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outoftheseine · 8 days

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-AZRIEL “THE SHADOWSINGER” FIC RECS-

i am so obsessed with him it is not even funny | note: please be aware of the authors’ warnings before reading. fics include canon tw’s like: violence, death, grief. some fics have 18+ content so minors please DNI.

main masterlist

SERIES - MULTI-CHAPTERS

the trials of aphrodite • azriel x fem!reader

↳ by @milswrites (unrequited love, so much pining)

unrequited love | part two • azriel x reader

↳ by @lyssasdrafts (angst)

a field of dandelions • azriel x witch!reader

↳ by @prythianpages (made my heart warm, some angst, smut)

bloodied bonds | sinner’s sacrifice • azriel x rhysand’s sister!reader

↳ by @ellievickstar (hanahaki au, angst)

if it all fell • azriel x reader

↳ by @pellucid-constellations (angst, comfort, i feel for azriel :()

the silent one | 2 | 3 | 4 | azriel x fem!oc

↳ by @feyreswaterybowels (found family, slowburn, angst, fluff, comfort, mute!oc, tw: past sa)

lonesome | part 2 • azriel x reader

↳ by @assassinsblade (angst)

ocean eyes • azriel x reader

↳ by @redheadspark (very fluffy, angsty at times, smut, dad!azriel)

crush • azriel x reader

↳ by @writingcroissant (so so fluffy, smut)

i laugh like me again… she laughs like you | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 • azriel x reader

↳ by @azrielbrainrot (very angsty, grief, violence, torture)

was any of it true? | full throttle | alt. ending • badboy!azriel x goodgirl!reader

↳ by @flickering-chandelier (modern au, angst, happy ending, smut)

pushed to the edge • azriel x seer!reader

↳ by @stormhearty (oh boy hurt me so good)

baker!reader x azriel

↳ by @imaginesmai (so fluffyyy)

and so, the stars aligned | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 • azriel x archeron!reader

↳ by @offthepages

finding home • azriel x fem!reader

↳ by @parkerslatte

sweet like sugar • azriel x reader

↳ by @writingsbychlo (fluff, angst, smut)

ONE-SHOTS - BLURBS - HC’S

tiny shadows • azriel x reader

↳ by @xmalfoyweasleyx (fluff)

his shadows know • azriel x reader

↳ by @daycourtofficial (fluff)

he feels safe with you • azriel x reader

↳ by @florencemtrash (warm, fuzzy fluff)

the quiet between • azriel x fem!reader

↳ by @thewulf (mean!az, angst, fluff)

you drew stars around my scars • azriel x reader

↳ by @flickering-chandelier (fluff, slight angst)

arcane • azriel x death god!reader

↳ by @serpentandlily (fluff, tw: alludes to sa)

butterfly kisses • azriel x fem!reader

↳ by @itsswritten (fluff, suggestive)

threads of hazel • azriel x fem!reader

↳ by @itsswritten (oh beautiful angst)

laborious activities • azriel x reader

↳ by @writingcroissant (fluff and labour things)

marriage-life • azriel x reader

↳ by @delulustateofmind (sooo fluffy)

baby blanket • azriel x reader

↳ by @sapphicmsmarvel (fluff)

implode • azriel x fem!reader

↳ by @daydreaming-nerd (really angsty)

blinded • azriel x reader

↳ by @lady-of-tearshed (oh so angsty, unrequited love)

scartlet-tipped secrets; peonies, for you • azriel x fem!reader

↳ by @angelshadowsinger (hanahaki au, unrequited love, angst)

totally annoying and not funny at all • azriel x reader

↳ by @sillymercury (fluff, little angst, literally idiots in love)

never yours • azriel x reader (lucien x reader)

↳ by @really-fanny-longbottom (angst, stupid azriel tbh, fluff)

let me keep you company • azriel x reader

↳ by @utterlyazriel (so so fluffy)

you found me • azriel x reader

↳ by @pit-and-the-pen (angst, blood, comfort)

pretty little shadowsinger • azriel x reader

↳ by @illyrianbitch (fluff)

happy ending • azriel x fem!reader

↳ by @milswrites (fluff and a little angst)

pancake • azriel x reader

↳ by @acotarxreader (fluff, comfort, tw: panic attack)

domestic bliss • azriel x fem!reader

↳ by @bat-boys (very fluffy, slightly suggestive)

and yesterday you were here with me • azriel x reader

↳ by @dawneternal (angst, comfort, tw: miscarriage)

(what if?) all i need is you • azriel x fem!reader

↳ by @empiresofstorm (whipped azriel, comfort, fluff)

baby mine • azriel x reader

↳ by @thisblogisaboutabook (angst, comfort, fluff, tws: sa and trauma)

calypso • azriel x reader

↳ by @solbaby7 (fav kind of female rage, mentions of blood)

the girl who cheated death • azriel x fem!reader

↳ by @utterlyotterlyx (fluff)

the tormented & the unforgiven • azriel x reader

↳ by @lucysstoryworld (very angsty, graphic torture)

tattoos older than you • azriel x archeron!reader

↳ by @surielstea (age-gap, suggestive)

“you were flirting with me?” • azriel x fem!reader

↳ by @thehighladywrites (suggestive, fluff, humour)

#acotar #acotar x reader #azriel x reader #azriel x you #azriel x oc #azriel x original character #azriel x female!reader #azriel x fem!reader #azriel x gn!reader #azriel x gender neutral!reader #azriel the shadowsinger #the shadowsinger #azriel x reader angst #azriel x reader fluff #azriel x reader smut #fanfiction #azriel fanfiction #acotar fanfiction

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azrielbrainrot · 5 months

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Maybe We Could Be The Start of Something

Pairing: Band member!Azriel x College Student!Reader

Description: Your friends invite you to a bar and you could never imagine who you'd meet there.

Word Count: 3294

Warnings: none

Notes: I had this idea after seeing this art and couldn't stop thinking about it. I actually had a lot of ideas for little stories in this universe but it makes sense to start with how they met. Also I know that's a terrible band name but I never had to name a band before okay. I didn't proofread this because I think I'd delete the whole thing if I did, sorry. This is really self-indulgent but I hope you like it!

Band AU masterlist

You could only blame yourself for agreeing to meet Viviane. Your skull felt like it was going to split open with this headache that has lasted all week. The only thing you wanted to do right now was try to sleep it off under your warm blankets, but instead you willingly came to a bar knowing it was just going to make it worse.

She's been telling you about this place and the bands that perform here occasionally for ages. Apparently it's a real hotspot for up and coming musicians ever since two bands made it big after starting out here. You've been turning her down for weeks so you had promised her that you'd finally come this friday, of course when you agreed you couldn't have known your week was going to be absolute shit. Though most of your days have been shit lately. That might be the actual reason Viv has been so insistent about you going out with her, she knew your mental health was ready to take a vacation and was just being a good friend.

This really hadn't been a good day to come though. Aside from your headache, your last class had also run late, making you lose your bus and barely have time to drop everything off at home and change to come meet your friends. As a little treat you also couldn't find your nice black skirt so you had to just wear jeans, you definitely needed the extra confidence the pretty skirt provided but the universe didn't seem to care about that.

The bar was already packed by the time you got there, you were almost being pushed around while you were searching for your friends. You look down at your phone to ask them where they are and see a text from Viv asking if you're still coming. Reading it makes you stop in your tracks. You can't really blame her for thinking you wouldn't show up since you've been declining every invitation lately, but seeing that she thought you wouldn't even give her a heads up hurt a little. You knew you had been distant lately but you were trying your best to deal with life and you never meant to do it at the expense of your friendships.

You're pushed out of your thoughts when someone taps your shoulder gently, making you look back at them. Turning your head you were faced with a muscular chest, slowly looking up a tattooed neck to meet beautiful hazel eyes staring back at yours.

“I'm sorry to bother you,” he says, breaking eye contact for a second before continuing, “but I think you dropped this.” He raises his hand so you can see him holding your keys. Your house keys, the ones you would undoubtedly only notice were missing when you went back home and tried to open the door. That would have been the cherry on the cake after this whole day. Maybe you should see a witch to make sure it's not actually a curse, no one should experience this much bad luck.

“Thank you so much,” you almost yell as you grab them from his hand in excitement. He just saved you from having no place to sleep tonight. You notice him tensing up when your fingers brush against his hand and realize you might have made him uncomfortable. “I'm sorry,” you take a tiny step back in the crowded bar, “I would have been locked out of my apartment if you hadn't seen that. Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” he said, giving you a nod and something close to a smile, before going on his way. You curse yourself again for acting so awkwardly. You hope you didn't make him feel uncomfortable, he was nice in picking up your keys and giving them back to you. He was also really cute which only made it more of a shame that you met like this. At least you didn't lose your keys, that would have seriously sucked.

Making your way to the table Viviane told you they would be at, you notice almost everyone is here. She was leaning against her boyfriend, Kallias, while they listened to whatever story Alba was telling them about. Ezio and Celia were both looking down at their phones and showing each other something while giggling like schoolgirls. As much as you love your friends, you don't know how much socializing you can handle today. You already fucked up what could have been a very simple interaction. Then again, with all of them here you know Viv won't try to ask you about Eleanor so at least you can keep avoiding hard topics. Viv greets you with a grin as soon as she sees you, everyone following right after.

“Hey, thought you weren't coming after all.” Yeah, you almost forgot about that. You smile anyway, knowing she didn't mean to remind you of how much of a bad friend you've been lately.

“Sorry, guys,” you sit down in the empty chair next to Alba before continuing, “Class ran late and then I lost my bus.”

“Oh. Bad luck.” You have no idea, Kallias. Conversation picked back up after that and you let them do most of the talking, taking a back seat and just watching them. You're glad that they either noticed you weren't in a talking mood or just didn't realize you were mostly quiet anyway.

You have no new stories to tell them since you've barely been functioning outside of school and talking about your feelings is definitely a resounding no, especially at a bar, so you just let them keep up with their conversations and just nod along every once in a while.

Eventually, the DJ introduces the band playing tonight. The Night Court. Judging by the screams and the way everyone moves closer to watch, they're very popular around here and you understand part of the reason for said popularity as soon as you see them step up on stage.

“Oh, they're really good!” Viviane's voice pulls you out of your thoughts. “The guitarist is Mor's cousin. You remember her, right?” You nod. Of course you do. The blonde with sparkly eyeshadow and red lips leaves a big impression, forgetting Morrigan is probably impossible.

You study the guitarist as he introduces himself and the band. He's extremely handsome, the type of handsome that would make you think he can't be human, like some kind of fairy or vampire. You can tell he's aware of this fact with every honey dipped word that comes out of his mouth, literally flirting with the whole crowd. Despite not having many physical similarities with Mor, that allure he exudes definitely matches with hers.

The drummer was already sitting in place, looking eager to play. It takes you a second to notice he was in fact already sitting down as he's probably one of the tallest men you've ever seen in real life. But, with the messy shoulder length hair and big boyish grin on his face, he doesn't look scary at all.

As your eyes travel to the bassist, half hidden in the shadows, you wonder why you didn't recognize him immediately. It was the same guy that helped you before. You had thought he was beautiful before but, considering the situation, you didn't have much time to linger on that fact. However now that he was standing on stage, you could fully appreciate it. He was tall - this much you knew since you were at head level with his chest - and by the way his arms strained against his black t-shirt as he picked up his bass, you could tell he was fit too. He was looking down at the bass in his hands, making the few lights that caught him cast an ethereal glow on his face and on his onyx hair. This man looks like he stepped right down heaven's gates.

They start playing what you think is an original song but can't be sure since you were too distracted checking their bassist out to hear what Mor's cousin had said. He does have a really good singing voice but as your mystery angel starts singing, you can't help but feel bewitched back to watching him.

You barely take your eyes off him during the whole performance but they're all undeniably good. It's easy to understand why this bar is so popular if this is the level of talent their bands have. You can definitely imagine them making it big. They all seem very comfortable and content on stage and the crowd can't get enough of them.

You're so distracted by them that you don't even notice your head pounding anymore, or how fast time flies because, before you know it, they're saying their goodbyes to the crowd and leaving the stage.

Conversation starts back up after that, everyone is gushing about how talented and hot they are and you find yourself easily agreeing with their sentiments. But, with no distraction and the dj back playing songs you've heard a thousand times and the pressure of keeping conversation going, your headache comes back. You wait out just a little longer until you think it's an acceptable time to leave without worrying everyone too much.

“I'm sorry guys but I think I'm going to head home.” You finish the last of your drink even though it's mostly melted ice by that point and start putting your jacket on.

“Already?” You're not surprised Alba is the first to speak up. You'll never understand how this girl has so much energy, you had the same morning class as her but she's still as energetic as she was at lunchtime.

“It's still kind of early,” Viviane looks up at you with her icy eyes and you can recognize the concern in them immediately.

“It was just a busy week,” you explain with a smile on your face, hoping no one reads too much into it even though you all know that's not all. “I think I need to go sleep it off.”

“Are you going by yourself though?” Out of everyone at the table, Enzo is the worst one at hiding his emotions. You can see as clear as day that he's worried about you.

“I'll get an uber. Don't worry.” You gesture to your phone hoping they'll drop it.

“I can wait with you outside.” Kallias offers immediately, ever the responsible one. You really wanted to stay alone right now though.

“You don't have to.” You put your bag over your shoulder to add some finality to your words. “It's cold and there's going to be enough cars out at this hour, I won't be waiting for long.” It looks like he's about to say more but Viv puts a hand over his arm subtly, making him shut up. The bass of the music keeps hammering at your head so you don't linger and just say your goodbyes, waving at everyone with what you hope is a seemingly content smile, before leaving.

As soon as you step outside the pressure you feel starts slowing down. The front of the bar is still full of people so you walk a bit more to the little parking lot on this street. The air is cold but it feels amazing after being in the stuffed bar and your thoughts don't seem so overbearing when you don't have to try to act happy with your friends.

You love them to death but everything about how tonight went just proves that they've been talking about you behind your back. You know this is just them being good friends. You've been acting so differently in these last few months that even one of your professors noticed so it's only natural that they also did, but knowing everyone can tell only makes it worse.

You didn't want to make anyone worry about you. Life has just been going for your throat lately, minor inconveniences keep popping up and piling on top of what was already a pretty shitty situation. But you know once the semester ends, you'll get the chance to finally breathe and solve some of the problems you've been ignoring. And then things will hopefully get better. It just really sucks that your friendships and even school life has been affected by this.

Sitting down on top of the small wall that wrapped around the parking lot, you look up at the sky, willing your mind to let you rest for a bit. Watching the stars twinkling and your breath turn into white clouds of smoke because of the cold. You should probably get that uber and go home before any of your friends find you here, but your body doesn't want to move for some reason.

You feel someone approach you and look back down to meet familiar hazel eyes. You both stare at each other for a second longer than what would be normal, not expecting to see each other again.

“We keep running into each other,” you can hear his voice better here. You didn't notice how deep it was in the crowded bar. His singing voice is also deep but a bit softer than this.

“Yeah.” You smile. Seeing him again after how he helped you and then watching him on stage is making you a little giddy despite your somber mood. He seems a bit less unsure after you respond as well.

“Are you here alone?” He asks as he stuffs his hands in his pockets.

“No, I'm just waiting for an uber.” You hope you're not making a bad impression again. He probably hadn't seen you with your friends before either.

“Alright,” he looks over to what you assume is his car and then back to you, “I can wait here with you.”

“You don't have to. It's cold,” you start but he shakes his head before you even finish speaking, “I actually haven't called it yet.” He gives you a look of amusement and it just makes you try to explain yourself faster. “I have a headache. The cold just felt calming. I'll get it now.” Opening the app, you start searching and, just like you expected, there's a car barely 10 minutes away from you. A wave of disappointment washes over you at the thought that you won't get to talk to him for longer but you push it aside quickly, you barely know him.

“A bar probably isn't the best place to be if you have a headache,” he tilts his head slightly in what you're almost sure is concern. He's a little hard to read.

“I know but I already had told my friends I was coming so…” You shrug and change the subject, trying to allow this moment to let you forget about your earlier thoughts. “Didn't turn out too bad. There was this really good band playing today.” You can see a flush take over his cheeks and the tips of his ears and you feel incredibly proud of yourself for being the reason behind it.

“I'm glad you liked it,” he says as he dips his head slightly in thanks. You feel like this might be the best compliment you could have given him.

“You were all really good. I even forgot about my headache while I was watching you play,” you try not to sound too excited and make it weird but you want him to know how good his band is, “Do you perform here a lot?”

“Yeah,” he leans sideways against the wall next to you, “At least twice a month.” You're starting to notice that, although his face doesn't show too much emotion, his eyes are a little more expressive. His band seems to be a topic he likes talking about. You can understand why.

“Isn't that a big deal? I heard this bar is really popular nowadays, there has to be a lot of bands trying to perform here.” The blush seems to be back but it could also be because of the cold you're subjecting him to.

“We always try to do our best but we've been playing here for a long time. That helps too.”

“You know that's not it,” you point to the entrance of the bar, where some people are smoking, “The bar was packed. I don't know if that's how it always is but I'm pretty sure it was mostly people wanting to watch you perform.”

“You've never been here before?” It looks like he's getting a bit embarrassed by the praise so you let him change the subject.

You shake your head. “Need to come more often though. When are you performing again?”

“We don't always have a schedule,” he looks down at your phone in your hands then back up at you, “But I can text you the details.”

“Oh.” He wants your number. The thought makes warmth rush to your cheeks. “Alright.” You unlock your phone and hand it to him. While he's typing his number, you can't help but notice the scars on his hand. They completely cover his hands, the skin completely marred. It looks as if they were burned. You look away from them, not wanting to make him uncomfortable by staring. He hands you your phone back and you see he saved his number under his name.

“Azriel,” you say the name out loud, tasting it in your mouth. He's watching you a little more intensely than before and you have to break eye contact to stop yourself from blushing. You quickly send him a text so he can save your number as well.

“I'll need yours too.” You give him your name and he repeats it, just as you had done. He makes it sound beautiful in his warm timbre and you can't help the flutter in your stomach. “I'll text you as soon as I find out when we're coming here next.”

“Okay.” You lock eyes and don't look away, just enjoying the moment, until you see a car pass by and realize it's yours.

You think you could have stayed there in the cold talking to him all night. You're not sure why but talking to him is effortless, it's like you've been friends for years. It just feels right and you find yourself wishing that he texts you soon with the concert information and anything else he comes up with. You wouldn't need much of an excuse to talk to him.

“That's my ride,” You say as you hop down from the wall. He looks at the car and when his eyes meet yours again you think you can see a hint of disappointment, hopefully at having to cut the moment short. “Thank you for waiting with me,” you smile at him again, “You didn't have to do that.”

“No problem.” He gives you a smile too, the biggest one you've seen on him. “I'll see you next time.”

“Of course.” You'd be an idiot to not want to see him again. You linger for as long as you can, suddenly not feeling like going home at all.

You wave at him again before getting in the car and something beats faster in your chest when he waves back and watches the car speed off down the street, it's almost like your heart is telling you to stay with him. You're not exactly sure what just happened but you hope you don't regret not staying with him for the rest of the night.

You keep thinking about him during the whole car ride and he's the last thing on your mind when you're laying down to sleep. And when he texts you the next day you know you'll have many more opportunities to spend the night talking to him.

#azriel x reader #azriel x you #azriel x y/n #azriel fluff #azriel fic #azriel acotar #azriel shadowsinger #divider by saradika #band au

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prythianpages · 6 months

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in a field of dandelions, I was so ready for the y/n to say the dialogue 'Don’t talk to me like that' and I was ready for it to hurt. az saying it somehow hurt so much more

omg I didn't even think of having the reader say the dialogue! so I wrote this spin-off i guess? or au lol of y/n saying the words instead, which starts as soon as they get to her apartment. you can read below! you can find the original imagine here

The walk to your apartment is silent and you begin to wonder if you should apologize for your outburst earlier. It was not within your nature to raise your voice at anyone…or harbor anger toward someone. But Eris had tried to hurt you, hurt Azriel and then shamelessly sneered about it.

Azriel follows you into your home, watching as you set the ingredients you collected down. He expects you to bid him farewell and kick him out but as you turn to him and your gaze falls to his injured hand, you sigh.

“Come on,” you offer, reaching out for his hand and he recoils. You frown. “Does it hurt?”

“No.”

You know he’s lying by the way his jaw clenches and you can’t help but notice that he appears to be repelled by your touch. You almost laugh, even though you want to cry. “I promise I won’t curse you. I actually never cursed anyone before.”

Azriel’s expression remains unreadable.

“Just let me see. I can help you.”

“I’m fine.” He says through gritted teeth.

And as his blood drips onto your floor, you burst into tears because it’s all your fault. That arrow was aimed toward you. It was meant for you and if you hadn’t been distracted, maybe you could’ve protected Azriel. He wouldn’t have gotten hurt. He wouldn’t be trying to hide his pain.

“It’s all my fault. You’re hurt because of me,” you voice your thoughts out loud. You’re crying, wiping hastily at your tears, but they keep spilling and no matter how hard you’re trying, they’re not stopping. “I’m so, so sorry.”

Azriel’s gaze softens and is bridging the distance between you both. The sight of you crying is more painful than the injury in his hand and he hates himself for every agonizing tear of yours. He uses his uninjured hand to coax your gaze to his. He wipes your tears for you and you blink up at him, finding yourself lost in his hazel eyes. They’re a beautiful fusion of earthy browns and grassy green and they ground you like a tranquil forest kissed by sunlight.

“This,” Azriel inclines his head toward his injured hand. “It’s nothing to me. I’ve been through worse and I’d go through worse for you. I will always protect you.”

“Please,” you’re begging and you close your eyes but you still feel his gaze burning into you. “Don’t talk to me like that.”

“Why?”

“It’s cruel and heartless and you don’t even realize.” Your voice drops to a pained whisper and Azriel has never beheld anything more breaking.

He can’t do this anymore. He can’t keep hurting you. His mate.

“y/n,” he calls softly, his gloved thumb brushing against your cheek. You reluctantly open your eyes. “You’re my mate and I pushed you away because I--fuck, I don't deserve you. I thought I was doing you a favor but now I realize, I only hurt you instead. Please forgive me.”

“I know you're my mate." You confess and his breath hitches. “I’ve known since the moment I met you. I wanted to tell you right away but I didn’t want to scare you and when I was ready to tell you, you were avoiding me. I thought you hated me because–because, well, I’m a witch and not everyone is fond of them and I can’t blame–”

Azriel gently interrupts you with his lips. They’re soft and warm against your own and you’re kissing him back with a soft pressing need. You feel him smile against your lips and the butterflies in your stomach are dancing and fluttering all the way to your heart. He pulls away and rests his forehead against yours. You’re able to appreciate his smile and you’ve never seen anything more beautiful. You’re inclined to ask Feyre to paint it for you later.

“I owe you an explanation,” he breathes. “Where do I even start?”

You smile back at him. “How about we start with taking care of your hand?”

**the rest of the imagine would continue with Azriel still being hesistant to show you his hands but you accept him wholeheartedly bc who wouldn't?? <3 and it ends the same way*

#can you tell i'm so soft for them?#azriel imagines #azriel drabble #azriel x reader #azriel x y/n #azriel angst #azriel x witch!reader #az!dandelions #thank you for the ask!

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sarahsartistportfolio · 2 months

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Knight X Princess AU with Albedo

wc: 3,926

Ok so many many months ago I had made this post and the lovely @witch-hazels-musings decided to pick it up and turn it into a series. Back then I had little interest in actually writing fanfic but now I'm dipping my toes in it. And I have the inspiration for knight Albedo so I tried to write. And it ended up pretty long lol

Um there are some author's notes at the end. And Hazel if you end up reading this, your writing is truly such an inspiration. You completely have my blessing if you wanna use anything I wrote here in your own knight series❤

Once upon a time, you’re the youngest princess of Mondstadt.

At the tender age of seven a strange woman approaches your father with a proposal. You watch secretly behind the grey stone wall as this foreign woman talks to your father, the king. The woman’s hands are resting on the shoulders of a child beside her, a little golden-haired boy about your age. You're too young to make out any sense of the conversation they're having. And it isn't until your older brother spots you, and rushes you away that that little boy looks behind him to catch a glimpse of you.

This mysterious woman not only convinced your father to take this young boy in but also that he will be your future personal knight.

Your father stands behind tiny you as he introduces you.

“ Y/N, this is Kreideprinz, he’ll be training with the knights of Favonius. You’ll be spending a lot of time together when you're older.”

Albedo’s piercing icey blue eyes seem to look right through you. He barely moves, only taking a low formal bow with “Princess.” as his introduction.

You extend a curtsy back towards him(or at least try to, your sister has been desperately teaching you how to perform one right)

Your gruff father’s voice cuts through

“His mentor told me he’s developed a skill for the arts at such a young age. Just like you Y/N.”

This moment marks the start of a fond habit the two of you will share in the many years to come. Given parchment and colorful pastels by your father you and Albedo draw together out in the open courtyard. And although he doesn't say much and you’re a bit too nervous to say anything towards him, you make a small attempt.

“Kreidepr-”

“Albedo.” he cuts you off with an unchanging neutral expression.

“Please call me Albedo, your highness.”

From that moment forward you two become a familiar presence in each other’s lives. When you weren’t being taught your sixth lesson by your governess and when he was done with training with the order of the knights, you two played together. He would show off his newly learned sword stance or a raw material he was gifted by his teacher in his alchemy lesson. You quickly learned he was a curious child. Not afraid to pick up the creepiest of bugs or tornest of plants.(You even watched him eat a spider much to your shock.) He would tell you random facts about the stars, the weather or flowers that grew on the castle’s grounds. You rarely saw him smile, his expression always remaining so indifferent. It was like he hadn’t learned how to smile yet.

Meanwhile you shared with Albedo the juicy gossip you overheard from the visiting diplomats or a map you stole from your father’s collection of newly discovered lands from outside your kingdom. You two developed a love of drawing together whenever you both could escape the pressures of the adults. It's peaceful, drawing together on a large piece of paper. Of what you hoped your futures to look like, what countries you’d like to visit, what new foods you’d like to try.

When you’re about 15 years old it's when he officially becomes your guard. You’ve noticed as you’ve grown older Albedo seems to keep his distance from people. Except you, as he’s quite forced to be your shadow. It really feels like nothing has changed at all except now he wears the royal uniform and he’s the first face you see when you wake up and the last before you retire for bed.

You don't quite understand his love for science but you indulge in his hobby nonetheless. You listen to him ramble about experiments and data that just go right over your head. But you really do try to pay attention! Because you consider him your friend now. Plus his voice is so calming, you could listen to him talk about anything for hours.

On the occasions you are able to, if you find a rare preserved bug or rock said to have fallen from the sky, you gift it to Albedo. (Even if on occasion he says a bit sheepishly “I already have one of these in my collection” he still accepts it from you regardless).

You’re the first one he shares that he’s been gifted a vision. He tells you way too calmly for having been blessed with such a powerful item but you get excited for him.

A few more years pass and Albedo could actually count on one hand how many times he’s actually had to defend you. He’s grateful really, that’s it's been so little, that his job is relatively boring. He’s thankful that so far your life has been safe.

He does remember although, the first time he ever saw you truly fearful. A few years back when you two were still teenagers. A siege from a neighboring kingdom, one who wanted more power, marched right up to the city’s gates. You and your siblings were barricaded in an enforced room deep within the castle. “If the enemy starts to breach the outer room of these walls, I want you to take my sister and run, escape from here through the underground passage.” Your older brother had told Albedo secretly earlier.

Albedo had never seen you genuinely afraid before that day. As the sounds of screams and combat can be heard from within this room's thick walls. Your clammy and tight grip on his hand never leaves him as your other hand clenched at the fabric of your dress.

The sound of cannon fire shaking the walls has made you jump in surprise and even has shaken Albedo’s usual calm demeanor.

“We’ll be alright.” He reassures you although his slightly nervous tone betrays his words. He squeezes your hand “I promise we’ll survive this.”

And it's through your closest friend’s unwavering certainty that you find it in yourself to give him a weak smile and nod.

And as if the gods hold true to Albedo’s word, the battle never reaches inside the castle. Your loyal army causes the enemy to retreat. Its safe again at last. But when your siblings start to exit the room, You find yourself breaking down. You were trying desperately to hold it together in front of your family but now just in the presence of Albedo tears being to fall. He stops and moves right in front of you, his hand now resting on your shoulder as he tries to brush the tears from your cheeks. A rare look of concern and worry on his face as he quietly calls your name.

“I’m sorry.” you sniffle and try to regain some composure in your voice. “I’m sorry. Look at me crying while everyone else is relieved. I should be stronger than this. A royal should be stronger than this.”

As he glances back at the doorway waiting til it's just the two of you left in this room, he embraces you, in this brief quiet moment he holds you close.

Yes so far you’ve been kept safe. Even skillfully dogaging a marriage proposal or two.

That is…until the curse catches up to you.

You see there’s been a long past down story that your family will one day suffer from a curse. But that’s all this is right? A story? A story of some ancestor of yours angring a deity or magical creature and getting cursed that one day your royal bloodline will die out. But that’s just a fairy tale right?

It starts with your father the king. But he’s already old and frail so his death, while heartbreaking, is not all too unexpected. Albedo is still there at your side as you lie a flower down on your father’s tomb.

Now your oldest brother inherits the throne. You’re happy to see him in power, your family has been very close. He’s only about seven years older than you and healthy for his age.

So two months after his coronation, when he falls ill. It's a shock to you and your two other siblings. The royal doctor has no answer, you call for healers outside your borders, offering huge payments in return. But within a week, your dear brother is gone.

Albedo watches as you try to put on a strong facade for your sister and brother. But he can see the trembling in your hands. This isn’t normal, this shouldn’t be happening. Let alone to someone as undeserving as you.

Now Albedo is no doctor but there must be something he can do, some way he can help. He scours the castle library for every book on rare illnesses and even dips into your family’s genealogy. When nothing there serves his pursuit he ventures out into the city, even to the outskirts of Mondstadt for any scrap of information that could help him.

And within this short time Albedo is searching, your older sister takes the throne and a month later she is dead.

Albedo watches as you attempt to reassure your last remaining family member. “It's the curse isn’t it?” your brother replies with paranoia.

But it can’t be. Albedo tries to convince himself. He has studied magic extensively, curses aren’t unheard of but. To think this tragedy would touch you? The only person in his life he considers a friend?

Albedo is a man of science, of tangible proof that you can hold in your hand. A curse that was placed on your family for some unknown reason, generations ago by most likely some being or person that’s long since passed? He thinks back to when he was 15, glancing to his side as he kneels before the king to take his vow, to see you trying to hold back a gleeful smile as you watch him take his oath to serve by your side till his last dying breath.

A curse? He will not just bend it but break it completely.

He neglects you a bit again during this time. So into his research as he has been many times in the past. He reassures you this time it's to help you. Your brother only makes it two weeks before he’s caught a fever. Albedo closes his book, leaves his lab, and returns to your side as you say your last goodbyes to your brother.

The young man feels as if the world is crumbling beneath his very feet with how fast both of your lives have changed in such a short amount of time. He wants to return to those carefree days of when you two drew together out in the courtyard, not to now where he has to watch the joy leave your eyes, not one where he has to watch you bury your family, where he’ll have to watch you be-

No no no he can’t think like that. Not now. Not when there’s still time to change the future. But he just can’t bring himself to leave your side right now. Not now when your skin is growing pale, you're losing your appetite and your eyes grow tired. You two are friends. He understands this, you taught him what friendship is, what it looks like, feels like. But recently with this suffering that has fallen to you, he can’t feel but feel a new emotion, one he can’t comprehend. Recently he’s had such a strong desire to embrace you more often. Hold your hand. And when you're standing too close caressing his cheek, kiss you. But is this love? Could something that’s not even human grasp such a raw emotion?

“Albedo…” you weakly beckon him closer, offering a piece of charcoal in your hand. He knows why you're doing this. But it won't be the last time, he swears to himself.

“Remember when we were kids,” you start with your horse voice “I drew us climbing to the top of Dragonspire, that’s what I saw in our future.” you smile nostalgically as you brush off loose charcoal off your paper.

“We can still do that.” He says unwaveringly. “When your strength returns to you I’ll take you up there. As I’ve done myself many times in the past.” His vibrant blue eyes hold a conviction that you admire so much about him. It's surely one of the reasons you’ve fallen in love with him. All you can do is smile a bit pitfully back at him “Keep your promise.”

Once you become bedridden he can not will his legs to leave your side. Only once the inconvenient pain of hunger or sleep pulls him away from your side. Although he can not bear to be in the room with you as you dictate your will and last testament to your royal advisor.

The next morning as he just barely got enough sleep, as he’s making his way to your bedroom he hears faint crying and fear just takes hold of his heart. His trembling knees almost give out at the sight of you lifeless on the bed, your attendants weeping besides you. His mouth dry, eyes wide with dread.

“She’s alive but she’s asleep…” the priest standing over your bedside says. “Nothing we do will wake her.”

Albedo stays by your side attentively the next few days. It's true nothing he does or gives to your body will wake you. There’s only the steady rise and fall of your chest and quiet breathing. The image of the princess’s most loyal guard resting at his knees beside your bed with his hand in yours, this image is forever stuck with the servants and remaining court who catch a glimpse of it behind your door.

“Are you sure about this Albedo?” Jean questions him with concern as she hands him his last supply bag. Albedo sits on top a sturdy horse, at the city’s gate, early in the morning when the sky is still a mix of orange and purple. The sun illuminating the back of the castle, casting a large shadow over the city. It could be the last time he ever sees his home, the last time he ever sees you. “Absolutely.” he answers the grand master.

This is not an aimless journey for Albedo. He has leads, names, places of interest that have ties to your family’s name. In the beginning he felt immensely guilty. You could have passed away one, two days after he left Mondstadt. He doesn't know how long he’ll be away from your side. He could return to a kingdom in disarray, a power vacuum left by your passing, he could return to see your name on the family tomb. He travels farther and farther. Past the neighboring kingdom Liyue. On a boat to Inazuma, where he watches the leaves fall and snow dust the ground. He’s quiet during this time and single track minded. He rarely interacts with the people living in the lands. Except for when he overhears your name or family's name spoken in a conversation. Then he stops said person and with an impassive expression demands they tell him more.

On a boat to Sumeru is where his next hunch takes him. As he counts the consolations in the night sky on the rocking ship, he finds his mind drifting back to you. When he sees a woman with your same hair color out of the corner of his eye, he thinks of you. When he sits at his campfire late at night, bathed in an orange glow and sketches, he thinks of you drawing at his side. When, with just the little tools and materials he carries on him, he’s able to transform one element to the next, he thinks of your face of innocent amazement as you applaud him for what he believes is a simple feat. Archons he misses the sound of your voice.

With nothing to show for his efforts in Sumeru he treks through the sweltering hot desert for Fontaine. Catching a small boat to the port he recalls a memory from your shared childhood. He remembers as children you two would talk about traveling to vast unknown lands when you were older. Now he has slain so many alien beasts, came face to face with ancient deities that have been around since the stars formed, he’s walked through lands that didn't even feel real, like he was walking through a dream. There’s now a deep white scar from his wrist to his elbow. He wonders if, no when, you see it will you scold him for being so reckless. He imagines you tenderly tracing the raised skin as you tell him to “please don't be so reckless for my sake”. He smiles. The only time he smiles is when he thinks of home or you.

He silently promises you that he’ll recount every adventure and monster slain to you when you’re awake.

By the time he reaches Snezhnaya the usual snow has melted, breathing spring into the once fridgen landscape. Outworldly Albedo looks defeated. His eyes are so tired. And he just misses you so much. He never thought his pursuit to awaken you from your endless sleep would take him so far from the city of freedom. He used to think himself so smart and capable. But even in Snezhnaya every written or spoken word of your family’s curse brings him no closer to the truth. No matter what god he begs to or monster he strikes down he still gets no answers. He recalls the court alchemist telling him “You’re a curious student Albedo. Your perseverance for the truth will lead you far in life.”

But now as Albedo sits at the far end of a dimly lit tavern, he feels like such a disappointment to you, to the one his heart yearns for. He should have told you he loved you. He should have told you so many months back. But at that time he was still coming to terms with what “love” really felt like.

If Albedo wasn’t so lost in thought he would have picked up how the tavern’s bard is singing an all too familiar song. Lyrics about a mysterious and silent knight who is on a quest to bring his beloved lover back to life. But Albedo’s mind is ruminating about the past.

It's only after the music has stopped and the boisterous tavern has quieted down does Albedo take his leave. Although once outside to the oddly soundless streets he hears a voice.

“You should return home loyal knight.” It's the bard that was singing inside the tavern. His dress and accent oddly Mondstadtan. “This act of love is enough to save her. I felt your devotion long before you arrived here.”

Yes…maybe it is time to return home.

His journey back home is heavy. As the spring turns into the hot and humid days of summer. But he is returning home empty handed. No real world proof that this curse is even real. I have failed the only person who has mattered to me the most. At this point Albedo desires nothing more than to let his dreary eyes close as he rests at your side, so he can at least tell you he loves you in your dream.

He’s grateful to see that Mondstadt still looks the same. The castle still stands in the distance. And as he nears the city he overhears the townsfolk speak of you as if you’re still asleep. So all my effort?...All my research?...What good was the pursuit of knowledge if it could not return to him the one he holds dear to his heart.

At least he can see you one last time.

As he arrives inside the castle's walls he sees a cluster of favonius knights huddled together, discussing something with vigor. And when a familiar face notices Albedo’s tired and weary figure, they spirit over to him.

The pure astonishment on his colleague's face is the only thing Albedo’s mind registers as the person word dumps onto him.

All Albedo catches through his hazy thoughts are

“It's you! You’ve really returned Kreideprinz.-”

“We thought you were-”

“-amazing! Just an hour ago-”

“-she asked for you. First word she said-”

And that’s all Albedo can hear as his feet move on their own to your room. Where all the castle’s attendants are congregating outside your bedroom door, weeping joyfully and thanking Barbados.

He pushes his way past the crowd and despite his disheveled appearance he’s recognized and allowed to enter.

He feels like he just stepped into a dream. A beautiful, idealized dream. There you, awake, standing, walking. Talking to one of your ladies before your eyes meet his. So much time has passed. What if you don't recognize him? What if you don’t remember him at all? His own voice caught in his throat as he watches you bring your hand over your mouth. And with pure disbelief in your voice “Albedo?” and that’s all he needed.

It's as if he’s moving through the haze of a romanticized storybook page, he runs toward you and takes you into his arms. He holds you like you might slip through his fingers at any moment. It's a dream, it must be. Maybe some ghastly creature killed him some time ago and this is celestia. He would happily embrace it.

“Albedo.” you call his name through a broken sob. It's tender, and it's all he wants to hear for the rest of his life, as hot tears roll down his cheek and disappear into your hair.

And for you? It's like walking straight into heaven, back into your knight’s arms. You’ve missed the touch of his blonde hair and the smell of his clothes. You dreamt about him, over and over again. Even through the endless darkness of your nightmare. Your heart clung to every precious memory with Albedo as if absolutely refusing to forget him.

He lets out a deep sigh as you can hear the smile in his quiet voice “This is a dream, I’m dreaming.” it’s whispered against your neck.

You let out a laugh and not even angels above could compare to the sound.

“I’m real Albedo. I’m right here.” You run your fingers through the loose strands of his hair. “I’m right here.” You prop your chin on his shoulder so he can hear you clearly. “And I love you.”

Ah you beat him to it

All throughout his life you’ve been a consist. You’ve remained by his side even when he’s pushed others away or neglected them.

Under normal circumstances Albedo would never be this brash but with your warm body under his fingertips he can’t think rationally anymore.

His lips find yours, and it's all passion and yearning. And a little clumsy, as it's both of your’s first kiss.

“I love you.” He can finally tell you as you are awake to repeat it back.

…..

Now, up on top Dragonspire peak, there lies a piece of paper, held down by four rocks on each corner. On the paper is a child’s drawing, depicting a girl wearing a crown and a boy wearing the royal guard seal. They are holding hands, standing triumphantly on top a mountain.

….

Oh and now instead of Mondstadtians telling stories of your family’s curse. Every mother tucking their children into bed, every old storyteller over a bonfire, is now recounting the story of a devoted silent knight, braving the seven corners of Teyvat, all to save his true love.

A/N: So when thinking of what situation to throw knight Albedo and princess reader in, I thought of childhood friends to lovers because it felt so natural. I don’t know, I could totally see Albedo falling for his childhood friend where one day when he’s older he just realizes “oh my god its you. Its always been you.” Thoma would make a great childhood friends to lovers now that I think about it lol. Also thinking about what foil to pit him against. I was thinking ok he’s a scientist. Let me pit him against something he can’t understand, something that can’t be solved with equations or facts, but only by the arbitrary logic of some ancient deity that casted a curse on you. And as a lover of Grimms and Anderson’s fairy tales this was fun to write.

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thesistersarcheron · 6 months

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Holding Out for a Hero

A cursed mirror captured the Lord of Bloodshed. Centuries later, the myths and tales of his heroics captured his mate’s heart. Can this legendary Carynthian climb out of Nesta’s novels… and into her bed? A canon-divergent, post-ACOSF Nessian AU for @witch-and-her-witcher and @acotargiftexchange. I have had such a blast getting to know you better over the last few months, Cee! I'm so sorry for all the blatant lies in the chat to (try to) mislead you about what I was doing for the gift exchange, but Merry Christmas! 🎄🎁

See the full description and read this story here on AO3, or check below the cut for a snippet!

A smear of black on the horizon stretched as far as the naked eye could see, signaling the enemy’s approach. An army—the King had amassed an army so large and so fixed on claiming Princess Suri’s lands that it had felled the trees and crushed the boulders in its path rather than redirect its furious route around them. Suri’s pulse pounded in her throat as she watched the swarm creep closer, clutching the crenelated railing at the edge of her mountaintop fortress to steady herself. A century ago, she would have sworn her ancestors’ kingdom would never fall to an invading force. That the lifeblood her great-grandfathers had once spilled to erect Velaris’s wards would always be strong enough to prevent a cruel incursion of their land-hungry neighbors across the eastern sea… But her family’s protections had faltered in the coldest, darkest hours of the previous night, and though the defensive force her general had gathered in the city below was fearsome, it was not nearly formidable enough to survive an assault of this scale. The legions’ numbers had dwindled battling this army all the way from the Court of Nightmares to the city. It did not matter that they were Illyrian—each and every one armed with wicked steel they had been trained to wield since boyhood, a rainbow of Siphons gleaming on their leathers far below Suri’s perch—because they would be decimated in a matter of seconds. Oh, gods. Her heart seized, and she turned away, unable to torture herself any longer with the knowledge that her people were damned to whatever horrors the King decided to inflict upon them. “Suri.” A rough, warm palm cupped her face, a calloused thumb swiping away tears she hadn’t known were falling. “My love.” “You should go,” Suri murmured, turning her face into that work-roughened palm. She pressed a kiss, a farewell, to it. “Take your people and return to the steppes. It will be safer in Illyria than—” “I will not.” Cadmus’s voice was as firm as his body as he wound an arm around her waist, anchoring her to him when her knees buckled. “You must.” She didn’t dare open her eyes. She would lose herself if she met the storm churning in his hazel eyes or bore witness to the protective flare of his great, membranous wings once more. “The wards have fallen, and the High Lord remains trapped in an enchanted sleep. Without his power, we cannot shield the city. Don’t you see? I cannot protect you! I cannot protect them!” “Then let me.” His hand angled her face upward, toward his own. “Let me do the protecting today. I have fought for our Court for one thousand years, princess. I have served three High Lords in my lifetime, and as long as I have breath in me, I will continue to serve. Every skirmish, every war, every wound—all have led me here. To you, my mate, and to this battle. I will fight to protect these people for you until I can no longer raise my blade, if that is what it takes to—

Nesta Archeron groaned as her frustration reached a boiling point. With a roll of her eyes, she slammed her book shut.

For weeks, though she couldn’t pinpoint precisely when, every smutty romance she’d picked up rubbed her the wrong way. Each book inevitably scraped something inside her mind raw, tangling in her last nerve until she left it unfinished on top of a precarious stack of abandoned books.

A stack that was growing at an alarming rate.

If she wanted to fool herself, she might blame the stories themselves. According to Merrill, her taste in literature was a shameful waste of time; her reading list should consist only of the finest high-brow, dusty tomes that the Prythian canon had to offer—and, truthfully, she did read those quite often. After a decade as an assistant in the library below the House of Wind, a recent promotion to a cushy job as a reference librarian demanded that she know the classics inside and out.

Still, once her shifts ended and she returned to the plush couches in the House of Wind’s small private library, she always gravitated toward the steamier paperbacks she bought—two for a copper—from a hole-in-the-wall bookshop on the outskirts of the Rainbow.

But now…

Well, now, Nesta might not know when her books started falling flat like stale champagne at Starfall, but she knew why.

It was the heroes.

#nessian #nesta archeron #cassian #a court of thorns and roses #acotar #acotar gift exchange 2023 #my fics #a court of thorns and roses fic #acosf

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klonnieshippersclub · 5 months

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Thank you everyone for joining in KlonnieWeek(end) 2023! I hope everyone had fun sharing works together and I personally cannot wait until the next event is planned! Special thank you to @24kmagiic @melmedardasworld @mythorhuman and @cancerian-woman for being kind and helping me plan.

Here is another fanfic rec list that was requested in my anons.

No one hears you say my name by irresistible.revolution on FFN: Bonnie needs a source of magical energy to defeat Silas, and Klaus is the most powerful there is. But when nothing goes as planned, one night's ritual changes everything -and everyone- it touches. (Klonnie. Post-S3 AU) Check out their other works as well!

Hell with you by thefudge is grumpy on FFN: Takes place after 2x21. Bonnie failed to kill Klaus. Now, he is going to make her life hell for what she tried to do. But hell with him is like no other hell on earth. Check out their other works as well!

As We Were by TheDeadMasquerade on AO3: Bonnie is sent back to when the Originals were human and she finds herself being swept of her feet by a very human Niklaus. Check out their other works as well!

Adventures of a Bennett witch and the Original Hybrid by writendelete on FFN: Bonnie's new life in New Orleans as Klaus Mikaelson's partner-in-crime takes an unexpected turn when the impossible happens. Now it's up to them to figure out what comes next and how to deal with falling in love, parenthood and enemies bent on destroying them. [KLONNIE]. Check out their other works as well!

Behind These Hazel Eyes by dinky on FFN: On her 18th birthday Bonnie Bennett comes into her full power & becomes an immortal witch, with the task uniting the supernatural world as prophesied. What happens when one hybrid, and two brothers come into her world, changing everything she ever believed. Check out their other works as well!

Please let me know if there’s any other fics you think should be included!

#klonnie #bonnie bennett #klaus mikaelson #bonnie x klaus #klaus x bonnie #tvd #the vampire diaries #klonnieweek2023 #klonnie fic rec #klonnie fanfic #klonnie fic

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danicamaximoff · 7 months

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Pretend To Be Nice | Chapter One

next chapter | masterlist

Chapter One: Bowling Alleys and Balding Men

Summary: A few months after forming their band "The Pussycats", Hazel and her friends PJ and Josie get noticed by a record label, and are quickly skyrocketed into fame. It's a dream come true for them, and all three of their lives are flipped upside down. Their quick arrival on the scene quickly draws the attention of many other artists and bands, including a popular girl band called "Nymphology". Unfortunately for Hazel, a mix-up and unintentional awful encounter ends up creating tension between the two groups right before they all leave for Nymphology's upcoming tour. Now forced to frequently interact with someone who she was convinced couldn't stand her, Hazel is desperately trying to fix things with the band's lead guitarist. However it doesn't help that Y/N is actively avoiding Hazel as much as possible, and the fact that Hazel found her insanely hot definitely didn't make things any easier.

Warnings: angst, rockstar au, eventual smut, slowburn, swearing, occasional alcohol mentions/use

Word Count: 2450

Hazel had always joked about starting a band one day and blowing up and getting super famous. When she was little, and her parents were still together, she used to dress up like Freddy Mercury and perform one-woman concerts of her favorite queen songs for her parents. Sure, third grade Hazel was definitely way off pitch, but after the third night in a row of being forced to sit through her completely butchering the high notes in Bohemian Rhapsody, Hazel’s parents quickly enrolled her in voice lessons.

For Halloween during the fourth grade she went as Paul Simmons from Kiss. Most of the girls came as fairies or princesses, even a few witches, but not Hazel. She showed up to class with a shit eating grin on her face, waving at people as she passed by as they stared, smiling to herself about how cool people must think she looks. However, apparently people were less impressed than she thought, as during lunch a few of the girls from her class came up to her, giggling to themselves as they approached.

One of them had asked why she looked so weird, and Hazel, assuming they wanted to know more about the band Kiss, began rambling about the band and her costume, eager to talk about her current obsession. They invited her to play with them during lunch, and even let her reenact songs and clips she had seen of the band from concert videos on YouTube, which she was more than happy to perform, as she had thought she was making friends, and they were genuinely interested in the band.

However, later that day while waiting to get picked up, she learned that wasn’t the case, as she overheard the girls from lunch laughing with each other as they all made fun of Hazel, unaware she had been listening. Needless to say, Hazel didn’t go trick or treating that year.

In an attempt to make her feel better, a few days later her parents offered to sign her up for guitar lessons, which she quickly agreed to, convinced this was finally the start of her path to becoming a rockstar. She figured it would be easy, and once she became a master at guitar everyone would obviously want to be her friend. After all, who didn’t want to be friends with a super rich and famous rock star? Unfortunately, apparently it is much harder to learn the guitar than it seemed, and was much harder than the songs she would play on Guitar Hero afterschool, so she quit guitar lessons.

She decided she would put her efforts into something easier, and also way cooler, and that year for Christmas her dad bought her a drum set, and she started learning how to play the drums. Turns out it’s way more fun to learn to play an instrument when your tiny elementary-schooler fingers aren’t in almost constant pain, and you get to hit stuff with sticks and make a lot of noise.

As the years went by she got better and better at the drums, meanwhile, her parents' marriage got worse and worse. Turns out aggressively whacking your drumsticks while you drown out your thoughts by playing the drums is a very good way to deal with all the negative emotions surrounding your parents’ divorce.

In high school she met PJ and Josie, and for the first time in years, she felt like she actually had friends. Sure, maybe Josie and PJ hung out a lot more than the three of them did, and PJ always sort of changed topics whenever Hazel brought up cool facts she found out space and NASA, and maybe she’d groan everytime Hazel mentioned Orcas, especially during the period where Orcas were frequently attacking and sinking yachts, but Hazel didn’t mind. That’s just what friends do.

She had brought up starting a band a few times, as she knew Josie could play the guitar, (How she handled the near constant feeling of sore fingertips and the sound of your nails scratching the metal strings the wrong way was beyond Hazel, but that’s besides the point) but every time she mentioned it would be cool or fun, Josie just said she’d be too scared, and PJ said it was lame.

So imagine Hazel’s surprise when PJ comes bursting into Hazel’s dorm one day during their sophomore year of college saying they all needed to start a band. Hazel was immediately onboard, though very confused as PJ had always said it was lame when Hazel brought it up, and initially Josie was against it, as she had stage fright, but PJ wouldn’t shut up about it, swearing up and down that if they started a band chicks would be lining up just to make eye contact with them, eventually wearing Josie down and getting her to say yes.

Hazel, of course, was the drummer, Josie played the guitar, and PJ, well, for a while PJ couldn’t decide what to do besides sing, and was totally against Hazel’s idea of playing the cowbell, claiming it was “dumb” and that “no girl looks at someone playing the cowbell and gets turned on.” Josie eventually got PJ to play the tambourine though, since PJ had awful stage presence, so she needed at least something to do while singing to distract from the fact that she had no clue how to perform on a stage. Hazel had tried giving her tips a few times, but PJ never accepted the help.

This led them to their current situation, as Hazel had pulled a few strings and got her classmate who worked at a local bowling alley to convince the manager to let Hazel and her friends play gigs once or twice a week there. PJ was convinced they were going to blow up and become super famous, but they had been playing at the bowling alley for a few months now, and the only thing that seemed to be “blowing up” was the bathroom during the occasional kids birthday parties that were thrown there. Maybe they’d have at least somewhat of a following if their band had a name of some kind, (PJ swore the right name would find them when the time was right, but that had yet to happen), or if the manager let them play during special event nights, when there were actually teenagers and young adults here, but alas, they were stuck with no name, no label, and playing on a cramped stage in a shitty bowling alley while middle-aged men met for their bowling team practice and complained about their wives.

“Hey guys, not to be like a buzzkill, but I don’t think the bowling alley is the best place to do gigs.” Hazel says as she stuffs her drum sticks into her bag.

“Yeah, I think Hazel’s right. I don’t think middle-aged men who are slowly balding at their weekly bowling team meetups are a great audience.” Josie says as she zips up the bag to her guitar case.

“What are you talking about? They love us! I literally saw Steve nodding his head to one of our songs earlier!” PJ says defensively as she scoffs and gestures to where the bowling team was sitting earlier.

“He wasn’t bobbing his head, he was drunk! He almost ate shit every time it was his turn to bowl!” Josie says as she rolls her eyes.

“Wait, seriously? How does that even work?” Hazel asks as she gives Josie a confused look from where she was sitting behind the drums.

“No, not seriously, Hazel! It’s a figure of speech!” PJ says as she rolls her eyes in annoyment.

“But you said-” Hazel says as she looks over at Josie with confusion.

“I meant he kept tripping and almost falling down. You know, like when someone falls on their face or something, people say they ate shit?” Josie says as she sighs as she cuts Hazel off and explains what she meant.

“Oooh. Yeah that makes more sense, you should’ve just said that.” Hazel says as she tilts her head back a bit in realization.

“Oh my god.” PJ says with an annoyed expression on her face. “Would you guys just trust me! We are going to get noticed! I swear! Maybe not… today… or super soon… But it will happen! There’s no way it won’t! And when we do, we’re going to get super rich, and super famous, and there’s going to be girls lining the block to see us, and everyone is going to wish they were us! I’m serious!” She says as she waves her arms around dramatically as she talks.

“PJ, that’s not going to happen! Stop lying to yourself! We are playing shitty gigs on shitty days of the week at a shitty bowling alley! We’re not going to get noticed! All this is doing is tanking my English grade because I’m practicing for these stupid gigs instead of writing my essays! It’s one thing if I was getting a C because people actually enjoyed and listened to our music, but the only people who are listening to us right now are a bunch of men who are going through midlife crises and give us weird looks! If I have to listen to them talk about Jimmy Buffet one more time I am going to lose my mind, PJ!” Josie says as she hoists the guitar case over her shoulder, clearly stressed out and looking a bit frazzled at the moment.

“Okay, I don’t think-” PJ starts to say, before Josie cuts her off.

“PJ, please! I can’t keep playing at bowling alleys!” Josie cries out dramatically.

“If you guys want I can reach out to my mom or something and see if-” Hazel starts to say, trying to suggest a way they might be able to play at places other than the bowling alley.

“No!” Both PJ and Josie snap at Hazel before turning back and continuing to argue with each other, causing her to wilt back in her seat a bit at the outburst.

“Okay, you know what? Fine! You win Josie! We’ll stop playing here, and we’ll figure out a name, or just stop the band all together and we’ll all die sad, miserable, lonely deaths!” PJ says as she snaps back at Josie. As they continue to argue, Hazel’s phone buzzes in her pocket, and she pulls it out to see a text from one of her classmates.

—

Emma (Calculus)

Hey! Random question, but you’re in a band, right?

—

That’s ironic. Hazel thinks to herself as she reads her classmates text and glances at PJ and Josie, who were still arguing, and looks back at her phone as she responds.

—

Hazel

Yeah! We just finished a gig! :)

—

Emma (Calculus)

Oh cool!

Are you guys free this Friday?

My brother’s throwing a party but the band he was going to have play canceled, would you guys be interested in playing?

You don't have to be good lol, everyone will probably be super drunk anyways, he just likes live bands.

—

Hazel’s eyes go wide as she reads the text messages, blinking a few times in disbelief before looking up at PJ and Josie, who were still bickering with one another. “Guys, guys!” Hazel calls out as she tries to get their attention. “Guys, would you shut up and listen to me?” Hazel yells as she rolls her eyes, finally getting their attention.

“What do you want now, Hazel?” PJ asks as she looks at Hazel with an annoyed expression.

“I found us a gig! It’s this friday! This girl in my calculus class said her brother is throwing a party, and asked if we wanted to play!” Hazel says with an excited grin as she holds up her phone, despite the fact that PJ and Josie definitely couldn’t read it from where they were standing.

“Seriously? Holy shit! You said yes right?” PJ asks, both a shocked and excited expression on her face.

“No, because I wanted to make sure we were all free before-” Hazel starts to say before PJ cuts her off.

“Obviously we’re free! It’s a fucking party! See Josie? What’d I fucking tell you! I told you we’d get noticed!” PJ says as she hits Josie in the arm excitedly.

“We didn’t get noticed, PJ, Hazel just has friends.” Josie says as she gives PJ a look.

“So? That’s still technically getting noticed! We’re being asked to play at a party! I mean you just said you didn’t want to keep playing here, well here’s our chance! We have to do this! Just think of how many people are going to be at the party! I mean there’s gotta be at least a few girls who think we’re hot!” PJ says defensively as she rolls her eyes.

“Wait, are you only doing this to get with girls?” Hazel asks as she gives PJ a confused look. “I thought you actually wanted to be in a band and get famous and stuff.” She says as she frowns a bit.

“Yeah, I do! Because when you’re rich and famous everybody loves you and wants to be with you, and everyone who doesn’t is jealous of you and wants to be you!” PJ says with exasperation.

“Well I don’t think everyone-” Hazel starts to say, before PJ cuts her off.

“Okay, this is besides the point! We have three days before we play at the party, we need to figure out what we’re performing and find super hot outfits!” PJ says as she rolls her eyes and lets out an annoyed groan.

“Oh my god, there’s going to be so many people.” Josie says nervously as she looks away, eyes wide with fear.

“Yeah, so many people who are going to love us! This is our big break! After this we are going to become a party staple, and everyone is going to want us to play at their parties, and then from there, it’s only a matter of time before we get a record deal and become a global hit and the whole world knows our name!” PJ says excitedly as she waves her hands while she talks.

“If we’re going to play at parties and be super big and famous, don’t we kind of need a name?” Hazel says as she thinks, a confused look on her face as she looks back and forth between PJ and Josie, who both seem to remember they had yet to figure out a band name.

“We’ll do that tomorrow! We’ll all meet up and figure out a name for the band! It’ll be easy!” PJ says as she shrugs and looks at Josie and Hazel.

I hope you guys like the first chapter lol. I'm trying to update as frequently as I can but I do have work and college so bare with me lol. also lmk if you want me to make a tag list!! dividers from @saradika and @animatedglittergraphics-n-more graphic made by me lol

#hazel callahan #hazel bottoms #bottoms hazel #hazel x reader #bottoms movie #ruby cruz #hazel callahan x reader #ruby cruz x reader #danicamaximoff #hazel callahan fluff #hazel callahan smut #rockstar au #hazel callahan x you #bottoms 2023

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lettersfromaphrodite · 1 year

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[2.22]

― pairing : Han Jisung x fem! reader ― content warnings : angst, fluff, implied smut, wolf au, reader is a witch, soulmates, medieval settings as always, unprotected sex (wrap it up y’all), fantasy au ; for the witch hunter part I kinda got inspired by the Merlin and Freya story but without the tragic ― word count : 2.670

― notes : this fic looks familiar?it is! I’m reposting ALL my works on this brand new blog and therefore please, bear with me! as always, askbox is always open and feedbacks are always welcome 💌

🐺🔮 WOLVES! STRAY KIDS SERIES

Chris part one | part two // Changbin // Jisung // Hyunjin // Seungmin // Minho part one | part two // Felix // Jeongin

Branches roughly scratched your face and your arms, the sound of the dry leaves breaking under your feet as you desperately ran through the woods, trying to save yourself in what had started as a quiet and cool autumn morning.

Gritting your teeth as every limb in your body started to ache, your left hand was tightly pressed on the bloody wound on your right side, disheartened by the fact that you couldn’t use magic to heal your wound. You felt your own blood wetting your trembling fingers, and you wanted to cry, both by the pain you were feeling and both because you didn’t even have time to rest for a few seconds.

So, you kept running, a hunter following you close behind. You have been hearing rumours spreading through your village that the King had called for a hunter to investigate presumed supernatural events that started to happen at the court, but you had never thought that said hunter would have chased you as soon as he arrived. You did not have anything to do with the alleged magic episodes happening in the Castle, but you have heard from your mentor witch that hunters never stopped in front of anything.

Witches, werewolves, shapeshifters; the hunters would hunt everyone, trap them, and execute them on a public square. Therefore, their weapons and methods of capture improved through the years and adapted easily to every need.

This was the reason why you could not use your magic to defeat him, nor to heal yourself; your wound was caused by an enchanted blade, which would neutralize your magic unless someone else healed you.

A small clearing opened in front of you, and your heart sank at the view. Two wolves, one with ginger fur and hazel eyes, and the other with white fur and blue eyes immediately snapped their eyes towards you, both alerted and wary at your state and sudden appearance. Your eyes met hazel ones, and between all the pain, you felt a confusing warm sensation invading your senses.

«R-run,» you tried to say, but it came out as a raspy, weak whimper, «hunter.» you managed to add, pain clouding your senses, feeling as you were about to faint. You saw the wolves sharing a look, before the white wolf stopped the other from walking towards you, pushing him towards the woods behind them instead.

This was the last thing you saw before darkness enveloped your senses.

The dark night sky met your eyes as you woke up feeling sore due the metal bars against your back. Pain immediately shot through your side as you tried to move, blinking few times to gradually take in your surroundings as you weakly managed to breathe. Large, heavy metal cuff adorned your wrists, connecting them to the metal bars of the small cage you were trapped in. You were in one of the streets of the village, so that cage must have been the one that the hunter carried along with him, pulled by his horse; you hesitantly looked around, but did not find any trace of the hunter. With slow movements, the shackles rattled as you lifted the hem of your skirt, noticing that at least, your ankles hadn’t been tied up as well.

Tears blurred your vision, realizing that, that was it. You would have died like that, since you did not know any other witch who could heal you, let alone someone who could save you. Judging by the pain you constantly felt, the effects of the enchanted blade were still active, and you suspected that the handcuffs were enchanted too, if not the whole cage, meaning that you could not save yourself.

Basically, you were doomed. You closed your eyes as the hunter exited the tavern, leaning against the cage bar with a gloved hand.

«I hope you’re not feeling too cold, witch.» he spat, with an obnoxious and gruff voice. «They’ll warm you up soon enough.» with a merciless laugh, he walked away from you, and your heart sank even deeper.

“At least, for now they’re both safe.” You thought, your mind briefly recalling soft hazel eyes and fur as white as snow pushing him away.

You most definitely lost count of days; you could not stay awake, and you could barely sleep. You were stuck into an impasse. Night fell once again, hasty and sneaky whispers suddenly catching your attention, along with few low growls. You tried to identify the shadows approaching your cage, trying to help yourself with the light the full moon provided, wondering if the hunter changed his plans for you.

Fear spreaded through your body and the shackles rattled loudly as you attempted to press yourself even further against the metal bars, the desperate attempt to somehow save or shield yourself even if you were helpless and trapped. A boy around your age with white hair and long white eyelashes suddenly jumped on the carriage, in the front of the cage’s locked door, his index fingers in front his lips signalling you not to make any noise. You nodded at him, still trembling, just to notice another boy with light brown hair effortlessly climb on and kneel next to him.

«How’s it, Lix?» the boy asked the one with white hair, as they both studied the padlock.

«It’s a piece of cake.» the boy’s deep voice startled you, and he started picking at the padlock with what you thought was a thin fragment of sharpened iron. «Let’s say I expected more from a hunter’s cage.» he smiled to himself as the padlock opened with a soft “click”, and they both opened the door of the cage with slow movements, in order to prevent any squeaking noise from the rusty iron.

«We’re not going to hurt you,» The boy with light brown hair smiled warmly at you, two dimples appearing to corner his smile. «I’m Chris, and he’s Felix.» he gestured to the white haired boy which was now picking at the locks of the heavy handcuffs around your wrists. Felix looked up with a soft smile at the mention of his name. «There are others outside the cage. Me and my friends are here to save you.»

«Let’s save the introductions for later,» Felix mumbled, placing the handcuffs on your side, away from you, and your first instinct was to rub your red and sore wrists, «we’re running short on time.»

Chris nodded, and with a gentle «I’m so sorry for this.» he leaned towards you and picked you up as gently as he could, as you tried to suffocate another wave of pain running through your side. Chris effortlessly jumped down the carriage while holding you tight, and you noticed that “the others” which he was referring to were indeed a pack of wolves.

«Han, Seungmin, get her home. We’ll take care of him.» Chris said, and obediently, two large wolves slowly walked towards you. Your eyes met hazel ones, and the ginger wolf you saw few days earlier was looking at you as he was feeling your own pain.

«You’ll be fine now, your mate is here.» You heard Chris say once again, his gentle voice reaching your ears distant and muffled. The last thing you remember was being helped climbing on the back of the ginger wolf, which partially leaned down to help your movements, and you caressing a small fraction of his soft fur, feeling somehow as safe as you have never felt. You let yourself trust your saviours enough to close your eyes, and darkness once again enveloped your soul.

The feeling of dizziness was the first thing that welcomed you as soon as you woke up. An unfamiliar wooden ceiling met your tired eyes, and you realized that you have been laying on a soft mattress, instead of a metal cage.

Feeling an unfamiliar sensation of warmth around your right hand, you glanced down, just to see an asleep boy sitting on the floor with his head on the mattress, as he was still holding your hand. A strange sensation of familiarity pervaded your senses as you saw his delicate features cornered by long blondish hair.

You tried to sit up, but pain shot through your side again, and you whined, collapsing back on the bed, involuntarily waking the bow up. You were confused by the pain you were feeling; it was definitely different from the one generated by the enchanted blade. Could it be that your saviours found a way to heal you?

The boy blinked twice before noticing you were awake, and his eyes widened immediately.

«Here, let me help you.» he offered, his hand hanging in mid-air, waiting for your approval. Due to a strange pull you felt in your chest you found yourself nodding, and he delicately helped you sit up, your back lying comfortably against the fluffy cushions.

«I’m Jisung,» he smiled, reaching out to your nightstand to offer you a glass full of water, which you gladly accepted. «I’m part of the group that saved you last week.»

«Last week?!» you shrieked, your voice hoarse and your throat burning due to not having spoken with anyone not having drank anything for apparently, more than a week.

A sad smile adorned Jisung’s pretty lips, «We’re very lucky to be both alive.» he said, confusing you, but proceeded before you could ask. «There are other witches in the pack, they’re my friends’ mates.» you nodded, recalling Chris’ saying the same word that night. «They healed you, and took care of you.» due to you still dizzy state, you noticed only in that moment that you had been completely bathed and you weren’t definitely wearing your clothes anymore. You nodded, slowly taking in everything that happened and everything he said. You most definitely owed them your life.

«Thank you,» you offered Jisung a sweet, sincere smiled which he immediately mirrored. «But… How did you know I had been caught?» You furrowed your brows, waiting for Jisung to confirm your thoughts.

A pack of wolves mysteriously showed up after you’ve warned two wolves you randomly found on your way, and coincidentally, one of them had human features which reminded you of the white wolf you saw, so, this meant that-

«You told me yourself,» Jisung’s soft voice intruded your thoughts, and for some reason, your heart sparked up at the confirmation to Jisung being not only the ginger wolf you’ve seen but there was a probability of you being his mate. «I was going to pick you up immediately, but Felix convinced me it was probably better to alert the others and to come up with an actual plan to save you.»

«How am I even supposed to repay this debt.» you mumbled to yourself, throwing your head back and meeting yet another fluffy cushion. Jisung chuckled softly at your reaction.

«Come live with us, with me. I mean-us.» he said, blushing as he stuttered on his sentence and you softly giggled at him, rubbing your eyes with one hand.

«Whose house is this?» you asked, weakly, feeling yourself getting drowsy once again. «Mine.» Jisung said, taking away the empty glass from your hands. «Okay then,» you mumbled, «I’ll move in.» «I’ll be here when you’ll wake up.» was the last thing you heard Jisung say, before you fell into a peaceful sleep.

You have been falling in and out of sleep few more times, and Jisung had always kept his promise. Sometimes he would be awake, sometimes asleep, but as soon as you woke up, he would be the first thing you would see.

Something brushed against your shoulder, and you woke up to find Jisung laying on top of the blankets and cuddled on your side, his forehead brushing against your shoulder as he tried to occupy as little space as he could. Following your instinct, you turned on your side to face him, happily noticing that finally your side stopped hurting, and scooted closer to him, so that you would fall asleep once again with your forehead against his.

You woke up few hours later due to the feeling of Jisung’s fingers delicately brushing few strand of your hair away from your face, his eyes burning into yours from up close. During sleep, you managed to intertwine your hands, and neither of you tried to move from the contact now that you were both fully awake.

«Jisung?» you mumbled, and he hummed in response. «Why did you say we were lucky to be alive?» you saw his eyes soften, and his hand reached out to gently caress your cheek.

«You and I are mates,» he explained, «if one of us dies, so does the other.» Jisung’s voice made your heart sank in realization that you unknowingly almost killed your mate and, feeling your emotions, he re-adjusted your positions so that he could hug you close to his body.

«I’m sorry it took us a while to come and get you but, everything is going to be okay, now. We’re together.»

You quickly adjusted to your new life. First of all, you were happy you could use magic once again, and consequently, to finally have friends with the same gift you had.

The pack welcomed you, but they simply acted as you had always been there, nothing changed in their routine, neither in yours, and you felt home and safe with them accepting you so easily and making you feel one of the family. Jisung was the goofiest and most caring mate you could ever have. His loud personality always made you feel at ease, and so did his natural desire for contact and skinship. Despite the two of you acting like a lovesick couple for the whole day, you and Jisung shared your first kiss a month after your arrival.

Due to what happened, he spent the day walking you around the woods, both in his human and wolf form, showing you that there was no more reason to be afraid, since the hunter had been taken care of and from now on, he would have been there to protect you.

And so, your first kiss was shared under an old oak tree, after you’ve been playing hide and seek all afternoon, and finally, you felt one with the nature and you were no more afraid of the dangers that it could hide.

«Found you!» you excitedly jumped in Jisung’s arms, which held you up immediately, his hold unwavering.

Jisung chuckled. «You did, again.» you inched down, closing the space between you and capturing Jisung’s lips in a soft kiss. Effortlessly keeping you up with his right arm, his left hand reached up to tenderly cup your jaw, gently angling your head to have a better access to deepen the kiss. You kissed him back with equal fervour, feeling as your souls were now connected at a whole, different level.

Eventually, Jisung carefully laid you down on the soft grass, peppering your body with sweet kisses as you made love under an old oak tree, shielding you from indiscreet eyes, as you were lost in each other’s touch. Jisung’s hands and the promised of undying love he whispered against your skin made you feel like you were on fire, as you both tried to adapt to the new sensation of completeness that inevitably came as your bodies rocked and grinded together, chasing your release while tightly intertwining your hands together. Jisung’s left hand intertwined with yours and his right hand cupped your jaw once again to kiss you as you came together, absorbing each other’s moans with a tender kiss, your left hand hanging loosely around his right wrist.

«I think I really love you,» Jisung mumbled in the crook of your neck as you both shared the bliss of your post orgasm state, and you felt your heart soar. «And I’m really glad you found me.»

«I love you, too.» you mumbled back, feeling Jisung’s hammering heartbeat right against your skin, «And I’m really glad you found me right back.»

all works © lettersfromaphrodite

Do not modify, repost, translate or plagiarize my stories. I only publish my works on tumblr & AO3.

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colormints-art · 1 year

Text

"Witch's Hazel" chapter 13 'Following Red Threads' is out now on ao3!! 📌🧵

Magic Realism/Urban Fantasy

Sleepy Bois Inc as Family

TommyInnit-centric

Hurt/Comfort

Magic School Mystery

and more!

"No, what's going on? I need to, I need—"

More noise. Then suddenly, he could hear Wilbur's voice. "Dad, they're asking for you. You need to get in here and help! I can't do shit!"

"I'll be there in a second, Wil," Phil responded sharply.

"Dad!"

"Wilbur, it's Tommy! Give me one second, will you?"

"Fucking— Sure, whatever!" Wilbur sounded bitter, frustrated. After weeks of not hearing his brother's voice apart from the recorded songs on his phone, hearing him like this sent a full-body shudder through Tommy. "Because you haven't been leaving me alone with this whole shit for weeks already, yeah?"

"You know that's not—"

"Forget it."

No one said anything for a couple seconds. Wilbur must have left again. Tommy took a stuttering breath. "Dad?"

"Sorry about that, Tommy. Today has been.. tense."

The boy nodded even though his father couldn't see it anyway. "I don't wanna keep you from anything important, especially not if— if it's about Mum..? You should go do whatever you need to help with, right?"

"I will. It's okay. Just listen to me for a moment, okay? I'll make it quick."

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paperbackribs · 9 months

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The Gift (3b of 15) (Witch Steve AU)

previous: Chapter 3 Boys Are Witches Too (Part A) next: Chapter 4 Break the Illusion Ao3 Link - Chapters will be updated ahead of Tumblr Content: steddie fic, 2K words

Last chapter, Steve had a haunting vision of his Nana before comforting Dustin about Eddie's near death. This chapter, family weighs in on Steve's decision to save Eddie (Part A) and it's time to explain himself to his friends (Part B).

Chapter 3 Boys Are Witches Too (Part B)

…Over the phone, Steve gives his mother a brief outline of the past week, leaving out the more violent events.

Her gifts have always leaned more towards the earthy than the ethereal, like Steve’s and his Nana’s. So, when he tells her that he Knows this is done, a deep sigh of relief comes down the line. She hadn’t been able to convince him to leave Hawkins in ‘83 and now she won’t need to keep trying.

He hopes, a week later, standing in his kitchen this time, that his friends likewise accept his story.

Everyone has rested and is mostly healed and now the whole group are in Steve’s living room waiting to interrogate him.

Not that this is what they’re calling it, Steve thinks wryly, as he gathers drinks and chips to take back. He’s careful as he walks through the door so as not to overcompensate for the absence on his left.

This is just a ‘gathering’ for everyone to catch up on the latest Upside Down escapades.

Except they had already heard about Hopper’s insane tale of Russian capture and escape. Steve sort of had the image of Mrs Byers in an Emma Peel-like leather catsuit, which, frankly, was sexier than he wanted to think about.

He had shared the thought with Robin over the phone last night and was embarrassed at how quickly she’d moaned at the image.

“Steve,” she had warned. “Joyce is a stone-cold fox, and you need to respect that.”

It still leaves him with a smile on his face as he enters the living room, only for the entire group to swivel and stare at him, clearly having been just talking about him. Steve almost unconsciously steps back, alarmed at being the focus of their collective attention.

They’d caught up on the California crew too, including the chilled dude with the best hair Steve had ever seen in Hawkins. And he begrudgingly counted himself in that comparison.

El had come back with a stoic confidence that he supposes comes from having confronted and won against the most shit potluck of a family daring to call themselves brother and father. Still, she had stuck close to Hop ever since they’d reunited.

He hadn’t had a chance to talk to her, but Erica had been a little too quiet. It was easy to get lost amongst the rambunctiousness of the boys, but he’s watched her and wondered if there was more to it than that.

He still regrets not approaching Max after Billy’s death last year. Maybe if Steve had been present, she wouldn’t have gotten to the point where Vecna could scuttle his way through the cracks of grief and confusion losing her stepbrother had forced open.

By force of Hop’s return and Doctor Owen’s machinations, Eddie is in the midst of being freed from all charges. But no mobs have shown up at his doorstep in Forest Hills yet. So far, so good.

Everyone had eventually shared their stories.

Everyone but Steve.

So here he is, he thinks facing them with an uncertain smile, ready to share his part in Eddie’s return from the dead.

Eddie had also been quiet; at least when Steve was in the room. Quiet, but following him with that intent gaze again.

An extension of Steve’s powers has always been the knowledge of when he was the at centre of someone’s attention. It had been a heady feeling when fuelled by popularity at school. It had also been a considerable deflator of his ego in the later years while he had sat alone in the cafeteria, nursing a bruised face and body more than once. Now, he thinks he could feel Eddie’s gaze even without any ethereal awareness.

Steve looks over; his eyes, one warm hazel and the other a vibrant white lock onto Eddie’s brown gaze from across the room. That hum of connection strikes like gentle lightning between them; Steve faintly hears the beginning of a song.

Gone are the two deep pools of warm melted chocolate that once graced Eddie’s face, one now replaced by a lighter version that mirrors Steve’s remaining eye. Where Steve has given loss, Eddie has received an unexpected gift.

“Are you going to tell us now,” Eddie’s voice carries across the room and Steve nods in resignation.

However, he refuses to stand in front of the group as if he’s giving a class presentation like some nervous sophomore. He props himself against the chair arm of Robin’s seat, legs crossed at the ankles and arms folded. She leans against his right side in support.

Steve pauses to gather his thoughts, trying to figure out where to start with such a complex explanation of history, family, and hidden practices.

And it’s not that he’s ashamed, but nor is it in his nature to share and this has always been held tightly to centre of his being, unspoken from all others except family and Robin.

As if reading his mind, Robin squeezes his knee before leaning forward, “Dingus here is a Witch. Like Capital W, can cast a spell on you, see the future, and save a life.” She waves her hands next to him like Vanna White revealing the letters on Wheel of Fortune. He decides not to correct her use of the term spell.

The room explodes.

“You can see the future?” Says Lucas.

“Witches are girls,” calls out Mike. Will elbows him in the ribs, “I bet boys can be too. He’s like a wizard.”

“Are there others like you,” Dustin leans forward, fingers folded under his chin like a miniature detective only missing a magnifying glass and pipe.

“Where’s your broom,” Max heckles, though her eyes are a little too wide to believe the sass in her tone.

“What about your family, Steve,” he hears but doesn’t see Mrs Byers ask gently, who is to his far left.

Nancy holds out her hands, trying to rein in the chaos. “Hey, let him speak. He said he’s going to tell us, so let him.” Steve appreciates it, even though she looks like she’s about to whip out a pad to take notes.

Steve points a finger at them one at a time. “Witches are girls and boys, Mike. Thanks, Will, but don’t call me a wizard. I’m a Witch, there’s no gender. It’s like saying I’m American. I just am. Dustin, yes, there are. Not a lot, but enough. My mom and her side of the family are Witches, it’s how I knew what to do.”

He simply glares at Max briefly, refusing to dignify her with an answer. She pokes her tongue out in response.

“And what is it that you did,” asks Hop, still so strange with his drawn face absent its moustache, the harsh lines on his face speaking of the hardship he had suffered as a prisoner in Russia.

“Because I saw you in that room, Steve. Eddie may have been the one in the bed, but you looked like you were going to keel over at any point.”

Dustin whips his head back to Steve like he hadn’t even considered he could have been anything but okay.

Steve appreciates the sentiment when, even now, his body aches from being dragged over the Upside Down and torn into by those bats. Despite the healing pouch his mother had overnighted to him, he’ll still have a lot of scarring, including the red ring around his neck from a demo-bat’s whip-like tail.

Flashing to the feeling of blood-slicked wounds closing under his hand, Steve thinks he’ll probably be far more marked than the guy who actually died.

But he is recovering. He’s okay. And he says as much to the waiting group. “I’m fine. It was… powerful, what I did. But I’m alive and Eddie’s alive,” Steve points to the other boy like that will win his argument. “So, it all worked out fine.”

Eddie’s lips tighten in response, but he remains silent.

“Yeah, but Steve, what did you have to give up? I’ve been holding back so you only had to do this once, but come on, look at your eyes.”

Steve looks back down at Robin’s upturned and suspicious face in betrayal. He knew she had been too blasé. Too accepting. Too ready to joke about Mrs Byers as an international spy of mystery.

Robin’s brows are drawn, and he can see that she is deadly serious. She’s not going to let him get away with a muttered ‘It’s okay.’

Steve takes a deep breath and looks up at the ceiling. “It was powerful. And… It’s called The Sacrifice for a reason. But it was worth it!” He looks over at Eddie, whose face is stone for all that Steve can work out what he may be thinking.

“All I needed to do was give away one little thing and you would live. I could See that. You were going to die otherwise and… this just needed to happen. Okay?”

Eddie’s lips relax somewhat, “Okay. Don’t mistake me, I’m grateful, Steve. Thank you. I like living, you know. But I get the sense that this was a Gandalf moment. You threw yourself over into the abyss with the Balrog.”

Steve shakes his head in confusion, “Come on, man. I won’t use sports metaphors on you, and you don’t use fantasy stuff on me. Yeah, I had to give something up, but it was small in the scheme of things. I wasn’t killing myself with a Bolrag.”

He looks out at everyone, noticing varying degrees of conviction reflected in their expressions.

He sighs, “It’s just an eye. I have two, I’m fine. I just run into the walls a little now.” He says it with a light grin, but he gets no laughter back. Which, rude. He had bumped into doorframes somewhat until he began to adjust, so they should acknowledge the joke.

“Too soon?”

“Steve!” Dustin’s eyes are wet again and Steve’s heart sinks. He keeps failing this kid. “Did you nearly die?” He demands.

“Uh,” Steve panics. And, in panicking, forgets that he could just deny it. “A little?”

He flinches at the roar of the room. The kids start shouting questions and accusations again while Robin pushes him in anger so hard that he slides off the chair arm and onto the floor with a thump. Steve winces as the impact painfully spreads through his backside.

Everyone stops, mute. Robin’s shocked face looks down at him from above before she snorts in laughter. He looks up at her face as her eyes and nose crinkle and starts laughing too.

The rooms presumably look on in surprise as the two of them giggle and laugh like loons.

Robin slides out of the chair to heavily land on him, hugging him fiercely to her. “I knew it. I knew you were doing something dangerous, you absolute idiot.”

“I love you too, Robin,” he says dryly, knowing that she will hear the simple truth of it despite his tone.

“Shut it,” she hiccups wetly into his neck with a weak giggle.

The two of them go tumbling as the kids suddenly pile onto the top of them too. For a moment, under the heat and weight of the love of the party, Steve sees a flickering image of them all as if he were watching through his spirit eye, outside of his body. It lasts for only a moment before Mike’s pointy knee connects hard with his inner thigh.

“Mike! Get off!” Steve pushes and the children scatter like petals around him. He rubs at his leg, trying to lessen the sharp feeling of assault. Stops himself from rubbing at his sides too, which feels stretched and uncomfortable over the healing skin and further aggravated by the weight of the squirming kids.

Mike grins unrepentantly, “Sorry.”

Hop starts to update them on the latest rounds of government NDAs to expect and his negotiations with the Sheriff’s office. And Steve knows that they have all accepted it. Steve is a Witch. He’s down one eye. But he’s one of them and that’s that.

Eddie, he notices, picks up a bit more energy. He joins in with a few sharp criticisms of his own for the treatment he’s experienced from Hawkins PD. But Steve doesn’t get to speak to him again until everyone has left. While people trailed out saying their goodbyes, Eddie kept himself busy with taking out the empty Coke cans and chip bags to the trash.

Robin lingers by the front doorway, head cocked to the kitchen in question. He answers with a shrug and nod, and she’s accepted he is fine for whatever is coming, on the condition, she notes by waggling her eyebrows, that he fills her in later.

He shoos her away in agreement and turns back into the house to find Eddie.

If you liked anything, please consider leaving a comment over on Ao3 :-) It would make my day!

Taglist

My taglist is always open so let me know if you want to be added. Likewise, if you want to be removed let me know too. :) If I've missed you, definitely let me know because it's an accident!

@a-gae-af-racoon

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@aly-reads-alot

@bookworm0690

@cinnamon-mushroomabomination

@ellietheasexylibrarian

@everyrandomthing

@finntheehumaneater

@geekymagicalpotato

@goodolefashionedloverboi

@hallucinatedjosten

@ilikeititspretty

@just-a-tiny-void

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@obliosworld

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@rajumat

@scoops-stevie-archive

@spectrum-spectre

@tartarusknight

@whackyrach

Edit: @swimmingbirdrunningrock

#witchsteve #steddie #platonic stobin #stranger things #steve harrington #for chapter notes on references you can check them out on ao3 #paperbackribs writing

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asnowfern · 5 months

Text

Losing My (Gear)Head For You

Summary: With an icy glare at the cocky smirk gracing the male’s face, she rotates on her heels to stalk back to her car, acutely aware of the hushed whispers that follow her.

Racing is a mind game and her opponent just played his first move.

It’s her turn now. ~~~ OR a rival street racer Nessian AU

Rating: M, for Nessian being Nessian😏 WC: 2.6k Listen to Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa by FINNEAS for the vibes✨ Read on AO3

Happy Birthday my darling @witch-and-her-witcher!!! 🎉 🎁 Thank you for being such an amazing and supportive friend! I just want to say I feel so blessed to have you in my life and I appreciate you so much💜 I hope you have the loveliest day ahead (as you deserve)! Please enjoy this little silly, fun AU!

Huge thanks to the always awesome @wilde-knight for the quick beta-read💕

Read under the cut!

The silver car door swings open and the chatters de-crescendos into murmured whispers. The faint scent of car exhaust permeates the cool mountainous air and Nesta has to resist the urge to scrunch up her nose in disdain. Even in the many years she has participated in the battles, she has never truly adapted to the smell.

She ignores the wide eyed looks though a part of her sniffs in disapproval.

The crowd, the noise, the girls. They are too much for an underground street race like this. Far too likely to gather unwanted attention from the local authorities. Yet, she knows the reason for the enchanted audience today.

She gives the organiser a curt nod. Azriel’s lips curls slightly, “Welcome back, Nesta.”

“Some welcome,” she sighs, jerking her head at the whispering enthusiasts at the side of the curb, “these idiots are going to get us caught.”

“It’s all taken care of.” He says dismissively. His eyes spark in amusement as he looks over her shoulders. “Your competitor on the other hand.”

Nesta doesn’t have to turn. The hulking presence eclipsing her in its shadow and the sudden increase in excited high pitch whispers speak for themselves. She bites back a sigh.

“Lady D,” he greets as his shoulder brushes against hers with the lightest pressure, his voice dripping in a cocky swagger.

The spot where clothed muscles made contact warms uncomfortably and Nesta clenches her jaws in annoyance. She twists around to return coolly, “Cassian.”

Cassian, otherwise known as the Lord of Bloodshed for his uncanny ability to mercilessly cut his way through any race course, however perilous, grins widely. The top half of his hair is tied back in a bun, framing the strong cut of his jawline. Hazel pupils gleam bright as a feline predator. They pull blue grey eyes upwards to meet them, like a rising tide gravitating to the moon. Nesta notes the new thin scar that cuts through his left eyebrow and banishes the urge to trace it with her fingers.

“It’s been a while.” He says lightly.

She angles her head in acknowledgment. “I’ve been away for work but I’m back now.”

He hums noncommittally and for a moment, a look Nesta can’t quite identify flashes across his face. Almost soft, tender? It is gone in the next, replaced with a familiar casual lopsided smile. He sticks out a broad hand. “Good race?”

Nesta slips her hand into the grip. His skin is surprisingly soft despite the rough calluses that litter the top of his palms. “May the best racer win.”

Before she is able to release her hand, her opponent yanks her hand inwards, pulling her weight into a hard and massive chest with a soft thud. A few paces away, the cloud of murmurs dissipate. Hot breath tickles the shell of her ear, “May the best racer win.”

Heat rushes to her face and Nesta drops the hand like hot coal, scowling as she draws herself back, her spine straight and rigid. With an icy glare at the cocky smirk gracing the male’s face, she rotates on her heels to stalk back to her car, acutely aware of the hushed whispers that follow her.

Racing is a mind game and her opponent just played his first move.

It’s her turn now.

***

Nesta’s S2K purrs, coming to life with a single rotation of her car keys. A single ignition that lights up both engines: the vehicle and her.

She follows the hand signs of the marshal and pulls up side by side with the bright red WRX. She runs her palms down the circumference of the wheel, her lips flicking upwards. Her eyes remain trained on the raised hands, her feet a light touch on the pedals.

Every fibre of her being is set alight, exhilaration coursing through her veins.

The unpleasant scent of car exhaust, the noisy chattering fangirls, the annoying smirk and touch memory of hard muscles against her chest fades. There is just her, the rumbling engine under her hands, the car she is racing and the careening turns of the mountain pass.

This is why Nesta loves to race: Why she continues to do so even though she no longer needs the cash that saw her through her university days. There is nothing quite like the thrill of the race.

Flag down and Nesta slams her foot into the accelerator. Her car speeds ahead. Next to her, Cassian’s more powerful WRX takes the lead and cuts her in her path with a loud and flashy bang of its exhaust.

No matter. This is Ramiel. It’s the skills of cornering that determines the winner.

Nesta frowns slightly at the slight resistance of her wheel as she begins the downhill course, almost veering her to the left. A muscle ticks at her jaw. Her perfectly tuned vehicle is out of balance.

How is that even possible?

Yet, with the upcoming turns, she has no time to ponder. Only to adjust and adapt.

Just ahead, the brakes of Cassian screech at the braking point. The tilt angle of his car and the slide down the racing line at neck breaking speed tells Nesta that it is a perfect drift. Echoes of a cocksure smirk flits through her head.

With little time to spare, Nesta slams her foot into the brake pedal, her arms spinning wildly with her wheel as she sends the car into full throttle.

She made the turn. With a slight delay in the steering that caused her precious seconds. But she made it.

It proceeds in that manner for the next few kilometers. Nesta grits her teeth to maintain control of her vehicle as her opponent flawlessly executes each corner.

But what lies ahead is the five hairpin curves. A section of the pass that Nesta always excelled at and her chance to bridge the gap in distance. Her hand grips tightly at the wheel and the gear stick.

She barely squeezes between the left corner and the red car but once she is on the inside, a perfect cornering would set her in the lead.

In that moment, Nesta feels her car jerk to the right in pure defiance of her steering. Helpless against the centrifugal force of the sharp turn, her beloved S2K rams into the WRX and bumps him off the road, smashing into the railing. She hears the scream of metal against metal in what is sure to be a bad dent.

She swears and swerves her car slightly to the left, leaving just enough space for a car to get through. Cassian overtakes her and speeds off.

“Fuck!” She slams her hands on the wheel.

***

The hushed whispers fill and corrupt the serenity of the naturesque air. Nesta tunes them out, her attention wholly set on the bright red motor vehicle in front of her. She represses a wince at the large and long scratch that slashes across the car body and the dent in its back fender.

Humiliation burns in her chest.

It is one thing to lose a race but to have rammed into her opponent’s path like a fledgling novice? She bites the inside of her cheek.

Cassian’s face is stoic though the muscle at his jaw feathers. Yet, when he turns those hazel eyes on her, there is no anger, only concern. “Lady D?”

Nesta forces the lump down, swallowing thickly. “I’ll pay for the damages.” She pulls out a pen from the pocket of her jacket and scribbles her contact details on a stray piece of receipt. She lifts the heavy hand and closes thick fingers over the paper. “Just send me the bill.”

Without giving the male racer another chance at speaking, Nesta quickly slides into her car and takes off.

Once the crowd disappears into nothing more than faded dots in her rear view mirror, she exhales heavily. She thumbs the leathered surface of the wheel, brows creasing as she once more feels the resistivity of her beloved vehicle. Impulsively, she turns into a viewing spot at the side of the road, turns off her headlights and gets out.

She leans back, her back and ass warmed by the heated hood of her car. She tilts her head back at the vast blanket of twinkling stars.

She will naturally need to get her car looked at. The tuning works and added costs of repairing the Lord of Bloodshed’s vehicle would mean eating scraps for the next few weeks. The thought of it has her heaving another sigh, her eyes falling shut.

“It’s not exactly safe for a lady to be sitting here by herself.”

Her brows furrow once more at the familiar low drawl. She asks with her eyes still closed, lacking the energy to add much bite into it, “What do you want, Cassian? I already told you I’ll pay for the damages.”

The hood of her car dips with the weight of the other man. Her skin buzzes from the heat emanating from him, “I’m not here about the money.”

She snaps her eyes open, “Then why are you here?”

She spins her head towards him and is immediately struck by how close he is. Close enough for Nesta to pick out the flecks of green and gold in his eyes, to breathe in the spicy and woody scent of his cologne. It is a heady feeling that goes straight to her core and sends blood rushing to her ears.

His eyes darted downwards to her lips for a split second, his lips parting. Then a focus overtakes his face and he pulls himself back just a couple of inches, a more respectable distance, and asks seriously, “What happened, Nesta?”

She frowns. “What do you mean?”

“You are a better driver than that. A few months wouldn’t change that. I saw you in the turns before the hairpin too.” He searches her face, “It’s the steering, isn’t it?”

The heat leaves the tips of her ears to travel to her chest, scorching it with a familiar burn. She snaps, “Mind your own business.”

Careful hazel eyes study her for a moment before he abruptly stands and turns away, whipping out the phone from his back pocket.

“Hey Az, could you come get my car and drop it off at the workshop for me?”

Surprised, Nesta lifts her head and props herself on her elbows, keeping her eyes trained on the back of the racer.

“Yep, yep. Just over the peak viewing spot.”

More grunts and a gruffed laugh before he hangs up, “Thanks, bro. I owe you one.”

She greets him with a raised brow when he turns back to her, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

“Alright, light her up.”

She blinks, a little too owlish for her liking. “Excuse me?”

He rubs his hand fondly over the side of her S2K’s windshield, his next words seem like they are intended more for her car than her. “Let’s find out what’s wrong with her, shall we?”

Yeahh, the way he keeps his gaze focused on the car, running his hand up and down lovingly, almost cooing, “Yeah, we’ll fix her right up.”

Unable to keep down the laughter that is bubbling up her chest, it escapes her in a half stifled mix of a snort and a giggle. It draws Cassian’s attention. His eyes are round when he glances up at her, touched with surprise and awe.

“What?” She asks sarcastically, “Should I give you two some room?”

The tender look disappears and his face splits into a white grin. His reply comes out in a low purr, “Oh, sweetheart. Don’t you know there’s always room for three?”

She chucks the keys in his face.

***

There is something strange about being seated in the passenger seat of her own car. To not feel the purring vibration under the soles of her feet but to instead see the steering wheel handled by large veiny hands instead of her own slender ones. Yet, with Cassian at the wheel of her beloved silver, there is also nothing more natural.

His expression sharpens as they approach their first corner, anticipation visibly lighting him up, the muscles of his forearms flex delicious lines.

Brake. Clutch. Throttle. Clutch. Throttle.

It would have been a perfect racing line, a precise balance of speed and distance. An unfairly perfect execution for a driver used to the power boom of the WRX. Instead of the smooth drift, the car jerks and shakes its passengers.

Cassian’s brows crease and says after they made the turn. “Your car is out of balance.”

“I could’ve told you that.” She returns drily.

The edges of his mouth curve upward, “Touché.”

They drive back to Windhaven in relative silence, turning into a garage a short distance into the quiet city. The car halts next to an obnoxiously familiar red WRX.

Nesta waits expectantly only to realise Cassian remains still and silent. She scrunches her nose, “You can return the car to me now.”

He turns the key in the ignition to shut down the engine and flashes her grin, “I’m fixing your car.”

She resists the urge to drop her jaw. “Excuse me?”

He shrugs. “You need your car re-tuned. I have a workshop and skilled mechanics to do it. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.”

Nesta frowns. No, it doesn’t. It doesn’t even remotely make sense.

She states flatly, “You’re my rival.”

“I’m not about to sabotage your car.” He says exasperatedly with raised arms, her keys glinting in the artificial white fluorescent light of the building. “I’ll take good care of her. Or is it a him?”

She stares at him, silver blue eyes meeting hazel in narrowed skepticism. At last, she accepts with a sigh, “He is called Bryaxis.” Her lips curl into a small smile, “Take good care of him.”

***

Cassian slides up the length of her body and kisses her deeply, the weight of his body against hers is a delicious pressure she suspects she will never tire of. She wraps her legs around his waist to tug him closer.

The thick hard length of his arousal strains against the confines of his pants and rubs against her core, still sensitive from her recent climax. She digs her heels hard into his clothed buttocks, ruining his pants with the smudge of her release.

“Nesta,” he pants, breaking the kiss. Stray inky black curls that escaped his bun fall to her face, caressing her skin with the lightest tickle. He stares down at her, pupils swallowing hazel, reminiscent of a solar eclipse.

Nesta lifts the edges of her mouth into a sinful smile and tuts, “Not until you win this round.”

For a stretched beat, Cassian is completely still, save for a twitch from his aching erection, begging to be released from its fabric prison. She raises one arched eyebrow as she dips her hand to teasingly palm and stroke the hard length.

Admit defeat. Silver blue eyes order with a sparkle.

He growls but uses his arms to push himself off the backseat. His voice is rough and gravelly as he promises darkly, “I am going to get back at you for this.”

The words curl deep within her belly, inciting a heated flame. It burns low and steady as they each settle into their respective driver’s seat.

The engine of her S2K roars to life and settles into a low rumble. Nesta smiles. Her world narrows to the careening turns of the mountain pass, the quiet, empty roads, the loud red car next to her with her equally loud driver, the feel of the low purring beneath her fingertips and the taste of her release on her tongue.

Cassian’s baritone voice reaches her through her ear piece, “Three.”

The air rings with twin sounds of motor revving. She continues, “Two,”

Then, in unison. “One.”

End

A/N: My research for this fic was limited to my car loving husband who gave me car suggestions for Cassian (powerful and flashy Subaru WRX) and Nesta (slightly less vroom-vroom but requires better control Honda S2000), and watching clips of Initial D and basic racing techniques for dummies on YT. Please close one eye(or both) on any inaccuracies/misrepresentation!

#nessian #nessian fic #nesta x cassian #nesta archeron #cassian #acotar

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chronic-escapixt · 7 months

Text

His Rose ~ Details

(Kai Parker x Bennett OC fanfiction)

content warnings/tags ~ Dark fiction, dom/sub dynamics, abuse, murder, childhood trauma (mentioned). Minors DNI

I don't claim ownership of The Vampire Diaries or its characters. All credits go to the rightful owner(s). I only own my original character(s).

K.P. Masterlist

This fanfiction is born from my dissatisfaction with the way Kai was criminally underutilized in the TVDU. Honestly, I found him annoying at first, but he grew on me as season 6 went on. Thru Chris Wood's charming performance, Kai stole the show for me. I'll never forgive the showrunners for a lot of things, including underutilizing Chris Wood in this role & not allowing this broken king to have a real redemption arc.

On the topic of the showrunners, I'll never forgive them for how they did Bonnie Bennett or the Bennetts in general with how they were limited to magical plot devices for everyone else's use without any appreciative focus on their power & how it could really benefit them. Even though I love Bonnie & Kai, my otp endgame for her has always been Bonenzo, but I also adore Klonnie ❤️.

My AU changed and added plenty of lore around his coven & certain events. The plot follows the life of Bonnie's younger sister, Rosalina "Rose" Bennett-Ruiz. I go on to describe her below, but I'd like to state that she acts as Kai's antithesis as an innocent, fledgling witch. She's also Bonnie's support system. I always hated how the show often ignored that Bonnie lacked family around her that were unconditionally there for her. Bonnie's mom left when she was small, she lost her grams in season 1, and her father was a non-factor in her life until he returned... just to get killed off in front of her.

I wrote Rose & Bonnie's dynamic keeping in mind everything I hate about older sibling/younger sibling dynamics, like the one between Buffy and Dawn in BTVS. Bonnie deserves family that consistently supports her, encourages her to prioritize her well-being, and actually tries to lessen the existing load on her shoulders.

Another thing I kept in mind when adding Rose to my TVD AU is not to have her replace or take away Bonnie’s space in the plot. Now, I do give her Bonnie's plotline of being sent to the prison world in season 6, but this is essential to the story, and the way Bonnie was treated that season made me so sad that I have no problem taking traumatic experiences from her (of which she has more than enough) and giving them to Rose.

Okay... if you made it through my rant, congrats. I also want to offer my inbox as a place where anyone can offer up requests, scenarios, ask questions, even if you want to roast my cruddy writing... my inbox is open.

🌹Rosalina "Rose" Bennett-Ruiz:🌹

Born: March 18th, 1994 (18yrs)

Gender: Female | Height: 5’1” | Hair color: Brown | Eye color: Hazel

Race/ethnicity: Black and Latino/Hispanic

Species: witch (Bennett)

Titles: Rosy (Kai), littlest witch (by Kol), kid (by Damon)

Characteristics:

Rose is a gentle and kind-hearted person, always looking for the good in people and situations. She can be a people pleaser and overall naive when dealing with people, often seeing the best in everyone and believing in second chances

She highly values family, so bonding with Bonnie means a lot her. Due to her naivety and weakness, she can be easily manipulated and taken advantage of. Like Bonnie she’s compassionate and tends to selflessly help others. Struggles with powerful spells due to her insecurity in her magical abilities

She enjoys singing, gardening (honing her nature-based magic, making potions & studying herbology), sewing and cooking (she bakes when she’s anxious)

She has a strong aversion to blood & violence so spending time with vampires took a lot of getting used to

Trilingual: fluent in Spanish & Portuguese

Despite her demure demeanor and virginal innocence, with her stuffed animal collection, enduring love of cartoons and a lack of dating, she’s a hopeless romantic that harbors the hidden desire to submit herself to a powerful dominant

Background:

Family: Bonnie Bennett (half-sister), Jamie Ruiz (half-brother), Abby Bennett-Ruiz (mother), Matteo Ruiz (father 🕊️), Sheila Bennett (maternal gm🕊️)

Rose was raised in Summersville, North Carolina. She was a child model until 13 when her father tragically died. She was the captain of her high school majorette dance team. Her life drastically changed when Bonnie arrived on her doorstep.

Rose was 16 when she & Bonnie would finally meet. Bonnie and Elena came to Abby for help with a spell. Rose was shocked to find that she had an older sister as Abby never mentioned Bonnie or the life she left behind in Mystic Falls. She was even more surprised upon finding out about her magical bloodline and that supernatural creatures walked the earth. Unlike Grams, Abby never mentioned magic throughout Rose’s life and even went as far to suppress her magic with a charmed necklace

After Abby is turned by Damon, she decides to leave her family to learn control and find peace as a fledgling vampire. Rose moves to Mystic Falls with Bonnie where she learns magic from her.

Magic doesn’t come naturally to her. Admittedly having a 50% accuracy rate with her spells. She struggles with her confidence & focus when chanting and spells drain her much quicker even when she tries channeling the energy around her. Despite this, Rose is determined to improve, valuing her one-on-one time with Bonnie and spending late nights on her own practicing & memorizing spells. She is determined to use her magic for good, prove herself and lessen the load on Bonnie as the resident Bennett witch of the group.

Her role in the Mystic Falls gang is the “Bennett witch in training” or “the bringer of baked goods” (according to Damon), since she often supplies their gatherings with fresh pastries. Everyone underestimates her power, even Bonnie. She tries to keep Rose out of danger unless she can’t help it.

🔪Malachai "Kai" Parker:🔪

Born: May 9, 1972 (22yrs)

Gender: Male | Height: 6'0" | Hair color: Dark Brown | Eye color: Blue-gray

Race/ethnicity: white/non-Hispanic

Species: siphoner (Gemini Witch coven)

Titles: abomination, black sheep, the defective twin (his coven)

Characteristics:

Charismatic with a charming smile. Upon meeting him, his charisma operates as a façade to hide his lack of empathy and his sadistic tendencies

Can be hard to read but that’s because he struggles with expressing his emotions which stems from his abusive childhood. He’s cold and relatively unfeeling with people, but once he lets someone in, he’s fiercely loyal and protective.

He can be observant, calculating and manipulative to taking advantage of someone and get what he wants

He’s a sassy man, often comes back with quick quips and has a natural sense of humor (typically dark humor)

When he’s comfortable, he never shuts up, has no filter and sucks with certain social cues. After being alone for nearly his whole life, will talk anyone's ear off without realizing they are not willing to listen

Kai can siphon all of a witch’s magic without killing them. He controls how the process feels - at its worst, a fast searing burn to a slight tingle. Overtime, a witch will regenerate their magic

High libido!!- He’s starved for touch and affection (though he would never admit that he needs anyone). Sexual desires reflect his sadistic personality as he enjoys dominating another person through absolute control and pain infliction

He likes raunchy comedies and media with half-naked women such as Bay Watch and MTV videos. A major foodie with constant cravings for sweet and salty snacks. He prefers snacking throughout the day but when he does bother to cook, it’s really good

He is fluent in old Latin, often found in grimoires and other ancient texts. When he was young he’d get his hands on old grimoires and study them, all the time to himself allowing him to hone his knowledge of witchcraft and technique

Background:

The Parker family is the head of the Gemini coven. Its patriarch, Joshua Parker is the coven leader. Kai is the eldest child, being half an hour older than his fraternal twin, Josette. Unlike Jo, Kai was born without the ability to generate his own magic, instead siphoning magic from lingering spells, objects, or other witches. When he was young, he would naturally gravitate toward the magic of his sister, so Joshua quickly decided to physically isolate Kai from everyone for fear of his son's "defect" hurting others.

As fraternal twins born of the coven leader, Jo and Kai would be set to merge on their 22nd birthday, where the winner takes the other's magic and coven leadership and the loser dies and is absorbed into the other but with the risk of Kai's siphoning ability giving him an edge in the merge, Joshua and Viviane continued having kids until she birthed another set of twins that would merge instead.

Kai's upbringing was lonely, spending most of his time locked in his bedroom up in the attic. Following his father's lead, most of his family excluded and demonized him. As he grew, Kai learned to internalize the cruel labels they gave him. If they wanted a monster, they would get a monster and on his 22nd birthday, May 9th, 1994, he would finally act on his boiling rage and resentment toward his family, unleashing the hatred he accumulated through a lifetime of torment onto his siblings when Jo refused the merge. To protect the twins, she would relent to merge with him but the coven was waiting and with the help of Sheila Bennett they banished him to a prison world of complete isolation.

Each year that passed only added to his hunger for revenge, left with nothing to do but plan his escape and seizer of coven leadership. He grew to take pride in what he had done to his siblings and his status as a sociopath capable of killing anyone who gets in his way without remorse.

AU-Specific Lore:

Prison world Lore:

The prison world resets with the eclipse every 3 months.

Time works differently, so no one ages throughout their time there.

The prison world cannot create life so the only living inhabitants are those sent there or arrive via ascendant.

Kai is linked to the prison world so he can’t die. If something kills him, he’ll be out for a while depending on the damage but the magic will heal him back to life. Without Kai, the prison world falls apart so while he’s there, it sustains his life to sustain itself. Once he leaves, it ceases to exist.

The Ascendant - an ancient device created by the Gemini coven and a Bennett ancestor that only responds to a living Bennett’s blood and magic. The ascendant is sensitive to magic in general, so even when the spell is done right, it will activate then fall apart. You only have one chance at the time of the eclipse to correctly do the spell, which Kai knows from experience because early on he tried collecting a vial of Bennett blood that he hunted down in a hospital and using Josette's magic he siphoned from a hidden dagger. Disappointment boiled over into rage when he did the spell beneath the eclipse, the ascendant disassembled, but he was not transported out.

The Gemini Coven Lair:

Exists as a non-physical location where the coven keeps ancient texts, grimoires, enchanted items (talismans, gems, ascendants, etc.), and materials for spells & potions

Infinite space that can be utilized by the coven leader: often includes a space for magic instruction, a library, spell casting, a gathering area for the coven, etc.

Accessed only by portal, which is summoned by a spell entrusted to high-ranking Gemini members

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