You nodded and Aro nodded behind you. There stood Felix and Demetri who escorted you to the entrance.

The twins stood in waiting, dismissing the receptionist as you approached. "Is that everything?" Demetri asked, nodding to the bags beside the desk. You nodded. "Yeah." You looked at the four of them, silence overtaking the room. "I wanted to thank you guys too. I know it's not easy to be around a human like you have since I've been here. Especially an emotional wreck of a human." You noticed Alec's slight smirk at this. "Oh come here!" Felix finally said loudly, hugging you tightly. "I'm going to miss having a human around here." He grumbled. "...the receptionist?" You reminded him. "It's not the same! I actually like you!" You smiled into his broad shoulder. "I'll miss you, Felix." You said. "Don't! I'll find a way to keep you!" Felix grinned, squeezing slightly. "They'll never know. I'll find a way!" You giggled as the two of you broke the hug.

You stepped away, your attention moving to Demetri. "Of course I have to thank you!" You smiled, hugging him before he could respond. He smiled down at you, patting you on the back lightly. "Be safe." He said to you quietly. Finally you looked to the twins. "I know you two don't do the hugging and I've put you two through enough." Neither responded but Alec's gaze wasn't so harsh. It was an improvement as neither of them were glaring at you. "Thank you for putting up with me. I know it must have been annoying for you to have me around- being a human and all that." You smiled slightly at them. The twins were silent but you caught Alec sending you a smile. Whilst they didn't say anything to you, Alec's smile told you a lot. They didn't completely hate you. You weren't as bad as they had thought. Although they weren't quite willing to let their guard down around you. "You two take care." You nodded to them with a smile before turning away. "I believe the car is outside waiting for you." Demetri said with a small brief smile.

#request #twilight #volturi #the volturi #reader #aro volturi #caius volturi #marcus volturi #one shot #oneshot

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moonbeambucky · 3 years

Text

I Promise (Part 2/2)

Pairing: Chris Beck x Reader Word Count: 4722 Warnings: fluff, light angst, pregnancy

Summary: Before heading to Mars Chris Beck reconnects with his best friend, unaware of the outcome of their night together. With the burden of his mission will Chris make a promise he can’t keep?

A/N: A big thank you to my love Allie @all1e23 for beta reading 🍕❤️ gif source (x)

PART 1

In the months that passed Chris had been able to keep up on email with a bit more regularity though it still took some time in between messages. Video calls were less frequent but you still had them. You stood back from your laptop and faced sideways, lifting your shirt to reveal the protrusion of your growing belly.

His smile was bittersweet, wishing he could be there in person to watch you grow, to feel when the baby starts kicking. You were having a boy and decided to name him Oliver. After you first spoke Chris waited for you to tell your family first before he told his over email, and you followed up with a visit to see them.

His parents, Michael and Lori, were so happy to see you again. They always knew you and Chris were close but now with a grandchild on the way they were thrilled. Along with your parents they offered help immediately, everyone overwhelming you with to-do lists and essential shopping you hadn’t thought about at that point.

“My dad’s going to help make the storage room a nursery.”

Your apartment was technically a one bedroom but there was a small room adjacent to yours you’ve been using as extra space to hold anything random you couldn’t find a spot for anywhere else. It was on the narrow side and currently overcrowded with junk, not the most picturesque nursery but it would have to do for now, as soon as you get rid of things to make space.

“I wish I was there to help you,” he sighed, not speaking solely about helping you clean. “We’ll be descending for Mars soon so I won’t be able to keep in touch until we get back on the Hermes.”

You understood. Chris would be there for about a month and you assumed it would take a little longer to hear back from him once they got back on board to begin their journey back.

It was an unassuming morning at home. You were trying to find a comfortable position on your couch, adjusting the cushion you bought for extra support. You’re tired, finding it harder to fall asleep comfortably with a bigger belly. At 24 weeks your baby was apparently practicing to be a soccer player, his kicks growing stronger every day. You loved this part of pregnancy but you also couldn’t deny how terrible you felt. Your feet started swelling, your skin was itchy and you thought you were going crazy every time you tried to read but the words were blurring. Changes were expected but not in the way you always thought.

A news report breaks on TV, a red banner that flashes words that have your heart beating rapidly – ARES III ASTRONAUTS COMING HOME. Tears flood your eyes as you hear the news, Mark Watney is dead. Nausea washes over your body in waves and you clutch your stomach, forgetting to breathe until you hear that Chris was safe. You exhale with relief though your heart aches for the crew and Mark’s family. You rubbed your belly in gentle circles, speaking softly to let Oliver know that Daddy was alright and he was coming home.

It was late December when Chris finally had a chance to call you. Tears glisten in his eyes as he sees you, thanking you for the picture you emailed him from your latest sonogram. The 3D technology showed a clear picture of Oliver’s sweet face and Chris longed to meet him. Your belly had grown as well, with less than three months to go before your due date.

The nursery was complete and you really owed a lot to your family and Chris’ for helping it come together. Chloe arranged a baby shower which helped fill the nursery with everything you needed, from drawers full of diapers to a wardrobe of clothes, a lot of space themed outfits you couldn’t wait to send Chris pictures of.

Though you were overjoyed at everyone being there it was hard to keep up a smile. Everyone knew the situation and there was no way getting around the fact that he wouldn’t be home for another year. Still you pushed on and tried not to dwell on what you couldn’t change.

“Wow,” Chris marveled as you showed him your bump. “You’re so much bigger since I last saw you.” The flat, unamused expression you shot Chris made him quickly stutter on his words. “I meant your bump, it’s… you look beautiful, I promise.” You smiled a little, trusting him even if you didn’t quite believe it all the time.

Catching up came to a halt when Chris began to open up about what happened. You knew it was coming. It was ubiquitous in the news cycle but hearing it from Chris directly made your stomach churn. You wished you could be there, to wipe away his tears and hold him close as he mourned for his friend. You wished even more that you could tell him the truth… Mark was alive.

You received communication from NASA just before the public learned about it though you were specifically instructed not to tell Chris about the information. According to them the crew needed to focus on their mission home and honestly you thought it was a bunch of bullshit. You felt nauseous the whole time speaking to Chris, trying to hide the truth you so desperately wanted to tell him. Lying was not something you and Chris ever did to each other and every second you held your tongue felt like you were betraying all the years of your friendship.

When the call ended you shut your laptop, hanging your head low and breaking down into tears. It was a deep, messy faced cry with guttural sobs. You were crying for everything. For Mark, mistakenly left to die on a planet of isolation, for Chris and lying to his face, for Oliver who can’t have his father around like you wanted him to be.

As time went on you felt better, emailing and speaking to Chris whenever he could. It’s February and your heart feels lighter as you await the video connection. You try not to get sentimental with Valentine’s Day having just passed. You and Chris are not anything officially, just two adults who have known each other their whole lives having a baby… but the idea doesn’t scare you.

You think back to your thirtieth birthday and what would have happened if you were single. Would Chris have mentioned the promise? It’s a silly thought. He was so busy with his career he probably wouldn’t have gone through with it but you can’t help thinking about the “what if.” And now you were single, single and pregnant with his child, so what if…

Your thoughts are cut off immediately when you actually see Chris. His eyes were rimmed red, eyes glistening with tears that made the tiny red veins scattered across the whites of his eyes look like they were bleeding.

“Mark is alive,” his voice shuddered through a heaving sob.

Your mouth dropped open as you listened in shock. How does he know?

Chris rubbed his nose with the back of his hand, eyes squeezing tight as he exhaled another heavy sigh. “I’m the one that called it, did you know that? I told Commander Lewis he was dead and they knew…”

His words dropped, his voice failing to speak but Chris’ grief turned to anger just as quickly. “They knew… they knew for two goddamn months that he was alive! Do you know how that feels?”

Your heart was breaking for him even more and there was nothing you could do but offer words of comfort as he vented. “Chris I’m so sorry. Who told you?”

“Mitch Henderson, our flight director, he– wait.” Chris’ body stiffened, eyes narrowing at the screen. “What do you mean who? Did… did you know?”

You dropped your head in shame, unable to answer him in words.

“You knew? Y/N look at me!” he shouted.

Your head snapped up to see Chris’ nostrils flaring, jaw clenched tight. “You knew my friend was alive and you didn’t tell me?” he grit through his teeth, anger burning hotter than the sun.

“I’m sorry Chris, I couldn’t.”

He scoffed, cutting off your explanation. His tone raised to a level he’s never taken with you before. “You couldn’t what, Y/N? You looked me in the eye and lied to me about everything!”

Though Chris may have been justified in his anger it shouldn't have been directed at you. Just as quickly you retorted, “I’m not the only one Chris! Everyone knows, your parents, Chloe; this isn’t on me. NASA told us not to say anything to distract you.”

“Oh but telling me you’re pregnant wasn’t a distraction?” he snapped.

Chris knew he made a mistake but it was too late, the words came out and he couldn’t take them back. He watched you sink in your chair, your lips beginning to quiver. You dropped your head down to hide the tears but he could see them leaving wet puddles on the fabric of your shirt.

He was upset, feeling guilty about leaving Mark stranded even though he knows there was nothing he could have done. His biometer was damaged, he thought… they all thought he was dead and if they didn’t leave they’d all have died too. There was nothing he could do to change the past but this isn’t what he wanted.

Chris was angry and frustrated with everything. He wanted his friend to be safe on the Hermes, he wanted this mission to be over, he wanted… to be with you. You were due in three weeks and the closer the date got the more he hated being up in space when all he wanted was to be by your side.

“Y/N… Y/N please… I’m sorry,” he sniffled, wiping away fresh tears that began to fall. “I didn’t mean to take this out on you… please…”

Tears still fell as you lifted your head slowly towards the screen to find Chris looking just as upset as you were. You cleared your throat, wiping the wetness away from your cheek as you spoke, “If you don’t want to do this–”

“No!” he cut you off immediately, “Y/N please, I was wrong. I was upset and I didn’t mean that. I want this more than anything. I’m sorry.”

The sincerity was clear in the depths of his eyes, staring at you as if he was unworthy of your gaze. You took a moment to think of what he’s going through; the world had time to process everything that was happening with Mark but for Chris this was new and upsetting and you understood.

“I’m sorry too. I never wanted to lie to you.”

“Stop, you don’t have to apologize, I was an asshole.” Chris immediately stops your protests and you let him, feeling yourself smile again the longer you continue to speak. “I miss you a lot, do you know that?” His smile returned as he spoke, asking how you were feeling with your upcoming due date.

Your smile stretches wider across your face. “I miss you too. I’m…” The smile curbs a bit as you let out a sigh. “I’m nervous honestly, excited but scared I guess, I don’t know. I know it’s unrealistic and maybe even a bit selfish to say but I feel like if you were here I’d be a lot better.”

He apologizes again though you find yourself doing the same, not meaning to add to the guilt he already lives with. “I wish I could be there but I know you’re going to get through it, and Oliver already has the best mom in the world.”

Your mouth gasped open and you placed your hand on your bump. “He just kicked when you said that, I’m not even kidding!”

“See, it’s true,” he grinned widely.

There was a faint noise in the background and you saw Chris looking off to the side. When he turned back to face the screen you could tell by the tension in his face that he was needed for something.

“I have to go now, but… I love you Y/N.”

Though you’ve heard those words so many times before and have spoken them yourself, this time they felt different. You wondered if he meant to put that new emotion behind it and if you felt the same.

There wasn’t much time to ponder these thoughts as two weeks later you were in the hospital, with your mom and Chloe by your side getting you through labor. It was an excruciating ordeal with contractions that were so intense you were in tears. They helped you breathe through them, letting you squeeze their hands as you received an epidural and finally a few hours later it was time to push. Chloe recorded the birth over your shoulder for Chris and with a strangled cry Oliver came into the world.

Tears of joy ran down your cheeks as you held him against you. He was beautiful and you could see so much of Chris in him already. A bittersweet sob wracked through you, wishing he was there.

Chris called the whole crew in to see photos of Oliver as he opened his email. There were a ton, his family making sure they took pictures from every angle. There were close ups of his little toes, pictures of him sleeping and Chris’ favorites of you holding him.

“Congratulations Beck!” “Welcome to fatherhood.” “He’s beautiful.”

Chris saved some things for himself like Oliver’s birth and a special message you sent him. The phone was held out in front of you, the unforgiving hospital lights showing off how tired you looked but to Chris you were beautiful and shining as bright as the stars.

“We did it.” Your voice was soft and strained, but you still pushed on to speak to him. The camera flipped towards the bassinet beside your bed with Oliver sleeping peacefully. “Say hi to Daddy,” you whispered softly. There were a few moments of silence watching him sleep, and you couldn’t help but let out a soft giggle as Oliver’s mouth twitched. “I can’t wait for you to meet him Chris,” the camera flipped around again, “I know you’re going to be an amazing father. I love you so much.”

When the video ended Chris couldn’t help but kiss the screen, wishing it was your lips that his were pressed against. He’s eagerly counting the days and soon enough he would be.

Chris sat uncomfortably in his chair, elbow resting on the glossy white table as his hand covers his mouth, hiding the worry and tension of his lips. He feels like he swallowed a bag of rocks, his stomach is tense and tight, cramping in all the worst ways. He tried to hide it, shifting in his chair as he listens to his Commander lay out a plan to save Mark.

It goes directly against NASA’s orders and he’s not sure what the consequences would be for mutiny but he doesn’t care about that, not if it means they can rescue their friend.

“...If we do everything perfectly we add 533 days to our mission, 533 more days before we see our families again, 533 days of unplanned space travel where anything could go wrong.. If it’s mission critical, we die.”

He shifts again, his stomach twisting in all directions as he ponders what to do. He missed your pregnancy, Oliver’s birth. He could be home in six months and his heart swells at the thought. He is ready to happily spend his nights changing diapers and preparing bottles, bonding with his son and allowing you the sleep you need.

Chris’ shoulders slump. He doesn’t know much about fatherhood but he does know he wants to be someone Oliver could look up to and he wouldn’t be that person if he didn’t stay true to his heart and make a tough decision.

“Well, it has to be unanimous,” Commander Lewis said, scanning her head to lock eyes with each member of the crew.

It would be another year and a half before Chris saw you and Oliver and the thought hurts him deeply but he knows it’s for the best. “Let’s go get him,” he said, his voice wavering between excitement and trepidation. He knew this was right and he hoped you would believe him.

Once the Hermes corrected their course it was official and NASA knew they would have to send them the resupply probe for their extended mission. Now all Chris had to do was tell you.

It was hard to watch the tears stream down your face as you broke down, you weren’t even able to wipe them with Oliver sleeping in your arms. Chris is crying too, looking at the sweet face of the son he has to wait even longer to meet. You know why he’s doing this and you can’t exactly be mad at him. Even growing up Chris was always the person to do the right thing no matter the consequence.

“Y/N… if anything happens…”

“No!” you cut him off, letting out your anguish as softly as you could so you didn’t disturb Oliver. “Chris, don’t say that.” Your eyes pleaded with him, hating that he made you even consider the worst.

“Please, if anything happens I want you to know that you and Oliver…” His voice gives out, even Chris has a hard time accepting a very possible reality. “I made sure you’ll be taken care of.”

He stared straight through you and you understood what he meant. Adjusting your grip on Oliver, you quickly wiped the wetness from your cheek and rubbed at your nose. “You have to come back to us, promise me.”

“I promise,” he replied with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He wants to keep his promise but it’s not something he can guarantee. Oliver stirs in your arms, his face twisting as he lets out a piercing cry as if he also knew the stakes at hand.

You soothe your son as best as you could, feeling he needed a diaper change. Before saying goodbye you looked into Chris’ eyes through the screen, wishing you could reach out and cup his cheek as you proclaimed, “I love you, Chris.” You meant every word, more than ever before.

His cheeks pulled into a warm smile as he said it back. The screen goes dark and he sits quietly starting his countdown over for the day he can say it to you again in person.

A year has passed and you’re sitting on the floor with Oliver in your lap, holding a book out in front of you. This was your nightly routine before bed, letting him pick out a story from his little shelf against the wall and reading it together. He was very interested at this age, helping you turn the pages or pointing at the pictures that you would describe and try to get him to repeat.

He’s grown so much and every day you find more ways he looks like Chris, especially when he scrunches his nose, putting up a fuss when eating bananas.

Oliver’s first birthday was two months ago, it was a small party at Chris’ parents house filled with cake and presents but the best gift was that Chris was able to call in. You cried immediately, holding Oliver up to the screen and pointing at Chris. “Dada! Look Oliver it’s Dada!”

There were pictures of Chris in your house and every time you passed them you would show Oliver, hoping the connection would eventually sink in. Oliver grinned at the screen showing off four tiny teeth in the center of his smile. “Oliver it’s Daddy!” Chris said, waving his hands. “Hey buddy. I love you Oliver. I’ll see you soon.”

It didn’t feel real that Chris was actually coming home this year since he’s been gone for so long. You’ve been keeping in touch, emailing him as many pictures and videos of Oliver as you could. Everyone loved the professional shots taken when he was six months old, dressed in pajamas printed with planets on them, holding a bottle shaped like a spaceship. In others he was dressed as an astronaut tethered to a bright and colorful rocketship laying against a starry background made to look like he was floating in space, just like his Dad.

With Oliver in bed you went to the kitchen to make yourself something to eat though you could barely focus. You were on edge, watching the live stream of Mark Watney’s rescue on your phone.

Your head lifted to the TV as you waited like the rest of the world, watching the rescue in real time. It took an hour before there was confirmation that Mark was safely on board and the relief brought tears to your eyes. The whole world was celebrating and you couldn’t imagine how happy Chris and his crew were to get him back and soon enough Chris would be home too.

While some people were opening up presents on Christmas morning you were opening suitcases and getting ready to pack things for yourself and Oliver to fly to Houston to see Chris. The crew landed two days ago and seeing footage of him being pulled from the capsule brought tears to your eyes. You pointed to the screen for Oliver, “Who’s that? That’s…”

His face lit up, his little hand slapping at the screen as his squeaky voice said, “It’s Daddy!”

“That’s right. Good job!” you beamed, planting a kiss to his soft cheek.

Oliver did a lot of growing up in the last year. He was a few months shy of two, a little ball of energy that brought smiles everywhere he went. He was playful and kind, he loved to splash bubbles during bathtime, and wiggle his body to music.

Chris was able to see his emerging personality whenever you spoke to each other. Oliver was shy at first and a little confused, looking back at you instead of the screen as Chris was trying to talk to him. It took a lot of patience but you got there, pointing at Chris and saying “It’s Daddy!” enough times for Oliver to finally recognize him. Chris would smile and wave, calling him his little buddy and Oliver waved back. He was hesitant at first but regular video calls normalized their relationship and soon Oliver would press his lips to your laptop, leaving a big wet kiss on the screen meant for his Dad.

It was hard knowing Chris was back on Earth but you couldn't see him yet. He was undergoing physical evaluations and you were certain more testing would be necessary in the future considering he and the Ares III crew have set a record, spending nearly three times the amount in space than ever before. You chuckled to yourself, knowing Chris would probably want to take on the study himself although part of you knew he was more anxious to spend time with you and Oliver, a thought that made your heart swell.

A week later and you were at the Johnson Space Center, in a waiting room meant for the family of returning astronauts. Oliver is playing with Aunt “Coey” as he called her, holding his spacecraft toy and making it fly above armrests of the row of blue chairs you’re so tired of staring at. Whenever you heard noise in the hallway you quickly rushed towards Oliver, brushing his hair in place with your hands and adjusting the bottom of his striped blue shirt.

This time you were right to be prepared as a man opened the door. You all scrambled to stand up, holding Oliver in front of you with your hands on his shoulders. The man nodded, giving a quick smile and suddenly you felt overcome with nerves. After two and a half years you were finally about to see Chris again and your heart was beating wildly. You tried to steady your breaths, holding a nervous smile as you waited for him to walk through the door.

The moment he did you were overcome with emotion, bursting out with tears of joy, a smile stretching from ear to ear. He was here, he was actually here. Chris had a smile that beamed as bright as the stars, his eyes glistening with tears as he looked at you and Oliver who had grown restless of standing and made his way into his grandpa’s arms.

Chris walked unsteadily towards you, thinking Oliver could probably walk better than he can at the moment as he was still adjusting to gravity. You ran forward meeting him more than halfway, throwing your arms around him for a crushing hug. As you cried against his chest your own legs nearly gave out when you felt his arms around you.

“I missed you so much,” you muffled against his shirt, pulling yourself back to stare into his eyes once more.

“I love you,” he said, a clear admission of the feelings in his heart, no longer meant with platonic innocence.

You were always close and while the two of you never saw each other as anything but friends it certainly surprised everyone around you when you didn’t end up together. Things were different now and you both felt the shift in your relationship since he’s been away. It was more than the bond you had by having a child together; Chris always had a place in your heart and you wondered why it took this long to see it.

“I love you too,” you cried again, feeling the relief of his lips against yours as they pressed together for a sweet and long overdue kiss.

Lori kissed her son, hugging him quickly as did Chloe who was eager to record Chris and Oliver’s first official introduction on her phone. Michael placed him down and you kneeled beside Oliver. Chris eased himself down, feeling his heart pounding like a drum in his ears. In the last few years he’s been through countless stressful situations, none of which were more nerve wracking than meeting his son for the first time.

There’s a nervous look on Oliver’s face as a room full of people are all watching him and he turns to look at you, his eyes pleading for help. You reassured him that everything was okay and like the many times you’ve done in the past you pointed towards Chris. Your voice wavered as the words you spoke bubbled out of your throat, “Oliver, this is your Daddy.”

Chris smiled softly, keeping a short distance between himself and Oliver because he didn’t want to overwhelm him. It was clear Oliver was unsure of what to do, looking back and forth between you and Chris.

“Hey buddy, it’s me. I’m your Daddy,” Chris said and finally Oliver’s face lit up with recognition.

He grinned, waving to Chris in front of him as they had done through the screen so many times before. With a proud smile Oliver picked up the hem of his shirt, exposing his tummy and strung together a sentence of mostly recognizable words that meant, “I have a belly button!”

A tear squeezed out from the corner of Chris’ eyes as he laughed, “Yeah you do buddy!”

The ice was broken between them and Chris looked over his shoulder at someone who discreetly handed him something behind his back.

“I’m so happy to meet you Oliver. This is for you,” Chris said, handing over a teddy bear dressed as an astronaut.

He jumped as he took the bear, squeezing it in his arms with the happiest smile. With some encouragement you had him thank Chris and Oliver pursed his lips forward to kiss Chris’ cheek. Oliver let Chris hug him and he smiled through his tears, finally experiencing what he’s been imagining for years, holding his son in his arms.

Chris thought his days among the stars were over but together with you and Oliver he’s surrounded by a whole galaxy of love. Each day shines brighter than the last and Chris has no doubt that one day soon he will finally keep his promise.

#chris beck x reader #chris beck fanfiction #chris beck fluff #dad!chris beck #chris beck x you

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latte-fairytaekwoon · 3 years

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❥𝓔𝓻𝓸𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓟𝓼𝔂𝓬𝓱𝓮

𝑃𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔: 𝐸𝑟𝑜𝑠! 𝐾𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑌𝑒𝑜𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑔 × 𝑃𝑠𝑦𝑐ℎ𝑒! 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟 (𝐹𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑒)

𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑟𝑒: 𝐹𝑙𝑢𝑓𝑓, 𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑠𝑡, 𝐿𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑆𝑚𝑢𝑡, 𝐹𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑠𝑦/𝐺𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑘 𝑀𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑦 𝐴𝑈.

𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡: 11.8𝐾

𝑊𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠: 𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑦 𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝, 𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠, 𝑚𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑠/ 𝑑𝑒𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑠𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑠, 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑢𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑑𝑒, 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑘, 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡.

~"𝑀𝑦 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑙 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑙 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑚𝑒𝑡.

𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝐼 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑑 𝑚𝑦 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝐼 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢.

𝑌𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑑 𝑚𝑦 𝑓𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠." - 𝐴𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑎 𝐾𝑟𝑖𝑧𝑧𝑎𝑛.

━━━━━━━༺۵༻━━━━━━━

"Eros, my darling son.......come here for a minute."

The golden haired goddess gently stroke the dove that was nestled in her embrace, her eyes fixated on the ray of light that shone through the crystal windows of her palace.

She heard the footsteps of her beloved child stop right in front of her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him bend down in obeisance to her, his arm rested across his chest.

"Yes mother?" The snowy white haired deity awaited her instructions.

"I've been rather uneasy lately my love. Very uneasy." She waved her hand and he slowly rose up, eyes meeting hers.

"Why is that?"

The Olympian got up from her seat, sending the little dove flying away to perch itself on one of the trees that decorated the room. Gracefully, she paced around the room, her hands folded in front of her abdomen, fingers tapping against each other as she mused about the current situation.

"There's been....some unsettling rumors being spread in the mortal world and it has reached Olympus..."

Eros waited for her to continue. It must have been something very grievous for her to be so out of sorts, and this was the same goddess who didn't fear the consequences when her long life affair with his father, Ares, was discovered.

She peered down the window, sneering at the city below that was barely visible with all the clouds covering a vast majority of it.

"Apparently one of the daughter's of the King of Athens is said to be remarkably beautiful....."

She paused as she took a deep breath, jaw clenching as she sputtered out the next words.

"So enchanting that they dare compare her to me....Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty itself....

They've even begun to bring gifts and worship her on the day they're supposed to pay respect and praise to me!"

Eros flinched slightly when she hastily turned around and marched past him, tipping over a table that held a tray with a golden tea set. But he didn't stop her, so used to his mother's infantile tantrums, although he was pretty shocked to hear the severity of the issue. To worship a mere mortal, one who was so far below one of the gods, and not just any god, but one of the 12 Olympians themselves, was inconceivable.

Aphrodite clenched and unclenched her fist, trying to control her fury threatening to seek vengeance.

"I need you to go down there and find out who she is. And when you find her.....shoot her." She commanded him.

Eros nodded, understanding what she was asking of him.

"Who would you like me to have her fall for?"

Aphrodite groaned in annoyance.

"Oh! I don't know! Anyone or anything! An old haggard beggar, a toad, have her go mad over a tree stump for all I care! Just make her go insane!" She threw a cluster of grapes across the room, scaring the flock of doves who flew away to different parts of the room.

"As you wish my goddess."

Eros bowed to his mother one last time before retreating out of the hall, and going to his own chambers to prepare his necessary equipment for the journey. He too was curious to find out just how captivating this woman really was.

━━━━━━━༺۵༻━━━━━━━

The young girl sighed softly as she looked at all the smoke coming out from the temple, the light scent of incense could be made out from her bedroom window. She was well aware and against what was going on in there. It was utterly disrespectful of her father to allow them and even encourage his citizens to offer sacrifices to her in Aphrodite's sacred temple, and on her very own yearly celebration. Had they no fear of a wrath from the gods?

She simply looked away and went to her own little corner where she made a small shrine dedicated to the goddess of beauty, love and fertility. She admired the small marble figurine of the goddess herself, and straightened out the roses and pearls surrounding it. She lit fire to a few myrtles and let them burn in a small ash tray as she murmured one of the many hymns in devotion to the deity. If she wasn't so soft hearted, she would have finished it off with sacrificing one of the best doves that were kept in the stables, but she could never bring herself to do that. She hoped the goddess would understand and forgive her, or at least, try to appease her for all the foolishness her father was causing.

She straightened her nightgown and crawled under the blankets of her grand bed. She was exhausted from the day's festivities and from the guilt and fear eating her alive. She shut her eyes, secretly hoping it was nothing but a bad dream and when she awoke, everything would be fine and back to the ways it was meant to be. She soon was fast asleep, only movements coming out of her body were the rising of her chest, signaling her breathing.

A soft thud landed on her balcony. The being looked behind him, making sure nobody had seen him. Not that it mattered, even if they did, they would tremble away in fear. Pushing the window open, he let himself inside the girl's bedroom, the one they reverenced as Psyche. His eyes scanned the room, landing on the bed which he cautiously approached. His hand reached out to pull away at the drapes covering the sleeping figure.

"Let's see who is it that is said to rival Aphrodite."

Eros pulled the drape away, letting the moonlight behind him shine on the face of the occupant on the bed. His arm fell to his side, slapping slightly against his thigh as he took in the beautiful countenance of the woman sleeping peacefully in front of him. He blinked slowly, trying to decipher if what he was seeing was indeed real. She was absolutely breathtaking, almost ethereal, never had his sight been blessed by such radiant and magnificent beauty, and he'd spent some time around Poseidon's Nereids.

Without realizing it, his hand reached out to caress her face or simply push back a lock of her hair, he himself didn't know what he was doing. But a small shifting of position on her part made him retract his hand, elbow grazing on the leather of the pouch on his back.

That's right. He still had a mission to carry out.

His arm reached back and grabbed an arrow from the pouch. He then proceeded to hover his hand above the tip, humming the soft incantation that would allow him to pierce the girl's heart and render her insane for the first object she saw. As he chanted, she began to stir in her sleep, putting Eros on guard, hoping she wouldn't wake up. He took in how her once peaceful expression, showed now sorrow and pain. It somehow pained him to see such a beautiful girl seem so troubled. He was so lost in her gaze that he didn't realise it until it was too late...

Until he felt the sharp tip of the arrow prick into his palm, even piercing the skin. Eros widened his eyes as he quickly yanked the arrow out, flinging it across the room. He looked at his hand, no blood coming out because he was an immortal, but he still clutched it as he felt an overwhelming pain and flutter course through his entire body. His heart started to pump at a faster pace, and his breathing became heavier. He tried to look away, but his mind forced him to look back at the unsuspecting girl on the bed.

"Oh no......what have I done?" He whispered softly.

Feeling dizzy, he scurried out the window, not caring anymore about being seeing in the dark of night, he just knew he wanted to back in Olympus as soon as possible. He flew back into the heavens, discarding only a few white feathers on his desperate flight back.

━━━━━━━༺۵༻━━━━━━━

Psyche stood in front of the mirror, trying not to gaze at her own reflection, which she thought of as more of a curse than a blessing. She simply let her maids comb and adorn her hair as they wished and wrap a golden belt around her lilac colored tunic.

"My lady would you like breakfast brought to you or would you prefer to go down to the dining room?" One of them inquired.

She shook her head.

"I won't be taking breakfast today thank you."

The maids exchanged a puzzled look between each other but decided not to pry any longer. They simple allowed their mistress to wander off to the castle's pavilion located in the center of the gardens.

She preferred being alone these days, avoiding as many people as possible, but especially her father. Lately he had been rambling and complaining non stop at the lack of suitors coming to propose marriage to her. It'd been almost a year since he put out the announcement that she was of age and ready to be betrothed to any suitable prince or monarch, he had even raised the dowry triple what it was originally worth, but still, no one had come to claim her or propose.

"Perhaps it's just as well." She thought to herself. It wouldn't surprise her if this was how Aphrodite was showing her anger, by making her face the humiliation of being unwedded and childless.

Perhaps the biggest thing bothering her was the fact men just came to admire her beauty, but seemed to never really fall in love with her, and she herself couldn't fall in love either. Was she just a pretty face for people to gawk and fawn over? Was she destined to feel lonely and empty for the rest of her life?

"Little Psyche out here all alone?"

She stiffened when she heard the voice of her eldest sister, Amara, from behind her. Small steps let her know she was entering the pavilion and soon enough, she felt her presence stand right next to her.

"I wanted to be alone. That's all." She explained, although she really didn't feel the need to.

Her sister hummed softly.

"Would one really think that to be such a good idea? Father would be concerned if anything happened to his precious and beautiful Psyche, especially after that incident of the arrow in your room."

She was getting irritated at this point, her hand gripping harshly at the side of her tunic, creasing it slightly.

"That was many months ago Amara.....and I've said before that I don't like the title given to me by my father and the people....."

She took a deep breath before stating firmly:

"My name is Y/N and I shall be referred as such."

Her sister was taken aback by her sharp tone, but paid no attention to it. She opted for plucking some of the little violets that surrounded one of the pillars.

"As you wish....after all, anything you say is practically law. Anything you desire, you'll get." Her voice was laced with envy.

Y/N shook her head.

"Not everything."

Although she was referring to the fact her father refused to listen to her in the matter of Aphrodite's temple, her sister wrongly thought she meant the matter of matrimony.

"Oh don't worry little sister. Father is to go visit the Oracle of Delphi to seek help from Apollo in regards to your.......shameful circumstances."

Y/N couldn't stand it anymore. It's not that she hated her sister, but lately she seemed to enjoy in taking delight of her misery and pain, hurting her with her mock pity and double sided remarks.

"If you'll excuse me Amara, I shall go back inside."

Y/N was barely 4 feet away when her sister dismissed her.

"See you later......Psyche."

Y/N refused to eat during the entire day, worrying her loyal and trustworthy maids.

"But Miss....you must eat at least a little. Whatever shall you do if your beauty fades away?"

'Then I shall be content.'

She only thought those words but didn't say them out loud. She felt bad about her maids attending to her with such tenderness that she forced herself to at least eat some of the grapes in front of her. It seemed to put her maids more at ease and Y/N was happy about it.

"Anything in particular you wish for us to do Miss?"

There was one thing she really wanted. Something everyone around her never seemed to do anymore.

"Could you......could you please call me Y/N?"

The two women looked back and forth at each other, unsure of whether to refer to the princess in such an informal way.

"Please?"

Y/N was just craving to be reminded of who she truly was, be assured about her existence and her true person. Both women smiled fondly at her before curtsying to her.

"Lady Y/N."

She felt her heart full with warmth and felt happier in that moment than she had felt in the last 8 months that had gone by. But that happiness was short lived when her door swung open, her other sister, Melia rushing in, looking out of sorts and with fear in her eyes.

"Melia? What's wrong?"

Y/N stood up, but it was her sister who clutched onto her and sobbed on her neck.

"Oh poor Psyche! Why must this have happened to you? To my dear little sister?"

Y/N didn't know what to make of this, but it must be something dreadful if her usually composed and quiet sibling was hysteric. She pulled her back to take in her countenance.

"Tell me. What is it?" Y/N pleaded.

Melia pursed her lips before recounting what she heard and witnessed.

"Father came back from meeting with Apollo's Oracle......and Psyche, it's dreadful!"

Y/N gulped slightly. Although she was expecting the answer to not be a favorable one, she was not expecting this outburst.

"Tell me Mel.......am I not to get married ever?"

Y/N braced herself for the negative response.

Melia shook her head though.

"No Psyche.....it's much much worse than that."

Y/N felt her heart drop at that. What could there possibly be that was worse than not getting married?

"The Oracle told father that your husband has already been chosen for you. He gave us instructions that we are to deliver you to the top of Mount Lycabettus, dressed in black and to leave you there...."

She sniffled and held her handkerchief to her mouth.

"Will my husband meet us there?" She questioned.

Melia shook her head no.

"Well- then how can we be married?" She was beyond puzzled at this point.

"We don't know Psyche, the Oracle only said to deliver you. One thing is sure Psyche. Your husband is not mortal."

Y/N would have rejoiced at the information would it not have been for the terror in her sister's eyes.

"Melia tell me.....who exactly is my husband?"

Melia seemed troubled to reveal more information to her, but she knew she had to say it.

"We don't know. He refused to tell father. All he mentioned was that he flies through the skies and even the gods are terrified of him.....

"Psyche....I fear you're destined to marry a monster..."

━━━━━━━༺۵༻━━━━━━━

The girl watched as her parents, sisters and their husbands disappeared from sight, not even leaving behind their footprints to keep her company. Crouching down, she settled herself onto the ground, her arms wrapping around to hug her knees. She sighed in despair as she thought about what was going to happen to her now. Was her new husband really a monster? It seemed to be the only logical explanation if even gods were afraid of him. The only thing she could think of was....

A titan?

'No it can't be.'

She quickly discarded that thought. All of the titans were locked away in Tartarus. And the world would have definitely known if a titan had gotten out.

She anxiously waited for a sign, a movement of some kind, but nothing ever came. All she had to accompany her besides her solitude was the light breeze that blew some of her hair in front of her face. She shivered slightly, her arms crossing over her chest as she rubbed them with her hands. She faintly noticed that the wind seemed to be getting a little more heavier, and it seemed as though fog started to appear around her. But Y/N couldn't really pay attention to it as she felt herself getting drowsy and tired. She struggled to keep her eyes open, but the feeling was overtaking her. Her eyes ended up closing as she fell back onto the moss underneath her, falling fast asleep without even knowing why.

While asleep, she felt a strange sensation of being lifted up and carried up into the sky, almost as if though she were flying.....but that was surely impossible? But it felt so real. She had a fantastical dream of flying above the peak of mountains, drift through the clouds in the sky and somehow even be close to the stars. She felt as if she were being carried in the arms of some strong entity. And at the end, she could faintly hear a voice assure her:

"Have no fear little one, for you are truly loved."

Awakening hours later, when it was even darker and more deep into the night than before, she sat up and looked around at her surroundings. The green moss from before was no longer accompanying her. Instead, she awoke to find herself placed on an ivory marble resting bench. Beautiful varieties of roses surrounded what she guessed to be a very beautiful and luxurious garden. Her hand reached out to caress one of them, its petals being one of the most soft things she'd ever felt.

Standing up, she followed the stone path that was right in front of her. A tiny river flowed through the garden, a slight trickling sound was the only noise that was heard. She stopped when a grand and extravagant mansion stood before her. It was 10 times more beautiful and seemed more expensive than the very castle she grew up in. Cautiously, she over to the front door, which seemed to be made out of pure gold, pearls adorning the edges of them.

Y/N was about to knock on it, but to her surprise, the doors opened by themselves. She slowly stepped inside, her eyes bulging out as her eyes took in the hall in front of her. Clean and neatly polished marble floor, crimson red silk drapes covering large and vast windows, the furniture looked unlike anything she had ever seen before. Her hand was gliding over the ottoman in the center of it when a voice called out:

"Welcome mistress! We have been expecting you!"

She whipped her head around, then looked at all directions, but found no one standing anywhere near her.

"Who...who are you?" Y/N fearfully looked at the ceiling then at every corner, wondering where the voice was.

"We're your servants mistress." A chorus of at least 5 women rang out, puzzling her even more.

"Where....are you?"

The invisible women giggled amongst themselves.

"We are right here next to you mistress. I'm afraid you just can't see us."

Y/N watched as a silver pitcher was lifted up in the air, pouring what seemed to be wine in a glass cup, which was then hovered right in front of her.

"Wine mistress?"

Y/N hesitantly took the cup, indeed feeling someone's weight let go of it. She took a small sip of the wine, its rich and crisp flavor enticing her to drink more of it.

"Would you care for any fruits?" A platter holding strawberries, grapes, cherries and blueberries were held up in front of her. They looked so fresh and ripe, Y/N couldn't help but reach for one of the grapes, her tastebuds becoming completely engaged at how delicious and juicy they were.

She no longer felt disturbed by the faceless voices talking to her, nor about the objects floating around, carrying articles that were being offered to her, and she did not get startled when she heard music filling the room, playing the most sweet and beautiful melody her ears were blessed to hear. She just let her invisible attendants feed her some exotic foods that she never even knew existed. She also didn't mind them guiding her to a lavatory, where there was a bathtub, the size of a large pond already waiting for her. She nearly slipped into another deep sleep when she stepped inside, the warm water relaxing her muscles while the scent of lavender calmed and eased her mind. After washing her body, her maids oiled and scented her body with vanilla and jasmine while they dried her. She saw as a periwinkle blue robe was extended towards her and Y/N slipped into it, her hands caressing the soft, velvet material, smoothing the folds on her waist and hips.

"Oh mistress! You look so beautiful!" One of them cheerfully exclaimed.

"You're the most beautiful creature we've been honored to serve." Another piped in.

"We're so happy to have you here with us. It shall be a lot more livelier now." She heard someone chuckle.

"I think our job for tonight is done. My lady, please step into the room behind the other door. The master will join you shortly."

Y/N was so filled with bliss and contentment, that she had completely forgotten why she was here in the first place. Recalling her sister words, she begged her maids not to leave her, but they apologized and retreated to who knows where, leaving her by herself once again. Her hand reached for the doorknob, turning it slowly before she stepped into the next room.

Y/N tried to move around in the space, but it was extremely difficult because the room was pitch black. She could barely make out the outlines of the chairs, the bed draped with curtains or the dressers. On the corner, she saw a single window, but the curtains were drawn, and even if it was open, the dark night would hardly help her see any better. Y/N out stretched her arms, grabbing onto the empty void around her to maneuver herself to the bed, where she settled down into, hugging her knees like she did back when her family left her on top of the mountain.

She rocked herself back and forth as many thoughts ran over her mind:

'When will he arrive? Will he be kind or not? What will he look like....

And who was he?'

Y/N rested her hands on her arms that were hugging her knees, her eyes closing, but she wasn't tired at all. She just wished time would speed up faster and someone could explain to her what was going on. She felt a light breeze suddenly pass through the room. Looking up, she saw that the curtains by the window had been moved, pushed slightly open, letting just the dimmest sliver of light pour in, but she still couldn't see anything.

She felt something .....someone else in the room with her. On edge, she quickly sat up from the bed and tried to make way back to the other room.

"You have nothing to fear my dearest Y/N."

She halted at the sound of her name. She was expecting to be called that odious title she was often referred to, but instead, she heard her very own name.

"How....how do you know my name?"

The deep, baritone voice spoke again.

"It wouldn't be fitting for a husband to not know his own wife's name, don't you think?"

Y/N eased slightly at his words but still felt nervous.

"Where...are you?" She took small steps, eyes squinting to see something, anything.

She felt a rush of warmth fill up her body when a gentle hand placed itself on her shoulder.

"I'm right here beside you, where I shall always be."

She didn't tremble at his touch, on the contrary, she relaxed and her fear was suddenly gone. Whoever the stranger was, he slowly turned her around to face him. She could make out a bit of his outline, but still couldn't define any of his features or details.

"Why aren't there any lamps? I can't see you."

Lifting her hand, he placed it on his cheek, his skin feeling as soft as a petal.

"See me with your touch my love."

Her hand delicately traced his features, trying to imagine what he looked like. He had a very sharp jawline, a well defined nose and delicately carved lips that tempted her to reach up and kiss them. She was still confused as to why she couldn't see him though. As if on cue, he spoke:

"I know it must be difficult for you to understand this Y/N. But please don't be afraid of me. I would never hurt you."

Y/N retracted her hand.

"My...my sister said you're a monster."

He chuckled heartedly, his voice full of music and splendor.

"Do I feel like a monster or sound like one?"

Y/N giggled softly, realizing it did seem silly.

"If you're not a monster though......why can't I see you?"

She could feel the man in front of her think about how to answer her. Sighing softly, he took her hand again, holding it with his two hands and running a thumb on the top of it.

"I'm afraid I can't give you the answer to that question yet...."

She felt her heart sink at his words. She lowered her head in disappointment. Not wanting to upset her more, he kissed the palm of her hand and swore:

"Just please trust me Y/N, and I'll promise to love you forever......can you trust me?"

Maybe she was mad or delusional, but in spite of all the mystery surrounding him, she sincerely felt the veracity of his promise and had no doubt in her mind about trusting him. She moved closer to him, accidentally stepping too far and colliding with his firm chest.

"Umph!" Y/N groaned slightly.

He giggled softly at her cute action. He saw as she tried to reach out again to feel him, but instead pulled her hand away.

"You can touch me love."

Her hands once again traced his smooth face, traveling down his neck before resting on his broad shoulders. Although he felt somewhat slim, his body seemed very toned and vigorous. Y/N wanted to drop her hands further but she felt to shy to do it. Once again, he read her mind.

"Y/N....it's ok. We're married." He drew out that last word, more to himself than to her.

Her hands pressed down across his chest. She could tell his tunic was made out of fine linen, even if she couldn't see it. His chest felt strong and sturdy, she bit her lip slightly as she pictured what it would look like in the light, without his garment.

She gasped when she felt him pull her against him, his breath against her lips, just wanting to close the space between them and kiss her. His finger traced the curve of her luscious and plump lips. Although she was content with everything he'd said so far, there was just one more question she had:

"I....... I don't know what to call you."

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean....you know my name....but you never told me yours." She pulled away slightly.

He realized she was right. She felt him smile at her as he brought her face close to his again.

"Please call me Yeosang." Her heart fluttered when she heard his name.

Yeosang brushed his lips against hers.

"Trust me my dear. I love you with all my heart."

Y/N melted at his words and before she knew it, she whispered back:

"I love you too....Yeosang."

As soon as she spoke out those words, Yeosang could no longer control himself as he enclosed his lips over hers in a passionate and loving kiss. Y/N blushed at being kissed for the first time in her life, but happily returned the gesture, surprised that she easily could. Even though she couldn't see him, she knew Yeosang was beautiful, ethereal and very kind...

And she was already falling in love with him.

━━━━━━━༺۵༻━━━━━━━

It had been roughly 4 months into their marriage and Y/N was extremely happy. He'd visit her in the dead of night everyday, as usual, in the pitch black so she couldn't see him, but she had grown accustomed to that. He'd usually leave before she was even awake and before the sun would even start coming out. He'd always leave a red rose by her dresser everyday, attached with a small note filled with terms of endearment and vows of love and adoration for her, always succeeding in making her blush.

Y/N was more than content. Now, whenever she looked in the mirror, she wouldn't turn away nor hate the face she saw. She came to love her appearance now, because there was light and love in it. She was in love, she was loved and there was no greater feeling than that.

During the day, she would either spend time outside in the garden or inside, her maids, or rather, their presence, always keeping her company. She loved listening to their stories about the world she was now a part of, finding them extremely fascinating. They were all so gentle and caring towards her, attending to her every needs and overall staying by her side so she wouldn't get lonely.

"Won't you tell us something about where you are from for once Mistress?"

Y/N was elated, happily telling them all about her home, her family, how she grew up and various other aspects of her life.

"You seem very close to your family Misstress." One of them observed.

"I am. I love them very much, and I have such fondness for my sisters...."

She stopped at the moment. It hit her how she hadn't heard from her family since she got there, nor did they have any idea of her whereabouts or her fate. Her heart suddenly felt sad as she began missing them terribly.

"Mistress is something wrong?"

Y/N quickly plastered a smile back on her face, not wanting them to be concerned at all. Instead suggesting they all play a game together so she wouldn't think about it. But it was futile. Her mind kept thinking back to her family. She missed them more and more. She hardly ate anything else for the rest of the day, instead opting to go to her room rather early, even though it'd be hours before Yeosang got there. She wept silently, her tears staining the pillow underneath her face. She tried to keep a positive and cheerful attitude when he did finally got there, but he could sense that something was troubling his beloved wife.

"What's bothering you my love?"

Y/N sighed softly.

"I miss my family...."

Yeosang tightened his embrace around her, his lips kissing her temple. Y/N nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck, drinking in his scent that always calmed and soothed her mind.

"They must be so worried about me. They probably don't even know if I'm alive or not." She continued to pour out her distress.

Yeosang was pensive for a moment, wondering what he could do to help his sweetheart.

"Would you like to write to them? I can have someone give it to them." He offered.

Although Y/N found it kind of him to offer it, more than anything, she wanted to see them.

"I was actually wondering......if maybe they could come see me?" She reluctantly asked.

She very well noticed how Yeosang tensed up. Even in the darkness, she had learned to read his body language and knew he was hesitating about what to respond.

"I......I'm not sure that's a good idea love..."

Yeosang's heart felt when he heard a disappointed sigh escape her lips. It hurt her to see her in such a state. All he wanted was to make her happy. So although there were going to be risks, he agreed.

"They can't meet me. But if you wish, I can have Zephyr bring them here just like he brought you."

Y/N became so happy at the thought of seeing them again. Cupping Yeosang's face, she kissed him fervently, her reaction making Yeosang chuckle.

"Does it really make you that happy?" He questioned as he caressed her face.

Y/N nodded happily.

"So I take it you won't need anything else tonight?"

Well....there was actually one more thing. Y/N bit her lip as she stared up at Yeosang with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Oh.....I see."

Y/N could hear the smugness in his voice, but she didn't care. Not when he lips made her melt, when his hands caressed and fondled her tenderly and especially not when he slid in and out of her in such a passionate and loving way, bringing her into such a euphoric state. Another thing she discovered about Yeosang: he was an amazing lover, she almost felt drunk in his love whenever his body became one with hers.

Yeosang let out a grunt when he spilled himself inside of her, enjoying the feeling of her walls tightening around him as she also reached her own high. Without pulling out, Yeosang bent down to kiss her again, his hand reaching down to press against her stomach.

"I can't wait until you become pregnant with my child. I bet you'll look even more lovely than what you already are."

Y/N felt her face flush at his words. Suddenly feeling confident, she teased him.

"How about we try again? Just in case."

Yeosang sucked in a breath, his hands gripping at her hips.

"I thought you'd never ask."

Y/N's hands clutched at the sheets underneath her, moans slipping out of her lips as Yeosang moved inside of her once again, this time at a more fast and rough pace than before.

━━━━━━━༺۵༻━━━━━━━

Y/N offered more pastries to her sisters. Melia excitedly accepted them, loving how rich and exquisite the foods at her little sister's place were. Amara however refused, her eyes still looking around at the place. She was very put off by how strange Y/N's circumstances were. The weird wind that transported them there, the invisible servants, the fact they could not meet her husband? It was extremely confusing. But most of all, she was insanely jealous of how Y/N was living. Her mansion was 10 times better than hers, the food was of better quality than what was served at her castle and everything was just so much more expensive.

"You seem to be...very happy here." Amara pointed out, her lips pursed tightly.

Y/N couldn't help but smile.

"I'm more than happy. I love it here. And I love my husband."

"Such a shame we couldn't meet him. Do you know when we will get the opportunity?" Melia asked.

"Oh...umm.....the thing is...you can't meet him..." Y/N fumbled with the sash across her dress.

Her two older sisters looked at her incredulously, then they looked at each other with a suspicious look.

"So is it true then? That he's a monster with scaly skin, serpent tongue and sharp teeth?" Melia looked frightened.

Y/N slammed her fist on the table, outraged that they'd dare think such things of Yeosang like that.

"He's not a monster! He's beautiful, absolutely handsome and the most kind being I have ever met!"

Her outburst made them even more curious.

"Then tell me Psyche, what does he look like?" Amara raised an eyebrow.

"It's Y/N! My name is Y/N. And.....I......I don't know! But I just know he's beautiful!"

Melia seemed puzzled.

"You don't know? What does that mean?"

Feeling cornered, Y/N had no choice but to tell them how her husband would only visit her at night, shrouded in darkness and whisper loving words in her ear. That only served to sprout out more questions from her siblings.

"How can you possibly be in love with him if you've never seen him?"

"I just am!" Y/N exclaimed.

"If he doesn't see you during the day, where does he go to?" Amara pressed on.

"I don't know." Y/N answered.

Not wanting to miss the chance to hurt her younger sister, Amara smirked wickedly at her.

"I bet I know where."

It took Y/N a few seconds to comprehend what her sister was implying, but when she did, it only served to further anger her.

" You're wrong. I know What you're thinking and you're wrong. Yeosang loves me!" She was fuming at this point.

Amara however rolled her eyes at her foolishness.

"All right. Let's say he really is as handsome as you say he is. Why must he be so stubborn about not letting you see him nor know where he goes off to?"

Y/ N crossed her arms.

"I don't know. He asked me to trust him and I do".

Melia now seemed concerned for her.

"Psyche... do you not realize that maybe ...... he could be seeing other women while he's away?"

Y/N now froze at what her sister said. Her brain kept telling her not to listen to them, that Yeosang was faithful to her and would never lie to her. But then she remembered how her own sister's husbands behaved and she couldn't help but think if perhaps Yeosang would do anything similar like them.

"No..... it can't be true...."

Amara suspiciously came up behind Y/N, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"If he really did love you.....why would he force you to live with such doubts?"

That was the final drop that made the glass tip over. Y/N had to find out who exactly it was that was sleeping with her every night.

━━━━━━━༺۵༻━━━━━━━

Y/N waited until Yeosang was fast asleep, his breathing calm and serene. Carefully, she peeled herself from his grasp and crept out of the bed and to one of the dressers. She silently took out a candle and match that she had secretly hid inside. Walking as cautiously as she could, she stood by the edge of the bed where Yeosang was. Taking a deep breath, she striked the match and lit up the candle, holding it up so she could finally see him for the very first time.

Her eyes grew wide as she stared into the most beautiful face she had ever seen. He was absolutely glorious. His hair was white like the snow in winter, skin fair like marble ivory, his jawline was chiseled to perfection with a nose that seemed to have been carved to perfection. And he layed there, sleeping soundly with absolutely no clue that she had just betrayed his trust.

"Oh no.....what have I done?"

Y/N was so horrified with herself that she unconsciously tumbled backwards, hitting herself on a piece of furniture. Suddenly Yeosang awoke, his eyes painted with agony once he realized what was happening.

"I.....I can explain!"

But Yeosang simply sat up without a word, already reaching for his tunic. He sighed as he stood up and walked towards the window.

"Please forgive me Yeosang! I beg you!"

Y/N dropped to her knees, tears pouring out her eyes. Yeosang pinched the bridge of his nose, head full of turbulent thoughts that he couldn't place in order.

"Please just say something!" She cried out, desperate to hear his voice.

"I knew it would be a bad idea to let you see your sisters. I knew they'd turn you against me and actually betray me...."

If they were still in the dark, Y/N would have still been able to recognize the hurt and pain in his words.

"I'm sorry Yeosang! I'm sorry for not trusting you! But I kept thinking about their words, they said you were probably visiting other-"

"You could have chosen to not listen to them! No one forced you to believe them! You chose to act on your own accord!".

It was the first time he had ever raised his voice at her, and it boomed all over the room, making her tremble in fear. Yeosang opened the window and stepped out into the balcony.

"No no! Please!"

Y/N ran after him, her hands wrapping around his neck in an attempt to keep him there. Gently, he pried her hands off him, looking somberly at her.

"My mother told me not to trust you. That you were a mortal woman and would never understand me or us, and break my trust. I could never believe that she was right....."

Y/N saw as tears filled on the brim of his eyes.

"But I was too madly in love to listen to her..... I guess I truly did get a taste of my own medicine."

Yeosang made way to leave again, but Y/N held onto him.

"Please don't leave me! I'll die without you! I love you Yeosang!"

Not able to contain his feelings anymore, Yeosang pushed her off him and turned sternly to her.

"Don't.....ever say such lies again...and don't address me so informally you lowly mortal. I am not your equal and I am no longer Yeosang to you..."

Y/N covered her mouth in terror and astonishment when ethereal and shiny wings sprouted from his back, making him look even more heavenly than he already was.

"I am Eros, son of Aphrodite and Ares, the god of love ......... and you......."

He sniffled as tears streamed down his face.

"I can't stay here knowing that I want to hold you..."

Without any other word, speedily flew out of there, disappearing from her sight. Y/N shouted for him, going mad at the thought that she had just lost the love of her life. She was so erratic that she didn't think twice before she flung herself down the balcony, not wanting to live without her love. Unfortunately for her, a large gust of wind stopped her fall, placing her gently on the ground, thwarting her plan.

"Let me die!" Y/N pounded the ground.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that Psyche. Aside from being tasked to bring you here, Eros appointed me to make sure no harm should ever come to you."

Although it was supposed to be calming, Zephyr's voice only angered her.

"So I can't even die?!"

Zephyr sent a small breeze, the only physical way of comfort he could bring her since he was invisible.

"Psyche, we both know you don't actually want to die."

"Yes I do! My heart is broken. My love is gone and it's because of my foolishness. I have nothing else to live for!" She declared.

Zephyr sighed.

"My lady....all hope is not lost. I may perhaps.....know a way of helping you."

Y/N perked her ears at his words.

"But first, allow me to tell you a little story, one you don't know about but in which you were the main protagonist."

Y/N watched as a swirl of clouds formed above her, Zephyr trying to make his presence manifested as he began recounting a story:

"Now...it all began when the people began to worship you instead of Aphrodite. I know, we all do you tried to stop them. We weren't blind to it. But Aphrodite is a jealous goddess. She could not stand someone being compared to her. So she sent Eros to you with the task of making you fall in love with a toad or something similar."

Y/N didn't seem too surprised by that. She knew fully well who Eros was and why he was feared even among gods, because no one was immune to his arrows that made them fall in love.

"He came to you one night while you were sleeping. He was so distracted by your beauty that he ended up pricking himself with his own arrow."

Now it made sense to her what he meant when he said he had gotten a dose of his own medicine. She was shocked that this actually happened.

"Eros had fallen in love with you. Curious isn't it, that while you were the most admired woman in the country, no one proposed. Wanna know why? Because Eros stepped in every time, making any suitor fall in love with someone else so they wouldn't take you away from him."

Y/N remembered all those months where no one approached her. Now it all made sense.

"Poor Eros was also begging his mother to let him marry you. But of course, being as stubborn as she is, Aphrodite refused. It became such a quarrel between them that Eros refused to obey her anymore if she didn't agree. Of course, she couldn't have that, so she allowed him to marry you on one condition: your love had to be put to a test....which....I think you know what it was."

Y/N nodded. He asked her to trust him even if she couldn't see him, but she betrayed him.

"Aphrodite probably isn't surprised. She expected it all along. But Eros......he was so in love with you that he put all his faith and trust in your love. And now.....he's probably back home again, moaning and crying just like when he came back that night he met you."

Now the guilt began to eat her up.

"I don't deserve him. I never did. I deserve to die."

Zephyr sighed once again.

"Now now child. As I said. Not all hope is lost. Listen very carefully to me Psyche. Here's what you're going to do."

━━━━━━━༺۵༻━━━━━━━

Y/N waited for the goddess to arrive. Her fingers fidgeted nervously, playing with the belt on her tunic. She suddenly felt a gush of wind pass by her. Light started to emanate from the ground. Y/N stared in wonder as a powerful entity appeared before her, looking so radiant and angelic that Y/N froze in place before remembering who was standing in front of her. She fell to the ground in honor and respect for the goddess in front of her.

"My goddess Aphrodite. I am your humble servant who has offered sacrifices at your temple and-"

"Oh stop groveling like a little bitch and get up." The goddess sneered at her.

Y/N slowly got up. Aphrodite stepped closer to her, one of her slender fingers tilting her chin up as she closely scanned her rival's face. Bewilderment took over her features, a scoff coming out of her mouth.

"Impressive. Very extraordinary. ..."

She let go of her and backed away.

"Pity though that your eyes are still red and puffy from weeping like a child. It really does not suit you....nevertheless, even I acknowledge you're beautiful and pleasing...."

She crossed her arms.

"No wonder my son is so smitten with you."

Y/N glanced up at the mention of Yeosang.

"Tell me, how is Yeosang? How is my husband."

Aphrodite lifted a hand.

"First of all, you have no right to call him by his birth name. You shall only address him by his godly name you mortals know. And second, he isn't your husband anymore, not after you broke your end of the marriage."

Being reminded of her acts, Y/N once again felt remorseful and ashamed. But she was not about to give up.

"If there's anything I can do to mend things, I'm prepared to do it."

Aphrodite rolled her eyes.

"Yes yes I know very well you are willing to. Zephyr didn't bring you here just for giggles or a cup of tea. And either way, sooner or later Zeus and Hera would have been on my ass about intervening, not to mention that his father wouldn't leave me alone if he saw the state his son was in."

Y/N beamed with joy at the thought of being able to mend things with her love.

"Thank you oh most merciful goddess!" Y/N resisted the urge to throw her hands around the goddess and hug her.

Aphrodite, however, dismissed her thanks.

"Don't get so happy yet foolish girl. I haven't even told you what the tasks are yet."

Beckoning her to follow, Aphrodite lead her through a meadow and deep into a forest. There, she approached a tall laurel tree and pointed at something on the floor.

"Before your eyes, you see a pile of different types of grains. Your job is simple: separate them all and arrange them into piles."

Y/N's jaw dropped at the task.

"That's impossible! It's not simple!"

Aphrodite merely shrugged. "If you truly love Eros, you'll find a way."

She turned away and began walking back to where she came from, but not before telling her:

"Oh and Psyche? You have until sundown to finish."

Y/N knew the goddess was probably laughing by now, already gloating in her failure and inability to finish such a task. She slumped down on the ground and began picking at the grains. They all looked too similar, there was no way to tell them apart. Y/N flung the grains back in the pile.

"It's hopeless..."

She wasn't offered a second chance, she was merely being humiliated for the own amusement of Aphrodite. Y/N couldn't help but wonder if she deserved this....

Suddenly she felt something crawl up on her hand. Looking down, she saw a tiny ant perched on one of her fingers.

"Hello most beautiful mortal. Please don't cry. Let me assure you that this grain will be sorted before Aphrodite comes back."

If Y/N hadn't already seen so miracles and fantasy sightings since she arrived, she would have seriously thought she was insane for thinking an ant was actually talking to her. She watched as thousands of other ants crawled up and began carrying the grains out of the pile, effectively assorting them into neat and tidy piles.

"How are you..?"

The tiny ant let out a squeaky laugh. "This is our specialty my lady. We do this every year."

"But...why are you helping me?" She couldn't understand why they would help her.

"Don't fret about that right now. Leave this all to us and just worry about being reunited with your loved one."

Y/N was touched by their tremendous kindness, thanking them incessantly as they eagerly finished what seemed to not an impossible task for her. True to their word, before the sun set, it was already finished. 5 piles stood in front of her. The ants bid her farewell and good luck for any upcoming tests Aphrodite was going to put on her.

When the goddess came to inspect the work, her eyes nearly bulged out when she saw it was accomplished. Scoffing, she crossed her arms.

"I see you finished it....very well. Tomorrow I shall take you to do the second task. But trust me, you won't get very far."

The goddess was so sure Y/N would never be able to finish them, but she didn't count on the fact someone was pulling strings behind the scenes to make sure Y/N would be successful. When Y/N was tasked to collect the gold fleece from the magical sun rams, the mystery person asked the reeds growing on the riverbank near her, to tell Y/N to wait until the rams left the pasture to fall asleep in a meadow, then she'd be able to collect fleece that would usually get caught on the brambles where they often played or fought in. On her third task, she had to collect water from a pit that was guarded by a fearsome dragon. Y/N dared not approach the beast, but once again, the hidden figure sent an enormous eagle to help her by flying her down the pit while the dragon slept so she could fill up the bottle Aphrodite gave her. Y/N asked the eagle, like she did the reeds and ants, why were they helping her, but all of them remained silent, not answering her question. They only wished her luck and encouraged her to stay determined to win back her husband.

Aphrodite took the bottle in her hands, fury in her eyes as she flung it across the room in pure outrage.

"I don't know what kind of tricks you've pulled to accomplish these tasks so easily, but I will not stand for it any longer!"

Determined to make sure Y/N would never see her son no matter the cost, she declared her last mission:

"You must go into the Underworld and bring me Queen Persephone's beauty cream, the one she makes herself. I was going to go there myself....but you can do it for me."

Aphrodite's eyes did not hide her malice or her hatred towards the poor girl.

"But....no human can descend into the Underworld and return!" Y/N exclaimed.

"Then I guess you shall have to be the first."

━━━━━━━༺۵༻━━━━━━━

Y/N touched the ground softly as Zephyr dropped her down.

"Psyche listen to me very carefully. There is a way for mortals to go into the Underworld and return alive. But pay very close attention or you'll never see the light of day."

Out of thing air, Zephyr made 2 coins and a loaf of bread apart before her.

"The coins are for Charon. He's the boatman that will take you to the Underworld and will also bring you back. The bread is for Cerberus."

Y/N gulped at the mention of the dog that guarded the gates of the Underworld.

"You mean.....the one with 50 heads?"

Zephyr laughed.

"You humans sure do like to add charm to stories. No Psyche. Cerberus only has 3 heads. He won't do anything to you while going in, it's when you're getting out that'll be the problem. You see, he's not guarding souls from going in, he guards them from leaving."

Y/N nodded, drinking up all the information he was feeding to her.

"When you're leaving, give a piece to each of the heads, it'll put him to sleep long enough for you to get out of there as fast as you can."

"Got it."

Y/N began walking into the foggy mist, trembling slightly as she realized she was about to be in front of the gates of hell very soon.

"Another thing! Accept no food or drink and do not rest at all! Just go in, take the cream and get out. I'll be waiting here for you."

"Thank you Zephyr."

Y/N wandered through the dense and humid mist that blurred most of her vision. She spotted a light looming out of the water and headed towards it. She stopped when she reached the end of the dock and stood face to face with a dark cloaked figure. Its face was completely hidden by the hood, the only thing she could see were its hands that were holding a staff that was no doubt used to row out boat.

"Are you.....are you Charon?"

The cloaked figure simply nodded very slowly.

"Can you take me to see Queen Persephone?"

Charon did not respond either that time, instead he held his hand out. Y/N now could clearly see that his hand was only bone, absolutely no flesh or skin surrounding it. Although startled, she handed one of the coins to him, which he put into a small purse that he kept tied to his waist. He signalled for her to get in. Y/N had some difficulty getting into the boat, slamming down on it, her bum hardly hitting the wood floor. She was sure if Charon was able to, he'd probably be laughing at her. He waited until she was settled into the boat before he began rowing down the Styx river.

Y/N hugged her knees as her eyes scanned everything. So far only the splashing of water and the silent boatman kept her company. And then a foul and putrid stench filled her nostrils, making her want to gag. As she kept looking around, she noticed what seemed to be people standing by another dock, looking pitiful and some even crying.

"They're the souls of people whose families didn't pay the fee or didn't have a burial upon death." Charon spoke up for the first time, his voice sounded hollow and had somewhat of an echo in it.

She understood what he meant. All people usually put a coin under their deceased loved ones tongue as payment for a ride to the Underworld.

"Will they stay there forever?"

Charon let out a raspy breathe.

"They'll stay there for a hundred years before they're allowed to cross over. Our master is not that cruel as you mortals depict him."

Mention of his master sent Y/N into panic. She was about to meet the actual god of the Underworld and his wife. She shivered as she remembered all she was ever taught about him: her teachers often painted him as a cruel, evil and wrathful god that loved tormenting the souls that were sent to him. The only reason he had a wife was because he kidnapped her, only allowing her to spend time in Olympus for half of the year. Y/N feared seeing him.

"This is the end of your journey."

Y/N saw a colossal black door in front of her. She lifted her hand to knock on it, but wondered if it was even possible for them to hear her. She felt someone or something sneeze by her right side so she turned. First there was only a gigantic dog head that soon turned into three, Y/N almost fainted when it began approaching her. This had to be Cerberus. The hellhound merely scanned her, puzzled as to why an alive human would be there. But he went back to his job and used one of his heads to push open the door for her. Y/N was prepared to see a sea of tormented souls being stirred in fire or some other kind of torture, but instead, she walked in a long and regal corridor, much like the one back home in Athens. Everything was decorated in either black or a deep purple color. At the very end, she saw two thrones side by side, black and made out of hard iron and steel. 2 figures sat by them and when she reached close enough, she was face to face with the rulers of the Underworld.

As per custom, Y/N bowed to them, trembling in the process. The monarchs looked at each other in confusion.

"You are not dead nor dying, what business do you have here?" A male voice inquired.

Y/N swallowed harshly, trying to speak but fear made her paralyzed and unable for recall what she was there to do. Noticing how scared she was, the queen stood up and walked over to her. She gently lifted Y/N up, her hand cupping her chin to look at her. Y/N finally had a glimpse of the Underworld queen and she was mesmerized. She wasn't as beautiful as Aphrodite, but her beauty was so haunting and eerie, unlike anything she'd ever seen before. It made her very unique and therefore more interesting in her eyes. Y/N felt self conscious now. She hadn't properly cleaned up or slept ever since Aphrodite had her do all those tasks, so she probably looked like a mess in front of the beautiful queen.

Persephone merely smiled at her, a genuine and kind smile.

"You're Psyche aren't you?"

Her eyes widened at the mention of her name. The man behind her also became curious at him mention of it.

"How do you know who I am?" But Y/N soon wanted to slap herself for asking that. She was a goddess, of course she'd know.

The lady chuckled. "Not everyday one meets a face that rivals Aphrodite's. I've heard so much about you."

She turned back and Y/N assumed she was going to take her place on the throne, but instead, she shocked her when she opted to sit on her husbands lap, her arms wrapping around his neck. He visibly stiffened, and Y/N was surprised to see him......blush?

"So tell me. Has the mighty goddess of beauty sent you here for another task?"

Persephone looked back to see Y/N with a mouth wide open.

"We know all about your endeavors to win your husband back. News reaches here first before it reaches Olympus. Gives a little entertainment to us and our subjects you know."

She waved her hand and instantly a grey and cloudy figure appeared before her, offering her wine or food from a platter. She didn't want to seem rude, but she remembered what Zephyr said and thus refused any of it. Persephone chuckled softly.

"Very smart." Persephone observed. She above anyone knew what eating food from the Underworld would mean.

"So tell me Psyche. What has she sent you here for?"

Y/N began explaining how the goddess wanted some of her beauty cream. Persephone rolled her eyes, knowing all too well how vain Aphrodite was. Her fingers stroked through her husband's hair, puzzling Y/N more. If she was kidnapped and forced to marry him, how could she be so....in love with him? Persephone only took her attention away from her husband when another grey figure brought out a box to her. Thanking the servant, she held out the box to Y/N.

"Take this to Aphrodite and be reunited with your love."

Y/N thanked the merciful queen and walked back, now more happy at the thought of seeing Yeosang again. Persephone watched her with a motherly gaze, feeling somewhat nostalgic.

"You seem to be very interested in that human." Hades' voice broke her trance.

"She's an extraordinary girl if you ask me. And she's doing everything for love."

She smirked as she cupped her husband's face.

"Reminds me of a certain someone who also went to great lengths to win the person he loved the most."

The Underworld God cleared his throat.

"Love makes us do crazy things sometimes." He justified himself.

Persephone nodded and leaned in.

"I know. That's why am going to vouch for her when Zeus holds the meeting."

Hades looked puzzled. "What meeting?"

The queen let out a hearty laugh before kissing his lips.

"Married life has made you lose some of your sharpness my dear lord." She teased.

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Y/N successfully fed the bread to the demon hound and made it back across the Styx with Charon's help.

"Thank you Charon." She handed the other coin to him.

"First time anyone has thanked me to the work I do." Although he tried to be neutral about it, Charon's voice had a lighter and more grateful tone to it.

Y/N crossed the swamp again and came back to the meadow where Zephyr had left her. She called me to him, but he did not answer. Y/N sat on the grass and waited for him, growing tired in the process. It had been 4 very long and tiring days and she was beginning to feel the intensity of them. Her eyes began to flutter, trying to stay awake, but tiredness began to overtake her. Her gaze fell on the box she was holding. Feeling curious, she slowly opened the box to peer into its contents. A sudden burst of light shone right in front of her, the power being too much for her and instantly, she fell unconscious on the floor.

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Eros sighed softly to himself, the longing for his wife becoming too unbearable.

"Would you please stop that moaning? It's getting on my nerves." His mother said from the doorway.

"I miss her...." He covered his face with the pillow.

Aphrodite scoffed.

"Seriously this lovesick fool."

Eros ignored his mother, all his thoughts were about Y/N and the last time he saw her. He recalled the harsh words he said to her, regretting them so much, each letter feeling like a stab to his heart. Although it hurt him to have her distrust him, it hurt even more to be separated from her. He wanted her back in his arms, he wanted to kiss her, he was going even more insane than the first time when he pricked himself on his arrow.

Suddenly he heard a commotion coming from the living room, with the way a voice roared like thunder, he knew who had just came in. He got up, ready to intervene in case the two individuals in front of him started getting physical. Not noticing him, they just continued their screaming match.

"I've put up with so many of your antics, but this my dear goddess, is low even for you!"

The anger in his father's voice was unmistakable, but it was even more serious than all the other times he'd quarreled with his mother.

"Oh shut up Ares! I did what I had to do for our dear son."

Aphrodite twirled her hair on her finger, batting her eyelashes at her longtime lover, hoping to seduce him and get his mind off the subject, but this time it didn't.

"No, you did this because you're a selfish, conceited and cruel woman! Putting an innocent girl through so many hardships just for your own amusement! Don't you think Psyche and Eros have been through enough already?"

Now it was Eros' turn to make his presence known.

"What about my wife?"

Both of his parents turned to look at him, one in shock at being discovered and one in sad pity for him and his love. Ares crossed his arms.

"Well? Tell him Aphrodite. Tell him all about the tasks you made Psyche do these past days." He challenged her.

Eros looked at his mother, waiting for her to answer, but she kept her lips shut. Getting fed up, Ares spilled everything to him. Eros immediately got worried.

"Where is she now?"

Ares looked to the goddess in front of him as he did not know what the last task was. Gathering some of the rage he inherited from his father, Eros harshly grabbed his mother and shook her.

"Where is my wife?!"

Aphrodite pushed him off her.

"I sent her to the Hades and Persephone."

Eros wasted no time and grabbed his bow and arrow. The Underworld was dangerous even for a God and he knew he had to go get her before anything happened to her.

"Eros! Don't you dare go after her! She isn't your wife anymore!"

Turning back to his mother, he looked at her in defiance.

"She is my wife. She'll always be my wife. I love her.....and I'm going over to her now."

Spreading his wings, he flew as fast as he could to the swampy forest where she had been hours earlier. He asked the boatman if he had seen her, but Charon only said she had completed her voyage and was headed back home. He breathed a sigh of relief, at least she was alive. He flew back to his mansion, bursting the doors open, alarming the servants who were no longer invisible. He didn't spare a glance at them, he simply ran upstairs to his room. Slamming the door open, he saw as Zephyr, now in his physical form was hovering over an unconscious Psyche.

"No..."

Eros ran over to her side, taking her hand in his.

"The power inside the box her majesty gave her is too much for a mortal to bear. I've tried everything, but she still shows no sign of waking up. Her body has also been weak these past days due to exhaustion. ....and heartache." Zephyr said somberly.

Eros spilled tears when finding out all she had been through and how much suffering he had put her through.

"I'm so sorry my darling."

His arms encapsulated her in a tight embrace, almost crushing her from the intensity. Eros sobbed uncontrollably. Zephyr decided to retreat from the room, giving him the space he needed.

Brushing out some of her hair, he pressed his forehead against hers.

"Please don't leave me.." he whispered before pressing his lips against hers.

He heard as she started breathing slowly, pulling away to check on her. Y/N's eyes slowly opened, thinking she was dreaming when she saw her love's handsome face in front of her.

"Yeo- Yeosang?"

His heart started beating faster when he heard her call him by his name.

"Oh Y/N thank Zeus you're all right!"

Y/N held him tightly, not wanting to let go.

"Yeosang I'm so sorry! I should have listened to you but I was so stupid!"

He hushed her, his hands caressing her arms.

"It's ok. I've forgiven you my darling. I don't care anymore. All I want is for us to be together again."

Y/N hesitated.

"Will we be allowed to?"

Clearing his throat, they both turned their attention to Zephyr who came back.

"Even if Aphrodite won't like it, she'll have no choice but to allow you two to be together after a power greater than her allows it."

Yeosang and Y/N looked at him in confusion. Zephyr once again began explaining:

"I'm sure Y/N..." He smiled when he called her by her real name for the first time.

"You've been curious about why so many creatures helped you while you were performing the tasks for Aphrodite."

Y/N nodded, none of them had told her why they'd help her.

"They were all sent by none other than Zeus, who had been watching all this happen and agreed it was unfair of Aphrodite to put you through such hardships."

The couple couldn't believe their ears. The king of the gods himself intervened on their behalf.

"He looks favorably upon your marriage and has even called a meeting to determine if Y/N should be allowed to become an immortal herself."

Y/N's mouth dropped unable to comprehend his words, but Eros was delighted. He could finally be together with his wife for all eternity, not fearing that one day he'd lose her in death because she was human. He felt so grateful to Zeus.

"It shall be put to a vote and needless to say, your mother won't say yes."

Of course they expected that.

"But fear not. There's already many who are willing to vouch for you. Persephone and Hades for example, Ares, Apollo, Demeter and I'm willing to bet that Dionysus will show up drunk and will agree to anything."

They all let out a chuckle at that.

"I'll let you know what the results are. Zeus agreed it'd be better if you two weren't there. He wants a peaceful meeting without Aphrodite throwing a tantrum."

Leaving them alone, the two lovers stared at each other for a while, unable to believe how lucky they were. Y/N reached up to touch Yeosang.

"It's ok Y/N. I'm real and I promise I won't ever leave you again."

His hand cupped the side of her face, thumb drawing circles on her cheek.

"I love you and I promise to love you my heart......

For all eternity."

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289 notes · View notes

sarcasti-cally · 4 years

Text

birthday surprise

so, koganegawa’s birthday is today, July 9th, and um.. where’s the love for my boy kogane? i felt like this was the perfect time to give him some love 🥰 ❤️ ❤️ (and to quench my thirst) this is the first time i’m ever writing a fic or even smut in general so please be nice :,) just gonna casually tag @bokutokoutarou since you wanted to be there when i post my first ever fic so here i go. 🚶‍♀️

dom!koganegawa x reader????? woahh

s m u t

words: 3063

Drool was slowly pooling from your mouth as you just woke up, the sun beaming straight into your eyes, causing your eyelashes to flutter and flip your body to face away from the sunlight. Before you could close your eyes again, you reached out for your phone on your pillow and went to check the time, which is a routine you developed without noticing.

1:53, you noted. But, you immediately stood up and wiped the drool from the corners of your mouth to realize that it was July 9th. Shit. You cursed at yourself in your head while frantically throwing on whatever you saw.

Black shorts and a baggy t-shirt representing your school, Date Tech. You went to the bathroom to see what you overall really looked like taking into consideration that your hair must have been a bird’s nest from moving a lot in your sleep.

“Huh.”

You didn’t think the shirt you chose to wear would cover your shorts, but you shrugged it off. Hopefully some idiot doesn’t think that you’re not wearing anything under it. Thankfully, your hair wasn’t all that much of a mess- i mean, it was still a bit frizzy and in a loose ponytail, but who really cares? Definitely not you.

You threw on some white crew socks with some black shoes you saw under your bed. While you struggled a bit to put your shoes on, you heard something coming from your bed. It was your phone vibrating.

“I swear to god, if it’s some annoying son of a bitch-“ you stood up and tripped since you were trying to put on your other shoe standing up while your foot’s in the air. As you peered over your phone, you saw that it was a notification from Koganegawa and you sighed in relief.

When you had your shoe on you grabbed your phone and went to go and read what he messaged you.

“Hey, Y/N! I know that you might still be asleep, but i wanted to let you know that i’m having a birthday party which starts at around 4, and that you’re invited! I can’t wait to see you there. Even though it’ll be a small little party, i think you’ll REALLY enjoy it. Aone, Kaname, Futakuchi, and Sakunami will be there. I hope to see you there soon!” sent at 11:27 AM

As you read 11:27 AM your expression was covered in horror, but.. It could’ve been worse. For example, maybe it was sent at 9am and here you are just sitting on your ass, waking up at basically 2PM. You smiled a bit thinking of the scenario in your head, visualizing what you would act like if they actually happened. You quickly stopped yourself, though. something was a bit off in this text. You reread it at least 5 times to finally recognize what’s wrong with it.

“uh kogane, you didn’t even give me the location” sent 2:07 PM

Sadly, you weren’t really the patient type and when 10 minutes had passed you started to get a bit antsy. Your leg was basically vibrating based off of how fast your foot was lighting tapping against the ground.

Fuck it.

—————————

You were now furiously knocking on the door- at this point you don’t know if it was either knocking or punching it with the side of your fist. Like the idiot you were, you didn’t even try to use the door knob. When you were tired out from yelling and knocking on the door, that was the time when you decided to use it.

And, it worked.

“Kogane! I’m coming in..” you slowly dragged out the n’s in the word “in” as if you were screaming “ready or not, here I come!” in a classic game of hide and seek.

When you walked in, you could see streamers and balloons around the house, the little “Happy Birthday!” sign greeting you. Food was spread out in the kitchen, the dining room table was all set up with a birthday table cover and everything. You could clearly see the effort he put in based off of the mess he made in the living room. You could see the plastic bags the decorations must have came in when he bought them scattered around the living room. His house looked like a little kids birthday party, but in a good way. He really did go all out. The poor guy did this all by himself. You frowned at the thought, and then suddenly had a sly smirk on your face.

You quickly took your shoes off and began to quietly walk around the house, wanting to surprise him and give him a big old innocent birthday hug. Now that the thought crossed your mind, you totally forgot to get him a birthday present while on the way here, but you didn’t know the party would be at his house- that could be your excuse. You nodded to yourself, agreeing with the thought.

His home was oddly quiet, but you continued to walk around the house. Eventually, you came upon a door that was slightly opened and you peeked your head inside without hesitation.

Koganegawa was slowly stroking his long, veiny cock with his right hand, his hips thrusting up into his fist every now and then. Some strands of his hair were stuck to the sides of his head due to the sweat that was forming on his body. The little groans he let out was causing your thighs to clench together, trying your hardest to not picture what he would look like between your legs. This dirty thought of yours caused you to let out a small moan, quickly slapping your hand against your mouth, hoping he didn’t hear. You slowly sat yourself on the ground, trying to even out your breaths since it was such a close call, but you were cut off when the door right beside you swung open. You screamed in surprise and fell on your back. You could clearly see Kogane’s unattended, throbbing cock against his boxers. Goddamn was it bigger up close.

“Uh.. Happy birthday?” you awkwardly announced, trying to break the cold, uncomfortable silence, waving both of your hands in a celebratory, jazz hands motion.

He grabbed your wrist, helping you off the ground and led you to his bed. He stood in front of you, hands on his hips staring at you, obviously expecting an answer.

Instead of giving him an answer right away, you took this as a chance to admire the sight in front of you. His toned body was enough to make you drool, his abs glossed in sweat and goddamn.. his fucking thighs. They were pretty nice, not gonna lie, you smirked to yourself. Honestly, you wouldn’t mind if he just stood there all day. He should be put in a museum. Your eyes slowly went to his-

“Y/N! I’m still here! What were you doing outside of my door??” he yelled, hands out in front of him, expressing his question more through his movement.

“Listen, I- You.. You didn’t answer my goddamn text!” you replied, your eyes darting to the other side of the room, trying your best to not make eye contact with him. “So i.. came to your house, and when you didn’t answer the door i just.. Walked right on in.” you were putting your best efforts to lighten the mood but it wasn’t exactly working as you hoped it would.

“Then you decided to watch me jack off my dick behind my door, too, right?”

“What else would i have been doing? fucking idiot..” your voice trailed off at the last part, not wanting him to hear.

“Would you like to repeat what you said, Y/N?” he teasingly asked, cocking one of his eyebrows up.

“Uh no, fuck off, yeah?” you attacked right back. You leaned forward, your elbow resting against your knee as your head rested in the palm of your hand. You stuck your tongue out at him like a child, waiting to see his reaction.

He hummed in response, looking down at you with his arms crossed. “Y/N, are you even wearing anything under that?” You almost choked as you held in your laugh. I guess he was the idiot.

“Yeah, I am. Do you think i’m stupid or something? I would never leave the house with no pants on. Bold of you to assume that.” his eyebrow was still in the same position as if he didn’t believe you. You stood up from the bed.

“Kogane, look” he tilted his head at you and you lifted your shirt up. He immediately looked away and you had to repeat yourself. “No, look at me, idiot! I’m wearing shorts, see?” he slowly turned his head towards you and he looked puzzled. This man is as stupid as an elementary schooler, you don’t know how he’s still alive by now.

“So i’m guessing you have a birthday present for me?” he joked, but your mind clicked. It wasn’t your birthday hug idea, but something else.

“Actually, yes, I do. Can you sit on the bed for me real quick?” he quickly sat on the bed, oblivious to what he’s getting himself into.

You slowly got onto the bed and sat around him, your arms wrapping around his waist, your hands inching their way to his boxers.

“What are you-“

“You already know what i’m doing, it’s your birthday so just let it happen, okay?” he nodded with a gulp, and you continued your ministrations.

Your left hand slowly lowered the boxers off of his legs, causing his dick to spring up against his stomach. He groaned at the feeling, which made you eager to continue even further. You didn’t expect for his dick to be so long. It was average girth but holy shit was it lengthy. Your right hand began to stroke his cock, slowly at first, immediately teasing the tip with your thumb, wiping the precum off and onto his shaft. Feeling him shiver against your body made your cheeks flush and had your right hand slightly shaking in excitement. He noticed this and took action by wrapping his large, rough hands against yours, guiding your hand up and down at a quicker pace than you had before. His moans were becoming more apparent and louder, signaling that he’s close to his release. Kogane’s hands never left yours as his grip tightened, going even faster. Feeling how eager he is to cum and just by watching him help you jack him off is making you even wetter than you were before.

“God, Kogane you’re so goddamn cute..Feeling your hand against mine while you guide me to fuck your cock with my hand is so fucking hot..” you felt his cock twitch at your words and you smirked through your bright red cheeks, lowering your head against his dick and filling your mouth with his long cock. Kogane threw his head back in pleasure while pushing your head down against him, his cum filling your mouth, making you choke. You remain still, though, allowing him to wait out his release.

He lifted your head up off of him and when he looked at you with his cum dripping down the sides of your mouth, he immediately became hard again.

“Didn’t know you were that eag-“ you were cut off when Kogane grabbed you by the hips and threw you right under him. The way he towered over you made you want to cower under a blanket and hide, but at the same time it just turned you on even more. It was almost like a prey being hunted by predator scenario.

“Kogane what are you-“ the smirk on his face was like one you’ve never seen before.

“Oh, how the tables have turned.” the sly little dumb smirk he still had plastered on his face made you want to flick him upside the head, but realistically you couldn’t since you were vulnerable as all hell under him.

He didn’t hesitate whatsoever to pull your shirt off of you. Already, your shorts were gone and the same with your bra. You were lost- it was like a switch was flipped with him. You didn’t know he had a side like this to him.

Kogane went up to your neck and purposefully breathed against your neck causing you to jump. He soon started to leave small, gentle bites on the same spot, letting him leave a long lick against it, hurriedly wanting to whisper against your ear something god knows what where he got it from.

“I’m going to fuck you senseless until you learn who’s the boss around here, okay sweetheart?” chills were sent down your spine, your heart thumping in your chest, positive that he could hear it. Your cheeks were the brightest shade of red to the point it looks like a child got into their mom’s makeup. But, you didn't know if he watched some really hardcore porn or what, but did not know at al that he had that in him.

His two, long fingers were suddenly teasing your entrance, causing you to let out a small moan, but you acted quickly as you covered your mouth with your hand, not willing to give in to him. Not pleased with your actions, his fingers delved inside if you, pushing in and out of you at a rather quick pace, making sure to curl his fingers in all of the right spots.

“Can you not hide your moans from me? Pretty Please?” he gave you those puppy dog eyes that you always hated. You shook your head. He shrugged in response and positioned himself against you, your eyes widening in shock. Before you could stop him, question him, or anything, he was already buried inside of you, letting out a loud grunt.

“I’m going to fuck you really hard, Y/N. I know you like that. You like it when guys fuck you until you can’t walk, right?” he emphasized the last word by slamming his cock deep inside of you, straight towards your g-spot. You basically screamed by the intense feeling, and he only just started.

“Finally opening up to me, pretty girl?” he pushed your legs up by your head and began to drill his cock into you nonstop. His tight grip on your hips was bound to leave a mark afterwards. The sound of his hips slapping against yours could’ve been enough to make you cum alone.

He pulled out of you and you glared at him.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry.. Come here.” he motioned his hands for you to come towards him. He led you towards the wall.

“Jump” you obliged and he pinned you against the wall, making sure to not waste time by quickly inserting his pulsing cock inside of you.

“Fuck!” he looked at you, giving you a quick peck on the lips before he started to move inside of you. His thrusts began extremely slow, obviously teasing you.

“You know what I want.” Kogane’s thrusts became even slower before they came to a stop.

“No, I don’t, i can’t read min-“ your snark remark was cut off as you were given a hard, rough slap on the ass. You looked at him, and he nodded as a signal to go on. You sighed.

“Fuck me.” You sarcastically said in a dull tone, making him annoyed on purpose.

“Come on.. you know you want to. Quit lying about it, Y/N!” he began to rub your clit with one of his fingers as he waited.

“I want you to fuck me till your hearts content. I want you to fuck my pussy until i beg you to stop so i want you to quit messing around and get on with it already!” a small whine was released at the end of your words, but Koganegawa seemed satisfied.

“Whatever you want..” He grinned, He pushed himself further against you, making sure you were well propped up against the wall, and began to thrust at a rapid pace, causing you to grab onto his shoulders to give you more support.

“God fucking dammit you’re so tight..” your walls were clenching around him like a vice. His cock filled you up so well, but the fact that his dick was brushing against your cervix was throwing you off the edge. It was impossible to think that someone could fill you up so good, and so perfectly.

“Fuck, fuck! Please don’t stop, Kanji! Right there, right there!” his cheeks flushed at hearing his first name slip past your lips. The pace that he is holding at the moment, you could basically say he was using you like a sex doll. He was like an animal in heat, he showed no signs of stopping whatsoever, and it didn’t help that you used his first name.

“Say it again, please.” he whines against your ear, his hot breaths driving you to the edge even more

“Kanji!” you moaned, practically chanting his name. He loved the way you said his name. The way his cock thrusted in and out of you at such a quick pace while your cum was coated around it, was the second hottest thing next to Kogane. The way he moaned, the skin slapping against skin was too much.

“I’m gonna cum, I’m gonna cum!” you screamed, but to your surprise Kogane kept on thrusting in and out of you, chasing his own release. You knew he wasn’t going to stop until he came.

“Kanji, please cum, I’m begging you Kanji! You fill me up so good, I love the way you fill me up is so perfect just like you baby-“ and that was it, that’s all that took.

“FUCK! Y/N I love you I love you!” he came inside of you, slowly moving his hips inside of you to ride out the overwhelming feel of pleasure. Your tongue was lolling out of your mouth at the overstimulation, and Kogane let out a small chuckle before carefully carrying you to his bed.

“Where the hell did you learn all of that from, Kanji?” you said through heavy breaths.

Futakuchi leaned on the door.

“From me.” he pointed at himself with a proud smile before walking off.

#haikyuu smut #koganegawa kanji #koganegawa #kanji koganegawa #i kind of gave up but lets not talk about that #im high on 15 hours of sleep yeah yeah #i didnt feel like proofreading so bare with me #i write like a toddler. geez. i need a thesaurus for my birthday

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steve0discusses · 3 years

Text

S4 Ep37: Return of O R B S

Heyyyyy boy, look who’s back, it’s orbs!

So we’ve seen a lot of orbs on this show and I fully admit that I kinda started...I started feeling a kinship for the orbs. Something about these mysterious death balls of Yugioh that we see over and over just became really relatable during a pandemic. Being trapped in a bubble and unable to get close to anyone you know is such a 2020 vibe, youknow?

These orbs that are apparently so normalized in this universe that everyone is just max chilling in an orb and just doing their best at not thinking about whether or not they’ll still have to poop in this completely transparent orb in front of all of their friends.

Also, welcome back, Yugi. Apparently he was just taking a nap this entire time. That’s canon and you know what? Good for him.

And then everyone else just kinda showed up, tired, in an orb, feeling kind of frustrated because there’s literally nothing else they can do to get out of this situation. It’s basically a zoom call in 2020.

(read more under the cut)

TBH if Pegasus was in a zoom call, you know he’d just be talking about wine. You know he’d just be in a zoom call with a bunch of straight-laced teenagers just going off about the weird wine he got from a subscription box that he bought when he was day drunk a week ago. You know he’d just be like “I mean is it good? Should I keep it? Should I drink it anyway?” While popping the cork on stream and just pouring it directly into a cereal bowl.

I can feel the orb life going on here. I can especially feel Seto Kaiba, who fell asleep during the zoom call without turning off the camera.

On the other side of the room is people dying as they get sucked directly into their impending doom.

Long ago, about...last year I think...I recapped an episode from the beginning of the season where Pegasus introduced this blank card--that I assumed was blank.

But that card from that episode--it wasn’t actually blank. It was a symbolic blank card and the show runners were like “our child audience will surely get that we just don’t want to spoil the ending” as I, a full grown adult, completely thought this card was blank.

But like...this is Pegasus. You can’t just be tossing out blank cards like that!

...anyway...it’s fine, because we get a little bit more about the time that Pegasus donned that quantum hat that is sometimes square and sometimes round and then just harassed a bunch of people in Egypt until one guy tore out his eyeball and replaced it with a Christmas ornament.

I freakin have the hardest time believing this guy was married once.

PS, now I know that when you uh put people’s hair into strips like this, it’s a lot of effort to animate and it doesn’t look anything like hair. Glad Yugioh taught me that none of us ever need to do that. Ever again. Erase that idea from your to-do list, it doesn’t work.

Anyway, Pegasus lets us know that while he was trying to revive his dead wife and putting a cold compress on his new golden eye-socket, he was also like...obsessed with finding these three dragons.

And he was like “but they didn’t exist anywhere else!” He looked in outer space?? In atoms??? all over the place (this was in the show, PS, he looked on a molecular level for these duel monster dragons) until he was like “ah! That’s because they DID never exist!”

PS...are there...molecular duel monsters?

Just asking for a friend.

...so they did exist, they just had exactly the same names they do now, but were humans so I guess Pegasus just...didn’t realize that they were the same. Kinda like how when I used to read manga as a kid or watch anime and they’d go into chibi forms I thought those were different people. It’s just like that.

Anyway if dragons are turning into humans please don’t tell that to Kaiba. Blue eyes white dragon wife is much funnier as a dragon.

But like...I get that mechanically, in the game, you have to change them to human to make the cards work but...why do we care if they’re human or dragons anyway? Dartz comes from a world where most people turned into monsters. And like if no one’s trying to date them, not even Kaiba...who cares? Dartz’ wife is a freakin monster and I don’t remember seeing him divorce her at any point.

Anyway, it was an odd thing for the show to throw in there about cards we have no relationship with. It’s a complicated season, and we spent way more time on our minibosses than we ever spent with the three tragic dragon characters that are going to actually save our asses.

Now back in the soul hut, Dartz has decided to do the strategy where he convinces Pharaoh to give up. Which youknow...

The show acts like Pharaoh has any idea of who he used to be and it’s like do you even know how long Marik spent trying to teach Pharaoh anything about his past? Like Marik stood there with his back exposed and was like “I wrote it down! See? That’s about you!! Read my back scriptures!!!” and Yami kind of squinted at it and was like “Nah...” and then the island exploded.

So anyway, the only way that Dartz can convince Pharaoh to kill himself is to show Pharaoh the invite code to the orb zoom call. And so Dartz like “your friends are having so much fun in death zoom right now, don’t you want to hang one last time? Don’t you want to see what they’re up to? Don’t you want to hear them complain about working from home and how small their orb is and how their back is cramped all the time because the park is closed so they never go on walks anymore? Don’t you want to hear and secretly enjoy how much weight Joey gained from eating Doritos for 8 straight months? Don’t you want that in your life, Pharaoh?”

And then he just...decided to possess his bean because obviously that wouldn't work.

Freakin Usagi Tsukino over here.

Speaking of:

I’m also imagining that this scene in the big ol bathtub was probably...longer...in the original version? Just saying that because...what’s the point of putting a shirt on the boy? Unless it was implied that at some point you saw the whole boy? Maybe I blinked and missed a shot of the whole boy?

Anyway this scene felt heavily edited, that’s my hypothesis, if it wasn’t and someone was like “yo put a shirt on the boy” then I...don’t know what to say about that. It’s a pair of shoulders. I’m pretty sure half of their cards are racier than that.

Do you like the evidence that we have here that Tea and Tristan totally biffed it last episode? I do.

Anyway, as the Orichalcos shrinks and threatens to take Pharaoh’s soul, the puzzle taps into his dark powers, and the power of friendship and also all the minibosses who died kinda formed a ring around him and bumped the orichalcos back into place.

Nice that Mai got added to the friend pile, but only in death. Also, I’m pretty sure Alister is here and Pharaoh never met him? But there’s more of a reason as to why the mini bosses are here, since they have their own agenda outside of Pharaoh and being his best buddy so I won’t question that too much.

This is friendship from Yami’s perspective, and like...Yami kinda wants to be friends with most people. Hell, if Bakura were introduced this season, he’d be here, too. That’s just how Pharaoh rolls.

Yami decided that, although he’s a huge mess of a human being and screw it at every possible opportunity, his core isn’t made up of a dark magic curse with a crusty soul left over from some kingdom that botched it 5000 years ago. He’s decided that he’s moving on from that sort of anxiety--becoming his own sort of person--separate from Yugi, separate from his past, and separate from the powers that he’s often defined by. And it’s about time. It’s about time he recognizes that he needs to stop clinging to the ancient past (although I’m pretty sure his ancient past will be the entirety of next season)

He should give himself a real name while he’s at it, but youknow, he's not going to. Yami hasn’t quite figured out names yet.

Nightmare foreshortening, that’s what this is. Like you have to just roll a dice when you do foreshortening, and sometimes you get snake eyes, the rest of the time, you get this.

So not only are these guys voiced by Seto, Yugi, and Joey, they have faces that are like a blend of Valon, Raphael, Mai and Alister (yes that was four people for three dragon people, just go with it)--but the show doesn’t really focus on that, or at least not in this episode.

But, it does give the three mini bosses a reason to be chosen by the Orichalcos, if it’s inferred that they were some reincarnated version of the original dragons. Especially since Valon had the ability to just punch out the Orichalcos when he was still alive, and apparently that is the same thing this card does.

I can’t believe that him punching stuff was foreshadowing. I should have known. The answer in this show is always punching.

And so the episode ends with some...something that happened, but don’t ask me about it.

One of the reasons I don’t go over card games here. I mean...c’mon.

Come the freakin on.

Anyway we have some more episodes before this is over but at least this guy is at 0 hp so like...how long can you draw out one single play of cards? (I say, knowing they can stretch this game out...infinitely)

anyway, here’s where you can read these from the top. Hope y’all are staying safe!

https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yugioh/chrono

#ygo #yugioh #Yu-Gi-Oh #recap #photo recap #episode recap #yugi muto #joey wheeler #maxamillion pegasus #is dead #dartz #yami muto #just a mess of orbs #S4 #s3 ep37

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tornrose24 · 3 years

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Face-to-face (Red Diamond AAU drabble)

(Read the ‘Separation’ drabble first before reading this) Hey look at that, I kept my word about the continuation! :)

Original Gem AU (as well as zircon!George, sapphire!Harold, and peridot!Melvin) belongs to angerydj.

Alexandra belongs to me.

----

George and Harold were face to face with someone they thought they’d never see again in the living room of Edith’s house. They had just filled him in on the entire truth which was strange even to them.

Red Quartz stared at them in stunned silence before glancing at the bubbled gem that George held. It was strange seeing one half of his own gem outside his body, but it was even stranger knowing that it wasn’t even the exact kind of gem he believed he was. “So what you’re saying is that I’m actually Red Diamond, and he’s been alive the whole time?” He asked for clarification.

“Yes.” Harold nodded.

“So all of my memories from before we started rebelling against Red Diamond...” Red Quartz remembered them–emerging from the earth, being easily distracted with Earth’s beauty when he was supposed to be working, meeting the young gems and learning that they loved having fun more than working too, and so much more.

“We made them up for you.”

“But neither of you were supposed to still be alive, let alone get separate bodies!” George looked down at the other half of the diamond in the bubble. “In fact, I don’t think this has ever happened to any gem before!”

“We probably should let him out, but you need to help us first. I think he was starting to brake when he got angry, and you’re probably the only one who can fix him.”

“But he’s still going to be mad, so we need to be ready in case anything happens!” George looked at Harold with a wince. “So... are we ready?” “Might as well get it over with.” Harold agreed with a matching wince before George shattered the bubble and held the stone out to Red Quartz. They were not looking forward to the inevitable and no matter how much they wanted to put it off, they knew it would only make things worse if they kept the gem bubbled for too long.

Red Quartz took the stone and nervously looked at it until–to the zircon and sapphire’s equal disgusted fascination–he licked over every inch of it. It didn’t take long until the cracks started to repair themselves and then the broken gem itself began to glow.

Harold remembered. “Oh shoot, wasn’t he a giant when–?!”

The stone flew out of Red Quartz’s hand as a form began to emerge from it. Fortunately for everyone, the diamond had returned to the same size as Red Quartz as well as the more pinkish coloring. Unfortunately there was a slight addition to his appearance as while he had been repaired, the damage he had done to himself left a few scars. The jagged red and orange lines that had gone up his arms and spread out from the gem and across his stomach were still there.

Benjamin groaned and held his head as he found himself trying to come to his senses once more. He realized very quickly that neither Watermelon Tourmaline or Carnelian were present and the living room he was in was somewhat familiar. He turned his head to see a very nervous looking sapphire and zircon who looked as if they wanted to be anywhere but there in that moment.

“Uh... hey!” George let out a squeak as he waved his hand. His forced smile struggled to stay in place as the diamond before him began to develop a familiar scowl.

“Long time no see!” Harold also joined in. “Uh, you’re looking good–!”

Right on cue, he got up in their faces and started yelling at the top of his lungs.

“I TOLD YOU TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON HER AND NOT LET HER GET INVOLVED!” Benjamin’s yelling nearly made them fall over. “IT WAS JUST ONE SIMPLE THING AND YET I WAKE UP TO FIND MYSELF STARING AT QUARTZ, WITH ONLY HALF OF MY GEM IN ME! WHICH APPARENTLY WAS BECAUSE YOU LET TOURMALINE RIP IT OUT OF MY OWN CHILD?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!”

“We didn’t know he’d do that!” George flinched.

“We didn’t know that Homeworld gems would come back to Earth to begin with!” Harold protested.

“THEN HOW WAS IT THAT YOU FAILED THE ONE ORDER I KNEW YOU’D ACTUALLY OBEY?! AND WHY IS HE HERE?!” Benjamin gestured to a stunned Red Quartz. It then hit him as to what he just said and shot up in confusion. “Wait... how are you...?” He stammered.

“Oh uh... hi Red Diamond?” Red Quartz gave him an awkward wave.

“How did–? Why are you here?!” Benjamin kept stammering and pointed. “How are you here?!”

“Its because your gem split in half.” All eyes turned to Melvin who just entered the room. The peridot was the only one who had anything close to medical experience with gems and had been checking on Alexandra. “I’m not sure how you managed the split personality, but because it was a near fifty-fifty split in the gem, your personalities were separated into each half. Its honestly a miracle that both of you are still intact, but you almost corrupted yourself thanks to your buffoonish rampage.” He pointed to the angry markings on Benjamin’s arms and stomach (while forgetting who exactly he just insulted).

Benjamin glanced down at himself and it was only then that he realized the damage that he had caused to himself. A diamond had never been cracked, or corrupted, so no one knew what the consequences would be if that happened. He could only reflect on experience to understand what almost happened and for a moment he felt a flash of fear. Then he remembered why it happened in the first place and was about to ask when Red Quartz beat him to the question.

“So is she still alright?” His other counterpart nervously asked with the small twinge of hope that he himself was too afraid to have. “My– Uh, I mean our daughter?” He glanced at Benjamin. Neither of them liked the use of the word ‘our’ for their own reasons.

“Well to put it bluntly, she’s not dead.” Melvin answered. “And when I think about it, I’m honestly not surprised.”

For one moment everyone was relieved, but then Benjamin frowned. “What do you mean you aren’t surprised?”

“Remember the human zoo? Watermelon Tourmaline was doing experiments with the humans and he was never able to keep female gems from dying whenever they had a child with them. He wanted to use male gems to see if the outcome could be different and that both parent and child would live. Naturally no one wanted to take that risk, but he suspected that because children are less dependent on fathers during pregnancy and the first year of life, there might of been a slight chance that it would work. And considering you’re a diamond, Alexandra had the guaranteed one hundred percent success that he hypothesized. I’d be glad to go into further detail if you’re curious.”

“And you never told us this because...?” Harold asked as he and George stared at Melvin.

“Well I assumed he was wrong and that Red Quartz was dead for real.”

There was a stunned confusion in the room.

Then Benjamin snapped with an enormous, disbelieving “WHAT?!”

****

Both halves of the same gem found themselves in Alexandra’s bedroom on both sides of her bed.

The child had been asleep in bed for quite sometime after being tended to. She had been given a very loose shirt that was pulled up to reveal the bandages over her navel. There was no telling if there’d be any scars but her father’s gem would never again be a physical part of her.

Red Quartz couldn’t stop staring at Benjamin. The gem was kneeling beside the sleeping child and looking at her as if she were the entire world to him. He couldn’t believe that this was supposed to be Red Diamond–the sadistic tyrant who had made it more than clear that he didn’t care what happened to anyone so long as he got what he wanted. The eldest and nastiest of the three diamond siblings, yet had never owned his own planet until he had Earth.

Red Quartz remembered how utterly cruel the diamond had been in dismissing his concerns the first time he met him face to face. (But if he and Red Diamond were the same, then who was sitting on the throne that day?) At least when the gem was on his rampage it was believable that he was seeing Red Diamond, but now it was as if he was someone completely different.

He couldn’t stop fidgeting–one of them had to say something, right?

“So you really are Red Diamond.” Red Quartz finally spoke up.

“I don’t go by that name anymore.” Benjamin didn’t have the will to put as much force in those words as he would have.

“You’re actually still alive. No one on Homeworld knows–not even White Diamond.”

Benjamin couldn’t help but twitch and feel a wave of unwanted memories at the mention of his ‘mother’ (as well as her insults and how she humiliated him, the number of times he was locked up in that dark tower room, and her making him feel like he’d never be as good as Blue or Yellow in her eyes). This time he was a bit harsher when he snapped “And I’d prefer to keep it that way!”

Red Quartz flinched and wisely changed the subject. “So you’re actually me... I’m actually you.”

A brief silence fell as Benjamin finally looked up at Red Quartz.

“Yes. You are me–you were my disguise given a personality in order to throw off suspicion.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I could pretend I was a quartz, but George and Harold made it clear that I wasn’t fooling anyone with the way I was acting. So they created a new personality I could slip into–someone who could be powerful enough to put an end to things. Someone who was believable as part of a rebellion. Honestly I’m amazed no one realized that we had the exact same face.” Benjamin couldn’t help but snort over how stupid most of Homeworld had been to not notice that. (And unlike Blue and the gem he took on as a wife, Benjamin didn’t have the ‘its my ‘child’’ excuse.)

“Then why didn’t anyone tell me before? Why am I still around if you were using me to trick everyone?!” “The hypnosis was supposed to be undone when the war was over! Then nearly everyone got wiped out and that included anyone who could have fixed me! Besides, I’m pretty sure you can figure out why no one told you!”

“Well it doesn’t help! I don’t know if I can trust anyone now! I mean does Alexandra even know?”

Benjamin didn’t respond and simply looked at his daughter. He knew by the way she instantly recognized him that she knew–it wasn’t Red Quartz that she identified as her father in that moment, but him as himself. It was something that terrified him because then that meant she knew everything about him, but it oddly gave him some a small sense of joy because–

She knows who I really am to her. She didn’t see me as the villain.

“I don’t know.” He lied.

“Well, what are we supposed to do now?” Red Quartz asked. “We’re both alive, but she’s got two dads now? Do we have to share her until we know what to do? Do we have to share Edith too?” All the while, Benjamin went from concerned, to annoyed, to a bit possessive until it hit him.

“Oh God, Edith doesn’t know yet, does she?!” He panicked and grabbed his head as Alexandra began to wake up.

“Oh... that’s not good.” Red Quartz frowned as he realized how that’d pose a problem.

“Uh,” At the sound of the small, tired voice, both halves swiftly spun their attention back to the small child in bed who looked back and forth at each one. “Are you playing a trick on me again, guys?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Hi Alexandra!” Red Quartz beamed in delight and waved.

It then hit the child who remembered what happened as she looked at Red Quartz. “Wait... you’re actually–?” She then looked at Benjamin who was both incredibly relieved as well as nervous. “If this isn’t a prank, then why do I have both versions of you in my room?”

“Sweetie!” The door swung open and Edith bursted in as if to make the moment more complicated for everyone. Her hair was falling into her face and she still wore her gloves and apron from work. “Oh God are you alright?!”

“Edith!” Red Quartz’s joyful grin widened.

“Edith!” Benjamin barely breathed at the sight of the love of his life that he thought he would no longer see again.

Edith stared at both Red Quartz and Benjamin and completely forgot her daughter. Her visible eye widened until it was about to pop out. “You... you’re...” Edith stammered as she realized what Harold had tried to warn her about on the phone before she ran away from her work.

Overwhelmed with the knowledge that not only was her husband alive once more, but that both of halves of him were existing at the same time in separate bodies, she pulled an old cliche in the book of cliches and promptly fainted to the floor.

#captain underpants #cu gem au #red diamond aau

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joe-young-stories · 3 years

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A Week.

Hey, new to tumblr. This is something I wrote in an enclosed, dodgy Christian community in 2018.

The last time I saw Dad in person I was seventeen, and I’d either just finished my A-levels or I was halfway through them. I’d seen him a year before, for Grandad’s funeral. After we’d got home from the wake I’d nicked a crate of Guinness, and thrown up on my suit. I’d thrown up all over the guest bed as well, and I’d left all the empty cans in the waste paper basket. I told my dad that the emotional stress of the funeral must have affected me, and I didn’t really give a shit about the fact that he knew.

This time it was summer, and it was that one week of the British summer that is actually scorching hot. Dad was waiting for me at Oxford train station for my visit. Visa Skank was there too. Visa Skank is my dad’s Russian wife, and perhaps she married him for a visa or perhaps she really loves him. I’ve never actually had anything against her. It was rude, offensive, calling her Visa Skank, but it made me feel really savage and clever back then. This day at Oxford train station she was in her late forties, and she was wearing this shimmer- shimmer peach linen halter top harem pants combo thing with a dainty cream pashmina and a big floppy straw hat. She was basically just easy mockery.

We went straight from the station to this ultra quaint Riverside pub/restaurant garden. I had Peronis. I had a burger too. We didn’t really have a conversation because Visa had seen a picturesque riverside photo opportunity, and she had my dad take pictures of her next to a drainage sluice for almost an hour, at different angles and filter settings. At the end we walked back through the pub to get to the car and she started draping herself mystically around rustic beams and cosy fireplaces, or sat herself next to like, napkin dispensers that pleased her. And my dad took more pictures. I just wanted to get back to the house. I don’t remember too much more from the meal.

In the daytimes that followed I fell into a routine. Dad would wake up late (his teaching job at the schools wasn’t on) and he might mooch about or he might go into Oxford, or he might just go to Headington High Street. Visa Skank had a busy social schedule attending a young mum’s social club in the Florence Park Cafe. She would spend a lot of time there. I would wake up and take a walk into Central Oxford. And I would stop for a pint in the White Horse, where we used to go for Lunch when I was little. In town I would walk the old streets around the Radcliffe Camera, and this was back when I had academic ambition before I stopped caring about most things, and the scholarly atmosphere excited me. I walked past the cathedral boys’ school – my first school—and into the Eagle and Child, or the Kings Arms, or the Turf Tavern. I would read Franz Kafka stories or Iris Murdoch novels or I’d listen to pretentious students talk shit and praise myself for being more intelligent than them. After a few pints I’d saunter back over Magdelen Bridge and back up towards the house in Headington.

Dad’s house had changed a lot over the years. The retro porn PC used to be in the dining room, and all my 9 year old self used to do at my dad’s was either play SimCity on that computer or watch Dad’s porn. He’d archived literally thousands of pictures, all categorised according to hair/boobs/race etc. Albums of particular stars. I got up early at that age, and if you were proper stealth about it could get up with the dawn and watch a four second clip of a woman getting pleasured by a mechanised shoe buffer. Only if you were stealth though. The computer screen could be seen from the stairs via the dining room mirror. You had to listen for footsteps. God forbid that Visa or even Grandad would walk in. View me wanking it to Dad’s shoe buffer porn.

Now though the house layout was different. Grandad had been a cantankerous twat since Nan died, and all he ever did was sit in the living room watching cartoons and chat shows. GMTV, Pokemon, Digimon, Homes under the Hammer. That was all I ever saw him do on visits to my dad’s. I left him to it.

But he started losing control of his faculties, and Dad and I would walk in from the pub to a stray smell of nappies, the CBBC channel playing in the background. His osteoporosis got worse. The last time he was alive I was seventeen and he’d been moved to a hospice. He was half asleep next to his colostomy bag but he murmured a greeting and a goodbye. The three of us, Grandad, Dad and me, sat in near silence for approximately fifteen minutes. “Good to see you, Grandad,” I said to him as I was leaving. Grandad had written “to a very impressive grandson” on my birthday card seven months previously.

While Grandad was dying his house was being renovated. The dining room and kitchen had been knocked together into this rustique farmhouse experience, with a big beaten up pine table, a pine dresser and a freshly installed aga. An aga in a nineteen thirties semi. There were a lot of wholesome wicker baskets bought in and gooseberry jam jars were placed in them for effect. Next door the garage was knocked down and a den/conservatory/stargazing lounge/music studio was built. The living room, where Grandad watched all the kids TV, and which I was told was always going to be “His Space” had had all the carpets ripped out and new sofas put in. Floor to ceiling bookshelves covered every wall, and they were all full of this intelligentsia Russian shit no one read. The retro porn PC was upstairs in Dad’s bedroom now, so after I got back from Oxford that last week I’d sit in the conservatory on my laptop. Sometimes if my dad was around I’d bring up an attractive female friend’s Facebook profile and wait for him to ask me about it. He’d talk about organic food and hand picking your own raspberries, and how Russian customs and traditions were the best way to live. But most of those afternoons he was upstairs in his bedroom checking his email, which took about two hours and was a pretty full-on activity for him. If Visa was at home she’d make still life displays from Kitsch crap she found in charity shops. And she’d do photoshoots. Most of the time she was out though. Presumably with the young mums.

When I was downstairs on my own I would drink from the many, many bottles available on the farmhouse shelf. I never drank in front of Dad, but I’d never bother hiding how drunk I was getting either. A little bit of gin, little bit of vodka, whiskey, white rum.

I’d always done this. When I was about twelve, thirteen, fourteen I’d go through Dads bedroom and raid his wardrobe. I’d find his extensive magazine stash and his books on “Tantric Passion”, “The Multi Orgasmic Man”, “Make Her see you Mean Commitment”. I’d find the hamper full of Bombay Sapphire bottles; I never questioned the water bottles full of urine next to his bed. I wasn’t subtle. I’d try and incite his scorn, his discipline, his parental authority. I’d find glow in the dark condoms in his bedside drawers, and I’d take them out of the packets and leave them under his pillow like a treasure hunt. I would neck a bottle of chardonnay, refill it with tap water and leave it in the fridge for him to find. He’d look at the bottle, look at me, deliberate and stammer “I must have rinsed it out for recycling and put it back on autopilot.” I don’t think he knew me well enough to confront me. He once drove me back to mums with me throwing up ass the way down the M40, and we both agreed that I must have eaten some “ropey” quiche.

I didn’t want Dad to parent me anymore; I just didn’t really care. So while Dad was upstairs checking his email I’d access the WiFi and watch naked men beat each other, and I’d masturbate and drink gin. I think on the Tuesday of that week he found me full-on passed out in the stargazing conservatory, sleeping it off. Later on he’d said something about travelling being exhausting, especially across London, and it always took a few days for the mind to properly relax on holiday. I agreed.

In the evenings we’d go out to a pub, the Vicky Arms or The Chestnut or something. I would tell Dad what A levels I was doing. I’d namedrop attractive female friends quite a lot, and talk about parties I went to with them. I’d wait for him to be like, “Are they pretty?”, “Are they into you?”, “Like yeah, get in, my son!”, “Well done, boyo!” and things like that. Visa would come with us. She’d sit there in peach tracksuit bottoms and some kind of burgundy flamenco/matador top, and she would say things like, “Never microwave food because it changes the molecules. Did you know this? We go through a recipe book and you will find meals you would like to try.” We might order popcorn from behind the bar. Visa might demand a photo shoot of her next to an inspiring sunset or whatever.

At home Dad and Visa would go to bed in Grandads old room. Nans room, now the guest bedroom, was being fitted with a “Roman balcony” so I slept on a blow up bed in the living room with all the Russian volumes. I’d drink more whiskey and watch a comedy show about teenage lesbians.

That was it, really. The last week I saw my dad was fairly uneventful. Mundane. If it wasn’t for the fact that it was the last time I saw him I doubt I would have remembered it

Only two events stand out in particular. On the Thursday of that week Dad was playing at a jazz and tango concert at a bar/club in Wantage. He did concerts like that to keep money coming in when the schools weren’t on. Visa took tango lessons down at the community centre, and she’d met a new friend and tango partner called Allan. He had had a stroke and divorce in a five year period and had taken early retirement, so I was told. So I was briefed. Briefed why? I didn’t care.

Allan met us at the house. We all sat about having a back garden beer and then Dad and I set off for Wantage. Allan’s and Visa came later, in Allan’s car, which he could still drive all post stroked up apparently. We had another pint in a pub in Wantage. Dad introduced me to the concept of a “Session Beer”. Advice I have never followed.

Dad gave me money for the evening and then left me to my own devices. I sat on the balcony and drank a lot of Stella, and from my vantage point I could see Dad playing onstage. I could see Visa and Allan as well, and she had her head on his shoulder and he was holding her close around the lower back. This didn’t look particularly tango-ey, but Visa had told me on one pub evening that tango was more about feeling than steps. “Feeling. Yes?” she had said with gusto. This was the passion of the dance I was watching, then. Dad had told me in the car that tango was Allan’s hobby, it’s what got him out the house, like his physio. I looked at Dad, and he was playing some sassy chords on the piano, watching the two of them become one with the dance. He didn’t do anything else. He just sat there, watching them get on with it. I finished one of my Stellas, and later on I thought to myself that he looked like a drooping bunch of flowers in a vase, half dead. A bit sad, maybe. A bit lacking. I was quite proud of myself for thinking of that. It felt very grown up.

Two days later we were having a back garden beer, Dad and I. The garden had changed, and where a swingset once stood there was now a very wholesome vegetable plot. Beyond that was a washing line. It was one of those washing lines with one pole in the ground, and it folded out like an upside down pyramid. You could spin it around for ease of pegging/unpegging. I looked at the washing line and remembered my eight year old self playing by it. I had been playing with a football. I was staying with him for a few weeks or so over the summer. I was out there, by myself, with the football. But I liked to pretend I was playing with all the other children I knew from school. Kids who were actually busy with their own friendship groups or who called me poofty boy by the wildlife pond. But when I was playing with them by myself they were all like, “I did not see this coming! We have not appreciated your serious skills! Hey guys, check out this Baller!” and none of them called me a poofty boy by the wildlife pond.

I had devised a game where you had to throw the ball into the opened up washing line to score a point. Dad came outside just as I was about to land the sickest shot from ten feet away, the shot which was going to blow George and his gang away, and was going to make Sadia and Carrie-Ann think I was total boyfriend material. He asked me if I wanted anything to eat.

And I really don’t know what came over me, but I said something along the lines of “I’m playing a game. We have to get the ball off each other and get it in the net. Do you want to play?”

“Oh, right!” was something like he said “Yes alright then, I will”. I’d never played a game with Dad before, and we were both a bit hesitant. Like, do we just…start, or what? I chucked the ball at the line and missed, and he grabbed it. We ran around the garden, playing the game. He scored a point. I scored a point. At one point he wrestled me to the ground to get the ball off me, and then helped me up. I remember laughing and smiling, being out of breath. I was tense, too. How did things like this come to a logical end? Did, like, the session finish? Was there a way for this to end without Dad having to just be really rude? Like: “I’m sorry Joe, but I need to stop doing this at this point and go back to my day. You are welcome to continue though.” How did it work? After approximately fifteen minutes it mercifully started raining, and we went inside. It was the only time we ever played the game.

Sitting and having a beer with my dad that last week was the last time I looked at the garden, or indeed spent any time with him. Halfway through our drink Visa came out of the stargazing conservatory doors, and she was wearing a floor length lacy white gown, a white bonnet and silky white gloves. She was carrying a large wicker hamper, and she put the hamper down and pulled out a silver teapot. “I am English lady at tea,” she said, and she raised the teapot in the air. Then she laid the patio table for a country manor high tea, and started demanding a photoshoot. I went inside.

The next day I was due to go home. I woke up that morning to find that I’d drunk too much and pissed the blow up bed. I put my soggy boxers in a plastic bag, and I covered the damp sheet with my duvet and left it to fester.

I hardly spoke to dad after that week. There was no reason to most of the time. I rang him twice to ask for money, once to say merry Christmas can I have some money and once to tell him I’d just left rehab. In 2018 I had written to him to tell him he was a cunt and I wanted to burn his house down. “Past wounds” with my Father had become a significant part of my “Life Story” by that point, and I thought that sending such a horrible letter might activate a Life Event in some way, some dramatic finale.

Dad has always had his settings such that I can’t find him on Facebook, so I have to log in as my mum to see his profile. Him and Visa quote Oscar Wilde and Shakespeare sonnets on each other’s pages. Visa’s profile has about 64 photo albums. They’re all called things like “Casserole dishes on the patio”, “Beauty In Autumn”, “Sensuous mermaid has adventure”. Her name isn’t actually Visa Skank. All the photo albums are silly and innocuous. When I’m drunk, or self pitying, or feeling like a victim, or all of the above I sometimes find myself thinking about the game me and Dad played with the washing line and the football.

#writers on tumblr #writers #short story #story #childhood

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tsarisfanfiction · 4 years

Text

Hollow V

Fandom: Thunderbirds Rating: Teen Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Angst Characters: Jeff Tracy, Kyrano, John Tracy, Scott Tracy

Part 5 of my contribution @gumnut-logic‘s SensorySunday: Sixth Sense. Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

And the plan slowly begins to spiral away from me, again. I shouldn’t be surprised at this point.

It was inadvisable to run along the island’s paths, especially in the dark – and even if you had a high-powered torch – but Jeff’s heart was in his mouth and all the breath had been stolen from his lungs by Kyrano’s short but devastating call.

They appear to have fallen. How far? How badly were his children hurt? John is conscious and responding. A cause for relief. Scott is not. Scott wasn’t what? Conscious? Responding? Either? I will need assistance. Kyrano never needed help.

Jeff tore along the path, blindly dodging past tree roots and branches reaching out to ensnare him. Kyrano needed him. His boys needed him. Why oh why hadn’t he been firmer, why had he assumed John wouldn’t find another way to get what he wanted? Was he really so distant from his sons nowadays that he didn’t realise just saying “no” and “it’s too dangerous” would stop a teenager on the cusp of adulthood from doing what he wanted?

He didn’t find the rope Kyrano had tied to the tree so much as almost trip over it, catching himself on the tree it was tied to at the last second to avoid sharing his sons’ misfortune.

“Kyrano?” he called, panting and heaving for air with frozen lungs. “Scott? John?”

“Down here, Mr Tracy!” Kyrano called back, his voice drifting from below. “Use the rope.” Jeff shone the torch in the direction of his voice and shuddered at the sight of the fresh landslip, shearing away part of the path. Creeping towards it, he watched as the light picked up first a slumped form with Lucille’s distinctive ginger hair, and then another two a little further away. Kyrano was bent over Scott, hiding him from view.

His hands burned as he slung himself down to the ledge, too fast and rubbing his hands, but he didn’t notice the discomfort as he sank down next to John, reaching out with trembling fingers to brush dishevelled red hair back from his face. Clouded turquoise eyes sluggishly followed the movement.

“Da’?”

“I’m here, John,” he assured his second eldest. He looked nothing like the confident and stubborn teenager Jeff had found himself in a heated debate with several hours earlier, and much more like the pale waif he’d been as a young child. “Dad’s here.”

“’m srree,” he slurred, and Jeff hushed him, continuing to card his hand through ginger locks – finding the unmistakable stickiness of blood as he did so.

“We’ll talk about that later,” he said. “Right now I’m just glad you’re okay.” John wasn’t okay by ordinary standards, shivering slightly despite the warm air – shock – and his long limbs bent at awkward angles, but he was alive.

“Sc’t…” John mumbled, and Jeff glanced over to where Kyrano was still hunched over his eldest, reassurances on the tip of his tongue.

They died unspoken. In the light of his and Kyrano’s torches, he could see what he had missed with his cursory glance. Scott was laid on his back, limp as a ragdoll, but it was the gradually growing pool of blood and the stake protruding from his hip that chilled him to the core.

He couldn’t abandon John, not when his second son was in shock and pain, but the bloodless face of his eldest called to him.

Lucy, don’t take our boy yet, he begged his wife silently. Losing Scott – head of the pack, a once tiny and unexpected bundle of joy that melted his heart with bright blue eyes and deep dimples even as he voiced his displeasure at leaving the dark, safe confines of his mother to be thrust into the bright wide world – was unthinkable. He needed Scott. He needed all of his boys. All five of them.

“Kyrano,” he started, faltering. How did one ask is my son still breathing? Is he still with us or has he gone to join his mother in the stars?

“He is still with us, Mr Tracy,” the smaller man assured him, raising his head. Green eyes locked with his. “If you could assist me?” Jeff looked down at John, turquoise eyes half lidded, and hesitated. “John’s life is in no danger,” Kyrano told him, and it was the implied but Scott’s is that got him moving, leaving John’s side with one last brush of his blood-matted hair to drop down the final foot to his eldest’s side.

“What do you need me to do?” he asked, catching sight of Scott’s left hand and blanching. Swollen and dribbling blood, he knew enough about the island’s wildlife to know it was not just the terrain his son had fallen foul of.

“Keep him still,” Kyrano said. “I will need to cut him free from this branch before the bleeding can be staunched.” Jeff nodded numbly, trembling hands finding Scott’s shoulders and holding onto them securely.

“The snake venom?” he asked.

“I have given him a generic antivenom to slow the spread,” Kyrano said as the noise of knife meeting wood began. “Until I can determine which snake it was, there is little more to be done for it.”

Scott groaned suddenly, his head rolling to rest the other way as his arms trembled and shoulders strained. At loath to hurt him, but with enough experience to know that if he injured himself further his chances of survival would drop, Jeff increased his grip, pinning his eldest to the ground.

“Easy, Scott,” he soothed, wincing at a sharp cry of pain. “Easy. It’s just me and Kyrano, you hear me? Dad’s here. Just hold on, son. We’ll get you home.” Scott wasn’t pacified by his words at all, weakly thrashing to escape the pain as Jeff exerted as much strength as he dared to keep him still, talking to his son all the while as his heart broke.

It felt like an age before Kyrano sat back. “I have done all I can here,” he said. “We will need to get them back to the villa for further treatment.”

With his wound no longer being agitated, Scott had sunk back down into apparent unconsciousness, white as death but still breathing. Jeff cautiously released him, cupping his pale cheek as he turned to face the other man.

“We can’t get either of them back up to the path,” he said, and Kyrano nodded.

“I know another route we can take, Mr Tracy,” he said. “We will have to be careful, but it should not take too long to return.” It was Jeff’s turn to nod, looking back at Scott and then up at John, whose eyes were almost closed but undeniably watching them. From his elevated position, he would have been able to watch Scott bleeding out the entire time. “I believe you should take Master Scott,” the other man continued, sparing Jeff the agony of choice.

If it were possible, he’d carry both of his boys, but even if they weren’t both taking after him in height, the last time he’d been able to carry two sleeping sons at once was when they were in diapers. As it was, he took a deep breath and with Kyrano’s help scooped his eldest son into his arms, mindful of the bit of tree still stuck through his hip. Kyrano had cropped it as short as possible before wrapping bandaging around the area to stem the flow of blood, but it was still there, staunching what was likely a severe wound.

Scott’s bitten hand hung limply. Kyrano shuffled around, gently repositioning his head so that it rested against Jeff’s shoulder rather than lolling limply and placing the unbitten hand to rest on his chest, far enough away from the wound it wouldn’t bother it, but left the bitten hand dangling.

His son felt like a dead weight in his arms, and Jeff was reassured only by the mostly regular exhales of air tickling his neck as he watched Kyrano approach John, murmuring something quietly to him before gently manoeuvring him onto his back. John cried out in pain, stray sobs escaping as Kyrano’s soft words continued evenly.

Scott made a noise of protest against his shoulder and Jeff glanced down at him to see he was frowning slightly; he didn’t doubt for a moment that he was reacting to his younger brother’s distress.

“Kyrano’s got him, Scooter,” he murmured. “Your brother’s going to be okay, I promise.” Scott made another noise of discontent but then fell silent.

“This way, Mr Tracy.” Kyrano turned, John nestled in his arms not unlike a baby giraffe, all long and gangly limbs, although the image was somewhat ruined by the unnatural angles. The boy’s eyes were closed entirely, and Jeff realised he must have passed out at last.

“Lead on, Kyrano.”

Without the other man, he would never have found his way back. Torches were difficult to use when both arms were full of limp son, but Kyrano was sure-footed and confident in their route, unerringly guiding them back to the villa.

The light in Virgil’s room was on, Jeff noticed as they approached. A silhouette stood in the window – no, two, three silhouettes.

Four. One stood slightly apart from the clump of three, slighter and a little bit shorter than the tallest.

Jeff didn’t know which of the four watching children – it was the early hours of the morning, all of them should be fast asleep, not awake and worrying – saw them first. At some unseen signal, all four moved together, vanishing from the window, although the light stayed on.

“Scott! John!” The rapid patter of multiple bare feet announced the reappearance of them all in the kitchen, clamouring for the missing members of their family as Jeff and Kyrano entered.

“Virgil, take your brothers and Tanusha up to the den,” Jeff ordered. He wanted them in bed asleep, but that was a command that would never be obeyed.

“But-” his son protested, eyes wide with horror as he spotted his older brothers, bloodstained and limp in his and Kyrano’s arms.

“Please, Virgil,” he said, glancing meaningfully at the white faces of Gordon and Alan. “Look after your brothers for me, just for a little while.” Virgil hesitated, torn between his older and younger brothers, but Tanusha bent down and scooped Alan up with a grunt.

“Come on,” she said, nudging Virgil with her shoulder as Alan continued to stare at his biggest brothers from her arms. Jeff couldn’t wait for him to obey, all too aware that Scott was bleeding through his bandages and leaving a trail of small crimson drips from his hand. He and Kyrano hurried past the children, towards the room they’d been setting up as a medical room.

Thank goodness he’d already started stocking it with his project in mind. His mother, while not on the island currently, had had a large influence on the room, insistent that it be up to hospital standard. While they didn’t yet have everything they planned to, they had enough.

Scott and John were its first two real patients. Leaving Kyrano to continue where he’d left off, Jeff fumbled for his phone, punching in a number he knew by heart and listening to it ring.

Click.

“Jeff? Isn’t it two in the morning for you?”

“Mom, I need you.”

Part VI

#sensorysunday #sensorysunday2020 #thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds are go fanfiction #tsari writes fanfiction #jeff tracy #kyrano #scott tracy #john tracy #virgil tracy #gordon tracy #alan tracy #kayo kyrano #hollow

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whengreenmeetsbrown · 4 years

Note

Prompt- married Jily tell James’ parents that Lily’s pregnant, maybe in Christmas?

Hi, that’s a wonderful prompt and I did have fun writing it! Maybe it is slightly AU as I’m not sure if James’ parents were alive when he was married to Lily. But I tried my best so:

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

“Good morning baby.” A soft voice mumbled, rubbing his wife’s stomach, smiling genuinely.

The red head groaned as she replied, still sleepy. “No morning yet, still not the time to wake up, the sun isn’t out yet. But yeah, good morning.”

The boy chuckled. “I wasn’t talking to you but okay Lils.” He said putting a soft kiss on her temple. Lily suddenly woke up, putting her hands up like some zombie. James was startled.

“What happened love?” he said, rubbing her back.

“Are you cheating on me Potter?” she said still half asleep but in her senses to listen to what she was saying.

“Cheating on you Evans? Why the hell would I do that again?” James gasped, catching on the let’s-call-each-other-by-our-surnames-like-when-we-did-in-Hogwarts.

“If you didn’t say ‘good morning baby’ to me, who was it?” she said, scratching her head, glaring at him.

A chuckle escaped James lips as Lily still glared at him, waiting for an answer. Her husband lightly smacked her head. “OW! What was that for?” “So you can wake up. I was calling the baby in your stomach ‘baby’ because we haven’t named him yet.” He gasped again, clutching his heart. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten that you’re pregnant with my child!”

Lily groaned as her head the soft pillow. “Yeah yeah. I know I’m having a baby. It’s literally in my stomach. Now let me sleep or else I’ll hex you into oblivion.”

“But I wanna talk to my baby.” James whined like a five year old, tugging at the sheets. Lily opened her eyes, pouting. “I’m jealous that you’re not giving me attention, should I just have married Benjy? He-“

She was cut off as a pair of lips gently came down, softly and caressingly, as she pulled away. “Don’t, I haven’t brushed my teeth yet.”

The boy grinned his crooked smile which Lily loved. “But you were the one who provoked me by saying that you should have married Benjy.” He folded his arms. “No offense but you would have made a horrible couple.”

“Hey!” she threw a pillow at him as he stood up. “Who says?”

"Me.” James stretched as he got out of bed. “Now, what do you want for breakfast baby?”

Lily grumbled. “Clarify who you’re talking to Mr. Potter.”

“I’m asking Lily Potter what she wants for breakfast.”

“An omelet please.” She said as she lay down and started snoring in a moment.

James sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. Walking to the kitchen, he started making the meal, thinking about Auror meetings along with the meetings of the Order of the Phoenix. Half an hour later, the omelets were made, looking absolutely delicious. This very smell brought the pregnant girl downstairs as she entered the kitchen.

“This looks good James.” She said hugging him from behind, her face in the crook of his neck. She was only 2 months pregnant after all, she wasn’t that fat. Yet.

“How about we visit Mum and Dad today? To tell them the news about the baby?” James asked, as they sat down.

“Mmm? Yeah, sure, no problem, when do we leave?” she answered.

“How about this evening?”

“Sounds good.”

***

Lily pulled on her blue jumper and black jeans, and a small jacket as it was snowing. Stepping into her snow boots and wearing her hat, she entered the room where James was waiting in some white jeans and a Christmas sweater, his hair messier, completing the winter look.

“How do you think we should go? The healer said that apparating is risky for the baby.” James asked.

“Portkey?”

“Don’t know where to find it.”

“Floo powder?”

“Out of stock.”

“Well I don’t know then!” Lily said throwing up her hands.

James thought for a while. “How about you drive a car?”

Where the hell would you get it O’ great one?”

He grinned. “Magic.”

***

They rang the doorbell, an hour after the crazy ride here. Lily did not want to know how James brought the car, and she wondered how she had driven a car after ages.

A house elf appeared at the door of the great mansion before them. Lily had been here before so she wasn’t that surprised. The Potters’ mansion was huge. One way to describe that. They were filthy rich purebloods, even if they used it for good and honest purposes.

“Good evening Mr. and Mrs. Potter, come in!” it squeaked motioning inside. Entering the mansion was like entering a Muggle museum. It had a huge chandelier and a ginormous dining hall, which lead to several other rooms, which led to the Quidditch pitch. Yes, they had a freaking Quidditch pitch. No wonder James was so good at it. In the dining hall, Mr. and Mrs. Potter were waiting, as they beamed brightly.

“Lily darling!” cooed Mrs. Potter. “How lovely to see you.” The women hugged as the men looked at them.

“Hi Lily, you look gorgeous today! Rosy cheeks and snowflakes on your face, a true beauty.” Mr. Potter winked at her.

“Dad! Stop flirting with my wife at every chance you get!” James moaned. Then he turned to his mom, “And you Mrs. Potter didn’t even greet me when I’m your one and only son.” His mother laughed as she embraced him tightly. Lily felt a pinge of sadness; she missed her own family, parents, even sister, desperately. However, the war loomed over them and was afraid of visiting them as they were Muggles. Targets in the war.

They sat down, chattering along the way, talking about whatever occurred.

“How’s married life going Lily darling? I hope he’s not bugging you.” Mrs. Potter asked smiling.

“No, it’s going fairly well. I haven’t hexed him yet.” Lily laughed. It felt good laughing and enjoying after a long time. Lily saw that her husband was having a hard time sitting still,he couldn’t wait to tell his parents the news.

As dinner was served, James tapped at the table. “So Mum, Dad.” He said gesturing at them. “We have some news to share.”

“Good or bad?” they looked anxious.

“Lily’s having a baby.”

There was a sudden silence as the parents looked on at them. Lily cleared her throat nervously. “So, um, what do you think?” she asked lamely.

Mr. Potter suddenly bawled, crying his eyes out. “What happened sweetheart?” his wife asked, eyes wide open.

“Little James is having a baby! A real baby! And at such a young age! And to think we waited all this years to get him. Honestly wife we could have done it earl-“

“Fleamomt!” she interrupted, flushing red with embarrassment.

“Are you happy Mum?” James asked nervously, glasses askew, pulling at his hair.

She laughed loudly. “Of course I am dear! That’s wonderful, simply wonderful. Come here darling.” She said. James moved forward but his mother hugged Lily.

“So much for her being my mother.” He grumbled.

“So happy dear. I know it’s hard but once-“

“SO HAPPY! HEY BON, BRING SOME CAKE AND WINE, WE NEED TO CELEBRATE!” Mr. Potter shrieked, jumping around despite his old age.

“NO BON! NOTHING EXCEPT SOME CAKE.” Mrs. Potter shouting back. “Now sweetheart, don’t get too hasty.” She scolded.

The father embraced his son. “I’m going to die a happy man now Jamsie. A happy one.”

***

Finally back home, completely exhausted, the pair fell into bed, cuddling as they got warm.

“Your father seemed really happy.” Lily mumbled from under James arm.

“Yeah.”

“What’s the matter?” she asked, lifting her head up.

“Its just, raising a baby is going to be hard, especially with the war and all.” James sighed.

Lily traced circling and soothing circles on his chest. “We’re going to be fine James. It’s just a war, we’ll get through.”

“Yeah, I hope we do.” James replied, giving a thorough kiss to his wife and rubbed her stomach.

“I’m going to protect you baby. I love you already, before you’re even born.”

#jily #wolfstar #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter #positivity #pregnantlily

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erekiosuncreativeideas · 4 years

Text

Reliving An Old Nightmare - Chapter 15

<= Chapter 14

Summary : Snatcher finds a way out of his troublesome situation. Also available on AO3 : https://archiveofourown.org/works/22337299/chapters/57711178

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HEEEEY, IT'S ME AGAIN ! BET YOU DIDN'T EXPECT A CHAPTER SO SOON ? Well, I didn't want to leave you guys on the previous cliffhanger for too long, so here's the next chapter, which is almost the longest one ! It's ten pages long !

I hope you'll like this chapter !! If you do, don't hesitate to leave me a comment, as it really helps me reassure me !I

(also I opened art commissions, so if you're interested... You can see the post here)

Anyway, happy reading !

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Chapter 15

Snatcher looked at the door, astonished by what had just happened: someone locked him inside his room. He couldn’t help but stare at the doorknob until he was able to pull himself together. Putting his hand back on the knob once again, he tried to turn it, in vain.

There weren’t many hypothesises on the culprit, at this point… Either Vanessa had asked a servant to lock him up after the diner, or “Simeon” had heard their argument and had decided to take the matter in his own hands. Instinctively, the latter theory seemed more credible at the moment: after all, Vanessa seemed to have wanted to be “forgiven”, even if it wasn’t real. Her accomplice, on the other hand, apparently was someone who liked to work in the dark. When the ghost had listened to their conversation, the mastermind had expressed his bitterness about Snatcher having discovered his existence…

The spirit gritted his teeth and punched the door several times, not liking where this was going at all.

-“Hey!” he roared, with a very authoritative and furious tone, his breathing quickening as he spoke: “Reopen this door immediately!”

Snatcher then stuck his left ear against the wooden frame of the door, trying to catch any noise behind it. It lasted for a few seconds until the shade started to hear footsteps slowly moving away from him. Whoever was behind that door, whether it was “Simeon” or any other stupid servant listening to him, Snatcher was ready to murder them, painfully ideally. Well, supposing this door wasn’t in his way of doing so.

He hammered the door once more, faster and louder than before, feeling his rage increasing as he heard the person moving away.

-“Open this door, or I swear I’ll make you! I won’t repeat myself!” He threatened, hoping to be convincing enough if he was menacing a servant. However, there was no reply to his order. Instead, the steps slowly faded, no matter how hard the spirit pounded on the door. The steps had been calm, slow-paced, as if the person behind the door expected this reaction out of him and wasn’t afraid of the consequences of his actions. Snatcher realized he was right in his previous hypothesises: “Simeon” was probably responsible.

-“I’m going to kill him… I’m so going to kill this guy, whoever he thinks he is to mess with me…” muttered Snatcher, gritting his teeth even tighter. His hands hurt from the hits on the door and, when he finally looked at them, he noticed how red his skin had turned. His attempts to bend his fingers only resulted in pain and he quickly stopped moving them. Pain was certainly not a human experience he would miss.

“Now what?” he wondered, looking back at the room behind him. It was just like he left it… Or so he thought, until he noticed that something at the window seemed off. The ghost frowned and got closer, trying to see what had seemed weird to his brain. It is only when his eyes fell on the lock of the window that he understood why it had felt different to him: there was a black padlock on it. “Someone” must have come into his bedroom while he was talking with Vanessa and locked his window. Did “Simeon” guess his intent before he even got the chance to put his plan into motion? Or did the butler act “just in case”? Whatever was the reason, it seriously put Snatcher’s intentions to a stop, at least, unless he figured a way out of this room.

Now quite hesitant about what to do in a situation like this, the spirit looked around him, hoping to find any new idea to leave this room. His eyes fell on the desk and chair near the door: sure, he could break the window with the chair, but he wanted to leave discreetly. This would not be discreet.

Just as he was about to make a few steps in the room to look for more ideas, he felt something in his boot. Then, it hit him like a train: the brat’s remote! Of course! That was his way out of here!

The spirit almost facepalmed: how could he have not thought about it in the first place? He hid it so well that he even forgot about its existence! Without losing any more time, the shade squatted down to take it out of his shoe, careful not to do anything wrong with it. He certainly didn’t want to break it by dropping it on the floor or press any button that should never be pressed under any circumstances… It was a wonder Snatcher didn’t press any button on accident while it was hidden in his boot.

The device was intact and functional. A small green light was blinking repeatedly on the yellow surface, indicating that the remote was on. The red button on its centre was surely the one that needed to be pressed. Well, that was what the shade supposed since he knew nothing about technology. Isolated from the outside world, Snatcher knew very little of what had been invented since his death, only learning about it from his victims, either dead or alive.

Well, what was life without its usual risks? After everything he had been through, one more dangerous situation didn’t make much of a difference… And so, shutting his eyes tightly, the ghost pressed the button and braced himself for what was to come.

Just like he expected, teleportation was still not something he enjoyed. It felt like the floor underneath his feet had just disappeared, making him fall in an empty white void. It didn’t last long, though in the few seconds he had to endure this awful this process, he could feel his own body disappearing, only to be replaced by something else, something he was much more familiar with. It was a very strange and horrible sensation to experience and, once again, he couldn’t help but wonder how could the hat-wearing child endure a process like that so often. He hated it so much. No matter how much he would need to go through teleportation, he would never get used to it.

His vision came back to him in a blink, once he fully materialized in the ship. Remembering the meeting between his face and the floor when he first teleported onto the kid’s spaceship, the spirit made sure to start levitating as soon as he felt his spectral body again. That was apparently the right thing to do, as his ghostly face almost hit the floor again.

No, he would absolutely never get used to it.

Snatcher quickly came back to reality, and checked his own body, just to be sure. Just like he expected, he saw his spectral form instead of his fleshy body, which was quite a relief. He had been back in that inconvenient vessel for a few hours only and he was already glad to be back in his usual form. God, it felt so good not to have legs! He could float again, just like he used to! He then took a look at his surroundings, wanting to know if the teleportation had worked well. As soon as his eyes scanned the room, he felt a wave of relief engulfing him again when he recognized the kid’s living room. Everything had worked just as planned! Finally something good in his current situation!

Just like the last time he came here, the lights were all out. The only thing lightening the room was a Time Piece set on the ground, next to the control station. This hourglass was probably one the kid had gotten out of her safe. How many did she have anyway?

A few steps away from it, a silhouette was lying on the ground, their head burrowed in a light blue pillow. Snatcher didn’t need much more to recognize the hat-wearing brat. Suddenly, an unknown feeling rose inside of him at the sight of the child, who still hadn’t noticed his arrival on her ship. Was he worried about her? The realization hit him like a train and he felt his inexistent guts twist at the thought. “Hah, as if!”, he mumbled internally, as he could only float towards the brat, apparently oblivious to what was happening in the same room as her. Was she asleep? On the ground? But she had a bed!

Once Snatcher got close enough of the small body lying on the ground, he caught sight of several objects scattered all around her. Two books were next to her, one of them opened, displaying a language the spirit was not able to read. A few tools could be seen, such as a screwdriver, a monkey wrench as well as a wire cutter. Her hat was not on her head and was simply waiting for her, not very far away. Several cookies were disseminated near her head and the kid was holding one she hadn’t finished eating, probably falling asleep before she got the chance to, from the look of it.

The control panel had been fixed… Somewhat. Inside it, a few wires had been reconnected with adhesive tape, while other wires still waited to be fixed. On the yellow surface of the machine, the hosepipes had been reconnected to the mainframe using the same method.

The kid herself, just like he thought, was sleeping soundly. Her breathing was calm, slow and repetitive as her body moved up and down. Some locks of hair were touching her face, yet she seemed too asleep to care. Without thinking, the ghost came closer and suddenly realized what he was doing. Was he watching a child sleeping? How creepy was that?! He was supposed to be creepy, yes, but not that way! The ghost straightened up immediately, looking away, ruffled by his behaviour. That did not happen.

A high pitched noise on his right caught his attention and he turned his head to the sound. His yellow eyes instantly fell on the brat’s little vacuum cleaner, which seemed to stare at him with its awful pink eyes. It made happy-like sounds to him and Snatcher only frowned in response. Great. Now there was a witness. Sentient or not, it still bothered Snatcher and he had to force himself not to destroy the brat’s stuff on impulse. Not that he didn’t want to, but he just knew that he wouldn’t hear the end of it if he did. Plus, the ghost had many important things to do and, for them to happen, he had to wake the kid up.

The shade floated back down and took a deep breath he didn’t need… Before yelling, right above her ear:

-“WAKEY‌ WAKEY KID!” his voice echoed in the living room, making both the child and her vacuum cleaner jump from the surprise and from how loud it was. The little girl let out a scared shriek and quickly got away from him, crawling on her back. The latter hit the machine behind her and, when it did, she appeared both confused and terrified at the same time, tears appearing in her eyes. They went from all their surroundings to him in successions, as if she was trying to understand what had happened. What a great sight for the shade, who enjoyed this prank profusely. It took her a couple of seconds until she seemed to get what the shade did and a furious expression replaced the confusion on her features.

-“Why would you do that?!” was the first thing leaving her mouth, as she stood up, anger clearly visible in her gestures. Her fists were clenched and she glared at the shade with a rage that was quite unusual for her. Though, to Snatcher, it was a pleasure to look at, especially after the rough evening he had.

-“Aaaw, did I scare you?” he taunted, his mischievous smile widening at her anger. The girl pouted and quickly squatted down to pick up her monkey wrench, throwing it at the ghost, before doing the same with the screwdriver. The spirit avoided them easily and laughed maniacally at her attempts to hurt him.

-“Did you forget? You can’t hurt me like that! I thought you knew bet-”

He stopped talking when a loud sniffing sound interrupted him. The spirit froze and he stared at the child, as he noticed that she didn’t act like usual. Normally, she would fight back, try to insult him and even turn him blue if she had the chance to. Now… She was just standing, motionless, right in front of him, her head bowed down. Another sniffing sound came from her, breaking the silence that had fallen between the two. The child’s shoulders were trembling, just like her clenched fists.

“What the…” wondered Snatcher, stopping his thoughts when he understood.

The hat-wearing brat was crying. He could hear her sobbing, just like he could see tears rolling down her face. The shade couldn’t help but stare at her, not knowing what to do. This was not what he had in mind. Sure, he had expected her to be angry, but crying? This was new and probably not good. Usually, he felt happy when he made someone cry. Seeing them sobbing right in front of him, praying for their life to be spared, just before he killed them gruesomely… That was fun! However, in that particular situation, Snatcher wasn’t enjoying it, for a reason he couldn’t explain yet.

He lifted his right hand as he tried to catch the little girl’s attention once again:

-“Hey kiddo… You okay over there?” He paused, waiting for her to answer, in vain. He tried again, this time coming closer, using a tone he hoped casual (despite being very much not casual): “I thought you were a strong kid! Why are you crying for something this dumb?”

Somehow, the spirit felt like he had crossed a line but it was already too late. The child rose her head, glaring at him with blue eyes full of tears. Her teeth were clenched and her breathing seemed to be harder and harder to control. And, just like Snatcher feared, she snapped at him:

-“Are you serious?” she roared, stomping her left foot on the ground as she kept going, her voice breaking as the words left her lips: “I… I don’t need this right now!”

The kid pointed to their surroundings, absolutely livid:

-“Do you have any idea how hard it is to fix a ship like that?” she questioned. Snatcher opened his mouth to answer but she cut him short, visibly not wanting to listen to him in any case: “no, you don’t! I know! I’m the one who just spent a whole night not sleeping to try to fix something, anything! But nothing is working and I don’t know what to do anymore!”

The ghost tried to interject once more, only to be silenced as the kid continued, even more furious than before:

-“I’m not finished!” fumed the hat-wearing child: “I’m trying everything I can to at least fix the power so I don’t end up suffocating in the next few days, but I can’t! And the moment I finally fall asleep which, by the way, wasn’t intentional, I get woken up by a pecking ghost who has no idea what I’m going through!”

Her yells faded out as she stopped to breathe again, still glaring at the spirit in the process. Silence fell once again as Snatcher didn’t know if he could reply now. He was staring at the child, bewildered at her outburst. She had never acted like this in the past, even when she kept “dying” in his advanced contracts. But, now that he thought about it, she did seem pretty tired. She had dark rings under her eyes and her posture was the one of someone who would fall asleep anytime. Now, all the junk on the ground made much more sense to the shade, as he finally put the pieces together: she had spent hours trying to fix her ship, in vain, only falling asleep because she was completely exhausted. And Snatcher came here, only to wake her up violently when her mind was probably a mess at the moment.

A very unpleasant feeling of guilt rose inside of him, as he remained silent. He felt like apologizing was his best chance of ending the argument, but… Snatcher didn’t apologize. Yet, he couldn’t deny the need to do so. The only thing preventing him from doing it was his prideful personality. The kid seemed to guess his thoughts as she rolled her eyes, picking up her hat as she grunted:

-“Don’t bother, I don’t care.”

The shade was about to retort when he realized something. She had mentioned staying awake for a whole night? But he thought time moved slower in her spaceship!

-“Wait kiddo, how many hours has it been for you since we last saw each other?”

She looked up, staring into space, visibly even more tired than before:

-“Uh… Almost a day for me, only a few hours for you, I think.”

-“But… I thought time was supposed to move slower here? Did I miss something or…?” he asked confused, though quite relieved at the change of subject.

The hat-wearing child pointed to the mainframe, to which a Time Piece was (poorly) connected:

-“I tried to align our “time zones” but… All I managed to do was reversing the effect and worsening it as I tried to fix it,” she explained, taking a deep breath as she continued, extremely tensed: “now, I only have a few hours left until my oxygen supplies start to be low enough to make me sick. Suffocation will come next, in a few days.”

Snatcher could only stare back as he listened to her words. Normally, hearing about someone suffocating would morbidly catch his interest, but… In this case, it felt wrong. He understood with horror that he didn’t want her to die like this, or die at all. What was happening to him? He was a monster, killing people and eating their souls! He made his victims suffer in very diverse ways before murdering them painfully! And now he felt worried for a child? This was ridiculous! Yet, the feeling was there and he couldn’t deny it.

The shade examined the mainframe, which was in a very poor condition. He knew the kid had an engine room and he couldn’t even imagine how much worse it could be compared to what was in front of him. And from what she had been telling him, she didn’t have the tools to fix any of it, which only made the spirit even more anxious. He felt the need to change the subject, hoping the status of the rift was not as bad as everything else.

-“What about the rift?” questioned Snatcher, praying silently for some good news, at least: “how many days have we left?”

The kid pinched her nose, exhaling loudly. She then rubbed her tired eyes, looking up at Snatcher as she replied:

-“It’s worse than what I first thought.”

If Snatcher didn’t want to anger her more, he would have facepalmed twice. It was as if the world was trying to persecute them more and more, always finding more twisted ways to make them suffer! Was it his karma coming back at him for all the wrong things he had done after his death?

The brat guessed his thoughts despite him trying his best to keep an impassive face:

-“Let me explain before snapping at me like last time, okay?” she commented. It was weird to hear her saying “last time” when, for Snatcher, it had only been a few hours since then. But time had been distorted between them. And even if he did want to yell, he couldn’t deny how much exasperated the kid seemed to be: usually, she would put up with his behaviour, but the spirit had a feeling she would not be as patient right now, and, well, time was running out. Thus, he managed to put his pride aside for a bit and only nodded, not wanting to infuriate her more.

The child seemed briefly relieved at his attitude and elaborated:

-“This time rift isn’t supposed to exist. Time rifts are a part of space-time shenanigans but, as I told you yesterday, this rift is artificial. And both time and space hate that, and they’re trying to destroy it to, uh, restore the balance of space-time, if that makes sense to you.”

It did not make sense to Snatcher. Well, he still got the idea but he couldn’t understand why the reality was trying to make them disappear. Could it really tell the difference between a “wild” time rift and one that was not? The shade decided to keep his interrogations to himself, not wanting the kid to spend hours to explain things that were too complicated for him. It was just abstract. Law, on the other hand, was not.

Seeing his silence as a sign to continue, the hat-wearing child enunciated more information about their current situation:

-“So, as I was saying, this time rift is abnormal and the universe is trying to crush it. The thing is, it does that little by little. Have you noticed strange things while you were down there?” asked the little girl.

Snatcher remembered his experience in the bathroom. The mirror had become completely black, not reflecting anything anymore, and his shadow had taken the form of his spectral body. He had wondered at the time if the rift was collapsing and, now that he got explanations, it all made much more sense. So it was just collapsing very slowly. Good to know.

Snatcher kept his sarcasm to himself and answered his small ex-contractor:

-“I have. Things started disappearing and reappearing very quickly around me. And some surfaces lost their reflections too. My shadow looked like my usual spectral one, too.”

The kid nodded, not surprised by his reply.

-“Yeah. The rift is having trouble keeping everything together. Stuff like reflections, shadows, small objects… The rift is trying to resist by making less effort on materializing unnecessary things, those that won’t cause much trouble if they stop existing.”

-“Wait, you mean that shadows and reflections aren’t necessary?” asked the ghost, a little confused.

-“Well, yeah? I mean, it’s not like you’re going to die if you don’t have a reflection anymore,” explained the child: “However, having all water disappear from the rift might be problematic, so, uh… Just imagine that the rift has priorities, okay?”

-“You say that as if it’s sentient.”

The kid rubbed her face again, sighing:

-“No, it’s not, it’s just… Ugh, it’s too hard to explain! It just… Acts on instinct? It just wants not to explode.”

Snatcher wasn’t convinced, though he felt that the kid didn’t want to explain things further on that topic. Then, it was time to move on another subject:

-“So, if the time rift is going to collapse soon, and if the lack of oxygen is going to kill you…” started the shade, hoping to get more information about what they would have to do: “we need to find that Time Piece, and the sooner, the better. Right?”

-“Right. We need to go now-”

However, a noise interrupted her, making both her and Snatcher jump from the surprise. It sounded like… Growls? The ghost looked around him, on the lookout for any dangerous foe hidden in the kid’s ship. However, when the growls echoed in the living room once more, he felt… Something moving in his inexistent stomach. Was he… Hungry? The shade lowered his gaze to his body, more than astonished. The little girl was showing the same surprise as him, not expecting that kind of sound coming out of him either.

Him being hungry it that form… That couldn’t be possible!

His confused and nervous expression was soon picked up by the child, who apparently decided it was the time to make fun of him:

-“Well, looks like someone’s hungry~!” she nagged, giggling when he replied by glaring at her silently. Well, in a way, he did deserve it, he supposed. Plus, he was feeling hungry. After all, his human body hadn’t eaten for a while, yet… He was no longer in this useless vessel now, so why was he experiencing something like that?

-“How is it even possible?” snarled Snatcher: “I don’t even have a stomach!”

To this, the kid hazarded a guess, gently tapping her lips as she spoke:

-“Well, I may have an idea about that. You said the rift messed up your shadow, right?”

The ghost lifted his spectral brows, sceptic:

-“Yeah, but what does it have to do with me being hungry when I shouldn’t be?”

-“What if you never really became a human in the first place?”

The question took the shade aback, cutting his thoughts short. The spirit frowned, not really understanding what she had implied:

-“What do you mean?” he asked the brat, who was staring into space as she developed a theory:

-“I’ve been thinking about it since the issue with your hand yesterday-, uh, I mean, a few hours ago for you. You being hurt was weird, since you should normally be invincible in your usual form. So, I wondered… You know how the rift is only an illusion? How everything was made from scratch?”

Snatcher really didn’t like where this was going. It was a bit too abstract for him, after all. But he kind of knew what the kid was implying and he didn’t like it.

-“Yeah?” he answered in a wary tone.

-“What if… Your human body is just a disguise you’re forced to wear? Like, maybe the rift is forcing your appearance to change?”

-“Why would it? And… That doesn’t explain why my hand was hurt or why I’m being hungry right now!” retorted Snatcher, feeling more and more lost as the kid continued her explanations.

-“Well… The rift might be manipulated by the one possessing the Time Piece. That would explain why it gave you this appearance in a world that isn’t even your past, only a copy of it,” she recited, pensive: “When you think about it, it just makes sense: why would you look like your human self in a Time Rift that is not actually linked to your past originally? It has to be intentional. As for why you feel human stuff right now… Maybe the rift is changing your body even on the inside?”

The ghost was truly horrified by what he was hearing. His form, being changed more than its appearance? This very idea made him terribly uneasy and sick to his -supposedly- inexistent stomach. It felt like his body was being violated by something, someone especially. “Simeon”’s face came to his mind as soon as he thought about it. Instantly, pure rage grew inside of him. Snatcher was sure that the rift itself was not the culprit he was looking for, but the butler, on the other hand… It just made sense. He felt his clenched fists warming up as his magic started to manifest through them, until blue flames appeared all around them, up to his wrists. As for his hair, it became pointier and pointier as he remembered the butler’s face and what the brat had just told him.

So that guy thought he could mess with him? Snatcher would show him what he was capable of!

But if his human vessel had always been a forced disguise… What about Vanessa?

-“Snatcher?”

The little girl’s worried voice interrupted his thoughts as well as his increasing rage. She was holding both of her hands together against her chest, staring at him with eyes full of anxiousness. Right. She knew nothing about what the spirit had found back in the rift, thus her confusion made perfect sense.

The shade did his best to calm himself down. The last thing he wanted to do was to lose control of his powers and blast a laser through the walls of the spaceship. The possibility of what could happen if he did so didn’t appeal to him very much… The ghost took a deep breath and felt his anger waning, just like the magic around his hands, eventually disappearing too.

Snatcher then started to tell the kid what he had discovered while he was in the rift, as well as Vanessa’s denial on the matter. The kid seemed surprised to learn that the mastermind had chosen to take the form of someone close to Vanessa and him. But, in a way, what was a better camouflage than taking the butler’s form? Snatcher would have never suspected him seriously if he hadn’t witnessed Vanessa’s reaction to that guy being in the same room as her earlier that day.

The brat became pensive again, rubbing her chin as she tried to process everything the ghost had told her. After all, it was a lot of information. She then opened her mouth to talk, only to be cut short again by another growl from the spirit. Instinctively, the shade hid his stomach, ashamed of the sound. He hated it when his human body did things on its own, and now his spectral one was doing the same? It was extremely frustrating at the very least… Even more so when the hat-wearing child giggled at his reaction. It contrasted a lot with her previous tired expression which, as much as the ghost wanted to deny it, made him feel a little better. Only a little bit.

-“Well,” laughed the kid: “I was about to say that we might want to start looking for the Time Piece now, but… Maybe you need to eat first? How do you feel about cookies?”

Snatcher had never been so humiliated in his entire life and after-life. However, his body seemed very much enthusiastic at the idea of eating. The ghost, now utterly resigned to do what had to be done, had no other choice but to accept the girl’s offer. And, as much as his body wanted to eat, Snatcher did not. Food and its texture were just awful.

It was even worse when it came to cookies. Those didn’t remind him of good memories at all.

-“Okay, fine, but not cookies!”

The child only beamed at him in answer. He didn’t get the chance to add anything else as she was already running towards the kitchen, climbing on top of the first floor easily, just like usual.

This was going to be long and awful, he just knew it… But if everything went well after that, they would be out of there in no time! How hard could that be?

As much as he wanted to be optimistic, the ghost couldn’t help but have a very bad feeling about this…

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Welp, no cliffhanger this time ! Phew ! I hope you liked this chapter ! Don't hesitate to tell me if you did, it helps a lot, I can assure you !

See you soon on the next chapter ! Stay safe everyone !

=> Chapter 16

#A Hat In Time #ahit #snatcher #hat kid #Reliving An Old Nightmare #Raon #my art #fanfiction

18 notes · View notes

bigskydreaming · 4 years

Text

I know the usual go-to boy names for Dick having a son tend to be some variation of Tommy, John or Jake, after either Dick’s father, Bruce’s or Jake from that future timeline he had a son in after Ma’ri.

I’m however reeeeeally attached to the idea of Dick naming a son after his paternal grandfather, whatever name you go with for him. For me, its Daniel, though I have NO idea where that came from and I could have sworn it was canon but apparently its something I made up which is weird because usually I have a reason for names I make up and I can’t for the life of me figure out why I would have deliberately picked Daniel specifically, if I didn’t already think for sure that was his name? But whatever, that’s just a weird me thing that’s been bugging me forever.

ANYWAY.

Yeah, I could see Dick naming a child after his grandfather, Cobb’s son that he gave to Haly’s Circus to be raised....the direct ancestor of Dick’s who in his perception was the true patriarch of Dick’s first family....the Grayson trapeze artist lineage.

I actually have a lot of headcanons about Cobb’s son as part of the completely gratuitous expansive backstory I have for Dick’s first family and their history in the circus over the past century, that hopefully will make it into some fic or another one of these days, lol....but in a nutshell, I’ve always been drawn to the fact that Cobb handed his son over to Haly’s ancestor while describing him as the Gray Son, someone destined to live between the opposite extremes of Gotham’s starkly differentiated classes or whatever he was babbling on about, I fell asleep, shut up, Cobb, nobody cares....

But point being, he didn’t actually ever claim that the baby’s last name was Grayson. So I like to headcanon that everybody in the circus as that boy grew up there just called him Gray Son or the Gray Son, and he embraced that and willfully made it his last name....and that this directly ties into him becoming a trapeze artist and the bright colors that became the Grayson family legacy.

Because imagine an unclaimed orphan boy being raised in a circus a hundred years ago with nothing but mysterious rumors about where he came from, who his parents were, and maybe some quietly muttered rumors here and there about some mysterious destiny he had that tied into the title Gray Son.

Imagine being a boy who likely spent most of his childhood invisible....an eagerly helpful pair of hands trying to make himself useful, trying to make himself seen, as eyes continually skittered away from him because the tidbits about his past and origins made people nervous and wary.

Imagine that boy, who had no parents inducting him into a legacy of acrobatics himself, who had to willfully and with purpose decide himself to learn how to fly, maybe even largely to teach himself how to fly....practicing in secret and with every acrobat or passing troupe willing to teach him little tricks of the trade...

And then imagine when that boy becomes a man and finally makes his debut as a talented trapeze artist himself, takes center stage, all eyes on him....because he ensures that. He works to draw all eyes to him, to keep all eyes on him....

To never be lost in shades of black and white or fade away into some lackluster gray.

Because this man rejects any destiny he’s supposed to have, any destiny that required he grow up alone and unloved. If no one wanted to claim him as theirs before now, then no one gets to lay any sort of claim to him ever.

And he broadcasts that to the world, via his stage, in every way imaginable...

With even his clothes, his costumes always being brilliant colors, the brightest hues of red, yellow and green...eye catching, eye searing, forever popping against the background, whatever that may be....

The complete antithesis of everything gray.

Because that may be the only name he has any tie to, the only piece of his mysterious past he has to carry with him, like it or not...

But he will not be defined by it. He defies the very idea.

And he makes sure everyone knows that as he soars above crowds, drawing all eyes to him, the highest point in everyone’s vision, making them look up, forcing them to see him, to acknowledge him, a master of the sky no matter that he and his descendants’ ‘true destiny’ was to be as servants hidden away in secret labyrinths beneath the earth....

And always, always, always the brightest thing in sight.

Never to be lost and muted in shades of gray.

I think this headcanon of Dick’s grandfather, who I view as the one Dick would truly see as the true originator of the Grayson family line, not Cobb himself, never Cobb...

I think someone like this, Dick would view himself as having a lot in common with.

Because after all, wasn’t that as much Dick’s motivation when he became Robin?

Not just to fight crime by Batman’s side....but to be seen while doing it. To stand out, even as Batman sticks to the shadows. To never be dismissed or banished and locked away in some juvie center or orphanage like the people who looked down on him and his circus family tried to do. Never to be erased or forgotten or overlooked.

Soaring above Gotham in colors that drew attention, demanded attention. Recognition. Acknowledgment.

Forever declaring:

I am still here. My family is still here. Our legacy still matters....no matter how many people tried how many times to stamp it out or make it otherwise.

They said Dick wasn’t allowed to leave Gotham, that the circus was no place for him, inferring that how he’d been raised, how he’d been HAPPY was wrong and somehow more objectionable than the way Gotham treated him. They tried to clip his wings and force him to remain on the ground, take away what made him special, what made him not the Gray Son, but a Flying Grayson.

And Robin was Dick’s way of saying: “Well here I am! Still flying, still free, still making everyone crane their necks and look UP to see me, unable to miss me cuz I’m the brightest speck of light in Gotham’s night sky.”

Its always been significant to me that Dick so often insists that he’s Batman’s PARTNER as Robin, rather than sidekick. And yeah, that’s easy to look at and think oh that’s so cute, in the sense of kids trying to put themselves on the same level as an adult counterpart....

But I think it takes on an entirely different connotation when you consider that Bruce and Dick’s approaches to vigilantism, the specific mantles and methodologies they created for THEMSELVES....were deliberately distinct and never aiming to be interchangeable or cut from the same cloth.

Dick always considered himself Bruce’s partner, because he didn’t see himself as being Robin to assist Bruce with Batman’s mission....because Dick had his own mission. Batman and Robin were each their distinct ways of honoring their parents and fighting on in their name....its just those took different forms for them. Bruce ultimately saw his mission as honoring his parents by fighting to ensure what happened to them didn’t happen to any other family so long as he stood a chance of preventing it. Dick, on the other hand, I think ultimately saw HIS mission as honoring his parents by fighting to keep their memory alive, their spirit, in a city that seemed to have no place for that. By bringing light and laughter to the shadows of Gotham, and hope for the future.

With Robin more naturally suited to stopping to lend a helping hand to the Gothammite they just rescued while Batman fought off the last of their attackers. The younger hero practically carrying his own spotlight with him as he shone it on everyone they helped, as a promise that nobody was going to be forgotten or overlooked or left to slip through the cracks on his watch, even as Batman used the shadows to overwhelm and intimidate and drive off the dangers threatening those they saved.

Two distinctly different, but extremely complementary pursuits, personal missions. Neither mission actually in service to the other, but both enabling both at the same time.

And bringing it back around to Dick’s grandfather, the baby Cobb handed off to be raised in the circus and pave the way for future generations of Gray Sons to be mined as future Talons whenever the Court decided they needed them......

Think of the poignancy inherent in the fact that his entire EXISTENCE was intended to be nothing more than a bloodline of talented athletes for the Court to use.....and he basically said well fuck THAT nonsense, and without even knowing what his supposed ‘destiny’ and that of his descendants’ was supposed to be.....he took his existence and accidentally sculpted it into the very antithesis of everything they meant the Gray Son to be. Because all he needed to know is nobody but him was going to get to define him, decide what his future was, and his past was only as relevant as he decided to let it be.

(Remind you of anyone?)

And then think of how completely and firmly OPPOSITE the Court’s intentions for Dick were....to his personal crusade as Robin.

And the dramatic irony in how Dick has so often been instrumental to thwarting the Court’s plans and bringing them down....by doing nothing more than adhering to the same path he’s walked ever since his first days as Robin.

The path he chose to honor and keep with him what he could of his family....his parents before him....and theirs before them.

I maintain that Cobb never actually had a prayer of getting his great-grandson to follow in his footsteps.....

Because Dick had already set out to emulate his grandfather’s path instead, before he was even ten.

*Shrugs* Anyway, just random headcanons I have about Dick’s family, but yeah, I really like the idea of Dick naming one of his kids after his paternal grandfather at some point, because I think for Dick that would be an extremely auspicious and symbolic name....a tie to the family history Dick welcomes and claims as his own.....and an homage to the ancestor who first willfully forged a path for himself that turned out to be the complete opposite of what the Gray Son’s destiny supposedly was always meant to be....and exactly what Dick, his descendant, needed to fight off his ‘fate’ when it came calling for him, and to stay in the spotlight of his parents and grandparents no matter how much his great-grandfather tried to drag him into the dark.

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dariodanoite · 4 years

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cat’s cradle | marley & dario

LOCATION: marley’s town house. PARTIES: @detectivedreameater and @dariodanoite. SUMMARY: a mara feeding on a traumatized balam goes just as well as you’d expect. TRIGGERS: panic attack tw, sleep paralysis tw, family death tw.

Alright, Marley though idly, that was good. She was laying in her bed and next to her was the text she’d received at 1am. They both knew exactly what they wanted and exactly what this was, and that’s all it had been. Except, he didn’t know exactly what this was. While a nice late night romp in the sack was always great, Marley needed a good feeding. A good, real feeding. And then sex hair Dario had come crawling into her Tinder DMs and it was like a match made in heaven. Except that he, apparently, liked to cuddle. Marley hated cuddling. Well, alright-- hate was a strong word, but she wasn’t exactly comfortable with it. At all. She’d obliged because it made things easier, even as she laid tensely on his chest until he fell asleep. And finally, he was asleep. Slowly, she lifted herself, his arm sliding off her back. There was already something so enticing about him, she almost couldn’t put her finger on it. His face pulled into a furrow, as if he were stressed. Or having a nightmare. She wasn’t even touching him yet, though. Perhaps this was going to be less work than she thought. Reaching out, she placed her one good hand on his forehead, and was instantly filled with a wave of his fear. Rushing through her like a torrent. A delicious storm. One she wanted more of.

On the nights Dario lay awake in the middle of the night with little to fill his mind other than things her certainly did not want to think about, there was a very simple answer for his plight. Tinder. Sex. That warmth of another body, and a sensation that made it rather difficult to focus on anything other than the person (or sometimes people) he was sharing the evening with. For whatever reason, it was even easier to fall asleep with them. For when the nightmares came, at least there was some, something there or him to latch onto when he woke up in a cold sweat, another body breathing beside him to remind Dario that he wasn’t dead or dying, or hidden away in a small space of his head while the jaguar was out and about doing as it pleased. Tonight was no different, though it seemed nightmares had come anyway. It was often more prone to happen when he didn’t know the person as well quite yet, and wasn’t sure how safe they might actually be. It wasn’t unusual for them to take a darker turn as they were doing now, the raw fear he felt continuing to steadily grow as dream Dario ran through a dark forest with no shoes or shirt, a fire burning in the background.

Fire. A forest. Marley’s eyes were open, but they didn’t see what was happening in front of them. Instead, they saw his nightmares, his memories. It was choking, almost, like walls closing in. Like if they didn’t move fast enough, the forest was going to swallow them whole. Dario ran along the forest floor, barefeet. He was looking for someone. Or was he being chased? She couldn’t tell. He was crying out for someone. Suddenly, the forest shifted and a house took its place. Smoke billowed from it enough for Marley to understand what had happened here. There were people on the ground. Her eyes followed him as he ran up to them.

Back in the bedroom, Marley’s arm tensed.

Fuck, the house. Dario had never actually seen it in it’s full, fiery glory after the Hunters had set it on fire, but his imagination had proved plenty proficient at recreating it for him. But hadn’t he just been running away from it? The dream, or rather, nightmare, didn’t seem to care about the laws of space and time, and now he was faced with the bodies of his family in the last places he’d seen them alive. His father, in the center of the foyer, his younger brother not too far from him. His mother— slain on the grand staircase that led upstairs with his little sister still in her arms. They were all charred black, blacker than the fur of the jaguars they turned into with the skin flaking off in places, revealing bone and muscle peeking out from beneath the places where skin had been burned to a crisp. He stood stock still, just as he had in those first few moments of the attack before his mother had bid him to run. However, the dead didn’t seem content to stay dead as they rose up from their own ashes, their eyes a stark white against the black of their burned skin. As they straightened themselves, they simply stared, and more horrors were revealed. Their skin hadn’t just charred, but their eyes were melting, running down the fronts of their face to leave empty, red sockets in their place. Fear was such a recurring character in his dreams that the terror he felt now wasn’t all that foreign as he watched with horror.

Marley followed him into the house. She walked past his charred father on the floor. A few feet more was the body of a child. His dead mother on the stairs. The burnt girl in her arms. Enough, she thought to herself, as they rose from their spots and turned on him. Enough, she told herself, but she hadn’t fully fed yet, and her body craved for it. So she backed away and she watched. Their mouths hung open in slack-jawed horror as they tried to speak. Ash and smoke spewed from their mouths. Fire tore at their empty sockets. “Why didn’t you save us?” they asked Dario, falling at his feet. “Why didn’t you come back?”

Whether Marley had been feeding or not probably wouldn’t have even made all that much of a difference, though the nightmares usually weren’t this bad when Dario slept over with someone. Had he been alone, though...this wasn’t all that uncommon, and the reason he tended to seek people out on Tinder in the middle of the night in the first place. Unfortunately, it seemed to have failed tonight. The dream avatar of himself stood stock still, as if he couldn’t move, his foot rooted to the spots they’d landed on as his family asked him their questions, sounding more like accusations on their blackened lips. He parted his lips to speak, but nothing came out as if he was muted in the dreams, unable to say anything that might defend himself. Or perhaps he simply didn’t wish to defend himself, thinking this is atonement for leaving them behind. But now they were advancing on him, jaguar claws sprouting from the ends of their fingers as they closed in. A moment later they were slashing, tearing, ripping the skin from him as his heart pounded in his chest, not entirely sure if he had stopped breathing all together, or if he was simply breathing so quickly that it was hard to tell where one breath stopped and the other began. Somewhere, outside of the dream realm, his own claws slipped out, presenting themselves in the face of the panicked state his dream self was in. As his skin was ripped away, it wasn’t sinew or flesh that lay beneath, but the jet-black fur of the jaguar that lived within him, and this was more terrifying to him than if he was actually being eviscerated. “No,” he finally spoke, “No, no, no, no, no!” was all he managed to say as he tried to fight it, to push the fur back from whence it came. “I’m fixing it! I’m trying to fix it!” He was trying to find the Hunters wasn’t he? To avenge his family? Of course...how would that fix that fact that his family had been burned down along with the house, not even given a final resting place?

Marley felt almost breathless. In a strange way, she felt responsible for what he was seeing. She’d pried into nightmares before, but nothing had ever been this visceral, this real. Did she care? Should she care? She watched them tear him apart, bit by bit, piece by piece. Flesh giving way to fur, his secrets laid bare and full for her. Secrets that she...didn’t want. Didn’t need. Dario was just a person, someone she’d slept with on a whim because she needed to get Anita out of her head. Because she liked having sex. He wasn’t a criminal, he wasn’t hurting anyone. Had desperation really driven her this far? Didn’t she have standards? Morals? Something sharp stung on her side. She looked down. Blood. In a blink, she was sucked from the dream world, a rejected infection.

“Fuck!” she hissed, wrenching away from him in the bed. Her side was bleeding slightly, four thin scratched along her hip. When she looked back at him, she saw the claws. She felt his fear still. He’d wake soon.

Someone cursed, shied away from him, and Dario woke with a start, already on edge from the nightmare he’d been having. He would have bolted up if he’d been able to, but instead he was stuck firmly in place, unable to move after apparently waking too quickly. Fuck, fuck, fuck. No matter how many times this happened, he couldn’t get used to it, and he couldn’t even tell if his eyes were open in the darkness or not. Was this still part of the dream? Was he actually awake? Panic continued to course through him, his breathing quick and shallow while he simply lay there, desperately willing his body to do anything. Then he saw her as plain as day, the woman he’d slept with no more than a few hours ago huddled on the bed, through her eyes glowed red in the night as they had before. Of course, now they only reminded him of the red behind his family’s melting eyes, and that fear renewed itself once more, feeling as if a hand was slowly closing around his throat.

He was awake, and Marley didn’t know what to do. This had never really happened to her before. This was what she got for crossing her fun with her food. She usually didn’t do it, but with her injury, she’d figured why not. Well, this was why not. He was panicking, his breaths erratic. “Hey, uh-- c-calm down. You’re okay,” she tried to coax in a soft voice, hand on her side coming up to his arm, his chest. “Just breath,” she said, positioning herself so she was in his line of sight. “You’re awake. Just...let it come back slowly.” Glanced around the room, to the claws on his hands, to his face again. She didn’t know what else to say.

For a moment, Dario just saw a girl over him and another memory was triggered, the face of a blond who he’d brought home the night of his family’s death, and the girl who had tried to stab him once they’d gotten into his bed. But Marley wasn’t blond, he tried to forcefully remind himself, clinging to that fact for dear life as he stared at her hair. Somewhere, Marley was telling him to breath. Just breathe. But how was he supposed to do that when it felt like there was no air. His eyes screwed shut for a second, and it took him a moment to realize...he’d moved. At least in some small form. He wasn’t as lost as he’d been when the jaguar had taken over his body, or rather...when he’d let it. Dario’s hand tensed, ever so slowly curling into a fist. Something blue glashed at the end of his claws, god dammit his claws, but the confusion was at least something to break through the haze of panic for a split moment. Finally, words came, though it felt like he had to fight for each syllable. “Marley.” It wasn’t so much a question as confirmation, a reminder that this was the woman from Tinder, and not something else. “Marley,” he simply repeated, holding onto that singular anchor. “Fuck.” Finally he managed to ever so slowly raise his head, his leg shifting to try and touch a bit of her skin, to feel the warmth there that would tell him this was real, not the pictures still flashing in his mind’s eye.

Marley stayed tense as she simply watched. She’d watched people wake from their nightmares before, frozen in this paralysis. But she’d enjoyed it, then, because they’d been people who deserved it. But who was she, to feel sorry now? She wasn’t supposed to have feelings. She didn’t have feelings. Rule number one was she didn’t need anyone other than herself. Rule number two was no feelings. Swallowing, she let out a long breath as she watched him move small things at a time. First his eyes, then his hand-- shit, her blood was on it. Blue blood. She looked down at her side, little trails of blue falling from the cuts. Fuck. She wrapped the blanket around her midsection, turning back to him when he finally said her name. “Yeah, yep,” she answered, unsure, “That’s me.” Let out a long sigh when he was able to move, feeling him shift, reach for her. Tentatively, she met him halfway. The least she could do was keep up appearances, right? Should she say sorry? She didn’t know what to do here, the discomfort sitting in her stomach like a pit. This was supposed to make things easier, sleeping with other people was meant to remind her of who she was, not-- not this. “Are you...what happened?” she asked finally, feigning, wondering if he knew.

With the addition of Marley pressed up against him, Dario managed to take his panic another down another notch, his breaths still far from regular but- certainly improving from what they’d been. The sweat on his brow was already growing cold, and he lifted a hand to wipe it away. The claws? Had she seen them? Now that the immediate, perceived danger was gone he could worry about things such as that. The motion of her pulling the sheet caught his eye, and he noticed that the blue seeping through it was the same shade as what was on his hand. “Is that….blood?” What else would be coming out of a person? But why the fuck was it blue? He sittferend as she asked her own questions, never proud that he had these fucking ghosts haunting him. “A nightmare. It’s fine. It just happens sometimes.” More often than he liked to admit to a girl he’d just met on Tinder.

“That seemed like a little more than a nightmare,” Marley immediately muttered, unable to stop herself before it came out. She paused, looked over at him. “You were...calling out in your sleep and then, uh--” she needed to divert attention from her slip up, and from her blood. “Well, your hands turned into claws.” She motioned to his hands, which were still stained slightly with her blood. “Fuck, here,” she reached over for the tissues she kept by her bedside and handed the box to him. “I just...does that happen often?” she asked, finding herself genuinely curious, wondering if it was truly out of curiosity or something else. Guilt, perhaps? No, not guilt. She didn’t feel guilty. She’d needed to feed, and if he had nightmares anyway, then this wasn’t her fault. “Or just sometimes?”

Dario simply shrugged, not even particularly knowing enough about the difference between nightmares, sleep paralysis, night terrors or other such things in the same vein to be able to put words to what he was feeling— even if he wanted to. And sharing the inside of his head wasn’t exactly something he wanted to do with a woman he’d just met, even if she was hot. After all, wasn’t the reason he was on Tinder in the middle of the night in the first place to avoid the ghosts of his past? “It is what it is.” Then his eyes went back to his hand, and he cursed silently that his stupid fucking claws had decided to betray him. “Yeah they uh- do that sometimes.” There was no use denying it when it was in plain sight. But the blue on his hand and then the tissue caught his eye once more. “Why’s it blue?” he asked, utter confusion on his face. “But thanks,” he said, glad that she at least wasn’t making this more embarrassing than it needed to be. “Uh-” he hesitated at her question, not entirely sure how specifically he wanted to answer it. “More often than I want it to. But then- who wants it in the first place, right?” That was vague enough, wasn’t itt?

Marley frowned. She wanted to push him about his claws-- werewolf, perhaps? Oh, god had she just slept with a werewolf?-- but she knew if she pushed too much, she’d have to give in return. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to do that. She’d given him enough tonight, letting him take the lead, letting him come over to her place, letting him cuddle-- she didn’t want to give anymore. So she didn’t push it. “I have a copper deficiency,” she said flatly, “from a rare blood disease. Don’t worry, it’s not contagious.” She sat up a little more, looking down at the sheets on the bed, stained a little with her blood, torn a little from his claws. She sighed. She knew she couldn’t just kick him out-- well, she could but that didn’t seem altogether like the right move here, even for someone as cold as she supposedly was-- but this night had taken a turn she wasn’t happy about. “No one,” she answered a little quietly, shifting to move from the bed. She didn’t bother putting any clothes on. “I’m going to go erm-- clean up. Do you...need anything?”

She didn’t ask more about the claws which he was...relatively grateful for. Dario didn’t think he needed to worry about someone knowing what he was on top of the anxiety still swishing in his stomach, trying to keep it down to a manageable level as best he could. “Copper...deficiency,” he echoed, not entirely sure whether that was an actual thing or not. But she’d let his claw thing go, hadn’t she? He could let the blue blood situation lie where it was as well. “As long as I don’t wake up looking like a smurf,” he decided to tease instead— trying his best to get them out of these strange waters they’d found themselves in post nightmare. For a moment fear gripped him once more as she mentioned leaving, not entirely trusting himself to be left alone with his thoughts after such a vivid nightmare. He felt...unstable, like he might easily slip back into the clutches of his panic, the anxiety in his stomach demanding his attention once more. “I- no. You go do that.” He wasn’t going to be clingy just because he was afraid of slipping back into that dark place. Dario would deal with it. “Maybe I’ll do the same after you, if it’s all the same.” A shower or something of that like felt like a nice, grounding experience— something to wash away the feeling of his dead family clawing away at his skin.

When Marley paused in the doorway to look back at him, she coulda sworn she saw the panic flash through his eyes again, as if her leaving was going to send him back to that place. She was, after all, an expert at reading body language, and he was screaming at her right now to not leave him alone. She was getting awful tired of this part of her that was clawing at her to reach out like this. To give people that out. To offer them this comfort. It wasn’t what she usually did. But this was-- he was like this because of her. Because of the monster she was, the monster world had made her. And maybe, just maybe, for a night, she could pretend to be something other than that. “Well, if you’re going to shower, why don’t you just join me?” she asked, letting the lightness come back into the conversation, latching onto his teasing words. “Unless you’re too tired for round two,” she shrugged, before turning and heading into the bathroom without waiting, knowing he would follow. Because she did, after all, understand his need to not be alone.

#chatzy #ch:marley #wickedswriting #cats cradle #panic attack tw #sleep paralysis tw #family death tw #death tw

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