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sobeautifullyobsessed · 10 days

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A Khan By Any Other Name

a prequel to Star Trek: Into Darkness

mystery, suspense, danger ~ romance & NSFW material to follow

summary: Seraphina DiPietro is wise in the ways of the world; she has to be, as she travels the California coast as a torch singer in pubs, bars, and nightclubs. She knows how to take care of herself and stay out of trouble--most of the time. When trouble comes, it's usually because she lets her kind heart overrule her common sense. Stopping to check on a handsome stranger stranded roadside in the Mojave Desert, her curiousity is piqued as much by his classic, mint-looking Mustang, as by its driver--a tall, dark, mysterious drink of water, whom she quickly learns is so much more than he appears.

characters: Khan Noonien Singh (aka: John Harrison), Seraphina DiPietro (OC)

words: 1.9k

Chapter Two

“Drop it now,” he repeated, with the sure authority of a man accustomed to having his orders obeyed, “And I promise I will not hurt you.”

Despite his iron grip, Seraphina struggled to pull her arm away, hissing through teeth gritted against the pain, “Won’t hurt me? You’re hurting me now.”

Harrison’s hold on her arm loosened some; she was still tightly caught, but the pressure of his grasp, the pain, had receded a fair bit—although she knew she’d find dark, finger-shaped bruises there in short order. If she even lived that long. “Forgive me,” he told her, his voice low and even, “I’d forgotten how fragile your bones can be.”

What an odd thing to say, she thought, straining for release from his clutch and realizing it was all too impossible; she was no match for his strength, and even if she could manage to trigger the mace, she had no sure way to aim it properly. She felt desperate, frightened tears well up in her eyes, but squeezed her eyes shut against them—for she would not give her assailant the satisfaction of her despair, nor would she beg for mercy.

He must’ve read that quiet resignation on her face, for he tugged her fist close and covered it with his free hand, urging her to see reason, “You cannot win this struggle, Seraphina. Your resistance is futile; surely you understand this?” Harrison’s voice was silk persuasion, rich and dark and seductive—at complete odds with the very real threat he presented. “I could easily break your wrist and prize your little weapon from your fingers—but I honestly have no desire to hurt you. Just let it go.” And then, to her great surprise, he added, “Please.”

Blinking through the tears that fell against her will, tears that betrayed weakness when she wanted to be strong, Seraphina met his eyes again. His beautiful, deadly eyes—and saw in them an unexpected sincerity that matched his gentle “please”. She bowed her head and opened her fist, leaving her key and the can of mace to fall onto the passenger seat.

“There—that wasn’t so difficult after all, was it?” Why was his voice so soothing? Fear of what he might do to her next coursed through her veins, yet Seraphina thought she could easily crumple to the ground, curl up into a fetal ball, and let his voice see her into untroubled darkness. The heat, the fear, the adrenaline, the struggle—all of it had sapped her of the will to face whatever might come next. She’d always believed it wasn’t in her nature to fall apart so quickly, but she felt that way now, all the same.

True to his word, Harrison released her arm, but Seraphina remained in place, braced against the passenger side door, shaking in the aftermath and considering her very limited options. She might try to make it to her hovercraft, but the stranger now held her key; and even if she had the strength to run and the speed to outpace him, to flee into the desert at her back would be equally as brutal as anything he might do to her. She'd have to make her stand right here, then--and though she was no match for his size and strength, she knew enough to leave him hurting before he took her down for good.

Taking stock of her condition--mentally preparing to fight him off as best she could--Seraphina flexed her left wrist carefully, wincing as she explored her tender forearm with cautious fingers. Nothing broken at least, though she felt a bone-deep ache; but it would not be enough to hamper any effort to defend herself.

Strangely, Harrison was ignoring her at the moment; having retrieved her keychain, he had torn the can of mace free with no effort, before hurtling it carelessly into the desert. Seraphina had a vivid image of her own broken, half-naked body flung just as easily and left upon the sand for carrion-eaters to feast upon. She shoved the idea down deep, knowing such fear would only cripple her--and was immediately dumbfounded when he held the key out to her.

"Did I not say I have no wish to harm you?" Harrison's eyes bored into her own, searching for calm and reasoned understanding. "In spite of how it appears, we are equally vulnerable in this place and situation. We must find a way to trust one another. " Sera only continued to regard him warily. "Take this," he insisted, "If I judge you correctly, simple concern for a traveler in need motivated you to stop. And in keeping with your nature, I believe that you will not deny me the help that I need."

Sera studied his face, looking for signs of deception, skittish to trust him but accepting his peace offering nevertheless. "You lied," she said, defiant yet holding her anger at bay, "This car isn't yours..."

Harrison nodded, his full lips pressed together against a small placid smile, "I never claimed that it was..."

"It's stolen," she fumed, irritated with herself for allowing him to so easily mislead her when her first instinct had been correct after all.

"An act of desperation, I assure you..."

"Just as this was," she exclaimed, extending her bruised forearm to him, "I have to wonder what happens to people who truly stand in your way, Mr. Harrison. "

Unruffled by her outburst, Harrison closed his eyes a moment and breathed deeply. When he looked to her again, he was the picture of patience. "I swear I have no desire to cause you--or anyone else--harm. But you must understand, I am in dire straits and as we linger here, my family is in imminent danger." He paused, weighing the effect of his words upon her. "Such a thing will make a man act beyond the measures of polite society."

Seraphina narrowed her eyes, skeptical of his revelation of a family, but suspending her disbelief for the moment, "How then? What sort of danger is your family in?"

"Their very lives hang in the balance, threatened by a powerful man who seeks to manipulate me into working for him." Embers of hate flashed in his eyes, and he gave a bitter huff as he added, "Forcing me to work toward the most nefarious of purposes."

Sera shook her head, clearing the double vision that had crept up on her; she cupped a trembling hand against her forehead, which came away slick with perspiration. It was the heat getting to her, obviously. She felt parched, although the thought of putting anything into her roiling stomach left her feeling even more nauseous, and her head was pounding in time with her racing pulse. She needed to get out of the goddamn heat before she collapsed from heat exhaustion--while the man before her looked completely unaffected by the desert climate. "And...and I suppose this mysterious man is so powerful that you can't seek help from the proper authorities?" Sera leaned all her weight against the car door, wondering if Harrison had noticed her current state of distress.

If he did, he gave no sign of it, a mix of pain and rancor coloring his strikingly handsome features. "So powerful that it would be in your best interest to remain ignorant as to his identity and position." Anticipating her next question, he warned her, "Do not ask--for I cannot reveal that information."

Though stymied by his vague replies--and sensing a much more complicated tale behind what he'd already admitted to--Sera read blunt honesty in his voice and body language. And the fact that he had willingly returned her key while asking for--rather than demanding--her help, seemed a testament to some underlying truth. She realized that she likely had only a few more minutes until she passed out, leaving her completely at Harrison's mercy. "Then how...how did you end up here, stranded in the Mojave," Sera asked, panting softly, "How does any of this help your family?"

He was watching her closely now, so that he had to aware that she was fading fast. "That is a rather long and complicated tale, Seraphina." His voice had again taken on a lulling pitch. "One which I believe would outlast your capacity to remain on your feet."

She held on to the window frame, white-knuckled but determined to remain upright long enough to learn his hidden agenda. "I'm fine...I...I'm just a little light-headed..."

"Step aside now, Seraphina." Again, that tone of a man whose orders were obeyed without question. "You have little time left before you lose consciousness." His hand was already on the door handle, and she stumbled back in time for him to swing the door open.

Then he was looming over her, a tall, cooling shadow, reaching out to brace her. His touch this time was firm, while surprisingly gentle. "We need to get you out of this heat." Unexpected concern in is stunning eyes, calming concern in his voice. The man was a beautiful enigma.

"No...please...tell me. If...if you want me to trust you..." Her world was darkening around the edges, narrowing so that only his face remained in her field of vision. "If you want me to help...I need...I need to know..." Seraphina felt herself going, and as her consciousness fled, so did her fear and curiousity; only one need remained. She sobbed against him as he scooped her up into his arms, "But you promised...you promised not to hurt me again..." Her eyes fluttered shut as she slipped away from awareness.

Harrison strode swiftly towards her hovercraft, cradling her as softly as he could, knowing that the cool, dark interior was the quickest remedy at hand for what ailed her. "Oh, pretty little Seraphina," he murmured, brushing his lips against her dampened hair, inhaling the sweet scent of jasmine and honey, relishing how light and easy she felt in his arms. "Hurting you is the least likely thing I have planned."

(to be continued)

If you enjoyed this, please reblog ~ it's the only way others can see this work.💟

tagging: @icytrickster17 @ironstrange1991 @strangelockd @groovy-lady @aphroditesdilemma @stewardofningishzida @battledress @mousedetective @dearmrsstephenstrange @lorelei-lee @mckiwi @shinebrightlikeafanbase @cumberbatchitis @doctorhelm @strangeflashholmes221 @prulock @stargirl-designs @hajile10 @dancingmushu @iloveavengersblog @fireonmybones @osugahunnyicedtea @brayleigh14

(There were a few more blogs that I tried to tag based on the response to chapter one, but tumblr's messed up url search function kept telling me 'no blog found'🤨)

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hellonerf · 17 days

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5 + 22 for ame!!!! :3

5 : first song in mind : depending on my mood really and how honed in i am the general themes i associate him with (how personal/human focused im imagining his issues to be in that moment) 🤤 but im gna be cringe and free rn and just say kirai kirai jiga hidai by kuragep is like easily fitting to me most of the time

22 : thing i like in fics with him vs thing i dont like : for something i like, i like when its an outside pov to him and hes like fucking weird in that specific way that really hits my marks 🤤🤤🤤 honestly its hard to explain for me... im pretty open to how his personality can be but 🤤 i like when he's not well adjusted but kind of persistently indestructible in how he behaves? like immovable object/unstoppable force lol...

as for something i don't like, thinking hard on this 🤔 i think. (trying not to come off as annoyingly prissy about his characterization...) ok putting it under in case i do just start to ramble

i don't like when people play into his hero thing with it being seen as a sincerely good honest untroubled thing like i read fics of other characters doing shit and hes something of a cop there and i start passing out really hard. i don't know i think he's generally disinterested in other people most of the time it's hard to put that with a Sincere hero talk without him just seeming like a hypocrite. obviously you could just make him not disinterested in people in ur fic for that but in my preference i'd just sacrifice his sincerity 🤤 also u make him a "cop hero" and i really just pass out so hard. getting up and leaving. sorry i can't do this shit...

well, i obviously like an ame thats ill in some ways, but i don't like when he feels too fragile personally(emphasis on personally)... this feels obvious with what i put for something i like lol. but i mean i like when something does totally destroy him but i need it to make sense in my head 🤤 though i don't mind it too hard since people do whatever mental stuff in their fics it just doesn't do it for me Personally...

this is just a lame and gay one but when he is too smooth suave whatever flirt 🙁 just total personal thing because i hate male characters who are not only handsome but like smooth and loveinterest-like and AME is my FAVORITE so he CAN'T be a CHARACTER TYPE i HATE!!!! (loud banging head on wall)

now i might make it seem like i would dislike a puppylike good honest ame. thats not true i like him like that too sometimes (when i wanna go aw... aw... aw.....)(then i start wanting to trap him in a cage) but i also want his flaws to be pulled to the front sometimes and maybe he can be forced to confront with his honest to god insufferableness or maybe other people have to. it relly depends 🤤 i like all kinds of ame it rly matters on execution i spose...

oh also i don't like when they overdo the deception thing i definitely talked about this before lol but when its master manipulator shit like 😕(BORED AS FUCK) idk. i just don't believe it. other people aren't that dumb. everypony knows you bucking lied. and if he's lying about something i'd like it if it's copium to himself too like im not a bad guy its just like this..!!! this is how it is!!! if ur gonna make him fucked up i'd like it if it's in a miserable world and no human has been or is sane bcz its miserable out here and everyone knows he lies nobody does anything about it cz argh whaetver... people have their own business all the time... i like lived in worlds and whenever everyone is caricatures while one guy is ReallySmart and pulling the strings it just doesn't feel grounded and i fall asleep

#ask game #ask #this one ended up long thanks ame.

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zodiacal-dust-and-curls · 5 years

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Death by Natural Causes

Word Count: 2117

Warnings: None that I can think of. Very fluffy! (Please let me know if I need to add any)

A/N: Happy belated Valentine’s Day! 🖤 I finally finished writing something. Gwil’s look is inspired by the above picture (yes, i know that’s technically Charlie Nelson). Also, a big thank you to my beta (and platonic soulmate) @mollymarymarie for proofreading and fixing my mistakes. ILY, bae. I hope you enjoy it! It is based on things I’ve actually done in real life. Enjoy!

You were awake suddenly. Why? You weren’t entirely sure why. The room was still dark from behind your eyelids; the bed was still warm. The thought of ‘well, why not?’ seemed to echo through your otherwise quiet mind.

A quick peek at the clock didn’t offer much comfort or clarity to your situation. Its only offer was the numbers 5:57 glowing in the soft green light that greeted you every morning. No alarms had been set, that was the deal made on your shared days off, as rare as they were.

Slowly turning over, you found that the bed behind you was still occupied. Gwilym must not have gotten up for his run yet, under the pretense of trying to let you both sleep in today. It was quite shocking to be awake before him, with or without alarms, so you took the moment to just observe him.

He slept on his stomach, turned away from you. You couldn’t see his face, but the slow, even breaths he took were enough to know he was untroubled. After a few moments, you made your move to wake him and smiled at the memory it conjured.

– “Love, I’m the big spoon. I’m taller” Gwilym nearly whined from his spot behind you on the couch.

“Well, that’s great and all, but what if,” you turned over to face him, “just this once – I could be the big spoon?” you had said it with such a cute pout on your face that Gwilym couldn’t help but acquiesce.

“Alright, just this once, you can be the big spoon.” The look on his face was priceless, almost like he couldn’t believe he gave in so easily. But, the sound he made after you switched spots and started playing with his hair made it sound like he didn’t mind so much. -

“Get up, Lazy Bones. If I have to be awake, so do you” you mumbled into his hair as you pressed a kiss to the crown of his head and threw an arm around his waist.

“Why?” It was more of a rasp than a spoken word. The sweet, sleepy sound that followed made you hesitate before responding.

“Why not?” You wanted it to sound like a challenge, but the sleep in your voice drug it down a little too far.

“Well, if that’s how you’re gonna be about it” he chuckled as he turned over to face you and sat up on his pillows.

Gwilym in the morning was always like a work of art. A little different every day, but always with the same base feeling. Today, his bedraggled hair caught the early morning light and all the little bits of gold made it look like he was wearing a halo, possibly even a crown. His eyes, though half-lidded and still heavy from sleep, held the depths of the ocean and mysteries of the forest in the small amount of the iris you could see. His mouth, always your favorite bit, was still turned up in the first smile of the day.

“Good morning, dearest,” you breathed out, moving your hand up to his bare chest.

“Good morning to you, too,” he yawned and stretched. “Now that we’re awake, what do you want to do today?”

“I was hoping we could go to the museum? Definitely after breakfast, but hopefully before lunch.” It came out a little quietly as you looked at him through your lashes. You’d wanted to go to the museum for a while now, but never had enough time off from work or anyone to go with. Today just so happened to be a day off for you and Gwil, giving you both time and company for the outing.

His eyebrows raised into his hairline and his smile widened as he took in your request. It was so simple and so sweet. How could he say no?

“That sounds like a wonderful idea, love. Usual morning routine and I’ll meet you in the kitchen for breakfast, yeah?” He pulled you in for a quick cuddle, resting his chin on the top of your head for just a moment.

“Yeah” you agreed as you pressed a quick kiss to his jaw.

A quick jog and shower later, you were in the kitchen waiting for your coffee to finish brewing. You knew Gwilym would laugh a little when he saw you in today’s outfit. He loved your sense of style, but it always tickled him how you would dress for whatever aesthetic you had in mind for a particular day. Today would not be an exception.

When he emerged from the bathroom, you couldn’t help but giggle to yourself. Even with just a glance in your peripheral, you could see that he seemed to be on board with today’s chosen aesthetic. What a sight the two of you would be. Perfect for carefully, or not so carefully, planned Snapchats and Instagram posts.

“I swear, I can read your mind at this point.” Gwilym announced from behind you.

“Either that or I’ve finally trained you to dress properly out in public. Tea?” you offered up his favorite cup without turning, choosing to use your gaze to will your coffee to brew faster.

“Thanks,” he mumbled into your hair while he took the cup out of your hand and placed his other hand on your hip, “what time do we leave?”

“I bought tickets for the 10 o’clock tour, but I want to see other parts of the museum. So, 30 minutes? That way we have time to fight traffic and find parking.”

Instead of hearing his agreement, you felt his nod near your shoulder. Affectionate was one of your favorite moods on Gwilym. He loved to stand behind you and just hold you to him. Honestly, there was no point in fighting him, you loved it, too. The world would be still for the two of you in those moments and all you had to focus on was each other.

Traffic wasn’t as bad as you expected, so you found yourselves at the museum with just over an hour to explore before your tour started.

“So, what’s on the agenda?” With tickets in hand and a free day ahead, it seemed that Gwilym couldn’t wait to explore with you. As it was, he didn’t want you to get too far away. He’d managed to keep a hand on you during the entire car ride in.

“Well, the tour is for me,” you admitted, “so we can go into any of the permanent exhibits you want before it starts.” You turned to smile at him. He returned it easily and eagerly.

“In that case,” he paused, looking around for something to catch his eye, “how about the hall of paleontology?” He offered with a quirked eyebrow. Goodness, could he use those eyebrows to his advantage. Not that he really needed to, you were all too happy to agree.

After making your way through the trilobites, you were waiting at the corner for him to finish taking pictures of his favorite prehistoric plant impressions. It was cute the way he insisted it was art. What was not so cute was him threatening to put it on the wall in your shared flat. It was breath taking, but maybe not something you could see in your living room.

“I just think this would look lovely over our sofa. I really think it fits the room.”

“Dearest, I don’t think I could look at these very pretty, but very dead plants every day. I don’t think it will keep the same effect if we look at it constantly. I think it should stay special.” And out of my living room. Really Gwil, how on earth could that brown go with all our blues and greys? But you didn’t voice that opinion.

“I think it would still feel special. I’d wager that in 6 months, I’ll still love it AND it will have grown on you.”

“I’ll give you a wager,” you retorted, “but instead of our flat’s future, how about lunch?”

“Lunch?” His eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hair.

“Yes, lunch. It’ll be just about time when we finish the tour.” It could also save my flat from that monstrous rock, or one just like it.

He stepped closer to you and wrapped an arm around your waist, effectively pulling you into his chest. “So, what’s the task?”

“We take selfies with the fossils and post the best one with different captions. The one with the most combined likes and comments on Insta by the time we leave gets to pick where we eat. Loser buys.”

Gwilym thought it over for a minute, moving his eyebrows and hand in sync as he stroked his stubbled chin. After a moment, he looked down and spoke.

“You’re on, love, and when I win, I want Thai.”

“We’ll just see about that, won’t we, mister? Because when I win, I’m going to want Greek.” You looked up and pressed a kiss to his nose before pulling out of the embrace.

Forty-five minutes later, you had harassed every skeleton in the hall, as well as a few life-size sculptures, and were deciding on which picture was the best. Once you had picked a goofy selfie of the two of you, you sent it to Gwilym and waited for him to open his Instagram.

“Okay, let me know when you’re finished with your caption and tags. I want us to post at the same time.”

“Ooh, scared I’ll get more likes in 2 minutes than you will?” He nudged your elbow.

“No. It’s more like I know you can be a dirty cheater when you want something.”

“Fine,” he rolled his eyes and gave an affected sigh, “finish up or we’re going to be late to your tour.”

“Done! We post in 3, 2, 1!”

Post: @/mrgwilymlee: Spending the day with my love, @/yourinsta. Who would’ve thought that even while surrounded by several millennia of history, she’d still be the most breathtaking creature in the room? #me #lookatthislittlenerd

Post: @/yourinsta: Isn’t he just dino-mite? Nothing will tricera-top this day. @/mrgwilymlee #badpuns #sorryimsuchanerd

“No peeking,” you warned as the pair of you hurried to the temporary exhibit hall. “I know we will probably Snap part of the tour, but no checking Insta until we walk out the front door.”

Gwilym raised his hands in surrender, “whatever you say, love. I promise to be on my best behavior.”

“Really, love, Death by Natural Causes?” Gwilym questioned as you approached the gates of the exhibit, which had been designed to look like the entrance to a gothic cemetery.

“What? It seemed interesting! And it was popular enough to get an extension here. So clearly, I’m not the only one fascinated by it.” You furrowed your brows as you spoke.

“I don’t doubt it will be fascinating,” he defended himself, “I just can’t believe you gave me all that grief over thinking the fossil would look good in our flat and then drag me to see more things about death.”

“Hey!” You pushed his shoulder just hard enough to make him lean to the side for one step. “I did not give you grief, I saved our living room from housing a brown rock.”

Gwilym seemed to consider your objection as you handed over the tickets for the exhibit.

Two hours later, you had read every bit of information offered and played ever educational game in the hall, including the ‘place your hand to reveal the answer’ spots that showed what a disease did to a body externally. Gwilym actually found those to be quite entertaining, mainly due to the way you approached them.

For the first, you had slowly put your hand in the box to light up the plaque with the answer, but you were not ready for what happened next. A loud noise, accompanied by a vibration, shook the display and made both you and Gwilym jump. Luckily for you, Gwilym’s reaction was to pull you away from the offending object, while you just let out a loud shriek in the quiet exhibit. That coupled with all the laughter that came after, was enough for the security guard to come check on the two of you.

Finally, you emerged in to the bright sunlight of the day, having survived Death by Natural Causes when Gwilym spoke up. “Well then, love, I think it’s time to check on our little wager. Don’t you?”

Your stomach growled in response for you. “I definitely think it’s time.”

You had Greek for lunch that day.

A few days later a grey fossil found its way to your flat.

#gwilym lee x reader #gwilym lee #gwilym lee fluff #gwilym lee imagine #bohemian rhapsody imagine #fluffy imagine #fluff #t writes

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