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bastardtetsu · 3 years

Text

—fine line .

𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙠𝙞 𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙄𝙉𝙏𝙊𝙓𝙄𝘾𝘼𝙏𝙀𝘿 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙗

pairing: mattsun x f!reader x makki

genre: smut (18+), threesome (mmf), friends to fucking

wc: 4.7k

warnings: dubcon via sex under the influence, drug use (psychedelic mushrooms), oral (f and m receiving), brief mentions of nausea, one mention of w33d, the nickname "princess", a dash of finger sucking, overstimulation but it’s brief, creampie

the come-up is usually the worst of it—at least that’s what mattsun said.

some nausea is common as the shrooms start to kick in, so he suggested that you don’t eat anything immediately beforehand—and you’re glad you took his advice. makki, on the other hand, let his munchies get the best of him and ran off to the bathroom about 20 minutes ago, leaving you & mattsun by yourselves on the couch in your living room. hopefully he’s doing ok.

it’s approaching an hour since the three of you ate your shrooms together, and you’re beginning to feel the slight uneasiness in your stomach fade into a pleasant dizziness spreading throughout your body. you giggle a bit at the realization, drawing the attention of the tall brunet splayed out on the other side of the couch.

“yeah?” he smirks at you with a quirked brow.

“yeah,” you grin back at him, more giggles bubbling from your throat. you can already tell how silly you’re acting, and this observation only makes you laugh harder as your muscles begin to loosen and tingle with giddiness.

“nice,” mattsun responds simply, not moving from his place on the couch. it’s hard to tell where he’s at—being the more experienced one when it comes to shrooms, his tolerance is probably much stronger than yours—but the way he’s sinking into the cushions with glazed-over eyes tells you he’s likely on his way up too.

meanwhile, you already feel like you’ve arrived—any tension in your body seems to have evaporated, leaving you lithe and syrupy and pliant. you feel light as silk, like the slightest breeze could make you flutter away, and you can’t help but drape yourself over the arm of the couch as a stream of giggles continues to spill from your throat.

you hardly even notice the way mattsun looks on with an amused smirk on his face—not that you’d even care. you’ve been friends long enough, and between you, him, & makki, the three of you have embarrassed yourselves in front of each other more than enough to be well past the point of shame.

oh right—how is makki doing?

you abruptly hoist yourself off the couch—though you barely make it a couple steps before pausing to take in the brand new sensation called standing.

“you good?” mattsun asks with a light chuckle. the room feels like it’s floating—or maybe it’s you. either way, your legs feel steady enough to keep you upright, and any sickness you’d felt before is long forgotten.

“yeah, i—”

you don’t have time to finish your sentence before you’re suddenly being pulled into mattsun’s lap, falling against him with a small yelp, followed by even more laughter.

“issei,” you whine as you lean into him, your movements clumsy yet fluid, “whaddaya want??”

“hehe… nothin’,” he snickers in response. he’s definitely tripping now—mattsun’s not particularly physically affectionate most of the time, but now it seems like he can’t get enough of you, tracing his fingers idly up and down your arm while he nuzzles into you. the sensation sends pleasant tingles up your spine, and you can’t help but melt into his chest, the scent of his cologne and the remnants of the weed you were smoking earlier filling your nose as you sink into his warmth.

“wait—“ you sit up, suddenly remembering the reason you stood up in the first place, “you’re distracting me. ‘m gonna check on hiro,” you attempt to stand, but mattsun’s arms are still locked around you.

“don’t wanna get up, though,” he mumbles against your shoulder.

“then lemme go,” you whine playfully. as nice as it feels here in his embrace, your curiosity and urge to explore is more powerful.

“ughhhhh,” he relents with an exaggerated groan, finally freeing you from his grasp.

“stop pouting, i’ll be back,” you call over your shoulder as you scamper off to the bedroom. you don’t quite hear his response, but it definitely sounded like another incoherent grumble.

you check the bathroom first, only to find it empty. you peek your head through your bedroom door next, and sure enough, there’s makki—face down on your bed, the lights still dark despite the sun having gone down a while ago.

“hiro? how y’doin’?” you call out gently, leaning against the doorframe.

“y/nnnn,” you hear him drawl, “c’mere ‘n’check this out.”

you make your way over to the bed to find an entranced makki staring intently at his own hand as it toys with your blanket, captivated by the soft texture and the fluid motions of the fabric beneath his touch. your laughter chimes in the air as your hand drifts to join his, quickly becoming entranced as well.

“soft,” you hear takahiro mutter.

“yeah.”

your vision isn’t blurry or wavy, but it isn’t static either--you aren’t sure how to describe it, but you find yourself unable to look away from the movement of your blanket, its pattern warping under your touch.

“where’s issei?” makki’s voice interrupts your trance.

“still on the couch. didn’t wanna move.”

“lazy ass.”

you both go back to feeling the blanket. though your hands drift beside each other, they don’t quite meet until you brush against his on accident, the new sensation catching your attention and reminding you of makki’s presence at the same time.

of course, this realization makes you burst into laughter.

makki doesn’t seem fazed, though. he just giggles along with you as you flop the rest of your body down across his. soon enough, this turns into both of you rolling around in his bed, the captivating feeling of the soft fabric only rivaled by the sensation of your skin brushing against his. it’s like you’re an extension of the cotton sheets, something soft and pliable that billows in the breeze and tangles in your limbs with ease.

and before you even realize it, you’re all tangled up with him. makki’s warmth surrounds you now, limbs entangled & chests practically pressed against one another, so close you swear you can feel both of your hearts beating together.

a situation like this might’ve flustered a sober you, but by now, your inhibitions are out the window. besides, the two of you are close enough already that it doesn’t feel terribly strange being held by one of your friends like this—you’re already plenty flirtatious with each other anyway.

so you snuggle in closer.

even in stillness, the two of you find motion—your fingers dancing across his back, toying with the material of his shirt, nuzzling your forehead against him while he runs his fingers through your hair. it’s like you can’t stop moving, the restless buzzing in your veins urging you to get closer, to submerge yourself in makki’s warmth.

“okay... your hair?” he says, “is really doin’ it for me right now.”

“yeah?” a smile spreads on your lips.

“yeah,” he whispers, almost a sigh, just like he did when he was spellbound by your bedsheets.

you glance up to find him staring right at you, the expression in his glassy eyes unreadable, but you’re too high to get in your head about what it could be about. you just stare back, drinking each other in in comfortable silence.

makki really is cute—did he get cuter, or is it just the drugs?

“can i—” he finally breaks the silence, “can i make a wild suggestion?

“what?”

“you can say no if you want.”

“what is it?”

you swear you hear his breath catch for a second.

“…what if we made out?”

you pause for a moment to process his words.

“you don’t have to,” he blurts out quickly.

“no, i—“ you pause for another brief second, but arrive at your answer quicker than you expected. “yeah, let’s do it.”

“really?” makki’s eyes widen slightly, and you don’t miss the flicker of a grin across his lips.

“yeah, sure,” you answer, nonchalant but certain.

you’re plenty aware of the potential consequences of hooking up with one of your best friends while you’re both tripping on shrooms— but you’re actually shocked by how much clarity you have.

you know that you want this right now. you, makki, & mattsun have always walked that line between friendship and something more, and though none of you have been bold enough to cross it yet, you’d be lying if you said you didn’t find them both attractive. how can you not when two of your friends look like that?

you figure that’s a good enough reason as any to kiss your hot best friend. so you do.

and fuck, does it feels good. every sensation is heightened as your lips move against each other, parting for each other without hesitation to allow your restless tongues to slip past. in one fluid movement, makki rolls onto his back to bring you on top of him, and you smile into the kiss as you allow gravity to press your bodies even closer.

small whimpers and giggles slip unfiltered between your lips as makki’s hand traces patterns up and down your back. the drag of his fingers along your spine sends shivers throughout your body, like every nerve is buzzing with excitement. your body seems to be moving on its own, propelled by some unseen magic that runs through your veins and warms your skin as your hips roll mindlessly against makki’s—causing a familiar tingling ache to form between your legs.

“ahh, shit,” makki suddenly hisses, “y/n, you’re—“

he cuts himself off as another roll of your hips is met with something firm poking against your ass, causing makki’s breath to hitch in his throat. almost instinctively, you grind your clothed heat against it, eliciting a choked moan from the man underneath you.

your thoughts suddenly catch up to you, and you break away for a moment.

“is this okay?” you ask.

“i feel like i should be asking you that,” he responds breathlessly.

“yo, am i interrupting something?”

a third, deeper voice on the other side of the room grabs both your attention, and you turn to see mattsun standing in the doorway, looking all too casual for the situation, save for a slightly raised brow. to your own surprise, though, this doesn’t seem to faze you either—you know it’s the effects of the drugs, but you’re just happy to see him.

“hi, issei,” your face breaks into a dopey grin.

“‘sup dude,” makki chimes with reddened cheeks and an only slightly awkward smile.

“whatcha up to in here?” mattsun drawls teasingly.

“c’mere,” you whine, ignoring his question to beckon him over with outstretched hands.

“am i being invited to join the makeout pile right now?” he muses, smirk stretched wide across his face as he saunters over to the bed.

“yeah, man, get in here,” makki motions to him too as he shifts to make room on the bed. your collective nonchalance at the situation is enough to make you erupt into even more giggles as mattsun obliges you, sauntering over to the bed as makki shifts over to make room, sitting up from beneath you. a long arm wraps around you as he sits down on the bed.

“this ok?” mattsun utters just a breath away from your lips.

“yeah,” you breathe, smiling into his lips as they press together clumsily. mattsun kisses you leisurely, relishing in the taste of your warmth as his broad hands begin to trace your silhouette, gradually pulling your body closer to his.

your head angles slightly, and soon enough it’s makki’s lips on yours again, biting at your lower lip while issei’s mouth continues its way across your jawline, then down your neck in slow, wet kisses. you can still feel the press of makki’s cock through your clothes, rocking your hips against it and eliciting a deep groan from the man below you.

“shit, princess,” mattsun rasps against your skin, feeling his own pants beginning to tighten, “how far you planning on taking this?”

you’re so lost in the sensation of both of them you can hardly think, but you know one thing for certain: you want more.

“as far as you’ll let me,” you whisper, eyes darting between the two men as your lips curl into a flushed smile.

you swear you feel both of their cocks twitch as they register your words, a single shared look between them sealing the deal before they turn their full attention back to you.

“whatever you say, beautiful,” mattsun’s voice sends a shiver straight to your pussy as he repositions himself on the bed, kneeling beside you so he can lean in closer. his kisses are hungrier now, tongue gliding against yours in broad strokes while makki’s hands grip at your hips as he rocks your dampening core against his hard-on.

hungry for more contact, you reach down to palm the stiffening bulge in issei’s pants, the vibrations of a groan rumble against your neck in response. a hand tangles in your hair while another greedily squeezes around your breast—you’re not sure whose hands are whose anymore, but you’re well past the point of caring. all you want right now is to lose yourself in the electrifying warmth of their caresses.

makki’s hands slip under your shirt to grip your bare waist, and suddenly you’re hyper-aware of your clothing—a thin, but excruciating barrier between your skin and theirs that you need to get rid of as soon as possible. your fingers fumble at the hems of both men’s shirts, too distracted by the surplus of sensations to do much else.

they both take the hint immediately, and before you know it your shirt is being lifted above your head while another pair of hands undoes your shorts. once your shirt is off, mattsun’s tongue is back in your mouth in an instant, while makki wastes no time taking one of your breasts in his mouth, sucking hungrily at the soft flesh and eliciting small, breathy moans from you.

you whimper against issei’s lips as he undoes his pants, tugging down his boxers to reveal his length, half hard but already an impressive size. you can’t help but stare at the veins beginning to protrude from his flushed shaft, tracing them with your fingers as you watch his cock twitch and stiffen under your touch.

“you want that?” his voice is low and breathy. your gaze flickers up to find his lust-darkened eyes staring hungrily at you.

before you can find the words to answer, you feel the body underneath you shift. you look down to find makki’s face between your legs, nipping at the meat of your inner thigh, infuriatingly close to your wet, tingling center.

you can’t help but groan contentedly at the sight as you grasp at his hair, strawberry blond locks tangling in your fingers with ease. he hums in approval at the slight tug, the vibrations tickling your sensitive skin.

“don’t forget about me, now,” issei’s deep voice gets your attention, two calloused fingers pulling your chin back towards him. you’re quick to close the gap between your lips as you wrap your fingers around his thick cock. you stroke him slowly, taking your time to enjoy the feeling of his hot skin against your palm and the buzz of his low groans against your lips.

meanwhile, you can feel makki push your panties to the side, leaving your bare, glistening cunt hovering inches away from his face. though you’re busy with mattsun, you can’t ignore the almost painful hum of anticipation emanating from between your legs as makki’s hot breath fans over it.

“fuck, you’re wet,” he utters breathily, more to himself than anything, but the words still cause your walls to clench around nothing. you can feel mattsun smirk against your lips when you moan into his mouth, your whole body buzzing with pleasure as makki finally begins to lap eagerly at your arousal, his fingertips digging into the giving flesh of your thighs.

you’re trying your best to focus on the movements of your hand around issei’s cock, but you can already feel yourself beginning to fall apart as makki’s tongue circles around your swollen clit, every sensation crystal clear and heightened, while mattsun’s tongue continues to glide against yours.

your pace falters, but a large hand soon wraps around yours, guiding its movements around issei’s cock as your hips begin to twitch with your impending high. makki seems to sense this, letting out a hungry groan that vibrates against your soaked pussy, resonating throughout your body and urging you to cum.

when mattsun leans down to suck on your tits, the wet sensation of his mouth latching onto your hardened nipples melts into the feeling of makki’s sucking desperately at your clit, and just like that you’re cumming, wave after wave of pleasure rolling through your body and making your head spin as you gush all over makki’s face, wanton moans and strings of curses falling from your lips uncontrollably.

even as you ride out the crest of your orgasm, you can still feel the echoes of your high reverberating through your body with every thump of your heart.

“fuck, that was hot,” makki sighs, out of breath and as he detaches himself from your cunt, face smeared with your juices. “how y’doin, y/n?”

“hahh—i… ah…” you struggle to form coherent words through your breathless panting, mattsun’s littering of wet kisses up your breast and collarbone doing nothing to help you collect your thoughts.

“aww, our sweet girl’s already cock drunk,” mattsun coos, almost menacingly sweet, “and we haven’t even put ‘em in yet.”

“mmm,” makki hums as you feel him shift beneath you again, “maybe we should change that.”

you let out a shuddered sigh at their words, your neglected hole fluttering with excitement at the prospect of being filled. your brain is buzzing with endless thoughts and sensations that tangle and fuse into one another, unable to separate the euphoria of the trip from the bliss of being pleasured by two men at once.

you feel someone’s thumb is brushing against your bottom lip, and without thinking you begin to suckle at it, earning a chuckle from the dark-haired man at your side. suddenly, the tip of his thumb is replaced by two thick fingers pressing past your lips. your tongue swirls around the digits without hesitation.

“need something in your mouth that bad, huh?” issei muses, his voice raspy and hot against the shell of your ear. suddenly, he’s licking a slow, wet stripe up your neck as you whine in response, overwhelmed by the multitude of sensations, soon joined by the tickle of makki’s laughter as he teasingly drags his lips across your chest and abdomen.

“i can help with that, sweetheart,” he utters into your skin, peering up at you with half-lidded eyes before leaning back on his elbows, the strain of his cock more than visible through his underwear. you’re not sure exactly when he stripped down, but you’re too high and ravenous to care.

issei removes his fingers from your mouth as he moves to situate himself behind you, rubbing the drool-slicked digits over one of your nipples in the process. you gasp as the cool air hits your hardened bud, the sharp contrast in temperature making your head spin.

your breath only deepens when you tug down the waistband of makki’s underwear to free his length, flushed and dripping with precum already. you find yourself mesmerized by the red, glistening tip, eyes swimming with lust as your gaze travels down the slightly curved shaft to his plump & round balls.

“gonna keep staring all night?” the light-haired man says with a sleazy grin. your eyes flicker up to his mischievously.

“you’re the one who got this worked up just from eating me out,” you tease back as you lean down, wrapping a hand around his shaft.

makki doesn’t even have time to retort before you take one of his balls into your mouth, cutting himself off with a stifled groan as you begin to stroke him at the same time. you suddenly feel a pair of large hands gripping your hips and pulling them upwards, your pliant body surrendering to his touch with ease.

your ass is in the air now, messy, throbbing cunt on full display while you lap at makki’s balls, and you can feel mattsun’s hands kneading at the flesh of your cheeks, spreading them apart to admire your wetness. you arch back into his touch, and you can hear a hungry growl from behind you as mattsun watches your hole flutter around nothing.

you let your tongue glide along the underside of makki’s shaft, his head lolling back with a groan as you reach the head. the sounds he makes when you finally take the tip into your mouth are like music to your ears, and you can hardly control yourself before pushing him further and further past your lips until the head of his cock bumps against the back of your throat. makki’s noises are unrestrained as you begin to bob your head up and down, moaning like crazy and spurring you on as you increase your pace.

you suddenly feel a glob of something warm and wet fall onto the lips of your exposed pussy, but you hardly even have time to process before mattsun’s cock is pressing past your folds, the tip alone already stretching you wide.

you keen around makki’s cock, the vibrations sending a surge of pleasure throughout his body that causes his hips to buck up into your mouth. a hand flies to your head as if to steady himself, breathing ragged as his fingers intertwine in your hair, the tug against your scalp only adding to the sensation of mattsun stretching you out on his cock as he pushes into you slowly, the ache of his thickness slightly painful, but so, so satisfying.

“that’s a good girl,” you hear his voice strain from behind you, “takin’ me so well, fuck.”

you can feel his words reverberate in your core as he keeps going, savoring every ridge and vein of his cock dragging along your walls and splitting you open. a guttural sound spills from your throat as he bottoms out, the delicious press of his cock against your cervix nearly mind-numbing. you feel makki’s fist tighten in your hair, another moan falling from his lips as you continue sucking him off.

mattsun pauses for a few seconds to let you adjust to his size, but when he finally moves, it’s with an abrupt snap of his hips. the sudden motion jolts you forwards and nearly causes you to gag on the cock that’s in your mouth, and you yelp at the sharp pang of pain mixed with pleasure. issei doesn’t let up, gradually increasing the pace of his pistoning cock while you struggle to take makki’s down your throat. your vision is going fuzzy, eyes watering as the pleasure and pain meld together into a confusing yet exhilarating ecstasy.

“mmm, look at you, princess,” mattsun hums, “you like choking on makki’s cock while i fuck you? yeah?”

you can barely even whimper in response with your mouth stuffed with cock, already feeling your next orgasm approaching. your head is spinning from the overwhelming range of sensations, drool beginning to leak down your chin while mattsun keeps pounding into you, the rhythmic sound of his hips skin slapping against yours underscoring the breathy whines coming from makki’s throat.

“oh fuck,” the light-haired man practically mewls, his breathing heavy and labored, “m’gonna cum soon. fuck.”

you glance up at him through your lashes, attempting to signal your consent through your gaze. the sight of you peering up at him with your lips stretched around his cock is all makki needs to fall over the edge, letting out a loud string of moans and curses as his cum spills down your throat.

you hardly even taste the bitterness as you swallow it all down, too high and dizzy and distracted by your own impending release as issei keeps railing into you, his heavy balls slapping against your clit with every plunge of his cock into your drooling hole. makki’s lewd cries only spur you on, your brain clouding with pleasure as mattsun’s pace increases, no doubt approaching his own high as well.

the angle of his thrusts changes ever-so-slightly, just enough to hit that perfect, spongy spot deep inside you and sending your orgasm crashing over you like a tidal wave of euphoria. makki’s spent cock falls from your mouth as you cry out in ecstasy, incoherent babbles spilling from your lips as mattsun fucks you through your climax, his pace unrelenting as he chases his own high.

you can feel tears spilling down your cheek, the overstimulation nearly too much for you as issei continues pounding into your abused cunt. soon enough, though, his grunts and shallow breaths get louder, his hips stuttering to a halt as he releases inside you with a long and breathy groan.

there is silence between the three of you for a moment, save for the sound of your heavy breaths as you each regain your composure. the sweat on your skin is still warm, minds buzzing blissfully with the high of both your climaxes and the drugs.

“fuck,” makki exhales, finally breaking the silence.

you start giggling uncontrollably again, still situated between the two men in a less-than-compromising position that you’re well aware of, but too fucked out to be embarrassed about. your breath hitches as mattsun slides himself out of you, a tiny whimper leaving your throat at the sudden emptiness.

“you seemed like you enjoyed yourself, princess,” he purrs as you collapse onto your back, body feeling more rubbery and slack than ever. a dreamy grin adorns your face as you hum affirmingly.

“yeah, i did,” you sigh. makki’s fingers affectionately toy with your hair as your head rests against his thigh, pushing aside the strands stuck to your sweat-sheened forehead, and you instinctively nuzzle into his touch. “why didn’t we do this sooner?”

the two boys pause to share a look.

“you never asked,” they answer in unison.

“pff—“ you nearly snort at their response, “wait, does that mean you—“

“we’ve wanted to fuck you for a while now, yeah,” makki states, straightforward and unfiltered, “never thought we’d get to do it together—but hey, i’m not mad about it,” he adds, glancing over to mattsun, who answers with a simple nod.

“oh my god,” you lament in disbelief, throwing an arm across your face as you devolve into quiet laughter.

it’s honestly pretty hilarious—all the “platonic” flirtation between you & your two hot best friends, the dirty comments and teasing and the pushing of boundaries, and it took a collective shrooms trip for you to finally cross that line. and now, on the other side of it, you wonder what the fuck took you all so long.

through your amusement, it takes you a moment to notice the way issei stares practically spellbound between your legs, splayed open carelessly while he watches his cum drip from your pussy in thick, pearly rivulets.

out of pure curiosity, you reach down to feel its consistency, swirling the creamy substance around before collecting it on your fingertips to stare at. you don’t even realize that you’ve pressed your fingers to your lips until you’ve smeared cum across your bottom lip, mattsun practically gawking at the sight.

“fuck, y/n, you’re gonna make me hard again,” he chuckles.

“shit, man,” makki gripes, “i’m already hard again from watching her cum on your cock.”

you turn your head to look, and sure enough, his dick is already twitching upwards as the blood rushes back into it. you find your mouth watering.

despite the workout you just had taking care of the two men, your find yourself remaining strangely energetic—still thrumming with a delighted sort of excitement, no doubt a result of the psychedelics coursing through your system—not to mention the dull ache of desire still emanating from your core.

“do you wanna keep going?” you ask.

this catches both of their attentions, eyes widening as their gazes snap to yours.

“you for real?” mattsun asks in disbelief.

“i mean, we already fucked,” you reply plainly, “and we’ve still got a while until the trip’s over. besides,” you add, taking hold of both their hands as your eyes flicker between the two criminally attractive men you get to call your friends, “we’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

#haikyuu smut #matsukawa issei smut #hanamaki takahiro smut #mattsun x reader #makki x reader #intoxicated collab #e writes #tw dubcon #tw drugs #tw spicy #mdni #not me submitting this an hour after the deadline has passed #whatever it’s still the 17th in mikis timezone #and that’s what matters #also ty to by sexy lil betas <3 y’all know who u r <33

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duchess-fox · 3 years

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2021 Dream Girl

I found @2pretty's 12 Month Dream Girl Guide and thought it was actually a very good and intentional way of setting goals and achieving them. While I won't be doing 12 months - I'll be doing it for the rest of 2021 instead!

Who is she?

Naturally beautiful goddess with her life put together, who piques curiosity from many. She is kind, feminine and smart. Her home is always clean, cozy and quiet. Her style is understated but you know it's expensive because everything fits her perfectly. Her outward appearance is always perfect and even if it isn't, it's imperfect in just the right way. The epitome of beauty and brains.

Qualities to Create Her

She takes care of her body - hair, skin, nails, fitness

She speaks multiple languages - Korean, Chinese, English

Her apartment is clean, everything has a place and purpose and is beautifully decorated

She is well dressed - shoes clean, clothes fitted, bag organised

She eats well - knows how to cook and prepare healthy and delicious meals

Her life is organised - she knows exactly when her bills are due, how much money she has, how she plans on spending the money.

She can sew and makes some of her own clothes.

She keeps her mind nourished.

June

She takes care of her body - hair, skin, nails, fitness. She eats well - knows how to cook and prepare healthy and delicious meals

Hair - Hair masks once a fortnight! Luckily Kmart does have some inexpensive hair masks as money will have to be tightly rationed the next few months.

Skin - Daily morning and night regimen is something I want to get into the habit of as I've been slacking in the past year (!). I also need to develop the habit of putting on sunscreen daily.

Nails - Hopefully my nail drill and the nail supplies I order come in the mail soon! The dust fan won't arrive until much later which is a shame but it's not essential. I will apply cuticle oil and hand cream morning and night, extra hand cream after I wash my hands.

Body - I'm going to start walking every day, 3 times a day. I don't like taking long walks and I've come to really enjoy a particular route. It's about 1.7km so if I walk it 3 times a day (morning, after lunch and after work) it should be 5km a day! I also want to develop a morning and night time stretching routine to increase my flexibility. I bought a scale that has an app so it can track my weight so I will be using that daily in the morning too.

I would also like to have a bigger library of healthy meals in my repertoire. I am a fan of BTS and the BTS meal just came out so I will be having a McDonald's every couple of days. The local McDonald's is 1.4km from my apartment. So walking there and back is almost 3km which will add up!

July

She speaks multiple languages She keeps her mind nourished.

I've been learning Korean on and off for almost 10 years now and the lack of discipline in my language learning is painfully obvious.

I will also try and be more observant of the Korean vlogs and TV shows I watch - they're great because they usually have subtitles in Korean so I can read those too.

I will continue studying Korean grammar through Talk to Me in Korean.

I also want to make use of the local library - I like reading from physical books sometimes but economies need to be taken and I don't want to invite too much clutter into my apartment. The library might not be as big as the big city libraries I'm accustomed to in my home city but there's always material to read regardless. I'll also make use of certain resources too if I have to in order to find some of the books I've been wanting to read and are a bit more obscure and unlikely to be found in my local library.

August

Her apartment is clean, everything has a place and purpose and is beautifully decorated

I have a few prints I'd like to hang from one of my favourite artists. I also want to print a big triptych artwork which is a subtle nod to my favourite music artist. I have plans to buy some nice big plants to brighten up the place too.

I'm also going to set up dedicated sewing and nail spaces because I really enjoy those things and they also require specialty equipment.

Since I just recently moved to my new apartment, I still have cardboard boxes that need to be taken to the recycling centre.

I will also make it a habit to ensure that all the dishes are done before I go to bed, my desks are free of rubbish. I will make my bed in the mornings and make sure my laundry is folded away neatly.

September

She can sew and makes some of her own clothes.

I want to focus on hobbies - namely sewing. I'd like to really challenge myself in sewing so I'd like to make one well fitted dress to wear on a night out. I bought the Rose Café dress pattern from Daria Dressmaking and I hope my body will be in a more satisfactory condition before I attempt to make this dress. I'd like to make this is a boucle fabric (which I'll probably source from AliExpress as it's much more affordable than buying $35/m fabric from the fancy fabric store). I want it to be perfectly fitted to my body so I will be custom fitting it. It won't be a short project so I want to dedicate the whole month to it.

October

She is well dressed - shoes clean, clothes fitted, bag organised

I want to make sure all my clothes, shoes and bags are in good condition - especially winter clothes that I won't be wearing for a while. Lint roller, wool comb, leather conditioner, waterproof spray - it's all coming out.

Things in my bag should be organised into pouches so that they're not flying everywhere either.

November

Her life is organised - she knows exactly when her bills are due, how much money she has, how she plans on spending the money.

I want my Google calendar to be full and colour coded. I want my bills to be on auto transfer and have my cash flow organised. I'd also like to have at least $5000 in emergency savings (since my recent move really drained my savings) and aim for $20000 eventually. I hope by then I'll be more disciplined and in control of my finances.

#df-levelup #df-original #df-dreamgirl

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sad-sweet-cowboah · 3 years

Text

Snowmelt

Hey hey, @12timetraveler! Merry late Christmas, I was your @rdr-secret-santa!

Summary: After testing your luck with the weather during a hunting trip with Charles, the two of you are stuck inside a cabin in Ambarino until the snowstorm passes.

Warnings: Smutty smut smut

Word Count: 2,534

A/N: I was hesitant on writing this since I’ve only written Charles once, and never in this perspective. I hope I did him justice for you!

You knew the weather would get worse.

Ambarino always had that bitter chill in the air, one you were familiar with each and every time you and Charles traveled up here for hunting. Between the two of you, a decision of whether to stay or leave would be based on subtle patterns observed within nature. This morning was still and quiet, not a cloud in the sky. The sun carved a path for you and the elk within the mountain forests.

Despite this, however, a feeling in your gut told you to not dwell within the wilderness for too long. Charles assured you that you’d be gone within the hour, but time escaped you. One hour melded into two, and you took advantage of nature’s bounty. Even with satchels full of small game and both horses laden with carcasses, the impending storm arrived with a powerful rage.

What was once a clear sky turned a smoky gray, thick flakes and bitter wind battering your barely covered face. Charles led the way, his lantern and the slightly visible Appaloosa pelt of Taima a comforting sight. His voice carried with the wind, assuring you were with him at all times.

An indescribable amount of time passed before Charles managed to find an old cabin which thankfully had no dwellers. Removing your nearly frozen limbs from your horse as he took both steeds, you trudged through the thick snow to hurry inside. Scant on furniture aside from a small table and a worn bed in the corner and the lack of many provisions, it seemed as if this place had been abandoned for a while. Thankfully there was a fireplace with some wood, which you took the liberty of igniting. Just as the flames began to kindle, the door opened again to reveal Charles.

“Just brought the horses into a small barn closeby,” he spoke as he shoved the door closed. His large body trembled with a slight shiver. “Guess we should have called it earlier.”

You half-smiled and nodded at him. “We got a little greedy.”

He chuckled in response, stepping closer to hold his hands out toward the growing fire. “I suppose we did. No telling how long this storm will last, hopefully we can leave in the morning.”

“If not, we have days of beans,” you pointed out, turning to pull out two cans from your satchel. “Might as well make the best of it.”

Charles smiled warmly at you. “Might as well,” he agreed.

Within ten minutes the little cabin had warmed up significantly, illuminating the walls with an amber glow. The two of you settled at the table with the beans, thankful to have something hot in your belly after spending the day in the cold. Your snow-soaked outer clothing hung above the fireplace to dry. Idle chatter kept you busy during the otherwise silent meal, occasionally quieting down to hear the howl of the wind from outside.

Despite the satiation, a deep chill settled within your bones. Even the warmth of the fire wasn’t enough to combat it. The clothing that remained help a slight dampness that didn’t seem to completely dry. After dinner, you settled on the musty fur rug in front of the fire, not tired enough to sleep, a slight shiver overtook your body.

“Still cold?” Charles’ voice sounded from behind you. After dinner he took the liberty to straighten up the bed before you settled in for the night.

You sighed. Wrapping your cardigan tighter around your shoulders, you nodded. “It’s taking forever for me to warm up. I think my clothes are damp.”

With his body coming into your peripheral view, he knelt down. The tubbing of the fabric on your body indicated his touch. “They are,” he stated, sitting down completely next to you. “Come here.”

You didn’t have an opportunity to ask what he meant, when his arms wrapped around you. He pulled you into his lap, the heat from his body immediately encompassing you. Without hesitation you leaned against his chest, a smile forming on your lips. “Thanks.”

His own lips pressed against your crown, squeezing you tighter against him for a moment. “You should take those clothes off,” he murmured quietly.

You peered up at him with curiosity.

“Gotta let them dry,” he pointed out. “And let you warm up properly.”

“Wouldn’t I be colder?” you asked, and he shook his head.

“Body heat warms you up, and it’s faster when you’re not covered in damp clothes,” he explained.

You took a moment to consider his words. It did make sense after all. With a small nod you began to awkwardly strip of your layers. He’s seen you in much less, so it didn’t bother you in the slightest.

He helped you, his deft hands easily removing the fabric. From your cardigan, to your shirt and pants, you were now down to the union suit that remained dry. The slight chill in the air soon disappeared, and you felt much more comfortable.

“Better?” he asked once you settled back into his lap.

Smiling up at him you leaned up to place a kiss on his lips in thanks. He reciprocated, wrapping his strong arms around you gently to hold you to him. His mouth moved softly against yours, his fingers tangling into your hair. You absolutely loved when he did that, as if it was his own way of claiming you.

After a moment, he pulled back, peering down at you with a soft brown gaze. Those gorgeous eyes could melt you in the spot with the heat of the desert. It was one of the many things that you fell for early on. Eyes that held wisdom that you’d never even learned about if it weren’t for him.

Your fingers carded through his thick raven hair, locks dampened and glistening in the faint firelight. Some days you couldn’t comprehend how gorgeous he was. Without a second thought, you helped yourself to another kiss. Deeper and more passionate than the second, Charles did not hesitate to meet you with equal eagerness.

Losing control over your hands, gripping hair to clothing to arms. Every inch you wanted to take for yourself. He seemed to act in the same manner, his grip on your waist pulling you even closer to his frame. Through your union suit his light touch left a tingle against your skin. Within mere moments you were feeling much warmer, much faster than you’d ever thought. A small fire of your own stoked in your belly, first as a spark erupting into something stronger.

Charles seemed to pick up on this. With you flush with his torso, his hands roamed your back, from your shoulders all the way down to your butt. A touch growing more fervent with each passing moment. One hand rounded to your front, popping open the buttons with ease to expose more of your skin.

Pulling back as he reached halfway down your abdomen, you gave him a look.

“What’s wrong?” he asked gently.

“No fair when you’re still mostly dressed,” you pointed out with a smirk, reaching forward to run your hand down his chest. Even through the fabric the build of his muscles was apparent. You couldn’t wait to see.

He chuckled in response, catching your hand and bringing it to his lips, warm and soft, pressing them to your knuckles. “You’re right, I should fix that.”

Before you could respond, he wrapped his arms around you and stood up, carrying you with ease to the bed in the corner. Upon laying you against the spread, he towered over you with an almost intimidating air. You shuddered involuntarily, watching as he slowly shed his layers, once by one, until he was down to his own union suit. As he began to unbutton, you sat up and gripped his hand.

“I want to do this part,”

He nodded silently, his hand going limp as you took to your duty. With ease each button became undone, slowly revealing his gorgeous skin from underneath. Pushing aside the woolen fabric, your hands immediately went for the expanse of his chest, internally sweeping aside the remaining confinements. First his upper torso was exposed, pulling his arms out before stepping from the leggings.

There he stood before you, his cacao skin bare, holding a faint golden shimmer of the flames. You gazed him up and down, admiring every inch with a smile. He met your eye and leaned toward you, hand raising to caress your chin. His thumb traced your lips, gazing at you with such love before finishing what he started with you. And soon you were as nude as he was.

Yet with you on the bed and him still standing, you wanted to tackle him then and there.

His even gaze swept over your naked body slowly, drinking in the sight like a hungry predator. Biting your lip, a surge of excitement shot through you. He drew closer, placing his hands on either side of you, caging your figure in as he climbed onto the bed, the frame groaning beneath his weight. He bent down to place his lips upon the crook of your neck, creating a path of gentle kisses down to the valley of your breasts. His fingers toyed with your hardening nipples, alternating his mouth and hand to give each equal attention. You moaned and tilted your head back, whispering his name, running your fingers through his hair once again.

His deep voice hummed against your soft skin with satisfaction. It didn’t take much longer for him to seek your center, his touch gentle through your wet folds. He soon found that sweet sensitive button of flesh that left your body singing for him. Your hips ground into his palm, desperate for further contact. He chuckled and slid a finger in, making a small noise to find how soaked you were already.

You were not unaware of the presence soon pressing against your inner thigh. Reaching for it, your hand wrapping around his girth. Hot to the touch, he pulsed in your grip with excitement. It tugged a smile out of you, soon accompanied with a long moan as he continued to worship your body. Sliding the length through your fingers, you’d memorized every inch of the velvet surface a hundred times over. Each and every moment still felt like the first.

“You’re soaking,” he murmured to you, dragging his lips back up to the junction of your neck. “I know that’s not from the snow.”

Heat crept into your cheeks and you giggled shyly. “It is very…warm in here,” you joked.

He hummed in amusement, drawing a lazy trail back up to your lips, eliciting a sweet but short kiss. “Are you ready, love?” He asked, peering down at you in anticipation.

Hell, you were always ready. With a single nod, your hands moved to his shoulders. He kissed you again, deeply and passionately, as he adjusted himself to line with your entrance. Gliding the smooth head through your folds, soaking himself with your juices, he effectively slid within you.

God, you could never not love the way he stretched your walls with that initial invasion. You’ve had others before, however no one matched him. Well-endowed yet never reckless with use. A soft sigh escaped your lips as he buried himself to the hilt.

A warm hand caressed your cheek, boring his eyes deeply into yours with silent anticipation. He always waited, assuring that you were completely ready beforehand. You offered him another nod, tucking a loose lock of hair behind his ear.

The first few thrusts always stole your breath away. Heavy hips rolling against your more delicate frame with the most precise angle and pressure to build your peak. His name passed your lips, over and over, your fingers gripping his neck, his broad shoulders, his long hair, his muscular back. He busied his mouth to mark and abuse your soft flesh, leaving no area of your neck and chest untouched.

Within moments, his hand snaked between the two of you, honing on your center again. With a fresh wave of pleasure, you moaned loudly, tilting your head back for your voice to carry into the cabin’s old walls. You were thankful you were alone out here.

“That’s it, I love hearing your voice,” Charles crooned, his own voice husky from his ecstasy. “Give me more,” he demanded in smooth, low voice. Hastening his touch on you, his hips quickened as well.

And so you did, caving in to his wish without hesitation. Your moaning soon turned into a loud whine. Constantly stoking your inner fire, building it into a blaze deep within your belly. It wouldn’t be much longer until you burst.

Except he slowed down, favoring long and slow strokes to reach deep, pulling along that sensitive area that had you keening. Your back arched, head thrown back into the pillow to call out his name once again. Legs tangling around his torso. Nails scored his flesh, earning a low groan from him. Your name graced his lips with a deep growl.

“Love, let me feel you,”

Your body responded faster than your conscious mind. I mere seconds, your peak crashed over and rippled every inch of your body, manifesting itself as a high pitched squeal. “Charles!” you shouted out, your legs tightening around him, quivering as he milked the last of it until you whined of overstimulation. He eased his touch on you, pressure just barely there but still tangible enough to further tease you.

His lips found yours, drawing you in for another deep kiss. His hand left the space between your legs to wrap around your waist, holding you tight and abruptly pistoning into you, a sign that he too was close. You could do nothing but hold on while he used your body to chase his own release, unleashing a guttural groan into your mouth.

Within moments, he ripped his lips away to utter a strained, breathless swear. Your legs fell limp as he pulled himself out swiftly, just in time for his hot seed to spill across your belly.

He panted heavily above you, his frame shaking and he sunk down to press his forehead against yours. You closed your eyes and slid your hand to the back of his head, burying your fingers into his thick hair as you pulled him in for another kiss. He melted to your touch, relaxing yet careful not to place his full weight upon you.

Moments passed before he rolled to your side, taking a huge breath before his arm immediately sought your waist. You obliged, rolling over to allow your back to rest against his chest.

It was silent, the two of you lost in a fatigued bliss while Charles’ breathing returned to normal, and your now sweaty body began to slowly cool back down.

“I’m nice and warm now,” you quietly said with a faint giggle.

Charles chuckled with amusement, pressing his lips to the back of your neck. His hand traced down your arm to take your hand, entwining his fingers with yours. “Me too. I suppose it’s not terrible being snowed in up here.”

#rdr secret santa 2020 #Charles Smith #Charles Smith x reader #Charles Smith x reader smut

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ashyblondwaves · 3 years

Text

Hey guys! So I got this prompt the other night and I was writing in my drafts and accidentally screwed up posting it, so I’m reposting it with a screenshot of the ask instead. Hopefully this works. Enjoy!

Awe, anon. You’re so very kind! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my fluff overload going on after last week’s episode :)

Situation: Seeing each other for the first time in a while

Sentence: “If you’re so bored, I have other ideas on how to pass the time…”

Warning: Mild Dirty Talking Vision. A little naughty kissing.

***

Wanda showed up at the train station an hour early. Though she knew it wouldn’t make him show up any faster, she couldn’t wait another minute to finally be at their meeting spot once again. She passed the time watching the trains come in and witnessing others reunited. Families and lovers alike, there was an onslaught of happy tears, hugs and screams that sent pangs of longing straight through Wanda’s heart.

Soon. It would be her turn soon.

She was the first to step up on the platform when Vision’s train arrived. A tornado of butterflies swirled in her stomach as she watched each person emerge from the train doors, scanning ahead a little to see if she could catch a glimpse.

And suddenly, there he was. Tall, perfectly in disguise and waiting his turn to exit the train. Once she saw him, it was as if nobody else existed on the platform. She wasn’t jealous of the other people hugging and crying around her anymore. Because Vision had just stepped off the train. It was finally her turn.

She waved him down and waited as he navigated through the crowd. With each set of people he weaved through, the more Wanda’s anticipation grew. It started with those butterflies in her stomach. They fluttered around and filled her chest, spreading out to her arms and legs, then hands and feet. Then all at once, she was lifted off her feet and in Vision’s arms once again.

Back at the hotel, the pair were in be. Vision was sitting up, his back to the headboard while Wanda laid on her side with her head in Vision’s lap. She flicked through the TV stations trying desperately to find something good to watch but wasn’t having much luck.

“Would you like me to order you some room service?” Vision asked. “Are you hungry?”

“No, not really,” Wanda replied wistfully.

“Want to take a walk?”

“I’m way too comfortable right here to even think about moving.” She sighed, throwing the remote onto the bed. “There’s nothing on.”

“If you’re so bored, I have other ideas on how to pass the time…”

Wanda’s eyebrows quirked up. “Oh really?” she asked, turning her head to look up at Vision He had a mischievous look on his face, a smug grin playing on his lips. “Have you been doing some reading research again? And for the record, I’m not bored. Just content.”

“I have,” Vision answered proudly. “Mr. Stark told me if I missed my “boo thang” so much I should read some erotica. I think he was joking, but I read it anyway.”

Wanda burst into laughter. “You’ve been reading dirty stories?”

“They were pretty dirty,” Vision confirmed. “But it gave me some ideas...”

“Really?” Wanda cooed. “Tell me about those ideas.”

“One of the stories I read had a scene where the male protagonist starting kissing the female protagonist on her neck,” Vision explained. “Then as he undressed her, he started kissing her lower. Her throat, her chest and finally he settled on her breasts. He kissed them, he licked them, and blew on them so her nipples would harden. Then he sucked on them. And from what the story made it seem, she loved it.”

“Yeah?” Wanda nudged. “How’d that make you feel?”

“Pardon me if this sounds vulgar,” Vision prefaced. “But I couldn’t stop thinking about doing that to you. Having my lips on your breasts, kissing them and licking them and... sucking on your nipples. It’s all I’ve been wanting to do since I read it.”

“It doesn’t sound Vulgar at all, Vis,” Wanda said, taking in a deep shuddering breath. “I think it sounds like something I want you to do, too.”

Wanda sat up quickly and unbuttoned her blouse, peeling it from her frame easily before she crawled onto Vision’s lap. HIs eyes never left her once as she got into position.

“Take my bra off,” she instructed, guiding his hands to the front clasp between the cups.

He undid the clasp easily, eyes focused on the creamy skin underneath the fabric. Wanda shrugged out of the bra and brought her hands to the back of Vision’s neck, gently coaxing him forward.

Vision leaned down and started with a gentle kiss to the tops of both breasts. Using the sound Wanda’s soft humming moan as a guide to keep going. He kissed the skin in a downward pattern, following the swell of her breast and then around the underside before eventually flicking his tongue out and laving the area. With the tip of his tongue, he traced an imaginary line up until he reached her nipple, swirling his tongue around the nub before finally closing his mouth around it entirely.

With each lick and suck, Wanda felt herself growing wetter and wetter. It didn’t take much for Vision to learn and now they could add reading erotica to learn new skills to his list of qualifications. She almost wanted to thank Tony Stark for putting the idea to read it into his head.

Finally, Vision pulled away and looked at Wanda.

“Tell me if I did alright?” he asked.

“I won’t tell you,” Wanda said, taking Vision’s hand in both of hers. “I’ll show you.”

She guided his hand down under her skirt and between her legs, pressing his palm against the thin piece of cotton separating him from her core so he could feel how wet she was.

“You did more than alright,” she mewled. “Now I need more.”

#scarletvision #scarletvision fic #wandavision #wandavision fic #wanda maximoff #vision #fanfiction #i write shit #scarletvision drabbles

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thelargefrye · 4 years

Text

GRIMOIRE: TALE OF TALES. DAY O4.

── summary. trolls are causing some trouble so you and few of the boys go to handle it.

── roles. mages!ateez, mage!reader

── genre. fairy tail, magic, drama, romance, established poly relationship

── word count. 2.9k

── warnings. trolls kidnapping women, trolls are perverts, violence, fighting, once again a sucky fight scene

── main menu.

“a gang of trolls are coming and stealing the young women from our village. please come and help us save our people!” you read aloud with a rather overdramatically tone. your reading makes yunho and yeosang laugh. you then handed the flyer back to seonghwa who folded the paper up and placed it back inside his jacket.

“just trolls?” yunho asks from beside you and seonghwa nods without saying anything.

“should be an easy job then,” you say before adjusting the wrist strap that was connecting your magic to the rowboat in order to make it move. you look back up making eye contact with seonghwa who has an unreadable and rather emotionless expression on his face. “what’s wrong, hwa?”

he shakes his head, “nothing, i’m just trying to come up with a plan.”

“don’t think too hard. that’s how you get headaches,” you say and he nods his head letting you know that he hears your concern. but you know he is only nodding and agreeing as to not make you worry and fuss over him like you usually do.

“is that the island?” yunho asks, pointing out the large and rather spooky looking island that was away from the main land of fiore.

“looks like it,” seonghwa replies in sure tone as him and yeosang as to turn around and look at the island.

“it looks kind of scary, not going to lie. good thing mingi and wooyoung didn’t come on this, huh?” yunho laughs and you and yeosang nod in agreement knowing those two would complain throughout the whole mission because of how creepy the placed looked.

“hopefully it only looks spooky at night and not all the time,” you say in an attempt to comfort yunho.

once you reach the island, you four quickly dock the boat and step onto the beach looking around the area to see it was clear. you followed behind the three males as you walked along a dirt road and eventually arrived to the village.

walking into the village, you four are all immediately greeted by the villagers and the chief of the village.

“oh, thank you brave mages for coming to help us!” he thanked you all by shaking yours hand very excitedly and eagerly. the four of you then listen as he begins to go into greater details of the trolls and the kidnappings. “they’ve been coming every month when the moon is full and has been taking as many as five of our young women from ages nineteen to twenty-five.”

“do you know what’s happening to the women?” yunho asks and the chief shakes his head.

“the next full moon is tomorrow night,” yeosang states from next to you.

“yes,” the chief says, letting out a sad sigh, “unfortunately, but now we might not have to worry about the trolls now that you four are here.”

“do you know where the trolls’ base is?” yeosang asked and the chief once more nodded and pointed towards the large mountain that could easily be used to overlook the whole island.

“pretty good base, if you ask me,” you say in a rather lighthearted tone. yunho nodded in agreement while yeosang gives a look for the tone you used in a rather serious situation.

“do you have a place for us to stay? so we can rest and come up with a plan?” seonghwa asked and the older man once again nodded and guided you all to his house.

“we don’t get a lot of visitors so we don’t have an inn, but my house is large enough for you four,” he explains and you can’t help but feel sad that no one every visits this island. so far the island wasn’t as spooky as it looked and in fact was very beautiful with the greenery and even the village.

“thankful my house has four rooms so–

“one room is fine for all of us,” seonghwa cuts him off and the chief looks surprised by what he says, “we’re a very close group and usually prefer to room together so it’s easier to plan mission,” seonghwa explains and it seems to answer the chief’s curiosity as he leads you all to one of his spare rooms.

you all thank him and bid him goodnight before yeosang closes the door. you let out an exhausted sigh as you drop your bag by the wall, kick your shoes off before diving into the bed. another sigh leaves your lips at the softness of the bed and you feel the dip on your right side before hands are coming and moving you. yunho moves you to lay on him and he comfortably tangles a hand in your hair.

“i’m so tired,” you say, dragging out some words to fully express your tiredness to the three males. yunho chuckles and yeosang only crawls onto the bed to rest beside you and yunho. you reach out for the blonde male and smile when your hand finds his head as you gently start to run your fingers through his locks.

“hey, you three, no going to sleep,” seonghwa starts and you immediately let out a whine at his words, “if we create our plan now, then we can rest later until the night of the full moon,” he adds and you turn to look at him with tired eyes. he’s standing at the edge of the bed, his jacket thrown to the side and the first few buttons of his shirt are undone giving you a slight few of his chest. you back up at his eyes to finding him already staring at you and he gives you a little smirk before clearing his throat.

“so do you already have a plan?” yeosang asks and seonghwa nods his head.

“i think we should let y/n get kidnapped with some of the village women, so she can protect them and us three will trail behind and infiltrate the base and cause a distraction so that y/n can help the women escape.”

“are you okay with this plan, y/n?” yunho asks and you nod your head, knowing that you can handle being by yourself.

“i can handle it, don’t worry!” you say looking at seonghwa with a smile that he gratefully returns.

the next morning you all go to the chief with the plan seonghwa had come up with. at first the chief is surprised and about to object to it when seonghwa interrupts him.

“y/n is our strongest mage here, so she’ll protect all the women and get them out safely.

“your people are safe in my hands, sir. don’t worry,” you say with a smile and eventually he agrees to allow you all to go through with the plan.

the rest of the day, you four prepared for tonight as well as the rest of the village. it was around noon when a young woman approached you with a pile of clothes.

“these are for tonight, so you can blend in easier with the rest of us,” she says and you thank her as you take the clothes from her. yunho comes up to and at the clothes you have in your arms curiously. you notice how the girl is looking at yunho with heart eyes and you can’t help but feel just a little jealous at her openly looking at him like that. but ignored the feeling because you knew you had no reason to be jealous.

“are you wearing this tonight?” he asks and you nod, “i bet you’ll look so cute! i can’t wait!” he says, making you let out a little laugh at his excitement. you glance over to see the girl looking a little shocked at his words but instead of doing or saying anything, she instead bids you both goodbye before turning and leaving.

“how does it feel?” yeosang asked after you put the clothes on and was currently twirling around, watching as the skirt flew up a little due to your movement.

“it feels nice. airy,” you say, running your hands over the patterned fabric. “i think i might wear more skirts in the future,” you add.

“i would not oppose to that,” yunho said from where he was seated on the bed. you only laugh and roll your eyes at him before turning to seonghwa.

“do you like it, hwa?”

“you look very pretty,” he says, turning to you with a smile on his face. you can’t help but to blush a little bit due to his words, even if you have heard them a hundred times. he still makes you flustered no matter what. “are you ready?” he then asks and you nod your head with a pumped and excited expression on your face.

when night came, you were sitting with a few of the other girls in the village. you could tell they were all terrified and you did your best to let them know that you would do your best to protect them.

“are you sure you can handle all those trolls by yourself?”

“don’t worry, you’re in good hands with me! i’m not a s-class mage for nothing!” you tell them and they look at you in awe, surprised that you were such a powerful mage. “don’t underestimate the power of a woman.”

you looked over to see your three partners hiding away from the rest of the village. you could see they all had their serious faces and you turned away with a smile knowing that this would probably be another successful mission.

suddenly, you felt the ground start to shake and you knew the trolls were near. soon enough you saw them running into the village, destroying stuff here and there until they got to the center part of the village where you all were.

there were about ten muscly, blue-skinned trolls that were probably about 7-foot tall each. all of them were wearing the same thing, but you noticed each of them had different body markings on their arms and chest.

you managed to keep you head down, trying your best not to draw in too much unwanted attention from the trolls. the last thing you needed was for them to figure out you weren’t from the village.

the leader of the trolls and the chief were talking while the other nine gathered you and the girls along with some other items like food and alcohol.

“look at how pretty these little human girls are,” one trolls says, eyeing you five and you have to stop yourself from rolling your eyes at him. you did your best to fake a scared expression and it seemed to work because you couldn’t help but flinch and gasp in surprise when a large blue hand appears in front of your face.

“they even sound pretty too,” another one snickers. before they could say anything else, the leader of the group you assumed came up and ordered for the rest to grab everything and to head out.

you were picked up without warning and suddenly all the trolls started to move out and back up the mountain. you silently hope that the boys are right behind you all, but you don’t have time to think anymore as you reach the mountain base. you and the other girls are taken to some sort of cell where you find the other girls they had been previously kidnapped.

you watch all the girls hug, happy to see that none of their friends had killed or eaten by the trolls.

“what’s gonna happen to us?” one of the girls you were with asked one of the others.

“they’ve been making us servants,” one of them answered, her voice full of sadness at the thought of possibly never getting out.

“don’t worry, the village has hired mages to come and save us. this is y/n, she’s one of them that is going to help us,” another girl you came with and all the ones that had been previously kidnapped all gasped in surprise and you could see their eyes well up in happiness at the thought of finally being free from this place.

“don’t worry, i’ll get us all out of here. both me and my partners.”

you tell them all you have to do now is wait for the boys to come and create a distraction. an hour goes by and you’ve already had to deal with several trolls coming by and making comments towards you and the other girls and you know that if the guys don’t hurry up, then you are going to break out of the cell and fight all these trolls yourself.

soon enough you hear an explosion near the entrance of the base and several trolls rush over to see what happened. you notice that two trolls stay behind in order to guard your cells and take this as the opportunity to use your own magic to open the cell.

transforming your arm to were it turned into shape claws with green scales, you easily ripped open the cell door and smacked both trolls with it. throwing the now broken and dented cell door to the side, you stepped out of the cell and looked to see that the coast was clear.

“come on,” you say motioning for the girls to follow you and they all file out of the cell and behind you. “we need to be careful and quiet so that way those bastards don’t find us, okay?” you tell once you are all out of the cell.

“got it!” they whisper-shout in unison and you smile at them before turning and taking the lead in leading them out. running down a hallway, you stop when reaching a corner and carefully poke your head out to see no one. turning down a hallway, you reach a door and carefully as you could, you open the door before slipping through. you find around four trolls in the room and you carefully motion for the girls to all move quickly to the wall furthest from them.

“hey!” you shout gaining their attention.

“what are you doing out of your cell!?” one of them shouts before charging towards you. you quickly roundhouse kick the troll in face sending him flying away from you and crashing into the door you just came out of.

the other three trolls let out growls and roars at you before charging at you all at once. you easily dodge their attacks before landing your own attacks on them with ease. you manage to roundhouse kick another troll sending him into another one, but failed to notice the one behind you who grabbed your leg and threw you into the nearest wall.

a groan left your mouth as you pushed yourself off the ground to find the troll that threw you about to charge again. fortunately, a ball of fire came from seemingly nowhere and hit the trolls causing it to hit the ground harshly.

you look over to see, “yeosang!” you say happily as you stumble to stand up and rush over to him. you quickly hug him and he looks at you fondly before checking for any major injuries. “i’m fine,” you quickly say before gesturing to the girls behind him.

“alright, let’s get them out of here,” he says and you nod before motioning for them all to follow you once more. you have yeosang lead the way from where he came from and you find the rest of the way to the exit to be easy. you can only assume that he, seonghwa, and yunho had cleared out the rest of the base.

finally, you all make it to the exit where seonghwa and yunho are at and they both look relieved to see you all running towards them.

“did you all take them out?” you ask once you reach them and yunho nods with a cheeky grin on his face. the four of you then go to escort all the girls back to the village where all the villagers were waiting.

you four watch as the girls all reunite with their families and friends and you feel a warmth flow through your chest at knowing they were all finally safe.

“thank you, thank you all, so much!” the chief says with tears in his eyes as he comes up to thank you all. he then rewards you with the promised payment, handing it off to seonghwa who puts it in his bag.

“please, stay for out celebration. as thanks for saving our women,” the chief says, but seonghwa denies.

“thank you, but we should be heading back to our guild to finish our mission report,” he says as you and the other two nod in agreement.

you change back into your normal clothes before grabbing your bag as you all bid the village one finally goodbye before heading back to the beach where you left your boat.

as the boat moves across the water at a normal speed, yunho speaks up, “i’m glad we could save all those girls.”

“yeah, i definitely agree,” you reply with a smile knowing all the girls are safe and sound back home.

“hey, isn’t the s-class trial coming up soon?” yeosang asks, looking over to you. you hum for a second thinking.

“yeah, they are coming up soon! are you guys excited?” you ask knowing that becoming s-class wizards was something they all wanted to achieve.

“we’ll become s-class wizards just you wait, y/n,” yunho says and you notice the determined look him, seonghwa, and yeosang have making you grin in return.

“i can’t wait.”

#grimoire tale of tales #grimoire.#poly ateez x reader #poly ateez #ateez x reader #ateez imagines #ateez scenarios #ateez au #ateez magic au #ateez seonghwa #ateez yeosang #ateez yunho #dream episode.

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lipstickbisous · 4 years

Text

the lion and her sun. (3)

PRODUCT OF LOVE

notes: fuck it, i’m posting it now....we get to meet ellaria!! but just to warn u, aurane is a bit of a bitch to her at first but she warms up. we also get to learn a little bit more about aurane’s love life (lil surprise in there) and a few--VERY FEW--soft moments between her and oberyn. i was watching harry potter while writing this so if some parts sound harry potter-ish..that’s why.

also this is what aurane wears in her walk with oberyn (if u want to see it i’ll still describe it)

it felt weird writing doran as someone who walks (no offense).

and yes i know that my timeline does not add up according to the show but that’s because i’m writing my own timeline cuz i can. (sry for attitude)

basically, we just don’t pay attention to timelines in this fic :)

pairing: oberyn x oc

summary: with her wedding on the way, aurane meets a new friend and visits the water gardens.

word count: 6k

masterlist

aurane’s horse had now been returned to the stables as she stood, feeling particularly small, in front of the great castle. it had been made of clay and marble and concrete, a bright white color completing contrasting the gardens it sat on top of. there were towers in various parts of the land and perhaps it being so disarrayed without symmetry is what made it so interesting. on the edges and hemming of the towers were intricate designs, similar to the ones she admired on her dish.

the most aurane could say at the moment was that this castle was nothing like the one in casterly rock or in king’s landing. it intimidated her.

behind her as she stood with her head practically facing the sky, oberyn began to chuckle. “shall i walk you to your room?”

aurane had half a mind to refuse and let herself find wherever she would be staying, soon to realize that this place was completely new, and two minutes inside she could’ve easily gotten lost. without saying a word in response, she nodded and bit her tongue, just to make sure that this was still very real.

the walk to her new bedroom was longer than aurane had wanted it to be, especially with the stares of sers and ladies that had been dressed in the finest silks and linens while walking in the gardens. she could’ve sworn she heard whispers but they were so silent that none of the guards or even prince oberyn noticed, but aurane was a lannister, so she rose her head the slightest bit and ignored them while walking by.

while oberyn led aurane around the halls and rooms of the castle, casually walking past them as if they were not a sight to see, there was a falter in his steps. he stood in a great room with paintings on the ceilings and that smirk on his face. “perhaps i should show you to my brother.”

one single mention of the oldest martell and aurane felt shivers. surely he would be even angrier over the death of their sister and wishes a worser fate for aurane. “prince doran?” she asked, gulping with fear. hopefully, oberyn hadn’t noticed it.

he only nodded and swiftly turned to his left and aurane hesitantly followed. the soldiers behind them continued to march with their wooden spears in hand, which did nothing to ease the anxiety in her bones. aurane hadn’t heard much of prince doran from her family, only rumors of his little brother. but if oberyn had been so intimidating to aurane...what would doran be?

in front of the soon-to-be married couple stood in front of a pair of doors, both decorated with golden patterns on top of the wood. aurane, still dressed in her itchy clothing (only worse in the heat), began to breathe heavily, noticing that her corset was still extremely tight. it was also then that she realized she hadn’t broken a single sweat since their arrival. but now, as they stood in front of what she guessed to be the throne room, she felt a droplet trickling down her temple.

oberyn chuckled. “don’t be so nervous, lion,” and with a single push against what looked to be extremely heavy doors, aurane was met with the sight of the most beautiful room she had seen. inside sat two thrones crafted of wood and more clay. on the back of the throne stood a two tall wooden poles holding up a piece of honey-colored silk. it saddened aurane to think that at one point, there would’ve been three thrones, but in one of them sat a man wearing a robe similar to oberyn’s, with dark brown hair to his chin. “brother!”

prince doran looked as if he were always somewhat pissed off. his lips naturally curved into a small sneer, and with the way his hands gripped the wood of his throne, aurane felt as if she could sense his anger. “aurane lannister,” he spoke while standing from his throne. “or aurane hill?”

the princess smiled graciously though both dornishmen in the room saw right through it. there were very few times that aurane had been called by her rightful bastard name, but her family had always reassured her that it didn’t change thing. it was something that aurane never understood because why should it change a thing? “i suppose it’s neither now.”

aurane wasn’t precise on how anyone in the throne room would react to her remark in the moment. everything about it had been true--in a week, she would be a martell. prince doran began to chuckle before standing, “she’s witty, i like that,” nodding his head and walking closer. oberyn’s smirk from behind aurane was practically radiating. “not like your family. i can appreciate it.” there wasn’t much to say in response so aurane simply nodded in gratitude for the first semi-compliment of the day. doran noticed her discomfort at the moment and looked to his younger brother. “i think it is time to show the princess where her room is. the journey was long and eventful, i’m sure.”

long? yes. eventful? just the opposite.

“thank you, my prince,” she curtsied and turned around along with oberyn to exit. in her last moments in the throne room for what she hoped to be a long time, she finally let the paintings and plants and decor on the walls sink into her mind. aurane belived she would enjoy drawing them, even if it was from memory.

and again, aurane was being led through the unrecognizable but yet insanely memorable walls of the hallways. aurane felt a certain prick about oberyn’s attitude--it was almost as if he thought he were better because he knew every single entrance, exit, and hall of the castle. little did aurane know, the prince thought nothing of the sort.

her fingers absentmindedly traced over the marble walls, skipping over the leaves of tropical plants she had never even seen before in casterly rock or king’s landing. her eyes were dancing in every direction, and oberyn noticed but made no comment or remark. it was just a simple smile as he watched her interest suddenly peak when the walls stopped and the balcony to the west wing of the castle began. there aurane could see the perfect view of the gardens below, the palms swaying in the light breeze that contrasted the heat on aurane’s skin.

when oberyn’s footsteps stopped, resulting in him standing in front of a smaller pair of doors, but with the same golden design, aurane let out a sigh. much to her dismay (which was a surprise to her as well), her little silent tour of the castle was over.

oberyn gently pushed the door open and allowed aurane to walk inside. it had definitely been bigger than her room in king’s landing, more like the one in casterly rock, but it had been so long ago that she was in her original home that could barely remember it. on the opposite side of the room was a long balcony that stretched from one wall to the other. the curtains were made of fine white linens but aurane was much in need for them--the view was nothing more than the golden-sand beaches and the long stretch of blue oceans.

her bed was also made from wood and marble and when pressing her hand against the sheets, aurane could’ve sworn she had almost melted. she had felt silk before, when the starks visited her family they’d brought along some of the softest furs, but the fabric she’d been gifted with was simply pure. there were two candles, one on both sides of her bed, along with large plants similar to the ones in the hallways.

on the other side of her room three large dressers, each with four drawers, and a two beautiful, large wooden wardrobes painted white. a mirror hung over the dressers and next to the mirror, on a marble hook connected to the concrete walls, held an outfit. it had been two pieces and was already a lot more revealing than anything aurane had ever worn before. her stomach and cleavage were always covered, along with her legs. this outfit showed her waist and hips with a small top in a triangle-cut and a skirt down to her feet. the fabric had already been quiet transparent, even with its coloring as a bright shade of orange. aurane wasn’t sure if the color would look good on her but she hadn’t noticed the fact that her jaw had dropped.

a chuckle arose in the silence. “in the wardrobe are undergarments, along with plenty of other attire. they will be helpful with the weather,” oberyn advised and aurane closed her mouth. her shoes tapped against the polished floor and she opened the wardrobe to reveal just that--eight wraps for around her breasts and eight for her legs. she shut the wardrobe after noticing the other outfits folded on the bottom and thinking of whatever was inside the dressers. “if you worry they don’t fit, we do have tailors here in dorne.”

it was a smart comment, yes, but aurane didn’t completely care about whatever the prince had to say. “they’re fine,” she pursed her lips. aurane now stood at the door, where oberyn had been standing in the frame.

“i can help you unpack your things,” he offered, motioning to the guards behind him that held aurane’s many bags and belongings. there was a slight curve in his lips and part of aurane wanted to believe it was a kind smile. but in her head, she scoffed. another way to try to seduce her? did he think she was really that dimwitted?

she shook her head and turned to look out the window, staring across the sea. the air was full of the salty smell and inside of the small palm forest that surrounded the beach sang birds so loud aurane could hear them from her room. “no, thank you,” she answered, turning back to the prince, who remained in the doorway. “you already have every girl here on their knees to be fucked by you. you don’t need one more.”

and with that, aurane shut the door and locked it before anyone could push it back open.

―

it had at least been one day, but aurane wasn’t completely positive how much time had passed. she had watched the sun set and the sun rise once so it must’ve been the second day of the week--or, had she seen them twice?

aurane hadn’t left her chambers at all since she’d spoken to prince oberyn. she’d locked the door and no one had even tried to knock or break down the doors. the only time she’d opened them was when the guards had brought her luggage last night.

now, it was around lunch time and aurane had finished the complimentary dish of nuts and berries and wine. her stomach began to rumble but since she’d awoken that morning, she had ignored it. her corset and dress from king’s landing were displayed out on the floor--for the night, she had sat naked in her chair, not because of the heat, but simply because she could. she still had not donned the dornish clothing that prince oberyn had gifted her with, but, of course, aurane didn’t know that it was an act of his kindness.

instead of the revealing outfits or her itchy dress, aurane wore the silk robe she’d found in the back of her second wardrobe. it had been colored golden, and until this moment where aurane was playing with the hem, she hadn’t noticed the embroidery on the bottom. a cup of wine sat on the table next to her as she poured herself a third drink of the day, enjoying the scent and feeling of the air.

then, a knock on her door.

part of aurane smiled inside. she’d gone almost twenty-four hours without any sort of bother. with one sip of wine, she asked, “yes?” she noticed her voice hadn’t been so hoarse and raspy from not having anyone to converse with, but it wasn’t much of a shock considering there were moments she’d talked to herself or even began to sing.

“i have your lunch,” the other voice spoke sweetly. perhaps it was the dornish accent or the mention of food or the aroma of the food through the door, but the want to be left alone suddenly faded.

aurane tied the front of her robe to cover her bare body and set her wine down. she stood up from the chair and felt the cold of the marble floor against her bare feet as she walked to door and quietly unlocked it.

outside of aurane’s room stood a tall and thin woman with tan skin just like hers. she had short black hair that naturally curled down to her chin and thin soft lips, holding a tray with a single plate of food and a cup of some sort of juice. the woman wore an outfit similar to the one aurane had been gifted with and aurane immediately knew who this was.

she chuckled breathlessly. “you’re that whore he runs around with,” she leaned against the door way. as soon as she said, aurane could see that the woman’s kind smile faltered the slightest bit. aurane shook her head. “i’m sorry.”

the woman’s smile grew again as she nodded. “it’s alright,” she spoke so unaffected by aurane’s hateful words, and the princess couldn’t help but admire it. “but, yes, i am the whore he runs around with.”

aurane winced at her words being spoke back to her and stood away from the door, allowing the woman to walk through. “please,” she looked to floor and shame and sighed. “you don’t look like a servant to me.”

“no?” the woman spoke with such a smile that aurane had only seen on boys. she felt something in her stomach flutter. “too old?”

the sudden accusation caused aurane to laugh nervously. she felt her cheeks heat up as the woman bent over to set the tray of food down on her table near the window. “no,” aurane trembled and closed the door. she walked over to where the woman was standing and looked at what was in the cup. it was a liquid, but not a transparent red like wine. instead, it was opaque and orange. “too pretty.”

aurane sat down and scanned over the food the woman had brought her before noticing that she’d sat down across from the princess. “thank you,” she grinned before pouring herself a cup of wine. the intrusion hadn’t been a problem but it was slightly awkward considering the ways aurane had been raised.

“i don’t think i’ve gotten your name,” aurane spoke, picking at the grapes placed in a clay bowl. with a fork in her hand, she jabbed at the thin slices of meat and placed one in her mouth. it been seasoned with fresh and ethnic spices that were new to aurane’s taste buds. it was a strange flavor but as soon as she swallowed it down, there wasn’t much to hate about i.t

the woman watched in wonder. “ellaria sand.” she mused and took a sip of wine, her eyes focused on aurane’s lips as the princess devoured another piece of the beef.

aurane only chuckled. “a bastard,” she whispered to herself, inhaling the small group of vegetables that she had never seen before. “just like me.”

there was a certain flavor about the food that kept drawing aurane to consume more and more of it. in king’s landing, the only seasoning the cooks used in the kitchens down below the castle was salt and pepper and perhaps a bit of garlic from the crop gardens. although aurane had longed to explore the city below, visit the markets, and trade with farmers, her father had denied her any freedom of such.

“pardon me,” ellaria spoke up through her cup of wine and aurane stopped eating for a second. perhaps she had been insanely hungry and this meal was a sort of satisfaction. “you must be some sort of dornish, your grace” the princess furrowed her brows and began to feast again. “no pink person could ever eat that food.”

aurane shook her head and dove her fork down to her plate before noticing it was empty. “and why not?” she chuckled, padding a napkin against her lips.

the other woman shrugged and imbibed more of her wine. “those,” she pointed to the empty plate, holding only crumbs. “are the strongest spices in all of westeros.” aurane looked down at her dish and chewed on a stray piece of food that had remained in her mouth.

she laughed before reaching for the cup on the tray and bringing it towards her view, swishing around the orange liquid inside. “what is this?” she questioned.

ellaria’s eyes were skeptical at aurane’s wonder with the drink. in king’s landing and casterly rock and almost any other city in the land, the only beverages being marketed were wine and water--the latter usually being disease-ridden or still obtaining bits of salt. “orange juice, your grace.”

before taking a sip, aurane shook her head. “please don’t call me that,” and swallowed down a mouthful of the juice and was surprised when the sugars complimented her taste buds. aurane looked back at the cup with widened eyes. ellaria laughed.

“it’s good, right?” the older woman spoke, finishing her wine and setting her cup on the table.

aurane nodded happily and drank the rest of her juice in one large gulp. “i’ve never had oranges,” the princess mimicked ellaria’s actions and placed the goblet back on the tray, throwing her napkin on top of the plate. she sat back in her chair and let the silence flood into the room. she found that if she was completely still and no wind threatened to blow, she could hear perfectly the waves against the shore and the birds in their trees. with her stomach now satisfied, aurane began to play with her robe again. “you birthed him several children, am i correct?”

there was only a few seconds of silence before ellaria answered. “i did,” she smiled, brown eyes gazing off across the see from aurane’s window. “three bastard daughters.” the younger princess laughed humorlessly, to which ellaria grew confused.

“how am i to marry a man who has already been given three children?” with her last word, her index and middle finger accidentally tore the edge of her robe. aurane gasped and ellaria immediately crouched to her knees on the marble flooring and held the ripped hem of the silk. “i’m sorry.” aurane apologized

ellaria gently shushed the princess and began to slip it off of aurane’s shoulders, but the younger woman’s hands caught hers. “has no one seen you bare before, sweet girl?” aurane didn’t move--yes, a few man had seen her in all of her glory--but yet she remained hesitant as ellaria pulled the robe from her completely, leaving her revealed in the warm air of dorne. “you don’t have to worry. we share the same sights.” she hung the robe on one of the hooks near aurane’s wardrobe and opened its doors to reveal the many outfits and robes and undergarments. ellaria grabbed one of the blush-colored robe and handed it over to the princess. “besides, this material is very delicate.”

with the pink robe in her hands, aurane hesitantly stood from her seat, her entire body on display to whoever could see through her window, but with ellaria standing next to her there was a part of the princess that didn’t care. aurane slipped the soft sleeves onto her skin and tied it so she was covered once again.

before she could take her seat, ellaria spoke. “have you ever been in love?”

aurane didn’t like the question. so sudden and it was completely off topic. in the back of her head, aurane knew the truth but hadn’t paid any attention to it in years and didn’t want to. the simple question that the lovely woman across from aurane had brought up the thought and it hurt inside. “yes.”

interest piqued in ellaria’s head as she took her seat and leaned forward. “who?”

“you’ll laugh.”

she shook her head. “i won’t.”

it had been silent again while aurane contemplated the outcome of her answer, whether she decided to give it or not. it had been a short summer love that didn’t waver in strength. “robb stark,” the mention of such a person made ellaria widen her eyes and she sat back as a sign for aurane to continue. “the starks had come to casterly rock when we invited them for a celebration of their son, bran,” aurane began to play with her robe began but soon caught herself and let her fingers stay by her side. “we were both sixteen. it was the normal age for a girl to be married off into another family, but as a bastard, no one seemed to want me. i say that with no complaint, though,” she noted. “they had stayed for the summer. they weren’t too used to the warm weather and i didn’t mind robb’s company.”

ellaria smiled warmly. “he was your first?” aurane nodded. the older woman once had a summer love when she was younger. a sweet boy who shown her nothing but kindness. but summer loves were not those meant to last--only those to remember. “when did they leave?”

“when the nice weather ended and the days grew shorter,” aurane smiled. she hadn’t seen the prince of winterfell in year and could imagine how different he looked now at the pristine age of twenty-five. “we wrote letters to each other that took unbearably long to send. one day, i’d forgotten to write back. and i hadn’t remembered it for a few months. i tried to write one and i sent a pigeon to winterfell hoping he would receive it. either it got lost on the way or he just hadn’t bothered to respond.”

both eyes met each other, sharing the same smile. it stayed like that for the next hour as familiar memories and daydreams about aurane’s first lover flooded into her head. it was the first time she had gone without a drink after reminiscing her past. aurane could’ve possibly fallen asleep even but if she had, ellaria was kinda and let her rest. but now, aurane was awake and very much content.

the older woman tapped the table and stood from her seat. aurane found that she enjoyed ellaria’s company and furrowed her brows. “i think you should put on one of those,” ellaria pointed to the open wardrobe. “perhaps you’d like a walk in the garden. just to get out of this room.” she held the tray on her forearm and walked to the door, holding it open with her foot before chiming another thought in. “also, i forgot. prince oberyn has eight daughters.”

―

dinner had been served and oberyn had made sure a dish had gotten to aurane’s locked room, just like he had with her lunch. he would’ve taken it to her himself if ellaria hadn’t offered. and when she came back two hours later, dropping off the tray that now held an empty plate and cup, she told him everything.

“robb stark,” ellaria repeated. she rested lazily on oberyn’s bed, pressing a pillow closer to her face. something about that girl wove its way into the woman’s heart and ellaria couldn’t say she wanted to complaining. “she didn’t say anything of anybody else.”

oberyn nodded and sat himself at his desk. he had a numerous amount of crumpled up and discarded papers across the surface. his quill out of its case and ink missing its lid. “and you mentioned the gardens?” he asked, crossing his legs and holding his chin in his hand.

his lover sighed. “yes, my love,” she disclosed. “now come lay with me. enough poetry.”

in her room, aurane stood insecurely in front of her mirror, watching as any move she made was imitated by her reflection. aurane had been told many times by men that her body had been perfection--it might’ve been from wearing those cursed corsets underneath her dresses--but that late afternoon, as the air grew cooler but remained somewhat insanely hot, aurane was poking and prodding at every part of herself she found as imperfect.

she had to admit that she had found the coloring strange, but it complimented her skin well. a mix of browns and oranges and greens it was, all morphing into a light beige. the material wasn’t as transparent as some of the other dresses and tunics but if it weren’t for the decorative beading her entire breasts would be exposed to anyone who looked.

on aurane’s neck hung the golden chain, her last memory given to her in casterly rock from such a long time ago. dark brown waves of hair hung to her waist with two braids pulled to the back. her coloring complimented the entire setting of dorne, but still it didn’t feel like home.

when ellaria had mentioned a walk through the gardens it had sounded pleasant to aurane. it didn’t matter which city she was in--king’s landing, casterly rock, highgarden, or here in dorne--there was nothing better in the princess’ mind than walking along dozens of trails covered by different trees and plants and bushes and flowers.

but now, moving around to face different directions so she could see herself from every angle, aurane was starting to reconsider her choices.

perhaps leaving my room after a day might be nice. she had thought. there are so many new plants and flowers to draw.

now aurane only saw flaws. and if there were people in the gardens, and they already didn’t want a lannister in their home, she could imagine the type of remarks and comments they would whisper around.

aurane began to undo two of the buttons the front of her tunic before hearing a firm knock on her door. because she already answered the knock before for dinner, she wasn’t expecting anybody.

“it’s unlocked,” she yelled with a shaky voice, leaving the buttons alone and placing her hands at her sides. the tunic hadn’t been itchy like her dress while on the ship but still she poked at her stomach.

the door opened and aurane looked up in the mirror to meet dark brown eyes and a smirk. it hadn’t been necessarily seductive but something about it sent a wave of heat through aurane. “well, my sun,” along with the temperature of the summer air in dorne, the princess’ cheeks felt warmth at the name. “i cannot say you don’t look striking in dornish clothing.”

what a gross comment. aurane first thought, her mind immediately flashing to how much skin she was showing in her outfit, soon to realize that compared other woman in sunspear, aurane was dressed quite reasonable. “thank you, my prince.” she bowed her head.

oberyn tutted from behind and closed to bedroom doors. “lion,” with aurane chewing on the inside of her cheek and it was obvious that she had begun to strip, he could that she was reassessing her decisions. oberyn’s arms gently wrapped around aurane’s waist, and his fingers danced over the loose buttons before slowly popping them back into the other side of the tunic. “don’t use the formalities, just speak normal to me.”

her jaw clenched as his fingertip accidentally touched the inside of her cleavage before unwrapping himself from around her and reaching into his pocket. “what’re you doing?” aurane instantly cautioned, leaning against the dresser. at any moment, the prince of dorne could easily pull out a dagger or some small weapon. he was the red viper after all.

instead, he rose one hand in defense, the other revealing a small vial that contained an amber-colored liquid. he held it out to her as she gently eased away from the dresser. “you rub it on your skin,” he spoke quieter than before and while it soothed aurane it also piqued her concern. oberyn popped open the cork and placed his palm on the open top of the vial, flipping it over so that a tiny a amount remained in his hand. one simple look of an eye for permission and aurane nodded. she looked down to the floor as his fingers reached over to her neck and pressed his palm against her skin, soon rubbing the liquid in. exposed in the air, aurane noticed it’s certain aroma of cirtus and sugar. when she looked back up at the prince, he spoke raspy, “it will keeps the bugs away. it may be sunset but the air remains the same.”

she smiled thinly and muttered, “you don’t have to tell me.”

oberyn chuckled and held his arm out to aurane, hooking it so hand remained at his hip. the princess was hesitant. she knew her only option was to take it, placing her arm inside his, because if she wouldn’t it would only be slightly suspicious but what was this? the prince had no reason to spend even a morsel of time with her so why would he waste a perfect night for a walk in the gardens with a lannister? was it to poison her?

he could lead to somewhere secret and beat you, rape you. she thought as she hesitantly took his arm. they exited her room, shutting the door behind them. it was then that aurane noticed the two guards walking close on their trail. perhaps he’s gotten others to do it for him.

the walk to the gardens was not as long as the walk from the docks and to aurane’s room had been. if anything, sauntering down the hallways again had been peaceful and unnerving. the designs on the walls were the same and the plants stood generously. only this time, aurane felt her heartbeat quicken as oberyn pulled her into an unrecognizable staircase.

“what’re you doing?” she asked in hush tone.

oberyn didn’t stop their wandering about the stairs despite her whispers. he only smiled until they arrived at a small door that seemed out of place in dorne. its handle was rusted and dirty and the wood seemed to be wasting away over the years. oberyn pushed the door open and the sunlight aurane was blinded with caused her to squint.

the prince smirked and bowed. “the water gardens, my sun.”

more beautiful than the ones in casterly rock and the ones in king’s landing, that was for sure. hedges and bushes had been cut so perfectly, from every angle to side, and grown in a pattern that of a labyrinth although they only rose to aurane’s hips. in each center of every small maze stood a palm tree almost as tall as the castle. certain bushes were ornamented with pink and orange flowers, others with small little red berries. the scent was nothing like the beach outside of aurane’s window. citrus, like the liquid oberyn had massaged onto her neck, spices like the ones in her lunch, and a breath of fresh air that aurane had never tasted in her former homes.

it was everything to aurane. this place was now her home? she’d seen the gardens from afar as oberyn had led her to her room the day before but up close, everything seemed to be so ethereal. she could imagine the days she would spend there, sketching in her books to recreate images she could only dream of--but now, there they were, portrayed out in front of her as if they were heaven.

there was a chuckle snapping aurane in her gaze. she had noticed her eyes had softened, her brows curved, and her lips parted. “something tells me you like it here already,” the prince laughed, and for once, aurane found herself enjoying it. before beginning to walk again, oberyn held his arm out for the princess to wrap herself around again. she only shook her head and strolled down the garden pathways by his side, holding her hands behind her back. “you have a strong manner,” his eyes tried to catch aurane’s but she was intoxicated with the sight of this new world. “all you lannisters seem to have that.”

aurane rose her brows and smiled tightly. “as you said in our first meeting,” her footsteps were quiet against the stone paths. there were other couples roaming about and to any person, the prince and princess could’ve looked like any couple. “i’m not a lannister. i’m a bastard,” she looked to her soon-to-be husband. “my name should’ve been aurane hill. born of secrets and rumors.” deep laughter and sighing was the only response she was given. she furrowed her eyebrows. “you can’t possibly think my father raped my mother?”

the prince shrugged and aurane’s eyes widened. “why would a lannister, especially one such as your father, fall in love with a dornish maiden?” a couple passed by them, looking up and down at aurane. despite her dark hair, dark eyes, and tan skin, it was clear she was not local. her posture said so, her expression said so. “i am not saying it is your fault, lion. your father ordered the murder and rape of my sister and her children. i feel as if i can rightfully accuse him of such crime.”

aurane chewed the inside of her cheek and scoffed out a single laugh. how could the prince say such words in such a calm tone? nonchalant he was, but that would be an understatement. “do i look like a product of rape to you?”

a smile and a halt in their stroll. “you look like a product of love to me, lion,” he cocked his head and continued to walk.

it was a compliment, aurane knew that, but he couldn’t possibly mean it? so why was it sending a trembling feeling through her body? inside, her skin was crawling, the contents in her stomach from dinner were shuddering and her legs wanted to collapse in the middle of the garden right there and then.

“come, my sun,” he looked back to her as she stood in the same spot. “my paramour tells me of your relationship with robb stark.”

aurane scoffed and smiled humorlessly. ellaria had been a beautiful woman and regarding aurane’s disrespect she had shown in their first minute together, ellaria had manifested nothing but kindness to the princess. while catching up to the prince, she muttered, “i can’t fucking trust anyone here, can i?”

the prince arched an eyebrow. “and what is that supposed to mean?” such words should’ve given at least some sort of blow but they didn’t seem to bother oberyn.

shit. she thought. he wasn’t supposed to hear that.

“why else would a martell want a lannister?” she questioned the prince, earning herself furrowed eyebrows and slightly shocked expression. she pursed her lips and dragged her fingers against the petals of the flower and the leaves of the bushes before they stopped in their footsteps again. “since my father has committed ‘such crimes’,” she paused. “why would dorne welcome his daughter?”

the prince laughed, but this time, aurane didn’t feel the shiver in the warm heat, or a blush across her cheeks. the tension between them was visible and it seemed that any couple who had been enjoying their evening in the water gardens had suddenly disappeared. “you think we would...” oberyn couldn’t bring himself to say it. his hand reached to aurane and rested and her lower back. “you think we would hurt an innocent girl?”

aurane wanted to cringe in disgust at his contact with her, drawing so close to her backside. her hand met the back of his, her fingers so soft against scarred and calloused skin. oberyn would be lying if he said it hadn’t felt heavenly.

ethereal, even.

but as much as he enjoyed the slight touch she had made, she pushed his hand off of her waist and turned on her heel to return to her room.

tags: @pascalpapi @heavenbarnes @zeldasayer @ohpedromypedro @absurdthirst @ithinkhesgaybutwesavedmufasa @pedropascalito @pedropascalonline @qveenbvtch @cyarikaaa @honeychicanawrites @vintagethereal @pedropascalispapi @wakalas @fleetwoodmactshirt @otherthingsinhead @forever-rogue @arianawills

#oberyn martell #prince oberyn #oberyn x reader #oberyn x you #oberyn x oc #oberyn x ellaria #oberyn x ellaria x reader #oberyn martell fic #game of thrones #pedro pascal #pedro pascal fic #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal x you #pedro pascal x oc #pedro pascal character #pedro pascal characters fic #pedro pascal fanfiction #ellaria sand

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theluckiestwitchathogwarts · 3 years

Text

Winter Love

HELLO hi @coffeecomicsgalore this is my @mlsecretsanta fic for you! I had so much fun writing this one, happy holidays! Massive thank you to @adrienettes-hamster for beta-ing!

Also on FFnet and AO3!

Mid-November is when the chill of the impending winter started to set in. Not cold enough for snow, but cold enough that Ladybug had begun to notice her kitty shivering while on patrols. Granted, she was quite cold herself, but she was handling it better than Chat Noir.

“Do you need to stop, Chat?”

“No, I’m fine,” he stuttered out between chattering teeth.

“Chat, go home and get warm. We can patrol again tomorrow night.” Her voice was soft but commanding, and his ears drooped. “I’ll bring some hot chocolate, okay?” His ears perked up a bit at the mention of that.

“Okay then. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he replied with a small smile, turning and bounding away with his staff.

She watched him for a moment before turning herself, luckily only needing to travel a few blocks to her own home. The dull light of the lamp she had left on before heading out cut into the darkness. It was still relatively early in the night, only around 9 o’ clock, but she knew that her parents would already be in bed, ready for next morning’s early rise.

Marinette landed on her balcony and hopped down through the skylight onto her bed before calling off her transformation. When Tikki swirled out of the earrings and into her hands, she was also shivering.

“Yeah, it is a bit too cold tonight,” Marinette mumbled to her as she cupped her hands around her kwami. “Let me grab us some hot chocolate, okay?” Tikki nodded, her little head bobbing up and down as vigorously as Chat’s jaw was. Marinette gently slid her onto her pillow then climbed down the ladder to the rest of her room, then the ladder to the rest of the apartment. Finding her favourite mug clean and ready to be used, she ducked down and grabbed the teacup she had hidden for Tikki. It was almost matching with her favourite design, covered with florals over a white background, and it had belonged to one of the dolls from her childhood doll house.

Marinette hummed while she filled the mugs with the still-steaming hot chocolate from the flask her mother had left out for her. She wondered whether or not it would snow soon, and if it would shut the school down. Would the snow mean Hawkmoth would slow down on attacks? Or would he send out more akumas?

She wondered about her friends. Alya would probably spend most of the time babysitting her sisters, Marinette by her side of course. Nora might be home for the winter. Nino would probably be glued to his computer, creating new tracks and networking with other DJs. Adrien…

Adrien would keep up his studies with Nathalie. Marinette knew how tough his dad was on him based on how detailed his schedule was. Mandarin lessons, fencing, piano, modelling and school? And she thought she was busy between school, sewing and saving Paris. Then again, saving Paris was never on a set schedule. She supposed she and Adrien weren’t too different in that aspect.

Adrien had been shivering a bit in class recently. While everyone else bundled up in their warmest sweaters and thermals, Adrien’s outfits didn’t seem to hold the same temperature. Did Gabriel favour style over comfort? The very thought burned Marinette.

She stopped pouring as she realised it was about to overflow her mug, and set the flask down with a hardened resolve. This Christmas, she was going to knit something warm for her two favourite people. The gears in her mind began ticking over as she thought of what to give each of them. She still had Adrien’s head measurements from when she created the hat for the contest a year or two back, and his body’s measurements from the designs she had made for her website... maybe a sweater? Or a beanie?

She didn’t have Chat’s measurements though. She supposed if she worked hard and fast enough she might be able to squeeze in a blanket. Now she had to think of patterns for both...

Marinette made her way back up to her room, carefully balancing the mugs in one hand as she pushed the trap door up then set them down on the floor to climb inside.

“Tikki?” She called out gently. “Hot chocolate has arrived.”

She set them down on the bench by her computer as she opened up her sketchbook. Knowing it would take longer, she began working on the blanket’s design, but stopped short as she realised that while she knew her partner, she didn’t really know him. She vaguely remembered his favourite colour was green, and funnily enough was a cat person, both literally and figuratively. Marinette began to worry that what she makes wouldn’t be good enough for him, or that he wouldn’t like it.

“What are you working on, Marinette?” Tikki asked sleepily while sipping her hot chocolate.

“Both Adrien and Chat Noir haven’t been dealing with the cold well, so I figured I’d knit them both something warm for Christmas,” Marinette replied as she began writing in some notes. Tikki peered over the book and looked back at Marinette.

“A blanket? Will you have time to make that? Christmas is only a month away.”

“I know, but I figured if I work on it in all of my spare time then I might be able to get it done in time. Hopefully there’s a few snow days in the next few weeks,” Marinette said as she glanced out the window. The window stubbornly continued to show no sign of snow, though there was the twinkling of stars between the clouds.

Tikki took another sip of her drink. “Who’s the blanket for?”

“Chat Noir. I have Adrien’s measurements, so I was thinking either a beanie or a sweater, but I’m not sure of Chat’s. What do you think?” Marinette picked up a green pencil and began to shade in the sketch. In each corner there was a small, blocky cat face with light whiskers.

“He does tend to wear that short sleeved top a lot. I think sweater.”

Marinette hummed and nodded in agreement. “I think you’re right. What about the middle of this?” She held the page up to Tikki, who had ditched the now empty cup and was snuggled into her neck. “I was thinking maybe the initials C.N. but that might be too obvious.”

“What about a Yin Yang symbol, but a ladybug as the white dot and whiskers on the black dot?”

“Tikki, you’re a genius!”

And so Marinette got to work, having most of the yarn colours she required already. Quite a few rows in, she started to nod off and, seeing that it was now well past her bedtime, climbed the ladder to her bed and whispered goodnight to Tikki.

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

“That’s… a lot of yarn, Marinette,” Alya said with mild concern. “You surely haven’t gotten this low by now?

Marinette shrugged, or at least shrugged the best she could with her arms piled up with rolls of yarn. “I’ve got a few commissions and wanted to be sure. I can use what’s left to make some gifts as well.”

Marinette had dragged Alya on a shopping trip for materials after school the next day. She had some pocket money saved up from chores and her birthday. Half an hour later, they emerged from the fabric store with a lot of yarn and some new shearing scissors, an early gift from Alya.

“Ooh, who’s commissioned you? It must be a big project!”

Marinette almost stumbled, unsure if she should tell Alya, even if she did have the perfect cover up for it. But then again, she knew her best friend.

“Uh, Ladybug commissioned a blanket as a gift for Chat Noir. Apparently they’re having a tough time on their night patrols with the chill.”

Alya’s eyes bugged out of her head and she squealed, “Oh my god, that is so cute! She’s totally in love with him!”

This time Marinette did really stop. “No way! She did not give off that vibe at all when she came around! It’s just really cold at night!”

“Babe, you don’t just commission a whole BLANKET for your friend!” Alya shook her by her shoulders, a few rolls threatening to fall out of Marinette’s arms, who gasped a loud “careful!”

“They’re friends, Alya, and friends can share a blanket when it’s cold. Can we please drop it?”

Alya huffed and rolled her eyes. “Sure, but you know I’m right!”

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

Later that night, Marinette was zooming through rows of knitting on her balcony. She barely stopped for a few bites of the dinner that her mother had brought up earlier. When her hands began cramping, she turned back to her sketchbook to work on the design for Adrien’s sweater. She figured it best to keep it simple, and made it light green in shade with darker green and black accents. When the cramping had lessened, she picked up the needles again and started knitting furiously again.

Around 8 o’ clock, Tikki nudged her and reminded her that she needs to meet up with Chat Noir. Marinette thanked her and transformed, grabbed the bag of treats she had snuck up earlier, then leapt off the balcony with her yoyo flying off into the distance.

She found Chat Noir on their rooftop an arrondissement away, huddled next to the chimney for warmth.

“Chaton, look what I brought!”

His ears perked up and his lips curved into a wide smile. “That doesn’t just smell like hot chocolate, m’lady. Is that…” his eyes lit up as she lifted the Dupain-Cheng bakery box out of the bag after the flasks, “croissants? And macarons?”

She matched his smile and replied, “all of the above, plus pain au chocolat. Only the best for the cat hero of Paris!” She had to set down the box quickly as he crushed her in a hug. She wrapped her arms around him as well, happy that he was happy. She didn’t miss his murmur of “what did I do to deserve you?” and simply hugged him tighter, almost shielding him from the cool wind. He let go after a few more moments, diving for the flask of hot chocolate and sitting against the chimney.

“Half hour of snacking before we make the rounds?”

“Works for me,” Chat Noir replied in between sips, visibly settling down as the drink warmed him up from the inside. “How did you get the Dupain-Cheng goods? Aren’t they closed by now?”

“They are, but I picked them up just before they closed for the day, so they’re pretty fresh.” It wasn’t exactly a lie, she did get them from the last batch her father made for the day.

Chat Noir hummed as he bit into a macaron, savouring the taste. “They are the best in town, no competition.”

“You’re not wrong there.” Ladybug took this moment of comfortable silence to take the top off of her flask and have a long drink of her hot chocolate. They sat together, shoulder to shoulder against the chimney and the wind started to settle down.

The sun had well and truly set by now, the moon as bright as ever with the stars shining like the streetlights below them. Tonight, there were no clouds, and nothing above them but the open sky. Ladybug loved the sight, and found it to be the second best perk of being a superhero, the first being partnered with Chat Noir. Her friend, Chat Noir, she thought, thinking back to Alya’s words earlier in the day. She was in love with Adrien and absolutely, definitely, totally had no such feelings for Chat Noir.

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

Marinette was exhausted, to say the least.

It was now the beginning of December, and the blanket was just over half done. She had resorted to bringing in her spare needles and knitting before and after class to start on Adrien’s sweater, and ignored anyone and everyone that asked about it with a small blush.

She also resorted to ignoring any pressing by Alya on Ladybug’s “commission” of the blanket, which had not died out as time had gone on. Alya wanted to know everything from the words Ladybug said to her expression and body language as she spoke about Chat Noir. Marinette now highly regretted giving in and telling her anything.

Thinking of the blanket, she thought about the surprise she was given when Chat Noir dropped in a few nights before.

A gentle rapping on the window shook Marinette from her concentration as she began a new colour for the Yin Yang. She looked around as she heard the telltale swoosh of Tikki hiding and saw Chat Noir waving from her balcony with a sheepish look on her face. She set down the blanket, laying it flat on the floor, and climbed up her ladder to open it.

“Chat Noir? What are you doing here?”

“Forgive me, but I saw your light on while I was out for a run. It’s getting very cold and my own place is a bit too far for me right now. Do you mind if I warm up in here for a few minutes?”

She wasn’t aware of any patrol they had planned. She double checked the day it was in her head and confirmed yes, it was their night off.

“O-Of course you can, would you like anything to eat or drink?” She moved aside for him to jump in, and watched as he looked around the room in wonder.

“Some hot chocolate, if you have any, please,” he replied, eyes moving from the chaise to the various mannequins and designs strewn about the room.

Marinette dearly hoped he wouldn’t know it was the same he had had just a few weeks ago, and a few times since as the temperature continued to drop.

“S-Sure thing, I’ll be right back.”

She climbed down after him, throwing a panicked glance to where Tikki was hiding and subtly gestured for her to follow. She climbed down the trapdoor to the kitchen and turned to Tikki.

“What is he doing here?” Tikki asked.

“I don’t know! It’s not patrol night! He’s going to recognise my recipe for sure!” She began to pace the kitchen.

“Calm down Marinette, he might just think you sell it here. You said you bought the treats from here didn’t you?”

“I mean yeah, but what if his civilian identity comes here often enough to know it’s not sold?” Marinette could not keep calm, but she kept her voice quiet. No need to freak out both her parents and her unexpected guest.

“New product for winter?”

That stopped Marinette in her tracks. “That could work.” Her nerves stilled, she grabbed two mugs and the flask, filling them and turning back to Tikki again with a smile. “You always know how to calm me down.”

Tikki giggled, “Kwami of luck and maybe logic as well. You best get back to him, we’ve been down here for a while now.”

As if on cue, they heard a soft knock on the door, and an even softer, “You okay down there?”

Marinette took the mugs by the handles, calling back, “Can you please open the door?”

The trapdoor opened as Marinette climbed up, and Chat Noir hastened to take one from her hand, and helped her up with his other one. Claws brushed her wrist as his grip tightened on her hand and while she shouldn’t have been surprised, his strength as he pulled her up caught her off guard slightly.

“I just couldn’t find my mug, I always have hot chocolate in it,” she raised her mug as she spoke.

“That’s a nice one. And this is really good,” he said, taking a sip. Marinette watched his eyes as a hint of recognition flickered over them, but he didn’t say anything about it.

“It’s a… family recipe. We just began selling it in the bakery for the winter.”

His face relaxed, and Marinette let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

“What are you knitting?”

Man, if this cat didn’t stop. Sure, it’s an innocent question on his part, but Marinette was getting increasingly worried about hiding the truth.

“Oh! Uh, it’s a blanket for a friend of mine. They’re a… big fan of you and Ladybug.”

“And the other needles? I like the different shades of green on it.”

“That’s going to be a sweater, for another friend. He doesn’t seem to have a lot of warm clothes so I’m hoping this will help him.”

“That’s a really lovely gesture, Marinette. One of my friends is into fashion as well, you would get on great with her.”

Marinette hummed in agreement, then said, “I hope you don’t mind me returning to it, I’m trying to get them both done by Christmas.” “Of course not. I should get going now though,” he tipped his mug towards her, empty already, “Thank you very much for the drink, Princess.”

Marinette’s jaw dropped slightly and almost dropped her needles as well. “I-I… you’re welcome, a-any time.”

“I’ll take you up on that,” he replied suavely, adding a wink. Marinette waited until he was safely back out onto her balcony before rolling her eyes with a smile, and got back to her knitting. Stupid cat and his flirting.

Seeing that Madame Bustier was running late, she took Adrien’s sweater out of her bag and began to knit. She had switched out her small clutch for a larger, water-proof bag once she realised she’d need to bring the yarn and needles to class in order to finish it in time. Most of the class had been asking about it so far, including Nino and Alya, but Adrien had been quiet about it until now, when he walked in right as Marinette started another row.

“Hey Marinette, you’re early. What are you making?”

“Oh! Adrien, sweater- hi, uh, I mean-”

“It looks great so far. Green would look nice on you.”

Marinette squeaked and went bright red. “O-oh, uh, thank you, but it’s for a friend,” she giggled nervously.

“Well then, they’re a lucky friend!” Adrien smiled as he began unpacking his notebook and pencil case, and turned to the front. Madam Bustier walked in a moment later, gesturing for Marinette to put away the needles. Marinette didn’t miss the slight shiver that Adrien had to his frame, nor the goosebumps beginning to raise on his arms and the back of his neck.

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

“Chat Noir!”

It was the week before Christmas, and Marinette was in the home stretch of finishing this blanket. She was knitting on her balcony, hot chocolate by her side and just sheltered from the light snowfall. But now, she could just see the silhouette of the cat hero a few roofs away. He turned his head in surprise and as a result, almost fell off of his staff. She waved her hand, gesturing for him to come over to her.

As he got closer, she called out, “What are you doing out in the snow? It’s way too cold for someone in a skin-tight suit to be out here!”

“But Princess, you’re out here too!” he called back, now standing in front of her.

“I am wrapped up in sweaters and fuzzy pants, with a blanket over me, not a skin-tight suit, as I said! You should be at home, as warm and wrapped up as I am,” she finished on a gentler note as his ears drooped.

“I… don’t want to be home right now. I got into a fight with my father. Can I stay here for a bit?”

Her heart dropped and her eyes filled with sympathy for him. She knew it was a bad situation, but not leave-the-house-in-the-middle-of-winter bad. “Of course you can.”

She opened the skylight, carefully plopping down her almost-finished blanket and needles, then climbed in after it. He shook the snow from his hair, passed her half-empty mug of hot chocolate to her and hopped down onto the bed. She put the mug on a ledge next to her bed and said, “Do you need a hug?”

Almost immediately, he wrapped her in a bear hug not unlike the one he gave Ladybug a few weeks prior. She raised her arms just in time and curled them around his neck and if she happened to feel a tear or two slide onto her shoulders, she didn’t mention it.

Her hands weaved themselves into his wild hair, holding him close. She stayed silent, knowing words couldn’t convey the comfort she tried to give him. His arms were so long, they almost doubled back to himself. Together, they shivered, as he cried onto her shoulder silently and the wind blew through the skylight above. She untangled one of her hands to reach up and close it, but Chat Noir took this as a sign to let go and step back. Her other hand still tangled, she lost balance and they fell, Chat Noir landing on top of her as she hit the bed with an “oof!”

Marinette drew in a sharp breath as Chat Noir’s head hit her collarbone. That’s going to leave a bruise, she thought with a wince.

“I’m so sorry, are you alright?”

“Yeah, just knocked the breath out of me,” she replied, finally removing her hand from his hair. She sat up as he hurried to get off of her and sat at the end of her bed, both of their eyes wide open.

“So, um-”

“I-”

They both tried to speak at once, giggling when they stopped. Chat Noir gestured for her to speak first, so she did.

“Do you want some hot chocolate?”

“Please,” he replied gratefully, moving aside so she could climb down the ladder, following after her. She returned after a few minutes, setting their mugs down next to her computer. “Can you pass me down the blanket, please? I’m so close to finishing,” she asked as she held out her arms for it to be dropped into. She stumbled when it landed; it felt heavier than she expected it to be. Oh well, she thought, this means it should be extra warm.

She got settled in her desk chair, the blanket flowing down past her feet as Chat Noir settled on her chaise with his mug. They sat in a comfortable quiet, the only sounds in the room coming from the whirring of her computer, the clacking of the needles and a sip from Chat Noir every once in a while. She’d look up from time to time, and see his bright eyes staring back at her with a shy interest. There were hints of dried tears on his face, and she subtly elbowed the tissue box beside her towards him.

At last, she finished the last row of the blanket. She cast off, spreading it out on the floor and stepped back to look at her work. Chat Noir joined her, looking over it in wonder.

“How long did this take you?”

“Just under a month. I’ve been knitting as fast as I can and spent almost every waking moment on it. Except for when I’ve been at school, which I spent working on this,” she said as she pulled out the sweater for Adrien. “It’s for my friend Adrien. His father doesn’t really let him wear clothes that would give him comfort. I mean, I get that as a model he’s always representing the brand, but what kind of father chooses style over comfort for his own son? I’m surprised he hasn’t frozen to death already,” she tried to lighten the end of her rant as she realised she was getting angry.

He took a gentle hold on her elbow, and she looked up to face him. He had an odd look on his face, like he was embarrassed, though he had no reason to be.

“You’re an amazing friend, Marinette, and I’m sure he is going to love yo- it.”

She beamed at his praise and set it down on the chair, hugging him again with her whole body, his own arms wrapping tightly around her.

“Thank you for the hot chocolate, but I think I should go before my father realises I’m gone.”

She squeezed him tighter for a moment and whispered, “Will you be okay there? You know you’re welcome at any time, okay?”

He squeezed her back and replied, “I think I’ll be okay, but I will let you know,” and stepped back, taking care to not step on the blanket. She watched as he climbed the ladder and up onto the balcony, only looking back to wave her goodbye. She waved in reply then folded the blanket up, putting it into the bag she had reserved for patrols.

With only half a sleeve to go, she picked up the needles and set herself back down on the chair, continuing her work on Adrien’s sweater.

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

Conveniently enough, the next morning was announced to be the last school day before holiday break, as the weather predicted heavy snowfall for the coming days. Unfortunately though, it gave Marinette only today to give the now-completed sweater to Adrien. It was wrapped and labelled to and from (both Marinette and Alya made sure of it) but Marinette was frozen when she reached the classroom, causing Alya to bump into her back.

“Marinette! You can do this,” she heard her hiss, but she just couldn’t. There Adrien was, sitting and laughing at something Nino had said. She squeaked, almost losing her balance trying to step forward, which caught Adrien’s attention.

“Hey Marinette! What’s that you have there?”

Alya nudged her, and this time she did start to slip. This is how I die, she thought with a great internal sigh.

Quick as lightning, Adrien was in front of her, keeping her steady with concern masking his face.

“You okay?”

Marinette couldn’t do anything but stammer. “U-uh, you, I- gift! For you!”

“F-For me?”

He looked down to her hands, which were now shaking with the present between them.

“I-I mean…” Marinette looked helplessly back to Alya, who gave her a gentle nod, then looked back to Adrien and took a deep breath. “Yes, it’s for you. Merry Christmas, Adrien.”

The whole class was silent now, watching the two. Even Chloe watched, clearly fuming with a glare in Marinette’s direction.

He took it from her gently, their hands brushing for a moment. Marinette could swear she felt a spark, something warm in the cold room when they touched, but it disappeared as the package left her hands. She didn’t expect for him to set it down and sweep her into a hug so loving it reminded her of Chat N- no. No feelings for Chat Noir, only Adrien.

“Thank you,” he whispered into her ear with a squeeze.

In the middle of winter, Marinette felt like she was on fire. She tentatively raised her arms to hug him back, only for him to step back at the same moment and suddenly she was cold again.

“You’re welcome,” she whispered back as he turned away to open the gift. His eyes lit up with happiness as he unfolded the sweater, gushing, “I’m the lucky friend?!”

Marinette giggled, “You have my lucky charm, remember?”

That made Adrien snort, “Marinette, I think you are my lucky charm.”

The class dissolved into a chorus of “aww’s” and the two suddenly remembered where they were, both blushing furiously. Fortunately for them, Madame Bustier walked in to start seconds later.

He wore the sweater proudly for the rest of the day, and home, as far as Marinette saw.

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

“Tikki, spots on!”

Later that night, Marinette transformed once again into Ladybug. She made sure the lamp was on and her goodie bag was secured around her body before launching off of the balcony towards their meeting place for patrols. The snow was falling lightly, looking magical in the night. Chat Noir was already there, holding his own bag that fell by the side of the swea- sweater?

Her jaw dropped and she almost missed her target with the yoyo. Chat Noir caught on evidently as his face dropped with fear and he reached out for her.

“Ladybug, are you okay? What happened there?”

“Where did you get that sweater?”

His face split into a grin as he ran his claws along the accents. “Oh, isn’t it so cool? A friend gave it to me for Christmas!”

The pieces both fell together and shattered at the same time. Her face dropped in shock. “But I… y-you… I mean… Adrien?”

His mouth fell open and he stuttered back, “M-Marinette?”

They stared at each other in shock for a few moments before Chat Noir snorted, which made Ladybug break and they both just burst into laughter. It felt unbelievable, but made so much sense to the pair. The two who always got everyone to safety so they could be alone; they felt like idiots. Finally their laughter died down, but as Ladybug brought out the Dupain-Cheng box, they started up again. More things began making sense and they couldn’t help themselves.

They found their way to each other, holding on like they’ve been separated for years.

“I can’t believe it’s you,” Ladybug mumbled. Chat Noir’s body shielded her from the oncoming snow as they held each other.

“I can’t believe it either. We thought we were smart,” he laughed, and she could hear his smile.

“You’re gonna love this then,” she stepped back and opened her back, pulling out the blanket. She actually thought he might cry then and there. She held it towards him, who took it with such soft hands.

“You made this, for me?”

“I didn’t know your measurements- well, as it turns out I do, but I figured it would be something for us to keep warm under before patrols.”

“Marinette, I love you.”

They both paused, the phrase seemingly slipped out on its own, but she couldn’t help but reply, “I love you too.”

Winter patrols suddenly became a lot warmer.

#writing #fanfic #mlsecretsanta #ml secret santa #coffeecomicsgalore #mlsecretsanta2020 #miraculous ladybug #mlb #adrien #marinette #chat noir #ladybug #marichat #adrienette #ladrien #ladynoir

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quicksilversquared · 4 years

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A Very Jagged Take-Down Ch 3: The Last Lie

Marinette knows Jagged Stone, everyone knows that. She’s his favorite niece, never mind the fact that they aren’t actually related. And Jagged Stone is really famous, the exact kind of person that Lila loves claiming connections to.

That was never going to end the way Lila wanted it to.

(a collection of one-shots)

links in the reblog

Marinette had spent the past month getting everything absolutely perfect for Penny's birthday gift for Jagged Stone.

Shiny aluminum dragon scale beads shimmered and caught the light from between more muted scale-textured fabric on the slim-cut jacket. Uneven netting made the illusion of yet more scales, each texture carefully placed to make sure that it wouldn't impede Jagged Stone's guitar or piano playing. Marinette had gotten the idea from the Game of Thrones wardrobe and added her own spin, and she couldn't deny that both it and the pants that she had made- with the same fabric scaling texture wrapping around in uneven patches and lines- were absolute works of art.

(There had been so many hours spent frustrated as she worked at the texture, trying to get it to come out right, and then the actual pieces had taken ages, but- well, it was all worth it, both for her portfolio and for the check that she had gotten to cover the commission from Penny,)

And now- in only a couple of hours- Jagged Stone would have his birthday party and get to open his presents. The party wasn't in Paris- Jagged Stone's tour had him enjoying lovely summer weather in New Zealand while Paris shivered under a layer of snow and ice- and so obviously Marinette couldn't attend, but Penny had promised to send a video of Jagged Stone's reaction to his presents.

(Marinette was so glad that she- or rather, Penny- had paid for express shipping. Even with it, the package had only managed to arrive the day before, which was cutting it far closer than Marinette had wanted.)

"Are you going to make a piece for yourself that uses some of the dragon scale mail stuff?" Tikki wanted to know as Marinette anxiously waited for the text from Penny. "Or that texture? It turned out really cool."

"I think I'm going to give my fingers a break first," Marinette admitted with a laugh. "There was so much hand sewing on those pieces, my fingertips are pricked to bits. And it took up so much time- I haven't gone on any outings with my friends in forever, because I was trying to get that done. So I want to hang out with them a few times first, before everyone decides that I'm just flaking completely out on them, and then- yeah, I want to come up with some design to play around with."

"They wouldn't think that you're a flake if you hadn't decided to keep the commission and your gift for Jagged Stone a secret," Tikki pointed out. "I can understand why you wouldn't show anyone pieces in progress, so that the design wouldn't get leaked, but you could have told them that you had a commission for Jagged Stone, at least."

"And then everyone would be bugging me wanting to see it. No thanks." Marinette had considered it at first- after all, it would be a reminder to their class that she did know Jagged Stone, thank-you-very-much, and maybe if she said that one of Lila's stories about Jagged was a lie, people should actually consider listening- but then the cons had sunk in.

The pestering. The attempts to steal ("borrow") her sketchbook in hopes of getting a glimpse of the design. The snooping around her room- which would be a big problem now that she was also hiding the Miracle Box- to try to get a sneak peek at the piece. If she was especially unlucky, Lila or Chloe stealing or destroying her sketchbook out of jealousy.

It would be easy enough to admit to the commission after Jagged Stone had already gotten his present. That way, there would be no chances of sabotage. Then she could admit the reason why she hadn't been hanging out all month, everyone would stop complaining about her absence, and things would go back to normal.

(She had told Chat Noir, after her partner had dropped by her balcony while she was working on the texturing for the fabric scales, but he had been sworn to secrecy in return for a few pain au chocolat. Hopefully the rest of Paris never found out how incredibly easy he was to bribe.)

It was hard to do her homework with so much anticipation swirling around her gut, but Marinette forced herself through it. After all, as a superhero, she didn't exactly have time to spend just sitting around not getting her homework done, and there had been some projects that had been pushed aside towards the end of her present-sewing spree that Marinette had to get caught up on.

At least she had practice with shoving aside everything else in her life to focus on homework. Marinette had had to play catch-up after akuma attacks a few too many times for her to not know how to do that.

Two hours later, her email beeped with a new message. Marinette shoved aside her Chemistry practice problems at once, reaching for her computer mouse and opening the email from Penny.

Jagged LOVES his pants and jacket! the message read. They're absolutely gorgeous! He's gone to change into them right away because he just couldn't wait to wear them, so don't be surprised if you see a picture or two floating around on the Internet before long! Thank you so much for all of your hard work- I knew it was a fantastic idea to commission you!

Marinette had to laugh as she clicked on the video link and it started to play. That was so very Jagged, to be too excited about his new outfit to be able to wait.

Onscreen, Jagged Stone was opening a few presents, probably from his family and staff considering that they had been brought along on tour and weren't just waiting for Jagged Stone at his home studio. Marinette could tell the moment that Jagged spotted her present to him, because he lunged across the remainder of the pile to pounce on it at once. The wrapping paper- courtesy of Penny, because it was just more convenient to ship without extra packaging- went flying at once, the box was opened, and Jagged Stone crowed in delight as he pulled out the pants. A hand- Penney's by the look of it- slid another present to Jagged before he could run off and change into the pants. He opened that one eagerly, too- Marinette could just hear Penny over the music of the party telling him that she had commissioned her- and positively rocketed out of his seat with glee at the sight of the jacket.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Jagged Stone exclaimed, He waved the pants and jacket at the camera. "I'm gonna go change! These are too amazing to not be wearing this very instant!"

Marinette laughed again as the video cut off. She closed the window, only to spot a new email from Penny, with a series of photos. Jagged Stone was wearing his new outfit, posing in it with the world's largest grin on his face.

She could breathe a sigh of relief, at least- everything fit just like it was supposed to. The jacket sat correctly, and the pants were a perfect fit, slim-cut but with enough room for him to move around and rock out. With one more grin, Marinette emailed Penny back, asking her to wish Jagged a happy birthday from her. With the email sent, Marinette could only beam up at the ceiling.

Mission complete. She could breathe easier now, knowing for sure that Jagged loved the pieces she made for him.

She couldn't wait to tell Alya.

"I can't believe you know the designer that did all of the Game of Thrones costumes, Lila! That's so cool!"

"Oh, what now," Marinette grumbled as she recognized Alya's voice. Couldn't she go one morning without hearing another new lie from Lila? Just once? "And why is she trying to claim a connection to a costume designer? I'm the only one that would be really interested in something like that."

Tikki was frowning as she peered out of Marinette's purse. "Marinette, she mentioned Game of Thrones. Isn't that the TV show where you got the idea for the dragon-scale patterning from?"

Marinette's stomach dropped. In a heartbeat, she knew exactly what Lila must be trying to claim. How dare she try to take credit for getting Jagged the jacket and pants that Marinette had spent hours slaving over, stealing Marinette's accomplishment away-

-but wait. There was no way that would stand. Maybe the paparazzi and the world had gotten a glimpse of Jagged Stone's birthday gift outfit already, but he probably hadn't felt like answering press questions on his birthday. If she knew Jagged Stone like she thought she did, he would no doubt gush to the press where, exactly, he had gotten the pieces, and who had made them, probably within the next day.

Marinette grinned. Lila had picked the wrong lie to tell for sure this time.

"Marinette, guess what?" Alya exclaimed as soon as Marinette stepped through the door to the classroom. Just as Marinette had suspected, everyone was clustered around Lila at the front of the room. Even Adrien, for once, but he seemed far more interested in the pictures that were being shown than he was in Lila's story. "Guess who Lila knows? She knows this really amazing costume designer who did a whole bunch of the Game of Thrones costumes, and she commissioned this really awesome jacket and pants combo from that designer for Jagged Stone for his birthday!"

"He clearly loves it if he ran off to change into it before the end of the party," Rose gushed. She beamed at Lila. "That was a really great idea for a gift, Lila!"

"Yes, well, it was a bit pricey even with my connections, since of course I wouldn't ask my friend to work for free, but since he and I are friends, I wanted to get a nice gift for him," Lila told them. "And since he has Fang, well- crocodile scales and dragon scales are pretty similar, right?"

Alya nudged Marinette. "Isn't it cool that she knows such a fantastic designer?" The implied be nice, maybe she can introduce you hung heavy in the air. "That jacket- it's incredible. I bet she has a lot of tricks and tips about design and sewing!"

Lila nodded, her hair bouncing. "Yeah, she's super talented! And I was lucky enough to actually get to help her with the jacket when she came through Paris a couple weeks back! I didn't do a lot, of course, because I didn't have the time, but it was super cool to see how the scales were made." Her eyes slid sideways to Marinette, a silent challenge that she was so sure that Marinette wouldn't take. "If you wanted, Marinette, I could maybe teach you some of the things that she taught me."

…yeah, okay, Marinette was not going to stand here and pretend to play nice with Lila, not even for the few hours it would no doubt take for Jagged Stone to tell the press who, exactly, had made the pants and jacket for him. Not when Lila was actively claiming credit like this, claiming that she had made part of the outfit when it was all Marinette's work.

Whelp. Time for her to step off of the high road and for the gloves to come off.

"That would be so nice, Lila," Marinette crooned, keeping her eyes on Lila's surprised face. Then her eyes narrowed. "Except for the fact that it's all complete bullshit."

There were gasps at that, and Marinette could feel Alya's hand tighten around her arm in a silent reprimand. Lila gasped, pressing a hand to her chest as though deeply offended. "Marinette! I was just trying to be nice, and this is how you-"

"Oh, save me the sob story." Marinette's eyes slid around the group and caught on Max and Markov, who was out and clearly listening. A conversation from a couple weeks back tickled at the back of her mind, and Marinette went for it. "Markov, you record video of things you see to review later, right?"

"I do!" Markov chirped, clearly pleased that she remembered. "And I usually retain the footage for one to five hours, depending on how common or uncommon a social interaction was."

"Can you retain the story Lila just told for a bit longer?" Marinette asked, ignoring how Alya's hold was getting tighter and tighter. "For a day, maybe."

"Of course!"

"Marinette," Alya hissed through gritted teeth. "Cut it out, Lila is trying to be-"

"After all, Jagged Stone is never quiet about the gifts that he likes or about giving credit where credit is due," Marinette continued, brushing Alya's hand off of her arm without sparing it a glance. "So I'm sure he'll tell the press about who actually gave him those gifts within twenty-four hours. So I'd like to have the footage of right now to make sure that your story doesn't magically change between now and then."

Lila blanched, then pasted her usual expression back on before anyone else could notice. "Actually, I asked him to keep it on the down-low right away- after all, I didn't want people flooding my other friend with requests, because she's starting work on wardrobe for a new movie soon. Besides, I don't need any public thank-yous. I know that he likes my gift, and that's enough."

Marinette didn't even bother hiding her eye roll that time. "Sure. And I'm the Queen of France." Brushing past the group, she headed over to her desk, ignoring the stares of her classmates.

She couldn't be surprised about that, really. After all, while Marinette had called out Lila's lies on a fairly regular basis before, it had always been more of a one-off comment, not- well, not her clearly calling Lila a baldfaced liar.

"That is not okay, Marinette," Alya hissed as she passed Marinette's seat. Apparently she was headed up to sit with Lila instead for the day. "I know you don't like Lila, but-"

"I'll accept 'sorry I didn't listen to you, Marinette' apologies in the form of fabric store gift cards once you realize that I'm right," Marinette told her instead of listening to Alya's scolding again. Alya scoffed.

"Well, when Lila is proved right you can apologize to her for not listening and to us for having to deal with this nonsense by taking us all out to lunch!" Alya shot back. "Lila loves this little seafood place a couple blocks away. I'm feeling hungry for their salmon bake already!"

"Don't hold your breath for it," Marinette muttered, but Alya had already flounced off, clearly entirely convinced that she was right.

Well. Marinette had more or less been kidding about the gift cards- after all, her allowance plus the money that she got from babysitting and commissions meant that Marinette wasn't exactly scrounging for money to buy the materials that she wanted for her projects- but if Alya was going to counter her joking suggestion with a completely serious response, then Marinette would gladly welcome a little extra fabric money.

Marinette turned back to the front, ignoring the looks that she was getting from the others around the room. Oddly enough, Chloe and Sabrina weren't sneering at her- in fact, they seemed to be hunched over Sabrina's tablet, which had the pictures of Jagged Stone pulled up on it. Chloe was tracing part of the picture, saying something quietly to Sabrina, and Marinette had to wonder what they were talking about. It wasn't as though the jacket was Chloe's style at all, so why were they finding it so interesting?

And then Marinette's gaze slid further around, and she practically had a heart attack when she saw Adrien turned around to face her, his chin propped up on his arms on top of her desk and his eyes sparkling.

"Hi, Marinette!" Adrien chirped, sounding incredibly cheerful and not at all bothered by Marinette abandoning the (incredibly ineffective) high road in favor of- well, calling out the bad guys. He grabbed his tablet, nudging it onto her desk. "I was looking at the picture of Jagged Stone's new jacket and- well, maybe it's not the highest-resolution photo in the world, but I thought I noticed your signature on it, like you did on the hat. Was Jagged Stone's outfit something you made?"

Next to him, Nino startled, glancing up from his notebook and back at Marinette.

"Yeah, I made it," Marinette told him, unable to hide her grin. Adrien had noticed her signature! He had looked closely enough at the jacket to notice it threaded in amongst all of the other patterns and textures going on. "Penny commissioned me for the jacket, and then I made the pants as a gift to go along with it. And I was going to tell people about it today, since I didn't want the news getting out early and spoiling the surprise, but Little Miss Lies-A-Lot decided to throw a wrench in that plan, apparently."

Adrien winced, then reached out to pat her hand comfortingly. "Well, at least you know that that lie isn't going to last long."

"Yeah," Marinette agreed. It was the light at the end of the tunnel, at long last. "Thank goodness."

Marinette headed back to school after lunch feeling much less excited about going there than she had that morning.

Maybe every passing hour brought her closer to the time when Jagged Stone would mention to the press where his gift had come from, but ugh were those hours ever dragging. Maybe Adrien knew the truth- and Nino did now too, since he had overheard her and Adrien talking about the pieces and the work that had gone into them and other possible applications of the dragon-scale patterning- but the rest of her classmates were apparently convinced that she was being unnecessarily mean to Lila and were acting accordingly.

(Marinette really liked the idea of scaled boots. She would have to poke through thrift shops for a base shoe, probably, but when they were finished? It would be killer.)

"Cheer up, Marinette, maybe Jagged Stone has said something already!" Tikki chirped when Marinette sighed again, her footsteps still absolutely dragging. "You know it's possible, since you were too busy helping in the bakery for the last part of lunch break to be able to check!"

"But it's not likely," Marinette pointed out. "I did check at the start of break, after all. Add in the time zone differences and the fact that Jagged is probably moving to a new place for his tour, and what are the chances?" She sighed. "And now I'll have to deal with Lila's new conspiracy theory about why I got so ticked off about the pants and jacket for the rest of the afternoon."

Lila's conspiracy theory, which Marinette had overheard Lila telling their classmates just before lunch and which was possibly one of the most maddening things about this whole mess, the thing that had made her go from being willing to wait the whole thing out to being more than a little impatient. Lila had told them that she thought that Marinette had probably wanted to claim for the credit for the jacket, because she was jealous of Lila's connection to Jagged Stone and wanted the attention for once. The tantrum-throwing, Lila had continued loftily, was probably just because Lila had told the truth before she could start spreading her lie.

Ugh.

Tikki giggled at that. "Yes, but just imagine the look on Lila's face when she realizes that you were actually the one to make the pieces! She'll be so shocked!"

Marinette certainly hoped so. It had taken everything in her not to turn around, march up to Lila, and inform her that actually, I DID make that outfit, and I have the receipts and progress photos to prove it!

She could have. But Lila would shove right back, and Marinette really hadn't felt like getting into another argument, not when she would get proven right without wasting her breath.

At least Marinette had Adrien to keep her sane. He knew the truth, just like Marinette, and understood why that particular story had been the straw to break the camel's back. He had wanted to know all about the process of making the jacket, and Marinette had been happy to comply. She even had in-progress shots, which meant that by the time classes let out, Nino had been convinced, too. He had been furious on her behalf, but had agreed that maybe it would be best to wait for Jagged to make some sort of comment instead of trying to argue with everyone else.

(After all- well, Marinette didn't want to risk seeing doubt in her friends' eyes if she tried to tell the truth and told them that she made the pieces. That- that would just hurt.)

With one last sigh- ugh, an akuma right now wouldn't be so bad, at least then she wouldn't have to listen to Lila 'answering' questions about what getting an on-set peek of TV shows was like- Marinette headed into school and up to the classroom.

Oddly enough, despite the fact that class was about to start, there were a lot of people missing. Alya wasn't back yet, or a lot of the other girls. Lila was there, though, and she smirked at Marinette as she came through the door. Clearly she was still riding the high of having gotten a reaction out of Marinette earlier.

Marinette smirked right back as she slid into her seat, Tikki's words coming back to her. Lila could gloat all she wanted, but that didn't change the fact that Marinette had made those pieces and the truth would come out. Even if it was taking longer than Marinette would have liked.

She was just being impatient, honestly. After sitting through months of Lila's nonsense, one day more was really nothing.

The afternoon bell rang, and Adrien twisted around in his seat to give Marinette a questioning look, glancing around at the empty seats before quirking an eyebrow. Marinette could only shrug in return.

After all, she didn't know where everybody was, either. Normally, she would have guessed that people had gotten distracted by a Lila-story in the cafeteria, but considering that Lila actually was in class, that clearly couldn't be it. She would suggest that Adrien ask Nino since Alya was his girlfriend, except Nino wasn't back yet, either.

...odd.

Before Marinette could spare much more of a thought to wonder where in the world everyone was, the door burst open and their missing classmates tumbled in. They practically swarmed Marinette's desk, pushing Alya to the front to drop a gift card in front of her.

Marinette blinked.

"Wait, what's going on?" Lila demanded, her voice shrill. "Why- why are you giving her a gift card?"

"Because, Lila," Alya started, her voice absolutely dripping ice, "Marinette was the one that made Jagged Stone's new outfit. The jacket was commissioned from her by Penny Rolling, and the pants were a gift directly from her."

"But- no, I already told you guys that she would claim that," Lila said with a titter. All of it came out too pinched, too high-pitched, too fake. "I knew Marinette would claim-"

"Jagged Stone told the press who it was from himself. Marinette never claimed anything." Alya cast a disparaging look at Lila. "Now I have to wonder how much of what you've told us is a lie. All of it, probably. Did you even leave Paris when you tried to claim that you were out traveling around the world?"

"The packages must have gotten mixed up," Lila tried, her voice climbing higher yet. Their other classmates were sending her dirty looks now, too. "The tags on them, I'm sure that they must have been switched-"

Chloe scoffed from her seat. "Right, and Marinette's signature just magically managed to jump from the pieces she made and onto your gifts, right? What a lame little liar."

…okay, Marinette was officially going to count herself impressed that Chloe had actually noticed her signature, because she had hidden it pretty well. That must have been what she and Sabrina had been looking at in the pictures earlier.

Maybe it wasn't that big of a surprise after all. Chloe had seemed annoyed by Lila's grand claims as of late, and Marinette wouldn't be surprised to hear that Chloe had wanted to discredit Lila and have her spot as the most connected person in the class back.

For once, Lila fell silent. Her face had gone pale. Alya spared her one more glance before rounding the desk and sitting in her regular seat.

"We all chipped in the price of what we would have ordered at the cafe," Alya explained as the rest of the students dispersed to their seats and Ms. Bustier headed up to the back to collect Lila, probably to march her straight to the office. "Food and drinks, and then- well, I at least threw in a bit extra, because we've been giving you a lot of grief about the whole Lila thing."

Marinette grinned, picking up the gift card. An amount was scrawled on the back, and- wow, it was not a small amount. Marinette was willing to bet that more people than just Alya had put in extra. Either that, or people had very expensive tastes. "Thank you."

"It's our apology to you. We should have listened to you earlier." Alya looked sheepish. "I was just too excited about all of the potential scoops that I could get from Lila, I didn't stop to fact-check and really think about what she was saying. I'll do better in the future, I promise."

Marinette could only beam. This was what she had been waiting for.

"So…" Alya started, leaning forward with her eyes alight. Marinette quirked an eyebrow back at her. "You dressed Jagged Stone and made the coolest jacket and pants that I've ever seen! What was that like? Nino says that you have progress photos- can I see them before Ms. Bustier gets back from the office? I want to hear all about it!"

With a laugh, Marinette pulled out her phone and swiped to the photos that she had taken. "Of course! So a couple months ago, Penny approached me about designing something…"

Maybe it would take a couple weeks for them to really get past all of this and for their friendship to fully recover, but Marinette was confident that they could. Alya had no doubt learned a few lessons about listening to Marinette, and something told Marinette that Lila was going to get in no small amount of trouble, potentially even getting kicked out of their school. Even if she didn't, Lila's power was gone. No one would believe her now.

And that was how it was meant to be.

#Miraculous Ladybug #my writing #A Very Jagged Take-Down #Jagged Stone #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste

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atths--twice · 4 years

Text

Bare Essentials

Last March, the discussion on Thursday during #tbtXFiles turned to why Mulder looked “un-Mulderish,” in Signs and Wonders, and lost luggage was mentioned, I became intrigued. I had never noticed his clothes, I don’t think. This is not an episode I generally put on, so I was taken aback. After it was mentioned, it was ALL I saw. So, thanks to a friend for piquing my interest, it brought about this story. Hope you enjoy it.

Arriving in Blessing, Tennessee, Mulder and Scully discover their bags have not arrived with them.

Blessing, Tennessee 9:30 a.m. Tuesday

The tiny airport was hot and crowded, causing Mulder to unbutton the two top buttons on his shirt, hoping to find some relief. He could feel sweat on his neck and back, as he watched the luggage carousel, waiting for their bags.

Scully walked up, fanning her coat around her. “Jesus, it’s hot in here,” she said, looking at him, her small carry-on bag in one hand. He nodded still keeping an eye on the carousel.

“It’s insane that it’s this warm in here, the heater has to be broken. I doubt it’s that cold outside." He fanned his shirt, the open buttons not offering much relief.

“Well, we’ll find out as soon as our bags get here and we can get the car,” she said, glancing at her watch. “We should head straight over to the church.” He nodded again, frowning as he realized the baggage carousel was now empty. Bags were no longer coming and he heaved a sigh.

Great, just great, he thought. Scully looked at him and raised her eyebrows. He shook his head and headed to the baggage claim office.

A half an hour later, forms were filled out, and a heated discussion had been had about the heat of the airport. Mulder caught up to Scully, and they walked toward the rental lot. Scully had filled out the paperwork and gotten the keys, while he dealt with their lost bags. They would try to deliver them as soon as possible. But first, they needed to figure out where they were exactly.

“Where they are exactly, Scully,” he said, as they walked to the car. “How is it that they don’t know where our bags are “exactly” but everyone else’s arrived here with no problems? We all left from the same place, on the same flight.” She put her carry-on in the trunk, and they both got in the car. He turned on the ignition, shaking his head as he looked over at her.

She scrunched up her chin, something he found so goddamn adorable and shook her head. “I don’t know, but hopefully they’ll find them and bring them by later tonight. Let’s get to the church,” she said, gesturing for him to drive.

“I can’t go like this, Scully,” he said pointing at his clothes. He was wearing dark jeans and a long sleeved polo shirt. “I was going to change once we stopped by the motel, but now I don’t have my luggage.”

“Then you will have to go like that,” she said, looking at him in exasperation.

“No, we can find a store and I’ll pick something up. Not a suit, but something better than this,” he said, backing up the car and heading out. She hummed her annoyance, and he scoffed.

“If you had dressed accordingly,” she said, under her breath, shaking her head and looking out her window.

“I told you all my dress shirts were at the cleaners, and it was a mad dash to even get there before we left. I had no other options,” he said, watching for when it would be safe to merge onto the highway.

“Mulder, how long have we been doing this? Seven years? Why do you leave everything until the last minute?” she asked, with a glance his way. “You tell me we’re leaving, and I have a wardrobe already packed in my head, business suits ready to go at all times.”

“If we all were as prepared as you, who would be the dreamers? The artists who walk around with paint in their hair or on their hands because other aspects of life are more important?” he volleyed back at her. “We can’t all be Dana Scullys.” He glanced at her and saw she was trying not to smile.

“You all can try,” she said in a sassy tone, giving in and giving him a beautiful smile. His heart pounded, and his mouth went dry, causing him to clear his throat. She turned and looked out the window again, and it was quiet in the car.

Just before the exit for the church, he left the highway, looking for a place to buy some new clothes. A store came into view, and he pulled into the parking lot. Scully looked at him, and he shrugged. They both got out of the car and walked inside.

Scully looked at him, the store not quite the type of clothing they usually purchased. She walked away from him towards the women’s section, and he headed to the men’s.

Not wanting to spend too much time in the store, he quickly found his size and grabbed a shirt- a long sleeved button down grayish patterned shirt. It was not something he usually would be drawn to, being rather an ugly color and print, but it would work.

Pants were next- a pair of dark slacks, and also a belt. He caught Scully’s eye and jerked his head toward the dressing room. She nodded and walked toward him, as he stepped behind the curtain to try on the clothes. He could hear her breathing on the other side, and he flushed at the thought that a mere piece of fabric separated them as he undressed.

“Mulder?” she asked, her tone reminding him they were on a timetable.

“Yeah, I know. These are good, I’ll get them,” he said, slipping on his shoes and tying them. “I’ll wear them out from here.”

“Hand me the tags and I’ll pay for them,” she said, reaching her hand inside the curtain. He smiled, pulling them from the clothes and placing them in her hand. Her hand left, and he picked up his other clothes.

He tucked in his shirt, fastened his belt, and opened the curtain. Seeing Scully at the register, he walked over to her. She looked him up and down and scrunched her chin again before turning back to the store clerk.

“I grabbed you a jacket too,” she said, handing over her credit card. “It is cold out, despite how hot it was at the airport. They didn’t have your size exactly, and there are no ties, but at least you will look better than how you did earlier.” She glanced at him, and he nodded his thanks.

His own clothes were put in a large store bag, along with what she had purchased for herself, though he did not see what she bought. Putting the new grey coat over his arm, he put his hand on the small of her back and led her out of the store.

_________________________________

The Heartbreak Motel, 12:30 a.m. Wednesday morning

Pulling up to the motel, as it bordered on one in the morning, he sighed, his body completely exhausted. He glanced at Scully, seeing her worrying her lips as she sat beside him. When he turned off the car, it broke her from her thoughts, causing her to look at him and unbuckle her seat belt.

“I’ll go get our rooms,” he said, putting his hand on hers, stopping her from getting out just yet. She nodded and sighed, leaning her head back against the headrest.

He got out and spoke to the motel clerk, getting them adjoining rooms. Two keys with glittery guitar key chains were handed to him. The man shrugged and Mulder nodded, holding them as he walked out the door.

He drove closer to their rooms, and they both got out. Handing her her key, he grabbed her carry-on and the store bag out of the trunk, following her into her room. He set the bag down, and she began to go through it. She took out a pack of underwear, a couple of pairs of dress socks, and a pack of undershirts. The barest of essentials, and something he had completely overlooked.

She handed them over to him with a raised eyebrow. He grinned at her and took them, his thoughts and feelings mixed. He was happy at her thoughtfulness and also felt that familiar feeling of desire for her. She had picked out underwear for him.

God, he loved her.

He nodded at her and made to leave the room. “You’re welcome,” she said sarcastically. He turned around and smiled at her.

“Thank you kindly, Miss Scully,” he said in an overly put upon Southern accent. She rolled her eyes and walked forward to close the door when he left.

He went into his own room and set all his things on his bed. His jacket was taken off and thrown on the chair, his clothes and shoes following, as he went into the bathroom and started the shower.

He showered and came into the room in a towel. Ripping open the packages, he took out a shirt and a pair of underwear. Dressed, he picked up and then hung his clothes, obviously needing to wear them again tomorrow, unless the bags miraculously showed up in the middle of the night.

A knock sounded at the adjoining door, and he unlocked it, finding Scully, her hair still damp from her own shower. He tried not to stare, but she was so cute standing there in a pair of un-Scully like pajamas. Cotton, long sleeved, and lilac. They were tighter and clingier than usual. Try as he might, he could not avoid noticing her hard nipples.

“Here,” she said, thankfully interrupting his thoughts and redirecting his eyes. She handed him a new packaged toothbrush and he raised his eyebrows at her. “From my carry-on. After they lost our luggage that time in Boise, I’ve made sure to at least have the essentials: my makeup bag and toiletries.”

“Good thinking. Maybe I should start doing that too,” he said, opening the toothbrush.

“Maybe?” she said with a look.

“Yeah, maybe,” he said with a grin. He stuck the toothbrush in his mouth and she winced. “What? Gotta do what I can without toothpaste.”

“You think I would pack toothbrushes and not pack toothpaste? What’s the point of that, Mulder?” she asked, shaking her head.

“Oh. Well, can you hand it to me?” he asked, holding out his hand.

“I am not giving you the toothpaste. I will let you use it, but it stays with me,” she stated, both eyebrows raised high.

“What?”

“Yeah, Mr. Squeezes-It-From-The-Middle, the toothpaste stays with me,” she said cheekily. “I’m not having a repeat fiasco of The Falls.” He stared at her, but took the toothbrush from his mouth and presented it to her.

She uncapped the toothpaste, squeezed it tightly from the bottom, and loaded up his toothbrush. Replacing the cap, she smirked at him, making a show of the flatness of the tube of toothpaste. He nodded, looking at his toothbrush.

“You know, sometimes squeezing things in the middle is the best option. Lightly or with more force, depending on the situation,” he said, watching her eyes as he spoke. They moved across his face and landed on his lips. He had to fight the urge to run his tongue across them, wanting to see how that would affect her.

“Well, there’s also something to be said about following the rules,” she said, crossing her arms and looking in his eyes. “Even if you really do want to break them.” He held his breath, not daring to imagine she actually meant what she did. Christ, he was suddenly very hot. Were they still talking about toothpaste?

“Good night, Mulder,” she said, starting to close her door. “Come see me in the morning when you need more … toothpaste.” She looked at him once more, before closing the door all the way.

Oh, sweet Jesus. How did she do that? How did a conversation about toothpaste arouse him so much? He stood at the door, wanting it to open, to hear her say she needed more, and not be talking about toothpaste. Shaking his head, he forced himself to step back from the door and go into the bathroom and brush his teeth.

He laid down in bed a few minutes later with his mind buzzing and the taste of mint in his mouth. He turned over and punched his pillow trying not to think of how lilac had looked beautiful on her and how deliciously minty she would taste if he went into her room and kissed her.

_____________________________

The Heartbreak Motel 12:45 a.m. Thursday morning

God, he thought as he came back to the motel room, what a day. He took off the clothes he had been wearing for the second time, never wanting to see them again. He knew they smelled, even without getting his nose close to them. He had no idea what he was going to do about an outfit tomorrow.

Scully’s bag had made it to the motel, and been dropped off at the office. She sighed with relief at the sight of it, and then apologized to him that his was still missing. Disappearing into her room, he ducked into his own, wishing this case were over. If he never saw another snake again, he would be happy.

He showered and changed into another undershirt and underwear Scully had the foresight to purchase for him. He paced the room as he thought of what to do about his clothes tomorrow, when he heard Scully knock on the adjoining door. He grinned and went to grab his toothbrush before he opened it.

Again she stood in the doorway with wet hair, but this time in her own black satin pajamas. They were nice, but not tight, lilac nice. She held out the toothpaste and he brandished his toothbrush at her, causing her to roll her eyes, her lips curling into a small smile.

“I’m gonna need to get something for tomorrow. No way I can wear those clothes again. I’d like to have a burial service for them if I could. Could we arrange that?” She laughed and looked at him as she put on the toothpaste. He winked at her and stuck his toothbrush in his mouth.

“You were rather ripe today. I’m sorry your bag isn’t here. It’s quite nice to put on my own clean clothes,” she said, capping the toothpaste.

“Braggart,” he said around his toothbrush. He walked away and spit in the bathroom sink. He finished up, rinsed out his mouth, and set his toothbrush down.

She was leaning against the door jamb, her arms crossed, eyes roaming up his body. He caught her when she got to his eyes and she moved, uncrossing her arms and clearing her throat. Her cheeks were flushed and he could not stop the smile that creeped across his face.

“Well, goodnight. We’ll figure out something for your clothes tomorrow. Maybe hit that store again. See you in the morning,” she said all in a rush, closing her door with a loud click.

He smiled, knowing he caught her looking and knowing she knew he did. Things were changing between them. It was going slowly, but he liked it that way. Something was still there, something holding them both back, but they were moving closer. He smiled again, and then his eyes landed on his clothes. Shaking his head, he resolved to be up early, determined to not be around her again until he smelled better than “ripe.”

_______________________________

The Heartbreak Motel 7:30 a.m. Friday

The alarm went off the next morning, and he slid on his pants with a cringe. He kept just his undershirt on, put on his shoes, and drove to the same store. They were just opening when he walked inside. Not wanting to take too much time, he grabbed a white button down and a pair of khaki pants. He balked at them, but it was what was available to purchase.

Just before he walked to the register, he spotted a leather jacket. He stopped and looked at it. It was a rather nice jacket and there was no reason he should not buy it, even if he had one similar to it already. No chance could he wear that gray coat Scully had picked, with the new khaki colored pants.

He found his size and added it to the other items. If Scully’s bag arrived yesterday, hopefully it meant his would arrive sometime today, and this would be enough to get by. If not, he would need to find a place and wash what he had with him.

Purchase complete, he went back out to the car, dropping his bag beside him, and driving back to the motel. Once inside, he quickly showered again and got dressed. God, it felt so good to wear new, clean clothes, and not something that was sweaty and smelly.

Scully knocked on the adjoining door and he opened it. She looked at him and nodded, a smile on her face. Catching his eye, she stared at him with a look he could not quite place. Breaking his gaze after a few seconds, she took a breath.

“I got a call. There was a problem with Gracie. We need to go.” He grabbed his jacket and followed her out the door.

_____________________________

Blessings of God Hospital 10:30 a.m. Sunday

He stared at her as she sat next to him on his hospital bed, her eyes so blue and beautiful. She sighed and smiled again before squeezing his hand, getting up and heading to the door. His wounds were healing and he was starting to feel better, but he would be in the hospital for a couple more days. Bored and ready to leave, seeing her made him happy, but he wished he could be leaving with her.

“Oh,” she said, turning around and looking at him with a cheeky grin. “Your bag showed up last night. So, you’re good to go. You know … when you’re ready to wear pants again.”

“Goddamn. Finally,” he said, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. She smiled and nodded before she headed out the door.

He looked at the door and sighed. A few more days and he would be ready to leave. It could not come soon enough. Watching her leave every day was killing him. He was ready to be done with this and continue moving forward.

He just needed his goddamn pants to get the hell out of this hospital. Thank all that was holy in the world, he was never so happy to hear he had clothes waiting for him.

Lost luggage could eat a huge pile of shit.

___________________________________________________

Hope you enjoyed this little story. Seeing a prompt always gets my mind spinning with how I could write out that scenario. This one was fun. 😊

#The X Files #XF Fanfic #Signs and Wonders #Missing Luggage #Coping and making the best of a bad situation #Sharing the bare essentials #Flirting

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almond-lebkuchen · 4 years

Text

A New Kind of King

A continuation to my Ikevamp pet fic series, Part Two featuring Puck, Brush, and King. (2500 words).

Brush adored sunflowers. There was something special about them that caused him to scurry over to it whenever he spotted some. Perhaps it was the fragrant, sunshine smell around them. Maybe it was the way its bright colors seemed to light up the area around them. Or maybe it was the sweet taste, the perfect snack to munch on during lazy summer days. In any case, he would spend his afternoons among the flowers that littered the mansion gardens without a care in the world. His friend Vincent often liked to come here as well, with his sticks, his colorful smelly liquids, and large wooden boards. Brush would join him whoever he did, ambling over while Vincent set up his work.

Brush wasn't entirely sure what he did, but he liked watching him do…whatever it was. It was all rather entertaining if he did say so himself. He would lazily look on as Vincent would take one of his many sticks and dip them into different liquids, smearing them all over the white board. Different colors merged together into a mirage of patterns and shapes, all swirling together like an iridescent river. Time would pass by, and he would still be there, marking away at the board with his sticks. Sometimes his friend seemed happy with what he made, other times he seemed discontent. Brush hoped that today was the former.

This morning as usual, Vincent came over to the gardens, and Brush was there to meet him. He gave an affectionate headbutt to his friend as a greeting, and received a gentle scratch atop his head in return. Rubbing his paws, he sat down at his usual spot next to him, while Vincent hummed away as he set up his wooden items. Soon enough, their usual daily routine began peacefully.

After a long while of watching him, Brush grew bored, and decided to take a nap, flopping onto his stomach into a more comfortable position. He knew that Vincent would be there a while, so he settled in for a pleasant sleep. Before long he was dreaming about fish and chasing birds, the morning sun shining down on him peacefully.

Brush woke up just as Vincent started putting his things away. Just in time for his favorite part. At the very end, Vincent would dump all of the sticks into the water bucket to clean them. Brush loved this part of Vincent's schedule, and would amble over to him to help wash them. He would dip his paws into the cool water, splashing happily away, until the sticks were scrubbed spotless.

Brush often wondered why Vincent would bother dirtying the sticks in the first place only to wash them later. He didn't understand a lot of things his friend did, but he enjoyed doing them together with him. Grabbing a particularly thick stick from the water bucket, he started waving it about energetically, droplets of dirty water pelting the two of them. Vincent started smiling, cooing gentle gibberish to him. Brush chittered animatedly in response, pleased with himself in succeeding in making his friend smile. He was always happy when he did, as Vincent's smile reminded him of his favorite flower, just as bright and sunshiny as the yellow bloom.

Vincent wasn't his only friend. Recently he had taken a liking to a bunny he came across one sunny afternoon around the gardens as well. His name was Puck, and while he had a rather big personality, Brush enjoyed wandering around the mansion with him. Puck knew exactly how to receive the right kind of attention from people for whatever they needed and had a natural aptitude for finding the most comfortable spots to laze around. In return, Brush would show him around the mansion and teach him where the fridge was. All in all, they made a good team.

Unfortunately, he didn't come often, so Brush had to make the most of the short time that he did. Each visit was an adventure to savor. Brush also liked how Puck's fur was soft, like velvet. Occasionally he would run his paws over him, which would make his long ears twitch. Brush longed to be able to grab and play with them, but Puck did not take kindly to being raccoon handled, even if he allowed Brush to pet him. He hoped with time that would change.

Maybe even sooner than he thought. That afternoon, as he wandered onto the mansion grounds, he was pleasantly surprised to spot his friend being carried under the arm of his owner who was making his way to the mansion. Excited, he quickly followed them inside, close behind the heels of the person. Already his mind was racing with what they could play today. As always, Puck was ceremoniously placed in a box on the dining room table. Once the man left, Brush raced over chattering with excitement. Puck didn't keep him waiting, hopping out of his container to greet his friend. Nose twitching, he gave a few welcoming zooms around Brush before settling down in front of him.

From the moment Puck found out he was going to visit the Mansion, he already had a plan of what he wanted to do first, and for it, he required the help of Brush. His owner had recently given Vincent a fresh bouquet of sunflowers, a fact that did not sit well for Puck. A favorite treat of his being given away right in front of his eyes. So today he was determined to sneak into his room to snack on the flowers, hopefully with Brush as his accomplice.

As for Brush himself, he was down for anything with his friend. Even if he didn't quite understand what Puck's whole plan was, he was more than interested in the part about the sunflowers. So with much enthusiasm, he gladly followed Puck onwards.

A little while later, the two of them finally arrived at their destination: Vincent's room. The door was already slightly ajar to their relief, allowing for easy access inside. Looking back however, that should have been their first clue that something was wrong. The second clue was a foreign stink permeating the room, still very fresh. Puck stood up on his hind legs, whiffing at the air curiously. It wasn't a familiar scent to him, but as soon as he laid his eyes on the sunflower bouquet lying on top of the couch, his curiosity was long forgotten. Heed tossed to the wind, he nyoomed towards them, tailing wiggling. But his intent on jumping onto the couch was interrupted by the sound of barking behind him, followed by a squeak. Skittering to a halt, Puck turned to see a large, yellow dog looming over his friend. Time seemed to freeze as they made eye contact.

In this situation, Puck did the only thing he could. He ran. Out of the room, together with his friend. Behind him, he could hear the patter of paws on the ground as it gave chase after the two of them down the hallways. Scared stiff, Puck quickly turned into a nearby room where he dived under the nearest furniture. He sat there nervously, left only to bemoan his situation. He heard no signs of being followed, which meant that it must have gone to chase after Brush instead, a fact that didn't make him feel any better. Puck closed his eyes despairingly.

Today was supposed to be perfect for Puck. Will had decided to bring him to the Mansion today for a visit, where he would be surrounded by adoring fans who would fawn on him and feed delicious treats to him. He was going to have an entire day to laze about idly and meet with Brush. Things couldn't have gone more wrong. Instead here he was, hidden under an armchair, awaiting his fate.

Never did he expect to spend today being chased around by a giant dog, eager to do God knows what to him. Bite him? Toss him around like a toy? Or… Eat him? Would someone as tiny as him even be a good meal for it? No! He cried internally. He refused to believe it. He was simply just too adorable to become food for some pup. Puck could almost cry. What had he done to deserve this? The world was just too cruel to someone as fluffy and loveable as himself. He started to quiver, huddling in closer to himself.

Now, now, this simply won't do. He told himself. Panicking wouldn't solve anything, and besides, stress was bad for his specially maintained fur. Besides, as grudging as he was to admit it, it was his fault they got into this mess in the first place, and he didn't want to leave his only friend to the wolves. Literally, in this case.

Twitching his ears cautiously, he strained to hear for any movement. Detecting none, he slowly eased from underneath his safe spot. After a quick glance around to see if it was around, he scampered forward, zooming towards the room's exit and towards where he last saw Brush. He paid no heed to the surprised sounds of the few people he came across in the hallway, avoiding them with ease, using his nose as a guide to search for his friend. He didn’t have to go far before the trail abruptly ended at a empty room.

There! He caught sight of Brush, poorly hidden under a rug, with only his bushy tail sticking out. Poor Brush had tried his best to find a tunnel-like location to hide, but it was all too glaringly obvious what lay under the lump in the fabric. In another scenario, Puck would have found it amusing. But not now. Not when there was a vicious hound on the loose ready to make mincemeat out of the two of them.

Just when he prepared himself to race over there, the very dog he spent running away from lumbered into view. Mouth open and drooling, he sniffed the air twice before heading straight towards the Brush shaped bulge.

Puck froze in horror. This was it, the tragic untimely death of his poor food finder. He was too late to be the hero and save him. He should leave now, and let Brush serve as a necessary sacrifice for his escape. Maybe that's what he should do. That's what anyone would have done. But as he watched the dog get ever closer, Puck realized that he couldn't just let his friend die, at least not alone. So before he could stop himself, he ran in and jumped right in front of him. He quivered in fright, yet he stood his ground. This was it. The end. Puck closed his eyes, bracing himself for the end of his once perfect life, waiting for the jaws to snap him up.

It never came. Instead, something hot and wet brushed over his face. Puck opened his eyes. Instead of the carnage he expected, the dog was repeatedly licking at him, its drool being slathered upon his once pristine fur.

Ewww.

What on earth was he doing? He was glad he wasn't being eaten currently, but he didn't like this unexpected new behavior one bit. But he stood still as several more enthusiastic slurps brushed over him.

Meanwhile King was having the time of his life. He met a bunny for the first time along with some kind of weird cat creature. He spent the entire day chasing them around, and he was sure he made some new friends now. And now here he was, curled around his new friend, administering his affections upon it. Today was the best. He hadn't had such fun since that time he played with the water hose.

Meanwhile, Puck was completely dumbfounded. All along, was this just a…misunderstanding? This giant, yellow, fluffy hound was harmless? Were both of them in fact, never in any danger at all? Brush, looking on at the two of them, seemed to come to the same conclusion as he came out from under his hiding spot. He crept closer to the pup, and was promptly rewarded with it turning its attention towards him, licking Brush with just as much enthusiasm as it did with Puck. Brush responded by nuzzling the creature back, occasionally patting him haphazardly with his paws.

Puck looked onwards at this display with disbelief. It really did look like it was harmless. Puck reflected back on the day, suddenly realizing for a start that he might not have been in any danger the whole time. It seemed like the pup just wanted to play. Deep down Puck supposed he did receive a kind of enjoyment in a way, with him running around everywhere. The exhilaration of it all was nothing like he'd ever experienced, not in his whole life of lazing around and being richly spoiled, even if the entire time was him being frightened out of his mind. However, he supposed since Brush seemed to be taking a liking to this new animal, it wouldn't hurt for him to make a connection with him as well. So he begrudgingly inched closer to learn more about this fuzzy new animal. However, he couldn’t help but grumble when he was licked again, his fur getting matted with its drool. He would definitely require a nice bath later that night.

Bonus:

A few hours later….

Now where could have King gone? Theo wondered to himself.

Stepping outside on the mansion grounds, he strode over to the shady gazebo King often liked to hang around. He gave a rare smile when he found him there, curled up inside. King, on sensing approaching footsteps, perked up, his tail thumping up and down upon seeing his master. Theo knew no one was around at the moment, so he took the opportunity to kneel down at his beloved pet, reaching over to scratch at his ears, cooing at him affectionately.

"Mijn wereld, such a braaf Hond. Hmm? Wait, what have you got there? Come here, laat me het zien."

Upon spotting something nestled under his paws, he bent down to examine the wiggling object.

"Is that…Shakespeare's rabbit? King, where on earth did you snatch him from? What did we talk about picking up trash?"

With a critical frown, he scooped up the exhausted Puck from King's furry grasp. Realizing he was being rescued, Puck gratefully snuggled closer to his savior, completely exhausted from dealing with King. He didn't even mind that he was being picked up by someone other than his owner this time. He gave a tired yawn, feeling rather safe in this new man's arms.

Theo's mouth involuntarily twitched at its cute behavior. As much as he hated Will, he had to admit that konijn of his was rather cute. He gently brushed his thumb over the rabbit's body, feeling its silky soft fur.

Shakespeare was probably looking at him at this moment, he realized. A devilish smirk appeared on his face at the thought. At the very least he reasoned, it wouldn't be terrible to have Will owe him a favor. With this in mind, he hummed contentedly as he set off to find his rightful owner.

#ikemen vampire #ikevamp #ikemen vampire shakespeare #ikevamp theo #ikevamp shakespeare #ikevamp pets #my writing #can't believe it took me this long #Classes really do be killing me with work #so busy barely made it #not even really sure if its any good #my brain is just fizzled

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thegizka · 4 years

Text

Order and Control

Writer’s Month 2020 Day 2: Quarantine

When Bruce is exposed to a dangerous virus, he quarantines to prevent further spread until the Justice League can develop an antidote. Unfortunately, his children keep ignoring his orders.

Read it on Ao3.

Note: I do not own any aspect of DC or Batman.

Bruce waited until the lock on the hidden door clicked behind him before turning on any lights. This safehouse was unlikely to be discovered, carved into the mountains of Montana with no one in a hundred mile radius, but now was no time to be lax in security. He moved through the small kitchen and sitting area, bypassed the bed, and tapped a pattern on the stone wall to open an access panel. After entering the correct security codes, the wall folded away to reveal a secret room housing a computer and an assortment of equipment that might be useful in a pinch. Someone had left an empty bag of chips in the bin beneath the computer desk. He made a mental note to remind his children of the importance of discarding all traces of themselves when leaving safehouses.

A few minutes later, he’d turned on the computer and connected to his network. Bouncing his signal around the globe to discourage tracking, he sent a message to the Watchtower. A second later, Clark appeared in a video feed.

“I take it you made it safely?”

“I’m here,” Bruce grunted. “Were you able to find any trace of this thing?”

“Barry and Victor are still in the lab analyzing the samples you sent. They haven’t found anything yet.”

“How are you feeling?” Diana asked, leaning into the frame.

“Fine so far.”

“You should have come back to the Watchtower. The investigation would move faster if we could monitor you more closely.”

“We all saw the bodies,” he growled. “Minimizing exposure is the priority. If we can stop these bioterrorists before they release this virus, we won’t need a vaccine.”

“You need it.” Clark frowned. Bruce knew he agreed with Diana and would prefer Bruce isolate closer to people who could care for him.

“I will run what tests I can here and link them to the Watchtower. I trust Barry and Victor will find the solution.”

“Do you need anything?” Diana asked. “We can be there in a heartbeat.”

“No,” he said emphatically. “Don’t. And don’t tell anyone where I am. No one can know.”

Clark and Diana exchanged a look that said they didn’t agree with him about this either. But they had seen the horrors this virus had done to these bioterrorists’ test subjects. They knew it was too dangerous to risk.

“We won’t,” Diana promised.

“Stay safe, Bruce.”

“You too.”

The video went blank. Bruce sat in the silence of the safehouse for a moment. He had stared at his own death so many times that he wasn’t scared for himself. He was just frustrated that he couldn’t be on the front lines with the rest of the Justice League. He had been foolish to investigate alone, stumbling onto the test site and inhaling the virus from a partially-empty canister. He should have been more careful.

With a sigh, he hauled himself to his feet and began preparing the science equipment that he had at his disposal. He’d already shed his suit and secured it in an impermeable bag. He would set up a secure, sanitized lab space and swab it for residue, though so far the only traces they’d detected had been found in biomatter. He would take frequent blood and breath samples, both to monitor his condition and try to isolate the strain for vaccine fabrication.

There were a lot of tests to run. It would be a long night.

-----

Bruce awoke late in the morning noticing two alarming things. The first was that his throat felt sore. It wasn’t a sign of dehydration. He had been careful to drink plenty of fluids to help his body remain strong as it fought against the virus. The second was a vehicle pulling into the hidden garage and killing its engine.

He scrambled to the computer to pull up the security camera. The fact that someone had found the entrance and not set off any alarms meant it was someone who knew this safehouse. It was probably one of his kids.

Sure enough, he saw a mop of familiar dark hair emerge from a compact sports car. A shorter, crisper head of hair jumped out of the passenger seat. A jolt of fear chilled Bruce’s spine, accompanied by a waterfall of questions. Had they touched the Batmobile parked next to them? Had he brushed against the walls on his way to the entrance last night? Had he remembered to disinfect the door?

“Dick, Damian, don’t move,” he called through the comm system he’d had installed three years ago. He saw them stop. Bless them for having the sense to listen.

“Father, what is going on?”

“You shouldn’t be here. Go back to Gotham,” he ordered.

“B, are you okay?” Dick took a step forward, and the panic spiked again.

“I am. I’m just busy. I need you to watch Gotham for a few days.”

“Are you working on the bioterrorism case?” Damian demanded. He shouldn’t have known about that.

“Vic told us you may have been exposed,” Dick explained. “Babs got a ping of activity from this safehouse last night, so we came to see if you were okay.”

His eldest son always did have a bleeding heart. He let his emotions override his good sense.

“If I have been exposed, that’s reason for you to leave. I can’t spread it to anyone else.”

“If you are in danger, Father, we should help you.”

“You can help by keeping watch over Gotham until this is over.”

“But-”

“Come on, Damian.” Dick took his brother’s shoulder gently. “There’s nothing we can do here right now.”

The youngest Wayne resisted for a moment. Bruce saw so much of his own stubbornness in him.

“Be safe, Father,” he ordered before turning back to the car.

“I hope you know what you’re doing, B,” Dick called.

“Take care of them, Dick. I’ll be back soon.”

A modicum of relief returned when he watched them drive away, but he couldn’t shake the unease their arrival had caused. He was surprised they’d found him so quickly. It was a little upsetting that Cyborg felt more loyalty for his former Titans teammate than the Justice League, but Dick had that sort of magnetic pull. Bruce felt guilty for forcing his eldest into the responsibility of Batman’s duties and watching over his siblings, but it couldn’t be helped. He just hoped he could keep the rest of them away and safe.

He reached for a glass of water to try and soothe his throat. A basic medical check revealed no fever and an average heart rate. He pricked his finger for a blood sample. He hadn’t found anything decipherable from the tests he ran last night, perhaps because the virus had been too new in his body. Hopefully today’s efforts would be more fruitful. He popped a lemon cough drop into his mouth and got to work.

-----

Late that night, the purr of two motorcycle engines signalled new visitors. Bruce was still awake, pouring over data from the case and taking notes on the progression of his infection. Most of the potential side effects could be attributed to the strain of his night life, but until they had a better understanding of this virus, he was meticulous in his documentation.

The security feed revealed Jason and Stephanie parking their bikes near the garage wall. They must have spoken with Dick because they wore respirators and chemical-repellant suits. Jason had towed in a trailer piled up with equipment of some sort, indicating they intended to be there for a while. The chill of panic returned. This was not good.

“You two need to leave,” he ordered using the comms. His sore throat and lack of conversation made his voice sound hoarse. He reached for his water.

“Hey Bruce, you don’t sound so good. Are you doing okay?” Stephanie asked in concern.

“I’m fine,” he insisted. To support his claim, his voice came through more clearly. “I’d be better if you both left.”

“No can do,” Jason grunted, lifting a stack of tarps sealed in plastic out of the trailer. “We’re under orders from Alfred to make sure you don’t die. We’re not going anywhere.”

“Yes you are,” he insisted, starting to feel helpless. They couldn’t be here. The risk was too great. “I am ordering you to leave.”

“Too bad, Old Man. I stopped following your orders years ago, and Stephie ain’t your kid or your Robin. Your orders mean nothing to us.”

“Alfred’s, however,” Stephanie interjected, “sure do. But don’t worry; he gave us very specific instructions on how to disinfect everything and keep you safely quarantined while we help. You’ll be in good hands.”

He didn’t need to be in good hands; they did, and them being here was not safe. But they had obviously come with the intention of staying, and they were more likely to ignore him than his other kids. He wanted to argue, but he had to turn away to cough. His throat felt raw, and it took him a while to regain his breath. By the time he looked back at the garage feed, they had finished unloading and were going about Alfred’s instruction.

“Please,” he croaked in a final effort to discourage them, “just leave.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Stephanie asked, ignoring his plea.

“Save your strength Old Man. We’re not going anywhere.”

Bruce sighed. He didn’t have the energy to argue with them. At least they were taking safety precautions. They pulled one of the tarps over the Batmobile and sealed the edge to the garage floor with tape. Jason started constructing a portable sanitizing chamber right in front of the door while Stephanie grabbed cleaning materials and went about fumigating every exposed surface.

“Make sure you ventilate properly,” Bruce instructed. She raised a hand in a thumb’s up to acknowledge his advice but didn’t pause her work.

“Hey Bruce,” Jason said, laying tarps over the framework and sealing them tightly, “Dick seems to think this is pretty bad. Is it?”

“You’d be more helpful working with the League to find the source, not here.”

“You never do answer our questions,” he grumbled. “That’s only going to make them worry more, you know.”

Bruce noticed that he’d said “them”, and it stung a little that Jason had omitted himself. He wondered if he had ever felt like part of the family, or if Bruce’s cascading screw-ups as a mentor and father had driven him away. Even now, he had no idea how to connect with him.

“Get some rest, Old Man,” Jason said, sorting through filtration hoses to hook up the sanitizing system in the chamber. “Steph and I don’t need you supervising if you’re not going to help.”

Bruce couldn’t think of anything to say, so he turned back to analyzing the data from the case. He kept the security feed up in the corner of the computer screen so he could check on them while he worked. There was some comfort in that.

-----

He awoke the next morning disoriented. His throat burned, and his breath felt slow to fill his lungs. He was fairly certain he had fallen asleep at the computer in the safehouse, but the conversation he was hearing was reminiscent of days in the Manor.

“Sleep.”

“He has to get up at some time, Cass. Otherwise the food Jason made will go to waste.”

“And I need to ask him some questions about this data.”

“Tim, have you heard anything else from Leslie?”

“No.”

“So even the doc is stumped.”

“She has assured me that the best resources will be allocated to our mission. Pennyworth will contact us as soon as progress is made.”

“Vic is monitoring her research, too. He’ll let us know if the League comes up with anything.”

“It’s kind of nice having a friend in the League. We used to have to hack the Watchtower to get their data.”

“The old man would have a conniption if he knew.”

“Security breeeach,” Tim growled in a Batman parody voice.

“Con-nip? Shun?”

“One word. It’s basically a tantrum,” Barbara translated automatically.

“Don’t worry about learning it, Cain. Todd is the only one who speaks with such outdated language.”

“I’m pretty sure I heard you call your wallet a pocket book the other day, so maybe rethink that statement.”

Bruce sat up slowly. His limbs felt heavy, and both feet tingled from a lack of oxygen. He could tell this wasn’t normal fatigue. He’d pushed his body to its natural breaking point often enough to feel the difference. He felt as though he were barely in control of himself.

“Hey guys, it looks like Sleeping Beauty is awake,” Barbara called. “Hi Bruce.”

A chorus of voices and a jumble of words penetrated the ringing in his ears. There was a new video feed on his computer. Glancing at the security feed, he saw that someone had set up a sort of control center in the garage. Wires criss-crossed between the monitors and blinking machines, disappearing into carefully concealed access points in the floor and wall. Tim and Barbara were camped in the center of it all, but everyone crowded together when they heard he was awake.

“How are you feeling B?” Dick asked. He and Damian had returned, bringing Cassandra, Tim, and Barbara with them. The growing number of people camping in the garage was perplexing, especially when he wanted everyone to stay away for their safety.

He tried to say he was fine, but his voice wouldn’t work. He devolved into a coughing fit. It took a good minute to catch his breath afterwards. He wished he didn’t have to see the looks of worry on their faces.

“There’s a nebulizer outside the door in the sanitizing chamber. Leslie provided some medicine that might help,” Tim said.

“Jason made some soup, too,” Stephanie added.

“Alfred’s worried about you living on whatever freeze-dried nonperishable shit you have in there.”

“Language, Todd.”

“Can you get up, or should I bring it to you?” Barbara asked.

“No,” Bruce croaked, the panic oozing through him.

“Relax Bruce, we have a robot we can send in,” Tim reassured him. “We won’t get anywhere near you.”

“We have thought of everything, Father. Do not resist this care.”

Barbara tapped a few keys on her keyboard, and Bruce heard the lock on the door slide. A moment later, the mechanical whirring of wheels grew gradually louder. A multi-tiered platform rolled into the room. A sealed bowl of soup sat on one shelf, the condensation on the lid indicating it had been packaged some time ago. Someone had placed a few bottles of water next to it. A portable nebulizer sat below it with a bag of medication and supplements from Leslie’s clinic.

“You should let me drive that sometime,” Stephanie whispered to Tim as the robot came to a stop. The lock on the door clicked back into place in the other room.

“When you get a chance,” Tim said, “I have a few questions about the data you gathered from the test site.”

“Hang on there, Timmy. The guy just woke up. Let him eat his soup in peace.”

“This is a time-sensitive issue, Todd. The sooner we get information, the sooner we can stop these terrorists and help Father.”

“Eat, then questions,” Cassandra insisted.

“I agree,” Dick declared. Bruce could see the intention to argue further leave his siblings. Did he know how influential he was over them? “The League and half of our contacts are working on this. We can spare twenty minutes to let Bruce eat in peace.”

“It’s time for patrol anyway,” Jason announced, pushing himself away from the crowd. “Demon Spawn, you’re coming with me. All this motor traffic may have caused some curiosity and suspicion.”

“From what? Mountain goats?” he scoffed, but he followed Jason out of the garage. Bruce was surprised he hadn’t commented on the nickname.

“Clean plate club,” Cassandra said, looking straight at Bruce through the camera. She was serious enough to make him chuckle, but his throat couldn’t muster the sound. She followed her brothers out to patrol.

“I’m going to see if I can boost our signal now that there are seventeen machines trying to use our network,” Tim announced. “Want to help me, Steph?”

“Sure.” She skipped to catch up with him as he headed for the exit.

“No making out until you’re done,” Barbara called. “I want to see results!”

“You’re one to talk,” Stephanie teased before she and Tim disappeared.

That just left Dick and Barbara, the original Robin and Batgirl. Bruce opened the soup under their watchful eyes, moving carefully with his slow limbs. He knew they were waiting for him to say something, but they also knew to give him time. He didn’t mind their scrutiny as he sipped his soup, unable to handle more than little gulps with his sore throat and labored breaths. They would read into every movement he made to extrapolate how far the virus had progressed. Bruce wondered how much they had shared with the others.

“Gotham?” he whispered when the soup had soothed enough of his throat to give him a voice.

“Duke, Kate, Luke, and Harper are taking care of things. Alfred is coordinating from the Batcave. Dick reached out to Zatanna, and she’ll be around for backup. Everything’s under control.”

“You, on the other hand, have definitely looked better.” Concern was written all over Dick’s face.

“Have we found them yet?” he deflected, always dodging questions, always hiding behind the mask.

“The League has narrowed the attack down to three targets,” Dick shared. “They’re en route to stop it as we speak.”

“DC, Moscow, Shanghai,” Barbara listed, anticipating his follow-up question. She always was sharp. “A strike force already went to their base in the Canadian Rockies and cleared it out. This should all be over in an hour.”

So the end was in sight. No wonder everyone was so tense and had sought things to do while they waited. No wonder they had gathered together since they couldn’t be part of the counterstrike. He set down his spoon and focused on his breathing. He’d never been good at waiting on the sidelines either. His nonexistent appetite was gone.

“The comms,” he wheezed, reaching for the keyboard.

“No,” Barbara replied, her fingers typing some sequence that locked everything on his computer except the video feed. “You have to keep your heart rate steady. Any excitement will spread the virus faster.”

“There’s nothing you can do, B. Let the others handle it.”

He knew they were right, but he hated not knowing what was going on. He hated not having any control over it. He had never been good at relinquishing control, and now he had no choice. His body wasn’t responding the way it should, and his children had ignored every order to stay away. His control was falling apart.

“Hey,” Barbara said, pulling his mind back to the present, “don’t keep that spoon idle. You don’t want to disappoint Cass.”

Bruce obeyed and brought the spoon to his mouth, letting the soup trickle down his throat without tasting it.

“Antidote?” He didn’t trust his heavy tongue to form a full sentence coherently.

“Last we heard, they were analyzing an active sample to make sure they didn’t miss anything. They should have it done soon.”

“Leslie was a big help,” Dick said. “Tim sent her your tests and notes because, and I quote, ‘Barry is great but he usually works with dead bodies, and I’d like the expertise of someone who works on keeping them alive’. It was a good call.”

Bruce tried to chuckle again, but instead he coughed. With the stiffness of his lungs and muscles, he was left gasping for oxygen. His body wasn’t working right. He coughed again, and coughed and coughed and coughed. He heard Dick and Barbara calling to him through the monitor but he couldn’t stop coughing. He couldn’t get oxygen fast enough. His vision blurred, and the ringing in his ears grew louder, or maybe it was the shouting? He couldn’t tell anymore. It was just pain and coughing until his diaphragm ceased up and he couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe. This was how it would end.

He couldn’t breathe.

He could only pray his kids wouldn’t enter the room and get infected.

Everything went dark.

-----

Bruce came to with the disorienting feeling that he shouldn’t. His throat felt raw and his limbs felt heavy, but he could swallow and move. His body was tired, but his lungs filled with air without hesitation. His heart was beating. He had control.

He opened his eyes slowly. He was still in the Montana safehouse. Somehow he had been moved to the bed. He could hear the soft hums and beeps of medical equipment, as well as a low murmur of voices. The smell of cooking reached his nose. He was hungry.

Bruce carefully sat up so he could get a better look around. A pile of portable cots and sleeping bags had turned up in a corner. So had a rather large TV on which Dick and Damian were currently playing Cheese Viking. Tim was on his laptop on the couch, and Stephanie leaned against him, napping quietly. Barbara and Cassandra were at the table working on some language exercises. Jason and Duke were working in the kitchen under the careful guidance of Alfred. It seemed impossible to fit so many people in the small safehouse, yet here they were.

Ever vigilant, Alfred turned as though sensing the movement of his patient.

“Ah, Master Bruce, you are awake.”

“Hey, looking good Bruce,” Duke greeted, waving a wooden spoon.

“Well what do you know,” Jason said, stepping away from the stove to get a better look at him. “You came through faster than I was expecting.”

“That stir fry needs your attention, Master Jason. The rest of you, occupy yourselves while I look him over. You’ll have a chance to say all you want over dinner.”

With minimal grumbling, everyone returned to what they had been doing. Alfred’s word was law, even when they had outgrown taking orders from Batman and Bruce Wayne.

“How do you feel, sir?” the butler asked, checking some readings on the monitor next to the bed and proceeding through the routine of a medical check.

“Alive,” he rasped. “What happened?”

“Mr. Allen and Mr. Stone were able to fabricate a cure. It was en route to you when you collapsed and arrived just in the nick of time. Of course, the others had all rushed to your aid and exposed themselves before then, so you’ve all been ordered to quarantine for a few weeks to monitor your recovery and eliminate any chance of further spread.”

“The bioterrorists?”

“Successfully thwarted and captured. Once again, the Justice League saves the day.”

“It’s over,” he sighed, relaxing against the wall. Alfred gave him a wry look.

“For the rest of the world, yes. For you, it’s only just started. Your body must recover from the toxins, and on top of that, you have eight very strong, very different personalities to live with in a small space. I expect it will be a bit challenging for you.”

Bruce looked around at everyone. The teasing and familial bickering were already on display. No matter how many times he told them to behave, they still got up to mischief.

“Like herding cats,” he sighed. Alfred chuckled.

“More like herding bats, sir.”

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singledarkshade · 3 years

Text

Magical Mix Up

Chapter Four

(Chapter Three can be found here)

Rip turned when Amy arrived at his side with a mug of tea. He took it with a slight smile before placing it on the table beside the courier he was building. It was not easy doing it from memory with his currently fuzzy brain, but he was getting there. Once he finished it then the next part would be to tune it to the frequency of the Waverider’s engines and time travel matrix, which would be the really tricky part. However, the Doctor seemed convinced he could help with that. Rip had to admit that this was an interesting ship, there seemed to be no obvious pattern to the layout, and the tech was beyond his own. He would love to spend some time investigating it.

“How are you doing?” Amy asked softly when she placed a plate with some chocolate biscuits next to him.

Rip looked up at her and could see the worry in her eyes for her husband, “Hopefully I should be finished soon. Normally I could make this quicker but after my last trip through the vortex I’m a little slower than I usually am.”

Amy laughed, “You seem to be doing alright.”

Sighing Rip shrugged, “This is familiar to me. Making things and fixing things always helped me relax when I was stressed.”

“So, you make a lot of things that let you travel in time?” Amy asked amused.

Rip laughed softly, “Actually, yes.” He could see she wanted to ask and decided to help ease her mind, “I was raised by an organisation called the Time Masters who trained me to guard the timeline. My ship, the Waverider, is more than likely where your husband is being held. I know that ship better than anyone because I basically rebuilt it. Multiple times in fact.”

“Is Rory safe there?”

Rip nodded, “He will be. If they think he’s me with missing memories then they’ll be trying to get him to remember,” he gave an amused smile, “If a friend of mine is still with the team then I’m hoping he’ll work out Rory isn’t me. If he doesn’t, I will never let him forget.”

Amy smiled at him, and squeezed his hand, “We’ll get you home too.”

“Thank you, Amy.”

Amy left her husband’s double to work while she went to check in with the Doctor. Spending time with Rip, she could see the differences that only someone who knew one of them well would and hoped one of the people who had grabbed Rory was able to see them too.

“Doctor,” she called, finding him with his head buried in the chest he kept in the console room, “What are you looking for?”

He looked up, dazed slightly at the movement, before replying, “Rip needs some elion crystals for his version of the vortex manipulator. I know I have a few but can’t quite find the bag.”

The end of his sentence was slightly muffled as he stuck his head in the box once more. Amy winced as she heard things clattering and smashing before the Doctor emerged with a small black velvet pouch in his hand.

“Found them,” he cried, bouncing to his feet, “Come on, Pond. Let’s pass these to our guest.”

Amy followed him, finally asking, “Doctor?”

“Yes?”

“Surely you know how to make one of these,” Amy noted, “So, why let him do it?”

The Doctor stalled and turned to her, “Because this is his technology, I don’t have the precise knowledge he does, and it won’t be as accurate for tracking the ship. Besides he obviously needs something to do, and I don’t want him messing with the TARDIS.”

He started walking again, stalling once more when Amy asked, “So are Time Masters and Time Lords related somehow?”

Turning to her, he demanded, “Time Masters?”

“That’s who Rip said raised him,” Amy explained, confused as the Doctor slammed his hand to his cheek with wide-eyed astonishment.

“Of course, he’s that Rip Hunter,” the Doctor shook his head before starting to walk again, “Well that explains the knowledge of time travel devices.”

“You know a lot of people called Rip Hunter?” Amy sighed, even more confused.

Amy managed to catch up just before the Doctor entered the small room Rip was using.

“Here,” the Doctor place the pouch beside the other man, “Elion crystals.”

Rip nodded and gently slid several out onto the table, quickly finding one that fit his requirements. Amy and the Doctor watched him place it in the casing before finishing the final few connections and snapping it shut, “Done.”

“Excellent,” the Doctor said, “Let’s get to the control room and we can use that, along with the trail we followed to find Rory.”

Rip was relieved he managed to create the new courier so quickly. And he was right, sitting here working on it made him relax so his mind felt clearer. Following the Doctor and Amy through the corridors of the ship, he tried to work out what kind of vessel it was. There were no windows showing space or the time stream, not to mention there was no flow to the corridors. Stepping into the control room, Rip knew the Doctor’s technology was leagues ahead of the Waverider.

“Okay,” the Doctor brought up several schematics, “This is the original energy trace we detected in the hospital where Rory works,” he pointed to the top line, “And this is the one that found you,” he pointed to the bottom line.

Rip nodded and checking the information began to calibrate the courier, happy that it only took a few minutes before he found it.

“Got it,” he smiled at the nervously bouncing Amy.

The Doctor pulled out a long wire and offered it to him, “Plug it in and we’ll follow the trail to give us a destination.”

Rip followed the instruction then moved to join the Doctor and Amy at the other screen. Hope filled him when they got a lock and the screen lit up showing a pathway through the timestream to…

“Ancient Rome,” the Doctor said, “Oh that is unfortunate.”

Confused, Rip asked, “Why?”

“Because Rory and Rome,” Amy sighed, “Are not a good combination.”

*********************************************

Rory groaned as he managed to pull himself up out of the awkward angle he’d been thrown into. Thankfully he had no broken bones, and nothing seemed to be bleeding. Looking around he saw that the door to his cell was now open. Rory eased his way out of the room watching for any of the people who had put him in there.

He could hear shouts from nearby, from the small snatches he could hear it sounded as though someone was trapped. Part of Rory wanted to go help but he knew that if he did then he would end up back in the cell once more. The nurse part of him was shoved to the back as the Centurion took control and heading away from the group, he was relieved to find an exit to the ship which was half open. Climbing onto the crates sitting in the room, Rory managed to squeeze out of the door and quickly looked around. There were some rocks not far from where he was, and he ran towards them quickly. Reaching a safe haven, for now, Rory turned and stared in amazement at the ship in front of him. Blinking as it suddenly disappeared, Rory realised they must have fixed a few things and would soon be looking for him.

Luckily just beyond the rocks where he was hiding were several trees that he could use as cover to find himself a safe space. Moving quickly Rory reached the trees and hugged the tree line to give him as much protection as possible. Reaching the edge, he walked a few feet beyond finding he was on a hill and looking down relief filled him.

The Centurion was home.

Sara sighed in relief when they managed to release Jax from the engine room finding he wasn’t injured and Zari called down to let them know she’d managed to fix the shielding so the ship wouldn’t be visible, wherever they were.

“Is everyone okay?” John asked.

“Zari was a little banged up,” Sara told him, “But I’m okay, Jax?”

Jax nodded, “I’ve been better but I’m fine. You?”

“Yeah,” John shrugged, before asking, “What about Rip?”

Sara’s eyes widened and she darted off to the cells without replying, hearing the two men following her. Reaching the open door, she skidded to a halt finding an empty cell.

“That’s not good,” Jax grimaced.

Taking a slow breath Sara turned to them, “John, you come with me and we’ll look for him, he can’t have got far. Jax, you and Zari fix the ship. Focus on making sure we can secure Rip once we find him again.”

Jax nodded and Sara grimaced, this was the last thing they needed with the ship out of order but turning to John she said, “Let’s go.”

*********************************************

“Bollocks.”

Cisco turned in surprise to where Gideon was sitting at the unexpected swearing coming from the former AI.

“What?” he asked.

Gideon let out an annoyed sigh, “The Legends obviously did not follow my instructions implicitly and skipped a few steps. Therefore, the engines fired and threw them through the time stream.”

Cisco grimaced, “That is bad.”

“Extremely,” she frowned, “This means my ship has crashed in the past, very possibly contaminating the timeline.”

“Can you track it?” Cisco moved to her side.

Gideon smiled at him smugly, “Of course I can, Mr Ramon. I ensured one of the steps they would not skip implanted a trail for the time sphere to follow.”

“So, where are they?” Cisco asked.

“Rome,” Gideon brought up the details, “Neither of our outfits are suitable for the time-period. We need attire that will not draw attention and possibly some weapons that we can conceal but access easily. Just in case.”

Cisco frowned, “Not sure where we can get that. We don’t have a fabricator or a seamstress on call.”

“A costume shop will suffice,” Gideon noted, “And I can make adjustments.”

“Okay,” Cisco said, “Let’s get things together, so we can go find them. I should probably call Barry.”

Gideon shook her head, “There is only room for two of us in the time-sphere and I may need your expertise to get the Waverider fixed.”

“Okay,” Cisco nodded, before murmuring softly, “This is going to be fun.”

Gideon finished inputting the co-ordinates for the Waverider while Cisco pulled together outfits and supplies that they required. Sitting alone in the time travel device her dear Captain had created as they sat watching an empty part of space waiting for time pirates that were possibly going to arrive sometime within the next month. He was bored, driving her crazy with his continual tinkering and finally suggested he perhaps work on some theories of what Time Masters could use in addition to their ships.

He’d designed the sphere and the time courier over those few weeks. It made her smile to think of him. Rip Hunter had been a handful and it was almost impossible at times to keep him in one piece, but she missed him deeply.

It hurt more in this form, an emptiness that she knew would never be filled but Gideon would keep his memory alive in her and continue to protect the timeline as he would want.

Closing her eyes, Gideon thought of the kiss they’d shared and wondered how different it would be in this form. Shaking herself, she focussed once more on ensuring the time-sphere was ready for their journey. She had no time to be sentimental, no time to wish things ha been different and no time to imagine the impossible.

The Legends, the team her Captain had asked her to watch over, needed help and that was what she would focus on.

No matter how much she wanted to dwell on other things.

#fic #legends of tomorrow #rip hunter #gideon #sara lance #jefferson 'jax' jackson #doctor who #rory williams #amy pond #eleventh doctor #the flash #cisco ramon #crossover

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