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kquil · 3 months

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POLY MARAUDERS | HEROES IN TATTOOS PART 5

05 : DRUNK AND CIGARETTE SMOKE

SUM : It’s been a few weeks and James makes a reappearance in your life, Remus too — they’ve fallen into bad habits.

G. : modern au ; muggle au ; tattoo artist james potter ; piercer remus lupin ; remus smokes ; drunk james ; reader is sad ; this is a little sad chapter ; fergus is an amazing, lovable manager ; i’m horrible at writing the scottish accent! ; james is an adorable drunk ; james’ car is sexy and red ; remiss has eye bags and smells of cigarette smoke ; uh oh ; it’ll get better soon!

LENGTH : 2.8k

← PREV. : 04 | DISAPPEAR

You stare in disbelief at the notice that stares back at you mockingly from behind the glass door of the ‘Marauders Tattoo Parlour’.

‘NOTICE’ it said in bold red sharpie, right above a handwritten message that you recognise as Remus’ neat penmanship, ‘due to personal reasons, Prongs, Padfoot and I (Moony) will be keeping the parlour closed until further notice. We kindly ask that you remain patient as private matters are being sorted through and resolved. We are still open for online and phone consultations to discuss designs and potential future appointments. Kindest Regards, The Marauders’. Beneath the polite and brief explanation of current circumstances was a business email address and phone number as well as working times for phone calls.

The weeks following your discovery of the boys’ true relationship, you rarely ever passed their parlour. A little over three weeks has passed now and you’ve finally been able to walk past their studio doors close enough to read the notice. You’re frozen in place as dread and worry cultivates shards of sharpened ice to grow within you. Freezing up your senses, freezing up your mind and freezing up limbs. Yet, your heart is racing like never before, your blood pounding against your ears like a drummer gone mad.

The feeling that settled in your stomach wasn’t a pleasant one, especially when you felt completely responsible for the boys’ sudden hiatus in business. They had often talked to you about how much the parlour meant to them, how it was their best investment and remains their biggest source of opportunity — an opportunity to help people express themselves. It’s a form of freedom that many have been deprived of (themselves included) and they were honoured to now be able to provide that same freedom to others. For them to completely close up shop like this was completely bizarre.

How long have they been closed for?

You bite your lip and will yourself to move your feet, the ice in your limbs breaking uncomfortably, shattering into a million knives of ice, shooting pins and needles up your arms and legs as if your blood had been frozen up too. As you walk away, you slip your phone back into your pocket, where your hands also remain.

While contemplating what could have happened to your favourite tattooists and piercer, you made sure to save a picture of their business phone number onto your photos.

You were never able to call their business number. And you had many excuses lined up to absolve your cowardly behaviour. The main one being that it was their business number, it wasn’t meant to be used for a conversation between friends. Were you even still friends at this point? The thought made you shiver and stole the appetite right from your stomach. It was a greedy little thing cowardice, regret too. They’ve stolen many things from you, your appetite was their favourite thing to purloin, motivation another, happiness as well. Nasty, selfish and greedy thieves. But you weren’t brave enough to confront them and make them stop. And that, alone, makes you their willing accomplice — so who’s really to blame?

It didn’t help that through this entire ordeal, you’ve realised that none of the boys have exchanged phone numbers with you. To say that you were bitter was an understatement. If they never gave you their number, why would they want you ringing them in the first place?

…maybe they didn’t have a reason to? You couldn’t remember a single time after the day you first brought them that homemade ‘thank you’ lunch where you hadn’t seen them on a regular basis. And now that you were used to seeing them almost daily, your life has since been bleeding of colour and vibrance. Days are dull and monotonous, it’s hard to motivate yourself to do pretty much anything, let alone your job.

“Yer’ve been sighin’ so much these days, I’m startin’ to see wrinkles forming’ on yer cute lil’ face lass,” Furgus comments, nudging your hip with his own as he passes by you behind the counter.

Flustered, you scramble to get back to work with a quick apology, evidence of your embarrassment heating up your cheeks as you do so, “I’m so sorry Gus,”

With hearty laugh, the burly Scottish man pats you on the back and whispers some reassuring words, “Yer’ve got nothin’ ta worry about lass, I jus’ wan’ed ta see if you were al’ight is all,”

“I’m okay,” you smile grateful for his care only to be met with suspicious eyes and a deep, bearded frown.

“Don’t grow a habit o’ lyin’ ta me lass, it won’t do ya any good,” his words make more heat rise to your cheeks but you reassure him as best as you can in between taking orders and serving drinks. It was no use however, Fergus saw you as his own daughter, he knew you like the back of his hand and you know that he had his suspicions of your odd behaviour lately — all derived from a sadness he didn’t like you wearing. Thankfully, he decided to leave you alone with your sorrow and regret and focused back on managing the pub. Tonight was pretty average, you saw the regulars and greeted them with a friendly smile that didn’t quite reach your eyes; if any of them noticed, they never said a thing about it to you. Thank god.

It seemed like it would be another regular night until you caught sight of a familiar figure in the corner of your eye. You had just gotten back from your break when you spot James at a far table, nursing a pint and buried under a sheet of suffocating misery all on his lonesome.

“James?” you breathed in disbelief with a wide-eyed stare directed right at him.

“You know that guy?” Bonnie, your coworker, asks in a whisper into your ear and you had no choice but to nod your head in confirmation — you’ve already outed yourself, there was no point in lying, “well he’s been drinkin’ himself to death for the past hour or so, what’s gotten into him? D’ya know?”

“No…” you’re a liar.

“Well ya be’er find out or else imma have ta kick the poor bastard outta ‘ere,” Fergus comments, his arms folded over his large chest and his brows knitted together in disapproval.

“May I—…?” you begin to ask softly, sending a curious look towards Fergus who meets your eyes with a small smile and a wink.

“Consider yerself off fer da night,” with a smile, you thank him and take a breath before making your way over to the miserable tattooist.

“Angel!” James smiles happily at the sight of you, his drunken state adding an adorable dopiness to his already charming grin, “It’s you~” he coos and wraps his arms around your middle to bury his face into your stomach when you were close enough, “I missed you so much, angel~” he sighs, his voice muffled by your clothes as he refuses to detach himself from you, “even if this is just another dream…” you barely hear him and you almost curse yourself from being able to because his words make your heart drop to your stomach.

“James,” you ask softly, “can you please get up?”

“Why?” he shuffles to press his chin into your lower belly and stare up at you with those sweet hazel eyes of his. The sneaky bastard, he knows how weak at the knees you become from his simple stare. You’ve never told him so and often put in the effort to not show it but you know, he knows.

“Because you need to go home,” he gives an incredulous look at your reasoning and he’s adorable doing so, even in his drunken state.

“Why would I need to do that when you’re right here?” he slurs and hiccups, your heart pounding erratically at his words.

“James please—”

“No!”

“James—”

“‘m not going home! I wanna stay here with you,” he presses his face into your stomach again and sobs into your clothes, “you’re gonna disappear again,” he sobs miserably, “I don’t want that…”

“Please just let me call you a taxi James?” he doesn’t respond, pressing his face further into your stomach as you comb your fingers through his dark hair, you touch gentle and comforting, coaxing him into some compliance, “remind me of your address again and I’ll call you a taxi, okay?”

“NO!”

You suppress a defeated sigh.

It takes several minutes of coaxing until you’re finally able to take his phone from him. He refuses to let you call him a taxi and you weren’t going to force him to walk home alone in his drunken state so you’re going to have to do the one thing you can think of that’ll guarantee his safe return home. Not that you’ll enjoy it because it means confrontation.

“Can you tell me your passcode, please, James?” you ask in a gentle whisper, only to him, “I need to do something very important on your phone,”

With a large smile he recites the digits, “22nd of the 6th, 17,” the way he says it makes your raise a brow. Sensing your curiosity, James answers your silent question, “is the day Moony, Pads and I became official,” he giggles adorably to himself as you smile somewhat sadly — another reminder that you should stay away. You don’t say anything to prompt him further and, instead, type in the code before looking through his contacts. It takes you a moment but you’re eventually pressing call and waiting patiently for Remus to pick up.

“…James?” Remus’ familiar, kind voice speaks tiredly through the phone and you don’t know whether to breath a sigh of relief or worry, “Hello?”

It takes you a moment but you finally will yourself to speak, “Hey, um, Remus?”

“…Dove?” he’s in complete disbelief and it’s evident in his voice, “Is that really you?”

“uh…yeah,” you chirp sheepishly and Remus is all forms of elated but his excitement dwindles quickly when he realises how you’re able to call him.

“Why do you have James’ phone?” you were right to call him, knowing that he was preceptive, reasonable and easy to talk to even with the tension in the air. Patiently, you explain the situation, never taking your fingers away from James’ hair as he practically purrs into your form, adoring the physical contact and muttering to himself happily. It’s especially loveable like this, considering that it’s him being dopey and giggly and not anyone else.

“Oh…” Remus sighs, clearly disappointed, “I’m so sorry, darling, I’ll get him right away,”

“It’s no trouble, Rem,” it was hard not to cringe when the familiar nickname easily rolls off your tongue. As if nothing happened — oh how you wish for such a reality!

“Just tell me where you are and I’ll be right over,” you don’t know if you’re just imagining it but there’s a considerable shift in his voice, he sounds much softer after hearing his nickname easily fall from your lips.

“We’re at the Boar and Elephant pub on Chapel Road,”

“Alright, I’ll be there soon,” with a click, he was gone and you were left to keep James satisfied until he got there. It wasn’t an overly tough job; James seemed perfectly content nuzzling into your stomach with his arms hugging you in place as your fingers massage his scalp and gently groom his hair. He’s like a puppy, eager to receive affectionate cuddles and pets. If he had a tail, he’d be wagging it like crazy and you giggle to yourself at the mental image it conjures up.

“I missed that…” James mutters, maybe to himself but it wasn’t clear.

“I’m sorry?”

“I miss the sound of you giggling,” you don’t know what to say but he continues, going off on a tangent, “it’s so pretty, you’re so pretty. It’s like the sound of a cute little bell ringing…so pretty— pretty pretty pretty!” you can’t lie to yourself, he’s absolutely precious, “I miss you so much angel, why did you go away? I don’t want you away, I want you with me, and with Remus and with Sirius too…” he murmurs something into your stomach that you weren’t able to pick up but don’t press him further on the matter, fearing that your heart might just about burst if you do. You can’t afford to hope for such a fantasy with them when it could never become a reality.

It just wasn’t possible…

“Not fair!”James whines, making grabby hands at you as Remus, with the force of a gentle giant, manoeuvres him into the back seat of a red Jaguar XJR. Dealing with a defiant baby was a struggle so dealing with a giant, beefy baby like James Potter was like trying to control a hurricane. But Remus had a magic touch and arguably had more of a silver tongue than Sirius did so he made it look like a walk in the park. It was astounding, “I wanna be with my angel!” James sobs as Remus closes the door on him, putting a stop to James’ needy cries.

“She’s not yours, she’s no one’s,” was Remus’ response even though he had already closed the door, James unable to hear him and the hint of dismay coherent in his tired voice, “thank you for looking after him, Dove, you’re always too kind,”

“N-no, don’t worry about it,” he smiles down at you, silence filling up the space between your two lonely figures under the amber lamplight. He doesn’t seem to mind the hush in conversation but knowing that his eyes were fixed on you was unnerving, “so! Is that your car?” you ask, desperate for a change in conversation; your restless fiddling making your intentions obvious but Remus keeps to himself.

“No, no, it’s not mine,” he answers with a short chuckle, “this is James’ car,”

“Oh…” you hum to yourself thoughtfully, eyes carefully examining the body and model of the car, “I see,” it looks like a car James would have, you think to yourself. There was more silence until Remus finally brings himself to commence your farewells.

“Well I suppose I should head off, I don’t want to take up too much of your time,” your heart stutters, almost to a stop, at his words, even more so when you see him hesitate upon leaning down. A victim to your own habits, you find yourself closing your eyes and awaiting his gentle kiss goodbye against your temple.

…But it never comes.

“Goodbye then,” he calls over his shoulder, and rounds the car to get to the driver’s seat.

“—Do you smoke?” you suddenly ask, in some part desperate to extend your interaction with each other and other parts curious of the lingering cigarette smoke you smell on his clothes, masking his usually comforting fragrance. It’s strong enough that you were able to catch it from your formal amount of distance with each other and it struck you as odd. You had never seen him smoke before.

Remus laughs a brief and strained sound as he looks at you from over the hood of the car, did he always have such deep eye-bags? “Not usually,” he sends you a sheepish smile once you’re finally able to meet his eyes, “but I’ve recently taken to it again,“ he sees worry and grief fill your eyes and hurries to correct himself, ”—But don’t worry, Dove,” his features are gentle and kind, warm and… forgiving, “I’m okay,”

The world slows as you watch him bend his head to sit in the drivers seat. It’s been too long. For you, at least. This can’t continue. It scares you to think about where this may go if you leave it to late. It’s only been three weeks! If this is the result…you dread to think about what would happen if things went on for longer than that. James is drinking himself to death. Remus is smoking cigarettes. What about Sirius? Your stomach twists uncomfortably, painfully, your heart too.

“No! You’re not!” you shout, tears of anger welling up in your eyes as Remus stops and looks over at you once again, his breath hitching when he sees your eyes glistening with tears, “you’re not okay…”

“Dove—”

“I’m coming by tomorrow,” you announce, “at lunch,” this was a commitment you’re making, a commitment to him, to them. Even if you’re heartbroken, that doesn’t give you the right to be a bad friend. You brave a watery smile, “I’ll make your favourites…so you better be there!”

→ NEXT : 06 | SELFISH DESIRES

A/N : i’m so sooo sorry for my depiction of the scottish accent, i really tried my best, please don’t hate me! if you have any ideas of how i could make it better, please say so, i’d really appreciate it. Also, i know that this isn’t completely fluff but we’re getting there, you’ll have to wait and see in the next chapter!

NAVI. | HEROES IN TATTOOS MASTERLIST

TAGLIST : @melinajenkins @aastonishment @until-i-found-you @corp0real @celestcies @lovelydoveval @inlovewithremusjohnlupin @calums-betch @futurecorps3 @hihihi1112 @simpingforthe80s @yrluvjane @chaosofmanyfandoms @storyofaromance @loving-and-dreaming @somewereinthegalaxi @ashreblogsficshere @cassandra-nerezza-black @stray-bi-kids @ttkttt @notasadgirlipromise @desikudisworld @volturissideslut @arilxup88

@ghostgardn @mess-is-my-aesthetic @zesnuts @enamoredwithbella

@susyelectra @fangirlninja67 @pagesfalling @thepunisherfrankcastle @axeofwars @imarimon @in-love-with-4-marauders @chicken-taco-burrito @valencia-rou @feast0nmeee @lestat-whore @hvmxjjk @twilightlover2007 @diaryofabiwoman @woohoney @celestialfantasiess @willbedecided @lovelyygirl8 @iiirhiane-g @mangodamochiii @queerqueenlynn @l3xiluve @brain-has-left @bunbunbl0gs @kneelforloki @citrusiove @virtualbuni @awkward-d3rs3-dr3amer @that1nerd-20 @wolfstar4everbitches @skepvids @dearmy-diary @littledollfacebaby @mylifeisnothing @em16cor @krazyk99 @imdoingbetternow @realalpacorn @remussbitch @swiftieeras1989 @lonely-nerd-sodaholic @canthavetoomuchchaos @rckstrbee @b-i-h-i @ennycutie @kneelforloki @theteaobsessedbug @padfoot1313 @d1gital-data @venezsuwayla @melllinaa

#poly marauders x reader #sirius black x reader #james potter x reader #remus lupin x reader #remus x reader #james potter #remus lupin #marauders #remus lupin x you #james potter x you #heroes in tattoos series #marauders x reader #poly marauders x you #poly marauders #marauders x you #marauders fic

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nothankyoudear · 1 year

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Ever since Merlin was a small child, Hunith had always bombarded him with loving touches. She carried him whenever she could, and when he grew too big to be carried, she left him with warm hugs and soft touches on his cheeks. She wiped his tears when he cried, and intertwined their fingers on cold nights as they slept.

Arthur, on the other hand, could not remember the last time he was touched by his father in any way other than a firm clasp on the shoulder. All his life, he's known nothing but side glances and firm remarks. No one was there to wipe his tears away when he cried, and certainly no one was there to hold him on cold nights as he slept.

He was the prince of Camelot, after all, and everyone knew that princes cannot be soft.

Which was why, the first time that Merlin went in for a hug, Arthur immediately flinched back.

They stood in silence for a few moments before Arthur left, unable to stand the tension in the air. Not thinking much about it, he had rendered it just another one of those awkward little moments with Merlin that would soon dissipate from his memory.

Oh, how wrong he was.

Arthur found himself unable to move on from it. He spent that night turning in his bed, wondering what it would've been like if he accepted Merlin's hug - The warmth and comfort that he had only ever seen given to others. He fell asleep wondering what it would feel like to be embraced by another.

Merlin doesn't do it again, at least not for a while. It was understandable, especially after Arthur reacted so drastically at his first attempt at closeness, but Arthur still couldn't help but spend another few sleepless nights regretting his reaction.

Because he was the prince of Camelot, and if Merlin - irresponsible, reckless, sarcastic Merlin - wasn't willing to touch him, then no one was.

So when the second time came - when Merlin, most likely without thinking ("when does he ever think?"), went in for a hug, Arthur hugged back.

He wrapped Merlin in his arms, and oh, it was bliss. The warmth and the comfort and the closeness that he had heard so much about were all real. He couldn't help but tighten his arms around the other boy's thin body and lean in, rendered helpless by a sense of aching intimacy.

Questions immediately appeared in Arthur's mind: How had he survived up until then without touches like these? If Merlin had never been assigned as his manservant, would he have gone his whole life without experiencing this? And now that he's finally experienced this, how could he go without it for the rest of his life?

The thought pained Arthur, so he squeezed even harder.

They didn't talk about it afterwards, but Arthur knew that Merlin knew. Arthur had exposed the softness underneath his hard exterior, and now Merlin knew.

And lord, was it great.

Their previously rare touches turned more and more common. Soon, putting on Armour turned into lingering touches on Arthur's body, and training sessions turned into Merlin haphazardly wiping the sweat from Arthur's forehead as he leaned into the cooling touch on his skin.

Sometimes, if Arthur was feeling brave, he’d even initiate some of these touches.

He’d hook his finger with Merlin’s as they walked to the stables, running his thumb against whatever skin he could reach. He’d warm Merlin’s seemingly forever cold hands by gently pulling them into his own bigger ones. He’d walk up silently behind Merlin as he’s softly humming a song while polishing Arthur’s armour, and wrap his arms around his waist, burying his head into the crook of Merlin’s shoulder.

It was like Arthur's mind was trying to reclaim all touches lost to the years. He craved skin - Merlin's skin - on his. He craved the way Merlin's fingers ran over his muscles. He craved these moments of intimacy where he wasn't Arthur Pendragon, the prince of Camelot, and he was just Arthur.

And somehow Merlin knew of this insatiable craving of his, because he was always giving and giving and giving. Arthur never openly asked for the tender touches and the soft trails of fingertips against his stomach, but Merlin - lovely, gorgeous, beautiful Merlin - was always there to give.

The love in Merlin was overflowing, and Arthur was there to catch every last drop of it.

And as Arthur was still human (despite how hard he tried), there were times when he wept.

Arthur cried the same way he cried when he was a child - with his shoulder shaking, his eyes shut, and his hands trembling. He also used to sob with his mouth open and with his grief audible like any other child, but that had long been scolded and beaten out of him.

However, despite the habits that he brought into adulthood, the nights when he cried were no longer like the lonely nights that he suffered through as a child - There was no ache in his chest as tears ran down his cheeks. No biting the collar of his shirt as he attempted to stay quiet. No harsh words to keep him silent.

There were, in their place, gentle caresses to his forehead as Merlin smoothed back his hair, murmuring words of comfort under his breath. A warm shoulder to lean on as he cried quietly. Thumbs that wiped under his lashes and nimble fingers that caressed his cheeks.

A voice that cooed and replied, “I'm here, darling” when Arthur whispered, “Merlin, Merlin, Merlin” through his tears. Lips that pressed against his as another sob seeped out. Arms that wrapped around Arthur, and gentle hands that ran themselves comfortingly over the expanse of his back until they both fell asleep.

And what a joy it was, to have someone who wiped his tears away when he cried, and someone to hold him on cold nights as he slept. To be touched and held and loved.

What a joy Merlin was.

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theemporium · 6 months

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https://www.tumblr.com/theemporium/732996365739819008/httpspbstwimgcommediaf-cfpsex0aa8a5hformat

PLEASEEE can we have the smallest of blurbs/thots on this, them cuddling into the reader because they’re wee pups after all

-🥀

I KNEW I HAD TO AS WELL

You were aware that the forecast said it would rain, but you didn’t realise it would be a full fucking thunderstorm.

You had been huddled in the Red Bull garage when the weather took a dramatic turn for the worse. First, there were just a few radios here and there about some rain hitting the track. Seconds later, a massive dark cloud was covering the track, the sun was gone and the conditions were far too dangerous to finish the end of qualifying.

You were honestly just happy both your boys were safe as they made their way into the pits, even prouder when you realised this meant they would be starting on the front row together. But then the thunder started and a part of you froze.

Thunderstorms were never a problem for you. If anything, you enjoyed them. The rain pattering against the window, the distant sound of thunder claps in the air with strikes of lightning as you played some calming music. Being cuddled up in bed, maybe even a book in hand with a warm drink by your side.

But your boys never thought the same.

You had began moving before you could even process it, but the team wouldn’t let you leave the safety of the garages just yet, which left you watching the interview on one of the screens. You could see it on their faces, even if they tried to hide it. You could see them trying to laugh it off and continue with the questions. You could see the way their bodies flinched, the way they covered their ears, the way they gravitated towards each other for safety. It broke your heart to see because you knew exactly how they were during thunderstorms.

The second they were given the go ahead, the boys were heading straight back to their drivers’ rooms to leave for the hotel as soon as they could. But it was short-lived when both boys barreled into Max’s driver room, Charles rushing towards you before you could even blink.

A low whine left him as he wound his arms around your waist, tugging you close and burying his face into the crook of your neck as another distant thunderclap echoed outside.

“I know,” you murmured, holding onto him tightly as your eyes caught Max’s—who you knew was trying to put on a brave face. “Let’s head back to the hotel, okay? Everything is gonna be fine.”

Both boys were twitchy the whole ride over. All three of you were sitting in the back of the car, with you pressed between both boys as they tried to distract themselves. You could feel the anxiety rolling off them, you could feel the way their bodies tensed and the way their hands tightened on your thighs. You knew they just wanted to be alone and far away from the thunder.

The second the hotel room door locking sounded through the suite, you heard the distinct sound of clothes ripping before two massive, fluffy beasts were approaching you. Another clap of thunder rendered through the air and both boys let out pitiful whines, cowering slightly as they looked up at you with big eyes.

“My poor boys,” you cooed softly as you reached out to run your hands over the heads, scratching behind their ears until both wolves were nosing at your legs. “C’mon, we’ll do what we do when we’re home.”

And it was a little more squished than the bed you shared at home, but it did the job just fine. You had both wolves squashing you between them, their heads resting on your stomach with the duvet over them. It was a trick you read online with dogs and fireworks, but it seemed to work perfectly with your werewolf boyfriends.

“You both need to eat something soon,” you told them when you felt one of them—probably Charles, if you knew your boys well—pushing the fabric of your shirt up until he could rest his head on your bare stomach. “And I would rather not scare hotel staff with two massive dogs that are technically undisclosed.”

Max let out a huff against your thigh.

“Don’t be a puppy,” you snorted as your fingers threaded through his fur. “Just one meal and then you can transform back. I would like at least thirty minutes with my boys to tell you how proud I am of both of you for getting the front row.”

Charles let out a loving purr as he nuzzled himself further into you.

“Yeah, I love you too.”

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ladystarksneedle · 5 months

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The eye of envy

Summary: A maid at the keep finds her own flame through the words of the dragon.

Word count: 1.6k

Warnings: implied smut, mentions of child death, burns and injuries, angst.

Prev<

Masterlist

Her body aches in ways it has never before. She has known hardship her entire life, strenuous work from dawn to dusk pushing her to the brink of exhaustion and fitful slumber. She wakes up equally restless now, deliciously sore as she gets to work hiding the bruises beneath the wimple she opts to wear. She finds his eye following her movements every time she enters or perhaps she’s more aware of his presence now that her longing has borne fruit. The sheets are changed more often with longer baths being taken together, grasping and clawing at each other till they're raw and need to be cleansed again. She finds herself visiting the sept more often, eyes on the lookout for his ardor as she begins honoring the Mother forsaking the Maiden before her. It is a wishful dream that she now lives every day, yearning for yet another part of him to hold and she’s answered soon enough.

The wails that haunt the hallways make her shrink in terror wishing for the Stranger himself. There are whispers of madness and horror floating around that make her want to retreat into herself and run away from it all. The servants are rounded up again and cast into the dungeons awaiting harsher trials as she paces around her quarters unharmed yet she knows she'll face her fate soon enough. The blood that she'd given to him so readily hasn't arrived with the moon's turn making her choke back a sob. Some part of her thinks he knows what lies within her and it is perhaps his clemency which shields her from his wrath yet every time he returns to her his touch is fierce and unyielding, punishing her with sweeter torment. He leaves with a smirk on his face and a kiss to her cheek with a lingering promise of more as she struggles in silence. The Mother seems to have confused her punishment for the son that grows within her blooms as the young princeling of six wilts and the screams only grow louder.

The days that follow are short and agonizing. She's confined to his chambers with little knowledge of what passes outside other than the whispers passed at meals delivered to her on time. The King has ordered the death of all the rat catchers of the keep along with servants who've been presumed guilty. The stench of flesh soon greets her despite the windows being shut tight. Their bars can only hold so much death.

It is a solemn occasion that greets her later as she dresses him in black. She feels him clench his jaw throughout the night in anticipation with no amount of coaxing soothing the guilt that he struggles to hide. She feels it too, a hand pressed to her womb in passing, feeling the pain she hears down the hall yet she braves it for him. He leaves shortly, assigning a guard to her door, prohibiting her leave as she's tucked into his bed with a lingering gaze. She knows the pain he carries now is for them both.

He becomes careful with her once the ashes of the little boy are strewn to the skies. His hands linger and ghost over her belly before retreating to clenching over nothing. There are days where she sees him only around the hour of the eel, woken up to being pulled close and taken in haste. There is an urgency to his movements which he tries to hide as he gives in to pleasure while not forgetting her own, yet he's gone before the sun rises leaving her locked and alone. She feels like a prisoner with more comfortable lodgings. She busies herself tidying his things yet she longs for home and the comfort of her own mother the most. It is days later when she's visited by one, clad in teal with her hands clasped in front of her. The Dowager queen looks as regal as she's spoken of, out of place next to a woman of her status as she bids her to sit. There is a sorrow that clings to her, haunting her beauty as she speaks.

“How are you doing”

“I am well your grace”

“That is good. You perhaps know why I’m here then”

“I make no demands of your grace. The prince-”

“Is quite fond of you, yes. It is why I've allowed him this fancy in the first place”

“It was not my intention”

“It never is” she responds ruefully. “The Mother has chosen to bless you child, in a time when she's tried us all” she continues fidgeting with her hands “Look after him” she whispers tiredly. She finds the woman that leaves is not the mother she hoped for but a crone gliding through the halls.

The first time she calls him by name is when he leaves for battle. She wakes up before dawn to ready him, helping him with his armour as he stares ahead. She cannot stop her tears as she finishes clasping his eyepatch in place before he pulls her to him whispering to her in the language of his ancestors. He kisses her farewell with a smile and a promise to return and that is what she finds herself praying for daily. She calls him by his name in her dreams, in the thoughts that haunt her while she kneels on stone. She lights candles for the Warrior to guide his blade and flame and for the Father to give them justice for the sorrow she sees amidst green. It is three moons later when word of victory reaches them before she finally approaches the Mother in peace.

The royal parade returns as her belly begins to swell. She hears the cheers in the distance and sees the head of the red horned beast that started it all, before seeing him fly triumphantly above. He returns to her with pride etched into him caressing her with longing burning through them both. It is only later she realizes how deeply the fire has consumed them all. The King screams in agony drowning the wails of his Queen who stares at him, pain etched into her features. She's been ushered into the room to help yet cannot stomach the sight before her. He's covered in bandages, salves and ointments lining his peeling skin, perpetually drunk on milk of the poppy to dull his senses. She sees her hold his hand and whisper something to him which is lost to the wind before she rises and leaves as the Dowager queen cries silently nearby. Aemond stands at the threshold observing it all with a blank face yet she knows what he sees. She remembers her mother telling her it is a curse to play chase with the Gods, yet as the man ahead of her screams as he's weaned off intermittently she can hardly summon any pity. Her heart lies with her lover at the threshold.

The night passes in flashes of anger with bolts of lightning illuminating the skies heralding imminent danger. She feels the empty bed next to her as her eyes adjust to the dark. It is cold as she struggles to wake up and explore. It is the last thing she should be doing but with him back she cannot feel anything but a semblance of security. She pads along the floor in her robe before making her way to where she thinks he is. She sees him stalking towards the monstrosity ahead as she lets herself in with a creak of the great oak doors.

“You shouldn't be here” he says as he hears her approach.

“Neither should you”

“It is to be mine on the morrow”

“Is it” she counters bravely “He still lives”

“Yet he's too weak to exert his will. It is I who’ll rule in his stead” he says, watching her reach him. “All of this will be ours someday.”

“In everything but name” she whispers reluctantly.

“Is it my name you still want when I have given you so much more”

“I want everything,” she admits.

“Greed doesn't become you”

“It seems to have found its place with you”

“This was always meant to be mine.” he remarks.

She sees another flash of lightning illuminate his face, silver and leather bathed in the moonlight, as she turns towards him.

“You promised me your protection as long as I wished to continue. That is all I still ask for” she whispers, taking his hands in hers.

“Do you know the story about how the Iron throne was forged” he asks “A thousand blades were melted to take its form. A thousand men fell for its cause”

“Do you plan to fell a thousand more for your own?”

She sees him smile in response as he replies “You shall have all that I have to give in time. Conquests do not yield their fortune in a day”

“Only King's perhaps” she finishes looking at him.

She dresses him at dawn with trepidation, her eyepatch now discarded for a new beginning. His sapphire glints in the dark as he clasps one around her neck.

“You are mine today for all to see” she thinks he means to tell her, as he pulls her to him from behind admiring the way it sits above her collarbones.

The ceremony is long and foreboding. She stands to the side in blue as he's crowned, curtsying with all the grace she can muster. She sees her father in the distance looking at her with confusion and her mother smiling knowingly before they bow. As the sun rises in the distance and steel finds a home atop a new head of silver, she feels the Smith at work, fashioning bonds aflame like the golden pin that glints on his collar. The doe ahead of her fumes in silence.

Taglist: @witheredoffherwitch @arcielee @chompchompluke @barbieaemond @watercolorskyy @b00kw0rmsworld

#house of the dragon #aemond fics #zae's fics #aemond x maid reader #aemond x fem!reader #aemond x reader #aemond imagine #hotd imagine #hotd fic #aemond targaryen x female reader #aemond targaryen x reader

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tokyo-debunkers-headcanons · 3 days

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How do you think the boys were when MC didn't come back for a day? I imagine Kaito starting a riot and probably crying. Maybe even failing to sneak out lol (I love him 😭)

Oh GOD! the CHAOS! I'm gonna do this more as a group headcanon for both houses. Thank you for sending in a request!

It was around lunch time when the message that MC went MIA on a mission. These are the headcanons of the brave souls that survived that day.

FROSTHEIM

Jin was already pissed that he lost his newest gopher (affectionate) to do stuff for him. But the second that message dropped. He had to do a double and even a triple take to make sure he read that right. As soon as he's sure he IMMEDIATELY get Tohma to check the tracker on the cruiser he lent out to them (he's rich. He absolutely has a tracker put on his shit)

Kaito is screaming, crying, throwing up (okay maybe not that last one). He's READY to go dive into the water to save MC. He is LOSING IT scoob!

Some would think that our boy Luca would try to keep Kaito calm....in actuality he's almost just as bad. He just manages to keep it on the inside. He's trying to do it through the proper channels (ie Professor Dante) but when that doesn't work or will take too long for their liking, he's coming up with an escape plan right alongside Kaito.

We gave to remember that Luca has already lost one of his loved ones. He's sure as HELL not losing another one without a fight!

Tohma is STRESSED! Not because MC is missing though. He's concerned sure, but he's sure they'll come back soon, missions are typically dangerous after all. He doesn't have much faith in the academy itself. Its more of a logical way of thinking. Its one day, he's sure they're fine.

Where his stress is coming from is the other Frostheim ghouls. He's basically that meme of someone with kids on leashes each going in different directions. Someone HELP this man's before he goes gray!

VAGASTROM

Alan had to hear from someone else. He was shocked to hear that MC had gone missing. It was even worse since the last time he saw them they weren't sure if their ability worked or how it worked. He went to go ask some of the professors to see what happened but got what was essentially nothing.

Sho was worried but he didn't show it. He tried to play it off like he was too focused on his food truck to worry about the honor student. He did however ask his brother about them when he saw him next. His brother mercilessly teased him about possibly liking MC and Sho instantly regretted asking. Every now and then he considered trying to call MC to see if they would answer.

He decided against it and focused more on his truck to keep his mind off of things.

Leo doesn't care. At this point he still wants to take MC down. So while its not the way he wanted to do it, it meant no more annoying NPC tagging along on missions with them. So to him, it was a win. The only annoying part was Alan and Sho worrying about them. He didn't get it and just laughed at the gossip on WickChat about the meltdown at Frostheim.

#tokyo debunker #headcanons #frostheim #jin kamurai #tohma ishibashi #kaito fuji #lucas errant #luca #Vagastrom #alan mido #shohei haizono #sho #leo kurosagi

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valaenatargaryensdragon · 1 year

Note

Well 😻 stepdaughter start to love daemon when baby number 6 born. More jealous Rhaenyra

A/N: I hope you like it!

pairing: Dark!Daemon Targaryen x Stepdaughter!Reader

summary: stepdaughter start to love daemon when baby number 6 born. More jealous Rhaenyra

Word count: 1,1K

Warnings: Fluff, childbirth

Masterlist 1

Masterlist 2

"How much longer does my wife have to endure this?" Daemon questioned angrily glaring at the midwife between your legs. Your cried when another contraction hit you. Your hands clutched onto Daemon needing some kind of anchor for your pain.

"I know my love, I know" He tried reassuring. His free hand pushed back your sweaty hair.

"No you don't know! All you know is how to wet your cock you cunt! You screamed pulling away from him only to begin slamming your hands against his chest and he took it. If this was what made you fell better then he will endure it.

"Shhh" He shushed hugging you closely The midwife looked at him worriedly.

"What is it?" He asked now worrying himself. You had gone into labor almost two days ago now, groaning in pain until it was too much and your screams filled the castle.

"If her grace does not start pushing soon, we will lose her and the babe" The midwife answered. She had been begging you to push for almost ten minutes but you refused in too much pain.

"Please my love, push for me and for our children, they need you" Daemon begged leaning his forehead against yours. His hands were gentle as always with you coaxing you through this.

"Do not leave me" You begged shaking your head from side to side. You had heard of the stories, what your grandsire had done to your grandmother, letting them cut her open like some sheep and pull out her child from her insides only for him to die hours later.

"Never, my dove" He kissed your forehead. You took a deep breath to compose yourself.

"Push your grace" The midwife instructed. You nodded encouraging yourself and pushed with all your might. Hand curling around Daemon's painfully but he did not complain, he never did with any of your other births. Your eyes trailed over to him watching him breathing with you, reminding your to breath and that it will be over soon.

"My brave girl" He praised kissing your knuckles before pushes. You took another deep breath cursing your mother for not being here when her only daughter was going through her birthing her own grandchild.

"One more" The midwife promised seeing your energy begin to slip out of you. You will not give up because Daemon was here and he will rain hell upon the world if something were to happen to you.

"There we go" The midwife cheered as your slipped into her arms. Plump with fat from all the food Daemon force fed you even when you were full, and screaming loudly to show the world they were healthy.

"A boy" She handed the baby to his father. Daemon hugged him closely feeling his heart swell in size making room for his sixth child from you.

"Show him to me" You begged trying to look over his shoulder. Daemon leaned down to show you the child. You made no move to take him not wanting to risk hurting him when you had no strength.

"Baeron" You whispered lifting your hand up to caress his chubby cheek with your finger. Daemon leaned his forehead on your as you both watched your son wiggle in his father's arms.

"As you wish, my love" Daemon agreed without a second thought. He had turned to be a slave, for you and your children. The second Jacaella was born and placed in his arms he was ready to place the world at your feet, you were his goddess.

"Thank you" He looked up to look at you. His eyebrows raised in shock seeing you already admiring him, his every move. You have never spared him a second glance usually, especially after giving birth he has always been at the back of our head.

"He's perfect" You whispered but keeping your eyes on your husband.

"Yes he is" Daemon nodded in agreement. Always by your side even if you were wrong, protecting you and taking your side against even your mother. You two pulled away at the sound of the doors opening to show your mother finally making an appearance with your children following behind her.

"He's here" She sneered looking in disgust at Baeron. When Jacaella was born she broke down in tears but slowly her love for you and your children grew smaller as Daemon's love grew bigger. You wander if she loved you at all at this point.

"Baeron, mother" You introduced. Your heart swelled watching Daemon move to place Baeron in his cradle only to help your other children climb your bed and took Vael from her wet nurse so she could leave you and your family alone.

"Another brother?" Jacaella groaned leaning on your shoulder with a frown. Daemon laughed alongside you reaching over to pat your daughter's cheek.

"Yes, another brother graced us" Your mother spat glaring down on your child. For the first time you feared for your children in your mother's presence. You reached over to squeeze Daemon's arm in fear. He understood without you having to say anything.

"How about we all leave so the mother and son can rest" Daemon suggested getting off the bed. The children who grew bored fast scrambled to leave without a second question. Your mother threw one last glare at you before leaving. Daemon sighed in relief closing the door behind Vael's wet nurse.

"Daemon" You called earning his attention. He turned to look at you worried that you were in any pain only to found you smiling at him with your hand outstretched to him. He stalked over almost cautiously trying to remember if this were one of his many dreams of you or reality.

"What is it, sweet girl?" he asked sitting down beside you. His hand latched on yours, one of the few of your initiated physical touches and maybe the first that was not meant to cause him pain like your do when giving birth or when you scratch down his body, especially his back when he makes love to you, this was soft and gentle.

"I love you" you whispered shyly. Daemon's heart stopped with fear, fear that this was fake and he will wake to the ruthless reality of your hate.

"I love you" You repeated to snap him out of his daze.

"Truly?" He asked. You nodded with a small shy smile, you looked so innocent almost transporting him back to the times before you married, before you were found in the arms of Aemond still too young for love.

"I love you too" He pulled you in a hug wanting to stay in that moment for the rest of his life if he could.

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luvneymar · 1 year

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can you do a neymar fic where he falls for davis school teacher that he meets when davi gets in trouble for something at school

GOOD BOY, BAD BOY — NEYMAR JR

SUMMARY: you finally meet the parent of your star-student & he’s more than you’d expected.

CONTENT: absolute fluff, neymar is a atrocious simp, neymar gets whiplash LMAOOO. also not proof read cuz it never is. think of the spelling errors as fill in the blanks! ❤️

PARING: young!dad!neymar x preschool teacher!reader

“Davi! How many times have I said we don’t hit other children? It’s not nice!”A honey like voice scolded the young boy who stood in-front of you tears forming in his eyes. Today Davi had hit another kid for something he refused to tell you which unlike him.

He was normally a good kid who shared his toys and snacks with everyone unless someone set him off. And in this case someone did indeed set him off, with the amount of times he’s hit another child or just been a pain you’d think the director would’ve sent him somewhere else but since you took a liking into him the director placed him on your hands.

“I’m sorry but we’re gonna have to call your daddy and tell him about this.” Hearing that Davi burst into tears, brave face coming off almost instantly. You scooped him up and cradled him into your arms pacing around the room in an attempt to calm him down.

He cried into your shoulder getting snot all over your shirt as collarbone, Davi didn’t cry often cry even when he did he didn’t cry as much as he did right now.

You walked towards the side of the room where the parents phone numbers were kept and dug through the draw hysterical child still in your arms. Once you found it you ripped the piece that had his fathers phone number and tucked the paper into your pocket.

“I know Davi, but there are consequences to your actions. I’m sure daddy won’t be mad.” You muttered into his ear as he rested his head on your shoulder sniffling every 15 seconds as he got snot all over your shirt.

“I sorry. Don’t call daddy.” Davi babbled our lifting his head from your shoulder to look at you with his big brown eyes, you were almost convinced but deep down you knew this decision was needed.

“I’m sorry baby I have too.” You kissed forehead before rested his head onto your shoulder softly stroking his blonde hair once again before walking towards the sink station to grab some tissues for his snotty nose.

Once Davi had calmed down the rest of the day went smoothly as you kept both of your eyes on him at all times leaving him alone for very little time. The end of the day was soon approaching and you could notice that Davi’s happy smile was fading into a look of nervousness.

All the other kids had there parents come to pick them up leaving you and Davi in the preschool centre along with some other staff who’s were preparing to leave. As you were playing transformers with Davi you turned your head for a moment to place a piece that fell back onto the toy you were playing with.

Once you turned around you noticed that Davi was gone and looked up to see him running towards a rather handsome man, as your eyes met his you felt your heart skip a beat and quickly looked away trying to compose yourself. “Daddy!”

“Hey buddy, how’ve you been?” You composed yourself dusting off your clothes and getting up from the spot you sat to make your way towards the man who pretended to eat his sons nose.

“Mr. Dantas?” You called out as you walked towards the pair still holding a transformer in your hand unknowingly, Neymar looked down towards the toy before chuckling as he adjusted the toddler sitting on his waist.

“Oh I’m so sorry how rude of me, I’m Neymar Santos. It seems as if you guys don’t update your system to often.” He laughed deeply practically undressing you with his voice, despite feeling like a high-school girl all over again you kept your composure.

“What makes you say that?” You questioned cocking your head to the side as you crossed your arms right under your breasts unknown to the fact that Neymar’s gaze was at your chest and not at your eyes.

As you waited for a response your eyes tracked where Neymar’s eyes could possibly be looking at that had him so distracted, it wasn’t that hard to figure out that he was basically gawking at your breasts like some horny teen.

You cleared your voice signalling him to look up at your face as you crossed your arms on your breast, keeping your chest out of his sights. Barely.

“If you did you’d know that it’s no longer and was never Mr. Dantas & that was just a cover up name from my ex-wife.” He looked up at you with a seductive look, his signature look that he gave all the girls he wanted to see naked.

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind then.” You answered secretly cheering at the sound of ex-wife and not current wife.

“Keep the ex-wife part in mind too.” He winked at you before turning towards the door to leave the pre-school centre. As he was leaving you completely forgot why you even approached him in the first place.

“Before you go I need to speak with you about something.” You grabbed onto his jacket stopping him from leaving the building. He spun around as he let his down from his hold on his hip holding his sons tiny hand in his large one.

“You can speak to me about anything.” He answered still looking at you with his signature look, despite almost melting when he looked at you like that before you stayed firm mentally.

“No this is serious please be serious.”

“What’s going on? Is there something wrong with Davi?” His look immediately changed into concerned one, you hadn’t meant to alarm him so you waved your hands immediately putting his worries to rest.

“Yes. Well no. Yes & No. More leaning towards yes rather than no.” You stuttered out not knowing how you were supposed to explain this.

“Take a deep breath and tell me what’s going on darling.” Neymar looked at you with a smile on his face flashing you his blinding pearly whites. It was almost insulting how perfect he was. Nonetheless you remained composed.

“That isn’t appropriate I could have a boyfriend you know.” You mentioned trying to deflect from his flirtatious remarks. Neymar had a smug look on his face as he responded.

“But you don’t.”

“You sound so sure about that. How do you know I have a boyfriend?” You questioned looking at him up and down watching another smile form on his face as he looked away looking quite embarrassed.

“Just a hunch, as you were saying you needed to speak to me about something.” He deflects from the side conversation returning back to the original conversation.

“Yes, uh. Davi has been having a lot of behavioural issues recently. He’s aggressive, violent & sort of mean to the other kids. Today he hit a kid so hard their lip begin to bleed. Is everything okay?” You looked down at davi who was sucking on his finger looking at everything around him but you two.

“That’s probably the aftermath of the divorce his mom and I recently went though. It wasn’t a toxic or malicious one he just misses seeing her 24/7.” He responded as you crouched down to pull his fingers out of his mouth and wiped the saliva from his mouth.

Unknown to you Neymar was looking down at you with smile as he finished his sentence, he hadn’t known why he was intrigued by you. You were just a regular pre-school teacher but watching the way you cared for his son even when you weren’t being payed for it and how you became flustered and fidgety at every flirtatious comment he made, made him feel fuzzy.

“Ah that’s why. Well is there anyway I can help? I like Davi but he’s 1 more incident away from being suspended from this pre-school. Which I don’t want to happen.” You mentioned as you got up and walked towards the trash can just few meters away from the father and son.

“You could go on a date with me.” Neymar mentioned casually picking his son up again hoisting him on his hip as he turned around to see your reaction, watching you spin around in slow motion with a shocked look on your face was almost laughable to him.

“What?” You questioned hoping you didn’t hear him right and was just being delusional. I mean no guy you just met a few minutes ago would be asking you on a date right? especially a guy as hot as him.

“Go on a date with me.” He repeated again cheeky smile on his face as he wrote something down on a sticky pad that rested on the welcome table just a few metres away from him.

“W-What! I don’t even know you. All I do is care for your-!” You babbled on not aware that Neymar was walking towards you and placed his spare finger on your lips before placing the sticky note into your open palm all with a smile on his face.

“Shh. We can sort that out later. If you wanna help Davi. Go out with me.” Neymar repeated for one last time before turning to walk out the building leaving you standing there stunned with his number in your palm and finger previously resting on your very soft lips.

“Okay.” You whispered finally composing yourself a few second after, as you turned your head and looked out the large daycare window you noticed that Davi and his father were just driving out of the parking lot. As the car finally reached the street you felt your phone vibrate in your pocket.

(Unknown Number)

hey stranger ;)

#neymar! 🫶#football imagines #neymar fluff #neymar x reader #football x reader #football fanfic #football #neymar jr #neymar junior #neymar one shot #football oneshot #neymar domestic #neymar imagines #neymar #neymar jr imagine #neymajr #neymar smut #football drabble

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chimcess · 9 months

Text

→ Chapter Three: Harboring a Fugitive Pairing: Jimin x Reader Other tags: Werewolf!Jimin, Witch!Reader, Shifter!Reader, Shifter!Jimin, A/B/O Dynamics, Alpha!Jimin Genre: Supernatural!AU, Werewolf!AU, Angst, Mutual Pining, Fluff, Smut, Word Count: 14.2k+ Synopsis: Within the four realms of Lustra lay the Bangtan forest home to the Foxglove pack of the south and known as the “land of magic.” It is also home to the Bridd, a powerful witch from a cursed bloodline who is one of the sacred guardians of the forest. Y/N is the newest Bridd, a young girl who was given her position too early. Now a woman, Y/N is revered amongst the wolves as the most powerful witch they have ever known, but hiding under the surface is a woman who has to battle between her duty and her heart. Warnings: Long haired Jimin, Strong language, blood, main character injured, main character beaten (not explicit), fighting, argument, near death experience, angst, fluff, backstory time, flashbacks, I’m putting PTSD on all of these because poor reader is suffering, I love Taehyung so much, I forgot how much I missed his playful attitude, brooding Jimin as always, crying, hurt/comfort, I hate Ahn, let me know if I missed anything A/N: This rewriting has been more fun than I thought it would be. I think the next chapter will have the most changes thus far, but I am still trying to keep everything as close as possible. Thanks for reading!

prev. || masterlist || next

I was awoken by rapid knocking at the front door. Cracking my eyes open, they burned in protest as I surveyed my surroundings. I had been changed and the blood was washed off of me, but I could not hear Yoongi anywhere in the house. Jimin must have left as well, but I could not remember when Yoongi arrived here. I was already too far gone to sleep. The knocking continued and I forced myself out of bed.

My body screamed in protest, and I limped to the living room. I heard Shiloh’s soft breathing inside of her nest and I frowned. She must have been exhausted from last night if the knocking did not wake her. Finally making it to the door, I opened it to one of the most pitiful sights I had seen in a long time.

My heart ached at the sight of Taehyung Kim. He looked worse for wear, his unruly hair tangled into matts that would take hours to brush out, and not a single piece of exposed skin was left tanned and untouched. He was purple and blue everywhere and I forced myself to stand up tall. I was so tired, but it would seem we both were. Ushering the boy inside, my heart broke when he started to sob.

I knew Ahn would do something to the sweet boy that wedged his way into my heart the second he stepped foot into my cottage. My rage simmered just below the surface, but I kept my mouth shut. Taehyung was in pain, both physical and emotional, and I would have to focus on his needs right now. In between his anguish he told me about what had happened.

After we left, Ahn pulled Taehyung into an isolated room at the palace where the beating began. Apparently, the old man believed he could beat the man into the boy, and I had to stop myself from screaming. Soon, three others from the council joined in on the fight. Taehyung said that there had been others who objected to what was happening, but none of them were brave enough to stand up against it either. Sol was taken away from him and he could hear her screaming the entire time.

“I’ve got your face,” I mumbled, reaching back into another jar of salve. I had used two on his face and neck alone. “Take off your clothes. I need to make sure nothing is infected.”

Taehyung nodded, still crying. I did not mind. I felt pity for the alpha. I was not surprised to find his body in just as bad of shape as the rest of him. I took great care not to stare for too long. I was not uncomfortable with his nakedness, but I was still aware that he was a man. Grip harsh, I started with his stomach. I let out a large, frustrated breath through my nose.

“I can’t believe this,” I grunted. “Why would you allow them to do this to you?”

Taehyung hissed in pain as I pressed too hard on a tender spot. I mumbled an apology.

“I did not want to fight,” He replied. “I do not want to rule with violence. I don’t like fighting or shouting. It’s… uncivilized.”

I laughed humorlessly. “So, they get to do as they please with you then? You’d let them kill you?”

He did not know what to say.

“If you ever want to be taken seriously-” I opened up another jar of salve and began rubbing it into his chest, “-this will never happen again. You know your definition of civility does not line up with the older generation in the village.”

Taehyung bit his lip and furrowed his eyebrows. He seemed upset by what I had said. He was such a naive boy, and I felt my eyes watering with anger. If Ahn were here right now, I would kill him myself. How dare he allow anybody to do this to a child let alone orchestrating an entire attack? I would be sure he knows just how unhappy I am with him if I had my way.

While I agreed with him, I knew that the others would have a difficult time swallowing that pill. Taehyung needs to fight if he wants to be seen as an equal. It is the only way to garner respect unless he wants to be compared to the others for the rest of his life. Chief Ahn would never allow that. Again, my anger spiked. Kim Taehyung was twice the man that miserable waste of oxygen could ever be. I knew Sol would cherish his mind and all at once I had an epiphany. No one else was more suited to rule Foxglove than the diplomatic, sensitive, and kind Kim boy.

“I understand you, truly,” I winced when he flinched away from my hands. “I’m sorry. What I mean is that you cannot allow them to push you around like trash.

“Their ideas of what makes a man are archaic at best and I think your village knows this, but fear is a powerful thing. Sometimes we will take the evil we know over the potential of change being worse. Ahn knows this and exploits it in order to parade around with his chest puffed like the loser he is.”

He looked at me strangely then, but I could not decipher what the expression meant. While his face was filled with life and never sat still, the alpha had a set of impenetrable eyes. Eyes that followed my every movement but gave nothing away. Taehyung seemed to consider his words carefully.

“I wanted to fight,” He whispered as though he was ashamed of himself. “I wanted to kill them all, but then they would win, right? I would be the man they wanted me to be, but the rest of the village would fear and resent me for it. The way they fear Ahn.”

His introspection was a surprise but not abnormally so. I had never heard him talk intellectually before, but it suited him nicely. His voice was deep but smooth like molasses that hummed a gentle tune with every word. He always sounded like he was singing, and it was such a juxtaposition from his boyish charm it was easy to forget he had turned 18 less than a month ago.

“Isn’t running away also letting them win?” I asked.

Taehyung sighed, “I had no choice. Ahn was attempting to rile up enough people in order to get someone, anyone, to challenge me for Sol. As far as I know no one was taking the bait, and it gave me enough time to sneak out. Jong-gyu helped get me out of the village while Eun-jin told our mother I was leaving.”

Somehow Taehyung always found a way to sneak his little family into every conversation, and his little siblings were the stars of his life. Jong-gyu was only eleven while Eun-jin had turned six in February. They were mischievous children and always got into trouble, but Taehyung loved them more than anything. Picturing the three of them making an escape plan so the oldest could get help shattered me to pieces.

I wiped my hands on my nightgown and stood. Taehyung was covered from head to toe in the salve, and already the marks were going away. It would take more than that to heal his bruised ribs. So, I went to the kitchen and looked around for a healing potion. I did not feel like making one at this hour and we both needed to get some rest.

“Why did you come here?” I asked, gently.

Taehyung sighed. “Because I knew you would help me.”

Again, my pity returned. While my blood boiled, my heart hurt for the alpha as well. I could imagine him hurt and abandoned, nowhere to turn to, and not being able to trust the local doctor. I found an old potion in the back of a cupboard. After quickly smelling it, I was sure it was still good to take.

“You can stay here as long as you need to,” I offered, handing him the potion. “Sol is my friend and I’m making it my job to keep you safe.”

Taehyung seemed at ease with this. Downing the potion, he curled up on the couch and closed his eyes. “Thank you, Bridd,”

I did not reply. Instead, I used my magic to bring him a few blankets and struck up the fireplace. He was weak and may not be able to regulate his body temperature as easily. It got cold in the living room at night. Seemingly satisfied with his place on my small, uncomfortable couch, Taehyung fell asleep within seconds.

I had never seen anything like it in all my life. Stifling my laughs, I began blowing out the candles around my house, and put away all the used tubs of salve. I would need to make more soon. Exhausted and still recovering from the ceremony, I drug myself back to bed. Shiloh was waiting for me when I arrived.

“How many times do I have to tell you to take your bedrest seriously?” The barn owl nagged.

I groaned and rolled into my bed. It was warm and soft. Shiloh flapped to her nest, a few feathers falling on my sheets that I ignored. I had gotten used to the constant cleaning many years ago.

“It was Taehyung,” I argued.

“I don’t care if it was Fenrir at the door, you better stay your-”

“Shiloh,” I warned, “Swîgian âstillian.”

The bird grumbled to herself, but I was too far gone to pay attention.

Someone was knocking on my front door. Groggy and still stiff, I groaned and rolled on my side. I could hear voices outside, none of them sounding happy, but I heard someone calling for Taehyung and my temper flared. Angry and sore, I used magic to lift myself out of bed and threw on my robe. I saw Taehyung curled up in a ball in front of the sofa. He did not notice me until I was standing in front of the door.

Shiloh was shouting at me to get back in bed, to let the wolves handle their own business, but I ignored her. When they decide to take their politics to my doorstep, I have every right to give them a piece of my mind. Squaring my shoulders, I took a deep breath before forcing my arms forward.

My front door flew off its hinges and into whoever was standing behind it. Namjoon was unfazed by this and slapped the thick wood out of his way. I could see the shock in his eyes, but I was not finished with my assault. I began to sing, a whirlwind of objects floating around the room. Namjoon backed away but this only pissed me off more. Shiloh shouted as a large, hot, blue flame sprouted from the palm of my hand and flew at the wolf.

“Hwæt−hwugu ðrîstian êow?” I shouted, everything dropped once my singing stopped. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

Hoseok and Jimin stood on either side of their brother. I knew I would regret attacking them eventually, possibly the moment they left, but I would not let myself falter. No one was going to come here and intimidate me. The rational side of my brain told me to stop, breathe, and listen to what they had to say, but the other (louder) voice wanted to break them into pieces. Taehyung was broken and bleeding last night and yet none of these people helped them.

“Bridd-” Hoseok pled.

Ignoring him, I kept my gaze perfectly trained on Namjoon. He stared at the large, ashen spot at his feet as I stared at him. My face burned with anger, and I felt another surge of magic rush through my body. A dull ache began to form in my back, and I knew I was bleeding again. I had used too much magic, and my body was having a hard time healing.

“Sê ðafian êower m¯ægð teohhian êower weorðfulnes?” I roared, eyes burning. “Sol chose him. The Gods chose him! Do you all somehow believe you to be superior to them now? Are you all that blinded by your precious Chief's biases that you would allow for this to happen?”

Namjoon swallowed thickly before finally looking at me, “Of course not. I-”

“You listen to me,” I sneered. “If you ever get the gull to come bang on my door again, I swear to you, I will not show you the same mercy.”

Namjoon stuttered over his words, unable to form a proper sentence. I could feel myself growing tired again and the red in my vision was dissipating. Shiloh was still shouting at me to come inside, to let Taehyung handle this himself, but I could not let him stand here alone. No one else was here to help them if the three men decided to attack and I would never forgive myself for leaving the boy defenseless. I stood tall but visibly more relaxed.

“We’re here to speak with Taehyung,” Hoseok pleaded. “I swear we have no intentions to fight with you or him. Namjoon needs to relay a message.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but a voice from behind me beat me to it.

“I’m fine, Bridd,” Taehyung said. The alpha looked at the others but stayed safely behind me. “What’s the word?”

“Don’t be angry with me, cousin,” Namjoon started, stepping towards us.

Instinctively, I got into a defensive position. Namjoon stopped walking and held his hands up in surrender while Hoseok flanked him. Jimin was still standing perfectly still, his eyes on me, and I wondered if he was thinking of a way to get at me if need be. If I was thinking rationally then I would understand why, but in my elevated state it only served to hurt my feelings.

“I have challenged you,” Namjoon continued and all thoughts of Jimin left my mind.

“Quare?” Taehyung’s tone was incredulous, and I could hear the betrayal that coated his tongue. “What have I ever done to you?”

Namjoon seemed to soften but I felt my muscles clench as I readied myself to defend the boy in response. No one was going to hurt him. Sol was my good friend and I refused to let harm come to her mate. I would sooner drop dead before I allowed someone like Ahn to destroy the lives of a group of people because of his complexes. I knew Namjoon well enough to know that he would try to play both sides if it meant keeping the peace within the village. I did not respect that- not at all.

“So no one else would,” Namjoon willed Taehyung to believe him. “We are trying to buy time to come up with a plan, Taehyung. I swear, I have no intention of fighting with you.”

“Putasne me stultum esse?” Taehyung hissed and I could feel his body heating up. “Sol a me auferre conaris!”

Namjoon blanched. I was proud of the young wolf, and I had to admit that I agreed with him. Namjoon was so proud of the fact that Sol would be his mate that I had a difficult time believing the challenge was only for Taehyung’s benefit. Looking at the other two wolves it was clear to me that they also did not believe the eldest man.

“I do not want to hurt you, Taehyung,” Namjoon plead but I could see his growing agitation. He did not like the way he was being spoken to. “I mean what I say even if you are too dense to understand that.”

Taehyung growled, and I had to steady my racing heart. I would have to protect him inside. Namjoon would have the advantage of leaving, and I was vulnerable to the sun’s rays if he decided to extort that. Still, I positioned my hands defensively. Taehyung was done talking and both Hoseok and Namjoon waited for his next move.

Suddenly, Shiloh flew out of the house and screeched loudly. Everything happened quickly. First, Shiloh was barreling towards Namjoon and then a wolf was standing in his place. I knew it was an accident, and Taehyung was only trying to protect me, however, his massive frame surged me forward. I was in the sun before I could save myself, and soon my face slammed into my front steps and the sun beamed on my back. My ankle burned as the metal cut through.

My skin burned immediately, and I could not help the tortured screams that flew out of my mouth. Unfocused eyes trained on Shiloh and saw her turn towards me before a large, russet wolf shoved her out of the way with his nose. I felt many hands on me, and I was dragged back inside. My body trembled as I screamed. Every inch of my skin was on fire, and I closed my eyes only to see white. It felt like someone was tearing me apart. All around me I heard screaming and shouting.

“Quid irrumabo facimus?” Hoseok shouted.

“Nescio,” It sounded like Taehyung was crying.

My eyes rolled to the back of my head, and I could not think straight. The pain was numbing. Opening my eyes again, I saw my ceiling and raised one of my shaking hands. Black feathers had pierced through the skin, and I cried out once more.

“Recedite ab ea!” Someone screamed but I could not make out who.

“Licuitne futura est?”

I knew something was happening a few feet away but all I could focus on was the fire in my body. I knew this would subside eventually on its own, I had not been in the sun long enough for the full transformation to take place, but I had something that could help. I just needed to gather the strength to get it. I opened my mouth to speak but could only scream.

“It burns,” I managed to grunt, convulsing.

I could feel hands on me, but I could not get my eyes to focus. Sleep would be impossible now and I knew my body was in the worst shape it had ever been. Between the ceremony, the small amount of magic I used, and the sun I would be out of service for an entire week at this rate. Possibly even more.

“Move,” I heard Shiloh’s voice through the rest of the nonsense going on around me.

Looking through my lashes, instead of an owl there was a beautiful woman before me. Her fiery hair glistened in the sun and looked like it was underwater. Her skin had a dim glow to it and shimmered brightly. She looked like diamonds, and I reached out to touch her. The spirit had tears in her eyes, the water shining brilliantly, before she caressed my hand.

“Slêpte,” She whispered, fingers grazing my arm.

Instantly, I felt the relief I had been begging for wash over me. Sighing in relief, I closed my eyes and curled closely to Shiloh’s side. I felt her fingers running through my hair and the exhaustion hit me all at once. I could hear growls and snarls, but the frantic talking was much louder. Someone was crying but I was too tired to figure out who it was.

“I’m going to put you to bed,” She whispered. “Where you belong.”

When I woke, I could smell food cooking. I was in my bed, my memory faded and hard to recall, but I knew Shiloh had been in her spirit form. It was what she wished to look like in her next life, and I secretly thought she would be extremely beautiful. Rubbing my eyes, I could not remember the alphas leaving and knew I needed to get up. My body screamed in protest as I sat up, but I pushed forward. No one was going to harm the boy- not while I still had air in my lungs, and I could only hope that he was alive and well in my living room.

Upon entering the kitchen, I had to grasp my door frame for support. The stove was lit, I could smell the applewood, and one of my large pots was on top of it. The rest of the room was clean. Far cleaner than I ever left it. Someone had mopped and swept by hand. I could smell the lemons they used on the wood mingling with the strong scent of onions.

“You should be in bed.”

I jumped up. Whipping my head around, Jimin was sitting in my recliner across the room. Taehyung was staring at me from in front of the fireplace. Neither Hoseok nor Namjoon were there. I could not feel or smell my familiar’s presence either, and I had a pang of fear shoot through me.

“Where’s Shiloh?” I demanded, stumbling forward and grabbing on my island.

Taehyung stood up and came toward me quickly.

“Please, don’t push yourself, Bridd,” He said softly.

The alpha led me to the small loveseat that was tucked away and helped me to sit down. Jimin stood and covered me with one of my spare blankets before taking the seat next to me. He must have gone digging around while I was asleep. Sparing a glance at my hands, all of the feathers were replaced by nasty scars that were already lighter than the surrounding skin, like they had been there for years, and I felt sad looking at them. I could only imagine the state the rest of my body was in. It seemed like Jimin sensed my mood and placed his hand over mine.

“She stepped out for a while,” His voice hoarse like he had been screaming.

I had been angry with him; I remember vividly I thought of him and Namjoon as one entity here to hurt Taehyung but being in front of him now it had all but vanished. There was no way Park Jimin would ever be fine with what had happened. Nor would Hoseok or Namjoon. Even thinking of him I found myself hurting for him. I could only imagine how he had felt after everything had happened. I did not think anyone could have prepared for that amount of shock. However, gazing at Taehyung, most of my sympathy stopped there. Namjoon was still acting like some know-it-all, high who was high and mighty for what he had done. If Taehyung did not believe his intentions were good, then neither would I.

“Is everyone alright?” I asked.

Jimin hummed, “Everyone but you. Namjoon and I got into a fight before he left but he’ll be fine.”

I scowled at Jimin. “I don’t like the idea of you fighting.”

He grinned, “Don’t worry, amica. I won.”

“Doesn’t change my feelings.” I grumbled and looked at Taehyung.

He seemed confused. While most of his face was perfectly schooled, his eyes told a different story. As they bounced back and forth between Jimin and I, I could see confusion turn into something… other. Almost, acceptance. Strange, I thought. I did not think about it too much. My affection for Jimin was likely apparent, and stronger, than that of the other alphas. The boy was probably trying to get used to it. Then he winked at me, and I looked away,

Was it possible that he had caught onto my feelings? Had I sized him up too quickly? I knew he was mischievous and carefree, but I also knew he was very aware of others. When he had spoken so passionately about being what a good ruler was, I had gotten that impression as well as his own naivety. However, my troubles were quickly dismissed as I looked into Jimin’s eyes. It was impossible to stress when he was around.

“If it is alright with you then I would like to stay here until Taehyung decides what to do,” My eyebrows shot up.

“What for?” I replied.

“I’m sorry for pushing you,” Taehyung butted in. “I didn’t realize you were standing so close, and I was overwhelmed.”

I shook my head and assured him an apology was unnecessary, “I’m serious, Taehyung, it wasn’t your fault.”

“Yeah,” He scoffed, “You’re covered in scars because of my actions, and now my cousin is angry with all of us because of the fight. Hoseok said it was best if we stayed away from the village for a while. We can’t go back home.”

This was not surprising, at least, not to me. I did not plan on Taehyung leaving my cottage for a while, but Jimin’s own exile was either completely self-inflicted, or a way for Hoseok to calm Namjoon down before he made any other rash decisions. Like challenging Taehyung. Even if he claimed it was only to stop others from doing so, I could understand why his little cousin would be offended by his complete lack of faith in him. A challenge did not sound like a great way to get others on Taehyung’s side and would only make the boy’s stress raise.

“I found the letter that your friend sent you in your coat pocket,” Jimin suddenly said.

Confused, I frowned. I knew he was trying to change the subject, but I had no clue what he was talking about. Racking my brain, I found myself at a loss before the lightbulb went off.

“Wendy!” I exclaimed.

Going to stand, Jimin gently grabbed my arm. He looked bashful and unsure of himself. I was just like the last time he had been here, only it felt different. He almost looked… afraid to tell me what he had read. My breath quickening, I pulled my arm out of his grasp.

“What did it say?” I asked, wearily.

When I got no response, I lifted myself up and ignored the two men. I hobbled to my coat rack. However, strong arms wrapped around me before I made it a foot away from the sofa.

“Taehyung,” I threatened. “Put me down. Now.”

“Sit. You’re hurt.” He pleaded and walked me back over to the living space.

Frustrated and anxious, I turned my head and bit the side of his arm. The wolf yelped before letting go of my waist. I stumbled, wobbled over, before landing on my ass.

“This is ridiculous,” I complained, slowly lifting myself up. I ignored Taehyung’s outstretched hands. “You come to my home, go through my things, and then not allow me to read my own letter? She’s my friend! If it’s important I ought to know.”

Jimin sighed, frustrated. I refused to back down and continued to stand despite the slight sway I was fighting. Taehyung had given me some space, which I appreciated, but was close enough to catch me if I fell down again. The older alpha and I had a stare off.

Finally, after a few minutes of silence, Jimin spoke, “If you had more patience, I could have given it to you. It’s in my pocket.”

“If you had just said that instead of looking at me like an idiot-” I countered, limping back to the sofa, “-then I couldn’t have gotten up.”

The alpha glared at me but said nothing more. Snatching the paper from his hands, I made myself comfortable in my spot. Taehyung came closer, a weary look on his face. An apology was in order, but I fought with my own pride to give it. He picked me up without consent and so I bit him. End of discussion. Still, the need to tell him I was sorry was strong.

I’m happy to hear you are feeling better. However, I’m sure by the time this reaches you the Luna’s ceremony would have taken place and you’ll be back in bed again. I’ve always marveled at how powerful you are and yet so fragile. My mother thinks it was the way the Gods meant for it to be. You’d be far too much if you had all of your abilities and the same willpower as any other witch. In other words, good luck and I hope you have a fast recovery.

My sister has decided to marry a man by the name of Bastian. I am very happy for her, and I know Nixie will make a good wife- even if their children will be raised as humans rather than witches. Apparently, Bastian’s family is against magic and Nixie is unbothered by it. She was always rather bad at it, so I can guess why she has no issue giving it up. The entire time I have been here I’ve been barred from playing around. Nixie is very strict when she wants to be. They are very in love, and I am happy for her.

This trip, however, had made me think of my own life more than I thought it would. Y/N, would you hate me if I told you I was considering staying here? My time in Northorn has opened my world to many possibilities. Then I think of you, Yoongi, and Seokjin and the thought repulses me. Oh, I love him. I love Seokjin. I want him to be with me and yet… my eyes still wander. Is that wrong? I know you understand me more than anyone else. Have you ever thought about telling him how you feel or is it too scary? Because I’m scared, Bridd. I’ve hurt him too much.

I should stay here, right? Spare both him and Yoongi the heart ache. God knows I’ve put too much of a strain on their relationship already. From what I hear, they’re already back to being friends since I’ve kept away. Yes, I think I will stay here.

Please help me. Do something for me. I’m confused and unsure of myself. Nixie says I’m overthinking everything, but I know you will be more honest. Sending you all of my heart- at least what is left of it.

Your dearest friend,

Wendy

Rereading the letter over again, I felt my heart sink. Shiloh must have decided to go and see her after finding out. I mentally thanked her and immediately went to fetch a pen and paper. Neither wolf tried to stop me.

It made sense now why Jimin would hesitate to talk with me about the letter. He had never, as far as I know, met Wendy. It must have been confusing to read through. I remembered her line about me understanding her and my stomach sank. That must have been a strange thing to read about, too. I cursed under my breath before I began to write.

Wendy, darling,

I am fine. There is a lot happening in Bangtan at the moment, most of which I hardly understand, and it has taken its toll on me. Between the ceremony and now I haven’t one moment of peace. I do hope you can help me relax once you return. I know you will.

Forget about those two fools and remember why you have stayed here all this time: your mother, the sisterhood, your coven, and the forest. Who else can tame a magindara like you? No one. Who can purify the sea and sing with the shore like you? No one. Do not let petty, childish things stop you from enjoying your life. You will always have me, and I will forever be there. I’m happy for Nixie! Her engagement is splendid news and I wish I could be there with her.

However, life has chosen a different path for me just as it has chosen one for you. I am frightened, Wendy. Every day I am scared of what it will bring, but I do not let that stop me from enjoying the sunshine. I love the flowers, the trees, and the winds that ripple through them. Aldara used to tell me, “Fear reminds us that we’re alive, and without it many would surely be dead.” So, don’t kill yourself off just yet, darling. Keep swimming and come home. Talk to Seokjin and he will understand. Yoongi has no ill will toward either one of you. Let go of your fantasies and stay rooted in the reality of your heart.

You have made many mistakes in this life, but who hasn’t? I do think that we can salvage our friendships if nothing else, and if you truly want to be with Jin, then I would say try to win him over. He has spent many years running behind you while your sights were set on someone who did not see you very clearly. I want our circle back together again, but I want all of you happy within that circle. So go for it. Even if I am afraid, you do not have to be. See you soon.

Missing you greatly,

My body was beginning to loosen, and the pain was becoming bearable. Satisfied with my response, I waved it in the air to make it dry faster as I rummaged through my drawers for an envelope. I could only hope I could muster the strength to send it off. If Shiloh were here, she would have gone off herself or asked one of the boys, but I was on my own now. Alone and in desperate need to get this damn letter to Wendy. Shuffling to my ceremonial bag laying by the front door, I sifted through it until I found my meteor powder.

I knew I was taking a risk with this sort of thing, but I had to be willing to risk it if it meant I could change Wendy’s mind. I was already hours behind. Without a second more to lose, I gathered up a piece of parchment and a pen to begin drawing. Remembering Wendy’s face was simple enough, years of drawing and perfecting using the powder making it almost easy to do, but I still felt uneasy. My heart would not rest until I received word back or the sea witch showed up at my door.

Praying that I got every soft feature right, I contemplated adding color but quickly dismissed the idea. It would not really make any difference and I was not sure if her hair was dark or light anymore. Wendy often went through fazes with that sort of thing. Laying the paper on the floor, I said her name for good measure, and threw the powder on top of it. Less than a second later, the paper was gone, and I sighed.

“Hope she got it,” I mumbled to myself.

It was Taehyung who broke my trance.

“That was so cool!” He exclaimed.

I chuckled, “Not as cool as my own magic, but it’ll have to do. I can hardly feel anything in my body.”

Walking back to the couch, I curled up beside Jimin. He looked worried again and I realized I had messed up. Admitting that I was weak and tired would only make him drag me back to bed. Readily myself for another spat, I squared my shoulders and looked at him.

“She seemed upset,” He said instead. “I had not realized your friends were involved in that way.”

I hid my surprise well. It did make sense for Jimin to worry about others, I had just never imagined he would take my friend’s hardships so seriously. Looking away, I nodded.

“It’s been a thing since we were children. Don’t worry too much, she will come back, and they will be together. It’s their never-ending cycle.”

“Why aren’t they now?” It was Taehyung who asked.

“Because,” I sighed, “they don’t truly know what they want.”

Jimin fixed me a bowl of the cabbage stew he had made for us. It was rather plain but filling and lulled me into an unsettled sleep on the small couch. I could vaguely remember waking up shouting, but for the life of me I could not recall the dream that had frightened me so. It was Jimin who brought me to my bed after that and I did not wake up again. Not even when I shifted after sunset.

Taehyung was a nice company to have around. He took good care of his things, cleaned up after himself, and was useful. I had stopped sending supplies to Foxglove, something that neither Taehyung or Jimin agreed with, but it did not change my mind. They did not deserve my help if this is what they were going to do with it. No one had come to collect anything either, so I assumed they were boycotting my services indefinitely, or no one felt comfortable enough to come here with the wolves present.

Wendy had written to me the following morning confirming she was coming back. She had even written to Jin. While I did not know what she had said I could take a few guesses. It was only a matter of time before Seokjin told me all about it. He was the worst at keeping secrets.

Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes and stared at my altar. My magic had come back a few days ago and I had been allowing it to rest. Today was the first time I had performed a ritual spell in days. Looking over my shoulder, I smiled gently at Jimin napping on my sofa.

While we had not spoken much since that night, he was doing his best to help Taehyung make a plan to win over the town. While I thought it was foolish to think he could do such a thing without a fight, I believed in them enough to support it. Jimin was a beloved figure of the community and having him on Taehyung’s side greatly increased his odds. I knew the pack was feeling both of their absences and I hoped Namjoon would show his face here again. We had much to discuss and I wanted to apologize for my loud outburst. No matter what anyone else had to say I placed much of that terrible encounter on my own shoulders.

“What’s a cah-dee-jo?” Taehyung asked, obnoxiously loud.

“A cadejo-” I corrected, rolling my eyes, “-are spirits that help worthy travelers find their way.”

Taehyung raised an eyebrow. “And if they’re not worthy?”

“They’ll eat them,” I replied easily.

The alpha had been interested in my books after finding something I had written about the magindara when I was a kid. He was going through them so quickly, I was having to go to the cellar to get new material for him. As naive as he was, Taehyung Kim was a bright young man with a vivid imagination. He always asked questions, never settled for one answer, and listened carefully.

“Why?” He asked.

“Why not?”

He said nothing after that and went back to reading. I had started growing fonder of the man and hoped he was able to go back home. When he spoke of his siblings his eyes lit up and it broke my heart. His parents must be worried sick.

Having spent most of my morning sitting, I decided to make lunch. I was expecting Shiloh to be back later today. Wendy said my familiar had gotten to her inn just before she sent off her letter, so I knew the owl was safe. Thinking about her I grew emotional. Exposing her spirit form was extremely dangerous, a risk I would never have asked her to take, and she had done it regardless.

Going to my kitchen window, I whistled loudly and began pulling out a pot and pan. Tomato soup sounded lovely and I could always make a quick loaf of bread. A few minutes later, Delinah was at my window. Looking up from the onion I was dicing, I grinning at the deer.

“Morning, Dee,” I greeted.

She bowed her head. “Glad to see you moving around. You gave us all a fright.”

I hummed, scooping the onions and throwing them into the pot along with three whole heads of garlic, some fresh herbs, and oil. In the corner of my eye I saw Jimin beginning to stir on my sewing chair.

“I’m good as new,” I joked, using a spell to light my stove. “Would you mind fetching some tomatoes from Seokjin’s garden? I’d ask Shiloh but she’s out of the forest for the day.”

“Where’d she head off to?” Delinah asked, pulling the cloth tote I kept on the windowsill into her mouth.

“Northorn,” I replied.

“Northorn? What’s so important in that miserable place?”

I laughed, placing my knife down to help my friend get the tote around her neck. Delinah nuzzled my hands. Giving her a quick pat on the head, I promised her carrots when she got back.

“And to answer your question,” I walked back to the counter. “Wendy is attempting to run away so she’s bringing her back.”

She laughed, “Oh, that Wendy Byrd. You never know what you’re going to get with that one.”

“But we love her.”

Jimin was up and walking around right after Delinah left. Taehyung was still head-first in my magical beasts book. I took over my try of onions and garlic and let them begin roasting over the open flame of the stove. The tomatoes would not take long to char. I could hear the two men talking quietly but decided to play them no mind. It was hard to have privacy in this house as it was.

Delinah was back quickly and I sent her off with a bundle of carrots. After roasting the tomatoes, I used my pestle and mortar to blend everything together. Working in small batches, I took my time to be sure everything was smooth before throwing it into the pot I had taken out.

“Bridd,” Taehyung called out. “Can I get your opinion on something?”

I nodded, “Ask away.”

“I want to write a letter to Namjoon but I’m not sure how he’d take that.”

I paused for a moment to think. While it might be a wise idea to test the waters with a note of some kind, I was also not foolish enough to think he would be able to deliver something to the village at this time. People were looking for him and to show his face might lead to more speculation. However, he had to do something before the elders made a decision as to what to do with him.

Namjoon had officially challenged him and only revoking that, which would terminate the fight, would be his best option. I had full faith in Taehyung’s ability to defend himself if he truly wanted, but his personality would make it hard for him to commit to a brawl. Namjoon would win just from his determination alone, if it came down to that, but I had a difficult time believing it would. The only way for Namjoon to win would be killing Taehyung in exchange for Sol and he would never bring himself to do that.

“I don’t think that would help much,” I admitted. “You are aware of Ahn and his tricks. I don’t believe a letter would arrive to him if you wrote one or not.”

I heard his sigh of defeat and felt saddened. I empathize with the alpha’s situation. I knew he was preparing himself to fight his older cousin, possibly kill the man, and no one was pleased by this. In my younger years, Aldara enjoyed teaching me defensive magic but I could never strike her back. It was not until that night I truly saw what I could be capable of if left to my own devices. I shuddered at the thought. I would not wish that on anybody- especially Taehyung Kim. Mixing the soup, I spoke.

“I’m sorry it has to be this way.”

“Me too,” He replied.

The three of us ate our lunch in silence. Jimin had been more quiet than usual and I knew his brain was on overdrive. He had also been away from his family, his pack, and his home for three days without an end in sight. I knew how hard the silence could be and even then I had been quieter. Still, it must be hard on him. It was a wolf’s nature to be with his family.

Taehyung did not ask anything after that. The rest of the day, he sat on the floor near the fireplace and read book after book while Jimin looked out of the windows and wrote down in a journal I had given to him when he asked. They never went outside. I managed to do a few chores, practiced some new spells, and wrote in my grimoire, but nothing else had struck an interest in me. The tension in the house was suffocating. It was not until Shiloh returned at sunset that the house stirred.

In a whirlwind, the barn owl flew through my bedroom window, her loud voice bouncing off the walls. Carelessly I threw my pen down onto my grimoire. Black ink smeared into the pages ruining all of my hard work, but I did not care. She was back and I could breathe a bit easier then. I knew Shiloh would have an answer. She always knew what to do.

“Between those wolves and you witches,” She complained, “I’ll never, ever catch a break.”

“Oh, Shiloh,” I cooed, opening my arms to her.

My familiar raced into my waiting embrace and let herself be babied. I pet her head and smoothed her feathers down gently. The owl leaned into my touches with joy. I could not remember the last time I had smiled so widely since she had gone.

“You’re so strong and mighty, little one. I missed you dearly.”

She laughed, “I’m so happy to see you up and walking around.”

“Where’s Wendy?” I asked, letting her go.

Shiloh flew into the kitchen and I followed behind her. She must be exhausted after the long journey. She pecked at the bread from lunch and made note of the wolves in the living room. Pleased that they were still here, Shiloh told me how much she liked Taehyung before giving up any other information. I chuckled at her antics.

“She’ll be back after her sister’s wedding.”

“Oh, wonderful!” I clapped my hands together in delight.

“Another pain in my ass,” She mumbled.

And I laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

It was always an adjustment when you first transform, I found. Even after all this time I was slightly disoriented after the whole ordeal. The first night Taehyung had been here, he had almost broken my bedroom door down trying to see if I was alright. If Jimin had not reassured him, I was sure he would have been traumatized by the scene. It was the fourth night now, and Taehyung slept peacefully through my screams. Shiloh had gone to bed extra early. Jimin was the only person still awake when I flew through the kitchen window.

He was still dressed in the same clothes he had been wearing for days. I hand washed everything twice but he insisted on keeping them. I had made clothes for Taehyung and was a bit upset at Jimin’s rejection. However, I never brought it up again. I simply washed them and used magic to get them dry.

Tonight, however, he had taken off the long cape he usually wore. His socks and shoes were also somewhere else and I noticed his belt was also missing. He wore his hair down, the silver strands sitting at his waist, and I saw a simple headband keeping his bangs out of his eyes. He was sitting at the kitchen island staring at whatever he had been writing. I decided to go to him.

“Hello,” He offered, a smile that did not meet his eyes thrown my way.

He looked tired, more so than usual, and worn. Taehyung snored loudly on the floor and rolled over. Jimin did not bat an eyelash and continued looking at the papers. I hopped closer and twisted my head to look at them. The alpha did not try to stop me. It was difficult to make out everything as the ink was smudged and worn, but I recognized the handwriting from anywhere.

I realized it was the paper I had used when I had visited him a few weeks ago. I felt myself growing emotional. He had kept it… something so inconsequential and yet he had kept it. Apparently, he even walked around with it. My heart grew fonder with every encounter we shared, and I found I could not breathe properly.

I’m feeling better.

Not if it’s something you like.

I love blueberries.

You did nothing wrong, Alpha. I promise.

“It brings me comfort,” Jimin whispered. “Knowing that you’re out there.”

Turning to look at him, I found him crying. The moonlight illuminated his delicate face and the tears that ran down his cheeks. For the first time since I have known Jimin, I felt sure of myself. Drawing near, I gently flapped my wings and landed in his lap. Clicking, I rubbed my face on his stomach and allowed the warmth within me to shine. He kept it.

Jimin grabbed me and held me tightly as he wept. What his sorrows were for, I was not sure, but I had to guess it was something to do with this situation. Whatever the case may be, I melted into his touch. He was always so open with me like this. I wished he would hold me tightly as a woman, too. I knew I was beginning to grow greedy but did not care anymore. He had kept that stupid piece of parchment and I was completely done attempting to care about customs or the opinions of others.

“I don’t know what to do,” He whimpered. “I understand them both, know that neither one of them are happy with the way they left things, but I can’t do anything about it.

“I don’t want to leave Taehyung, but I don’t want to watch my friends kill each other over a miscommunication.”

And as mad as I was at Namjoon, as badly as I wanted to throw him against a wall and scream in his face for playing into the game the others were creating, I could not say I wanted him dead. We were friends after all. Even after our spat the other morning I could call him that freely. I knew something had to give sooner or later.

The alpha only allowed himself two minutes to cry. After that, he apologized to me profusely before gently setting me back down on the island. Wiping his face aggressively, he excused himself before leaving the cottage entirely. I wanted to go after him but thought he might need the space and time to think. Looking down at the paper at my feet, I felt something shift inside of me.

So what if a letter is offensive? They beat Taehyung to a bloody pulp, exiled him, and made his family think he needed to be challenged in order to keep the pack in order. If a simple letter would be the thing to set them off then I would happily be the bad guy. Knowing that I was more than likely making an awful choice, that the chances of someone else getting their hands on Namjoon’s letter were high, I still had to try. I would never see Jimin cry like that again. My mind made up, I gathered up some paper and an ink jar and began to write.

“Y/N,” Auntie whispered, her fingers running through my hair.

The sun had just begun to rise, the sky was still purple, and I struggled to open my eyes. Stirring, I moaned and rubbed my face. My eyes continued drooping closed and I yawned loudly.

Aldara chuckled, “Wake up, sleepy head. I want to make breakfast together.”

Shaking my head, I flipped over the pancake. In the dining room, Taehyung, Jimin, and the witches were talking about the best fishing spots in Bangtan. Seokjin and Yoongi had decided to drop in this morning, and while I did not get a reason for the sudden visit, I assumed it had something to do with Wendy. Jin seemed surprised about the wolves and asked if we could speak privately after everyone had eaten. I heard Taehyung asking if vegan pancakes tasted good and I laughed.

I had started a vegetarian diet after Aldara died. It was nearly impossible to get meat when I was unable to leave my home. I cut out animal products completely four years ago after I got closer with the critters in the area. It felt wrong to eat someone I could have known.

“They’re not that different from ‘normal’ ones,” I answered. “I just use oat flour, bananas, and flaxseeds mixed with water. Everything else is the same.”

I could not see the face the alpha made, but I knew it was similar to disgust. Taehyung emoted the same for several emotions. Confusion, disgust, and anger were all similar enough to take a guess. Yoongi laughed and it made me smile. The two of us were the most similar in terms of lifestyle choices, but he ate fish with Seokjin from time-to-time.

“Why would you mix flax seeds and water together?” Taehyung asked, his bewilderment coating his tongue.

Grabbing a plate, I flipped the fresh pancake onto my small stack before heading over to the table. Various jars of preserves and marmalades were out along with Yoongi’s homemade syrup he had sent to me. While I had always enjoyed honey on my pancakes and toast, after cutting out animal products, I started mixing and matching to find something I liked more. Peanut butter and banana slices have not been topped by anything else. However, I had used all of my bananas making breakfast and had to settle for syrup.

“It replaces the egg,” I explained. “You mix it with the banana and let it sit for a few minutes to thicken up. It’s something a boy called Enver taught me. He lives in Moland and doesn’t get access to the market very often.”

“How do you get things from the market?” Jimin asked.

“I go very often,” Seokjin replied. “I always get things for Yoongi and Y/N when I go. Yoongi does the same as well.”

I hummed and nodded. “I have great friends.”

After breakfast, Yoongi invited the boys to go on a walk with him in the forest. Taehyung had brought up his newfound interest in the beings that lived in Bangtan, and the witch had offered to show him a jackalope borough a few minutes away. Jimin offered to go so he could keep an eye on Taehyung. I knew they could handle themselves, but I caught Jimin’s eye before he left and knew he was giving Seokjin and I space to speak. After they left, I began picking up the dishes with Jin’s help.

We worked quietly for a time. I washed while he dried. I knew whatever he wanted to say was on the tip of his tongue, his constant opening and closing of his mouth making that known, but I stayed patient. Seokjin was hesitating, which was strange for him, but I knew he was trying to collect his thoughts. Wendy threw him off kilter often and all of us were friends, so it made talking openly challenging. Yoongi had the same problem but would only come alone if he needed to vent. Enver was always his first pick since he was far removed from the forest, but he was too young to understand what Jin was feeling.

After the dishes were done, I began to wipe down the table and put away the toppings. Seokjin lingered but did not help with this. Instead, he put away the dishes. It took a few more minutes before he spoke.

“Wendy wrote to me,” He said.

I hummed. I did not want to talk about her letter to me yet. I tried to respect privacy as much as possible and kept a lot to myself. We were all too close for comfort at times and overzealous. Wendy was the worst with this, and Seokjin was unable to keep his mouth shut for forever, and so I tried to be someone reliable. Yoongi was better than I was but that was because he never gave much thought to other people. Their problems were not his and therefore did not truly matter.

“She said she wants to be with me.”

“Well,” I sighed. “How do you feel about that?”

He ran a hand through his hair. “It’s… complicated.”

Lifting myself onto the kitchen island, I nodded.

“I’m sure I can keep up.”

“For as long as I’ve known her, I’ve liked her to some capacity. She’s never really liked me in the same way, at least, not as much as I liked her.” He reasoned. And that was true.

Wendy had always looked the other way, said one thing and did another, and never truly opened her heart to him properly. Sure, she admitted that she liked him but would run after Yoongi when given the chance. At first, I thought Seokjin was reading too much into things, but when I stopped to think about it, he was right to be upset. Wendy placed Yoongi on a pedestal and often ignored how much she hurt everyone else in the process. Even the kitchen witch himself, a man who found himself an unwilling participant in their love triangle.

“I knew she meant it when she said she liked me,” He continued. “I knew that she had feelings and affections, but the second she saw him it was like we were twelve again. How can I know she’s serious this time? She’s been away, hasn’t seen anyone in months, and decides she is in love with me. What about when she sees Yoongi again? Will it still be true?”

I felt sorry for Seokjin. He’s never looked away from Wendy, much like Wendy was never able to fully look away from Yoongi. I knew his heart was genuine, but I was also aware of how sheltered he was. Bangtan was secluded and meeting others was difficult. I was not sure if his want for Wendy would be the same if he realized that the world was much broader than this forest. Still, I was not foolish enough to think that telling someone that there were more fish in the sea would be helpful.

“I don’t want to get hurt again,” He whispered.

“I know,” I replied. “I wouldn’t want that either.”

“How can I trust her words?”

I shook my head. “I… I’m not sure. I’ve always thought you two were just stubborn. I can see how much you both care, but I’m not okay with the toxicity. As much as I want the both of you to be happy, preferably together, I can’t stand the tension.

I think you should try it out- if you want to. See what happens. Maybe seeing her sister getting married changed something for her, or the time away- I don’t know. I do know that if you’re coming to me then that means she said something that sat with you. I would think about that and your own feelings.”

“She said that she loves me,” He muttered after a long moment of silence. “She said that after you two spoke- thank you by the way, that she felt more confident to talk to me. It was the first time I felt her apology was genuine.”

We had a long stretch of silence, the two of us just looking at one another, before Seokjin looked down. With a deep sigh, he ruffled his hair before asking to borrow a paper and pen from me. He knew where everything was, so it was an easy yes. I was no surer of what was to come than before, but hoped whatever it may be that my friends would be happy.

He sent off his letter soon after. I had started sweeping and making a schedule for the day in my head. There was a lot that I needed to get done. My absence had caused a large supply chain blockage to the sea coven, and I needed to get on it right away. Shiloh was asleep, her schedule still recovering from her trip, but I would wake her up to make the delivery later. No one else lived close enough to justify the trip and with Wendy still gone I had no one to send it to magically. After some more thinking, I asked Seokjin if he could write Cordelia and ask if anyone would be willing to pick up the supplies. He agreed easily and got to work.

It was a rare moment of silence with the solar witch. I knew his mind was all over the place, and his anxieties were not helping the matter one bit. I feared the worst but knew he would speak to me about it when he was ready. I would give him his quiet.

“I rejected her,” He finally said, voice cracking.

“Oh, Jinnie,” I cooed, putting my broom down and gathering him in my arms. That was a hard thing for him to do. I was proud of him for doing what was best for him, even if I was hoping my friends could make it work for both of their sake. “Yfel am sorig.”

He sobbed, “I can’t do it again, B. I just can’t.”

And I understood. I would deal with Wendy later, her own emotions probably bubbling over. I was sure Seokjin had alluded to being friends, keeping in contact- something that would give her hope like she had done so many times before. I knew he meant it and wanted the four of us to be like we were. I was no fool to think it would actually happen. Too much had been done and said for anything to be the same as it was.

Still, I hope with time we could grow together. I loved my friends dearly and hoped we could spend Yule together like we had when we were young. I was also not foolish enough to get my hopes up either. The never-ending cycle.

“I know. I know,” I whispered, rubbing his back.

Seokjin held me tightly and cried.

Over the next three days, Jimin and Taehyung started to venture out of the house more often. I had not heard from Wendy or Seokjin, but Yoongi wrote daily to make sure that I was alright. He was worried I would get another unexpected visit from the wolves. I was not sure if that was the case, but I was prepared to speak to someone eventually. I had a feeling Hoseok was staying away in order to keep the peace. When Jimin and I spoke about him it seemed like he was trying to make Namjoon change his mind. So far that had not been very successful, and the oldest alpha was still bitter about the fight with Jimin. Taehyung was becoming more resolute to the possibility of a fight and had been sparring with Jimin in case it came down to a brawl.

Shiloh had woken up earlier and earlier over the course of the last few days. Not as early as I was used to, but I would take noon over eleven at night. Taehyung and Jimin were still getting used to my late mornings. After staying up well into the night I was not out of bed unless absolutely necessary. My magic was stronger than it had been, but I could feel my body was still adjusting. Ever since I was child my magic drained the life out of me and defensive magic more than anything else. The Namjoon incident had thrown me for a loop, and I was having a difficult time coming back fully.

Aldara used to worry about my fainting spells after our lessons. She said that it was unnatural for a witch to become so overwhelmed by their own magic, but after many years of self-reflection, I realized that my body was always using magic. Unlike other witches who could control their output, my gifts left me vulnerable and weakened. The constant possessions and lack of self-control were two of the biggest downfalls of my own power. However, a small outburst would no longer make me as depleted as it once had. The last time I fainted after using magic had been the night, I found the cottage on fire.

Flipping through my grimoire, I tried to find the potion I made that reduced anxiety. Wendy was returning tomorrow, and Cordelia asked if I could send some to Syrena. I had only made this particular recipe twice and was still too unfamiliar with it to make it from memory. It would be Wendy’s luck that I sent over a shifting potion rather than a mood stabilizer, but I had faith in Griselda’s recipe.

I was worried about her. While it was normal to go weeks without talking, I was afraid she may be upset with me over the situation with Jin. She had to be suspicious we had spoken and probably thought I told him what to do. That, or she had convinced herself that Yoongi had something to do with it. Wendy had a difficult time seeing things for what they were, and while I felt empathy for her, I would never choose between my friends. I loved and respected them both and wished I could get out of the middle of everything. It was her who told him about our conversation in the first place.

Unable to find it I grew frustrated. I hated being so unorganized. Everything was sprawled about and jotted down in sloppy, rushed writing. Half of it hardly made sense to me and I pitied my successor. Poor girl will have to learn how to read hieroglyphics before she could understand half of what was written. Giving up, I slammed the book shut and decided to write Enver. He was the only witch I knew that would have something like this on standby. Carefully rolling the paper, I began to chant a new spell I had learned after reading Pippa’s grimoire and blew. The paper turned to ash and was gone.

Pippa was by all accounts a whack job. She had the most unorthodox methods of any witch I had ever read or heard of. Even looking through her countless spell books made that abundantly clear. She drew many of her spells in a step-by-step fashion that was somehow more difficult to follow than normal. Every spell and potion had strange ingredients that you would never put together and yet worked. She was brilliant. Aldara always made fun of my adoration for the woman, called me the next “nutcase,” and teased me about my own muddled grimoire. Still, no one could deny how talented Pippa was. This spell in particular was one of my favorites I learned so far. It was simple, used hardly any energy at all, and was extremely effective. I was happy my days of meteor powder were gone- even if I invented that one.

The front door slammed open. Screaming, I felt my heart speed up and my vision flash black and white for a moment. Composing myself, I shot daggers at Taehyung as he strolled into the cottage. Jimin bowed, his apology clear, before following the younger alpha inside.

“It’s such a beautiful day!” Taehyung exclaimed, rolling onto the couch.

My eyes twitched.

“Try that again,” I demanded.

The man shot up. His confusion was clear. Jimin stood in the doorway, an amused look on his face. Walking inside, he stood near the door and crossed his arms over his chest. I forced my eyes away from his toned back and continued to scowl at Taehyung.

“Try what again?” Taehyung asked.

“Walking into my house like a civilized person,” I deadpanned. “I swear, you act like you’ve never learned manners a day in your life. First putting your dirty, disgusting, muddy boots on my counter and now this? Thin ice, Tae. Thin ice.”

Taehyung scratched the back of his head and did as I asked. This time he gently opened the door and shut it. Satisfied, I hummed before going back to looking at my spell book. I really needed to buy a new one just to fix how ugly it all looked. I wanted to slap the little girl who thought this system was going to work. Groaning, I stood up and decided to take my work to the cellar.

“What are you looking for?” Taehyung asked, face glowing when he realized where I was going.

The wolf enjoyed taking trips with me and looking over my shoulder. I knew he hardly understood anything since most of it was written in Latin, but I knew it meant a lot to him. His curiosity never seemed to lessen or change. Jimin had not asked to come but I had a feeling it was his way of not being “rude.” I wished he would.

“I need to find a spell for a friend,” I answered. “I have one, but I wrote it when I was twelve and did not care if I could read it again. Such a childish thing to do.”

Taehyung laughed and was by my side without another second passing. Both of the wolves enjoyed hearing about my childhood. Tae had said it made me more human, but Jimin always told him that everyone knew I was. I wondered about their own childhood days. Jimin had been brave and reserved when we first met, just as he is now, but there was a sweetness there that was no longer present. This innocence that he could never get back. I knew that he could say the same about me. Seeing him again after all of those years had been a shock to my system. It was almost like our time in the forest had been completely erased from his memory. I was happy to see the gentleness within him again.

“May I join you?”

Pausing, I looked up at the alpha. Taehyung had already gone down the stairs and I could hear him shuffling through things. Jimin smiled at me, and I nodded. I was still riding high after the other night. We had not talked about it, but I knew something had changed since then. Jimin was more willing to be near me, his eyes ever so slightly softer, and his voice was like clouds. It felt like the wall of ice he had around himself had melted and I was able to feel his warmth once more. Jimin followed behind me closely.

After lighting the sconces on the walls, I found Taehyung curled in a corner of the room with a book in his hand. It was probably another one of Aldara’s monster books. She had seen so much in her long life. Before she took her place as the Bridd, Aldara had been a monster slayer. The first person in the world to defeat a Quietus, and was so good at it, she chased them out of Bangtan. All the ones that remain are in the northern part of Moland and tend to stay out of the forest. The book Taehyung held were the short stories Aldara had written about her adventures. She was far cooler than me at that age.

“It’s bigger than I thought,” Jimin whispered.

“It grows whenever we need a new bookcase,” I replied.

Jimin did not ask for clarification. He did not ask as many questions as Taehyung did, which I also chalked up to the etiquette training he received when he became an alpha. Taehyung had barely started those before being exiled. I thought about Namjoon and my letter and sighed. I still had not heard back from him. Jimin said my name, breaking me out of my thoughts.

“Who was the first Bridd?”

Shaking my head, I smiled. “Her name was Rosette.”

“How did this family thing even start?” Taehyung wondered out loud.

Taking a breath, I sat down at my small desk and gestured for the two men to sit. I recalled the first time I had heard this story. Back then, Aldara was less rigid and tense. Her hands were so much bigger than mine, and I remember her cooing at the dimples where my knuckles should be. I had been entranced by the blonde woman she had spoken so highly of.

“Rosette was from the Foxglove Village. This was many years ago when the town was home to all the shifters in Lustra. She was the daughter of a merchant and grew up surrounded by people who adored her. Life in Bangtan was hard but calm. That’s when the tales of the Quietus started to spread down south.”

Quietus were air elementals that had been the first settlers of Lustra along with the dragons. Aldara had called them “lost souls” who were scorned after the Sarkans attacked their land over a thousand years ago. The attack on Bangtan was a result of the people who lived here not coming to their aid when the humans came to take their cities, but they ended up getting it back soon after.

“After the Century War with Etelin, however, their people had been reduced to living in the swamps once the elves had allowed the Sarkans to inhabit what was once elemental territories. The few that came into the forest were stragglers hell bent on avenging their people or those who were so starved they had slowly lost their minds.”

Jimin’s face told me he knew of them. Taehyung was still lost in the fairytale. I sighed before continuing.

“These creatures were unheard of to the shifters; their people had only come to Lustra after their island had been destroyed by a natural disaster. Their treaties were still so new, so fresh, and their numbers so depleted, they had never gotten word of the siege. Rosette said that the first time her people heard of it was when their village was up in flames.

“They were convinced that the Reikans had something to do with the attack, and even if they were not directly involved, they were complacent. The Quietus queen, Nerezza, lost her youngest child during the Sarkan invasion. It was her grief of losing her child that drove her vengeful attack. Of course, they were wrong. The Reikans were skittish and afraid of fighting.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Taehyung interrupted. “Shifters are strong.”

“Yes,” I agreed. “Your ancestors were strong people who lived through losing their homeland and were able to find a home here. However,” I pursed my lips. “Your kind are from Korika and were born fighters, but the people from Reika were very different from those your people remember. Whoever landed on your land integrated into your cultures. The others were left to build this land in their image.

“Those that lived here were no match for the Quietus. Even their warriors lacked the stomach for a true fight. It was said that no one but one made it out alive. Of course, that was not true. Many escaped but only one became significant.”

“Rosette,” Jimin muttered.

“Yes, Rosette,” I nodded. “She was a beautiful girl. Her long, blonde hair and bright green eyes made her stand out in a crowd. She was a bird shifter who was in love with a fox in town. She was only 16 when the attack on the village began. She, her sister, and a lucky few were able to escape.

“Rosette was the oldest and was familiar with military strategies from her time with the fox boy. She told them all to split up and find their way to safety. Rose found herself in this very clearing when she called out to the sky to help her. She asked the Gods for help. Suddenly, she was surrounded by warmth despite the blizzard going on around her. She knew it was them, she never knew how she did, but it was a feeling, and the wind around her asked what she wanted.

“Rosette asked for her sister’s life to be spared and in exchange she would do whatever the Goddess wanted. They accepted this offer. In exchange for her sister, Rosette and her bloodline would be tasked with being a guardian of the forest. That was the day we lost our freedom.

“She woke up the following morning in this cottage, her leg chained just as mine is now, and magic she had never had before. After being alone for over 100 years, she was sent Jordana. We never know when we’ll be sent our pupil but when it happens, we have 16 years left. It’s our duty to train them, raise them, and prepare them before our ascension to the spirit world.”

“Why can’t you shift as you please then?” Taehyung asked. Jimin smacked his arm, but I waved him off.

No harm in asking.

“Our transformations are directly tied with the moon and sun. The Gods love to see us dancing, whirling, and twirling through the sky. We’re lucky we were able to keep that part of ourselves in the deal. Magic and shifting is simply unheard of outside of these woods.”

“Is it the same for genuine werewolves?” Taehyung asked. “The sun and moon thing?”

I laughed, “No, silly. Werewolves are cursed to be compelled by the full moon. They’re practically animals after their first transformation. No one comes back from that, and they usually die within the first three months. Nothing like what you and I are.”

Taehyung seemed placated by this. He often called himself a werewolf much to Jimin’s chagrin. I could understand why the older alpha would be offended. They were born what they are, and their bloodline is strong. A werewolf has to be made and their species is dying out in the Ozryn Mountains from starvation. The last werewolf outbreak was decades ago and was swiftly dealt with by the dwarves in Idris.

After the story was over, Taehyung went back to reading Aldara’s book and I got to look around for that stupid potion again. I had yet to hear back from Enver and assumed he was busy. He was awful at writing back.

Jimin walked around the cellar and traced all of the books. It was astounding just how many were in here. Aldara alone had written over forty grimoires in her lifetime, and she was known to only figure out defensive magic spells. Rosette had 120, Jordana had 205, and Griselda had the record for the most with 223. I could not imagine having so many ideas. I have only finished three so far and was working on my fourth. I came up with more spells in my youth than I did now. I had a lot more fun with my magic then, too. Feeling bad about myself, I decided to take a break.

“Your aunt was so cool,” Taehyung said.

“Yeah, she was the coolest,” I grinned, my voice growing quiet at the word “was.”

It was getting late. The three of us had spent the day in the cellar. Jimin quietly skimmed through the books and was happy when I pointed him towards the diaries on the small shelf in the back. Taehyung had enough stories to last him a few more years. I flipped through Pippa’s spell books and made small talk with Taehyung. He always had something to say, and it was nice to have someone fill the silence around here.

Taehyung had gone up to take a nap over an hour ago leaving Jimin and I alone in the cellar. He was hunched over a book, eyebrows knitted in concentration, and tongue sticking out ever so slightly. I was sure he knew I kept stealing looks but chose not to comment on my ogling. It was rare to see him so closely and relaxed. Shiloh had let me know she was visiting Morla to give updates on Wendy. Mumbling under my breath, I watched as the pen and ink I had brought down earlier wrote in my spell book. I caved and let them do the work for me.

While reading over the other grimoires and books within the cellar, I had made myself a few notes of things I could experiment with. It was not as fun as Pippa’s nor as straightforward as Griselda’s, but I was happy to have thought of anything in the first place. Most of my experimenting went to the wolf pack and it was nice to have fun for myself. Aldara would be happy to see my creative muscles flexing again.

“Bridd?” Jimin called, voice soft and smooth.

I hummed and looked over. His hair looked dark gray in the candlelight and I eyed the messy flyaways floating around him. I wished I could brush them down. Jimin regarded me with the same stoic face I had come to love. I knew it was only a small facade put in place for the sake of his people. They needed a strong, dominant leader around them and no one else wanted to fill that role. I saw the ghost of a smile graze his lips and relaxed further into my chair. Those were only reserved for a chosen few.

“Why don’t you have anything here?” He asked.

“Everything that I own is upstairs,” I replied. “It would be far too much effort to come here anytime I needed to write or look over my work.”

He chuckled, “So, you do have a diary?”

Blushing, I nodded. “All of us do. It’s the best way to keep records for our successors.”

I would not allow him to read mine. It had far too many thoughts that I never wanted to reenter my mind. There was a particular time where I wrote daily and thus created five separate books detailing my misery. I would be mortified if Jimin or anyone for that matter got their hands on those. They held my deepest fears, darkest desires, and above all- what happened to me. I was always the most open in my writing and never felt the need to keep anything hidden. No one had ever noticed them on display or bothered to care much for them at all.

“Yours must be very interesting.”

I shook my head, “Not really. Mostly the angsty ramblings of a teenager. Nothing more.”

I sounded convincing enough. I heard Jimin shuffling around but refused to look his way. Deciding that I was done for the night, I began closing and stacking the grimoires I had taken out. I will sort through them later. Glancing at the walls, I could not tell what time it was but knew it had to be close to sunset. I needed to get to my room soon.

Going to turn, strong arms found themselves resting on either side of my waist. Shocked, I turned my head to find Jimin standing directly behind me. He chest pressed against my shoulder as I turned to face him. He had never been so close to me before.

I could count the small, individual freckles that dotted along his nose. His eyelashes were longer than I thought they were and flared out accentuating his eye shape. Everything about him was overwhelming and his scent hit me like a freight train. Hands gripping onto my desk, I struggled to speak.

“Jimin?” I managed to get out.

“Can I tell you something?” He whispered, getting closer.

Our chests touched and his hands moved behind my back. I felt his arms wrapping around me, but his hands stayed on the table. Nervously breaking our eye contact, I glanced behind me to see his hands sitting one on top of the other. I was shaking and had a hard time breathing. Jimin called my name, and I snapped back to his gaze.

“Can I?” His eyes were as black as coal.

A deep shiver went up my spine. Unable to form a coherent thought, I nodded. I swallowed thickly and reminded myself to breathe. Jimin smiled at me.

“I enjoy your company.”

Again, I could only manage a nod, my heart racing and mouth dry. Jimin’s face drew closer to mine. I took a sharp breath and held his eyes. I was searching for the meaning of this but found I could not read him anymore. This was a different man from the person that had been reading moments ago.

“I like being close to you. Is that alright?”

“Yes,” I replied breathlessly.

“Do you want me to stop?” He whispered, his breath brushing my lips.

I knew I should have pushed him away and told him that this could never work. Our lives were too different. It was far too complicated. He had a mate out there waiting for him. He would forget about me soon enough. Even knowing all of that, I shook my head.

“No.”

It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Jimin’s lips were soft and warm and lit my body on fire. The kiss was searing, and I felt the flames so deeply they licked at my bones. Hot shots of electricity licked my spine, and I grabbed a hold of his chest without another thought. Jimin’s arms encased me. Everything that I feared, wondered, and regretted did not matter anymore. None of it matters. He was here and he was mine.

Pulling away, I opened my eyes and saw him already gazing down at me. His eyes were so soft, gentle, and kind. Everything about him made me feel safe. He bent down and nuzzled his nose into my hairline.

“Thank you,” He whispered.

Dazed, I only nodded before seeking his lips out again. Jimin cupped my face and drew me impossibly closer. Any tenderness was gone the moment my tongue accidentally grazed his bottom lips. With a small growl, Jimin licked his way into my mouth and roughly grabbed a hold of my hips. Using his leg, he gently pried my legs apart and lifted me onto the desk. My hands had a vice grip on his shirt.

Suddenly, I felt a cold shiver run through my body and yanked away. Jimin took a few steps back. I could see that he understood what was happening. After choking out a “go,” I stood up from the desk and screamed. Jimin was out of the cellar before the first feather broke through my scarred skin.

Translations:

Swîgian âstillian. - Be quiet.

Hwæt−hwugu ðrîstian êow? - How dare you?

Sê ðafian êower m¯ægð teohhian êower weorðfulnes? - Who do you people think you are?

Yfel am sorig. - I am so sorry.

Thither is êower hygd? - Where is your mind?

Belāda mē - Sorry.

Quare? - Why?

Putasne me stultum esse? - Do you think I'm stupid?

Sol a me auferre conaris! - You are trying to take Sol from me!

Quid irrumabo facimus? - What the fuck do we do?

Nescio. - I don’t know.

Recedite ab ea! - Get away from her!

Licuitne futura est? - Is she going to be alright?

Taglist: @greezenini @adventures-in-bookland @kthstrawberryshortcake-main @zae007live @jimin-neverout @nikkiordonez12 @canarystwin @yamekomz @chimthicc @michiiedreamer @amorieus @mima795

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amhrosina · 1 year

Text

MCU Men Raising Kids With You (Pregnancy Headcanons//Pt.5)

MASTERLIST // TAG LIST REQUEST FORM

A/N: This is the 5th and final part of this mini-series. I have loved writing these and even got some ideas for more headcanons! If you have any headcanons/characters in mind, send me a message! I hope you enjoy!

Link to Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Frank Castle:

A year after you have Lucy, you find out you’re pregnant again.

Frank is over the moon when you find out it’s another girl.

Frank as a girl dad oh my GOD the thought of it makes me cry

You give birth to Lila Castle a few months before Lucy turns two. Frank cries just as hard the second time around.

You eventually end up buying a house a little outside of the city, just far enough for the schools to be better, but not so far that you can’t get there on a short train ride.

On Lucy’s first day of school, you and Frank put on a brave face for the drop-off, but as soon as you get back to the car, you’re both holding each other and crying on the other’s shoulder. They just grow up so darn fast.

The next year, when Lila’s first day comes around, you’re both expecting it to be a little easier. You’re both wrong.

Lila has always been the more independent one out of your two kids, so when you go to walk her to her classroom, she slips her hand out of yours and walks towards her teacher without any prompting from you. She doesn’t even look back, just waves her hand and walks into the classroom.

You don’t even make it to the car before you’re ugly crying into Frank’s chest.

Lucy is more like you – affectionate, giving, and quiet. Her favorite movie is Soul, and her favorite thing to do, besides reading of course, is watch her dad play guitar.

Lila is like her dad – stoic, charming, and never afraid to speak her mind. She’s sassy, but she’s still young enough for it to be cute. Frank swears up and down she gets that from you, but you’ve heard Frank in tough situations before, and Lila’s attitude is all Frank.

When the girls are old enough, Frank tells them about Lisa and Frank Jr. They ask a lot of questions, even random ones like “What were their favorite colors?” but end up cuddling their dad for hours after.

When Frank comes to bed, he’s sentimental and a little teary-eyed still. You hold him and kiss him throughout the night.

When the girls get a little older, you and Frank have to ride the wave of living with two pre-teen girls under one roof.

Frank spends entirely too long trying to reason with them when they’re fighting with each other, but eventually just huffs and cuddles up next to you.

“I think you’re the only person in this house that likes me right now.”

“Yeah, me too.”

When Lucy has her first date, Frank is wound up like you’ve never seen before.

“Frank, she’s 16. She’s allowed to go to the movies with a boy. Don’t worry about it, okay? If he gets handsy, she knows where to aim her fist. We have to give her a little freedom.”

Frank spends the entire time she’s gone pacing around the house, flicking on light switches and then flicking them off again. You watch him watch the clock as it ticks closer to Lucy’s curfew.

When she gets home, the tears in her eyes have both you and Frank very concerned.

When she reveals the boy got mad at her for not wanting to kiss him, Frank looks capable of murder. Frank’s Punisher days are long behind him, but in that moment, you swear you see a sliver of the Frank you had met all those years ago.

You’re the one that talks him off the ledge after Lucy goes to bed.

“Frank, we cannot murder a teenager. That’s a line we’re not crossing.”

You’re half joking, because obviously you and Frank will not be murdering anyone, but the look in Frank’s eyes is a little too familiar from the wild nights you shared in Hell’s Kitchen.

“We? Who’s we?”

“You really think I’d let you go after the boy that made our daughter cry by yourself? Hell no. I’m the first in line. Now, go to bed you angry beautiful man. We’ll deal with this in the morning.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Lucy and Lila end up becoming best friends once they reach their junior and senior years in high school. You think it’s because Lila’s going to miss Lucy when she goes off to college next year, but Frank says it’s because they know how important family is. You decide you’re both probably right.

Matt Murdock:

Matty loves being a dad sOoOoOoOo much.

He always finds ways of working them into his conversations, even if it’s with potential clients or the guy working the hot dog stand on the corner.

He bets you $50 that Elias will be the first one to walk, but Rosalie puts his $50 to shame when she gets up and wobbles over to meet him after he gets home from work.

Matt literally melts into the floor, like he is so proud of her. Elias soon follows, and then your lives get harder because two mini humans just got a lot more mobile.

The twins have Matt’s stubbornness, but your tranquility. They will refuse to eat anything that remotely resembles a vegetable, but they won’t throw fits about it. They’ll just sit there, arms crossed, and lips pressed together, shaking their heads.

Elias’ first word is “Foggy”, and Foggy hasn’t shut up about it since it happened.

When Rosalie shows an interest in martial arts, Matt is overjoyed. He takes her to every single practice and even coaches her on the weekends.

Elias has the athleticism of his father, so he eventually ends up in both soccer and baseball. Matt makes sure he’s at every practice, even forcing a client to meet him on the soccer field one time. Call this man Mr. Soccer Mom. He’s got a hat and everything.

When Rosalie lets her curiosity get the best of her and she stumbles upon Matt’s Daredevil costume, Matt has to have a very long and difficult conversation with the twins.

Matt doesn’t patrol all that much anymore, but he’s Matt, so of course he manages to find himself in the middle of trouble all the time.

He hasn’t come home battered or bloody in ages, but you still wake up in the middle of the night sometimes and find him perched on the edge of the bed, listening.

“Matty, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, sweetheart, ‘m fine. It’s not so much the sirens anymore. Sometimes I just listen to the twins breathing to make sure they’re safe.”

You know hearing the rhythmic sound of his family’s heartbeats puts the devil inside Matt at bay, so you coax him back into bed and pull his head to your chest.

We all know Matt is a certified soft!boy, but when it comes to his kids, he’s straight up mush.

Rosalie brings her “What I Want to be When I Grow Up” project home and when Matt sees that her answer is lawyer, because she wants to help people like her dad, he’s reduced to tears.

Foggy showing up to Elias’ games with a giant cardboard cutout of Elias’ head.

The twins are inseparable throughout high school, but they do have their own groups of friends, which you’re eternally grateful for.

Matt loves it when they bring their friends over because he wants the twins to have the “cool dad” of the friend group.

Rosalie ends up being her class Valedictorian, and she gives her graduation speech on overcoming adversity. She recounts stories about her dad, the blind lawyer who did everything people said he couldn’t, and Matt is, I kid you not, crying so hard behind those red glasses that you have to keep handing him new tissues every 30 seconds.

Foggy is a blubbering mess throughout the entire ceremony.

On your last night before the twins head off to different colleges, you host a big family dinner (Foggy & Karen included). Matt spends the evening clutching your hand like it’s a lifeline.

You all end up falling asleep on the couches in the living room watching a movie and cuddled together as a family.

Billy Russo:

Billy never really had any parental figures in his life, so becoming a parent to Theo is something he really wants to get right.

Billy’s main focus shifts from work to his family, and he continues to follow through on the promise he made you when you were pregnant with Theo.

He always puts his family first, above everything else in his life, but you assure him that he’s allowed to be passionate about his work too.

Theo is about the sweetest toddler you’ve ever seen, constantly looking for affection from both you and Billy.

He’ll latch onto Billy’s leg as soon as Billy gets home from work and crawl into your lap anytime you sit down for longer than 30 seconds.

Theo loves going to work with Billy, and one time you even see Theo mimicking Billy running his hands through his hair in frustration over a work invoice.

Theo might have Billy’s personality, but he looks like your little mini-me.

Billy and you spend your 5-year wedding anniversary with Theo at Disney World.

Billy looks adorable in the Mickey Mouse ears.

You and Billy both decide that your family of three is perfect, so you don’t try to have any more kids, but that doesn’t stop Billy from worshipping you every night after Theo goes to bed.

He thanks you all the time for giving him a second chance to be a father to Theo and husband to you.

When Theo starts fifth grade, he tells you he wants to try football.

Billy is so enthusiastic about it that it becomes a tradition for him and Theo to get up early on Saturday and practice for a couple hours.

Theo is good at football, but his real talent lies in his art. Throughout middle school, you watch his skills go above and beyond what any 12-year-old should be capable of.

Your favorite drawing of his ends up being a sketch of you and Billy sitting on the roof of your building, watching the sunrise. Your head is resting on Billy’s shoulder, and Billy’s head is resting on top of yours. A blanket is wrapped around both of you. You didn’t even know Theo was awake and sketching the scene until you turn around to leave and very nearly fall on your ass out of terror.

The drawing is framed and hanging in your foyer.

Theo’s sweet disposition follows him as he gets older. By the time he’s a sophomore, he swears his favorite thing to do is make homemade pizza with you and his dad every Friday night.

You know Theo has friends because he hangs out with them and brings them around all the time, but you refuse to mention them on Fridays when all Theo wants to do is cook together as a family.

Billy doesn’t know how he managed to raise such a sweet kid, but you remind him that he’s a sweet guy, and Theo looks at him like he hung the moon, so it shouldn’t be that surprising.

When Theo finds out he got into a great art school, you and Billy pull him into a group hug and jump around your kitchen in excitement.

On the day Theo is set to move into his dorm, Billy tries his best to hold in his tears on the drive there, but once you both hug him goodbye and make it back to the car, you’re both crying so hard that you have to sit in the parking lot for an hour before one of you can drive home.

The train ride to see him is only an hour, so you and Billy make trips out to that side of the city all the time.

Billy reveals that he never thought about what kind of family he’d have one day because he never thought he’d have one, but he’s so grateful that you and Theo showed him what family is supposed to be.

Bucky Barnes:

Bucky is daddy in every sense of the word.

If he could wear a “Proud Dad” shirt everywhere, he would.

Jessie’s first Christmas is an emotional affair for everyone involved. Before Jessie, you and Bucky acknowledged Christmas a holiday, but never really celebrated it. When Jessie was born, though, you both wanted to make it something special for your family.

Getting a visual of Bucky hauling a big ass christmas tree across the tree lot with the metal arm.

Even though Jessie won’t be old enough to remember any of the details, you still wrap his presents and address them to Jessie, from Santa.

You get Bucky a pair of socks that say “Grumpy Old Man” on the sides of them and laugh so hard when you’re trying to wrap them that Bucky is very concerned about what could be hidden in the wrapping paper.

Your first Christmas with Jessie is so magical, and you both promise to make every year afterwards as special as possible.

Around Jessie’s third birthday, Bucky and you discuss having another kid, but quickly do away with the idea when Bucky recounts how terrified he was during your pregnancy. You’re both happy with Jessie and have enough time to change your minds if that’s what you want to do.

Jessie’s first day of school is a little hysterical, if you’re honest. Bucky and you walk Jessie to his classroom and introduce yourself to the teacher, like normal, but as soon as the moms in the room lay their eyes on Bucky, it’s game over.

You watch as he is bombarded with introductions from the moms, who are so interested in his metal arm. You can’t even find it in yourself to get jealous, because you’ve never seen Bucky so nervous in your life. Gone was the charming, flirty Bucky you had met and fallen in love with. The man in front of you was a terrified kitten surrounded by hungry alligators.

You laugh about it the entire way home, much to Bucky’s chagrin, who is grumpy for the rest of the morning.

Needless to say, he stuck directly to your side when he had to make classroom appearances after that.

When Jessie comes home one day in middle school and asks his dad to come talk to his class about being a Veteran, Bucky is a little taken aback. Being a Veteran is not something he talks about often, but Jessie thinks it’s very honorable and cool, so Bucky shows up and gives a talk.

One of the students asks how strong his metal arm is, and Bucky shows them in the most Bucky way possible, by asking as many as can fit to hang off of his arm.

Jessie is officially the coolest guy in school by the end of the day.

Bucky still isn’t used to the PTA moms and their advances, but he’s learned how to avoid them 95% of the time.

Jessie gets really into baseball when he reaches high school age, so Bucky takes him out to the field every weekend and teaches him how to play.

Jessie’s not the best on the team, but he makes great friends and loves playing, so you and Bucky are very supportive.

Bucky loves seeing the jersey with “Barnes” on the back of it.

“It’s the American Dream, baby. Nothin’ better than a game of baseball.”

You and Bucky are lucky enough to be able to travel with the team when they have away games, so every other week you’re in another city cheering Jessie and his team on.

You and Bucky call baseball night “date night” because you both love it so much.

In Jessie’s final game his senior year, Bucky is in tears as Jessie hits the game winning ball over the back fence.

The life you and Bucky built together is unconventional, and maybe strange to other people, but you wouldn’t trade it, or him, for the world.

Peter Parker (Tom Holland):

Peter and you both eventually graduate college around May’s 4th birthday. The struggle for money was present the whole time, but Peter’s genius brain ends up landing him a great job in a lab, where he gets to study and create all day long and then bring home a pretty hefty paycheck.

You end up taking a job teaching at a gifted school in Manhattan, where they offer daycare services to the staff for free.

As soon as the money starts coming in, the pressure on both of your shoulders start to lift. You can afford a bigger apartment now, (plenty of room for growth lol), and May likes that it’s so close to the park.

May’s favorite super-hero happens to be Spider-Man, even though she has no idea that her own dad is the guy in the suit.

Peter definitely lets this fact go to his head.

May is a very social child – she'll say hi to everyone out in public and get frustrated when they don’t say it back.

Around May’s 5th birthday, you and Peter decide you’d be okay with another child, but it’s not something you’re actively trying for. If it happens, it happens, ya know?

Two months later your period is late, and you immediately know you’re pregnant again.

When you find out it’s a boy, Peter is so excited that he goes out a buys another spiderman onesie for the new baby.

May is so so excited to be a big sister and even suggests the name Leo, which is the name you and Peter end up going with.

Raising two kids is somehow a little easier than raising just one, but you think it’s mainly because you both have decent paychecks and you’ve already done the whole baby thing before.

May joins theater in middle school and Peter is so into the plays that he starts coaching her on her monologues, even though he’s never acted in a play before.

Leo is the eternal baby of the family, which frustrates May to no end. You and Peter treat both kids fairly, but that doesn’t keep the two of them from arguing over everything.

At one point, Peter moves the living room gaming console into your bedroom because the kids won’t stop fighting over it. You and him accidentally end up playing Mario Kart until 4 o’clock in the morning. You’re both exhausted the next day, but it was so fun that you don’t regret it for a second.

Eventually, the kids suspect something is up with their dad, who has gotten sort of lazy about hiding his super-hero identity from them.

When Leo finds a tube of web fluid in your bathroom, Peter has to come clean to the kids about who he is and what he does.

May thinks it is the absolute coolest thing ever about her dad.

Peter has to have a heart-to-heart with her about keeping the secret, even from her closest friends. She crosses her heart and promises to never tell a soul.

That doesn’t stop her and Leo from talking about it. You overhear them one night, up way past their bedtimes, wondering which building is the highest one Spider-Man has swung off of.

Peter and the kids sometimes sneak off to play their own version of tag which involves using web shooters.

Peter’s had to call you more than once to have you bring web dissolving fluid after they run out of it and Leo’s leg is still suck to a wall.

When May graduates high school, it’s a big adjustment for everyone in the house. She moves into an apartment with her friends, closer to her city job, and Peter definitely takes it the hardest.

When Leo graduates, the empty nest syndrome hits you and Peter hard, but at least you have each other and the life you’ve built together.

End Note: This document ended up being seven pages long, which is like three more pages than usual for this series. I really hope the people who have read all of them loved and enjoyed watching these families grow like I did! Keep an eye out for more!! I love writing these.

Tag List:

@purple-amaranthe @raajali3 @kokoterainonago666 @minervadashwood @emiemiemiii @h4rrys @mylifeispainandiloveit @alexxavicry @hallecarey1 @km-ffluv @mossexe @knight-core @alina02 @fightmilk @spikedhe4rt

(Also tagging the people who asked for specific character tags below!)

@xleiaorgana @dilfs5678 @blackwidownat2814 @mymamalife @messymissy @soft-emo-enby @brookiecookiez0 @raajali3

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fandom-go-round · 8 months

Text

Sea Salt Like Glitter: Part Three

Summary: You’re a forest ranger. Trees and mammals are your specialty. Mermaids in the ocean? Way outside your area of expertise. Good News: They like you. Bad News: They like you a lot

Mer! Sun x Plus Sized! Reader x Mer! Moon

Part One , Part Two , Part Three (Here!), Part Four (Coming Soon)

Hi everyone! Sorry this took a second, I decided to split the last part into two parts so have a (slightly shorter) part three. Things are heating up here, plot and otherwise. I hope that you enjoy!

Warnings: Different Species, Kissing (Mer), Grinding, Slightly Suggestive Use of Tentacles, Cross Species Interactions, Mild Flirting, Cross Species Courtship, Bodily Harm (Reader), Head Injury

Three months have gone by since the potential poacher boat incident and you’ve relaxed again. No one has come to try and steal your boys and they’re happy as clams. They’ve been very insistent about spending time with you and even if you don’t really get it, it’s nice to be wanted. Tonight is going to be another meet up and you’re going to be brave. You’re going to bring your swimsuit.

Moon has not so subtly been trying to get you to swim with them. Every time you’ve denied him, partly because he’s too mischievous and partly because you’re afraid you’ll embarrass yourself. The mers are already going to swim better than you, there’s no reason to prove it. Unfortunately, they’ve discovered your weakness in the months you’ve gotten to know them; puppy dog eyes. Sun had begged you to come into the water and you couldn’t resist, not for long. You agree to head down to the beach a little before the sun begins to set so you can spend time with Sun before he gets to be sleepy.

You ignore how odd it feels to go to the beach in something other than your uniform, enjoying the feeling of warm sand between your toes. Sun isn’t on the beach yet and you set your things up, placing a towel and your bag down. Better to bring snacks and water and not need it then be craving something later.

“Friend!” Sun’s excited call has you turning and you wave, giving him a smile. He’s halfway out of the water when he freezes, smile disappearing from his face. You frown back, making your way over to him.

“Hey Sun, everything alright?” The call of his name seems to snap the mer out of it, Sun giving a low rumble and leaning towards you. He rubs your cheeks together cutely, eyes half lidded. A part of your brain tries to tell you what it means but the thought doesn’t last as Sun begins to happily talk.

“Excited to swim today! What wearing?” His claws come up to gently pull at your shoulder strap at the question and you wave him off, making sure to fix the twist.

“It’s a bathing suit, it helps me in the water.” He doesn’t believe your words at all but takes his time looking you over. You shift a little and offer an explanation, even though you don’t need to justify yourself to him. “Usually I wear a t-shirt but I thought it might drag me down and that’s where the one piece came from.” You silently added that since no one was there you wanted to try out this new one; its cute but not something that you would wear out. Sun gave a coo, nuzzling you again and sliding back towards the water.

“Cute!” He chirped, grinning wider when you look a little embarrassed. “Swim with me!” You laughed, shaking your head and moving towards the water.

“Yeah yeah I’m coming.” You were thankful you had put skin protection on before Sun got here. There’s no way the mer would be patient enough to wait. Sun let out a few excited chirps before sinking all the way in, doing flips and jumps as you waded in.

The water was cold and you winced, wishing that you had brought a wet suit for a moment. Too late to back out now though. You took a deep breath and dove under the water, beginning to kick out towards Sun. He wasn’t far off shore but it was deep enough you couldn’t touch the bottom. Not that Sun was going to let you float alone, oh no.

The moment Sun could wrap his tail around you he did, pulling you close to his chest. You gasped, half in surprise and half because he was warm. It wasn’t something you noticed on the beach but here in the water there was a very noticeable temperature difference. You happily wrapped your arms around his neck, letting him tow you through the water.

The two of you played games as the sun began to set and you barely noticed. Sun would throw you into the air and then race to catch you, you would take off and try to swim as far as you could. Sun wanted you to dive and you went back to shore to grab goggles, the mer showing you things underwater. There was a beautiful coral formation nestled in the rock formations and even though you weren’t too confident, you let Sun swim you out there.

You were in the middle of watching a crab try to catch a small fish when everything scattered. Your heart began to pound as a dark shadow fell over you and you hoped it was Moon. Without turning to look you shot towards the surface, dark laughter following you. Your head breached the surface right as a tenacle wrapped around your foot and you were able to take a deep breathe before Moon pulled you back under.

He easily flipped you to see him and you scowled, shaking your fist at him. He snickered, wrapping another tentacle around your other leg. It was the first time you had seen his complete form and it was as impressive as it was intimidating. Moon was just as long as Sun but his torso was shorter, more of his upper half being tentacles. Each one was as thick as your arm at the ends and tree trunk sized at his waist. His lights were also flashing faster tonight and you hoped he was ok.

Moon dragged you through the water, hands on your arms and tentacles wrapped everywhere else. You didn’t flinch away, even as you moved a couple to better spots. It didn’t take long for you to need air and you gestured towards the surface. The squid gave an exaggerated pout, leading the two of you in a lazy loop-da-loop before heading up .

It took you a moment to regain the ability to talk, mostly because your lungs had been burning more than you thought. Sun popped up next to you, tugging you towards him. Moon didn’t let you go completely, wrapping a tenacle around Sun and turning things into a cuddle party. You happily soaked up Sun’s warmth, shuddered as you realized it was much colder than before.

“Bad swimmer.” Moon taunted, tentacles squeezing your legs. You huffed, kicking at him a little. He gave you another squeeze and pressed closer, cold water dripping onto your shoulder.

“Trust me, I could be a lot worse. There are some people who don’t know how to swim.” Both mers made faces at your admission and you laughed. “Humans only really have to know how to walk ya know.”

“Swimming better.” Moon replied easily, as if that logic meant he won the mock argument. You rolled your eyes and Sun laughed quietly, his eyes starting to drop. It didn’t take long for either mer to fall asleep or wake up, depending on the time of day. The lack of sun made Sun sluggish but it didn’t seem to bother him as much as sunlight bothered Moon.

“You can go get some sleep Sun.” You gently reached out to rub his cheek. The mer purred like a cat and leaned into your touch, eyes closing all the way. It took him a second before he sat up and shook his head, one hand coming up to smack his face.

“No no, not yet! Something important to talk about!” You raised an eyebrow, looking between the two of them. Moon was deliberately avoiding eye contact and Sun was struggling to stay awake. Anxiety curled in your gut but you ignored it, giving them a nod.

“Ok, what did you want to talk about?” Neither knew exactly what to say, Sun staring at Moon and Moon refusing to look over. Sun made a frustrated sound, tail coming up to hit his mate. Moon hissed, flashing teeth in no real threat. “Is it a bad thing?”

“Not a bad thing.” Sun immediately reassured you, shaking his head. You weren’t convinced and Sun could tell, pinching your cheek gently.

“Delicate.” Moon rumbled from behind you and you turned to him, Sun nodding out of the corner of your eye.

“Yes yes, delicate!” Now you were getting even more nervous. You took a deep breath, figuring if you had to rip the band aid off, might as well do it quickly.

“Do the two of you have to leave?” Both of them seemed startled at your question, eyes wide. They started to coo and click, pulling you even closer. It was a little hard to breathe but you didn’t fight it, waiting for them to switch back so you could understand them.

“No no no!” Sun was the first to realize they had switched to mer, hands stroking your head almost feverishly. He always did love touching your head and hair; it took a while to get used to. “We not going anywhere.”

“Want you to stay.” Moon spoke at almost the exact same time, his face buried in your shoulder. His breath was warm, even if his skin wasn’t and you shuddered at the duel sensations. Both noticed and began to hum, your skin suddenly feeling hyper sensitive.

“I-I want to you to stay too.” You cleared your throat and ignored the sudden flash of heat going through you. Keep it together damn it. Your friends didn’t need to know you were feeling that way about them. You barely even acknowledged you were feeling that way. At least out loud. And out of bed.

Moon made a displeased rumble, nibbling gently on your skin. Your heart was starting to pound and you were getting dizzy. Something was going on and you didn’t understand. Sun cooed and you met his eyes, realizing that they were blue instead of white. He smiled when you focused on him, leaning close to rub your noses together.

“Pretty pretty. Be with us?” Sun phrased it as a question but you were still missing too much context.

“What do you-?” Your question was cut off by your loud moan, the mers freezing in the water around you. Sun had moved his tail between your legs and the warmth rubbing just right had you responding. Moon let out a sound suspiciously like a groan and you whimpered as his teeth sank into you shoulder. It hurt but he didn’t bite hard enough to draw blood. Sun gave an answering groan and rubbed his tail against you again.

“Ok time out!” You were proud that your voice was strong, hands coming up to form an ‘X’ across your chest. “Waaaait a minute!” The mers paused what they were doing, two sets of bright eyes on you. You cleared your throat and began to disentangle yourself from them, ignoring the pouting and slight whines.

“We need to talk about this.” You put on your best scolding voice and it seemed the work, the mers coming back to themselves. Sun’s eyes changed back to white and Moon retracted most of his tentacles. One still helped you float and it stayed respectfully above the belt.

“Mad?” Sun sounded nervous, hands fidgeting anxiously in front of him. You sighed and gave a smile, shaking your head. The good news was that the cold water was helping you keep a clear head.

“No Sun I’m not mad. I just, we were getting a little carried away and I want to make sure we’re all ok with… whatever this is.” Sun relaxed at your words, looking relieved. Moon grumbled but nodded, letting you collect your thoughts. You took a deep breathe, ignoring how embarrassed you felt. “This… is a thing right?”

“Want it to be.” Sun confirmed, swimming small circles in the water. You could tell that he was anxious but you needed to understand what was happening.

“Mate.” Moon was always the blunt one of the pair, gesturing to himself and then Sun. Sun gave a nod and you nodded as well. They had explained it once an though it took a bit, you understood they were a bonded pair. “Mate too.” Moon began to trace out a triangle, you being one of the corners.

“Me?” Your voice was higher than you anticipated and Moon snickered a little.

“Yes!” Sun was quick to reassure you, swimming over. He reached for you and waiting until you nodded before grabbing your arms. He helped you float as you tried to process.

“How does that even-?” You cut off your own thought, not finishing it out loud. Moon gave a rumble and you watched as his lights began to flicker faster.

“Compatible.” He reassured you and even if you didn’t get it, you get enough. You want to deny that it’s not possible, that you don’t know what they’re talking about but you can’t. You’ve noticed the linger touches and look, the way they like to circle you. You had ignored it and said that it was all you, not them. And now you’re trying to think through it.

“When did you decide this?” You’re not trying to distract them but you do want to know. Sun laughs, rubbing your cheeks together quickly.

“Defended our territory, saved Moon. Lots and lots of things.” He sounds love struck and you can’t help but laugh a little. Moon moves closer, wrapping tentacles around both of you but nothing too much this time.

“Want to be with you. Defended us, we defend you.” His words are rougher than Sun’s but have the same emotion and you nod back.

“I want that too.” Both of them perk up, fins flaring out and you keep going. “But not tonight.” Sun whines loudly and Moon huffs, tentacles slapping the water a bit. “Behave you two. I’m not ready yet and I’m too cold but we can do this next time, I promise.”

They perk up at the mention of ‘next time’ and after sharing a few clicks they agree. Sun sinks under the waves and you float with Moon a little bit before he drops you off at shore. He nuzzles your cheek like Sun and you nuzzle back; only now do you realize that it must be like kissing for them. His eyes watch as you walk back to your cabin, ruby staring for longer than necessary before sinking under the waves.

You feel like you’re floating when you get to the cabin. You walk in easily and drop your bags by the door. Future you can take care of that. The entire day feels like a dream; you never would have guessed this is what your swim would bring. Getting ready for bed is automatic and later you’ll curse yourself for not feeling something off earlier.

You brush your teeth and then decide that you want another glass of water. Walking into the kitchen, everything is dark and quiet. It’s only when you grab a glass off the counter that you pause. Your curtains are closed. Your curtains are never closed, not in the living room.

Pain explodes on the back of your head and you slam into the counter, air leaving your lungs. You gasp, the glass in one hand and the other scrambling against the sink. You half turn, trying to throw the glass behind you and you take another blow to the head. You don’t have enough time to question that’s going on, consciousness leaving you faster than you can count.

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aajjks · 1 month

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The Barbarian (m)

warnings: mentions of killing, blood, obsession, dark themes, pregnancy, and other dark themes that can be really triggering for people, so viewer discretion is really advised.

Also, if you guys have any questions, please let me know because I’m actually really excited to know your reaction to this.

He was a barbarian man

Incapable of loving, anybody or anything, except for killing-except for things like blood, or misery.

How could someone so cruel as him even be classified as a human? She hated herself for falling for him. And she hates herself for still loving him.

It’s been two years since their marriage, Jung il Is always busy, Ayra knows that, she doesn’t even try to disturb him because she knows his temper. It’s not even that hard to tell because he killed on their wedding day.

Even though she is of noble blood,

He treats her however, he wanted to. Sometimes like a literal queen. And sometimes like a bitch from the street. She loves him yet, despite everything… he’s the one in her heart. And now she has another thing to worry about.

She doesn’t know how to tell him this.

Ayra can never predict her husband’s mood. He is A mystery that she can never solve, he comes back today from the war- she can’t help but feel her heart flutter at the thought of him finally coming back because she has a huge surprise for him.

She hopes that he will be happy-he has to be right? He wanted an heir so badly. Her husband has been gone for almost 2 months.

She has a feeling that it will be a boy, even though it’s really early to tell she’s so obsessed with it.

she sits on her bed, her hazel eyes sparkling with happiness. The 21-year-old queen smiles. It’s their first child.

She always wanted to be a mother, she loves the life that is growing inside of her womb, she would do anything to protect it.

And she really hopes that it’s a boy. Because that’s what her husband has always wanted.

She caresses her barely swollen belly.

Her husband has won the war. And she couldn’t be happier because this child is already a blessing.

She has worn the finest silk in her closet, the most expensive luxurious make up exported from China, she’s ready to see him, since she found out she was pregnant she has found herself missing him even more, she had actually found out about her pregnancy a few days before he had to leave for the campaign, but she just decided not to tell him.

She was scared and not ready.

And now, even though he was ecstatic to know that he’s about to become a father in less than seven months, through her letter to him she hopes that seeing her, will make him happy.

“Your majesty, please be relaxed. I just found out from the Eunuch, his imperial Majesty’s caravan has been spotted near the border… his arrival at the capital should be in less than an hour.”

Her smile widens, she’s so excited to see her husband-he’s the only man she’s ever loved, and she knows that deep down he loves her too. He loves her way too much.

He’s so possessive, and territorial, it makes her feel special.

His love is unique, just like him.

She loves him so much.

The Queen, takes a deep breath, “Oh my sweet brave son… be patient.. I know you are so excited for your dad to meet you. He loves you so much.” She talks to her belly.

The court lady smiles, the young queen’s habit to talk to her growing stomach. Every chance she gets, of course she’s not as nervous as she was because the king was informed about her pregnancy, but..

She can’t help but feel a little weird about it.

her queen has been the happiest today, then in the past few months, and the pregnancy also hasn’t been easy on her.

She has been warned about the possibility, and dangers of a miscarriage-she’s too fragile. But queen Ayra is just so obsessed with having this baby.

So the servants have been trying their best to take care of their young queen and the heir that resides inside her body.

“Your father is going to be here soon, my little lion, be patient.”

____

“STAND ALERT. THE KING OF GORYEO IS ARRIVING TO THE QUEENS CHAMBER.”

Jung il arrives to see the person he’s been waiting to see for the longest time and that’s his wife, Ayra. He missed her so much.

He’s so excited to see her ever since he’s been informed of her pregnancy, he even brought a psychic with him to predict the gender of his child.

It’s going to be a boy he’s sure. He walks inside his queen’s chamber along with the young woman right behind him. He’s so excited to see her and know the gender.

“M-My king.” Ayra stutters. And everyone presented in her room, bow in respect to their king. Ayra gets up from her bed and surprise, bow to her king but her husband stops her.

“Don’t.” he says, in his deep, authoritative voice. His long hair makes her heart flutter because he looks even more handsome.

He’s gotten even more beautiful. “M-My king… I wasn’t aware that you were going to come here.. I..I could’ve come to you..” she can’t help with her because he makes her so nervous.

The 23 year-old smiles in adoration. he looks at his wife for a moment and then he gaze settles on her stomach.

“I have brought someone with me-even though it’s too early to tell the gender, but I couldn’t help myself.” he says, “everyone out.”

Ayra feels a little heartbroken that he didn’t even greet her properly, and what is he talking about? She’s so confused right now.

Her husband never fails to surprise her.

“ my love, meet Isuel. She’s a psychic. She is someone from governor Mins clan- I got to know about her when we were doing the campaign.. so I brought her here with me. She will be predicting our babys gender.”

She has heard a lot about this young woman. Ayra finally opens her mouth to say something. “U-Uh how is even possible my Lord? I’m barely 4 months..” she says but deep down she knows that it’s no use.

He will get what he wants.

Ayra sighs, her husband stern gaze back on her face, makes her even more nervous.

So she takes a deep breath, and Isuel asks for the permission. “May I? My queen.” The woman with maroon hair asks. Ayra feels so suffocated right now.

What if it’s a girl?

“Yes you may.” She allows the woman and the woman wastes no time to settle her hand on the queen belly after she’s standing right face-to-face with her.

She closes her eyes and the queen and her king watch in anticipation, Jung is standing near the door. Ayra wishes that he would come closer.

She feels so weird having this woman’s hands on her barely swollen belly.

A few minutes past and the woman’s eyes are still close like she is seeing something the others can’t.

“congratulation, my king and queen- it’s a girl.”

Shivers go down her spine, Ayras hazel eyes widen in surprise, Jung il, she watches her husband’s face, go from happy to angry all of a sudden just like that by the passing second.

Fear settles in the pit of her stomach.

“what the fuck are you talking about woman? THAT’S MY SON.” He growls, finally taking steps towards his wife, but now she’s so terrified.

“IT CAN’T BE A GIRL.” He exclaims loudly. He’s scaring her right now.

“Y-Your Majesty, my visions never lie… I see a cute little girl.” Isuel shakes her head.

Ayra feels so terrified right now.

She knows her husband never wanted a girl.

“ SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH. And get lost!” He grabs his sword and that’s enough to make Isuel almost run out of the room.

Ayra tries to comprehend what is happening because her husband looks like he will murder anybody in front of him and that’s terrifying to know because..

Ayra is standing right in front of him.

“J-Jung il… please.”

“HOW COULD YOU GIVE BIRTH TO A GIRL WHEN IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE A BOY?” Her heartbeat quickens, and she already feels lightheaded.

Tears gather up inside her orbs, and she’s going to cry. His screams of anger have always terrified her.

“I wanted a Son, but you could not give me it- AYRA HOW COULD YOU DISAPPOINT ME LIKE THIS?” The 21 year old girl starts to shake.

Her husband looks crazy right now.

“I…I…” she feels pain in her stomach- it’s getting sharper, so she winces. Almost falling.

“ STANDSTILL RIGHT NOW.” His voice blooms all over the chamber walls. Even though the chamber is so large she feels like it’s closing on her.

“I DO NOT WANT A DAUGHTER I WANT A SON” she lets out a painful sob.

She could not stress right now, the doctor is warned her but her mind will explode with the pain and she’s feeling in her stomach.

“A-Ah please J-Jung il it hurts….” She begs. Falling onto her bed. Jung il doesn’t care one bit because as always, he thinks that she’s just trying to get his pity.

She’s such a crybaby. “SHUT YOUR MOUTH. I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOU.” Ayra cries out again, all of a sudden her stomach hurts like never before.

“P-Please stop screaming.” she’s so scared of his temper. What she wanted to happen just happened right in front of her eyes.

Jung il scoffs before storming out- not looking at his wife, who was wincing in pain crying out for him.

As she watches her husband leave, something wet starts to drip down her legs. She closes her eyes in defeat. Her head is spinning, she swipes her fingers down her legs.

And then she opens her teary eyes to see her fingers have blood.

she’s bleeding.

It’s over.

And just like that, her vision goes black.

#tc: drabble #the conqueror: the barbarian.

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calisources · 2 months

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𝐐𝐔𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍 𝐁𝐘 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐘𝐄𝐍, 𝐀 𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐅 𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄.

All these quotes are taken from many materials from George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, from members of House Targaryen. You can change location, names and pronouns as you see fit. Some of these are little spicy as well might mention the typical topics of the book like inc*st.

I mounted him and took him for a ride, and I mean to do the same tonight. I love to ride.

Red maidens, the two of us, but now we've both been mounted.

You were made for battles, and I was made for this.

As soon as I am well, let's make another. I want to give you twenty sons. An army of your own!

But you are far braver than me. I would sooner fight a dozen battles than do what you've just done.

He's either brave or mad, that one.

You will be a great king, even greater than your father.

A ruler needs a good head and a true heart. A cock is not essential.

If your Grace truly believes that women lack the wit to rule, plainly you have no further need of me.

My uncle Maegor was cruel, but age is crueler.

No mother should ever have to burn her child.

I am old as well, but I am still younger than you.

She was his most trusted counselor and his right hand.

Dark Sister was made for nobler tasks than slaughtering sheep. She has a thirst for blood.

The war will end when the heads of the traitors are mounted on spikes above the King's Gate, and not before

Prince Daemon had been the wonder and the terror of his age.

The archmaesters call you the Conciliator, I have heard. It is time that you conciliated.

I have my own kingdom here.

Such a fierce little thing she is, they say, she has no need of comfort. They are wrong in that, I fear. All men need comfort.

She has no interest in kissing games, nor boys. She plays with them as she used to play with her puppies.

I have seen the way she preens and prances around Baelon. That is the husband she desires, and not for love of him.

She wants to be the queen.

How can he rule the Seven Kingdoms when he cannot rule his brother?

Your guards are slow and lazy.

If any man questions my son's right to the Iron Throne, let him prove his claim with his body.

When the sun sets, your line shall end.

A king should never sit easy.

Aegon the Conqueror brought fire and blood to Westeros, but afterward he gave them peace, prosperity, and justice.

Do you think we would name him Aegon the Conqueror today if he had not had dragons?

But we will come again, Princess, and the next time we shall come with fire and blood.

I fed my last husband to my dragon. If you make me take another, I may eat him myself.

We can go back to the ends of the earth together. But I'll get there first, as I'll be flying.

Brother, if it please you, we have brought your new queen.

The sound of the queen's laughter was like music to this fool, so sweet that even the king was known to smile.

The whole realm knew that the girl loved Daeron's bastard brother Daemon Blackfyre, and was loved by him in turn.

Daemon Blackfyre loved the first Daenerys, and rose in rebellion when denied her.

A hundred years ago, Daenerys Targaryen came to Dorne to make a peace. Now another comes to make a war.

Too many dragons are as dangerous as too few.

I have done my duty by you, and given you an heir.

When Viserys sold their mother's crown, the last joy had gone from him, leaving only rage.

Whenever Aerys gave a man to the flames, Queen Rhaella would have a visitor in the night.

The queen your mother was always mindful of her duty.

I want to be with you, I want to sail the seas and have adventures.

Every knight needs a squire. You look as though you need one more than most.

omeday the dragons will return. My brother Daeron's dreamed of it, and King Aerys read it in a prophecy.

If you cannot manage a horse, fetch me some wine and a pretty wench.

Why did you throw your life away? For this whore? She's scarcely worth it. A traitor. The dragon ought never lose.

She bathes in blood to keep her beauty.

You've known queens and princesses. Did they dance with demons and practice the black arts?

Duels were fought over the right to sit beside her.

She gave him her bed, but never her hand. It amused her more to make him jealous.

I want him dead, the traitor. I want his head, you'll bring me his head, or you'll burn with all the rest. All the traitors.

But a man does not marry his heir to his servant's daughter.

Aerys was mad, the whole realm knew it.

There have always been Targaryens who dreamed of things to come, since long before the Conquest.

#roleplay memes #sentence meme #( cali meme. )#rp memes #rp prompt #rp musings #roleplay prompt

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xoxo-mylove · 2 years

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Doubts and Talks

(Bruce Wayne x Reader, Batmom!Reader x Dick Grayson)

*EDITED*

Word count: 3,322

Synopsis: Dick Grayson loves it here at the manor. His new mom and dad always make him happy and his new mom always gives him snuggles, but what happens when he lets the words and opinions of others jeopardize his happiness.

Warnings: Angst, Lots of angst, self-doubt, self insecurities, fake friendships, MAJOR bruce and Dick fluff to make up for the angst lol

(*A/N: Sorry for the late update its been sooooooo long, This story took me forever to complete because while I was first writing it i was in love with the plot and I had so many ideas but halfway through I was so discouraged in my writing and gave up. I came back to the story tweaking it and while editing it I came up with more ideas and knew even if I didn't like how I wrote the story I wanted to post more Batmom!reader again. So bare with me with the shitty writing lol I hope you guys like it <3 but I want to write more of Al Ghul!reader one-shots so leave ideas in the asks please :)))) btw more stuff will be added in the master lists!! Coming soon ya’ll promise <3) if some don’t know this story is inspired by a piece of fan art i posted! Unfortunately i dont know the artist but please, please, please if any of you do please msg me and let me know so i could leave credits ;))

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Dick Grayson was the happiest boy alive. He thinks it’s because of all the cookies he gets from Alfred.....Oh! Oh! AND AND all the snuggles he gets from his new mom and dad.

His new Mom and Dad. It was hard for him to call you and Bruce that but, you both made him feel better with your words and love you showed to him. He remembers when he called you mom for the first time, he remembers the look on your face and the bad feeling in his tummy when he felt happy about giving you that title.

But he also remembers running away and hiding from you. Becoming so consumed of guilt and crying for hours in his room. You ran after him after a while and told him all the things that made him feel better.

“Calling me your mom dickie does not mean you're forgetting your mother. I know I didn’t personally know Mary honey, but I know that she was an extraordinary woman.”

“You want to know why?”

“why?” he remembers asking with pouting lips and teary eyes. “because she raised the most brave, smart, and most kindest boy I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. You don't understand how happy I am that you would ever call me mom, but I want you to know that there is nothing to feel guilty about or sad about, I know your mother would be happy that you’ve found people who care and love you as much as your father and she did. I love you baby.”

He remembered feeling like a weight being lifted off his shoulders after your guy’s talk.

He didn't feel guilt consume his tummy when he called you mom anymore and that made him feel a lot better. He also remembers the first time he called Bruce dad, he never seen the man smile harder in his life! It was so COOL! Bruce even took him out for ice cream TWICE that week! You weren’t too happy about that though...... But disregarding that! Dick Grayson was a very very happy boy and it would take a lot to bring down his mood.

If only he knew what would happen when he went to school tomorrow.

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Dick was having such a good dream. Alfred was feeding him all his favorite foods and deserts and his Mom was telling him nothing! It was heaven. Just as he was about to eat into another chocolate cake he feels his body being stirred awake, and just like that, his own paradise was gone and he opened his eyes to see you.

“Honey it’s time to wake up.” he heard you say. He groaned and turned over on his stomach hoping that if he ignores you you’ll let him stay home.

Just as he was gonna throw his cover over his eyes he hears you yell “Oh no you don’t mister!” and tortures him with tickles.

“No! ah ha No!” *giggle*

“MOM!! St-” *giggle*

“OKAY OKAY!” you stop your onslaught attack on him and instead choose to sit on the ground by his bed and laugh at him watching him catch his breath. He lets out a deep sigh and turns on his side to see you looking at him with those eyes. He immediately wants to go back to sleep. “Time to get ready honey. School time!”

“UGHHH I don't want toooo!” he looks up at you with a pouty lip and faking his obviously phony tears “Can I please stay home mommy?” You let out a sigh and crouch down by his bed. Oh YEAH! It worked.

He definitely didn’t think it would.

“No.” he doesn't even have the chance to let out a gasp before his cover is being thrown off and he's in your arms in the air. He screaming and laughing, mostly complaining all the way down the stairs to kitchen where Alfred and Bruce are eating breakfast watching in amusement at his torture.

You sit him down on the chair and kiss his cheek, even though he tries to dodge it and ruffle his hair. He watches you walk over to Dad and kiss his cheek and sit down digging into your breakfast.

Looking back in forth between the two of you and his dad he knew he couldn't let the topic of him staying home today go. He has to try ask Dad. He slowly gets off his chair and walks over to his chair. He notices his your eyes following him as he goes. “Dad” he looks at Bruce with that adorable face that he knows he has. You told him so.

Bruce peers down at him over the newspaper “What’s up chum?” he puts down his newspaper and Dick knows he’s got him. “I want to stay home today.”

“Oh yeah? Why's that?”

“Well... If I stay home today then Alfred won’t have to pick me up from school, Instead Al could finally watch all his soaps on time!”

“Master Dick!” ignoring Alfred’s embarrassed outburst “And I can keep mom company here so she isn't all alone while you got to work at WE” Dick knows his reasons are 110% reasonable, he knows his dad will say yes. The smug expression is clear on his face and it almost hurts Bruce to watch it fall almost.

“No.”

Dick swears he can hear an explosion going off five miles from here because WHAT!

The shock is clear on his face because he hears his mom giggling. He whips his head towards you and gapes “MOM! stop laughing!” he can see your body shaking with laughter as you try to hide it.

His attention is taken off of you when Bruce smooths his hair down and tilts his head towards him. “You can’t stay home bud.”

The world just ended he swears by it.

“But why though?” he knows he’s being whiny but come on!

Bruce laughs at his obvious whiny tone and looks at you with a smile before turning back to face him. With a sympathetic look on his face he bends down to whisper something to Dick like he’s telling him a secret.

“You know I would let you stay home if it wasn't for your mother” a cough interrupts their conversation and they both turn to see you glaring at Bruce with a blank expression on your face.

Ahhh dad’s in trouble. Dad clears his throat and tries to smile at you and you just rolls your eyes and look at him. “And anyway hun I’m not going to be staying home today.”

“Well, where are you going?” He asks confused, his mom almost never busy to hang out with him for entire day unless.......Oh. Oh, no, no, no!

“I’m going to work honey.”

Dick knows the sadness on his face is evident because Bruce lays his hand on his back softly. “Yeah I'm having a meeting with the owners of the Gotham Theatre! They want me to help draw up some plans for a complete renovation. Doesn’t that sound exciting?”

You get really excited when you get these architect jobs (took me a while to learn how to say that word)

You spend weeks drawing plans on that cool blue paper and creating sick model buildings on the computer in your study. Though he thinks it’s cool Dick doesn't really like when you get jobs because your always to busy to hangout with him, and between Dad going out all night for hours doing vigilante work (that he still won’t let me go out with him even though I know I'm ready!)

When you have a job you’re focused on Dick knows he won't see you for hours that day.

“Sweetheart” You said sympathetically. You definitely noticed his face. You set your fork down on your plate and reached for his arms pulling him to your chest.

“I know when I get jobs I get distracted with my work and trying to make it perfect but I promise you I'll manage my time better, okay?” Dick smiled at you because he knows that you’ll go through with it. “And all of us are going to a Gala this evening so I'll pick you up from school. Okay?” Dick could feel Dad’s eye roll from here. He hates those things, Dick particularly doesn't mind them! Especially because you like to brag about him and cmon, who doesn't love that!

“Now that's over, I think someone needs to brush their teeth” you with a smile.

You’re right Dick thinks.

“Yeah Dad I wasn’t going to say anything but...” The loud giggles you two shared at Bruce’s annoyed face had Dick smiling the whole breakfast.

_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Driving to school with Alfred is always one of the best parts of Dick’s morning. He has this thing where he knows once he starts talking he can't really stop and he loves when Alfred gives him those small but big worded answers in his British accent.

It really just eggs him on.

“I mean I definitely don’t mind being Sasha’s friend and everything, but one of my bestest friends; Micheal doesn't like Sasha and I don't want him to be mad when he sees me hanging out with her at lunch.” he explains to Alfred.

“Sounds like you have yourself stuck in a difficult position Master Dick”

“I know, it’s so exhausting” It really is.

“Oh yes, very strenuous work you endure.”

“Totally Al.” Dick definitely doesn't know what strenuous means, he’ll ask you about it later.

Pulling up to school Dick sees his friends Micheal and Sean waiting for him by the entrance. “Goodbye Master Dick I wish you a good day.” Running out of the car and runing to his friends. Dick stops and quickly runs back to the car and peaks his head back in, “Bye Al! have a good day!” and closes it.

Running up to his friends he can't help but notice them whispering to themselves while laughing. Though once Dick comes into view, they hurriedly stop whispering into each others ears. That uncomfortable feeling in his stomach starts brewing. “Hey! Guys what’s up?” he asks smiling.

“Hey, Dick we were just talking about the Gala.... our parents have us going to tonight” his friend Sean says.

“Oh yeah, my mom was talking to me about it today.”

“Oh your mom huh?” snickers broke out between the two of them.

Whats so funny?

“yeah my mom.” he says while staring Micheal. It seems like their staring contest with each other had gone on too long because Sean mentions class starting soon.

Walking into school with his friends was definitely awkward. They finally made it to Mrs. Ortiz’s classroom and sit down in their seats. Dick has never been more grateful for assigned seating more than today, he definitely didn't want to be by either of them at that moment.

Mrs. Ortiz’s insistent need to call role everyday is annoying but whatever, it’s her class. “Shayla Valdez?”

“Here!”

“Richard John Wayne?”

“Here!”

Once Dick brings down his hand he hear puffs of laughter and snickers breaking out behind him. Swiveling his head around to see Micheal and Sean whispering with another group of boys while looking at him.

Dick feels his jaw clench and his skin grow hot. Turning his head back to the front he tries to get through the class while fuming in his seat. He definitely should of stayed home.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

While walking down the hall to his next period Dick overhears Michael and Sean talking behind the corner with some other kid from his class. Slowing down his speed Dick hides behind the corner and decides to listen to their conversation

“He should feel grateful!” He hears Michael speak with a nasty tone.

“What do you mean grateful Mike?” A voice he recognizes as Bryan speaks

“Living with Bruce and Y/N Wayne! You idiots, gods I feel bad for them. Taking in that charity case.”

Charity case? Dick felt his stomach drop.

No, no, no, you and Bruce didn’t adopt him because they felt bad. They didn't adopt him out of pity. Right?

Dick didn’t have much time to think about it before his friends started speaking again. “My mom was telling me that the only reason they adopted Dick was for the publicity. Oh woah me! My parents died, I need a new home! Please take care of me! The press eats it up and obviously Mr and Mrs. Wayne just use him because-” Dick didn't stick around for the rest. Feeling a stinging in his eyes.

Stop crying!

Stop being a baby!

He kept telling himself. Trying to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat. Dick could hear their laughs echoing of the hallways as he made his way quickly into his next class the long way, anything to avoid passing by them.

He just wanted go home.

_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Once school ended Dick was sitting down on the bench waiting for you and he can't help but let the words of his friends consume his mind while waiting for you to show up.

Am I a charity case? A publicity stunt? I mean it would make sense. A rich couple taking in a sad little orphan. Probably got them a lot of praise from the public. No, no, Dick, Y/N and Bruce are your Mom and Dad.

They love you and they don't feel that way.

They don't.

Unfortunately the feeling in his stomach didn't go away. The hurtful words from his friends earlier definitely affected his mood. So much so that when he saw your car come to view he couldn't help but feel sad all over again. It can't be all fake. Can it?

Getting into the car you definitely noticed something was wrong. “Hi baby! How was school?” you happily asked, turning your body around to see him.

Dick tried to smile he really did. “It was good mom”

He saw the concern in your eyes start to build quickly at his unusual answer. The question you always asked when you pick him up always sent Dick into a long rant about everything he did at school, all the things he learned, and who he talked too. Yeah, Dick didn't know how he was going to get away with this.

It was your favorite part of your day-listening to him talk about his. Then later at dinner when Dick told Bruce all about his day. So when he didn't go on his normal but adorable recount of his day, you could say you were instantly worried.

“You alright honey?” you ask hoping for a truthful answer this time.

“Im fine..Y/N” You know the shock was clear on your face and instant glaze clouding your eyes was obvious. Taking in a deep breath you silently nodded and drove the both of you home.

Dick knew he messed up when he called you Y/N instead of mom, its just if it was all fake you obviously wouldn't mind. He kept telling himself but a small part of him in that moment wanted to hurt you.

But the look on your face when he called you Y/N instead of mom would be something that would stay with him forever.

The way your face completely turned expressionless and you just nodded at him. Not yelled, or cried. You just nodded. Like it hurt too much to say anything. Dick just sat silently the entire ride home, fighting back tears and feeling the guilt almost swallow him whole.

Once you stopped the car and he saw you let out a sigh. And look up at him in your rearview, he bolted. Running out the car and towards the manor he headed straight to his room, ignoring your calls for him to come back.

He ran past Bruce, barley hearing him ask what was wrong.

Running up the stairs and slamming the door Dick flopped on his bed and cried. Cried because he was hurting and crying because he knew he hurt his mom.

Dick doesn't know how long he was crying for, hours? or merely minutes. But it felt like he was there in his room sobbing for a long time.

A knock at his door stops the thoughts running wild and knew for a fact it wasn’t you. That thought alone hurt him.

You always knock twice and then Dick always answers. No, it wasn't you behind that door. Further proving he hurt your feelings so bad that you didn't even want to see him.

He’s the worst kid ever.

“Dick? Can I come in?”

Bruce?

Oh no, Bruce was probably angry at him. Bruce is always angry at anybody who upsets you, he's seen it with crazy reporters to mean rich women at galas. The way he uses his batman stance and scary stare, Dick doesn't want him look at him like that. he doesn't think he can handle it. But he cant just leave him outside his door. He doesn't want another one of his parents to be sad because of him.

“Yeah...you could come in” he says in a small voice.

The door opens and he sees Bruce’s head pop in catching his eyes. Dick feels like his heart is going to beat out of his chest because of how nervous he is.

Approaching his bed Dick could see Bruce is nervous. Not as nervous as him but nervous.

It seems like Bruce could sense his unease because he gives Dick a gentle smile and and brings him into a hug.

Dick could feel the tension leave his shoulders and the nerves leave his body as he slumps into Bruce’s arms. He feels an instant set of tears building up and lets them trail silently down his cheeks.

It’s like Bruce already knew what crisis was going through his mind moments before “The reason your mom isn’t in here isn't because she's mad, okay? We want you to know that.”

Dick just nods into Bruces arms, hoping that's enough of an answer for him.

“We just want to know whats wrong? Can you tell me?” Bruce asks concerned.

Dick feels like those are such loaded questions. Can you tell me? Whats wrong? What does Dick even say? He’s sad because he heard his friends talk about how you and Bruce just use him as a publicity stunt and you don't really love him and he can't help but believe it? Yeah, that makes total sense. Bruce would probably just think he’s a crybaby. Or even worse, it be true and he can’t even give Dick any reassurance.

Yeah, so much worse.

His silence to Bruces question must have gone on too long because he feels himself being taken out of the embrace and sees Bruce kneeling on the ground in-front of him. Looking up at him with no more nervousness as before but a determined a gentle face. A face that Dick knows means Bruce is going to stay here until Dick tells him whats wrong. “Whats wrong Dick? I know your mother is usually the one that consoles but if anything, you could always talk to me.”

Maybe it’s the fact that Dick has stopped his crying, but he decides to tell Bruce what happened.

Clearing his throat trying to speak without the obvious sadness peeking through,”Today at school I heard some of my......friends talking” he says peering up at Bruce’s face.

He nods at Dick asking him to continue.”They.....they were saying that the reason you and Y/N adopted me was because—”

“because what chum?”

“because of publicity.”

They could hear a pin drop because of the sudden silence that spread between them. Bruce look like a fish out of water, opening and closing his mouth trying to think of something to say. It made Dick nervous because what if it was actually true and Dick caught him in the act?

No, he couldn't handle that being the truth. He needs Bruce to tell him that's not it.

Bruce has finally regained his ability to speak back because he softly but firmly grabs Dick’s face in his hands and looks him in the eye.

“I have never. Ever had the intention of adopting you because of the good publicity it may have received Dick. Your mother and I never adopted you or chose to take you in out of pity, good publicity, or charity. We adopted you because I knew what it was like.”

Dick is crying now and can feel them trailing down his cheeks. The relief he feels is all consuming. He almost hits himself out of anger for even thinking it was true. Thinking that you and Bruce could EVER do that to him or be that kind of people.

“You knew what is was like?”

Bruce smiles at him wiping the tears of his face, “The pain of loosing your parents is something we have in common kid. I adopted you because I knew what you needed. I knew the path you would have taken if Y/N or me weren't there. You would’ve ended up like me. I need you to understand that it wasn't out of pity or charity. Y/N and I love you. We love you so much. Your mother will tell you the same thing when you tell her what’s wrong. Okay?”

Dicks almost inconsolable at this point nods his head and smiles, before he feels guilt. Guilt for assuming and possibly insulting Bruce and you. And before he can even open his mouth to give an apology, Bruce just shakes his head and whispers it’s all right. Rubbing his back he whispers you have nothing to apologize for to me. Okay?

They spend the rest of the afternoon there, just sitting in each others presence. All the talking and explanations have been done and finished with and now they were just sitting together feeling each others comfort.

Dick knows he’ll have to speak to you soon and apologize for running out the car leaving you sad. But for right now he feels content with Bruce’s words and knows that he has nothing to be scared of. Because you and Bruce are his Mom and Dad.

Nothing will ever change that. Especially not some immature, jealous, fake friendly rich boys. Dick really needs to find some new friends once he gets back to school.

..........

........

Hopefully Sasha!?

AHHHHHHH I hope you all enjoyed!!! i’m so glad i finally got this story out, it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders <3 love you all lots!! Feedback is appreciated!

#batmom #dceu fandom #dceu fic #dick grayson x batmom!reader #bruce wayne x reader #batdad #bruce wayne is a good dad #good dad bruce wayne #Good dad bruce agenda #yella talks

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