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mxpseudonym · 3 years

Text

Thoughtless

Pairing: John Shelby x Fem!Reader

Summary: John takes you being hired to audit his work as an insult. Not to mention, you’re too smug about catching his mistakes. John needs to teach you a lesson. John Shelby mocks you for being fucked stupid for 1500 words straight.

Length: 1585 words (allegedly)

Warnings: Dangerous for work, dirty talk, belittling

A/N: Super tempted to call this “head empty.” This is the first time I’ve ever had any motive to write John and I think it’s pretty damn good. Also, gets a bit sweet at the end.

The pads of John's fingers dipped into the soft crevices of your skin, pulling your hips higher and sliding your dress and slip further up your waist. He marveled at the way he was already shining with your wetness as he slowly moved out of you and the way you seemed to suck him back in. You whimpered, feeling every slight movement as he moved.

"Heaven and hell, love. You're that far gone already?" John groaned out, still watching the view he could only have with you bent over his desk, chest pressed to the surface. You wanted to bite back at his teasing remark, but it was unfortunately correct.

Tommy Shelby hired you to do a twice-weekly audit of John's books at the betting shop. Your boss swore it was because the derby was coming up, and there needed to be a better system as the business grew. However, John took it as a message: some woman could do his job better than he could. You endured the glares and scoffs from the handsome young Shelby for weeks and gave as good as you got. It just so happened that one night you both stayed late to finish the bookkeeping, and John brought out a bottle of whiskey.

"We don't need you, you know? Just nice to look at," he slurred while pointing at you. You leaned forward with an arched eyebrow.

"I catch your mistakes every week, John-boy. But I do agree. I am nice to look at."

Arrogance met cockiness, and it didn't take long before you were pressed against the wall, paying the price of your smugness. As an unlikely pair, it was surprisingly easy to keep anything between you two a secret. The only problem was, as efficient as call and response, whenever John gave you that look and sent irritated jabs your way, your body reacted with anticipation for what was to come after hours. Today you received "you think you're smarter than me, love" after changing his sums on the chalkboard.

In conclusion: of course you were already far gone.

"Oi!" John's hand landed hard against your backside as he picked up the pace. "Where's your head, y/n? Too distracted to use your voice today? Or is that head empty after all?" You looked over your shoulder at him with fierceness.

"Just thinking about how good this feels after a long day cleaning up after you."

The words were said with whatever remaining bravery you had lying around and with good reason. John paused mid-stroke, and for a moment, you feared you'd gone too far. No matter the outcome, that sentiment was probably correct. John lifted your leg onto the desk in a quick movement, giving himself more room before leaning over you.

"If there's one thing I like about you, y/n," John breathed in your ear. "You challenge me. Right now, you've helped me realize that, if that pretty mouth of yours can still speak and that pretty head of yours can still think, I'm probably not doing a good enough job."

His hips snapped forward, slamming into you with one smooth movement that made you cry out. John was only consistent in that he was entirely inconsistent. His strokes were long and hard or shallow and fast, or some mix of both. No matter the pace, they remained intense enough to send you over the edge quickly when paired with John's fingers abusing your clit.

"John, please, slow,"

"Huh? What was that?" He stopped you between his own pants. John blessed his stamina. Without it, he'd have been finished long ago. Hell, you'd look particularly pretty that day anyway, and it had worked him up, so lasting this long was a miracle in itself. Your snarky little comments just happened to conjure up enough motivation for him to outlast you several times over.

"John, John," you whimpered with your forehead pressed against the desk. You knew what you meant. You wanted to say that he was going to leave you used for all you were worth if he kept hitting that spot deep in you, but damn if you could even think straight.

"What the fuck are you even trying to say right now, y/n? You sound, what did you call it? Belligerent?"

He was only spurred on by those noises you were making. Fuck, you sounded better every time you came. He gripped your arm and pulled you back against his chest.

"Mm, I, ah!" Your eyes snapped closed, and another release came over you. Though not as powerful as your first two, it still made you lean your weight on John. He took your earlobe between his teeth and groped your breasts that he'd been quick to expose after your catalyst of a remark.

"If Tommy heard you right now, he'd wonder why he even hired you. Can't even say a full sentence after a bit of dick, huh?"

He spat the words like he was disgusted, and the sentiment went straight to your lower belly. Why did you like this? You didn't have an answer. You didn't have anything beyond acceptance of how good you were feeling. You turned your head to look back at the man responsible for this.

In the dim light of the office, John could still clearly make out a face he'd never forget. Slack-jawed and only able to pant and whine, you looked at John with glossy, pleading, heavily hooded eyes.

"Fuck," he swore as his cock twitched inside of you. "Poor baby, should I give you more?" The sound you made in response could have meant anything, but John laughed and took it as approval. "Fuckin' hell, you're a mess."

"Please, please," you pleaded softly, making John smirk.

"That's right, do what you do best. Beg for this cock, y/n."

He'd lost track of how long you were at it, and even he was reaching his limit. Still, when he pulled out of you, he sat in his office chair and reached for you again. It was almost too much, sinking onto him yet a new position, but you couldn't help but accept how overtaken by desire you were.

John paused for a moment and took you in. You bit your lip as he stroked your cheek for a moment. His thumb pulled your bottom lip free before he leaned in and kissed you.

"I've got a task for you, y/n. Don't worry, I'll make it, so you don't need to know anything." John chuckled when a slight pout came to your face. He gripped your hips and began rocking them, making your eyes roll back. "All you need to do is ride me just like this so I can empty my balls, yeah? Even you can do that."

"Oh god," you moaned.

You'd meant to say that you'd make John pay for this later, or even a simple "fuck you." Instead, you fell forward and completed your assignment with John's belittling praise in your ear. John's breathing got more erratic, and he started thrusting into you with no rhyme or reason, just release on the brain.

"Let me see you," he ordered you.

You leaned back and looked at him with those eyes again, and you were still making those noises despite yourself. How should he finish? In this state, he could push you on your knees and make you swallow him if he wanted. But something stopped him, maybe that he did intend to walk you home later and he didn't want to humiliate you too much. Not yet, anyway.

He quickly lifted you off of him, making you sit back on his thighs as he gripped himself. He was too focused on the fast-approaching release that he didn't see you move until your hands were taking over for him, stroking with a firm grip. You'd never handled him that way before, and that surprise, coupled with the warmth of your palms, had him spilling over your fingers with bucking hips and a loud groan.

John stole a cloth from the kitchen after you caught your breath and helped you clean up enough that you didn't ruin your slip on the walk home. You imagined it was probably a side effect of fatherhood, but John was surprisingly doting.

"I'm walking you in, no buts about it," John told you as he walked into your flat and began helping you with your coat.

"You don't have to-"

"Did you eat?" He stopped you. Now that he mentioned it, you hadn't had anything since noon.

"I didn't yet." Your voice was already sleepy.

"Alright, I'll run a bath and then make some tea and something quick. I know about three meals that won't burn the bloody building down," John chuckled. His flushed face was turning slightly bashful.

"Thank you."

"Can't have you going weak, can I?" He scratched the back of his head. Despite your insistence, John rolled up his sleeves and helped you into the bath. Before he could leave you to begin searching your cabinets, he paused at the door, turning to you. "I keep telling Katie how smart you are and how she can be like that, too, so don't go taking any of that stuff to heart."

You blinked after him, then smiled softly to yourself, sliding further into the bath. John Shelby was a dangerous man in more ways than one.

Bonus script:

"Can you check this?"

"I thought all I could do was beg?"

"Good grief, don't hold it over my head!"

#John Shelby does not tolerate haughtiness #Also he's a good dad #John Shelby #John Shelby Smut #John shelby Fanfiction #John Shelby imagine #Peaky Blinders Imagine #Peaky Blinders Smut

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whitefawnn · 3 years

Text

blood letting (part 8)

c!wilbur soot x reader

warnings: blood, derealization, injuries, toxic relationships, panic attacks

masterlist of bloodletting

note: read the warnings

Morning came as an unwelcome bright light in my eyes. At least for once I recounted the events of the night before, but I wasn’t proud of how many tears I had shed. Not able to keep it together, not able to get the words out to Sam, at least Wilbur seemed okay. I gently ran my hand through his hair, pushing it out of the way of his eyes. The white streak now swallowed by auburn pushed back against his head. His face twitched slightly but went back to a calm expression as time passed between us accompanied by the quiet singing of birds outside. I let myself enjoy the moment of peace.

I’m glad that he could sleep undisturbed, even if just for a little while, his face as still as a resting lake. I gathered my strength to get out of bed, my mission to find Sam going into action as soon as my feet met the cold floor. We needed to plan for the coming attack from Dream. He needed to know everything I could remember, and if that meant pushing myself, so be it. Pulling myself together I left, the last sight my grim face reflected in a mirror on the wall.

My house was empty, the only sound that echoed through the familiar halls was my feet padding into the main room. Somehow the cold floor had become a reassuring discomfort the more I walked, the cool wood punctuating the air that entered my lungs. I found Sam, collapsed on my couch, face one of disquiet. His position was rigid, not one of rest or calm. He was only covered by a blanket far too small for his large form, the sight made me feel guilty. If I had been able to keep myself together I would have at least been able to afford him the simple convenience of a bigger blanket. I made my way over, gently shaking his shoulder. He always looked different without his intimidating mask. His mouth visible, sharp teeth peaking into his smile whenever he granted such pleasure.

“Sam?” I whispered, trying to bring him out of his sleep as gently as possible. I jumped as his green eyes snapped open, softening as they recognized me. He quickly pulled me into a hug with him on the couch. My cheek pressed against his chest as it steadily rose and fell. “Good morning, Sam.” I giggled as he hugged me tighter. I think in that moment we agreed to forget for a while, one second of amity,, only our shared breathing.

“I was so worried, y/n” I let myself melt as he began to play with my hair. “Wilbur being back, dream getting out, and you went missing. I was just so fucking glad to see you okay yesterday, bear.” I nodded my head into his chest, releasing a breathy sigh. I can’t allow myself to cry again.

“Wouldn’t want to ever leave you, Sammy.” I said with a quavering voice. He hummed, the sound vibrating through him. He motioned for me to move as he sat up on the worn couch. I weakly smiled as I studied his face. An unconscious way to make sure he was okay. My eyes fell into the habit of tracing the familiar scar that ran across his nose. A jagged reminder of a story he never would tell me. “Guess we gotta get into what’s important, huh” I steeled myself, running my hand down my thighs. “Dream wants revenge, Sam.”

“I guess I figured that.” I watched as he pushed his hair back, the former styling having become messy through the night of turbulent sleep.

“I’m scared, he had this map of everything with all these arrows. He was being so meticulous, Sammy.” his brows furrowed as he looked at me, my arms now wrapped around myself. Dream could be right behind me right now and I don’t think I’d be able to fight back with any great strength. I let that sink in, I was helpless against the monster, I even struggled to speak of him.

“I won’t let him near you, bear.” I gave him a weak smile. “I’m gonna get him back in Pandora's box, I promise.”

“I believe you, I do, but we need to be more careful. I don’t think I could stand losing anyone.” Sam nodded with a serious expression “No one can be a weak point, Sam. I saw his plan, and I think he intends to pick us off one by one.” I shiver as I look away from Sam, not able to bare the intense eye contact. His green eyes reminded me of the last person I wished to think of being psychically in a room with. Dream’s hands lingering on me, burning points on my arms.

“I understand, y/n. I’m going to go tell everyone, okay? Can you and Wilbur meet me at the prison in a few hours? I think the safest bet we have right now is to gather there.” I absently nodded my head, standing up and leading him to the door. He looked at me, my eyes meeting his own, a tension building between us. “I will keep you safe, bear.” I fell into him.

“Please be okay, Sammy.” I mumbled into his chest as I let him wrap his arms around me once again, leaning into the warmth. He left with a determined look and a quick pace headed straight for the prime path. I just hoped we could get everyone in time. I sighed, my shoulders falling as I turned to see Wilbur in the entrance to the hallway. “wil,” I whimpered, rushing over to him, finally letting myself cry. Hot tears ran down my face as he held me.

“hello, my love” he mumbled into my hair. I breathed in as he gently swayed us back and forth. “I think we have a lot to talk about.” I winced at the words. “What did Dream do, darling?” Sam had to have said something. He had been my confidant as my life had taken a turn for the worse after Wilbur died. Him right by my side as I sobbed, him right there as I let myself get hurt in the worst possible way. Now it’s like I stood in front of all I lost, having to explain who I had become without him.

“Did Sam tell you something?” I inquired.

“not in any great detail.” I pursed my lips, not wanting to give away unneeded information. Any expression feeling like a hint I needed to desperately cover.

“wil,” How could I tell him? I didn’t want him to feel guilty for what was surely my own fault.

“y/n, I just want to help.” His scarlet eyes burned into me, and his cold hands on my arms suddenly didn’t feel comforting. I gently slid away from him, wandering to the kitchen with a far away feeling.

————————-

‘one, two, three’ seconds to count, moments to lose, lives to take. Dream found himself inpatient as he waited. He knew he couldn’t give them much time to prepare, but he also knew he couldn’t rush in. If he fucked this up he’d find himself right back where he began, miserable. Days spent counting the seconds between each purple drip from the crying obsidian in his cell. Scribbling in fucking books just to burn the pages and watch how the paper shriveled and turned black, engulfed by flame. Return to writing memories just to see them burn. He could feel the ghosts of heat licking at his face from the lava that bubbled as a makeshift wall when he stared down at the large map.

“one, two, three” he mumbled as he counted the lives everyone had left. Tommy, Tubbo, and Wilbur only had one. Sam had three. Quackity had two. Y/n had two. He knew their overall survival depended on how they acted in the moment, he didn’t want to kill everyone, not really. A select few, yes, we’re destined to die by his hand, but not every measly person deserved such a fate. Though he dreamed of blood on his hands, Quackity’s face when he realized he was just as helpless as he had been when he got that godforsaken scar on his face. That his obsession with power and money had gotten him nowhere.

“y/n,” he ran the name on his mouth, a sweet taste, an interesting predicament. He couldn’t decide what to do with them. The past that drew out between the two leaving a red string tying them together. If they would get in the way, if Wilbur would in turn, they would become more of an issue than they were worth. He would finally be willing to cut that tie. He’d hoped they had already given up on their pitiful attempt at fighting back. Pushed so far that they had finally snapped. A shattered mirror, unrecognizable, just as they had been after Wilbur’s untimely end.

————————-

“y/n, please,” I forced myself to turn around, looking at Wilbur’s worried expression. I didn’t know if I wanted to tell him, I didn’t know if I could. Those words were stuck in my mouth, burning my tongue. Something wouldn’t let me let them go. I was cursed with this weight and I couldn’t shake it off. I spun around again, beginning to make us breakfast. Grabbing a dull knife and fresh fruit that had somehow found its way into my fridge. I poured myself into this meaningless task so I didn’t have to be me. I didn’t want to face the reality of what had happened, I wanted to go back to being nothing at all.

“How do you want your eggs?” I asked him as I cut the fruit and placed it into a small bowl. I tensed at the sound of him groaning, a sound of frustration, a sound that meant I had done something wrong.

“Please?” I can’t do this right now. I felt my hand tense around the blade as he pushed for an answer.

“Please? please what Wilbur?” a sharp pain erupted from my hand “I can’t tell you, I just can’t. I feel like you just keep pushing me into corners, demanding so much- god I can’t just keep giving to you.” I sighed as I turned to look at his shocked expression. His shoulders now slumped and his once pleading face now adorned with a straight mouth. I felt myself tense as he moved to speak, guilt flooding into me. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled out, allowing my own posture to fall.

“I just want to be better for you.” he mumbled with his head bowed, eyes falling to the tile floor. The confession woven into our shared silence made the air feel tangible. “and- and I just keep fucking it up, I know I do, I made you come with me and Dream, and I didn’t even fucking consider that he could have done something to you, I didn’t listen, and then I just let him hurt you again.” I watched with bated breath as he stepped away from me. “y/n I can’t forgive myself. I deserve how Sam treated me because I’m not fucking good for you. I’m not good for anyone for fucks sake.” He took a shuddering breath as he pushed his hands through his unruly hair “and I’m so selfish cause I don’t think I could bear to let you go.” I stood shocked as his eyes remained glued to the floor.

“Dream-” I paused to look down at my hands, stunned by the way I was bleeding from a cut. Wilbur, confused by my silence, looked up to where my widened eyes were watching an open wound.

“Shit, are you alright?” he asked, reaching out to take my injured hand. I looked up to

see his expression, not comforted by what I found. His pupils were now blown wide as I watched him visibly fight back some crawling instinct that had beseeched him at the sight of my pooling blood.

“I’m fine.” I shuttered, pulling my hand out of his gentle grasp. He looked up at me with a new found clarity in his maroon eyes, shaking his head.

“Sorry, fuck,” he muttered, quickly walking over to the sink to wash the blood that had gotten on his hands. He was once again tense.

“Maybe we’re both bad for each other.” I whispered as I watched him scrub at his hands.

“please don’t say that” his voice wavering with the request.

“Look at us, Wilbur! You can’t say this is healthy?” I felt tears well up in my eyes as he stood there. I didn’t want to believe it either.

“please,”

“Wilbur, I want to tell you, I want to tell you everything that happened but, I’m pathetic, I can’t find the words, it's like I'm choking on nothing.” Wilbur reached to turn off the facet, yet he didn’t turn to face me. “I can’t- I can’t” He placed his hands on either side of the sink as he took calculated breaths seemingly trying to calm his own nerves.

————————-

‘Just breathe,’ He shook the water from his hands and into the sink, still not daring to turn and face y/n. Not wanting to risk seeing their injury, their blood, to fall right into that version of himself. The version that had come back a monster, a parasite made to use those around him.

“Wilbur- what if the stuff with Dream was my fault.” Y/n’s voice wavered as they seemed to slip into blaming themselves. The words made his emotions build. The situation seemingly impossible to solve due to y/n’s own feelings of their involvement in a situation he couldn’t even begin to guess.

“What did he do, love?” He begged, his hands finding their way to the edge of the basin again, his tight grip making his knuckles bloom white. Y/n stood stunned as they studied the way blood began to drip from their hand now. They made no move to bandage the injury. A deafening silence drew out between the two. Filled then with the sound of y/n’s panicked breathing. Wilbur pivoted to see their eyes still locked on their hand as tears slipped down their face.

“fuck, we really need to get that wrapped” Wilbur stared at the blood that was now dripping on to the white tiles, splattering across the pristine floor. Red contrasting against the pale flooring, the sight making his head spin. He found himself whimpering as he tried to get y/n to the sink to clean their hand.

“I’m sorry,” they cried as they pushed their hand under the water turning the water in the sink a light pink as it splashed against the metal.

“Please don’t be sorry anymore, you’ve done nothing wrong, okay? I’ll be right back, you stay right here.” Wilbur made his way to the first aid kit, rushing back to bandage the wound. He made quick work of the injury using his tactile hands. Applying the wrapping felt like second nature due to his own hand wraps he had been using since he got back. “none of this is your fault, especially if it has to do with Dream.” y/n weakly nodded as they leaned into Wilbur.

“Sam needs us to meet at the prison, he’s gathering everyone. I want you to ask him about it, I just-“ They pushed as they took a deep breath.

“That's okay, my love.” Wilbur gently ran his hands through their hair, brushing down the strands that had become unruly.

#wilbur soot x reader #wilbur x reader #mcyt insert

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mercurial-muses · 3 years

Text

Meeting of the Minds

Valdyss has nearly completed her first phase of research into ley lines and places of magical power in Drustvar. I realized last night that, since a lot of that has been happening in one-on-one RP or 'off screen' completely, there's no way my Autumnhearth guildies and those who RP with us would know that. I'm posting this scene with my writing partner's permission to catch everyone up a little. As a bonus, y'all get to meet Faye's younger sister, Asta.

- - - - -

Valdyss may have met one of the Ladies of Frostfall, but the second remained apparently rather elusive.

Where Faye spent a good deal of time in her workshop, Asta was across the hall in the keep’s study. The other Lady Callahan slowly opened the door and took a step outside. Not out of caution, but because she was distracted. Another book sat open in her hand as she gradually walked out from the study. ‘Rumination on the Elements and Nature,’ read the title. Yet another way to feed her curiosity about the ways of nature based magic.

Asta frowned slightly as she went over one particular passage, moving down the hall with the sort of practiced, subconscious ease one might expect from a regular resident. She was headed towards the kitchen apparently, with the unconscious desire for food.

At least she was going to try and eat unlike someone else in the keep.

The portal behind Valdyss blinked from existence with a quiet whoosh, plunging the spacious guest room into darkness. A snap of the mage’s fingers conjured a tiny flame that hovered between them for a few seconds before it grew into a fiery ball the size of a marble and moved to levitate over her palm. The illumination it provided did little more than push back the shadows immediately in front of her, but it was enough light to allow her to get to the door without taking a header over anything that might be in her path.

Val opened the door with her free hand and, standing in a rectangle of light cast into the room from the hallway, she shook her other hand to extinguish the fire it held. She waved away a wisp of smoke as she stepped into the hallway… and very nearly right into a woman passing by the room. “Oh!” she yelped, unconsciously bringing a hand up to cover her galloping heart. “Light, I’m sorry. I didn’t see you coming.”

Asta subconsciously moved away from the sudden figure, but the yelp drew her eyes away from her text towards the mage. They were a much darker blue than Faye’s and currently filled with both alarm and confusion.

She shut the book in her hand sharply, giving Valdyss a once over. “That’s…fine. Who are you?” With the small number of servants they had, it wasn’t hard to recognize this was not one of their friends. And she couldn’t recognize her from the village either.

Nerd that she was, Val’s attention was almost immediately drawn to the book in the woman’s hand. That, combined with a beauty that was so familiar by now, made all the pieces click. “Asta?” she said, brow raised.

“Valdyss Duskbane, but Val’s fine.” The mage made a critical study of the other woman and, noting the alarm in her eyes, remained alert for sudden movements or any other signs of a fight. “I come in peace, I swear just don’t…” The fingers of her left hand wiggled in the general direction of the floor as she held her right one out in a defensive position. “Don’t root me, or whatever.”

Valdyss would have to look up to meet the woman's gaze, as Asta stood easily over 6' tall. The recognition was confusing up until Val introduced herself.

The alarm dropped from faintly familiar features. Asta's entire posture relaxed with a small huff. "You're Valdyss?" The younger Callahan asked, looking the mage over in a new light. She pursed her lips for a moment before humming with a shrug. "Mmm, I think I get it."

Nonetheless she offered a hand out towards Val. "I am Asta, yes. My apologies for the suspicion. I didn't recognize you, nor did I know you'd be visiting us today. Usually Faye warns me so I don't barge in and make a fool of her. Well, more than she already is anyhow."

Val grinned up at Asta as she took the younger Callahan’s hand in a firm grip. “I am indeed Valdyss.” She withdrew her hand and instead gripped the strap of her pack and pulled it a little higher on her shoulder. “And I am also at fault for you not being warned of my arrival. Faye’s not expecting me yet.”

A faint blush began to rise in the mage’s cheeks as she continued on. “I finished up earlier than expected in Dalaran and, um...” She paused, cleared her throat.

“Well, I was wandering around to kill time and came across a vendor selling a spiced liquor that I thought would add a nice kick to the Crackle n’ Apple.” Val’s hands moved as she spoke and her expression grew animated in her explanation. “And then I found this roasted pork tenderloin and thought that along with some brie would pair really well with the apple and-” Her words tapered off into a chuckle. Val shrugged. “And I didn’t want to wait any longer to see her, okay?”

An amused expression very similar to the one her sister often got grew across Asta's face. She just waved the fluster off with an easy gesture before turning.

"Then by all means: I was headed towards the kitchen anyways. I can help you make the drink and you'll get to kick in Faye's workshop door to make her eat this time. Stag knows you'll probably be a lot more appealing than me getting to lecture her again." Asta snorts, starting to walk off.

"Do you honestly think Faye takes issue with you interrupting her?" Val called to Asta's back as sped to catch up to the retreating woman. She fell into pace at her side and looked up at her. "Asta, your sister adores you."

Asta lets out a soft scoff. "Oh no, I don't really. Well. Most of the time." She corrects with a pause. "The one time she spilled Shroom Bloom on herself was a... very interesting incident." Despite that, there's a hint of fiendish delight that crosses Asta's expressions for a moment. But then it's gone, and she's looking to Valdyss.

"But I adore my sister as well. And if you do too, you'll know I essentially have to intrude or she'd be in there for hours without a drop of water."

“I do,” Val replied without missing a beat. She hefted the pack hanging off her shoulders to emphasize her point. “It’s exactly why I ran around half of Dalaran putting together a meal before finally caving to my haste to get here. "Brought plenty for three, by the way,” she added with a smile.

Asta shot Valdyss a look when that little addition was made. “Trying to curry favor with food?” she quipped with a faint smirk. “My my, you may be as smart as Faye claims.”

“Not looking to curry favor as much as to take advantage of an opportunity to get to know you better.” Val had to jog for a few steps to catch up to Asta’s side again. These tall Callahan women and their long strides. “If it isn’t already, I believe it will become important to your sister that we meet and spend some time together. Light, at least I hope my read on things is correct in that regard.”

Asta finally made it to the kitchen with Val: a large space with a stone oven, some door inlaid with runes, a healthy fireplace, and many more stonework "appliances." Magic hung thick in the room as Asta went to open another door and begin pulling out what must have been supplies to make the Crack N' Apple.

"If she's as fond of you as I suspect, and this continues as it does, I suspect the same." Asta commented. "But that extends both ways, you know. I'd like to understand just who my sister is seeing."

Blue eyes shifted aside to look at Valdyss pointedly, framed by the shorter blonde hair on her head. There was no maliciousness to the statement: no threat. But she was observing the woman.

Valdyss had no control over the grin that transformed her previously tense features, and wouldn’t have tried to compose herself even if it was possible. Of all the emotions she could wear outwardly like a badge of honor, those she felt growing for Faye were among the most important.

“Well, to use a cliche I suspect you’ll appreciate, I am an open book.” As she spoke, Val unpacked the food and then bustled around the kitchen, gathering what she’d need to warm the tenderloin and then plate it up along with the cheese. "I don’t have a thing to hide, so ask away.”

"Well first- Oh here." Asta moved aside and got a large metal pan. She walked over to the fireplace and slid the pan into a niche made partway up the stony alcove. Reaching below, with a murmur, Asta ignited the rune carved there and a hearty fire sprung to life.

"There you are: and the plates are right over there." Asta pointed to a cabinet in question before returning to making her drink. "First: why were you in Dalaran? I was told you are doing some studies there? Something about ley lines I believe."

Valdyss muttered a quiet thanks as she crossed to the cabinet Asta had gestured to. She grabbed three plates and brought them back to the counter closest to where Asta was working. “I’ve been trying to locate areas of concentrated arcane energy here in Drustvar. My hope is to use those as pinpoints that can then be connected together to accurately map the network of main ley lines in this region.”

The mage peeked into the stone recess to check on the roast, smiling as she inhaled the pleasant scent of rosemary. “This trip wasn’t to research as much as it was to log my findings so far.” She shook her head. “The Kirin Tor doesn’t have nearly as much data about Drustvar as I imagined they would, and I intend to remedy that.” Val sighed. “The dark history of your homeland and the potential for that history to repeat itself is just too important to go unnoted.”

Asta, meanwhile, was busying herself with mixing their drinks. She was listening of course, judging from the eventual hum that left her as Valdyss finished speaking.

"Interesting. And what have you found so far? I have a sneaking suspicion a lot of the arcane points of power would likely also be tied towards important places for natural magic."

Val nodded. “What I'm seeing here in Drustvar is consistent with the relationship between ley lines and places of power all over the world. Sites that hold a concentration of arcane magic are either over a main ley line- a trunk, if you will -or where two or more smaller branches intersect.” Talking with her hands as always, the mage crossed her index fingers to illustrate that last point.

“As for natural energy being tied to sites of power in the same way arcane is, that makes complete sense to me.” She leaned one hip against the counter and watched Asta work for a moment before adding, “I can give you copies of the final map and my findings once I have it all pulled together, if you’d like.”

Asta glanced over to the mage as she spoke, and there was clear interest in her expression. Even more so when the offer of a map came into the picture.

"I would absolutely love a copy, if that were possible." She agreed, putting the whipped creme into each of the three glasses. "My knowledge of ley lines is not quite as advanced, but they are rather intriguing. It feels as though the notion of arcane magic isn't quite as talked about around here, despite the Lord Admiral's daughter being a particularly potent mage herself. Or perhaps even more so because of that, actually."

“Ah. We mainlanders with our strange Light and magic, eh?” Val replied, adding a wink for Asta.

The mage looked in on the roast again and, seeing it would likely be perfectly browned in a few minutes, she turned to the counter and unwrapped the round of brie she'd brought. “I’d be interested in visiting a few of the mapped sites with you.” Val centered the cheese on a plate and held her open hand a couple of inches over it, palm down.

“My theory is that you may feel a stronger pull of nature magic there, just as I will with the arcane.” As she spoke, a flickering red glow illuminated the space between her palm and the plate. The brie began to bubble and melt.

“Not to say they’re the same magic. I mean, they’re channeled in different ways, as far as I know,” Val continued. “But I believe that- in the most elemental sense -nature and arcane magic come from the same energy, so I think we’d prove that there are more similarities in the way that our people actually conjure and wield magic than there are differences.”

Asta was in the middle of sprinkling the cinnamon across the drinks when Val made her second offer.

Her hands paused in their work, hovering there for a moment in thought. She continued shortly after, but seemed ever so slightly distracted. It might be subtle enough for Valdyss to miss initially.

"It would be something, certainly, depending on the days you'd choose. I have not gotten the chance to read much into the interplay between the Arcane and Natural magics: most of mine have to do with the latter. Aren't you the Steward of Autumnhearth as well, yes?"

Val nodded. “I am...well, I will be.” She lifted her hand away from the now perfectly gooey round of brie. “I'm currently the Court Secretary and, as honored as I am to have the role, I’m not sure I would have accepted it if I had the impression that all of my time would have to be dedicated to that alone.”

As she spoke, the mage moved to the oven to remove the tenderloin. Once she’d set that down to cool, Valdyss swiped a hand across the rune carved low on the fireplace, cutting off the flame. “As it is, I’ll have the flexibility to choose days that are convenient for you.” She leveled a gaze at Asta, softened by a warm and genuine smile. “We both know your sister won’t need any convincing to cut you loose from here for a little while.”

And here, Asta stopped. She stared down at the three prepared drinks with an intensity they didn't deserve. It was a few seconds before she turned her attention towards Valdyss and smiled politely.

"Well," She finally said, picking up the drinks, "I suppose I'll just have to speak with her on the matter." And that was that. "Now, what can you tell me about your work in Autumnhearth? It seems to be quite the up and coming barony in Drustvar, which is good given everything that's happened."

Valdyss was tempted to push because she knew how much Faye adored Asta and desired more for her and- unexpectedly -because she already liked the younger Callahan enough herself to want to help. It wasn’t the mage’s place though, and Asta’s curt response and quick change of subject only drove that fact further home. ‘What do you know about family matters anyway?’ the mage silently mused to herself.

Taking the hint, Val found a cutting board and set to work slicing the meat as she spoke. “It’s my duty to represent and speak for Autumnhearth, in person or by correspondence, when the Hallewells aren’t available or have had to recuse themselves.” She shrugged. “I haven’t had to do much of anything yet, but I’m ready and honored to… and a bit nervous to, if I’m being honest.”

Valdyss grew quiet then, clearly lost in her own thoughts. The silence between her and Asta didn’t feel uncomfortable, not to her anyway, and she briefly wondered if it was the same for the other woman. She slid the precisely sliced tenderloin onto a plate and tilted it so there was a little space between each slice, allowing one to see beyond the golden seared surface to the pale meat in the center. Grabbing up the pan, she poured the juices- dotted with rosemary, pepper, and garlic -over the roast.

“Promise I’ll help clean up later,” Val said, eyes on the plates of meat and cheese as she picked them up. “But, for now, I think we’re ready to eat.”

tagging @merelliahallewell and @alexandriawilliams for brief mention of the Hallewells

#Valdyss #Asta #Autumnhearth

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moon-stars01 · 3 years

Text

Riches Or Ruins

S.Coups x Reader

Author:igotstarlight

Summary: Half a year for any relationship is tough, let alone if yours is a secret. A controversey arises between you and Seungcheol, how will your relationship play out?

Pairing:Seungcheol(Svt) x Reader

Gene:Angst,fluff,Little maturity

-Riches Or Ruins-

You paced around your apartment waiting to hear the reassuring jingle of keys unlocking the front door, time seeming to stand still. You’ve been waiting for over an hour for Seungcheol to arrive at your home since you last hung up on him. He kept sending messages, mostly sweet and worried texts, but you could tell he was getting angrier. You went to check the time once again when you heard the doorknob turn. You spun to face an upset Seungcheol, and it took all your power to contain your emotions.

“Why didn’t you answer my messages? I was worried something had happened to you!” He half shouted, realizing this is not the subject the both of you should be discussing at the moment. “Please don’t ignore me if I’m asking where you are. I get nervous, you know this.”

“Sorry, I didn’t think about it,” you answered coldly. You crossed your arms across your chest not knowing where to begin. So you started with food, “There’s dinner on the table. It’s probably cold by now, but I’m sure you know how to use a microwave.”

Seungcheol’s mouth fell open, unused to the tone in your voice. Defeatedly running his fingers through his hair and dropping his bag to the floor, he went towards the kitchen. You stood in the living room, the sounds of dishes clinking together pushing you closer to anger. Knowing that blowing up was just going to make you and the situation worse, you went to your office and started to work on choreography ideas for an upcoming comeback. The time seemed to pass slowly, as it usually did with work, but a glance at the clock told you an hour had passed.

A heavy sigh escaping your chest, you rose to face Seungcheol.

You found him sitting on the couch, face contorted in sadness and frustration, and writing in his journal he kept. Hearing your footsteps he looked up to you, his face filling with hope.

“Y/n, can we talk ab-“

“We’re going to be arguing Seungcheol. Talking is long overdue,” you cut him off, the anger in your voice surprising yourself. You and Seungcheol had been dating for half a year now, and it was going strong until this moment. Your friends reminded you that half a year was the point in relationships where they either broke or prospered. You were fearing for your relationship now. The other guys of Seventeen didn’t seem to think there were any issues or things to make you nervous or worry, but what actions took place at the release party last night told you otherwise.

“Do you think I’m stupid?” you ask, voice cold as ice.

“What? What are you even talking about? Of course I don’t think you’re stupid,” he pleaded, face contorted in confusion. He stood up quickly to get closer to you even though you shied away. “Can you please explain to me what is happening? I’m lost and getting seriously frustrated.”

“How was your release party last night? So much fun you didn’t even want to come home to me?” You knew you sounded clingy and possessive, but you also knew that he went home with someone other than you. He cringed at your accusation, but let you calm down for a minute.

“Y/n, I was a little drunk and the staff wanted me at the dorm with the others. It was a comeback album release party, not out clubbing all over Seoul. I don’t know what you’ve heard, but I didn’t do anything wrong. I went to the party, drank a bit too much, mingled, and went to the dorm with the rest of the guys,” He sighed heavily, trying to contain his emotions. “What did you hear?”

“I heard about Eun Ha, Seungcheol,” you stated. You saw recognition and, what seemed to be regret, flash across his expression. “I know you guys dated before you debuted, but I heard you went back to her hotel with her. I saw photos of you two getting very close. I only know what I heard and what pictures show me, obviously, but the guys haven’t even spoken to me much today. They’re usually raving about the parties or events I don’t go to. Just tell me the truth, Cheol,” your voice cracked in desperation for answers. Your heart felt like it would burst from your chest in anticipation of figuring out where your relationship was going.

He stepped away from you slightly, seeming to register everything you just told him. The only thing you could hear through the silence is the crashing sound of your heart beating in your chest as you waited. After processing what you’ve said, he just looked more frustrated- that gave you hope.

“Well, Eun Ha was at the party last night. She and I did talk for awhile and it was loud, and I’m sure someone snapped a picture of me talking into her ears once or twice. That isn’t a fair accusation, y/n. You know that I have to have that type of close vicinity at those parties; I do it to everyone.,” he stated, totally ignoring to address going back to her hotel room. You tried to focus on what he said rather on what he didn’t say, even if you were anxious.

“Okay, I understand that. That makes sense,” you sighed, feeling some of the weight lift from your heart. Maybe you both would be okay after all. Though you still wanted to know why people honed in on the two to begin with, the photos you saw were sent to you by a caring Seokmin and Seungkwan.

“Well, why weren’t there ever photos taken of us that close and posted online as a rumor of you dating?” you heart sped up again. You did see the article on a popular kpop insider website you followed for other group updates.

“We never acted flirty, babe. Our relationship is literally a secret from everyone except for the other Seventeen members. We were always so conscious about not seeming obvious or giving anyone at the company a hint that we’re an item. So whenever we talked like that at the parties, there was never any flirty body language from either of us. She was definitely flirting with me while we talked, but it was one sided. I swear to you on everything that’s important to me, sweetheart,” he had moved towards you and grabbed your hands while explaining the situation. He was being sincere and honest about that, you saw it in his brown eyes. He kissed you on the forehead and looked back into your eyes. “I promise nothing happened between Eun Ha and I.”

“Did you go back to her room with her?” you asked the blatantly ignored portion of the argument.

“What?” he was taken aback by your question, considering he just told you what happened at the party itself.

“Did you or did you not go to Eun Ha’s room last night after the party?” you choked out nervously, dropping his hands.

“Y/n, she was really drunk… I was worried she wouldn’t make it safely to her room-“

“So, you were in your ex-girlfriends hotel room, both of you drunk, and you want me to believe that nothing happened? Seungcheol, you were in love with her for the longest time, the only reason you broke up is cause of your training and debut. I watched that breakup destroy you, I helped you through that breakup. I can’t believe you think-“ he cut you off angrily.

“I walked her back to her room, she asked me in, I said yes. I gave her water and medicine, told her to go to sleep. We kissed, yes. We kissed a few times. Nothing else happened,” he quickly turned himself in. Your chest felt as if someone had punched the air out of you. You backed away from him, and turned to go to your room.

“You can see yourself out, thank you,” you said quietly. You didn’t want him to see you cry. Didn’t want him to know how badly he ruined all the trust you had built. How much it hurt to know that you worked so hard to hide your relationship from everyone, just to be caught wondering if there were other times this had happened. How many times you were left hanging, and alone, plans ruined because he was either way too busy or too tired. Were those lies too?

“Y/n! Please, can we talk about this. Please… She kissed me!”

“I’m sure she did, and I’m sure as hell you kissed her back too, or did your tongue just happen to fall into her throat?” you spat at him. You were livid now. You spun to face him. “I’m sure she initiated it, she had no idea you were in a relationship. No one could know! But any other kisses after the initial one are on you, Seungcheol! Drunk is not an excuse. Lonely is not an excuse when you fucking had me waiting at home for you! Did you stay with her?” you didn’t care what you sounded like, you wanted answers.

“No, I went to the dorm with the guys. You can call any of them and ask. Call whoever you had babysit me and tell them they aren’t getting paid cause they let me make one fucking mistake in 6 months. I didn’t kiss her back, my tongue was never in her throat. She was really drunk and kept throwing herself at me. I was afraid upsetting her or making her angry would turn her attitude around and make her violent or too upset to even function. There were three quick kisses. She did it once, I said don’t do that. The second I said, ‘Seriously, stop. I’m not interested.’ The third? Well, I said, ‘I’m in a loving relationship right now, and you’re not going to ruin this for me too.’ I left water on the nightstand and left the room and immediately went to Jeonghan. Call him or text him if you want proof,” Seungcheol’s anger faded. He just looked like a sad, beaten-down puppy. “I’ll head out now, I’m sorry I hurt you. That this situation happened. Just know I didn’t cheat on you, please believe that. I don’t give you the attention you deserve to begin with, how could I ever think of doing that to you?” With a final sigh, he grabbed his backpack and left the apartment.

You hoped he didn’t think you were over, that he knew you just needed time to process this all. You needed to call Jeonghan, you needed to calm down.

You grabbed your phone and dialed a reliable friend, Jeonghan. He picked up, thankfully, on the second ring.

“I was expecting a phone call this morning… Hey Y/n,” he said softly.

“Jeonghan, what happened last night? What did Seungcheol go to you about?” you asked quietly, trying not to cry until you knew exactly how to feel.

“Nothing happened, y/n. That’s the weird thing- Seungcheol was just being a nice guy, as he would for anyone, and she thought it was something different. She was really drunk, Y/n. Understand Eun Ha was viciously flirting with Seungcheol, probably for the paparazzi attention, and then when he offered to safely escort her to her room, she must have thought they were going to be something again. You know how he is in a relationship, how he treats his girlfriends, she wanted him back. No one knows about your relationship; Seungcheol was trying to tell her he wasn’t interested, she didn’t care until he told her he was in a relationship. When he came to me after the situation happened, he was in a complete panic,Y/n. He was hyperventilating, near tears, he never wants to hurt you. And remember, he didn’t hurt you, she just didn’t respect him. She’s the issue, not Seungcheol’s loyalty. He didn’t lie to me last night about the incident, I can promise you that,” Jeonghan relayed the information to you. He knew Seungcheol just as well as you did, and if he also could tell Cheol wasn’t lying than you really had nothing to fear.

“Jeonghan, he left my apartment. What if he thinks we’re actually over? What if he won’t let me come back after I blew up at him? He told me he knows he doesn’t always give me what I truly deserve, how he doesn’t always have time to spend with me as a couple rather than a work associate. That sometimes, I’m neglected in that aspect. What if he decides that he doesn’t want this due to that?” You confide in Jeonghan. You really loved that you had the other boys to support you and be there for you. You knew Seokmin and Seungkwan’s intentions with the photos weren’t aggressive or angsty, they were out of worry for you. To warn you what the media was most likely going to post. You had left out that they had defended Seungcheol when they sent the pictures, saying it was Eun Ha’s behavior that was flirty. You had a family here, people you could always rely on no matter what. And you silently thanked whatever heaven’s above for having the in your life.

“Really? You think Cheol automatically thinks it’s over?” Jeonghan asked sarcastically.

“No, but what if it ruins anything?”

“It’s not going to. The second you tell him to come over, he will be there in a second. The second you make up, he will hug you and say how sorry he is. He’s in love with you, Y/n. I know he’s never said it to you before, but we’ve asked him. He’s not walking away that easy, he’s just giving you space. Call him back, he’s probably hanging out in the area waiting to hear from you,” Jeonghan reassured you.

“Thank you Jeonghan, I love you. I’m so happy I have all you boys. I will see you at work tomorrow, be on time this time! Wake up two hours early!” You heard Jeonghan’s rounded laugh through the receiver and then said goodbyes and hung up. You went to your living room’s big window and just stared out of it. It was starting to get cooler; winter was on it’s way. Your heart was happy that maybe your relationship wasn’t doomed, you just had to apologize to Seungcheol. You stole a glance at the kitchen, noting how he had cleaned up everything and put it back where it all belonged, respecting your obsessive-compulsive ways. You dialed his cell phone number, hesitating to press call. Hesitating to find out if this was the end for your relationship.

“Yes, sweetheart?” Seungcheol said softly when he answered.

“Please, come home, Cheol,” your voice broke, tears were threatening to spill from your eyes.

“Open the door, y/n,” he softly instructed. You went to your front door, ear still to your phone as you opened it to a relieved Seungcheol. “Baby,” he whispered softly as you hung up the phone and wrapped your arms around his neck, making you go on your tippy toes.

“I’m so sorry for jumping to conclusions; for yelling. I’m so sorry,” you cried softly. He ran his fingers through your hair, softly consoling you with sweet nothings. He picked you up so you could wrap your legs around his waist and you could hug him more tightly.

“Don’t apologize. I understand what the situation looked like, I don’t blame you for feeling the way you did or for getting upset. I do regret and I’m really fucking sorry for hurting you by saying her and I kissed when it was a one sided thing. I was really angry and upset that you were so upset and not letting me speak. I didn’t anticipate you to assume the worst in me, and it hurt. I tried to get back at you, and it was fucked up. I’m so sorry, I will be better from now on. I will be better for you,” seungkwan confessed. Leaving light kisses on your lips and face as he spoke.

“I’m sorry I assumed the worst, I was hurt and panicked. I love you, Seungcheol. I’ll be better for you, too. I do trust you, I hope you know that. It was just, I was worried that we’ve been together for half a year already, and my friend this is the mark of either a relationship’s end or where it will prosper from. I had that in my head too, and it was a lot of factors. I’m sorry,” You kissed him softly. He returned the kiss with a little more vigor and emphasis.

“As long as you really don’t want to leave me, then I think we’re going to ‘Live long and Prosper’!”

“…Did you just use Star Trek to make up with me?” I asked incredulously.

“Maybe. Did it work?” to answer him, you kissed him roughly.

“Yep, it did. Will you stay with me Cheol?” You smile softly at him in your sincere question. In response to your question, he playfully squeezed your ass since his hands were already there to support your weight.

“Of course I will. You know it is our anniversary tomorrow… Wanna go celebrate early?” He winked at you, kissing you again. You lightly pulled at the hair that was tangled in your fingers.

“For the mature one in this relationship, you sure are dirty,” you smiled, your tone of voice getting flirty. “I guess we can celebrate before we even spend the day together or dinner,” you smile coyly, tugging his shirt to indicate to go to the bedroom.

“Oh, babe, don’t think we aren’t celebrating more than once. There will be a few more celebrations after dinner, too. Maybe even one during?” his voice husky at the suggestion, he still managed to laugh at your shocked expression. He closed your bedroom door behind him and laid you down on the bed, falling on top of you.

“I like multiple celebrations,” you laughed and kissed him.

“I love you,” he kissed you again, deepening it. He stopped his flirty demeanor, sitting up. His face turned serious,” Actually, I’m in love with you. And you need to know that, and know that everything I do, I do for us. For you. I’m not leaving our giving up on us that easy.”

“ I was wondering when you’d say that to me,” you jested lightly. “Choi Seungcheol, I’m in love with you too. I was a mess thinking this might be it for us, but I’m confident in us that we have a long future together,” you kissed him lightly, and started to tease at his mouth. “Now, can I have my first celebration of the night with you?”

He gave you a wicked smile, “You mean the first two celebrations, I’m greedy today.”

You both tumbled into the sheets, bodies becoming one in love.

#seventeen #stories #seventeen fanfic #seungcheol #choi seungcheol #scoups #seventeen scenarios #seventeen fluff #s.coups x reader #seungcheol x reader #seungcheol x you #s.coups x you #seungcheol scenarios #seungcheol seventeen #seungcheol drabble #seungcheol angst #seungcheol au #seungcheol fic

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throwmyheartawayagain · 4 years

Note

Write me something to make my heart and my brain feel better? 😁 pleeeeeeeease?!

Well, posting this didn’t go as planned.... so, trying again!

•●•●•●•●•●•●•

As soon as Bucky got the first of many Snaps from you during your break at work, he knew it was time to initiate Operation: Bar Brawl Cake Icing.

Truth is, the operation name sounds worse than what it really is. One night when Bucky couldn't sleep, he stumbled upon a name generator site and poked around. The next morning, he started naming his weapons. One of his guns became Commando's Titanium Fusil, a knife was Bloodlord's Ragespike Skeletal Carver, and Dr. Bonesnappear, Defender of the Thighs went to his Vibranium arm.

That same morning after Bucky found that website, he was almost done cleaning and polishing one of his guns before starting on one of his many knives at the kitchen counter. Sam walked in to ask if Bucky wanted to go for a run with him and Steve.

"Kind of busy here, Icarus."

"You can play with your toys later, Winter Weiner."

Bucky scoffed as he finished polishing the rifle. "Toys? You think Bloodlord's Ragespike Skeletal Carver is a toy?"

"Blood spike skeletal what?" Sam asked as you started laughing from the opposite side of the counter as you rolled dough for homemade cinnamon rolls.

Bucky looked at Sam, his eyes full of mirth. "Bloodlord's Ragespike Skeletal Carver," he said extra slowly, over enunciating each word.

That night you and Bucky stayed up playing with the name generator and laughing at the different names that were generated. When Bar Brawl Cake Icing came up on the generator, you laughed and couldn't fathom why someone would start a bar brawl over cake icing. Bucky tucked that name away in his brain for later. He loved the way you snorted while falling over with laughter as you explained what you had imagined happening in a bar brawl for cake icing.

Well, it was time he pulled that name out of the corner of his brain.

Bucky sent a few Snaps back, commenting on what was bothering you and wishing for the rest of your shift to go well. He ordered your favorite dish from that little Mexican place with the best burritos you've ever eaten a few blocks over, arranged to have a dozen of your favorite cupcakes ready to pick up, and called the florist over on Lexington. He knew that everything had to be timed perfectly. His goal was to make you forget about your horrible work day with the crazy overly emotionally attached gecko lady.

Another day of doing the work of a manager but not having the respect or pay of a manager.

Another day of asshole customers who think they are the only customer instead of everyone else that needed your help.

Another day of being run down, fighting off being sick from being overworked and overstressed, making sure that employees and customers are following CDC and WHO guidelines for Covid-19.

Another day of feeling like you are completely inadequate, that you don't matter in the grand scheme of life.

As soon as you would’ve opened the door to the apartment you share with Bucky at the Tower, he was going to remind you of how important you are to him. There's that saying, "To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world." You are Bucky's entire world, and he's going to remind you of that as often as he needs to.

Fifteen minutes to the top of the hour, Bucky knew you would be walking through the door in a matter of minutes. He had the table set with a beautiful bouquet of flowers of every kind in your favorite color, dinner was in the oven being kept warm until you were home, and there was a plate of cupcakes on the counter. He was ready.

He thought he was ready.

He was not ready.

He was worried.

By the time you finished your shift and closed the store for the night, it was almost midnight; nearly an hour past the time you were usually home.

Bucky was pacing the apartment. He knew you should have been home by now, but he also knew that your day was not going as well as it usually does. He kept checking his phone for any updates from you, but it remained silent. He wondered if he should go out to look for you; about a dozen different scenarios ran through his head about what might have happened. Were you kidnapped? Hit by a car? Slip between the rails in the subway and get run over by a train? Did someone rob you? Attack you? Had someone from HYDRA found you? Maybe your phone battery was drained. Your phone might have fallen in a puddle of water and refused to work. Did you find a stray animal that needed tending to? It's possible you witnessed a crime and had to report it. Perhaps you were just late getting home. It happens.

By the time Bucky decided what to do, the door to the apartment opened and there you stood, soaked to the bone.

"Baby?" Bucky asked as he slowly walked over to you. "Are you okay?"

Looking up from the floor, you crumpled at seeing Bucky’s look of concern and care. “I’m sorry,” you whispered as you felt the sting of tears forming in your eyes. “I’m so sorry, Buck.”

Opening his arms to you, he replied, “There is nothing for you to be sorry about.” You crashed into him, burying your face in his chest. “Nothing, baby.”

Bucky felt you shivering against him, reminding him that you were sopping wet from the rain. Bending slightly, he hooked an arm under your knees, cradled your neck in his other arm and picked you up. "Let’s get you warmed up."

During your lukewarm shower, Bucky washed you off and asked about your day. By the time you were done, you dried off, put on the most comfortable clothes you had; which were Bucky’s, fuzzy socks on your feet, and you were on the sofa sharing a blanket with Bucky and eating the dinner he picked up for you.

"Why are you so good to me, Barnes?" you asked between bites of your burrito.

"Because I love you and you are good to me."

"That’s it?"

Bucky chuckled. "C'mon, doll! Did ya think it was gonna be all flowery and pretty words? I don’t like using a lot of words to tell you how I feel. No need to use big fancy words when three simple ones are more powerful and do it best. I love you."

He was right. Why make three simple words more difficult? Do people use other words to hide behind instead of being straightforward and honest?

"I love you too."

By the time you finished dinner, it was nearly half past three in the morning. Bucky noticed you couldn't stop yawning. "Let’s go to bed," he said leaning over to kiss your temple, then urged you to get up. "C'mon, birthday girl."

"Birthday girl?! It's not my birthday until tomorrow!" You exclaimed looking down at your watch. Seeing that it was indeed your birthday, you threw your head back and groaned. "Well, my birthday wish is to go to bed and snuggle with you until we fall asleep. Then wake up for some birthday sex, eat those delicious looking cupcakes over there, and go back to bed to forget it's my birthday."

Bucky laughed. "Alright, birthday girl. Whatever you wish."

#i got an ask!#im sorry this is trash #happy birthday #hope you had a good one

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dndeviants · 5 years

Text

Rendezvous with Rictavio

Linda awakened early the next day. She felt well rested from sleeping on the large bed. She stretched... recalling the agreement to meet Rictavio at the Blue Water Inn.

She cursed herself for forgetting and getting caught up with Strahd. Linda walked over to the writing desk and searched for paper and a quill.

Having found the necessary things, she began to write in Thieves Cant, leaving a message for Aric and Jeeves:

I can answer a couple of the questions you asked me last night that I didn't know. I talked with the vampire and he enlightened me on what he knows. I am going to the inn to talk with Rictavio about some things. Please join me when you get this note. I will inform you what I know then.

-Linda

She threw on her coat and strapped her pack and weapons on. She folded the note up and slid it under the door to Aric’s room. She quickly left the house...

The morning air was cold, and the sky was cloudy. Mist gathered at her feet and caressed her cheek as she walked. She entered the Blue Water Inn and saw Rictavio...

Rictavio made a gesture and summoned an illusory rabbit, "It had a vicious streak a mile wide! And had big... sharp...pointy teeth!"

Linda rolled her eyes and looked around to the audience. It didn’t seem like the few Barovians there bought Rictavio’s story. She decided to spare them.

"Are you quite finished with your tall tale?” Linda asked, “I would like to have a word with you."

Rictavio snapped toward her voice, relief washing over his face as he saw her, "Alright. My room? Away from any eavesdroppers?"

Linda nodded and crossed her arms, "Sounds good to me."

Rictavio guided her up the stairs and led her to his room. Once they were inside, he closed the door and locked it. He turned to Linda and put his hands on his hips.

"What the hell?” He exclaimed, “Where were you? I thought you were coming back to the Inn? We had things to discuss!"

Linda held her hands up defensively, "Look things came up. I didn't intend to not keep my word."

He sighed in frustration, "Alright. So... what happened?"

Linda put her hands in her pockets, "Vasili invited us to dinner at his house."

"Wha-?" Rictavio blinked and threw his hands up in the air, utterly disbelieving, "And you went? You know who he really is!"

"Yes, we went and confronted him about what we know,” her tone was short, “He knows that we know, but it's fine. I convinced him to still be calm about everything.”

She sat on the bed, “Everyone is still going forward with the plan. He is going to be traveling with us.”

She looked at his stunned face, admitting, “And I have revealed my other profession to him. He knows that I am a hunter,” she locked eyes with him, “I am making a call: No Action. As long as his behavior continues on his current path, I have no reason to kill him. From what I can tell, he is actually trying to fix the things he has done against his people and working to better himself.”

She crossed her arms, “For me, that is good enough."

Rictavio took a moment to absorb everything that she told him. He sighed, not wanting to fight, "Okay. I guess that is good enough.”

He leaned against a desk, “So... That means... finding my uncle is going to be a bit tricky. He's not gonna know your call. And I'm not exactly trusting ‘Vasili’ to keep calm if we find him. Considering the history... but I guess we will just cross that bridge when we get to it."

Linda wondered if Rictavio’s uncle was a monster hunter as well. Rictavio slung his pack over his back. He turned to her, asking, "So... are we going to head out to travel? Help out Urwin, stretch the legs a bit?"

"That is the plan,” Linda affirmed, “Though, I am waiting on Aric and Jeeves to get here so that I can give them some information before we meet up with the others. Also, there are two traveling with us that should not be told that Vasili is Strahd. We would have problems and I want to keep them as allies."

Rictavio nodded his acknowledgement as they left the room and headed back downstairs.

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

Aric awakened, sensing movement in the house. He slipped out of bed, and saw a piece of folded parchment by his door. Curious, he went and unfolded it, reading a coded letter:

-Linda

Aric shook his friend, speaking Alzhedo, "Jeeves, wake up. Seems Linda spoke with Strahd."

Jeeves slowly rose from the bed, whispering, "Linda...? Ah. She figure out something? Do I need to stab someone?"

Jeeves groggily reached for his weapons.

Aric shook his head, "I don't think so, but who knows. She wants us to meet her at the inn. Apparently, she went to see Rictavio."

Jeeves nodded, half-asleep, "Good... it's too early for stabbing. I wonder what she needed to talk to the weird doppelganger about...” He stretched, “Eh, probably shady monster-hunting-monster business."

Aric waited for Jeeves to wake up fully, both of them equipping their gear. Jeeves nodded to Aric:

"Alright. I am ready. Let us depart, my lord."

They briskly walked down the stairs, passing by Mina, who was busy in the kitchen. They walked past Ruki as she walked down the street to head back to the manor.

Townsfolk were starting to walk the streets, and took down festival decorations. They arrived at Blue Water, and saw Rictavio standing and lecturing about the dangers of werebadgers, while Linda watched on with tired embarrassment.

“They can burrow twenty feet in a mere span of six seconds! And they have claws as sharp as steel! Teeth like knives! And they smell of rot!" Rictavio cried out. He pointed to a random audience member, "They can be beneath your very feet!"

Linda sighed.

Jeeves folded his arms and looked to Aric, still speaking in Alzhedo, "He's such a bad actor. He gets paid to do this?"

Aric shrugged, “I suppose...” though he honestly didn’t see how.

Linda saw the boys and waved them over, "Please be more entertaining than this joke."

Aric nodded to her, "That shouldn't be too difficult for us."

Jeeves jokingly pointed to Aric, "He's a better juggler than I am."

"Come sit, let us talk," Linda indicated the empty chairs.

Aric looked suspiciously around the Inn. He leaned over to Linda and whispered in Thieves Cant, "Can't be too careful...” he made a small gesture, “So what did you uncover about our friend?"

Jeeves folded his hands on top of the table, and leaned in attentively.

“He is the First Vampire,” Linda replied, “And that even though he is young comparatively, it means nothing because we are in the Shadowfell... and time moves at it's own pace here. Time is relative, so who knows how old he really is."

Linda grew serious, "This means that he can be older than any other recorded vampire and has powers beyond any that we already know...” She held out her hand, “Before, he could only walk in the day because of magic. He had an artifact that took on the damage from the sun.”

She paused, “Now, he doesn't need it for that and can use it during battle to negate damage dealt to him. He also can grow more powerful than he already is on his birthday... which is the seventeenth of this month... Three days."

Aric sat in stunned silence. He recognized the Shadowfell from his study of the cosmos and theology... He knew that the Shadowfell was a transitive plane of darkness, where monstrous creatures sprang forth from, and where evil was a primal element... But... he thought that there were no living beings in the Shadowfell. Anything that lived in the Shadowfell succumbed to madness after a few weeks, and were barely able to survive to tell about it... the fact that there was an entire country in the Shadowfell surprised, and disturbed him deeply.

"I didn't know anything living could survive the Shadowfell,” Aric admitted, “Though I suppose if people have been here for so long, we should be fine...” He tried to remain optimistic, “The mists that Ruki used to bring us here must be part of the Shadowfell as well then.”

He thought for a moment, “And Strahd is the First Vampire. That is unusual."

"Indeed,” Jeeves agreed, “There has to be something more to this... How is Mehmet involved? And those werewolves..."

Linda shrugged, "That I haven't figured out yet. Though, I have a hunch that everything is connected by some underlying force,” she paused, “Something is not right about this place."

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

Ruki stared through the crystal ball, searching for Strahd’s guests while he paced in the study of Vasili’s manor.

The vampire was fuming. Mina had spent the early hours of the morning preparing breakfast for his guests, only to have them leave... Their rudeness reflected badly on him, and even worse than that, she was just about ready to force feed him the food she had prepared.

Insufferable woman. Insufferable guests...

Ruki furrowed her brows in concentration, “My lord, please... I need to concentrate.”

Strahd forced himself to calm, “Apologies,” he leaned against the wall, folding his cloak around him.

Better. Ruki was able to pull an image of the three outsiders gathered around the table at Blue Water Inn... speaking that awful slang-

No... It has to be a language of some sort... A coded language... She focused her mystic energy to pry into their minds, allowing them to gift their knowledge of the language to her... but only temporarily.

She listened, and looked to Strahd, "They are in the inn, my lord, discussing your... history."

Strahd stood, on edge, "Indeed? I shall have to be wary of them...” He paused, “But I will not make any overt action yet. I need to get them to return... Mina is not happy about everyone abandoning her from breakfast... and I will be sick if I have to pretend to eat another damn apple dumpling!"

Ruki nodded and stood, “Do you wish me to fetch them, my lord?”

Strahd shook his head, “No. Stay here, and appease Mina for the time being. I will gather my guests back,” he walked over to the door of the study, grabbing his top hat off of a wall hook before exiting the room.

He donned the hat and his Vasili persona before exiting his house. He took a moment and examined the light in the sky... No sun. There hadn’t been any true sunlight since the last year.

Today it benefited him greatly. He took the time to transform into a tiny bat and cover greater distance in a shorter time. He flew over to the side of the Inn, and hid, making sure none could see him as he transformed back into Vasili.

He walked around to the front and opened the door, entering. He glanced and saw his three outsider guests gathered around, speaking in furtive tones...

He forced himself to remain calm as he observed them using a coded language to discuss him. He wasn’t naive enough to assume that they were using a coded language in a public space for his benefit...

He let the tiredness show on his face as he approached them, doing his best to remain civil. “Good morning...” he started, “May I ask why you are not joining us for breakfast? Mina is pitching a fit.”

Linda was genuinely surprised, "We just came to meet up with Rictavio,” She looked down guiltily, “I didn't know we were being made breakfast already..."

Strahd examined her reaction and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. Foreigners... Though he could hardly blame them for not knowing. He felt his anger at them drain... an odd feeling.

He explained, "It is the host's responsibility to provide for his guests. It would be bad mannered to not provide you with breakfast, since I allowed you to stay in my home...”

He also gave the selfish reason as well, “And if I have to... eat... another apple dumpling, I am going to be sick."

Linda stood, “Alright, alright. We’ll head back now...” She stood and called to Rictavio, “Let’s go.”

Rictavio bowed even though the applause from the patrons was sparse. “Thank you, thank you,” he acknowledged the three people who clapped, “Catch me next week! I will regale you with even more stories!”

He ignored the groaning, “Don’t be too excited. Ta-ta!”

Rictavio slung his pack over his shoulder and walked over to the group, “Where to?”

“My house,” Vasili replied, “and you better be hungry, or else my maid is threatening to quit."

Linda made a dismissive gesture, "Even if we aren't, we will pretend we are and eat."

"I could stand to eat. Jeeves?" Aric looked to his companion.

Jeeves’ stomach rumbled. He put a hand over it in a vain attempt to silence it. His face remained stoic, "I may be a little peckish."

"I like food,” Rictavio declared, “Complimentary? I don't have much spending money."

Vasili waved him down dismissively, "Yes, complementary. Now, let's hurry before she quits..."

The man turned and walked briskly out the door, his guests following him to the manor... the aroma of sweet apples and pastries greeted them long before they reached the front door.

When they entered, they found Mina lounging on the couch, Ruki sipping on tea, and Victor eating at the table. There was a place set for Ireena and Ismark, but it appeared that they had already eaten and left for Barovia village.

Victor sheepishly ate, "M-miss Mina... I'm... getting kind of full..."

Mina snapped, “Someone’s got to eat it!”

Ruki set down her tea, and looked to the outsiders in acknowledgement, “Ah they are back...” She shook her head at their rudeness, “My, my, you all have upset Lady Mina terribly.”

Mina scowled at them, “Oh, look who it is...”

"Our apologies Lady Mina,” Aric bowed his head in apology, “We didn't mean to offend, we just went to find Rictavio."

Mina acted as if she didn’t hear him correctly, “Wait... Rictavio? That no-good story teller?"

"Something smells wonderful!" Rictavio waltzed into the dining room. He sat next to Victor and began to stuff his face.

Ruki murmured in amusement so that only she could hear, “Ah yes, the doppelganger...”

Mina blinked at Rictavio, and then gave a questioning glance to Vasili.

Victor slowly raised a hand, “Miss Harper... can I...?”

"Yes, if you are done, you can leave. You did your part," Mina folded her arms, still feeling spurned.

Victor hopped out of the chair and made himself scarce. As he fell out, everyone else piled in, helping themselves to the food, and piling the goodies on their plates.

Mina eased a little bit and rose from the couch. She was no longer wearing a maid’s garb, but instead was dressed in full leather armor, with a crossbow at her side. Scratches, scuffs, and stitches in the leather made it clear to all gathered that she had been in combat before.

"Good. I hate making food that goes to waste. How is everything?" Mina asked.

Linda gave her the thumbs up while still eating.

Aric sat and stared at the food on his plate, untouched. He looked questioningly over to Jeeves.

Jeeves had gotten too carried away in eating, but then noticed Aric’s glance. He cleared his throat and wiped his face, “Ahem. The food is excellent. You may partake, my lord.”

Aric nodded and began to stuff his face, starting with the savory and finishing with the sweet.

Vasili walked over to Mina, lowering his voice, "Excuse them. They didn't know our customs. It is my fault for not explaining to them. They didn't mean to be rude."

Mina nodded and glanced to Vasili, "So... once they are done eating, I'm taking a vacation from maid work, and going along as a... bodyguard and tracker? Where are we going again?"

“We will be headed toward Krezk,” Vasili stated, “Probably making a detour to the Wizard of Wines, first. Which, I need to ask a few questions of my guests..."

Vasili folded his hands into his cloak as he approached the party, "On the way to Krezk, there are a few detours we can take.”

“We can take an off-road path, and pass Lake Baratok; or take the on-road path. The Wizard of the Wines is a little further away than Krezk, a little further south. Krezk is essentially straight on the road... Do we want to take the off-road path? Or the on-road path? And do you want to visit the Wizard of Wines before, or after going to Krezk?"

Linda set down her silverware, "I want to go to Krezk. So whichever path gets me there the quickest. I don't mind going off-road if it means it can be faster."

Aric nodded, slicing into some ham, "I agree, but personally I would like to see the lake, what do you think, Jeeves?"

Jeeves pondered, "I think I would like to see the lake. We've seen some of your towns and villages... but perhaps it would be nice to do a scenic route... stop by the lake for a bit. Relieve some stress of travel. None of us like being confined in a carriage all the time."

Linda nodded, "That's a good point."

"Very well,” Vasili noted, “We can go take the off-road path... which is quicker, but a little bit more dangerous for the common folk. Wolves and all... but we should be fine...”

Especially since the wolves answer to me, he mused. “We definitely have time to see the lake. Perhaps take a swim if you so fancied."

Mina’s face grew thoughtful, "Being in the woods would give me a chance to start seeing if I can help you track those werewolves. Everyone seems to report them in that area."

Victor raised a finger, "Ah... maybe I could practice magic... You are a mage, Lord Holtz? You could probably give me advice on a few of the spells in here..."

Vasili clasped his hands, "It's decided then. Ruki, let's pack up the carriage and head that way. Do you want to take Harald with us?"

Vasili turned, not waiting for a reply, "I'll leave it up to you. If he's not coming, be sure to leave the back door open for him to get out as he needs."

Ruki stood and whistled, “Come, Harald.”

Everyone loaded up the carriage, filing in and making sure everything they needed was with them.

The horse-less carriage started to ride with just a small gesture. Soon, they were out of Vallaki, riding along the Svalich Road.

Ruki pet Harald as he sat loyally by her feet. Strahd, still maintaining his Vasili disguise sat next to Ruki. Linda, feeling brave, sat next to him. Victor, Rictavio, and Mina sat together, while Aric and Jeeves sat in the back, not wanting to be near the big dog.

Linda looked out of her window as she rode, pulling back the small curtains. Pine trees, beautiful and ancient, shaded this quaint little path, and obscured the distant mountains. Wolves darted into the woods, pursuing an elk... a small rabbit hopped into its burrow near a small spring...

It’s peaceful, she thought. She could have more easily enjoyed this if she weren’t so worried about Timothy.

Ruki stared absentmindedly outside her window, before catching a glimpse of a small gray bird with a long, colorful tail. Vista-chiri... birds of the Vistani. Wherever there were vista-chiri, there were Vistani nearby... the same could be said vice versa.

Interesting, I didn’t think there were any camps this far out, Ruki thought to herself.

Aric fixed his eyes on Harald. He shook his head, That is definitely a wolf. I don’t know how Strahd managed to convince me otherwise. That is a wolf.

The carriage rolled to a stop after an hour. Vasili stood, opening the door for everyone. “You wanted to see Lake Baratok?“ he asked.

They left the black carriage. A vast, blue, glittering lake greeted them, even though the sky was cloudy. Magnificent pines and large rocks surrounded the lake... a small inlet held up a large tower... outside which was a colorful wagon.

Ruki felt drawn to the wagon. It looked like one of the Vistani’s. Without speaking, she walked with her staff in the direction of the wagon and the strange tower.

Linda noticed Ruki’s odd behavior and followed after her.

Not wanting to be left out, Aric and Jeeves followed her.

Rictavio walked out of the carriage, breathing in at the sight, “Wow, that is pretty- hey Linda where are you going?" He rushed after them.

Mina folded her arms and spoke to Vasili, "I'm going to see what I can figure out about this area."

Victor sat down on the beach and began to study his spellbook as Mina went opposite of everyone else.

Vasili narrowed his eyes at everyone heading toward the tower. He walked to the tower. He had not been there in many, many years.

Ruki looked at the wagon. It was definitely Vistani, but she didn’t recognize it as any clan... It was unusual for her people to go anywhere alone... So this was either an outcast, or a survivor...

Aric and Linda walked ahead, looking at the tower. They saw a door with an odd plaque, several markings that looked like people... and one symbol connecting them all. No lock or handle... this door appeared to open by magic.

Linda looked over to Strahd, who was lingering behind, "Hey, you know magic. Look at this."

Strahd maintained his Vasili persona. He blinked and looked at the door, "Ah... this must be Khazan's tower."

Strahd pointed up to the name above the door, just barely obscured from view. He explained, "He was a court mage for Strahd when he became ruler of this land. He helped design some of the magical defenses for Castle Ravenloft. This appears to be a unique sigil to open up the tower. I haven't been over here in some time... but I believe to open it you have to follow the pattern on the door in a sort of 'dance'. You have to do gestures in the right order... or else some kind of trap will go off."

Linda blinked and looked to all gathered. Herself, Jeeves, Aric, Ruki, Rictavio... She turned to the man, "Strahd... everyone in earshot knows who you are."

Strahd looked to Rictavio, frowning... Ah, yes. The little imbecile that tried to out me. How fortunate for him that my guests have remained amiable to me...

"Don't feel bad,” Rictavio smirked, “If it wasn't for that book, I'd never know. We are both bad actors."

Strahd bristled at the insult, but stayed quiet.

Rictavio looked to the sigil, "So... which one is the right pattern of gestures? Left path? Or right path?"

Strahd shoved away his annoyance and examined the sigil. He remembered coming here some time ago, while Khazan still lived... He should have remembered the sequence- the old fool drilled it into his head over and over again just so he could have lessons in magic... Blast my memory... Strahd grumbled, embarrassed, "I... don't remember."

Linda crossed her arms. If Strahd didn’t remember the sequence... "What happens if we get it wrong?"

Strahd paused, "Well, when we designed traps, it was meant to scare away intruders, and become increasingly lethal the closer you got to important areas...” he shrugged, “So I think if you get it wrong the first time... it should just be a warning."

Linda blinked at his nonchalant manner, "But it could be lethal if this is considered close to something important?!"

Strahd waved his hand dismissively, "I doubt it. Khazan was more vain than I am. He'd enjoy the build up and drama."

Linda sighed and looked to the sigil, “Here goes nothing,” she shrugged and started following the sequence from the right...

Electricity crackled in the air. Linda looked to Strahd, confused.

Strahd’s eyes widened, “Cover!”

Shit! Wrong start... Linda fumed and grabbed her hat, dodging lightning strikes, “Non-lethal my ass!”

Strahd grabbed Ruki and pulled her out of the way of one of the strikes, moving closer to the tower for cover. Aric bolted for cover-

Jeeves and Rictavio weren’t fast enough. Lightning glanced Jeeves, but Rictavio was hit directly by a strike.

Rictavio’s skin crawled, shifting from tan to blue, dropping the half-elf form, then turning back to the half-elf persona. He fell to his knees, voice wavering,"Wh-what the hell was that?"

Strahd slowly let go of Ruki, his voice low, "That was a warning."

Linda was aghast, "Shit, if that was the warning, what the hell is lethal?!"

Strahd closed his eyes, and furrowed his brow, trying to pull information from the recesses of his memory, “A blue... Something about a blue... Creature? Nine hells, I can’t remember...”

Aric groaned as he stood, "Linda must have chosen the wrong path. I guess we need to start from the left."

"Alright, left it is," Linda braced herself, performing the dance...

The sigil rotated, the door slid back, and lifted from the floor. Ruki peered into the room. Four clay golems stood still. Crates were strewn about...

Ruki felt something pull at her... Was it the missing Vistana? She moved in, stating, “We might need to be even more cautious moving forward.”

Linda affirmed and put her hand on her gun before walking in. Aric and Jeeves decided to sneak in, clinging to the shadows...

Strahd waited a moment for his natural regeneration to heal his wounds, putting a hand on his sword before entering the tower.

Rictavio stumbled in, still shaken from being struck. Strahd held out his hand to catch him. It would do no good for his clumsiness to set off any traps-

No sooner than Rictavio was fully in the tower, the door slammed shut behind him, cutting off the light from outside.

“Great, now I can’t see shit...“ Linda grumbled.

“I don’t like this...“ Strahd growled. Something gnawed at him... He felt closed off... drained...

Magic...

The small shwithp! of a blade being unsheathed drew everyone to attention, looking for the source of the threat in a dark room. A woman’s voice hissed in the darkness. Ruki recognized the accent of her people in her voice... this was the missing Vistana.

“Why have you come here? Delivering the Devil on our doorsteps!”

A torch lit, revealing the woman speaking. She was tall and tawny skinned, with thick black locks falling out from a red headscarf. She stood tall, sword in one hand, and a torch in the other. She looked to Strahd, “You have Richard... have you taken him hostage? Answer me, before I douse this room in a holy fire, Vampire!"

#story update #curse of strahd #writing #linda tacklemeyer #aric rein #ruki von holtz #D&D

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boogiewrites · 6 years

Text

Choking On Sapphires 41

Title & Song: No One Knows

Characters: Alfie Solomons x Genevieve (OFC)

Word Count: 3300+

Summary: Genevieve let’s her guard down and has to face the consequences.

Warnings/Tags: Language. Sexual themes. Touch of angst.

**Chapter song is No One Knows by Queens of the Stone Age.**

Positive feedback is MUCH appreciated! Reblogs, likes, asks and comments feed me to write more! Let me know if you’d like tagged in my work.

My Masterlist. (Includes Parts 1-40)

"It's Friday night, luv, why ya still worryin' away over 'at?" his voice breaks your concentration as you blink up at him, head tilted in inquiry, feet paced heavy across the floor of your office to you.

You're sitting on your desk, still in your dress from work. Your ankles crossed and your hands holding a stack of papers. You push your small gold circular glass up your nose and as your concentration breaks you let out a yawn.

"Look at ya, already tired. You've been workin' too hard today, Genevieve." Your eyes meet his as he stands close to you, chin lowering to emphasize his point. "You's gone before I left this morning and now you're still buried in ya papers?"

"You do it all the time." you give him a small smirk, followed by a soft sigh.

"I was dealing with my businesses today. Had to get an early start if I wanted to visit everyone and be able to get these finished." you shake the papers in your hand.

"What are they luv? If ya don't mind me askin'."

"No, darling, it's perfectly fine." you shake your head, handing them to him casually.

He looks them over, nose twitching as he grunts and nods, fingers flipping through the stack.

"All these are dated today." he observes out loud.

"It's what I've been doing all day. They're why I sent those papers with you to give Tommy." He grunts and his lips purse at the mention of his name. "Alfie, I told you we spoke on it and come to and underst-"He raises his hand to stop you.

"I know, luv." he says coldly. He was still sore about their argument and you didn't blame him.

You sigh. You continue your explanation. "I wanted them given to the lawyer he uses to make sure everything was binding and correct."

"What ya usin' his lawyer for? I know plenty of good ones." he says defensively, his eyes still on the papers.

"I've used him for years, he's a very decent man. For a lawyer anyway. Very shrewd and sharp. He's also Jewish." you shrug as if it might ease his mind on the subject.

"Mmm." he grunts in response.

"I wanted my agreements on paper with the employees. I thought if I'm going to go down this path I needed my affairs in order and legal and documented instead of being based on handshakes and good faith."

"And what path would that be, luv?" his eyes finally move back up to yours.

You let out a heavy sigh and smile at him, it catches him off guard and softens his expression. "The path to being a proper gangster." you say without hesitation for the use of the word for the first time. A smile grows slowly across his face, you mirror it as he sets the papers down on the desk.

"So these are contracts, yeah?" he says with a smug nod.

"Citing I own and operate and have the power to do what I please with the business whenever I see it fit." the fact that you were holding his stare, the sly smile and way your eyes narrowed just slightly as he approached you made his lust for you rise. He did love it when you took control of things and saw your own promise in being a ruling force in the city.

"And how did they take to that?" he says quietly, slowly, moving his hands to your knees, pushing them apart and standing between them. He loomed over you, his powerful aura starting to mix with yours and you feel your pulse quicken.

"Some signed with a smile." you give him a little shake of your chin. "Others took a bit more...coercing." your nose wrinkles slightly, eyes still steady and strong against his.

The insinuation of you having spilled blood and threats to get the pristine papers that had held your attention all night makes a deep sigh build in his chest, giving him the oxygen his body needed to pump his blood to places other than his brain, as that's what the thought did to him. "And did they all say yes at the end of the day Genevieve?" he leans in close, a hand trailing up your arm to the side of your face. His intentions fully clear.

To say him being so aroused by your actions did the same to you would be an understatement. A man who relished in your brutality and wit, welcomed it, nurtured its actions made your tongue dart out from between your lips, your eyes falling to his, set in an attractive smirk.

"Every last one of them." you whisper, tilting your head to show just how welcome his advances were.

His deep groan starts before his lips connect with yours harshly, continuing on as he held your face tightly, vibrating your mouth and feeling it into your chest. You return his passion in full, hands slipping under his suspenders as his nails rake up your thighs, pulling up your skirt. -------- "'Ello Aggie love!" Arthur booms, hugging the woman who was wearing a rather surprised look on her face.

"Uh...hello boys! Were we expecting you?" her head shakes just slightly.

"No, but you try telling Arthur we aren't going to stop by and see Genny when we're already in London." Tommy says, giving his coat to a maid.

"I 'aven't...WE 'aven't got to spend a good night with her in ages, Tom. 'Course I wanna stop and see her." he defends himself, hands in his pockets as John puts his toothpick back in his mouth after taking off his coat.

"She does feed us and drink us well if nothing else. Although she's always got good stories...can't blame him Tom." he shakes his head at his older brother, lips in a thin line, eyes unamused as usual.

"Didn't say I blamed him." he says cooly, hands moving to his pockets.

"She's in her office last I checked. Had her nose buried in paperwork all day, poor dear." she says sweetly. "I'll set up tea and have Viktor heat up tonight's dinner. She didn't even come out to eat." she muses to herself, already walking away and to the kitchen.

Arthur is excitedly leading the way behind his brother's to your study, knees high and elbows out, excited to spend time with one of his best friends. He waits for the other's to catch up, wanting to surprise you by all three of them entering at once, just knowing your face would light up at their appearance. He wanted to surprise you...and boy does he. It all happens so quickly. The seconds that pass feel like hours when it's over.

"GENNY LOVE WE-" he makes a snorting, choking sound as both doors swing wide open, his arms out and proud in an announcement of their presence. "WHAT THE FUCKIN' HELL?!" he shouts out in that deep gruff tone of his.

"Ayyyy!" John yells, his clapping together immediately and laughing at the sigh of Alfie fucking you on your desk.

"Oh fuck." Tommy grumbles, hand covering his face, but not before everyone gets an eye full of Alfie with his trousers around his knees, balls deep in you, face buried in your neck, your head thrown back before it snaps forward and with saucer-sized eyes that meet Arthurs you let out a high pitched yelp as your hand slaps over your mouth in embarrassment. And Alfie...bless him and his confidence, keeps pumping into you despite a laugh growing in his chest, as he can only imagine the look on the boy's faces.

You and Arthur are frozen, both stunned beyond words. "ARTHUR!" Alfie shouts out, turning his head slightly to the side, even though he can't meet Arthur's face and stay inside you. "Shalom!" he shouts and you can't help but snort out a laugh, slapping Alfie's chest and burying your face in his neck to hide your blush.

"Fuck's sake." you hear Tommy growl, slamming the door shut after he pulls his brother back into the hallway.

"Yeah, get 'em Genny!" you hear John shout before the door shut with a bang.

Alfie's stopped, the smuggest look on his face you've ever seen. In the moment, before the consequences sink in, you both burst into laughter together.

"Oh my fucking God." you choke out in between belly laughs. Alfie pulls out of you, shoulders shaking in amusement still as he puts himself away. You stand and pull your skirt down. "Have they never heard of a fucking telephone?" you say exasperated, taking a deep breath.

"Came for dinner and got a fuckin' show, they did." you give him a closed lip smile that tells him to stop in a playful way.

"Fuck me, now I have to go do damage control." you roll your eyes and sigh. Thankful it was just the brothers and this should all turn out fine. Anyone else and you would've had a real problem. Although you weren't at fault, you didn't feel shamed or guilty at your actions, you'd never wanted the brothers to see you in such a way, but it's not like they didn't know you weren't a woman or were in denial that you were some virginal girl. "Poor Arthur..." you say, with wide eyes, holding back a laugh.

"Eh, the lad'll be fine. But I reckon he hates me more than he did to begin with right now." he smirks. "I'm proper glad Tommy saw though." his brow furrows in a masculine, prowling sort of way. "Let him know where I fuckin' stand." his head shakes as he says the words with malice. He was relieved in a way that Tommy knew about you two now, now he'd know not to mess with either of you.

"I doubt Tommy cares about us sleeping together at all." you shrug, your face losing the laughter it'd held a few moments ago. He sees your lips twitch in thought. "I mean, I don't think any of them will ultimately care but Tommy's so far up his own arse sometimes he forgets there's anyone but himself around." you roll your eyes and sigh.

"You alright handlin' this, luv?" his tone much sweeter than it had been. "I dinnit think you'd want me goin' wif ya. Seein' as they're your boys 'n all."

"No, it's fine. I should go alone. Just a bit of a damper on the evening momentarily." your eye bat at him. "I was having a proper good time." you give a coy smile, triggering that charismatic grin of his you loved to make an appearance. "I'll give you an update when the smoke has cleared, darling" you lean to plant a kiss on his lips, giving him a small nod as you make your way to the lounge in the guest wing, you're guessing they'd be there.

Your feet feel heavy as you make your way slowly across the sprawl of your estate, fingers rubbing your temples to ease the tension of dealing with this. You hoped they were in a good mood so this didn't end poorly. They certainly seemed to be in a good mood until they'd laid eyes on you and Alfie.

You shut the door behind you and keep your eyes on the ground for a moment, getting a feel for the mood. The air was tense but not angry so you raise your eyes to look the men over.

John is chewing his toothpick with a smirk on his face, totally at ease, sat back in a chair with his legs crossed, he gives you an eyebrow wiggle and you give him a little smirk in response.

Tommy is sat forward on a couch, opposite end that Arthur sits, elbows on his knees, hands clasped together, giving you a look that was mostly indifferent, and partly telling you he'd known this was going on already.

And Arthur. Poor Arthur. He wrung his hands together, brow furrowed but eyes not angry in the least, eyes steady on the fire, not wanting to speak first.

"There are these inventions called telephones you know? Right?" you say with raised eyebrows, easing the tension and letting them know they should've at least fucking knocked. Tommy smirks at your response.

"I'm sorry Genny, sweetheart. Aggie just told me where ya was 'n I was excited to see ya and I just barreled on in there and didn't fuckin' think. Just like me innit?" his eyes are wide and a little bit sad.

"I assumed as much, dear. I'm not mad at you, don't worry." you see him let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"Solomons, eh?" Tommy sits back on the couch, lighting a cigarette. "Knew he was here to lay low but that apparently was not the entire truth, was it?" he plays coy for the sake of the other two men.

"It was the whole truth at the time." you say defensively.

"Of all the men in London I wouldn't have put my money on Solomons to be the one to get ya." John says.

"Get me?" your face frowns. "There's nothing to GET. We're two adults who have sex from time to time. I know you've had plenty of women you've had similar relationships with." you remind him with a nonthreatening glare.

"Is he good to ya, Genny?" Arthur asks with such sincerity you want to almost laugh at the holy fool. You were concerned about things far beyond Arthur's feelings but you were touched that he was considering yours.

"He's been very good to me." you give him a sweet smile and your response seems to calm him. "I will explain my actions just this once." you raise a pointed finger to emphasize your point. "And only because I feel like I owe you something for putting you through what you had to see." you sigh and cross your arms over your chest. "I'd not had anything to do with anyone since moving so I could make sure that I didn't give anyone any fuel for words being spoken of me that had anything to do with anything that wasn't business. So, as I'm sure you can relate, I found myself with needs unfulfilled and just so happens he also has the same needs and seeing as we already cohabitate it made sense to use the ease of spending time together to our advantage." your tone is indifferent and delivers the facts straight. "I expect this information, along with my relations with Alfie to remain unspoken and preferably never thought of again from all of you." your tone moves to scolding, fingers being wagged at each man, meeting their eyes and making sure they understood. "I don't want or need people in my personal business and this is something I want no one else to know about." you lower your hand and purse your lips.

"Of course not, Genny." Arthur agrees with a shake of his head, his eyes still a bit sad. You look over to John for confirmation.

"Ah, who 'ave I got to tell?" he says with a wink, that was as close to a yes as you'd get from with without coming down hard on him so you accept it. You swing your eyes to Tommy and nods obviously.

"I already knew so why start telling people now?" he does his smug smile and you roll your eyes in response.

"Well then that's settled." you brush your hands over your skirt as if to show you're moving forward with the conversation. "I'm going to go let Alfie know that you all decided to be mature about something for once." you say with a grin and move to the door. They each take the hint and stand. "You boys still want to stay? You'd be in a room besides the blue, Tommy, Alfie's got that one."

"Don't be silly Gen, it'd take more than the sight of Alfie's lily white ass to run us off." Tommy stands next to you, looking down at you but not bringing any negativity with him.

As you show them out of the room you hold Tommy by the arm as he shifts to walk away from you. You stop him after the others are out in the hallway. You speak in a much more serious tone, not wanting to alert the others, but wanting to make sure Tommy knew that you were still worried despite their verbal agreements not to tell anyone. "Knowing what you do about my father, you understand why I can't have any word of a romance between me and Alfie, correct?" your eyes are wide, brows high and voice quiet but cutting.

"Romance, eh?" he quirks an eyebrow at you and you glare at him.

"Not the time to argue over details." you hiss.

Tommy straightens his shirt with his fingers, correcting his posture and resting his hand on his chest. "Of course, Genevieve. I understand and I'll be sure they understand as well." his voice is quiet to match yours.

"Thank you Tommy. I'm already on his radar, word's getting around and I'm sure something will come of it sooner than later." you let out a ragged sigh. "I'm just trying to prolong the thin veiled, so-called "peace" that we have right now." you roll your eyes, mouth set in a frown, arms crossed again.

"If you need me for anything..." you both exchange a curt nod. "I hated him from the moment I met him at my wedding. I know what a fucking prick that man is, no need to carry the weight of all his sins on you when someone's offering to help you carry them, eh?" his face leans closer to yours, making sure you knew he was serious.

"I will. I've only heard a low rumbling of rumors thus far. But I'm sure every time I go out in public with him he knows about it at this point. And despite the fake name, I'm sure he's got wind I'm meddling with gangsters."

"The police are on your payroll correct?"

"Yes but...he's got more pull than I do."

"He's only a title now. You're underestimating how much people hate your father beside you I think." his eyebrows quirk slightly.

"I don't know anyone who likes the man except those that lick his boots to save their hides."

"And even then it's false fondness. You've made a name for yourself, and luckily for you, that name is said with good feeling by most and with fear from the rest." he tries to be comforting, and he is.

When it came to your father he was pretty much the only thing you feared. He was a Duke, as titled. An empty title but it was there nonetheless. You had tried since you were 17 to stay out of his line of sight. Perhaps it was time you tried to stand back in the light. You might have more money than he did at this point, everything grand about him had always been a lie, a front to hide his misery and debts and shortcomings as a human being. Only marrying your mother to save face by taking her family's money and the power of their name for himself through malicious blackmail. The thought still sent an ice cold chill up your spine. He had certainly beaten the fear of him into you, hadn't he? You feel ashamed of it for a moment, then you're reminded it's not your fault he was an abusive scum sucking parasite, living off of a title he didn't earn. How sweet would it be to have his least favorite child, his failure, and a woman above all else stand up to him? The thought sat deliciously in your mouth as you savored what that might feel like.

Pt 42 Dreams (NSFW)

@fangirlfreakingout @jaegeeeeer @cosettewinchester@lookuptheskyisfalling-blog @brianaisasongbird @cry5t4l-w4rri0r@iliveonchocolateandnetflix @jess2464 @hardygal69 @thegarrisonpublichouse @a-flock-of-angry-pigeons @pootle @negansdirtygirl22 @musingsby-night @wtf-is-wrong-with-this @shine-dont-shadow @inkinterrupted @vale0413 @lafayettes-baguettes-1 @sxlomons @aphnxrising

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#ChokingOnSapphires #Alfie Solomons #Peaky Blinders #Alfie Solomons fan fiction #alfie solomons fic #alfie solomons fanfic #alfie solomons fan fic #alfie solomons x reader #alfie solomons x ofc #tom hardy #peaky blinders au #Alfie Solomons AU #peaky blinders fan fiction #peaky blinders fanfic #Peaky Blinders fan fic #peaky blinders fic #tommy shelby #arthur shelby

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jvmiecommon · 5 years

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Valentines 4/4

I lie on the quilted duvet, the kind I’ve cocooned myself in at my nanny’s home since I was a child, and watch the iridescent drapes flutter beside the open window. I rub the pillowcase between my thumb and index finger, a technique for self-soothing my mother accidentally taught me through a story once.

The guest house I conscientiously rented for our weekend getaway now pronounces a lacking I ignored in our interactions. The framed love notes seem cheesy, the comfort I expected to feel from the hearth of the fire and the chill of the February air feels empty. I’ve been lying on the single bed in the loft for about a half hour, another quirky aspect of the rental I thought we’d laugh at. Pushing the single mattresses together like a childhood sleepover, making sleeping together feel new again. Instead, I curl up and pick leftover mascara from my lashes and try not to think about the dishes.

We’d only been awake shy of an hour when he brought up the dishes. I think he meant to find solace, expecting me to comfort him in his feeling of defeat over his position on our family. Last week, I started a new job. A good job I’d been longing for since before we had her, one with benefits and interesting clients and environment where I finally felt my age again. Leading up to my first day, I’d ravaged every room in our house with Lysol wipes and strong cleaners, trying to prepare my home for the battle it would face at the mercy my toddler and her father with almost less understanding of what it takes to run a household. On the third day I removed everything from the kitchen cupboards, a task I hadn’t undertaken since before she was born, and spent an entire day rearranging pots and pans with a label maker as if I had nothing better to do with my freedom.

We’d discussed rearranging the kitchen for weeks, him constantly theorizing on ways to make it more convenient without ever actually considering who spent their time cooking there. Then, on a whim of what he believed compromise and what I saw as concession, he decidedly exchanged the items in one cupboard for the next. Beaming with pride at the accomplishment, he was devastated to learn that his “help” had caused more hazard and that I would subsequently take on the kitchen as a whole the following week. He was shocked at my lack of gratitude, my blank stare as I explained that cleaning spaces and moving things were different tasks, that the baskets got stuck in the smaller drawers and that doing things without foresight and intention was worse then doing nothing at all. He shrunk quietly into himself, writing narratives in his head about how unreachable my expectations were and how impossibly irrational I must be. I tried to tell myself I was not parenting my partner, that I had not become my mother, that this man did not tell others he lived in fear of my wrath - yet was never fearful enough to listen.

I can still hear him downstairs, the breakfast I left on the coffee table likely sitting chilled while he rattles his own dishes full of warm eggs and cooked greens, a recipe I carefully planned knowing his dislike for carbs in the morning. I cannot quite discern the difference between the fire crackling and the dishes, but I know that he’s not stewing as I am, and this makes me sink even deeper into the mattress. I begin to regret running upstairs in tears, making my point seem melodramatic and less important. I also regret leaving my book on the table, my laptop on the island. I stare in the mirror propped against the far wall and wonder how long I’ll choose to be angry for. Retreating was a statement, returning would be a concession; and after four years of acceptance, of alcoholism and poor judgement and mismanagement and absolute disrespect; I wonder if I’ll ever go downstairs again.

After a week at my new job, I returned home to find a week’s worth of dishes in the sink, and a toddler unfed, unwashed, with toys strewn around her like a small city. She, the mayor of tiny humans and tinier things carefully picks up each item, studies its merits, and lobs it towards the floor with a crash so loud I wonder how he never notices the carnage. I search for the dinners I’ve left in the fridge; then chase after the girl I love more than anything in hopes to see fifteen minutes of her before the sleep settles into her eyes. I feed her dinner, him too, then send them up to bed while I clean up the volcano that is her toy basket and load the dishwasher.

I do this begrudgingly…

In part because I’ve awoken an extra hour early all week to set out their lunches and prepare their breakfasts.

In part because I’ve spent two hours walking and on streetcars and on trains to be back here.

In part because I’m giving up those two hours with my daughter only to come home and clean up after them as if I’d been their all day anyways.

I say nothing.

The shower turns on downstairs, and I slyly sneak down to find my laptop and the book I bought weeks ago in a small bookstore I’ve always known about and rarely been to. I sit on the bed and read, and pace, and listen to the hum of water running. I picture asking him to leave, to let this vacation become personal solace yet remember I’d have no way home. I picture leaving myself, but remember the three hundred dollars I charged to an already exceedingly high credit card in order to give us some time to find ourselves again. To feel good alone again, to not spend a retrospectively cheesy valentine’s day weekend fighting over the dishes again.

As I arrive home the next night to an unfed, unwashed toddler, he bulges his eyes and turns his back not before holding his finger up to tell me “one minute” as I ask if anyone has eaten yet. I go to warm the chicken fingers I told myself I would never buy my child and as I open the cupboard, I realize that all the dishes I’d meticulously organized have been piled so high into one cupboard they’re awaiting their place as confetti on the floor. I squeeze my eyes shut and fight every nerve that tells me to rip the dishes from the shelf and cause the catastrophe he’s asking for. I explained this. I cleaned and organized, rearranged and explained. I did all of this so that he wouldn’t be so overwhelmed with the responsibility of waking and feeding his child. I conceded to his irrational needs for unqualified order and the constant rearranging of a two-hour time block to increase his productivity, or personal mindfulness or whatever other issue he’d decided on that week. I did everything I felt in my power to help him find the dishes and keep them clean, and instead, they’ll smash to the floor on a whim of broken rage.

He blames the dishes on his unwillingness to cook.

To clean.

To contribute.

He blames my need for order, not his, for his devastation, blames my expectations for his defeat and distain. He tells me I should’ve been more grateful for his initial efforts, and that an apology should be enough. Even now, I feel crazy for being so angry. For the contractions in my stomach and the stinging in my eyes and the batshit anger bordering on absolutely losing my mind over bowls and plates. I remember a self help book about women who snap and consider what would happen if I went to jail for killing the man who couldn’t remember how to put away the dishes correctly, picturing the headlines as I go.

I stare at the broken cabinet doors and the spray painted chandelier and the brick wall that looked original in the photos but fake up close and realize that two days of quiet wouldn’t have made it better, even if I hadn’t stormed upstairs in a fury over the dishes two weeks and twenty minutes away. We will go home, and they will still be there. In fact, I’ll move them to their rightful home and the next time I open the cupboard, they’ll be gone again. They’ll have moved and he will say sorry and roll his eyes and we’ll fight again on our next vacation I plan praying our relationship will find it’s way again. The dishes will move but I’ll still be here, no matter how many times I try to leave and find my place. I’ll always end up back where he puts me.

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glorifiedgpjfic · 6 years

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Glorified G- Chapter 30

“I love him!” Jo shouted sitting bolt upright in bed, a smile crept onto her face and she turned over to face Eddie to tell him about her revelation only to realise that she was sleeping alone, the smile faded as she looked at her alarm clock- it was time to get up anyway. After getting showered and dressed Jo threw on her usual monochrome work clothes, she left her hair down and didn’t bother putting any makeup on- normally as she put on her boots Eddie would hand her some toast of some sort of food, Jo let out a sigh at how much she’d fucked up.

Jo drove straight to the hospital to see Jonny who should now be awake and ready to talk. Jo marched up three flights of stairs until she reached the ICU where she found Jonny’s room, Maude sat sleeping beside Jonny holding his hand- Jo entered the room and sat opposite Maude and beside Jonny, he was slowly waking up Jo saw the shock register as he realised he was alive his heart monitor began beeping rapidly, Jo gently placed a hand on his arm,

“Calm down Jonny, breathe, just breathe.” She cooed and the monitor’s beeping slowed, “You’re lucky to be alive Jonny, can we have a chat?” Jo kept her voice down to avoid waking Maude who was quietly snoring,

“We don’t wanna talk to you.” He hissed, which caused Maude to wake up her eyes locked onto Jo before she began telling her to leave,

“Get the hell out of here! You nearly killed my boy! Get out!” Maude’s voice alerted a few nurses who came rushing into the room to escort Jo out, instead of fighting it and demanding to stay and question Jonny she left, without a word.

Eddie had arrived at Potatohead a half hour late, the rest of the band eyed him cautiously as he took a seat far from them and began scribbling in his notepad, he didn’t say a word to them. Stone and Jeff shared an almost knowing glance before focusing their attention to Mike and Dave who were working on a fast-paced tune, Jeff picked up his bass and began playing in the background- Stone observed for a few moments before grabbing his guitar and playing a few chords, they played for around thirty seconds where the music was good and then Mike missed a note and the piece seemed to fall apart, the four members bursting out laughing. Completely oblivious to the musical genius of his bandmates Eddie was lost in his thoughts, trying to wrap his head around the brutal rejection he had faced the previous night.

Had he said it too soon? Was he wanting more commitment than Jo? Did he spook her? The questions swirled around in his mind on an endless repeat, he hadn’t slept at all- it felt alien to be sleeping in a bed without the warmth of Joanne nuzzled against him, without her legs tangled around his and her arm slung over him, holding him close to her. All he could think about during the night was whether Jo missed his presence as much as he missed hers. He had concluded that if she had missed him, he would’ve had a call from her, or she would’ve shown up at the studio, but she didn’t.

Joanne had sent Eleanor to try and talk to Jonny hoping that Maude wouldn’t kick her out, and upon arriving at the office Jo decided that now was a good time to go and have a chat to Jane about everything that had happened since her last session. She told Jane about the situation with Eddie and how she was still in shock and trying to process it, and about how Jonny had shot himself she’d felt the need to vent about it as the images were replaying everytime she closed her eyes. Jane had essentially told her she to talk to Eddie, advice which Joanne knew was good - but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She wanted to be absolutely positive of her feelings towards him before she went over confessing a false love to him, she knew that he deserved the world and so to say ‘i love you too’ because it was something he wanted to hear felt like it was a huge disservice to him. William had provided Jo with a small mountain of paperwork to go through, while Eleanor was questioning Jonny, hopefully digging deeper into his mind and getting them closer to the answers they craved.

Filling out paperwork was a pleasure for Jo, it was something she could do while thinking about a number of other things, it’s how she got through university, she’d write an essay while making a mental list of all the things she had to pay for, she was a ‘pro-multitasker’ so while she was filling out numerous forms in autopilot she allowed her mind to wander to Eddie; what was he doing? What was he thinking about? Was he okay?

The answers to those questions were simple; he was doing nothing, thinking about Jo, and he was most definitely not okay. Half of him wanted to go to Jo’s apartment and tell her he didn’t mean it and then they could go back to how they were and it would be normal again, but he didn’t want to lie about his feelings and Jo deals with liars at work every day so she would see straight through him. He was feeling so lost, he wanted to be angry at her- but he knew he would’ve reacted in the same way, it was out of the blue so she was bound to be shocked, but was it not a mutual feeling? Had he painted this magical picture in his head where he and Jo were madly in love and they were going to have a house with two or three kids and Jo would be the most supportive mum, she’d adapt and be this domestic goddess and he would teach the kids how to play the guitar. And it would be a simple life, their kids would grow up in a loving house it would be the opposite to how Eddie and Jo grew up, they’d never feel as lonely as their parents had. Was he really that delusional? Had he forgotten about the fact that Jo is practically superwoman who saves people every single day, had he forgotten that without Joanne and the people like her more people would be killed and the cases would run cold, had he forgotten that Jo wouldn’t just quit her job to be a mother, she wouldn’t even quit her job for her fiance so why would she for him?

The crash of a symbol snapped Eddie back to reality, his daydream of being a father abruptly ended, and he glanced around the studio in a daze. His bandmates were looking at him almost disapprovingly, Dave was the one to break the silence,

“What’s going on man?” The others nodded offering Eddie sympathetic stares,

“Nuthin’ just trying to get some lyrics down.” Stone let out a sigh,

“You sure that’s it?” Eddie nodded and shot them a glance that told them to drop it, and they did, soon enough the sounds of broken riffs and not quite right beats filled the air, allowing Eddie to get back to his fantasy land.

Eleanor returned to the office armed with new information that Joanne was dying to hear, Jonny had been given a psych consult at the hospital and they believed he was suffering from multiple personality disorder, they were going to monitor him and then assess whether or not he would need admitting to a psychiatric facility- this diagnosis, of course, meant that should charges be pressed against Jonny, he would be able to plead insanity and just be sent to a psychiatric facility, which is where he is already likely to end up.

After a long day of daydreaming and paperwork Joanne went home to an empty apartment, she grabbed her copy of Ten and put it on her record player before making a cup of coffee and sitting at the kitchen table listening to Eddie’s powerful voice and the incredible musical skills of; Stone, Dave, Jeff, and Mike. She let out a sigh and rested her head on the table letting Eddie’s voice lull her to sleep.

Joanne awoke a few hours later with an achy back and neck, the record had stopped playing and the only sound in the apartment was the crackling sound of the vinyl. With a small wince, she stretched her back and neck, before waddling to her bed, where she face planted drifting straight back off to sleep. Her sleep didn’t last long at all, she soon woke up again with a burning urge to call Eddie, in her half-asleep state she staggered to the kitchen table and grabbed a notepad and pen from her bag, she began planning what she was going to say to Eddie.

‘Hey, it’s me Jo, also known as the biggest bitch in Seattle. I hope you’re okay, just calling to tell you I think the feeling is mutual.’

Nope. that sounded full of sarcasm, try again.

‘Hey Eddie, I want you to know I love you too- I think.’

Nope.

‘Eddie Vedder, love of my life oh won’t thou call me? You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.’

As she began quoting Jane Austen Jo let out a laugh, that’d make him laugh- or maybe he wouldn’t get the reference and think she’d been smoking something illegal. Sitting alone at the kitchen table at four in the morning was not going to help, all of the things she wanted to say were lost her brain could not and would not put her feelings into words, it was a tiring thing, trying to string together your emotions when you don’t truly know what they are.

Jo sat for a few more minutes scribbling her thoughts down, then without thinking she dialled Eddie and Chris’ landline of course there was no answer- then she was left with the choice, to leave a message or to hang up, before she’d made said choice there was a beep in her ear, it was too late now,

“This message is for Eddie, so Chris my dear you need to stop listening now. Hey Eddie, yeah- um no- this isn’t gonna work for me, I’m not leaving you a message about something so important. I’ll see you around, I guess- I’m sorry. Fuckin hell this is a trainwreck- sorry again good night, or good morning depends when you are listening. Bye for now.” Jo hung up and let out a sigh, she cringed at everything she had just said, why couldn’t she just write something down and stick to a damn script.

Eddie was wide awake and made a beeline to the phone when he heard it ring, he paused at it waiting to hear who was calling when Jo’s voice flooded through the room he frowned. He listened to her ramble to herself and had to fight off a small smile that tugged on his lips, his smile was soon replaced with the frown again and he deleted the message without a second thought.

A/N Hey guys sorry about the long break between chapters, I haven't edited or proofread this but I was determined to get this out tonight, so here it is I’ll probably edit it tomorrow and get rid of any inevitable typos

#eddie vedder #Eddie Vedder Fanfic #eddie vedder fanfiction #Pearl Jam #pearl jam fanfic #pearl jam fanfiction #grunge fanfiction #grunge fanfic #jeff ament #stone gossard #mike mccready #dave abbruzzese

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voltagefangirl19 · 7 years

Note

Hey! Your writing is amazing, I was wondering if you can do a Kbtbb fanfic of the guys cheating? Can you also have it in their POV? Please and thank you, you rock keep it up!

please don’t hate me anon TTnTTSo here’s the story: I suck at this, and although I think I have good ideas for the other guys I barely ended Eisuke’s, so I’m going to put this one here and if you like it I’ll write the others after my finals are over, cause they’re hellroutes under the cut

Warning for a slightly smut and a little angst

After a hard shift thanks to the IVC party, _____ returned to the suite she and her boyfriend shared, thinking that he and the other bidders were at the auction, unfortunately, she was dead wrong.

She closed the door and was about to enter the bedroom when a female moaning stopped her, _____ slightly opened the door just to see her fiancé being ride by a beautiful red head with his eyes closed while she was moaning her soul out, _____ gasped at the moment and a few tears went down her checks, she calmly turned around, put the engagement ring on the coffee table and walk away trying to make as little noise as possible.

As _____ was walking through the hotel’s hallways, she was trying to process the information that she had just learned, her mind was a mess, since when this was happening? Did the other bidders know? Did they lie to her as well? Could she trust anyone anymore?She knew she had to act different, to yell at him, to cry, to scare the bitch away, to do something, anything, instead, she just walked to her room in the dorms, in the most utter shock. She felt as if something has been taken away from her, for the first time in a while, she felt lost, in pain, she didn’t even remember to feel like that when she was sold at the auction, she didn’t know what to do, where to go, she didn’t want to see him again but at the same time she wanted to yell at him, to ask him an explanation but she knew she wasn’t brave enough. So, in all her confusion and shock, she felt asleep between her broken heart and tears of despair, she felt useless, and at the same time, she felt used; the last thing she thought before falling into a horrible land of nightmares was: what did I do wrong? Why did he stop loving me?

Eisuke POV (I kinda inspired on this song)

‘Disgusting’, I thought as I saw the woman that was riding me, for a moment there I forgot completely how I got involved in all this useless bunch of crap, I closed my eyes, not wanting to see someone that wasn’t _____ on top of me. ‘It’s just business’ I said to myself, remembering how the powerful underground businessman came to me with a proposal hard to ignore: connections with people that not even Soryu nor I knew about it, a large amount of money in properties and, most important, information about my father, in exchange of marry his daughter. Of course in that moment I refuse profusely, how could I marry someone else when I already had the perfect woman in all world: _____, I tried to make other arrangements, but his proposal was concrete, the only way I could get another deal was to talk to his daughter directly, who came to me a week later while I was working, she looked at me with her pair of cold and calculating green eyes, in the same way Ota evaluate fine pieces of art, when I asked what did she wanted she just said “you”, I could smirk even now remembering the ridiculous plan she had come with.

“Listen Ichinomiya, I know you have your precious and little girlfriend…”“Fiancé”- I remarked, she smirked back at me “Sure, whatever, I’m not going to step between you two, so… in exchange of what my father has, I request 10 million dollars….” –she made a pause, maybe to evaluate my expression, the first part was easy and didn’t require much sacrifice, I could recover that sum easily in an auction, it was what came next that surprised me- “and one night stand with you”“I have no intention to sell me to you, even for one night”- I said immediately afterward, she smiled “I knew you would said that, then I guess I can take my proposal to her” –she took pictures of _____ out of her pocket, the photos show her buying things, at work, even in the little kitchen of her dorms, it was obvious that they had been following her, and they must have been pretty damn good in their job for her not to notice even after I had been warning to stay alerted- “I bet that when she knows that we have information that could help you to know the truth about your family and that you might be in danger she won’t hesitate to do whatever we said” –‘bitch!’, my heartbeat grow faster cause I know she was right, _______ had already been kidnapped for my sake twice, I couldn’t let anything happen to her“give me time to think about it”“Sorry but no Ichinomiya, I bet that if I leave right now you are going to find a way to put her on alert and to get away with what you want, but guess what Eisuke? Not this time, so right here, right now decide. Her body or yours, refuse and right now I’ll give the sign to proceed with her, accept and you can have a lovely evening with me, she’ll be okay and you’ll have the information you need”I curse myself for not having a backup plan to protect her, the same way I didn’t have one when she was sold to Hishikura. “Alright, you can have one night with me” – I said with bitterness, her eyes glow in response, she gave me her hand to shake, I reluctantly did it“A pleasure to do business with you Mr. Ichinomiya” –She squeezes tighter and whispers- “I hope as good as you are in business you are in bed… Eisuke”- she took her bag and started to leave, as she was reaching the door she said- “See you in the next IVC”.

Three hours before, the bitch had come to me in the middle of the IVC and demanded to go to my suite, she then proceeds to kiss me and to take my clothes out of me and then…I opened my eyes to see that she wasn’t done yet, ‘this is boring’ I thought, if I was going to be extorted at least I would have fun. I take her off me and put her in four to have my own pace, she was moaning all the same so I put my fingers in her mouth“shut up bitch”- I guess that turned her on cause she got tighter, I have to admit, it felt good, so I start to smack her and to do it rougher until we both came.

Next morning I order the money transfer to daddy’s pet bank account, it was a quiet and calm morning when the others arrived at the lounge; they were talking about the party and the auction of the last night, I was focusing on my own paperwork when Baba’s voice snaps me out of it“So boss… tell me, you didn’t appear at last night auction, did you get into some hot action with ____?”- I ignored him, the only person I had told the situation was Soryu since I had to ensure ____’ safety in case something went wrong, speaking of which…“I bet he takes advantage and left with that beautiful redhead” –Ota said with a smirk, I unintentionally frown at the memory- “bullseye?” “You wouldn’t do that to a lady as good as _____, right boss?” – Baba was getting on my nerves I swear“Shut up everyone”- I said as I took my cell phone and called Kenzaki, it was late and she hadn’t come to make me coffee or to clean the lounge-“Kenzaki? Where’s ______?”“Didn’t she tell you, sir?”- Kenzaki’s voice came through the phone“Tell me what?” “______ reported very sick this morning Sir”“Sick? With what?”“She didn’t say, but she asked for a few days for recovery sir”“I’ll call her and Kenzaki… bring me coffee”- I ended the phone call“Something wrong Eisuke?” –Soryu spoke for the first time in the morning, everybody else looked at me with curiosity“No yet”- it was strange, why ____ didn’t call me if she was feeling ill? I wasn’t possible that she…, I called her one, two even three times, she never stop answering my phone calls, so I started to think the worst- “Soryu, start looking into the surveillance cameras for _____, I’m going to her dorms” – I ordered as I was already walking“W-wait boss! What’s going on?”- Baba asked confused, but I didn’t have the time to answer that.

When I got to the employee’s dorms and to _____’s room, I knock at first softly, but as the minutes passed and she didn’t answer the door I grew impatient and used the master key, I opened the door and went inside, just to find everything in order, well… almost everything.The room was empty, all her stuff was… gone, which it didn’t make sense; I stayed there trying to think and to remember if she was planning to move somewhere or to go somewhere, my thoughts were interrupted by Baba´s voice.“So it is true… She is gone” –I turned to face him, he was in the doorway with Ota behind him, both looked with serious expressions “What do you want?”- I asked irritated and concerned as well “You didn’t answer your phone, so Soryu sent us to tell you that the found _____ in the tapes…”He didn’t have to say anything else, I walked as fast as I could without losing my head, I reached the lounge again, where Soryu was sitting in front the coffee table with his computer.“You need to see this” –That’s all he said. I sat next to him and look at the screen, he put play to the surveillance video, showing me ____ dragging a bunch of her bags and getting inside a cab and then she just… disappeared- “I had someone checking out her bank account, she took 500 dollars out, there are no signs of her after that” - I stayed silent, why would she leave? maybe it was someone else’s doing? It wouldn’t be the first time, Soryu seem to read my mind because the next thing he said was: “you think that brat has something to do with this?”“maybe… Soryu, find out everything she has been doing since last night, if she or anyone on her command, even his ‘daddy’, had any contact whatsoever with _____ they’re going to pay”.The others insisted on knowing, to which I only said that it was someone who I had a troublesome business with, no that I gave a crap if they knew that I had sex with another woman, but I didn’t want them to try to get _____on their good side, since I knew they all had a crush on her.

Days passed, and, even with a mob boss, a thief, and a cop, I couldn’t find _____. The other kid had nothing to do with her and that made me feel a little bit relieved but other than that I didn’t have any other clues except for her engagement ring, which she had left on the coffee table of our suit, I was growing desperate by each passing second without her, I thought that nothing could be possibly worst… until the end of the week, when the doors of my office burst opened and when I turned to see who was the bastard, there she was, beautiful as always but with something different, her clothes were darker and she was wearing sunglasses despite the cloudy weather, I was going to give her a hug, a kiss and a piece of my mind for leaving me for a whole week without telling me and how worried sick I was when she gave me a paper.“What the hell is this?!”- I asked pretty pissed off “My resignation” –she said simply and plain“Your what?”- My mind got blank for a minute“I’m leaving Eisuke, I’m returning to Japan” –In that moment I wasn’t registering what she was saying, I just acted on instinct and ripped the paper that would take her away from me- “Mr. Kenzaki already has one, and he accepted it, I’m just giving you one out of formality, I’m leaving… goodbye Eisuke”Out of instinct, again, I grab her hand, a little bit more desperate than I initially intended.“Wait!, you can’t leave! We are engaged! We are going to get married and have a family! Or did you lied about that?!”- she showed me her naked left hand without looking at my face“I left my ring on the dinner table of your room”“our room” –I corrected, the ring was in my pocket, ready to return to the hand it belongs“Your room”- she said harshly- “Let me go”“Did anyone told you to do this? You know that I’m going to protect you and that my security is brilliant, nothing is going to happen to me so…”“I’m not leaving because of a threat, I’m leaving because it’s the best” –she made a pause, like if she was thinking her next words, which took me by surprise- “that way you can keep fooling around with other women and I don’t get hurt in the process” –I let her hand go out of shock“What?”“the redhead? In the last IVC? I mean you must remember! Surely you saw her face at least once while she was riding you!” –she said calmly, spitting the words as if they were venom to her. In that moment I understood everything, a wave of guilt and fear passed through my body“So you saw…”-She nodded slowly, for a moment I thought she was crying- “but babe, that was…. A business, to get information about my family and to protect you from..”“I don’t care, I don’t give a damn about your explanations, you are Eisuke Ichinomiya, surely you have the resources to get that information and to protect me without selling your body right?! Well, at least you don’t have to worry about the second thing because I’m not your problem anymore, so goodbye”“wait! At least give a chance to…”“let’s not do this any more difficult, don’t humiliate me anymore please?”“How can I even believe you if I can’t even see your eyes?”-She took her sunglasses off and then I understood, I believed her, I could see what kind of damage I have done: her eyes looked dead. The beautiful sparkle that used to be there and that I loved… was gone“Thank you… for everything, I really loved you, more than I thought I could possibly love someone else, these past days… were hell, I wanted to be with you but then I remembered and… well I guess I’m dry now, I don’t think you can harm me anymore, so let’s end this properly”- she gave me her hand to shake, HER HAND; I couldn’t control it and I hugged her, she got tense, but she didn’t cry, I let her go after a painful minute, she looked at me and before turning around to leave she said- “Goodbye… Ichinomiya”Those two words destroyed me, what was the point of having everything if I lost the woman of my dreams, I sat on my couch, I couldn’t cry but I was in a state of despair, hours passed and I got distracted only by the sound of my window getting open“Can’t you just enter like a normal person Baba?” –I asked the man with the fedora“She was in a hotel in the outsides of the city”“You knew”“She needed a friend, she told me what she saw, I dig a little and I told her about your deal but she didn’t care, she was broken”-I let those words to sink deep into me ‘I broke her’- “nothing happen between us if that’s what you think”“I don’t care about that, now get out, I need to work” “But boss…”“Get out”- I repeated“Aren’t you going to fight for her?, Eisuke! You love her! Why would you let go the one person who took out the best out of you?” –He sounded dead serious, more than I’ve ever heard him“Because… I hurt her, I took a very important part of her… how can I even… I do love her, but I don’t want to hurt her again… at least she is going to be safe now, far from all this shit. Now leave, I have work to do, I need to get my mind on something”-Baba walked to the door and before he left a painful thought to strike my heart- “Tell… tell Kenzaki to bring coffee, is going to be a long night”.

Soryu POV (I was actually thinking of this song)

I hated it, every moment, every movement, how gross her strong perfume smelled, I closed my eyes, wanting her to end that, while that hideous woman was having her fun I just thought of ______, I yearn her heat, her moans, the softness of her body, but I couldn’t do anything about my current situation, since this was, my very well deserve punishment.I screwed up, and my men were trapped by a rival gang, by the time I found out about the failed plan it had been enough time to torture them or to do something even worse, so, naturally I ordered Samejima to put me in contact with their leader, we settle down a date and place to meet and I went then to negotiate but..“Why should we let them go? The ice dragons are our enemies after all”“Surely you must want something in exchange…” –I said trying to figure out this man’s intentions“ Hmm not really…”- The man who was in charge of the organization looked like he had Rahman’s age and taste in fashion, but he looked way more twisted than him; he thought for a moment and then continued- “what should we do?.... just torture or kill them won’t do…” –He looked at me knowingly, with a grin almost taking form in his face- “Tell me Soryu Oh… What’s the thing you hate the most?”- I clench my fist knowing where this was going“Women” –I said, although thanks to _____ I was becoming more tolerant towards them, I still hate the simple and fake women that surrounded the other bidders“And yet you have a fiancé…”-His eyebrow raised a little in disbelief. “She is different, and don’t you dare to lay hand on her, or else next time I come it won’t be to negotiate but to kill you” –I warned him in a deathly tone, wich I think he got, cause he low his head and raise both of his hands“Calm down, I don’t want to get civilians in this, not really my style… but for your punishment… Since you hate women so deeply… you are going to get my second daughter pregnant”“What…?”-I couldn’t believe what I was hearing“My daughter doesn’t want to get married, so I told her that she only had to give me a grandson to be the heir and she could be free, and what kind of genes are better than yours? Besides, since you hate women so much it would be the perfect punishment and way to get what I want… or I could just go on straight ahead to kill your subordinates that trespassed…”I clenched my teeth, I had to protect my men, even if that meant to lose my dignity and to betray ______

After the woman left I took at least 3 showers, and yet I felt that her stinky smell wasn’t fading, I was feeling the urge to see my beloved _______, so I got out and put my normal casual clothes and kept my hair down, I knew it was late and she would probably be tired or sleeping already… but I needed her so much… I was heading towards the door when something caught my eye: her engagement ring. What was doing here? Did she take it off for the IVC? No, but it was the case she would have kept it with her to put it afterward, it isn’t like her to just leave it here, unless…The worst case scenario cross through my mind, she saw me… with that nasty girl, and as much as I hate to admit it, I don’t have any excuse to what she might saw. I hold my head, feeling the anxiety running through me, I needed to find her, to fix things up before it was too late.

I run as fast as I could to reach the employee's dorms when I got to her’s I made a pause… what was I’m going to tell her anyway?... no, anything was better than to just shut up and to let us break apart, so I gather my courage and my mob pride and knocked.“________? It’s me, can we talk?”“Soryu? What are you doing here? Go away!” –I recognized her upset tone of voice, but I couldn’t fulfill her request“______ please let me in, we need to talk”“I have nothing to talk with you”“Please, I need to explain…”“I don’t want your pathetic excuses and lies! Now go away, leave me alone!”-her voice cracked, letting me know that she was crying“please… please…”- my tone of despair surprised even me, but I was feeling quite desperate- “I don’t want to lose you..” “Too late… you should’ve thought that before”“You think I like that woman?! You more than anyone knows how much I hate her kind, selfish, reeking of perfume, empty… but I had no other choice! This… this all my fault… If I hadn’t screwed up… my men wouldn’t have been in danger and then… I… I…”- my voice was falling, even when I raised it before, I was letting my feelings to get in the way, I knew that was bad for a mob boss like myself, but I couldn’t control it, reason was out of the window when she was involved, I only prayed for her to believe me and for my subordinates to never see me like this.She didn’t speak after that, neither did she opened the door, I just stayed there, against the physical wall that was separating us, at some point, the desperation, fear, stress, and tiredness got the best of me and I drift off to a land of nightmares, in which ______ left me behind and I was trying desperately to reach her without accomplishing it, leaving me alone and miserable.

“Ryu… Soryu…” –the sound of her voice woke me up, the first thing that came to my mind was that my head and body ached, it was confusing, why I was on the floor outside her dorm, then it hit me.“_______!” –I could see her puffy and red eyes, probably for crying all night ‘this is all my fault’- “I….”“Don’t say anything, come in, I don’t want my coworkers see you laying here so early in the morning, I don’t want them to make the wrong idea” –She said with a slightly cold voice, I looked around, truth is… I had been reckless doing such a show in the employees dorms, so I just followed her lead into her room, she closed the door after me and then put distance between us; her arms were crossed and she was directing her back towards me, clearly she didn’t want to even look at me, it hurt, but I knew I deserved that. She let out a sigh- “What you did is unforgivable, so I’ll just hear you out, it won’t change my mind though, you have one minute to say whatever you want… after that please get out.”“_______...”“50 seconds” –I sighed, it was better than nothing, so I started to tell her everything, from how I screwed up the original plan wanting it to make it quicker, to how my men were caught and tortured and how that bastard wanted to kill them unless I gave him an heir, I even told her my suspicions that he knew about me from long time ago… because no normal man would oppose to have sex for free with a girl, so he did know about my hatred towards women and used it against me, I told her how that rotten brat mocked me, drug me so I could get an erection, and generally how much I wanted to kill her… And she listened, my beloved mob princess listened to me to the very end. – “So you chose your men over me…” –she signed again, but this time she turned around and looked at me in the eye, she looked beautiful, with a softer expression, I knew she believed me… though it didn’t mean she would forgive me.- “Actually… I’m not surprised about it, you have done it before, and I can’t expect to be different”“I’m sorry” –That was all I could say because she was right. _____ looked at me dead serious“I can’t forgive Soryu, I can’t forget either… and even if I could, I know you’ll do anything for your men and I can’t make you chose between them or me but I don’t want to live like this… doubting you, with the fear that this might happen again...”“but if we get married…”“I can’t” –She raised her voice, changing her expression again, now she looked hurt and a bit disgusted, to be honest – “right now I can’t even see you without seeing that woman’s back” –she closed her eyes strongly and turned her head down- “I can’t do it Soryu… I can’t be with you now” –_____ whispered in a sad tone, I, on the other hand, saw a hopeful light“Now… but can you be with me again after some time passes?”“What?”“If time goes by… do you think we can put all this behind us ad be together once more?” – I asked, feeling the hope creeping through my heart“That’s… that’s not how this works Soryu… I can’t… trust you anymore, and… honestly? After this, I don’t think I can’t wait for you any longer”“I know… but what if we start all over again? I promise I’ll do anything to regain your trust a-and I’ll become a boss and man that won’t be used like this again, a man who’ll be able to protect his men and be loyal to you… and you wouldn’t have to wait because while all that happens, I’ll be there for you, making you fall for me all over again…”She looked at me unsure, but I knew she was considering, because she knew that I love her just as much as she loves me, and what’s more, she does believe me that I would never have betrayed her confidence if it wasn’t for something serious; it passed a minute or so when she relaxed a little“I… can’t guarantee anything… since I'll always have that image haunting me, I’m neither happy or sure about it, but…you are right on something, so I’ll go with what you say for now… From now on… we are total strangers”.And that was all I needed to keep moving forward… a chance to start over… my only opportunity to win back the woman I loved more than anything in the world.

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everyday-effing-therapy · 5 years

Text

07/08/19

Hello, hello,

Well, it takes me a while now to write.

I am afraid that writing this post will be a long process, cause... I have my nails short.

I know, I know, a huge surprise. But look, I’ve had my nails done for past two years, I believe and I never liked them short. Especially last year I had an amazing nail tech, to whom I still go and she makes my nails look super cool and strong, so I didn’t really feel like cutting them down.

Unfortunately, due to my adventures by the seaside and my nails being absolutely long for about a month, some of them broke and I had to cut them as much as it was possible.

They still look cute for me, somewhat shocking, cause I hadn’t seen them like that for such a long time. What is more, I am so not used to using my phone or computer keyboard like that.

Because of that, I sent a lot of unwanted or wrong messages on messenger yesterday and writing this post could be a bit of a burden, but, from what I can already tell, I am able to write so much faster, I just have to check the spelling more often.

It actually surprises me, how big is the change of pace. For the longest time I thought that there was something wrong with me, that I couldn’t write just as fast and now it turns out that I actually can. I mean, hello?

There are a lot of thoughts that I have had recently.

First of all, I am trying to exercise regularly. I do a 100 reps butt challenge from blogilates, day 9th today, cause I started earlier (I am leaving next week and I wanted to achieve as much as it was possible beforehand) and I also do a 30 day plank, squat, push-up and crunch challenge.

Apart from that, it is day three of my diet, as I realised that exercising brings results, yes, but it mostly builds muscles, while reducing your fat only for, like, bare minimum. It is mostly dieting that helps with fat loss, especially around stomach region as it is widely known that you build your abs in the kitchen.

Abdominal muscles aren’t really that hard to build, for them to be visible, as I have had them visible for about four years now. It’s just that you have to put a lot of effort to actually make your stomach lean.

I am working on my thighs a lot too. I am mostly self-conscious about my face, acne on said face, my breasts or rather lack thereof and my thighs.

Honestly, if I could take some fat from my thighs and put it in my boobs, I would do so 100%.

But, it’s not possible for me for now. So, I am at least trying to make my thighs lean.

It’s just that, I’ve been a dancer for about 8 years. I had very long, harsh Saturday trainings that took up the majority of my day and later, they became Friday and Saturday trainings.

I had a very lean, slim body at the time, but also my thighs started to grow as a natural result of putting a lot of work into your legs.

Then I quit, the muscles stayed and I also started eating a bit more, which made the thighs grow even more.

So, now we’re here.

It’s quite funny, how I don’t like the plump thighs on myself, but they are my favourite thing on Internet models and I always love how beautiful they look.

I just can’t comprehend it, how much I can love something on somebody else and completely hate it on me.

Anyways, yesterday I got my glasses. I had an optometric check-up on Monday, although I overslept and I had to schedule another one.

Basically, when I went to the doctor for the check-up I needed for my driving school, they sent me to a different optometrist, who said that my glasses were too strong for me and I should have my eyes checked.

I decided to do so and I was postively surprised with how fast i was able to schedule that. I mean, I scheduled the meeting via Internet after gym on Sunday and it was scheduled for Monday, 4 pm. Since I overslept, I had to reschedule, but I did that quite easily and my next meeting was at 5:30pm. I went with my dad and an hour later everything was pretty much done, I chose how I wanted my glasses to look like and I paid.

Turns out that the doctor was right and the glasses were actually a bit too harsh and strong with power and obviously it is unhealthy to wear glasses or contact lenses that are not suitable for you.

I also desperately needed new glasses, because the previous ones were very beaten-up.

The new ones are super pretty. I actually had trouble picking them, because there was the other pair that I also liked and it was cheaper, but, I have always wanted glasses that would somehow resemble cat eyes and I think I look super pretty in them, even without make-up and with messy hair, which speaks volumes to me. I didn’t know that it was actually possible to feel so powerful with glasses, but well, here we go.

Besides, I actually passed the theoretical driving test yesterday. It was all a long journey, as at first, I thought that the school was closed, then it turned out that the really nice lady who works as a receptionist had her heart broken and she cried a lot, so I talked it over with her a bit. Later, we had problems with the computer and it shut down in the first half of the exam, which made me mad, cause I was doing well and was pretty sure of the answers. In the second half of the exam that nice lady started weeping really loudly and I was so sad for her, because I remembered how hard I wept after a break-up with my ex. In turn, that made me sort of unable to focus and I got really scared that I won’t be able to pass.

I did pass though, with maximum score, which made me so happy. I can schedule my theoretical exam from tomorrow, the one that actually counts.

In the meantime, on one of those nights, Black sent me a snap that he was sad. I didn’t reply, cause I have to fix my sleep schedule, gosh darn it, but even later, when I was deep asleep, he sent me another one, which was showing that he was listening to our song and I nearly lost my shit when I woke up.

It’s so easy to throw me off balance, let me just tell you, but I’m working on at least not showing that to everybody.

So, I still haven’t told anybody about my crush on Black. I think that maybe I’ll do it next week, when I will be leaving with my friend to Ukraine. It’s entirely possible that she’ll come to visit me on Tuesday, we’ll go to the movies together and then she’ll come over for the night and her dad will pick us up very early on Wednesday’s morning.

I think that could be really awesome. Last year’s trip was one of my favourite trips ever, truly freeing and I managed to somehow let go. I remember being in love, but I didn’t love anybody real. I was happy, though.

We’ll see how it will be this year, but I hope that even better than last year. Besides, I wonder whether talking some things out will make me feel better, but I think that it just might.

I’m going to the cinema today, to watch The Hustle with V. We are also going with Su to the cinema next Monday to watch Yesterday and A Rainy Day In New York. I’ll let you know how I liked them. Moreover, I finished the second season of Money Heist and let me tell you, I loved the ending so much.

I am also planning to donate blood on Tuesday, but that requires my dad and my grandma to help, cause my dad will drive us to the blood donation centre and my grandma will stay with me to reassure that I’m okay, since that will be my first time and besides, you might always feel weak and drained after donating.

So, for now I think I covered all the topics I wanted to cover. It’s really funny, how unmotivated I felt to write yesterday, but how motivated I feel today, after I’ve been woken up and I know I’ll have to leave my house tonight. I might just do my makeup and all that jazz. I am excited, you know.

Wish me luck.

Today’s light I’m sending to...

Well, maybe I’m going to explain first.

The idea of sending light stems from my acting classes, when our director said that it’s important to send light to people, imagine yourselves giving them light, cause you open yourselves up for possibilities of conversing and working with them.

I tried that as a way of prayer maybe, you know, having someone in your thoughts and wishing them all the best, keeping positive thoughts and creating positive actions because of that. I do have a lot of unhealthy, bad thoughts, like everybody, I believe, so I wanted to make my mind a brighter place as well.

The thing is, often, when I send light to people, something bad happens. I don’t necessarily connect the events, I just believe that I pay more attention to anything bad that might be happening to them and that’s what makes me hurt.

Besides, I also saw a beautiful drawing that sometimes, when you send the light to someone who has been only sucking everything good inside like a black hole their entire life, then also your light will get eaten up and it might not be never-ending.

But, if you give your light to the person who knows how to return it, then you will both blossom and flourish.

It’s all really nice, but well, I will keep on sending light to people that I believe that deserve it and so far, that’s what I’ve done.

Today’s light I’m sending to one of my close friends, Tulip. I have never introduced Tulip to this blog, but she’s one of the people that I am so, so blessed and grateful to have in my life. She is so smart, amazing, loving and organised. I will always keep on wishing her all the best, cause talking things out with her always makes everything so much better. I can’t even remind myself of a situation when I would have been mad at her.

Take care of yourselves,

Love,

#14:49 #07/08 #day post #diary #journal #journal entry #life #friends #updates #thoughts #ideas #c posts #well well well #finally a day post #finally a LONG post #movies

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thereforebucket · 7 years

Text

In Print

Daily prompt fill: "someone keeps printing cute animal pictures/cryptic messages from my wireless printer n im determined to find out who it is" I thought of Nico and I had to write it! Enjoy!

The first time it happens, it's weird, but Nico doesn't really think anything of it. She figures some kid in her building was trying to print out a picture of what is really an adorable dog and just had the wrong printer. She wishes they hadn't printed it in color, but she figures no harm, no foul, and just recycles it.

The second time it happens, Nico almost packs up and moves right then and there. This time, it's not a picture of a cute dog, no, it's a message, and it seems like someone's hell-bent on spooking her. That, or her printer really is sentient, like the message proclaims. But, it's a prank, right? It has to be! It has to be.

She calls Maki and complains about something else that happened in her day. It takes her mind off the creepy printer message and she rests relatively easy that night.

The third time it happens, the kid is back and with a fucking vengeance. Nico comes home to the sound of her printer running and finds ten full-color pictures of the same dog meme spilling out of her printer tray. For a moment, all she does is stand there, hands balled in fists, and hate whoever's goddamn kid loves dogs enough to want this picture this badly, and then the eleventh one rolls out of her printer, hot off the presses, and Nico dives to unplug it from the wall.

God, she has to get to the bottom of this, and she would, she'd start talking to the chattiest neighbors to figure out who this is, but...she's got a date. With Maki. Which is...new. And remembering that does actually help a little to soften her bad mood. But the irritation at the printer is soon replaced by anxiety about getting to her date on time, so she lifts herself up off the floor and races to her room to change, nearly tripping over a discarded jacket along the way. God, she needs to clean this place...

When she gets back from her (pretty successful) date, Nico plugs the printer back in and receives three more pictures of the dog before she finds the cancel button. She has to fend off five more print orders after that and grumbles as she feeds the unmarked paper back into the paper tray. She sighs. She'll do something about this in the morning.

Nico's in her pajamas and brushing her teeth when she hears her printer start up again. Slowly, she leans her head out the bathroom door and watches as a single sheet of paper slides into the tray. Her printer powers down and Nico stands there a moment, eye twitching, before spitting forcefully into the sink and stalking into her room. On the paper are the words "I'm running out of ink, feed me."

Nico snatches the paper, crumples it up, and throws it at the wall. Oh she's definitely doing something about this in the morning.

She wakes up around eight and waits impatiently for about an hour before calling Maki. She doesn't want to wake her up too soon or she'll be cranky. She's also a little unsure of how to proceed after their date. It had felt just like hanging out but they were both dressed up and both drank a little too much wine and there was wine? Which in and of itself was out of the ordinary. Not bad necessarily, just, different? And. Nice.

Nico shakes her head and dials Maki's number.

The phone almost rings out before Maki picks up with a, "Hello?" Her voice is scratchy with sleep and it's...really cute? Nico's actually stunned for a minute and she tries to reconcile those feelings while remembering that she doesn't really need to and yet still feeling compelled to keep them under wraps. She's actually so caught up in her head that Maki says, "Hello?" again, more insistently this time, and Nico snaps to attention.

"Hello Maki, I'm sure you missed my lovely presence!"

There's a silence on the other end before Maki speaks again. "I'm hanging up," she deadpans.

"Wait wait wait!" Nico says, putting out her hand even though she's alone at her kitchen counter. "Don't hang up!" She pauses for a moment. "Do you want to come over?"

"I saw you less than twelve hours ago!" Maki says. "Nico, I'm going back to sleep."

"You won't believe what keeps happening, though," Nico says, and when Maki doesn't say anything, she takes the opportunity to regale her with the tale of her printer.

"And I'm supposed to care why?" Maki asks when she's done.

"Come on, you want to see who these weirdos are as much as I want to tell them to get their own damn printer," Nico says. "I have a plan for figuring out who they are."

Maki mulls it over for a moment, then sighs. "I'll be over at 10," she says. "But you owe me breakfast."

"Can you pick it up and I'll pay you back?"

"Fine."

They hang up and Nico gleefully texts Maki her order from a local bakery. When that's done, she puts on some coffee and goes to get ready.

Maki arrives at exactly 10:15, paper bag in hand. By that point, Nico had been sitting on her phone for about half an hour, impatiently playing a game while she glanced at the time. When she hears the knock, she jumps up and opens the door a little crossly.

"Hey."

"Brought your bagel," Maki says, holding the bag up.

"How'd you get in my building?" Nico asks.

"Your doorman recognized me," Maki says, scooting past her into the apartment.

"You realize you're also literally showing up fifteen minutes late with Starbucks," Nico says.

Maki looks down at the bag, then back up at Nico. "Well, Homura," she says, giving the correct name of the bakery.

Nico rolls her eyes. "Whatever," she says, and goes to pour Maki some coffee. She pours in cream until it's a light beige color and adds a spoonful of sugar, then hands it to Maki, who accepts it gratefully. Nico then refills her own cup (black, with three sugars) and sits down at the table across from Maki.

"So," Maki says, distributing breakfast, "what's your plan for catching the people sending you stuff?"

Nico grins and, once she's made sure she's caught Maki's eyes, flips over a stack of paper on the table to reveal all the dog memes that were printed.

Maki chokes on her coffee. "Is this the picture they tried so hard to print?" she asks. It's a picture of a dog with shades and a backpack and the (probably) fake headline "Local Dog Too Cool For Town."

"Yep," Nico says exasperatedly. Maki looks at her, trying to hide a laugh, and it's...really cute. Nico acquiesces and laughs with her and just. Damn she likes this girl. The moment ends, though, and Nico clears her throat, a little unsure of how to proceed. "I, um, was thinking that we could use these as posters," she explains.

"Like, you'd write on them, then hang them up?" Maki asks.

"Yes," Nico says, nodding. "I was thinking something like 'come get your dog pictures, dipshit.'"

Maki snorts. "Yeah I'm sure that would go over well with your building."

Nico chuckles. "How about 'Is this your picture? See Nico in 205 if it is.'"

"Sure." Maki shrugs. "Hopefully they'll actually listen and come by."

"We have to hope," Nico says.

The two of them eat their breakfast and somehow find something to talk about, though they saw each other twelve hours ago. It actually doesn't feel forced at all, Nico reflects, and that thought is a little...unsettling? But it shouldn't be. They've been friends for like three years, of course they'd be able to keep up a conversation. She must look agitated because Maki picks up on it and starts to twirl her hair nervously in response.

"You ok?" she asks.

"Hmm?" Nico says. "Oh, yeah, I am." And she is. She smiles, and Maki calms down a little. Her hand leaves her hair and floats for a second, unsure of where to go. She grabs her napkin and balls it up in her fist for something to do, then just kind of tosses in onto the wrapper of her breakfast sandwich. Nico bites back a laugh, stands up, and collects their trash to throw it away. She returns from the kitchen with two pens and throws one at Maki, who just barely catches it.

"What was that for?" she asks, glowering.

"Help me make these into posters," Nico says, gesturing to the dog pictures.

Maki rolls her eyes. "Fine."

It takes them about fifteen minutes to write on all of them, and they only argue about what they should say like once, which is honestly good for them. When they're done, Nico grabs the posters and some tape and the two of them head out the door.

"We need to think of the best places to hang these," Nico says. "We only have fourteen of them."

Maki snorts. "Your building only has five stories."

Nico tilts her head. "True." She thrusts the posters and tape into Maki's arms. "You hold these and I'll find the best spots to put them up since it's my building."

Maki scowls at her, but holds the materials anyway. They start to walk down the hallway, Nico detailing her plan for putting the posters up. "Let's see, we should put one on each floor outside the elevator, one on each landing in the stairwell, one actually in the elevator, and the rest in the lobby."

"God, I can't believe I'm dating Harriet the Spy," Maki says, and Nico decides to ignore the very obvious short joke in favor of the other part of the sentence.

She whirls around to face Maki with a grin on her face and Maki bites her lip, looking worried. "Dating?" Nico asks, grinning ear to ear. "So that means you do want a second date?"

Maki flushes and twirls a piece of her hair with her finger. "I guess it depends," she says, glancing at Nico.

"On!?" Nico asks.

"Whether or not you actually get these people to come to your apartment."

"I will!" Nico says, pointing at her. "Nico Yazawa doesn't fail!"

Maki tries unsuccessfully to hide a laugh and Nico rocks back on her heels, chagrined to realize how transparent she was being. "Elevator's this way," she says sheepishly.

They put up the posters and return to Nico's apartment. Within an hour, Nico is pacing back and forth in front of the door. It's not that she expected immediate results, per say, she just has something to prove now! ...And maybe she expected immediate results.

"Come sit down," Maki says from the couch. "You're making me nervous."

"That's not that hard to do," Nico says, but goes to sit down anyway.

Maki kicks her. "Shut up." She tosses Nico the remote. "You want to watch something?"

Nico shrugs, bouncing her leg. "Sure, what do you want to watch?" They decide on a movie and put it on. Five minutes into it, Nico's leg is still bouncing impatiently. Maki sighs and swings her legs up onto Nico's lap. Nico stares at them, a hint of a blush forming high in her cheeks.

"Chill," Maki says, and settles in to watch the movie. Nico just kind of sets her arms on top of Maki's legs, but it takes a while for her to get completely comfortable.

The results of the posters might not be immediate, but they are swift. The movie is just about to end when there's a knock on Nico's door. Nico pushes Maki's legs unceremoniously off her lap and springs to her feet. Maki sighs and pauses the movie.

Nico walks quickly to the door and all but wrenches it open in her excitement. "Hi, are you here about the posters?" she asks.

There are two women at the door, a tall blonde women who had just been the one knocking and a shorter woman with purple hair smirking behind her. "Um, yes," the blonde one says nervously. Actually, everything about her seems nervous. One hand rubs the back of her neck and the other fiddles with the hem of her jeans. Nico notes that neither of them is, in fact, a child.

It's not the most prominent thought in her head though, made evident by her turning around and pointing at Maki. "HA!" she says. "I told you the posters would work! You owe me a second date!"

Maki rolls her eyes and looks away, but smiles, a slight blush creeping across her cheeks. When Nico turns around, the blonde woman looks alarmed, or maybe overwhelmed at the events and struggles to maintain composure. Her friend behind her just grins wider. "Um, I'm looking for Nico," the blonde one says. "Is he here?"

Nico's triumphant grin turns into a scowl and she crosses her arms and slumps against the door. "You're speaking to her." The blonde girl's friend snorts and Nico hears a snigger behind her that she knows is coming from Maki, but she refuses to look at either of them.

The blonde girl looks mortified. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry," she says. She sticks a rigid hand out, which Nico regards for a second before taking. "I'm Eli Ayase and this is my girlfriend Nozomi," she jerks her free thumb over her shoulder, "we live in 314 and we were the ones sending things to your printer." Hmm, so her girlfriend, not just her friend. "It was completely by accident. I think we have the same model printer? So I clicked on it when I was trying to print that picture and I guess it sent it to yours..." Ahh, well that makes sense. "Um, could we maybe invite you and your...friend? Girlfriend? You mentioned something about a second date...over for dinner sometime to make up for it? I'm so, so sorry."

"Really, it's fine," Nico says, giving in and comforting this anxious woman at her door. The dog pictures were clearly mistakes, though the other messages... Nico peeks over the blon--Eli's shoulder and sees Nozomi holding in a laugh as best she can. Yeah, those messages weren't accidents at all. She narrows her eyes and Nozomi's grin threatens to crack. She looks away and puts a hand over her mouth. Nico closes her eyes and turns around, exasperated. "Would you want to go to dinner?" She asks Maki, who is now leafing through a magazine on Nico's coffee table.

"If I do, it counts as our second date," Maki says without looking up.

"I'll make sure the food is good!" Eli chimes in from behind them and it's so earnest that Nico bursts out laughing.

"Alright," she says, wiping her eyes and turning around, "I guess just give me date and time and we'll be there."

"Thank you," Eli says. "We just moved here a few weeks ago and we don't know many people. I was actually trying to print out that picture to put on our fridge since it looks pretty bare right now."

"I think this might have happened when we first moved here too," Nozomi says, coming up to rest her hand on Eli's shoulder. "Eli tried to print out a picture of her sister's dog for the fridge but it didn't go through to our printer. It probably ended up in yours."

Nico nods. "Yeah, I remember that dog. Was it a Samoyed?"

"That's the one!" Nozomi says cheerfully. "Well, nice to meet you, Nico and..." she peers around Nico to look at Maki on the couch, still flipping through the magazine aimlessly.

"Maki," Nico hisses, and she looks up.

"Hmm?"

"Your name?"

"Oh, Maki," she says, with a look that says 'why didn't you tell her?'

"Very nice to meet you," Eli agrees, shaking Nico's hand again. "And we're so sorry for all the trouble we caused you."

"Won't happen again," Nozomi adds. She, too, takes Nico's hand and smirks. Nico narrows her eyes a little.

They say their goodbyes and leave. The next day, Eli slips a note under the door with the date and time she was thinking for dinner and Nico texts Maki and marks it in her phone calendar. When she's done, she heads to her room and finds a new note in the printer tray, reading, "In case Eli's note gets lost in the shuffle," and the date and time of the dinner. It's signed Nozomi, and Nico stares at it before crumpling it up and throwing it in the trash with a roll of her eyes.

#Love Live!#Nico Yazawa #Nicomaki #maki nishikino #yazawa nico #nishikino maki #nozoeli #my fanfiction

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easkyrah · 7 years

Text

Elorcan Possessive Billionaire AU part 1

Summary: Elide wants out of Morath CO. Lorcan wants in.

rob·ber bar·on [noun]

a person who has become rich through ruthless and unscrupulous business practices (originally with reference to prominent US businessmen in the late 19th century)

Three Years Ago

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Elide hummed as she flipped through the stacks of paperwork, filing them into the respective cabinets. With brutal efficiency, she re-organized all of her uncle’s loose papers and re-wrote all of his scribbles of writing other business mergers deigned to look over.

“Elide! My coffee!” Her Uncle Vernon roared into the intercom, thick syllables rasping out. The machine’s blaring grated against her ear drums at it whirred off. Slamming the last cabinet shut, she locked up, and headed towards the kitchen. Not only was she the secretary, but the kitchen staff as well—and the event coordinator, personal relations specialist, and treasurer.

Because she was Vernon’s only employee; everyone knew his ruthless practices: With low wages, long business hours, and little respite, Morath Company frequented as the one of the business that still practiced brutal techniques, not only through the use of vertical and horizontal integration, but also through the filled corruption of scandals and feuds. No one dared to work for him save herself—ruined and crippled and chained to her Uncle.

Until she turned eighteen years old, she could not legally walk away from her guardian. When that long-awaited time came, she knew Vernon would have finally found a way to hold her permanently within his grasp. The wait drew anticipation within her, a source of murky hope. Unclear her future may be, but it had to be better than to slave away.

She hummed softly to herself, swaying on her feet as best as she could. By the time she had delicately carried the cup of steaming coffee into Vernon’s office, he had moved on into requesting an apple fritter, declaring he’d slash half of her pay for being too slow. Again.

Elide had merely bit her lip, and wobbled out of the office.

Maybe if he had hired more employees, Vernon Company would ruin more smoothly. Maybe if he had increased her pay, she would have more motivation to work harder. Maybe if he hadn’t chained her into his office when she first worked there, she wouldn’t move so slow.

Maybe, maybe, maybe.

Never affirmatives, always questioning.

Always dreaming for the future, always living in the nightmare.

Vernon had slapped a new assignment on her desk by the time she returned her little work room. Elide inhaled sharply through her nose as Vernon instructed her to organize his latest dealing with the EPA in convincing them to grant them permission to build an oil well near the Mississippi. She wanted to say no and protest the outright disgust that the risk of the oil spill and build up of a harmful infrastructure for the environment was not a potential investment—especially as a distributary channel.

But she had learned the hard way to keep her mouth shut. It was the only way to prolong the pain. To bite her tongue was to save skin, but drive her mind into pieces. What she could eat, wear, love—all aspects restricted to her Uncle, her last living family tie. Of all strung love, the sneers had snipped away the strings of bent loyalty. Only time remained as her closure.

Her fingers traced the outline of her calendar, nails tapping the date of her eighteenth birthday.

Soon.

Smoothing down her business skirt, she scheduled a phone conference with the EPA and placed that vapid smile onto her face. A blank face for the future clean slate.

She was Elide Lochan, and she would find a way out of this prison, coming in all shapes and sizes conjured by the metal at her ankle and bars in her mind.

Until then, she would play with Vernon.

Los Angeles, California

“Dammit!” Rowan cursed. “How did we lose this rutting business deal with the EPA? Our policies ally with their every move.” The desk splintered from impact with his fist.

Fenrhys threw his hands up in the air. “Why—how—are we losing our connections all to the horrid Morath Company?”

“Stop bloody shouting!” Gavriel shouted, pulling the roots of his hair. “We need this to work. So stick your nose back in the desk and breathe.”

Vaughan pinched the bridge of his nose and inhaled his full cup of herb tea in one swallow. The others either paced around the room in hopes of releasing their anger while the others stormed out. The anger radiated within the room, a broken instrument victim of the feats of reckless runned reactions.

“Does it look like I give a flying fuck?” Lorcan snarled. “Maeve is blackmailing us again. If we don’t get this deal, she’ll rip apart our company for sure.” The duty to hang onto the shred of their independence hung volatile among them.

Fenrhys slammed his head against the desk rather violently, again and again, until the noise created a short cacophony. Gavriel grabbed his shirt’s collar and tossed him against the wall. “Stop acting like a child.”

“Obviously they have a mastermind in there,” Rowan said, ignoring his companions, and the rumblings of complaints. “Someone with the brains and words. The persuasion and the manipulation.”

“Someone with more hold than Maeve,” Lorcan mused.

“Impossible,” Gavriel snapped, ignoring Fenrhys’s sulking. “Maeve has been controlling us for the past damned ten years. You can’t get more powerful than that.”

Vaughan rolled his eyes. “You’re acting like we’re at the top of the hierarchy.”

Fenrhys narrowed his eyes at him, rubbing his jaw. “Who’s side are you on?”

“It doesn’t matter. We need to start searching through Morath’s database and narrow down the selection of employees and see who we’re going to kidnap. Use him to our advances. Bribe him to stay quiet. Then release him if his heart still beats.” Lorcan stalked towards the computers and flipped on all the switches, feeling the familiar humming of electricity under his fingertips. His dark eyes flickered to the lines of codes, full of simplicity past the facade of complexity.

“Kidnap?” Gavriel demanded, rising from his worn seat.

Lorcan slowly turned towards his cadre, sparing them a feral glance. “Did I stutter?”

Rowan swore, and strode next to the whirring computer. “If Maeve finds out the prisoner we capture, she’ll wire him. Transform him. Manipulate him.”

“You’re going along with this?” Gavriel scowled. “Break a plethora of laws, so cross another?”

Lorcan tensed, his fingers flying across the keyboard, clacking away lines of code. Stiffness coated every inch of him, but he merely growled lowly in warning.

Vaughan shook his head, ignoring the amber-eyed male seething. “Maeve won’t find out. Not if she sees it as a conquest and nothing more. If one of us...show interest in him, then this scandal would not arouse suspicion.”

Fenrhys coughed. “You aren’t suggesting—”

“One of you will seduce CEO Vernon’s head informants,” Lorcan clipped out. “Whether male or female, I do not care. But you will make it happen.”

Fenrhys bristled as all heads turned towards him.

The Las Vegas Strip, Nevada

Work had drained her, ten hours of relentless scribbling and talking, full of sweet, empty words. If only the interviewed her insides and intentions, then would they see the black water running through her, flooding her lungs. Every breath tasted of the lies of liberty and poison of power.

The lust filled looks washing over her body was nothing new. Neither was hurrying through the less dense streets where lamp light rays flickered away into ceased existence.

The moment Elide walked down the alley, she knew something was wrong. The night was a calm tranquility harboring deeper secrets than the sun’s horizon, but never did it fade into utter silence.

Something was off.

She wormed through her bag until she palmed her pepper spray, and slowly inched up her skirt where her laid strapped against her thigh. No one, not even Vernon, knew that she carried weapons with her.

Except Manon. The cunning mafia leader had taught her how to survive on the streets when she’d save Elide from near assault after she was caught in the after-effects of a crossfire. Howls had filled the air, snarling and savagery whipping around her.

But this was a silent, sinister after thought. A rattling her bones left hollowness seeping through her.

Stone from the slanted roof clattered to the floor on her left, and Elide froze.

“Shit,” a male’s voice said.

“Shut up, Fen—”

The entire roof collapsed, and Elide let out a shriek as the stones hit the floor along with bodies.

Beautiful, male bodies. The most beautiful creatures she’d ever seen. Flesh did not scare as they rose from the ground, dark abominations with crooked halos. The closest—she assumed was Fen—held up his hands in protest.

“We come in peace,” he said, his voice a low melody.

But dark and dangerous.

Another dark-haired figure next to him snickered out, “Hey, props that she’s a girl.”

The shape of another male appeared from behind him, this one formed with broader shoulders and arms corded with sheer muscle. His fall had ripped apart his black-pressed shirt, a thin line of blood trickling across his chest. He snorted at his companion’s statement, rubbing his jaw with his large hands. A rough-hewn face met her own trembling posture, her bottom lip threatening to spill.

Yet—never had injuries looked so magnificent. Never had the darkness so called to her. Never had she tasted freedom.

Elide mentally slapped herself. Bit down on her tongue. Gripped the pepper spray tighter.

“What do you want?” She managed.

The male raised an eyebrow, his midnight black hair rippling with the night. “What I want to know, Elide Lochan, is why you’re the only person working for CEO Vernon.”

Elide Lochan trembled. No one knew that—no one. Vernon had even coded millions of nonexistent names with false identities into his computer to seem as if he had millions under his command as his last action of actual work. No one could re-route that direction and clear the coding and decipher the assortment of jargon.

Unless—

A mocking bow. “Expert hacker, Lorcan Salvaterre. And CEO of the Cadre Companies.”

Now

Jakarta, Indonesia

Elide wiped the back of her hand across her forehead, sighing as the beads of sweat continued to run down her forehead. California knew storming deserts and tepid springs, but Indonesia oozed humidity that had each of her pores leaking in response.

Pressing her bag closer to hip and grasping the clasp tightly, she weaved through the bustling streets. Vendors leaned forward at her sides, nimble hands flashing forward, the town the perfect hole to pickpocket. Vibrant cloths and teeming displays glamoured the wiped-down fronts. Every smile and wave of a hand served as a distraction as the unsuspecting pockets or zippers opened, only for seconds later, curses to fill the air as victims realized their foolishness.

Elide reasoned she would be the same victim to the games if she weren’t a werewolf.

Her hands instinctively enclosed around a wrist, and squeezed. A little boy fell out of a stall, his face beet red. A warm wind had his long locks of dark curls slapping across his face, coated with black streaks of grime and dust.

As Elide gripped him, her eyes absorbed the thin scars painting his scrawny arms.“Who did this to you?” Elide murmured softly, her other hand firmly tightening its hold on her bag, ignoring the rest of the curious eyes peeking from behind the tapestry stall.

The boy shook his head, hitting some of the hanging threats of rainbow hues. “Can’t say.” His other hand flailed out and pantomimed zipping his lips.

She slowly sniffed the air, narrowing down the scents. Of all the vendors in this street, this particular stall held the only one inhabited by werewolves—young ones, to be precise, which was odd considering the fact not one smelled rogue. Lest the laws forbid it, any pack forbid young wolves, prone to be subject as pawns or used as threats, wander alone.

“Where’s your alpha?” Elide asked, and slipped her fingers around a pendant in her bag. Yanking it out, and angling her body closer to the stall, she palmed the ruby.The boy’s eyes widened, his other hand reaching out.

Elide retracted the gem. “Alpha?”

The boy loosed a small, defeated sigh. “Dunno. Probably killing or fucking.”

Her eyes widened. A sound escaped her throat. “Are you sure?”

The boy’s eyes turned dark. “Alpha killed mother. Alpha fucked sister. Alpha does same to others.”

Elide knew by the sweeping undercurrents of bitterness and acerbic taste in the tongue that the boy’s sister simply hadn’t been taken without strand of dignity or consent. It seemed she had come across one of the boundless alphas, spending wiles and wills on the wild mind rather than the collective security of duty. Her insides shuddered, her skin prickling in sorrow for the fate of the pack, for only the true chaotic cursed ruled in this new era. “What’s your name? I’m Elide.” She knew it was a risk to expose herself openly like that, but by the boy’s fragile state, he wouldn’t be able to fully mind-link his alpha that another werewolf not from his pack set on his claimed territory. By tomorrow, she’d completed her mission and be sailing back towards California.

It’d been too long before she had been in the eastern hemisphere, where two years ago, no alpha pack had deigned to rule over the torrid terrain and scorching soils of Jakarta. Only the ruined would dare claim the chance to tame the lands.

“I’m Nox.” The boy blushed. “Nox Owens.”

Elide released her grip and slid the ruby into the boy’s hand. Before he could disappear behind the fluttering, threaded colors of clarity and brightness, Elide leaned in, whispering, “Don’t grow bitter, Nox, but better.”

She set off for the streets, attempting to cover her scent with newfound vigor—her only supposed gift for her runted wolf side. Hiding in rabbit burrows did have advantages, but brought out whispers of disgust and pity to those who saw her other form. If she completed her unspoken task easily, then she’d be out of the ground quicker. Intruding on another's territories had never been one to her liking, unlike Aelin’s boldness. Being the one of the several Alpha females must have had its perks, a craving Elide would never have fulfilled.

Hurrying up the steps into a small building with a slanted roof, she pushed past the wooden door, the blast of the cranked of air conditioner eliciting a satisfied sigh. Footsteps rounded from the corridor, and Elide grinned as she stared at the familiar white-haired acquaintance, dressed in the ever trademark dark clothes.

“It’s good to see that Aelin hasn’t quite roughened you up yet,” said Manon, twirling her favorite blade in her fingers. “I’ve not got much on my end except for an Alpha Lycan settling here in the wastes.”

Elide unpacked her bag, pouring out the sparkling jewels for later bartering and bribing. “A Lycan?”

The more feral and wild kind of werewolves in the supernatural world, Lycans dominated over packs and reigned as royalty. Feared by most younger vampires and worshipped by regular werewolves, Lycans challenged the social order of the supernatural system. She’d met not just five three years ago, but one certain dark-eyed Lycan well enough to wish herself dead and nothing but dust in the earth; an encounter enough to drive her into a frenzied state of one she’d never envisioned herself, the simplicity rested in certainty.

“I saw a little pup today,” she murmured. “Alone in the streets.” The urge to protect the small one had rammed repeatedly in her head, ringing with resonance within every crevice. The lost, wide eyes reminded her of a younger version of herself, afraid and in awe of the wide world who offered terrors and tranquility. A desperation had flashed through him beyond that draped curtain of fear.

“This Lycan’s known to treat omegas poorly.” Manon rolled her shoulders. “He may not give a lick about what happens to those who toil in soil, but his warriors form a force of sheer strength.”

“Which is why your Thirteen still haven’t drive him away?” She had an inkling of feeling running through her veins, a snap of hopefulness thrumming through her. Manon’s silence was enough, and Elide rolled an amber stone across the table. The white-haired female easily caught it in her hands, rubbing the smooth surface. As a witch, her stance held hold over other supernatural creatures, only challenged by the ancient throng of individuals, including the older vampires who had seen the early revolutions of barred freedom and processed colonialism.

“Which Lycan are we dealing with?” asked Elide, for the true forest bred creatures of the night called Lycans numbered to a few to be counted on hand’s fingers. Each reigned deadly in their own particular ways, each a foe to be reckoned with, each immortal and an aura of powerful.

The leader of the primeval witch clan snapped her teeth—not at the fellow wolf who held youthful ebullience hidden within the shaded depths of dark orbs, a drawn and drab curtain across that flaring spark of cunning, restrained lore, but at the thought of the Lycan in her wasted lands. Manon crossed her arms. “This Lycan has dared to claim my territory as is, infiltrating my streets and my rings. I’m losing my contacts in a flushed drain.”

“What does this have to do with Aelin sending me here?” If gathering intel was all that was required, then she’d be heading back home to the sunny, albeit windy, shores of California within no time.

Manon gripped the stone tightly, the sharp noise of cracking piercing the air. “No,” the witch said slowly, opening her palm. Elide watched the cracks of the reddish brown hues fall listlessly to the floor, a distant reminder of the salted liquid running through her and scorching her mind. “You need to seduce Lycan Lorcan Salvaterre.”

A heartbeat of silence, then Elide coughed, clutching her chest. Pain sweltered through her, rivulets of rage racing across her vision, clear as the freshwater without a facade of fiction. Lorcan Salvaterre, the newest, most dangerous and wild Lycan that had appeared out of nowhere three years ago, the one who had shaken the very soils of her roots. The phantom bite at her neck flared at the name, her entire body shaking and trembling, the memories of the madness running amuck her mind.

Time healed the blemished bruises and scrapes of scratches, but only bred the psychological damages burning and branding her insides.

“Elide!” Manon called sharply, shaking her shoulders firmly, halting the flood of feelings. “Do you accept the deal?”

The figure of a rough-hewn face emerged through the fog of recollection, onyx eyes boring into her soul, warm hands skimming her skin, sending sparks through her. A dance of danger and dignity, her body a violin to his tune, unleashed and forbidden. The crescendo of emotions that had ruled her into the haunted female—werewolf—that she was today.

“Yes,” Elide managed to gut out, a sick smile spreading across her sunken eyes. Riled revenge spun, a chance of millions emerging through the unsolicited closure of three year’s time. She didn’t have to ask why the new type of mission when another vice wormed through her. “I accept your deal, Manon.”

It was time to return the forged game of unforgotten secrets and tempted betrayal—one in which no longer pawn reigned as herself, but the CEO of the Cadre Company, Lorcan Salvaterre, the robber baron of her heart.

A retribution for what Lorcan Salvaterre had done to her three years ago.

#lorcan x elide #elide x lorcan #elide lochan #manon blackbeack #lorcan salvaterre #lorcan lochan #tog au #elorcan

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motherlyra · 7 years

Text

Chapter 45: Hall Day

Only five more chapters till I hit chapter 50.

I have a very special surprise coming up. Hopefully I’ll have the money to treat a few of you.

[Sans Days/Nights]

[Buy me a coffee] [Patreon]

Warnings: probably confusing dreamlike sequences? Also something I actually didn’t plan on writing about for a long while but I mean at this point the characters are long out of my control.

You were almost done shoving the last of your clothes into your suitcase, Gaster helpfully handing your things to you one by one with his powers. Sans was pacing around the room, phone pressed to the side of his head.

“Yeah bro, I know. Everything’s gonna be- no bro, just wait. We’ll take care of- I don’t know how, but everything will work out, okay? Bro- bro- listen to me- Papyrus, everything is going to be fine. Put Alphys back on the line for me, okay?” Sans glanced at you as you finally zipped up the final zipper of your suitcase, eye lights lingering on the bag a moment too long before turning and speaking again. “Alphys, just keep to the apartment, alright? We’ll be heading back up now... Yeah- Look, it’s not like we have any other choice.” He sighed, rubbing his forehead.

You grabbed a water bottle from Sans’ bag and drank a little before precariously pouring out a majority of it in the too-tall kitchen sink. Flowey was looking awfully confused until you picked him up and slid him in, tapping his head to get him further in the bottle.

“Ow-Ah-Hey-Pwahhh… What are you-!?” Flowey’s outburst was interrupted by your finger pressing against his mouth, cutting him off as you managed to tap all of him except for his oversized head into the bottle, making it look like he was one of those awkward homemade bottle caps. His leaves inside the bottle wiggled, seeming frustrated, but he couldn’t do much about his situation.

“Sorry, this is the best we can do.” You quickly said, putting him in the bottle holder pouch on the suitcase. He seemed like he wasn’t content being treated like a common beverage, but you got up and looked around the house one last time for anything you may have forgotten.

“Give us a few hours and we’ll be there. Keep Papyrus safe for me.” Sans finished the call and snapped his phone shut. “You have everything?” Sans asked, turning to you. You thought a moment, feeling like you were forgetting something. Not something physical, but...

“Oh- I promised Fuku I’d try to get tea tomorrow.” You realized, running a hand through your hair. “I need to leave her a note so she-“ Before you could even finish the sentence Gaster vanished from your view, only to appear a second later holding a pen and sheet of paper.

“Best make it short and simple.” He suggested, holding the supplies out for you. You nodded, grabbing them and quickly going to the table to write the note.

[Fuku,

Sorry I couldn’t get the tea like I said I would! Something serious happened back home, so I need to get back as soon as possible. Thank you so much for letting me use your bathhouse, and thanks for the food and tea! Let me know if you ever go to the surface, you’ll always be welcomed at my place!]

You quickly wrote your name and contact information, incase she ever did make it to the surface. You wish you could express your gratitude towards her properly, but this was the best you could do for now. “Okay, I think that’s everything.” You folded the paper over twice.

“Then let’s not waste any time.” Sans grabbed one of the suitcases and tossed it at Gaster, who caught it out of reflex despite the fact he appeared to be looking at your note. Sans stepped beside you and offered you a hand, Gaster placing a hand on Sans’ shoulder. You took the hand, and the world tightened around you. The feeling of nails and glass cut past your skin, making your head scream and stomach flip upside down.

You fell to your knees on the snow, coughing violently. You felt a hand rest on your back, but it took a moment for the ringing in your head to quiet enough to hear Sans’ voice. The ringing didn’t seem like it was stopping though.

“-okay?” He finished asking. You could guess what he was asking easy enough.

“O-ow…” You mumbled, swallowing and taking a breath before replying. “That… That hurt a lot more than usual.” You shook your head and tried to stand up too quickly, nearly losing your balance. Gaster caught you by placing a hand on your back as Sans grabbed your arm. The three- well, four of you were standing outside of Fuku’s, which was completely dark.

“I think I’m going to be sick.” Flowey mumbled quietly behind Gaster, and you vaguely wondered how a flower would throw up.

“Perhaps leave the teleportation to me, brother.” Gaster suggested, picking up the note from the ground and holding it out for Sans between two fingers.

“I… yeah.” Sans grabbed the note and stepped to the door, jamming it between the frame and handle. He tapped the note to make sure it wasn’t going to fall on its own. “What did that feel like?” He asked, looking at you, concerned. If he heard Flowey, he made no sign.

“Like getting dragged through a tube of glass and needles, like usual. Just… a lot more painful.” You quickly explained, thinking it was no big deal. Sans’ eyes widened at that.

“Wait, you mean you usually feel that when we teleport?” Oh, you must’ve never told him.

“Well, lately, yeah. I assumed that’s how it was suppose to feel...” You swallowed. “It’s fine, really. Lets just focus on getting back on the city.” Sans seemed like he wanted to ask something else, but you reminded him of the urgency you guys were in. He hesitated a moment, before walking beside Gaster and placing a hand on his arm.

“Are you ready?” Gaster asked, adjusting his hand between your shoulder blades. You nodded, trying to ignore your growing headache. The world broke into billions of pieces, swirling around you and slowly building into a grey walkway under your feet. You turned to the side, seeing massive castle walls and buildings spiral seemingly endlessly in the darkness. Sans never showed you this, but you knew you were still in the Underground. “Feeling alright?” Gaster asked, hand dropping to his side.

“Yeah, that was fine.” You quickly nod, looking around. “Where… are we?” You asked, confused. Sans had told you there was a lot more to the Underground… but you didn’t imagine anything like this. You would have liked a chance to explore it, in the least.

“Close to the Barrier- or, the Exit, I suppose. I have never been on the surface physically, so I fear I may not be able to make a successful teleport there.” Gaster explained. “The Exit is just up ahead, past the Throne Room.”

“You were the Royal Scientist, didn’t Asgore let you into the Throne Room?” Sans asked, seeming slightly irritated that you guys had to walk more than planned. You tucked your wonder of this part of the Underground into the back of your mind and started walking, not wanting to be any part of the growing argument between the brothers. Your head felt like it was buzzing.

“Only once, he felt it more humbling to visit me in other locations.” You heard Gaster comment, following behind you. “However that was when the Queen was still married to Asgore, and most likely had a different room arrangement than what it is currently. Forgive me for not wanting one of us to end up as a part of furniture.” He had a bit of chill to his voice. You didn’t realize teleporting was so risky.

You turned the corner of the hallway, and stopped mid step when you saw an orange tinted pillar in your view. Something started waving red flags in the back of your mind, but you didn’t know what it was. Gaster and Sans had a few other quips at each other, but the ringing in your head was growing louder and you couldn’t bother yourself to make out what they were saying as they stepped past you. You shook your head and followed them in, feeling your heartbeat pound harder as you looked down the long open hallway. It looked familiar, dangerously so, but at the same time it shouldn’t have. You were never here before. Ignore it. You just needed to get to the surface. You tighten your jaw and look at the source of the light, seeing the same symbol the turtle monster showed you on the windows.

Harsh gold light was streaming from stained glass to the left of you, which made the columns lining the walkway even more menacing looking. You thickly swallow, feeling like you were breaking into a cold sweat. What was going on with you? You tried to ignore everything and continue following the bickering brothers, but you stopped just short of the sixth pillar in the hall. You couldn’t bring yourself to move. Something was very, very wrong.

Gaster stopped mid-sentence to glance towards his chest, before looking back at you, noticing that you stopped behind the two of them. “Human? What is wrong?” He asked, flickering a moment before vanishing. The ringing suddenly stopped, leaving the only the distant sound of birds chirping left in the empty air. It was so quiet, you could hear your strained breathing. Sans turned around, and you took a step back out of fear.

He was looking at you with an expression you could only describe as pure, unadulterated, loathing.

You’ve seen that look before.

Your hand instinctively tightened, shocking you when your nails dug into your palm. You glanced down to see your bare hand, but you could see the knife in your grip, the dust staining your arm. The world felt like it was spinning around as your reality flickered from one instance to another, and you quickly threw the nonexistent knife to the ground. Your motion felt partially restricted, and for the briefest of moments you thought you saw thin purple lines coiling around your fingers.

“Sans… Sans, what-“ You had the sensation of a string tightening around your neck, cutting you off. Suddenly you remembered all of this. Your dream from who-knows how long ago. Why was it affecting you now?

“Careful, do you see their eyes?” A voice sounding like a muffled echo came from all around you, but you couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. “How fascinating.” Sans stepped forward, and you took a defensive step back. He stopped and opened his mouth, looking like he was saying something but only deafening silence filled the air. Between the two of you the air flickered in a pattern that faintly reminded you of a spider’s web. “Perhaps this room- Oh dear.” His eye flared as he brought a hand out in front of him, twisting it and wrenching it towards him without a care of how it would feel for you. You yelped as you were yanked forward, and your Soul popped out of your chest.

It was wrong.

Wrong.

It was just red. Where was the blue? The crack? It couldn’t be your Soul. It wasn’t your Soul. You felt frozen in place as you stared at the floating red heart, and for the first time you noticed the color draining from the area. You shakily look up from the Soul, watching as the golden hallway desaturated till everything was in tones of grey. Everything except for the blue burning eye.

Sans pointed a finger at your Soul, and it flickered, turning a dark blue. You quickly grabbed it, shocked when it was heavy and nearly pulled you to the ground.

Bones.

Gaster Blasters.

Pain.

Thoughts and memories of the dream flashed in front of your eyes, making you flinch and step back, only to be suddenly pulled up slightly into the air. You thought you saw strings wrapping around the Soul before your vision focused, leaving just a slight blue glow on the outside. “No no no no…” You panicked, knowing what was going to happen next.

“What are you idiots doing? Stop them already!”

The ground rushed up at you and you tried to ready yourself for the bones you knew would be bursting out of the ground, only for the gravity to suddenly switch and throw you past Sans and down the hall. Your Soul tightened and you heard the sound of strings snapping as you screamed down the hall, watching the doorway quickly rush up to greet you. You coiled around your Soul and waited for you to splat against the wall past the door, but your head spun as your movement suddenly halted inches from the entrance. Your chest hurt like you were in a car and someone hit the break too hard, knocking the wind out of you. You open your eyes to see your blue Soul, fractions of seconds you could see a flickering orange glow on the outside.

Your Soul pulled you forwards again, slower, until you finally went through the doorway. Your reality shattered as you had the feeling of someone dumping a bucket of ice water on you. You shivered and gasped, and the force holding you up vanished. An inch before hitting the ground the orange magic appeared, just for a second, before finally dropping you onto the cold stone floor.

“I told you to catch them!” Sans’ voice said, sounding just a too loud compared to the silence moments ago.

“I did. You didn’t request for me to continue holding them.” Gaster commented, and the two of them quickly came to your side. Sans knelt down, helping you sit on your knees as you looked around, confused on what just happened but felt a cloud of exhaustion settling in your head. You felt like you had massive papercuts all along your body.

“What…” You started to ask, feeling like you were out of breath. You looked down at your Soul, seeing that it was back to being your Soul again. You noticed small white lines fishnetted across the redness, but you quickly pushed it back into your chest. The only difference you saw as a result was the color of San’s jacket coming back, the rest of the hallway you were currently in seemed to be all grey toned like earlier.

“You froze up and looked like you were zoning out. Then…” Sans begun to explain before looking like he didn’t know what else to say, and instead started looking you over quickly to make sure you were physically okay. You personally saw your arms looking redder than usual, but nothing else drew your attention.

“I thought it was the room that was affecting you, it appears I was right. My apologies. I was too focused on distracting my brother through the hallway, I had no idea it could also potentially have some adverse effects for you as well.” Gaster quickly said, offering you a single hand to help you up.

“What happened though? You vanished… and it was like my dream all over again.” You forced your drowsiness away and took the hand, but waited for his answer.

“Dream? What dream?” Sans asked. You looked at him, seeing him looking concerned.

“The… dream I had after the picnic… where you fought me in that hallway.” You grew quiet and looked at the ground, realizing that you didn’t tell him that. That dream was back before your Soul originally broke, if you recalled correctly. “I had a knife, and you ended up using a Gaster Blaster on me…” You could see Sans tense up out of the corner of your eye. You remembered it more now, realizing that was the dream that made you want to start training.

“How fascinating.” Gaster’s bright halos observed you, and you could practically see the gears in his head turning. “You experienced a perspective not of your own, so perhaps your Soul felt the need to relive it properly once it was in the same location.” He pulled you up to your feet before kneeling down to eye level, seeming to be looking deep into your eyes. “I do hope you will forgive my previous mistakes and allow me to redo my tests in the future. It seems I may have had false results.” You felt confused as he tilted your head to look at your eyes at a slightly better angle, still unsure of what he was looking for. “I have never had a test lie at this magnitude to me before, but apparently I was rushing the results. Web magic is nothing new, but thread based magic is an entirely new concept to me, nor have I ever witnessed magic turning on its user before, but given you are a human it should be expected that-”

“Wait, wait… slow down, test results for what?” You asked, putting a hand on his and pulling back slightly. He looked shocked you needed to ask.

“Your magic, of course.”

#Sans Days #undertale #fanfiction #oooh boy #didn't plan on writing about THAT but hey if it happens #it happens #hope you like it!#also please feel free to give me feedback as usual haha

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