#I’m going to end up begrudgingly doing it myself aren’t I? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ficmashup · 3 months

Text

A Trip to Scotland

Summary: You join TF141 after something happened on your last deployment. They take you in and while it takes some time, you find yourself warming up to them, and them to you. Perhaps especially to the Captain.

A/N: Sort of sequel to Taken, but this is the trip to Scotland (obviously, given the title) but I'm gonna let it stand along as it's own thing. Nearly panicked this week because my laptop charger died on me and had to immediately order another, but so relieved to have my writing back again. So this is a bit of a celebration. Don't think I'm quite done with G and Price yet, but I might write for someone else soon. Still thinking on it. ;)

Warnings: Hm, language? Fluff. Not many warnings this go round. Not beta'd.

Word Count: 4.5K

Masterlist

“So what exactly should I be preparing myself for?” I ask as I tuck away a few folded clothes into my duffel with a glance to John sitting on the chest at the end of the bed. We’re back home and I’m packing a few last-minute things before heading out for my flight. It took the entire few days to convince Soap that I didn’t need him at my side 24/7 to ferry me home, then to Scotland. So he’s already there eagerly awaiting the time to pick me up from the airport. At least according to the dozen text messages he’s already sent me today.

John smiles and shakes his head. “Soap’s family is alright. A bit much all at once, but they’re good people and I’ve little doubt you’ll get along.” There’s laughter in his voice that makes me raise a brow at him, but I let it slide. I’m sure I’ll find out what he means soon enough. I zip up my bag and he’s instantly on his feet to take it before I even touch the handles. My eyes roll even as I smile and begrudgingly take my crutch to shuffle into the kitchen.

“Three older sisters, right?” I ask as I settle on a stool and John sets my bag by the door.

He nods and moves towards me. “Three older sisters. He’s the baby, which explains a lot.” I smirk as he stops next to me and I reach out, pulling him closer by the hem of his shirt. His smile sweetens and his hand lifts, pushing my hair back as his thumb brushes over my cheek. “I’ll miss this.” He says softly, almost unintentionally, and I smile as I lean into his touch.

“Mm. The feeling is mutual.” This thing between us is still so new and shiny, I’d be happy sitting and staring at him do literally anything. Which is another reason why this little separation is a good idea. If I get any sappier, then I’m going to make myself sick. “I’ll text you updates and call you when I can?” I say the last part a bit hesitantly, not sure if it’s too much too soon.

“Sounds good. Good luck finding a moment alone in that house though.” He says with a smirk and once again I’m struck by the notion that he’s not telling me all that he could. My mouth opens to ask when there’s a knock at the door. My brows furrow and I become even more suspicious when John’s smile widens. “I’ll get it.” He presses a kiss to my lips and lingers a bit as my fingers curl into his shirt. He hums softly against my mouth and the pressure of the kiss increases before he pulls away, his hand kneading my skin lightly before he reluctantly walks to the door. I watch with a smirk before the door opens and surprise makes my expression go blank.

Simon shakes Price’s hand before looking at me with smug humor in his eyes. “Ready for our flight, G?”

I raise a brow as my eyes go wide. “Our flight? You’re shitting me.” I look between both men who simply smirk. My accusing gaze settles heavy on John. “Who was it that decided that I needed babysitting on a fucking hour long flight?” There’s no heat in my tone, but it gives me some pleasure to see Price shift his weight onto his back foot.

“Majority vote, G. Aren’t you glad for my company?” Simon teases flatly and it’s at least a treat to see his eyes sparkling so brightly. Even if it is at my expense.

“Mm. It’s nice having a pack mule, I suppose.” I tease him right back as he grabs my bag and easily heaves it over his shoulder with a roll of his eyes. My gaze goes back to John. “Suppose you can walk us out then, Captain.” I emphasize his title, letting him know that with Simon here, that’s the only goodbye that he’s going to get. He chuckles and ducks out next to Simon while I lock the door behind me.

“Go on, we’ll go slow and meet you outside.” Price pats Simon on the shoulder and he doesn’t pause, happy to keep moving on a mission as he slips down the stairs. My head shakes even as I smile and tuck my keys away as we move slowly down the hall.

“You realize that out of everyone, he probably already knows.” I say quietly and wrap my arm around his, letting him support me more than the crutch as we take our time walking down the hall.

John smiles and half-shrugs a shoulder. “Probably, yes. But he’s the least likely to say something as long as he knows we want things quiet.” He reaches forward and presses the button for the lift, his smile widening when he hears my impatient sigh at having to wait for the tiny box. If I could walk, I’d be headed for the stairs after Simon.

“You’re still happy with that?” I glance up at him as there’s a little ding and we step onto the lift.

He meets my gaze. “I am. But I’m glad to talk it through if you’ve changed your mind.”

My head shakes and I take the time to let my fingers rub over the inside of his arm, taking in the feeling of his skin. “No, I like the way things are. Though we should talk about what we’ll say…eventually.” There’s little doubt in my mind that they’ll figure things out sooner rather than later. Although we might last a little longer if Simon decides to work with us and throw the others off the scent.

“Something to think about while we’re apart.” He sounds a touch disgruntled this time and even though I feel the same, I do get a little thrill at knowing he’ll miss me.

“So…are you going to kiss me before the lift stops?” I relish the surprise that widens his eyes, then the cute crinkling of his eyes as he turns towards me. He reaches out and presses the buttons for the last few floors so we’ll make a stop at each one.

He turns towards me and I can’t help smiling as he tilts my chin up. “Do you want me to?”

“What do you think?” I keep my voice low and cloying, unable to help teasing him as he stoops a bit so his lips are an inch from mine. We take small, slow steps back until I can feel the wall behind me and my hand claims the handrail to keep me steady on one foot.

“Like hearing you tell me yes.” He murmurs and I breathe in that distinct scent of cigars as he practically speaks onto my lips.

“Pretty sure you hear me chirp ‘yes sir’ almost every day at work.” I whisper back, smirking as my other hand rests on his side to pull him closer, feeling his heat searing my hand through his shirt.

His head shakes, his nose almost brushing mine with each movement. “Not the same. Like hearing you ask me for things. Like giving you what you want.” Warmth fills my chest at the simple, sweet sentiment. I know the words will loop in my head later when I’m alone in bed, wandering if he’s the same way in other areas.

“And I like making you wait.” I tease again and my toes curl at the deep, rumbling laugh that makes his chest vibrate.

“You’re about to make both of us wait for two weeks. Can’t take it easy on me this once?” He raises a brow and I grin, pulling him in and pressing my lips to his. As always, his mouth is soft and warm on mine and fills me with slow heat with every touch. It’s easy and slow and I like that he takes his time making me melt into his hands. My head tilts to give him permission to deepen the kiss and he pauses for a moment, making sure I mean it, then pushes in again.

His hands frame my face and my stomach flips when I feel his calluses sliding against my skin. My lips part as I feel nothing but the wall behind me and the intense heat of him in front of me. His tongue tentatively glides over my bottom lip and I melt even further against him, pulling on his shirt as a silent plea for more. I’m only vaguely aware of the first ding of the lift as it stops and the door opens, but John treats this as a warning that our time is becoming shorter. This is new territory for us and it makes me think I may have underestimated how he might feel about being apart for two weeks. “So sweet f’me.” He mumbles into my mouth before giving me another firm kiss.

I huff softly, making a fist in his shirt as the doors close and the lift moves again. “Mean to tease like this before I leave.”

He smiles and I like tasting it. “You asked for it.”

“I asked for a kiss.”

“And I gave you one.”

“That was…more than a kiss.”

“Are you disapproving?”

The doors ding before opening again and I know the next time they open, we’ll have to get off. “No. I am debating on what it might take for Simon to let us do this in the back of the car on the way to the airport.” His eyes widen for a moment, then he’s laughing and I’m soaking in the sound.

“Hm, don’t think he’d put up with that, sugar. Tempting as it is.” His thumbs brush over my cheeks before reluctantly stepping back after making sure I’m steady on my feet.

“Pity.” I sigh and straighten out his shirt with a smirk as we come to the bottom floor and walk out. Simon has already tossed my back in the back and has a hand on the passenger side door. My head shakes, but I walk over and let him open my door, pretending not to notice his hand hovering over the small of my back as I slide in the seat. He and Price shake hands and pat each other’s shoulders before he continues to walk around to the driver’s side. My eyes soften as I look out at Price and give him a playful salute to see him smile before we pull out.

* * *

It becomes clear to me almost immediately that Simon isn’t a fan of public flights. It’s not a surprise given the cramped space filled with people, my head is on a swivel too, but we quickly fall into an easy pattern of covering for the other. If one of us needs to talk to someone, then the other moves behind and watches their back. It affords the both of us a little extra comfort and it’s easy letting him carry our bags. I think he likes having the added weight to steady him and it does make it easier for me to walk.

As we settle into our seats and my hand slides over his arm to try and leech out some of the stiffness, I’m not sure whether he was actually sent to help me or for me to help him. I reach into my carry on and immediately perk up when I find a little bag of hard candies inside. John or Kyle slipped them in there no doubt. I take one for myself, then offer the bag to Simon. He laxes a bit and smirks, accepting the offering and popping it into his mouth.

“You’ve been here before, yeah?” I ask softly, incredibly thankful that there’s no one else in our row.

He nods and moves the candy into his cheek. “Scotland or the MacTavish’s?”

My eyes roll. “Pretty sure you’d have to have been to Scotland in order to have been to the MacTavish’s.”

“Mm. There a question in there?” He shifts in his seat, frowning at the lack of space for his broad body.

“What do you think of them?” I fish for a little information, maybe what John didn’t want to tell me, and also just to keep his discomfort level low.

The frown on his face fades as the corner of his mouth twitches and amusement glimmers in his eyes. “They’re good people. A lot like Soap in all the best ways. A bit noisy when you first meet all of them, especially if they bring their families and little ones, but eventually it becomes a pleasant buzz in the background.”

My brows furrow. “How many people are going to be there?”

His smile widens a touch. “The entire family gets together on the weekends, so you’ll meet everyone.” I breathe out, long and slow, promising myself that John will be getting an earful about leaving out that particular detail. Especially since it’s Saturday, so I’m really being shoved into the lion’s den.

* * *

Simon knocks on the front door before deftly moving behind me as it swings open to reveal a grinning Soap. “G! Glad you finally—”

“Is that the famous G we’ve heard so much about?” A voice cuts him off and she sounds like an older woman, probably his mother. My eyebrows raise at hearing that I’m apparently famous. I’m not sure whether to be worried or flattered.

“Get her in here! I’ve been dying to meet her!”

“JJ, you’re blocking the entire doorframe with your fat head. Move over!”

I’m assaulted by a chorus of women’s voices before someone slides over and bumps Soap with her hip while holding a baby on the other side. She’s probably in her upper thirties. “Well, let her in! Thought the military was supposed to teach you manners?” Her smile is wide and pretty, like Soap’s, and her dark curly hair is wild even though it’s cut at her jaw. Just out of reach from the baby in her arms. “Come on in, G, we’ve heard so much about you. Glad you made it too, Simon.” She practically shoves Soap out of the way to make room for Simon and I to step in. He keeps to my back and I’m not sure if it’s to make sure that I don’t fall over or to make sure I don’t turn right back around.

“Thanks for havin’ me.” Simon says and the woman shakes her head as if he says this every time and it isn’t necessary. Decorations from the winter holidays are still up and most every other surface is covered with a toy, a child, or another family member. I release a long breath and feel Simon brace a hand high on my back as if reminding me I have back-up.

“I’m Shiloh.” The woman with wild curls introduces herself while easily holding her kid with an arm and offering her free hand to me. I shake it with what I hope is a smile. “It’s so good to finally meet you.”

“Pleasure meeting you all as well.” I manage to respond as another woman pops up from sitting on the floor amongst the kids. She has wild curls too, but her hair has a red tint and she’s a touch shorter. Probably mid-thirties.

“Sorry, we know it’s a lot when you first come in, but we’re so happy you’re here!” She shakes my hand with a bit more vigor, her smile bright and wide with sparkling eyes. “You were all JJ talked about when you joined the team and we’re glad you turned out to have a brain.” She gives Simon a pointed look and I’m pretty sure he smothers a chuckle at the firm look. “I’m Shaye, by the way.”

“Let the woman sit, she shouldn’t be on her leg!” An older woman with greying russet hair and round curves waves everyone away as she walks over to me and my eyes go wide as she frames my face with her hands. She’s short and I have to lean down a bit as she draws me close. “It’s so good to have you here with us, lass. So good.” And I can tell she means the sentiment as her eyes crinkle at the sides as she appraises me. She plants a firm kiss to my cheek before reaching behind me and patting Simon’s cheek, then stepping back. “I’m John’s mother. Call me Grace. His father is out back with the rest of the riff raff, but they’ll be in a little later. Go on, pick a place to settle and we’ll kick out whoever is sitting there.”

“Good luck getting Uncle Mick out of his seat.” Soap mutters to Shaye and she grins while looking over at a man snoring softly in an armchair. I’m only half aware of walking over to what seems like the least obtrusive seat, a stool at the counter overlooking the kitchen, and Simon settles next to me. He immediately pulls my foot into his lap to make sure I keep it elevated while I give him a sharp look that only makes him smirk.

“My youngest girl is out trying to wrangle the men into actually cookin’ things on time, but the meal’ll be done soon enough. Just make yourself at home.” Grace says warmly before flitting around the kitchen once again.

“Smells good as always.” Simon says and earns a wide smile from her and an eyeroll from Soap standing beside him. The room is filled with soft conversation and it’s a relief that no one tries to pull me into any for a while. I’m allowed to sit and survey while my mind sorts through the faces, the sounds, and the comforting mess accompanying a large family. There are two toddlers on the floor and a baby passed between the few milling around the room. Apparently, there are more kids out back with their dads and another baby only a few months old, but I’m content letting them come to me rather than seeking them out.

Eventually everyone filters inside and I get to meet Soap’s youngest sister, Siobhan, whose cheeks are rosy from the chill outside. Her eyes light up the second she sees me and she rushes over, stopping just a second before crashing into me to shake my hand. She’s got to be close to Soap’s age. “You must be G! Thanks for keeping my brother in one piece out there.” She winks at me, her bubbly attitude sobering a touch. “It’s a real comfort for all of us knowing he’s got another person watching his back.” Her hand squeezes my arm before she’s called away and I stare after her, feeling warm and surprised.

I feel Ghost’s eyes on me and glance at him to see his eyes crinkled slightly with a soft smile. He nods once. It was like this for him too, then. “I’m gonna give you all such shit for not warning me about all this sooner.” I mutter under my breath, obviously not meaning a word, and he chuckles softly.

“Looking forward to it.” He returns with a twinkle in his eye.

Soap walks over with a fussing baby swaddled up in his arms, this must be the one that had been outside, and slaps Simon’s shoulder. “Dad wants you for a minute.” Simon nods and gently gets up to his feet as Soap takes his place on the stool holding my ankle. I huff.

“Pretty sure there are plenty of children here for you to babysit. I’m fine here.” They glance at one another before shrugging and doing exactly the same thing that they were doing. My head shakes, but I don’t bother objecting more.

“John, can you grab that for me?” His mother asks from the kitchen and he hesitates, looking at me.

I wave him on with a little roll of my eyes. “Promise I won’t move from this spot.” I swear and he smirks before hopping up and setting my foot slowly on the stool so I’m not jostled. He pauses another second and my stomach swirls at seeing the mischief building in his eyes as he steps close and ever so gently lowers the baby into my stiff arms. My head instantly starts shaking as she squawks and her face pinches at the exchange. “Johnny, don’t you dare—”

“Only for a minute, G. Just don’t stand up because you have poor balance right now. Wouldn’t want to risk the bearn.” He grins at me and slides into the kitchen while I stare down at the tiny human now in my arms. I…I’m actually not sure if I’ve ever held a baby in my life. I shift her a bit and pull her close with my arms firm but not too tight around her. She coos and I instinctively start swaying a little in my seat.

“I know, I’m sorry your mean Uncle Soap gave you to some strange lady. A very not cool uncle thing of him to do.” I whisper softly, feeling her weight and warmth sink into my chest. Her blinks get a little slower and I can’t help smiling down at her. Maybe this isn’t too bad. “Must be pretty nice getting held and rocked all the time. Take advantage of it while you can.” I relax a little more and lean back in my seat while continuing to bounce her a little until her eyes are shut and her little mouth is left open. I wonder briefly if this is how Johnny looked as a baby and my smile widens at the thought.

Soap comes back over, but doesn’t reach for her so I don’t make a move to give her back. “Seems you’ve got the special touch. She usually fights sleep a bit harder.”

“Mm. Bet you weren’t this cute when you were a baby.” I tease and he grins, shaking his head.

“Agreed. Especially with the tiny mohawk. Probably stuck up all over the place.” I laugh softly, careful not to move or make too much noise.

Shiloh comes over and Soap makes space for her as she sighs with relief. “Thank god you got her down. We were a few minutes off from full screamin’.” Still, she smiles softly as she looks down at the little bundle.

“Why don’t you head up early tonight? The bearns’ll be looked after.” Soap encourages softly and the warmth in my chest only spreads when I recognize the same tone he used with me to get me to go to bed after a hard mission.

She smiles and sways into him. “You and my husband, I swear. But I know you’re just trying to get me away from G before I tell her what an idiot you were when you were younger.” Her hand musses his hair and he ducks away with a small groan.

“More of an idiot than now?” I ask with a brow lifting and Soap gives me a disapproving look that I grin at.

Shiloh nods. “Oh yeah. We once convinced him that we could all fly but him and he jumped off the roof to try and prove that he could too. Broke his arm.” She giggles while my eyes go wide and I choke while trying swallow my laughter. Soap sighs and tosses his arms in the air, subtly showing her his middle finger out of sight from his mother as he walks away.

The evening goes on and eventually I’m relieved of my babysitting duties only to find Simon across the room with a plastic screwdriver in his hand being instructed by one of the young boys. He’s utterly patient and seems to be taking his task quite seriously. I might snap a picture or two to show John later and for Simon to keep. I think he’d like having them.

Dinner is as raucous as I expected it to be, but I’m a bit more used to it now. The noise is joyous and the room is filled with loud voices and laughter. This isn’t something I’ve ever had and it helps to have Simon beside me as a steady, familiar anchor. But it’s nice. I like the way they argue with grins on their faces, how they laugh without restraint, how warm and welcoming everyone is.

Afterward, I manage to slip outside and I’m greeted by the cool night air. I hadn’t realized how hot the house had gotten with all the people inside. I pull out my phone as I sit on the front porch and call John, smiling when it only rings once before he picks up. “Hey, sugar. How’s it going?” Just the sound of his voice makes me feel a little fuzzy inside.

“It’s good. They’re a lot like I thought they’d be, but…more.”

He chuckles and I imagine him stretching out on his couch, leaned back against the cushions with his hands resting on his spread thighs. “That describes the MacTavish’s pretty well, I think. Never could do anything half-heartedly.”

“Mm. I haven’t been around a family like this in a long time. Since before I joined the military. It’s a little jarring being around so many kids all at once.” I lean against the step behind me, resting an elbow on the cold wood while staring up at the starry sky. It is beautiful out here.

“Simon said the same thing the first time he went.” He hums with amusement. “A bit less nicely though. Think it went something like ‘so many fuckin’ kids.’” We both chuckle while I nod. Yeah, that sounds about right.

“I like seeing him with them. He could use more playtime in his life.” I grin at the thought of buying him a little plastic toolkit to carry around with him. “I might’ve snuck a few pictures without him seeing.”

“Oh yeah? Don’t think you’re the only one.” There’s a little ding from my phone and I put him on speaker as I look at my messages. There’s a picture waiting there of me holding the baby, a soft smile on my face as I stare down at her. Soap is in the kitchen, so Simon must’ve taken it. Cheeky bastard. “Look pretty comfy in that picture, sugar.”

I smile and shrug as if he can see me. “Not sure if I’ve ever held a baby before. Don’t think I have and Soap was only using her as a reason to keep me sitting. But I liked holding her. I think I like it here, actually. Only thing missing is you.” My cheeks get a little hot when I realize what I said, but I only hear John’s soft hum of approval.

“Wish I was there too, sugar. But I like hearing that you’re enjoying yourself and getting some rest. It’s well-deserved.”

“You deserve rest too. Better not neglect yourself while I’m away.”

He laughs softly and I let the sound fill me with warmth. “Yes, ma’am. Call me again tomorrow?”

“I will. Night.”

“Night, sugar.”

We hang up and I stay outside for a few moments longer, breathing in the crisp air and appreciating the stars. It’s only when Soap comes to get me that I shuffle inside straight into a fire warmed blanket that Simon instantly swaddles me in before sitting me in an armchair close to the flickering fireplace. Yeah, I could really learn to like this place.

Tags (Hello, lovelies. As always, tell me if you'd like to be removed or if anyone else wants to be tagged on G and Price's story!)--

@under-the-dirt @jj-ara33 @sorchateas @cherry-blosom-tree

@thriving-n-jiving @jinxxangel13 @emsstuff1 @missmidnight-writes @thereeallink @younggirlgenius @1wh4re1nova @ghostslillady @honeybeeznutz @00ops1e

105 notes · View notes

letters-from-dekarios · 14 hours

Note

(Jasper is a snarky drow wild-magic sorcerer/multiclassed rogue. He was pretty careless about his magic until meeting Gale, and his solutions to things still mostly ends up being ‘is it worth lockpicking, or should we just explode it and run?’ He’s closed-off and snippy with people he doesn’t know, but longs for connection at heart. It just… takes a while to get there. He’s quite awkward when he’s actually being open with people. When the two of them are alone, it’s one of the few times Jasper actually is fully himself.

Jasper is illiterate; never learned to read, but ‘begrudgingly’ lets Gale teach him slowly after the events of the game. Still not great, but getting there. While they do live together, Jasper still takes trips to the Underdark every now and again. This letter was written during one of his times there.)

Gale, hello.

(The handwriting drastically changes. While the above line is practically intended into the paper, the rest is written in neat cursive.)

The rest of this letter is being transcribed by Astarion because I don’t feel like sending you something that could be mistaken for a toddler’s journal. Then again, that’s what your handwriting can look like sometimes if you’re tired enough, so maybe you’d find it readable anyway.

What do people even write in letters, anyway? Hello, dearest Gale of Waterdeep, how farest thou in my absence? Psh, he’d laugh at that. He’s cute when he- wait, don’t write that down- hey, give me the-

(There’s some illegible scribbling after that.)

Anyway, Gale. How are your bookshelves? They’re probably dusty. You should dust them.

Did you eat food today? It’s dinnertime. It won’t be when you get this, though, I guess. Hm.

Ok, seriously, what am I supposed to say? Astarion note: He rambled for about five minutes about the uselessness of letters and small talk, darling, I’m not writing all of this down. He misses you, you’re both pathetically in love, it’s absolutely sickening, get a room.

Oh, right. Some of the mushroom people myconids gave me some stuff to bring back to you. I didn’t really stay long enough to figure out exactly what it all is since the whole mind speaking thing makes me nauseous, but there’s some amulet and a couple scrolls.

I also have not blown anything up yet. On purpose. Two explosive surges happened. Whether that’s good or bad is up for debate. There aren’t any of the explodey mushrooms around where I’m staying.

Pet Tara for me.

And if you look like you’ve pulled even one all-nighter when I get back, I’m dragging you to bed. Put your books down and go to sleep, wizard.

~ Jasper

(The name is signed in the same poor handwriting as the greeting)

P.S. Hello. Astarion again, absolute pleasure. Next time, send a scribe with him if you want to be penpals, or I’m going to start charging.

Sweet Jasper,

And Astarion, by default.

No matter the transcriber, you know I adore hearing from you. I’d spend countless nights decoding your handwriting if it meant our communication stayed strong during your nights away. And, for the record, I’m glad you think I’m cute when I laugh. You’re rather adorable when you laugh, too.

I have cleaned the tower in your absence, but it’s quickly returned to dust-filled madness since beginning a new project of mine. No matter, though, it’ll be spotless by the time you return. You’ll be happy to know I’m eating just fine, and Tara can vouch for me on such. She’d have a field day if I didn’t stop and have a meal now and then, no matter how deep I was into a tome.

Thank the Myconids for me. Their scrolls have proved to be rather helpful lately. It’s always a joy to receive new items from them. And, I am glad to hear you’ve not yet blown anything, or anyone for that matter, up! I would hate to have another incident occur and use all of our resurrection spells again. Those are pricey and hard to come by nowadays. Stay strong, darling, I know how much you desire to set fire to things.

I cannot guarantee the state of myself when you return. I’m awfully invested in my current tomes and you know how much I hate losing my place. But I will try, dear.

Enough about me. How are you? I hope your time in the Underdark is serving you well. Have you found anything of interest? I’ll be more than delighted to hear all about your adventure when you return home. The nights grow cold without you by my side, love. But I know how much your journey means to you.

I hope you’re eating well, also. Sleeping just as much, too. Send word when you aim to return home, I’ll have everything ready for you.

Be safe, my love. I hope to hear from you again, soon.

With all my love,

𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒌𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒔

Astarion, I thank you for your hard work with Jasper. You know the depths of my coin pouch. Name your price, though not too substantial- I’m not made of money, after all. But, I’d much rather you than a stranger scribe for him.

text reads: gale dekarios

8 notes · View notes

salsflore · 6 months

Text

no clue where i was trying to go with this but seeing him did something to me and i Had to do something about it. my hands were tied!!

wc: 871 I AM LOSING IT

disappointment stings her when she looks at him for the first time in a while, as he lies in bed bruised, even stitched up some places, with bandages all over his wounds. there’s a frustration building up in her fists as she balls them, and there’s bitterness in her throat when she tries to think of what to say.

mika carefully settles down into the empty chair beside his bed, and the sound of its creaking was enough to stir him awake. she hadn’t even been that loud.

when he comes to, realizing she’s there, a wave of guilt washes over him briefly. to be seen in such a sorry state — how embarrassing.

what was the point of trying to hide if she’d seek him out anyways? how did she even know he’d be here? he had a few quetions of his own, but he was almost scared to be the first to speak, in fear she’d blow up.

to be honest, there was so much she wanted to express too — but when he looked at her like that, it all flew out the window, offset by all her concern.

her gaze softens, and so does her voice.

‘why didn’t you listen to me? i told you not to go.’ repeats in her mind as she asks if he’s okay, reaching to carefully take his hand and give it a kiss, sighing in relief when she’s reaffirmed by the fact he’s real, and not a hallucination conjured up by her own desperation.

“well, i’m still in one piece, aren’t i?” childe laughs, relieved to know he was spared an earful, even if only temporarily. “don’t tell me you were actually worried? about little ol’ me?”

his reply, initially meant to reassure her, made it seem so inconsequential, and now her effort to suppress her anger is falling apart. “of.. of course i was worried. how could i not be?” there’s a lump forming in her throat, and she can barely stop herself from starting a whole rant.

“listen – i’m sorry,” he notices her upset [ of course, she’d never been that great at hiding her emotions ] and scooches over to make some room for her. “let me make it up to you?” childe offers, and she begrudgingly accepts, crawling in to fill up the small amount of space he had to offer.

“i’m alive, and you’re with me. isn’t that all that should matter, hm?” with his limited capacity for movement, all he can do is wrap an arm around her, pulling her the tiniest bit closer. “you don’t need to stress so much anymore.”

“that’s.. easy for you to say.”

“i hate that you always have to leave, and it kills me that i never know where you are. if you’re in danger, who you’re with — are you getting enough sleep? are you eating well? i’m just completely clueless, and i hate not being able to do a thing about it.” her voice gets quieter, “sometimes you’re even gone for so long that, for a while, i end up doubting you’ll come back.”

somehow, he’s feeling a little touched. this might’ve been the most honest she’d ever been with her feelings. childe pauses to think on what to say, and when he decides on it, sighs before he speaks.

“come on, trust me a little more. trust that i can look out for myself, trust that i’ll return — because i always will, you know. even if it means i have to crawl my way back to you.”

he kisses her once, and its magically enough to dissipate the anger that was beginning to bubble up. was she always this tractable?

“yeah? even when you’re six feet under?” there’s sarcasm in her tone, but he answers seriously.

“no, because that..” childe taps her nose, “will never happen!” and smiles when she grumbles, but doesn’t swat his hand away like usual. was it because she’s afraid it’d hurt? “why? because i’m far stronger than you think, my love.” the harbinger coos, beginning to run his hands through her hair.

it does wonders to soothe her, and mika almost despises how easy she was to pacify. with him, at least.

“..seriously? look at yourself. you reek of ointment.” she comments, and he rolls her eyes at her. right, he’s still yet to tell her much of what actually happened, or the details of how he ended up in this state — but he decides to keep it that way for now.

the explanation could come later, he thinks.

“w - well..” childe chuckles, “i’d say this one is different, given my opponent this time around was simply formidable! nothing like the likes of which you’ve ever seen.”

“don’t care. if i find you in this state again, i might just end up finishing you off on its behalf, seriously.”

“are you threatening me? don’t be like that. it won’t happen again, i swear!”

“..promise?”

“promise.”

#⠀monoceros caeli ✦ 21.11⠀#﹒﹒self indulgent writings #self ship #wow i have not posted mikachi fic in 10 years! i should do something about it. time to ruin my life

15 notes · View notes

jaimeshonorhardon · 6 months

Text

ned/jaime fic concept

modern au jaime post figuring out his trauma works at an animal shelter for dogs

Single dad Ned finds a bunch of “puppies” by the road and is like idk what kind these are and takes them to get checked and vetted up before taking them home and he goes to jaimes shelter and like he doesn’t expect him there and Jaime leaves him with a bad taste in his mouth but like his kids will love these puppies and is like hey can u tell me what these are and give them their shots so I can go and jaimes just like u dumb sexy idiot I have bad history with these are WOLVES how did you find theses?????? U were gonna give them to children ?????? Jaime instantly needing to have sex with this fucking idiot. Post cersei he hasn’t been with anyone in years due to insecurities/major blows to his confidence (cersei trauma and no hand trauma) and the lack of practice in genuine flirting besides a little thing he had with his bestie (brienne) but they were both going thru some shit and are just family now but he literally hasn’t been interested in anyone either (demisexual jaime rights) so he literally is just stumbling and blushing and then just blatantly flirting but ned thinks that’s just how he’s always been but maybe a little more nervous than usual so doesn’t really get it

But also later for jaime truly falling for him it’s because ned is just such a good dad (obviously ruggedly hot but that’s besides the point) with a heart of gold like he’s a single dad of fucking 6 plus Theon so 7 and is super busy with his company but makes time for all of those fucking kids and all of their activities and for ned—ned is just like wow Jaime is really good with these dogs they really like him animals know best plus he’s very very good at his job just something about an efficient man that animals like he seems changed and a good person now plus he’s gorgeous and my kids don’t mind him I’ll let myself love him :)

but Jaime at first is just purely horny for ned (that’s just what he tells himself) and then eventually is like oh no…..I am in love with this old caring father while said father at first had no idea what was going on but after they fuck he immediately and silently in his head decides he’s romantically seeing where things go and falls in love gradually and naturally compared to jaimes bomb of a realization one day as he has no practice in this besides having always been “in love” (imagine post trauma Jaime also air quoting) with cersei and ned was fully married and in love before

FUCK and of course Jaime has to go over periodically to check on the wolves growth and behavior cuz like that’s what ALL vets do right …right??!!?? He tells himself yes of course 😅 I’m not being too secretly crazy in love I’m just being helpful! He won’t catch on! Ned goes from oblivous to begrudgingly accepting into making it apart of his life and something to look forward to with Jaime in their initial stages of romance while jaime is just internally screaming that he hopes ned doesn’t catch onto his feelings and how much he needs ned in his life and cares and if he rejects him cuz cersei never gave a single shit about any of his true feelings and he cannot handle losing the best man he’s ever met even as a kind of friend he’s fucking and helping taking care of his wolves and kids (jaime is their second dad at this point he’s the only one who doesn’t know)

He also thinks ned doesn’t know what to do with all these dogs anyway he’s a busy man with 7 kids he needs help these poor wolves probably aren’t getting proper care and the children need rides to school which is on his way to work (jaime is the one not getting proper care and ned can tell the man is low key struggling on his own why not just add another one into the pack more the merrier)

And of course ned has a huge property and one of the pups gets lost late at night and he calls Jaime to help and they get snowed in at some cabin at the end of the property where the little pup took shelter (probs ghost bc he’s harder to find and quiet so it would take until nightfall) and ya know ~things~ happen between the two men

I need those two mfs to be locked in a cabin so bad idk …

#ned stark/jaime lannister #jaime lannister #ned stark #ned stark x jaime lannister #asoiaf #I was texting my friend gabi and it all just came out over text so I’m posting here cuz I need to relive this idea in my head once a week #always adding to this

19 notes · View notes

dino-thunder-green · 7 months

Text

"Do you even know what this means?"

Fictober Day 4

Vida Rocca x Reader

Description: You love your girlfriend and you know she loves you too. She decides its time to tell you the truth about why she's been absent {1.1k Words}

A/N: All of the x reader stuff I find in the PR fandom is always the dudes, so I am helping myself by writing for all of the girlies who need recognition. They deserve it.

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

The summer had been calm. Well, mostly calm. Aside from the monsters… and evil knights… and stuff. But for you, personally, your summer has been calm. It consisted of a wonderful amount of nothing but working, spending time with your girlfriend, and spending time with your girlfriend while working. She was so wonderful. She was spunky and caring and everything you could have ever dreamed of, and you loved every moment with her.

Today consisted of many of those moments with her. She and the others had shown up late, as they had a tendency to, but there was a major monster fight so travel must have been restricted. The groups had found you leaning over Toby’s desk as you watched a live recap of the Power Ranger’s latest feat. It had been a hard fight and despite the fact that you knew how it ended, it was dreadful to imagine what injuries they had sustained from that monster. This led to a long spiraling conversation with Chip and Xander about whether or not the Power Rangers could get injured.

“I mean, you guys never know, they could be elves or vampires or something else. Just because they look human doesn’t mean they ARE human.”

“Well even if they were elves or something, they could still get injured.”

You shrugged, “well what if they’re robots?”

Xander and Chip shook their heads.

Xander said your name, “This is a fantasy themed season, they’re not robots”

“There was that one robot on the news a few weeks ago.”

“Yeah but he was half robot-half monster.”

You shrugged again, “then that’s what the Power Rangers are, I don’t know.”

Vida pushed her way into the conversation, standing near your shoulder. However, instead of adding to it…

“Xander the trash needs to be taken out.”

“That’s not a manager's job.”

“Good thing you’re not the manager.”

“V, we were in the middle of an important discussion.”

“The Power Rangers aren’t robots, end of discussion.”

And with that Xander begrudgingly left to take out the trash, and Vida proceeded to make Chip go rearrange the vinyls by author instead of title.

“And your job,” she pointed at you, “is to relax for a bit.”

You knew that she knew that you hated not working when everyone else was. Besides, they had all seemed preoccupied lately, and you felt that working more was the best way you could help them all out. Especially apparent to you was Vida’s stress. Often you found her watching the news in Toby’s office with a glazed over look, or furrowing her eyebrows while she worked. On top of that she was distracted, and sometimes didn’t notice when you were standing right in front of her.

“There’s gotta be something for me to do V.”

“Nope. You covered for us all morning. Take. A. Break.”

“That wasn’t your fault though, the fighting held you up.”

You could have sworn that Vida paused for a moment before she shook her head, “Nope, no excuse. You are putting your pretty little feet up while you watch Xander do all the work.”

“What about the other three?”

“Go. Sit.”

“Not unless you come with me.” Without waiting for a response you took her hand and led her out of the office to the red chairs. You led her in front of one, and sat in another.

“See, now I’m relaxing with my girlfriend instead of doing nothing,”

Vida scoffed, “So it's only relaxing if I’m here?”

You grinned lazily over at her, “Of course, nothing gives me more peace of mind then having you near.”

A shadow crossed Vida’s face. She looked almost disturbed. Had you said something wrong? With a start, Vida stood back up. She hadn’t even been sitting for a few minutes. “Is Toby around?”

“No?”

Vida called to Maddie, who was working behind the register, “If Toby shows up tell him that we’re going on break.”

You and Maddie exchanged confused glances.

“V, we don’t have breaks here.”

“And yet I take them all the time, let's go. Move out workaholic.”

Vida strided to the door, you couldn’t help but follow closely behind.

“Showing up on time does not make me a workaholic-”

—------------------------------------

Vida and you approached the forest in her car. You had never gone too far in, especially not after the appearance of the monsters. You would be lying if you said you didn’t believe all of the ghost stories surrounding the place. Still, without hesitation Vida threw the jeep into park and hopped out. You, despite your hesitance, followed.

She led you far into the woods in pure silence. You trailed behind her, still unsure/ You heard strange creaks and groans, and you were unnerved by the fog that had started rolling in since your arrival. Still, you followed.

After ten minutes of silence, Vida stopped. She didn’t turn around.

“V, can you tell me what’s going on?”

“Promise me that you won’t freak out or anything.” Vida’s usual confidence had evaporated, you had never seen her look so unsure.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and flipped it open. Within the moment it wasn’t your girlfriend in front of you, instead you saw the pink ranger.

No, your girlfriend was the pink ranger.

A million emotions filtered through your mind. The first was a flying wonder because dear god, your girlfriend was a superhero. After the wonder came a cold, dead fear. In your mind flashed every news story you’d ever seen with footage of the Power Rangers getting the tar beaten out of them. Most prominent was the one from this morning. Those punches had been taken by your girl. Finally came this small amount of hurt. Chip had shown you enough superhero movies that you knew why she couldn’t tell but still, she had obscured this part of her for months. Has it changed her more than you’d seen?

After a beat of silence, you spoke up, shaky, and unsure.

“V, please look at me.”

She turned only slightly, and looked over at you. “Do you even know what this means?”

You paused, then nodded.

“It means you’re in danger-”

“-No, it means you’re in danger-”

“-and that someday you might not come back to me.”

Vida visibly stiffened. You hesitantly approached her, damning the mask for hiding her expression. Despite the mask, you took her face into your hands, turning her fully towards you. She unconsciously leaned into your hand,You searched the darkness for her eyes, and failed to find them.

“Being with me puts you in danger.” She whispered.

You gave a small, sad smile. “I’m in no more danger than you are. And if you can be so brave, then I can be brave too.”

The pink ranger demorphed, and before you stood your girlfriend, looking relieved.

“Good, I won’t let them hurt you anyways.”

“I wish I could say the same.” you mused.

Vida shook her head, taking your hands in hers. “Nah. Toby needs SOMEONE to run the shop. I’ll fight the monsters. You just be there when I come back.”

“Just come back in one piece.”

Vida laughed, “no promises.”

You smiled, “Then just come back to me at all, and I’ll be happy with that.”

#fictober23 #power rangers #mystic force #vida rocca #vida rocca x reader

6 notes · View notes

animeloverskylarmoon · 9 months

Text

Kenpachi Zaraki (Bleach) Chapter 8 - Final

Mornings are for regrets.

Post makeout session, Kenpachi left with a grin on his face as you stared at him with want.

He knew that just those teasing kisses won't be enough and he’d gotten you all worked up and just left you there.

“Bastard!”

From the moment you met him he’s been a thorn in your side. You barely got sleep that night and now you can’t focus. His taste is firmly imprinted in your mind. It won’t disappear. You go about your day begrudgingly. It’s a wonder that you get anything done.

Shinji caught you spacing out at least a dozen times.

“I-I don’t even like him. He’s a menace. A straight up pest!!”

“Spikey-chan!!”

Yachiru is sitting on Kenpachi’s shoulder, waving in the distance. A few of the reapers around aren’t even surprised at this point.

They just go about their day.

“Did you like kissing Ken-chan last night!”

That makes everyone in the space stop, and your face turns every possible shade of red.

“They kissed!!”

“No way he only likes fighting!!”

“He’s so scary, I would be terrified!!”

“Are they dating? They’re lovers now. How romantic!”

The number of comments run through and you can feel your embarrassment increasing.

“WE’RE NOT LOVERS!!” You scream.

That quiets the voices. Yachiru jumps off Kenpachi’s head.

“What.”

Kenpachi is the one who speaks, and when he approaches, you can feel the menacing energy. You begin to sweat nervously.

“I thought I made myself clear last night. You’re mine.”

You squeak when he picks you up, throwing you over his shoulder.

“If any of you weaklings try to take her, I’ll end you.”

No one needs to be told twice.

Kenpachi takes off with you in tow, and Yachiru giggles.

“Ken-chan sure is a romantic.”

The bystanders behind all seem to wonder the same thing.

“THAT’S ROMANTIC!!”

~~~

When he appears in your room, you grunt when your body lands on the futon.

You try to gather yourself.

“W-Wait just a minute, what do you think you’re doing!!”

He’s just standing over you.

“I’m not going to do a thing.”

He removes his sword, placing it on the wall. You watch as he slides his robes off. The cloak falls at his feet, and he pulls down the top, his chest fully exposed. You can’t do much but gape. Your legs press together and you try to look away, or maybe run away. He doesn’t take a step forward. Doesn’t move to initiate a thing. He just looks at you with those eyes that have jolts running between your legs.

“Tell me you want it or I won’t touch you.”

Your body quivers.

You want him. More than anything that’s what you want. But how can you admit that?

“I-I won’t..”

He slides the knot at his waist off and you swallow.

The material follows his cloak on the floor.

Now you have a complete view of him and you can’t find the right words. Any words if you were being honest. His body is so taunt. Firm. It’ll probably feel amazing on your own.

“Beg me for it.”

You can’t believe this. Your hands move to your shoulders, pulling at your own robes as you slide them down.

“P-Please..take me Kenpachi..”

He just grins.

You’re on your back in seconds, and he rips through your clothing. Your lips meet him with the same level of urgency of that night. His large hand skims over your bare body so easily. You can feel everything. You're so aroused and he has yet to do the deed.

“You can’t look at anyone else like this. Not that shrimp, not anyone.”

You nod, and when his hands finally make it between your thighs, your hips lift to feel the delicious friction. His index finger plunges right in and you gasp. Kenpachi chuckles.

“You’re wet. So dirty. You wanted me to take you last night, didn’t you?”

You bite down on your lip when he nibbles on your ear. His finger draws out, only to thrust back in and your hips buck as you cry out. You feel as though you’re holding on for dear life. How is it possible to feel this good?

Kenpachi’s teeth sink into your neck, and another jolt rushes through your body. You let out a sob, fingers digging into his back. He licks the spot, moving, lower and repeating the action. It becomes clear that he’s trying to cover your body in marks. You’re huffing, annoyed that he’s the only one who gets to leave marks.

Your mouth moves to his shoulder and you bite down. You hear the sound of a soft grunt, and when he pulls back his finger, you whimper again. It’s then that you feel something much bigger between your legs. He reaches down, stroking his length. When his eyes connect with you, it’s like you’re begging him to just do it. You need it, want it. Crave it. He gets the message, easing himself in.

Your body feels everything.

It’s so much bigger than you expected. Not that you should really be surprised. Nothing about this man is subtle.

He’s finally all the way in, and you try to get yourself to calm down, but you’re feeling way too much right now. If he moves, you might just come right there.

Your legs lock around his hips, and he pulls back, thrusting forward fiercely. Your cry is one of complete pleasure. Kenpachi looks very satisfied with the reaction. He grips your hips, gathering a pace that makes you think that to him this is another training session, because it’s so fast.

So strong.

Each time your hips connect you feel like you’ll lose your voice with how loud you’re being. Sweat is gathering. Your body is slick, and it just further encourages him.

“I’m gonna fuck you until you can’t walk.”

He’s nothing if not a man of his word. You’re shocked when he lifts you up, turning you over.

“K-KENPACHI!”

Your face sinks into the pillow and you grab it desperately as he thrusts into you from behind.

You seem to feel him at a deeper angle and he’s enjoying it. You can’t take much more. You scream in pleasure, releasing with a loud moan.

Your chest is still heaving, and he pulls out. He’s still very much hard, and when he turns you onto your back, you try to catch your breath. Kenpachi looks down at the liquid between your legs. He says nothing. When his head moves between your thighs you panic.

“W-Wait!!

His tongue slides right in and your eyes grow wide as your back arches. He’s licking you clean and you’re fighting to get your breath.

You come for a second time, and your body quivers when he finally departs. You’re heaving once again, soft tears at the corner of your eyes from the stimulation.

“I hope you’re not done yet, we’ve just gotten started.”

His body glows a golden hue and you swallow.

What the hell did you sign up for?

~The Next Day~

“(Y/N)-san, could you take these to the fourth squad barracks.”

“Sure Taicho.”

You take the stack and when you walk away Shinjji takes notice of the way your legs are shaking like noodles with each step you take.

“W-WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SHAKING!!”

You cave like a leaf.

“(Y/N)!!!”

Kenpachi always followed through.

#kenpachi zaraki #bleach #reapers #feelings #soul society #care #yachiru kusajishi #humor #shinji hirako #captains #funny #kenpachi x reader #mature

10 notes · View notes

my-precious-treasure · 2 years

Text

A Cat’s Nap

Savanaclaw Masterlist

In which you find Leona napping. Written for @sociallyawkwardcorgi on behalf of Leona’s b-day.

The ground is hard beneath you and you groan as you roll over. Slowly opening your eyes, you’re met with the soft light of the setting sun. The foliage around you casts strange shadows across the walls and floor of the greenhouse. You stretch while sitting up and pop things back into place.

“Hmm. . .did I really sleep all afternoon?” Blinking lazily, you watch the world outside the insulated glass walls for a moment. The clouds drift slowly and the trees sway gently in the breeze. Part of you wishes you could stay there forever, but you know you have work to be done.

Begrudgingly, you rise from the floor and meander towards the exit. Before you can reach it though, you notice another figure on the floor a little way off the path. Curiosity gets the better of you and you find yourself wandering over to them. As you get closer you finally realize it’s Housewarden Leona.

Being part of Ramshackle Dorm, you don’t interact with him much and when you do, he’s always been rather. . .unsociable. You can’t deny that he’s a little rough around the edges; he’s caused his share of problems for you and Yuu. But somehow, you still get the feeling that he doesn’t have a bad heart. Maybe he just needs a little shove. Or maybe you just give him too much credit. That isn’t really your problem, though.

As you crouch down beside him, you can’t help but stare. He really is beautiful. His dark ash-brown hair always looks so shiny and frankly, it’s not fair how long his lashes are. Without thinking, you find yourself reaching out to touch him. As you brush a few stands from his face you note that his hair rally is soft.

You aren’t entirely sure what possesses you to pet him, but as you do, his ears start to twitch slightly. Gently you place your hand behind one and scratch lightly. To your surprise, Leona begins chuffing quietly while still in slumber. You stifle a laugh at how cute and unassuming he is.

Without warning, his hand reaches up and catches yours. He slowly cracks his eyes open to look at you and you almost get lost in their emerald gleam.

“What do you think you’re doing, herbivore?”

“Ah. . .sorry. I just thought you looked so pretty while sleeping.” You can see a faint blush spread across his tanned skin. He huffs and glares at you.

“Who gave you permission to touch me?”

“I suppose I gave myself permission. Sorry, it was a bit rude.” You can see amusement hidden in his eyes as he watches you.

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it. But touch me again without permission and I will end you.” You blink at him before bursting into laughter. You just can’t take him seriously after seeing him sleep so peacefully until a moment ago. He growls at your response.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I won’t do it again. But the offer stands if you choose to ask.” Shifting your weight, you smile down at him and stand to take your leave.

“Where are you going? You disrupted my sleep. You owe me.”

“Hmm?” You cock an eyebrow at him and his blush seems to grow.

“. . .Stay.” You snort slightly at his soft demand and instead of leaving, you find your self situated against a tree with his head in your lap. Your hands run through his hair once more as you lull him back to sleep.

The ground doesn’t seem as hard as it did earlier and the warmth of the twilight on your face is just too relaxing. The weight of Leona’s head like a blanket. Your hands begin to slow as his soft snores become your lullaby. You think that one more nap won’t hurt anyone as you close your own eyes once more.

Tag List: @breadforhowl @raekwon88 @kkat808

#twisted wonderland #twst wonderland #twst #leona #leona kingscholar #leona x reader #gender neutral reader #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #fluff #it's nap time #i take a nap right here

128 notes · View notes

your-talos-is-problematic · 9 months

Text

WIP Wednesday

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I’ll start off today. I tag @throughtrialbyfire, @skyrim-forever, @aquicat, and @trickstarbrave. :)

Here’s the beginning, part of the middle, and the end of my retelling of Tending the Flames with everyone’s favorite creepy Bosmer and my OC Tyernath Sea-Myth, and all the sexual tension bickering that that entails. I tend to not write linearly so that’s why there are such big gaps.

I’m not sure how well my typical 1st person/past tense style is working out for them, so I’d love some feedback if you think it’s better to switch it to 3rd.

Dear Camilla,

What have I gotten myself into? What did I leave Riverwood for? Riverwood: your sweet eyes and warm hands. The animals in the forest. My stable, non-dangerous job hunting and milling. My own house instead of sleeping in this crowded inn with this sadist who calls himself an Altmer. Not that I’d prefer to sleep alone, of course. You and I both know who I’d rather share a room with.

I’ll be back for you soon, Camilla. As soon as I can. Wait for me.

-Sincerely, Faendal

Hearing Tyernath’s footprints ascending the stairs, I quickly folded the letter and stashed it in my bag. Looking up, I saw his large frame blacking out the doorway. “Good morning.”

“Hello, Faendal. How’d you sleep?” The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

“Fine.” Why does he do this?

“Good to hear. While you’ve been taking your little nap, I’ve been busy. Talked to some people at the Bard’s College.”

Bards. Of course. Perfect timing. I sighed. “Spare me the details.”

He raised his eyebrows and walked across the room to the bed. “I wasn’t planning on giving you any.” He picked up his dagger and checked his reflection before sheathing it. “We’re on our way to Dead Man’s Respite to recover a poem.”

“Wow. A poem. Sounds so important.”

Tyernath chuckled. “Seems like Solitude’s history relies on me now. I accept. Begrudgingly.”

I chuckled despite myself. “If you say so.”

I blinked through the pain to see his face a few inches away from mine, lit by the glow of a healing spell. “You prefer the stone floor, little elf? I could leave you here if you want.”

“Give me a second.” I stumbled to my feet. Insufferable. Looking down at the rip in my shirt, I noticed that the skin- at least, beneath all the blood, looked healthy. “Thanks.”

“Ah yes. Wouldn’t want to die and leave that woman’s ‘sweet eyes and warm hands’ forever.”

I balled my fists. “How’d you get that?” Of course. He’s been going through my bag. Why wouldn’t he be?

He raised an eyebrow, rolled his eyes, and turned around. “Pick up your bow, little elf. We don’t have the time. Although-“ he glanced down at me. “Do explain who Camilla is.”

Gathering my possessions, I explained “She’s the most beautiful woman in Tamriel. Imperial, and very smart. Gorgeous dark hair. I’m going to marry her someday. I could talk about her for hours.”

“Don’t.” He snickered at my eye roll. “Aren’t you a little old for a human woman?”

“Aren’t you a little old for Farkas?”

“I don’t have the obsession with him that you seem to have with this Imperial. That whole ‘wait for me’ part is creepy.”

I have traveled with you for weeks! I wanted to yell. He’s the only thing you talk about more than magic! But I had a feeling saying that would get me stabbed, so I settled for a scowl. “I told her to wait because I don’t want her to run off with that blond-haired excuse for a bard.”

“Oh, there’s another one? Who’s not you? And he’s her age? She should marry him instead.”

I dug my nails harder into my palms. They stayed that way for the rest of the trek.

I turned to the Altmer, then stopped and drew in a breath as I caught the gleam in his eye. The flames reflected in his yellow irises, highlighting the wrinkles in his face and turning his yellow skin the color of rust.

He let out a silent laugh and slid his head in my direction. “I think they should do this more than once a year.”

I returned a slight smile and a raise of my eyebrows. As long as it’s not me up there.

#wrote this because I feel bad for tyernath :(#He only has like three hours of gameplay compared to afonya’s almost 300 #wip wednesday #tes #tesblr

5 notes · View notes

anime-grimmy-art · 3 years

Photo

What do you do when there’s not much to an AU? You make up your own stuff, ofc. And as is per usual when I make Character Designs, I make up a shit ton of lore too.

The ramblings under the cut, but what I’m really interested in, is what you guys think. Do you guys have any headcanons/ideas for this AU? Let me hear them! Also, if you don’t wanna read on tumblr, here’s the Google Docs link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/151yshHxnb_--P6eMKkwkI2dee9xC_Llb/view?usp=sharing

Before I get into the characters’ roles, here’s some general facts and backstory of their town:

- Basically, it’s Undertale meets Harvest Moon / Stardew Valley. Well, kinda. I at least used that approach for coming up for the jobs for the characters. You know, how there’s always a general store, a doctor, a smithy, etc.

- The usual story of a HM game is that you come to a town that’s way past its glory days and you, as the player/farmer, help them get back to that. The “backstory” of the town is that that already kinda happened. I’ll get into it more in the character description, but basically when Asgore was still mayor, the town got really popular. Then yadda yadda, a certain tragedy happened, two kids died, and the town suddenly got very bad publicity. There was a lot of stuff going on back then, bad reputation being spread and also a lot of law stuff, cos, you know, supposed child murder ‘n all, so Asgore made the decision to shut off the town to ppl from outside. This was in the interest of most monsters living there, because as fun as it is to have a lot of people coming there, most just wanted to live a quiet life. Not everyone was happy with that though, so many moved away from town and some others are trying to get the town back on its feet. But more on that later.

On to the characters:

I’m just gonna start with the skelebros, cos it’s their fault in the first place I got so invested.

Basically, they are what the player is in hm/sdv. They just showed up one day, took over the abandoned farmhouse and began their life there. The two came to town way after it was “closed” and since then a new mayor has opened the possibility for new residents to move in. Their farm helps the economy of the town a lot and the mayor, like usually in hm games, is trying to use that to make the town more known again. The skelebros aren’t really working towards that goal however.

So, now a bit more detail on them individually.

Papyrus:

- The design is mostly based on what’s “canon” in this au.

- He works mostly on the fields and is in charge of the crops. Their fields aren’t spectacularly big, but still big enough to plant a few dozen rows of veggies.

- Paps also helps out a lot in town when he has the time. He helps Asgore with his plants, he goes fishing with Undyne, helps Toriel carry crates around and so on. This is inspired by the part-time job mechanic in HM ToT.

- Unbelievably, in this AU Pap is not an absolutely awful cook. Since he helps out at Muffet’s and Grillby’s a lot, they tend to show him some tricks to cooking. Even though Pap’s not a big fan of the greasy or overly sweet cooking those two do, he picks up a lot.

Sans:

- Again, design mostly based on the “canon” look. Maybe a bit more baggy.

- This is finally an AU this dude gets to rest. Since there are no resets and he doesn’t have to see his bro die again and again, for once in his life, he’s not a sad ball of depression. He’s just a chill and lazy dude that loves to make puns. Though, since he’s not too experienced with the feelings of loss, helplessness or grieving, he still tends to hide behind puns and fakes smiles if he does feel bad.

- Sans is in charge of the animals on the farm. Papyrus begrudgingly gave him that role since Pap’s loud demeanour and hectic movements usually scare the animals. Sans’ relaxed attitude draws the animals to him naturally and even if Pap mostly finds him sleep against a tree, in a stack of hay or on one of the sheep, the animals are always fed, healthy and relaxed, so Sans seems to be doing his job.

- Sans always has a small chic sit inside his hoodie or hat. Is it always the same one? Who knows, maybe.

- Sans also, somehow, can produce eggs out of thin air. Grab into his hoodie pocket, in his pants pocket, in his hat, in his slipper, there’s suddenly always an egg there. On good days he can even make butter or cheese appear.

Gaster:

- He’s literally just a scarecrow in this. Though, if you ask any of the bros why they designed their scarecrow that way, they won’t have an answer.

Frisk&Toriel:

- Frisk is mostly based on what I wore myself as a kid in summer. Just a loose shirt with a cappy. Toriel basically has her ut gown, just with an apron on top.

- Frisk just appeared outside the “magical” forest one day. Napstablook and his cousin found them and brought them to Toriel, who has been taking care of them since.

- Toriel runs the general store in town, but also often takes care of the few kids that still live there.

- Frisk usually helps out in Toriels store, plays with the other kids or sits around at Asgore’s. They’re notorious for nabbing small snacks, mostly from Asgore’s plants. You’ll always find them munching on something.

- Frisk was in town before the skelebros. Since they’d moved in, Frisk often went to spy on their farm. After a small incident with angry chicken, Frisk got to know the two better and now they see them as something between brothers and uncles.

- But Frisk honestly gets along with everyone. Just like in UT, they’ve not only been adopted by Toriel but literally everyone.

- Toriel and Asgore’s relationship is not as bad as in the main game, since, you know, Asgore didn’t kill literal children, but there’s still tension between them. Back when Asriel and Chara died and the whole thing with the bad rep for the town began, Toriel felt betrayed by Asgore focusing more on the town than giving their deceased kids the grieving they deserved. They’re not divorced, but Toriel still moved out and said needed space to think. Now that Frisk is in the picture though, the both of them are slowly coming to even ground and may even be able to talk things out and clear up the uncertainty of their decisions.

Asgore:

-Asgore has his UT Ending / Deltarune clothes, just with a gardener’s belt.

- He’s the previous mayor of the town, but after all the crap that happened, he stepped down from the position. Now he has his own little shop and sells seeds, saplings, homegrown veggies and fertilizer. So, basically what e.g. the Marimba Farm is in HM AP

- His main customer is Papyrus and they’re on friendly terms. Asgore is worried about how much and how hard Pap works, so he often gives him a discount.

- Since his family’s past tragedy, Asgore is kind of nervous around kids. So, when he first met Frisk, he hoped they’d not visit him too often. But to his chagrin, Frisk took an instant liking to him and spends a lot of time at his shop (and steals eats the fresh grown veggies). Now, he’s really grateful for that, because for one, he loves Frisk as dearly as he had his own children, and also because now the tension and mistrust between him and Toriel seem to grow smaller day by day.

Undyne&Alphys:

- I gave Undyne a pretty basic fisher’s outfit. Alphys basically has Elli from HM’s outfit, just a bit more doctory stuff added. She still has her canon lab coat too.

- In essence, Undyne and Alphys have 2 completely different jobs. Alphys is the resident doctor and Undyne runs the fish market.

Two things. Yes, I know Alphys is more a mechanic than a doctor, she fits the aesthetic though, so she’s the doc now. And no, Undyne being a fisherwoman is not cannibalism, think of it more as a shark hunting smaller fish.

- The reason I lump them together is because they act as the local “smithy”. Alphys is still really tech savvy in this (I mean, Mettaton is still part of this AU), so she takes on most problems with electronics and stuff. For Undyne, I didn’t want to lose her Royal Guard’s Captain image, so she’s really good at handling tools (and weapons, but Al doesn’t let her make them anymore). So basically, if there’s a broken tool, you can be sure that either Undyne or Alphys can fix it.

- As for relationships, those two are still an item. Alphys is still really shy and a shut-off, but since Undyne and Pap become best friends, she gets to know the skelebros better. She and Sans especially get along well, since most of the time Undyne and Papyrus are let loose, they sit back and talk about science-y stuff. (no, Sans doesn’t have a background in science but he’s still into sci-fi)

- Alphys has a bit of a strained relationship with both Asgore and Mettaton.

Back when Chara and Asriel died, it was because of “illness” (maybe poisoning?). Alphys feels awful because with her back then limited knowledge on medicine she couldn’t help the two. Asgore doesn’t hold anything against her but Alphys can’t help but feel guilty.

Alphys still built Mettaton’s body in this one. The two had a really big disagreement, because Mettaton hated the fact the town was going to close, and he couldn’t understand how Alphys could feel otherwise, even more so endorse the idea.

Mettaton, Napstablook, Mad Dummy/Mew Mew:

- Napsta and Dummy are pretty self-explanatory, they got straw hats. Mettaton’s outfit is a bit of a joke cos it’s a play on “work at the top and party at the bottom”. The tie has two different sides, one with the yellow red pattern, the other completely red. His “top part” is the business part, because when he’s on tv or in the mayors’ office, you don’t usually see his feet. The bottom is his party/dance part, cos his dancing/entertainment channels mostly feature his legs.

- Mettaton, still a robot, Napstablook and Mad Dummy are all still cousins in this AU.

- Originally, they all lived and worked at the Blook Farm, the Animal Farm of this AU. Mettaton, however, despised that simple live and after befriending Alphys and her building him a body, he left the Farm to pursue bigger things.

- Mettaton runs the local tv network. From weather to game shows, he does it all. He also runs the tailor shop in town that sells his designer clothes and merchandise. After Asgore stepped down, Mettaton also took over the role of town’s mayor and now works towards making the place more known again. Not everybody is happy with him doing that though.

- One of those people is the Mad Dummy. He can’t stand people anyways and he always claims that history would just repeat itself.

- Since the whole family is made of ghosts, they have different dummies and scarecrows they can use to take care of the animals. To mock Mettaton and kinda get back at Alphys for giving MTT such an opportunity, Mad Dummy found the blueprints for the Mew Mew robot and now modelled one of their scarecrows after it.

- Napstablook isn’t fond of taking over obejcts like his cousins do, so he mostly takes care of the snails. Somehow, he can interact with them even when incorporeal.

Muffet&Grillby:

- The two of them run the Inn together. Muffet cooks in the daytime and makes desserts, Grillby manages the bar in the evening.

- The two still can’t really stand each other but working together like this benefits them both because their rivalry just spurs them on more.

- Even though Grillby is a patient person, somehow Muffet is the only person who riles him up enough to retaliate. (Well, maybe except for Sans, he’s a strong second).

So, basically everything between those two is a challenge in some way. Even if Papyrus doesn’t notice, even his cooking lessons are a challenge for them.

- Even though they’re constantly bickering, after working together for so many years, there’s a strange level of respect and trust between them. Even if back when they first started this business, they’d pour salt into an already open wound, nowadays they’d know better and just take a step back from the other or even comfort the other (on very rare occasions only).

Asriel&Chara:

- They be dead. Kinda.

Some Characters that’d live in that town too but that I haven’t made designs for:

- Gerson is the original smithy of the town. He’d grown up in a family of smiths, but he’d always had an appreciation for the sea. That’s why, when the town became more deserted and Undyne had a good enough skill level as smith, he took up the Captains hat and now mostly spends his days out on sea. He also ferries people to places if they need him to. Oh, and just like in canon, Undyne learned most of her skills from him.

- Burgerpants is a poor dude Mettaton basically kidnapped when he was trying to get fame in the city. Now Burgerpants works wherever MTT needs him to, be that as cameraman for the tv shows, cashier in his tailor shop or his slave secretary in the mayor’s office.

- MK is Frisk’s best kid friend. MK’s parents are in charge of shipping the goods out of town and paying the individual people. MK’s the one that usually collects the goods at the end of the day.

- Other than that, there are only a few people in town. I’d imagine the older folks or the really young families stayed in town after it was closed. I think the librarby dude would still run the library. Some Snowdin residents like the stone family or the dogs also might still live there.

4K notes · View notes

merakiui · 3 years

Text

[3] 𝔹𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣 & Fɾυιƚყ

yandere!xiao x (gender neutral) reader cw: modern au, yandere, unhealthy behaviors/relationship, implied stockholm syndrome, kidnapping/captivity, mention of verbal abuse, brief mention of blood, obsessive/possessive thoughts, anxiety, fear previous chapter → [bitter & sour]

“Are you okay?” Your hand covers his and he flinches at the contact. “Xiao?”

“I’m fine.” Yet his gaze can’t meet yours. Those golden irises flicker like a hologram, equal parts alert and distant.

“You’ve hardly eaten anything.”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.” Sighing, you gather some curry from your nearly empty plate and hold the spoon in front of him. “Open wide.”

Xiao blinks. “Stop that. I can feed myself.”

“You say that, but you aren’t taking the initiative to do so. Why don’t you have some of mine instead? It’ll taste better because I put a spell on it.”

“A spell?”

“Exactly!” You hold back your laughter when he gives you a critical look. “I’m serious! It works every time. First I take a spoonful of this delicious curry and then I put my heart into it.”

Xiao cringes as you whisper sweet words to the curry. He isn’t a child; he can feed and clothe himself, so he absolutely refuses to entertain the idea of curry that has been graced by your kind sentiments. But the more he watches you encourage the spoon, the more you pull him in. You’re like a magnet who possesses such a strong ability to attract him even though he wants to keep away. Like waves addicted to the shoreline, always reaching closer and closer towards humanity, he’s unable to ignore the marvelous light that clings to you—as if you’re an angel who has descended from the cloudy sky, filling his once gloomy days with endless sunshine. For his own sake and for your sanity, he knows he should let you grow your wings before you end up like him, corrupted from a life spent in the shadows.

But those paper wings have been shredded for months now and he refuses to let them flourish again.

“Listen carefully, curry,” you’re saying, glaring at the dish. “You’re going to make Xiao happy when he eats you, and if that doesn’t work we’re going to have a problem. Now please give him the blessing of sweet dreams and good food!” The spoon stops in front of his face, expectant. “Go on. The spell is complete.”

Xiao can feel color bleeding into his pale cheeks. “I’m not hungry.”

“You need to eat or else you won’t have any energy for tomorrow.”

“I don’t care.”

“Ah. I guess I’ll have it for myself.” Defeated, you work to polish off what remains on your plate. His eyes are glued to you the entire time you’re eating and you raise your head to return his stare. “You know, I’d be sad if you got sick. We’re friends, aren’t we?”

“We are?”

“Sometimes friends live together. This is just like that.” Xiao’s skepticism seeks further elaboration from you and you figure it wouldn’t hurt to oblige his silent order. “I like it here. It’s comfortable and warm. And you always do your best to make yummy meals, even if they don’t turn out as tasty as you’d like.” As you say this, you nudge a particular chunk of meat that’s undercooked and has become rather chewy as a result. “But it’s okay because I’m safe here. That’s what’s most important, right?”

“You’re…”

Not wrong.

“Hopeless.”

“You’re the hopeless one. What do you think will happen if you keep starving yourself? Small appetite or not, you need to eat something.”

“Fine.” He snatches his spoon from the table, begrudgingly scooping a generous portion for himself. His glower pierces through to your very soul once he eats it, not at all pleased with its spicy taste. “Are you happy now?”

“Very.”

Dinner continues as it normally does, with Xiao silently observing your actions. You’re eating the fruit parfait he sloppily put together with yogurt, strawberries, and blueberries and it isn’t all that terrible. He’s not a five-star chef, but he does make an effort. You suppose you would rather have a three-star chef as opposed to someone who disregards your rumbling stomach altogether. You’ll put up with his messy cooking if it means you’ll be guaranteed three meals a day. There’s always an acute relief to be felt when he’s at work because it gives you time to prepare something for yourself, and while he’s busy sitting in a humid room listening to business deals and whatnot you’ll get to explore the rest of his apartment.

It’s a blessing you’re no longer confined to the closet, having convinced Xiao that you’ll stay inside no matter what. So there’s no need for you to be hidden away anymore, and lucky for you he agreed to give you freedom. Although you’re not sure if it really counts as freedom, considering you’re still stuck in his apartment.

A cage is still a cage regardless of its size and decor.

The evening slips by with ease. You clean the table while he washes the dishes, and after that the both of you take turns in the shower. You’re limited to the clothes that were on you when you were kidnapped, so changing into pajamas is out of the question. At least you’re allowed to wash your clothes when they’re in need of it; that’s something that will always cheer you up whenever your worries start to consume you. Clean clothes are just a minor relief in this otherwise gloomy situation.

Xiao is laying the futon out when you stroll into his bedroom. He’s been using it ever since you came into the picture and you’re not sure why he doesn��t just take his bed for himself. You wouldn’t complain if he forced you to sleep on the floor. Somehow it doesn’t feel fair.

“Let’s sleep together.”

“Don’t want to.”

“But the bed is comfier.”

“It’s fine. I’m used to sleeping on the floor.”

“Oh.”

You sit on the edge of his bed, peering around at the blank, flavorless walls. Compared to the place you once shared with your roommate, his room is disturbingly tidy and bare. You can’t tell what hobbies he might be interested in because there’s nothing that would give you any indication as to what his interests are. No posters or trinkets. Not even merchandise from a favorite series. There aren’t any decorations in here either. All that remains are the essentials: a bed, a nightstand, a mirror, a window with plain curtains, and a closet. You wonder how he even survived in a room as plain as this one.

“Still, it can’t be good for your back if you do it so often. I won’t do anything while you’re sleeping. You can trust me.”

Xiao considers this for a moment. While it is true that you have been loyal ever since he took the risk of letting you roam his apartment, he isn’t too keen on lying beside you. He’s never slept in the same bed with another person before. If Xiao were to sleep with you, what would happen? There are a dozen answers to that single question and most of them allude to crooked destruction.

“It’s not a matter of trust,” he mutters.

It’s a matter of safety.

“But your back—”

“No. That’s final.” His gaze is locked onto yours, icy and sharp. “Don’t insist on something if you aren’t comfortable with it.”

You open your mouth to ask him what he means, but nothing comes out and you glance down at your hands. They’re shaking in your lap, fingers interlacing with one another as you pick at the skin near your nails. It’s a nervous habit, one that Xiao catches the moment you start to tap your fingernails against one another once blood is drawn.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Like a clock counting out seconds, the sound overtakes the room.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

“I’m not uncomfortable.” Your hands curl into fists and the ticking ceases. “I’m…not.”

He shrugs and gives his pillow a few pats. “Just turn off the light. It’s late.”

Nodding, you reach over and find the beaded chain. The soft, golden glow of the light clicks off when you tug on the chain and darkness engulfs the room. Xiao listens to the rustling bed sheets as you struggle to find a sleeping position that best fits your exhausted self. Vaguely, on the street below the apartment, cars whizz by in a blur of sounds. In the distance, an alarm blares, two dogs bark at one another, and a flock of birds take flight.

I’m okay, you think, staring up into the pitch blackness. I’m not uncomfortable. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

You can’t quite explain the anxiety that grabs hold of your nerves and squeezes, prying into your head as if it’s a hazardous lobotomy. Sweat nearly encases your being like a cocoon; it feels as if you’ll dissolve into the mattress in a soupy mess of melted flesh and bone. Your hands find purchase in the duvet as you grab hold of it, listening intently for human sounds. Not the faux murmur of a blanket or the honking of car horns. You need to hear a cough or a breath—perhaps even a scream—to confirm that your existence is validated within the barren confines of this room.

To prove that there is a world beyond these walls.

The darkness wraps its deceptive hands around your throat. Without your sensibility to guide you through the simple fact that you’re alive and not locked away in a music box built of chaos and hatred, you’re unable to register your shallow breaths.

“Xiao.” It’s quiet at first, a mere whisper. “X-Xiao…”

No response. You’re all alone, lying on a bed that drifts through an endless, abyssal space. And just before you can sink into the embrace of a burnt-out star his voice breaks through the box you’ve forced yourself into, effectively shattering the walls and bringing with it a mosaic of brightness. You’re not truly alone. You’re lying in a room with another person and they aren’t the one who put you in this box, having built it on insults and scoffing remarks.

“What is it?”

“I…” Your mouth shuts, unable to produce another word.

Xiao waits.

“I can’t sleep,” you finally say, turning over in his bed. “Can we sleep together? Just this once?”

“You can sleep with the light on.”

“That’s not…” Sighing, you reach blindly for the lamp and light illuminates the room once more. You swallow a lump of nerves. “Xiao, I want you to know that I’m not going to leave you. And in return you can’t leave me either.”

“All right.”

You chew on your lip, not knowing where to continue from there. “Um. Can I tell you something?”

“Okay.”

“If you’re thinking about putting me in the closet soon… Actually, if you need to lock me up somewhere can I just stay inside this room? I’m not comfortable going back inside the closet right now.”

“I don’t care if you’re in the bedroom or the kitchen. It doesn't matter either way.”

“Thank you.” You let go of a breath you didn’t realize you were holding. “It’s not that I’m claustrophobic. I just don’t like small spaces.”

“That’s the definition of claustrophobia.”

“I…guess it is.” Your tiny laugh makes Xiao stiffen. Did he say something funny? Is this humor? He doesn’t know how to feel about that. “Do you remember when we talked about our bosses?”

With an affirmative grunt, he pulls the memory to the front of his brain as though it’s a file.

“Well, I was thinking about mine again.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Maybe this is starting to get to me.” Shuffling to the edge of the bed, you peer down at him. “I’ve never told anyone about this because I thought I could handle it. But now that I’m no longer working there I’m starting to remember everything.”

“Oh.”

“Have you ever felt trapped in a box before? Not an actual box. Like a metaphorical box. Something that traps your mind rather than your body.”

He glances at your face. “I have...”

“Then you know that it isn’t fun. My boss put me in this box nearly every shift. I hated it, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I needed the money and if I got fired from that job it’d be a mess trying to look for a new one. So I had to suck it up and get used to everything she said.”

Xiao’s not quite sure he understands the meaning behind your explanation. He’s been packaged and sold his entire life, forced to adapt to the tasks of a lapdog for an abusive man. But your box is far different from the one he’s been put in. It’s not as dirty. He can’t imagine someone so pure and gentle like you could ever commit a crime. He’s the defiled one, having been doused in impurity after impurity. If divine punishment exists in the holy crevice of an afterlife, he’s almost certain it will be waiting for him.

“What did she do?”

“It’s not important anymore.”

“What did she do?” he repeats with more force.

You shrink into yourself, eyeing the bedside table. “She said a lot of hurtful things. I know I’m not the best worker and I’m clumsy, but I can remember things well. A-And I’m honest! I do my best. So why did she say those things?”

Xiao’s gaze narrows, sharper than a needle. He knows the pain of verbal abuse well; it’s imprinted into his very being like an inky tattoo. It bothers him when he learns that his secret has had to deal with such sour torment and it produces an emotion he’s all too familiar with.

“It doesn’t sound like much, but she was really mean.” A weak smile worms its way onto your lips. “Sorry. I don’t know why I started telling you this. I just...needed to vent to someone who’d listen.”

“Your boss is that middle-aged woman who often stocks the shelves.”

“That’s her. But how do you know that?”

“Just a guess.”

“We don’t have many employees, so it’s fairly easy to spot her.” You’re already turning the other way, no longer wanting to stare at Xiao in case you decide to start crying. “I’ll stop talking now. I don’t want to keep you up with my stupid rants. Sleep well.”

“Good night…”

Xiao lies flat on his back as he absorbs this new knowledge. Your soft breaths can be heard from above, steady and relaxed as you drift closer to unconsciousness. He’s not sure if he’ll get any sleep tonight and even if he does it’s not like any of it will be good. His head is filled with white noise and he can hardly bring forth any thoughts that aren’t about you.

(Name) is hurting. Someone hurt my secret.

Shadows creep along the corners of his room, just out of reach from the lamp’s lively glow. His heart is beating in time with his exhalations. It’s a haggard duet that fills his empty, bitter heart with stern abhorrence. All he can comprehend through the static is the deafening reality that someone caused harm to his precious, starry-eyed secret. Such a crime is inexcusable. You’re not the bad one. You’re not the one who has been tainted by cruel hands. It can’t be true. He doesn’t want to believe it.

My secret is pure. It’s that woman who tried to sour it with her actions and words.

When his eyes open he sees red. Crimson ropes hang from every surface in his room, criss-crossing over one another like fateful strings meant to ensnare him. When he sits up from the comfort of the futon, he spies these strings wrapping around the arms and legs of his secret. They attach to your throat, snuffing the light that rests on his bed as if it’s reached its expiration date. And he finds himself reaching for these bindings, drawing back when they snap abruptly. Bright red trickles into a black mold that threatens to consume the entirety of his secret with its ugliness and he frowns at the manifestations of his past.

Black and red. Colors of death and passion. The color of boiling detestation mired in sickly urges. Xiao feels a familiar pull on his mind. Something’s tugging and tugging at him, digging its sharpened nails into his sanity and tearing. It rips into him as if he’s a simple sheet of paper and his own level head fractures. Cracks spider-web along his sight, turning the room upside down in an ocean of black and red. An ocean of decay and sadness.

And then, as if those invisible claws have hit rock bottom within his subconscious, the tethered ropes snap again and darkness consumes him like a monster that has been starved for centuries.

In that moment he thinks not of murder and malice but of the fruit parfait he made for his secret. All sweet treats should be made with care so that they can be enjoyed thoroughly. Perhaps the flavor of love is similar to that of a parfait: fruity and light. Does such a love exist in his world? Is it something tangible? Xiao wants to feel it for himself—wants to experience the same love that everyone on the planet feels. He doesn’t want to be filled with empty flavors. To be fulfilled. To eat love. To savor it. Perhaps it would become possible if he were to fight hard enough to attain it.

His glass heart desires fruity love, but he can’t quite find it. Wading through a cesspool of horrendous flavors that have mixed and spoiled with his own bitterness, he’s almost certain he’ll never locate it. It has evaded his grasp time and time again in the form of a blank stare and an unfeeling body. Xiao has heard stories of true love. How you often feel butterflies in your stomach and a tightness that holds your lungs hostage when you’re around someone you admire. You feel undeniably attracted to a person who can give you all sorts of flavors. All sorts of emotions. It’s like a spark that ignites a firework, filling the bland sky with color and joy.

You’re the only one who has introduced him to a world of cocktail flavors. Anger mixes with the passionate desire to kill. Depression mixes the intense dislike he feels for your sour boss. Hatred and vexation draw a blade along his skin and he knows it isn’t a knife crafted of his own fear. There are so many horrid people in this world. The types of people who are rotten to the core and fraught with undesirable qualities. He wants to throw them all in the trash where they belong.

Xiao can’t have the fruit-flavored positivity of his secret rot into disgusting negativity. You trusted him enough to open up to him. Surely that’s a step in the right direction. Even someone as bitter as him is deserving of fruity love. If he has to sift through a dozen pulpy corpses in order to secure it, he’ll do it. Whatever it takes to finally feel the love that was robbed from him when he was just a child.

At any cost, be it unlawful or morally despicable, the bitter man pledges to preserve the sweetness of his secret.

The smell of pancakes wafts through the apartment, stirring you from your sleep. The clock on the nightstand reflects the time and you yawn, rubbing at your bleary eyes. As much as you’d like to sleep the morning away, your stomach objects with its obnoxious growls. And so you slither out of bed, staggering your way to the kitchen. Xiao has his back turned on you as he stands over the counter, cutting up some fruit. You observe the table, pupils flitting from the silverware to the vase of fresh flowers. The prettiest of plants can be seen in the bouquet: scarlet begonias, lavender, white gardenias, and pink baby’s breath. It creates a wonderful fragrance that breathes life into your weary bones, shaking the sleep from your tired body. And on two plates are pancakes, one of which has been decorated with fruit to look like the face of a bear.

“What’s the occasion? I thought our anniversary passed.”

He’s silent for a minute as he ponders his answer before muttering his reply. “I wanted to do something nice for you.”

“Is that so?”

“You don’t have to eat it. It probably looks stupid anyways.” The knife comes down upon a strawberry with unexpected force. “And it’s not right. One eye is bigger than the other.”

“No, it’s cute.” You sit in your seat, curiously analyzing the pancake’s blueberry eyes. “Like you.”

“I’m not cute.”

“You are.”

He sighs. The tips of his ears are warm with color. “I’m not.”

“Then you’re not cute.” Your grin is deceptively playful. “You’re adorable.”

Xiao chooses not to respond to that and instead slices what remains of the fruit before transferring it to a bowl. He sets it down on the table once he’s dried his hands and then he sits across from you, settling into his usual habit of watching you.

“Thank you, by the way. This looks delicious.”

It’s amazing how fast his bitterness vanishes, replaced with a sweetness that comes only from interacting with you. He’s able to push last night’s conversation to the back of his head, briefly ignoring it in favor of spending this peaceful morning with you. He’s never done anything of this sort for anyone before, nor has he gone out of his way to search for flowers and cute recipes online. Xiao has ventured out of his comfort zone as he practically hangs onto your judgment, half expecting you to insult his cooking or the way he’s set the table. The pancake bear stares listlessly at you, losing one of its eyes when you stab at it with your fork.

“When did you graduate?”

The question slips out by mistake, a result of the missing persons posters he saw outside of the florist’s shop. It’s been eating at him since he started putting some thought into it.

“About a year or two ago. Still haven’t decided whether or not I want to go back for a higher degree.”

“Oh.”

“School is too stressful anyways. I wish I could live as a sea urchin.”

“A sea urchin?”

“Yep! Something that’s spiny, small, and hardly noticeable. An animal that doesn’t have to worry about school or work. Life on the seafloor sounds more comfortable than life up here. Don’t you think so?” Your fork peruses the fruit bowl and you bring a chunk of pineapple to your lips. “What would you be?”

“An anglerfish.”

“What? That’s strange.” Your laugh comes out as a snort and he finds himself wanting to bottle that melodious sound—to always hear it on repeat until the end of time. “Really? An anglerfish of all animals?”

“Yes.”

“I think you’d be a shark. Oh! Or maybe a manta ray.”

“Okay.”

“Let’s be sea creatures in our next lives! We can swim freely, live however we want, and explore the ocean together.” Your arm extends towards him, hand clenched and pinky raised. “How about it, Xiao?”

Sea creatures…

After a moment of hesitating, his pinky wraps around yours to cement the promise. Your smile brightens the room, invigorating the flowers that have bloomed beautifully in the vase. Xiao drowns himself in the sweetness, admiring the way your hands contrast perfectly and loving the closeness of your fingers and the way your seraphic light shines down on him like a spotlight. Almost as if he sits before a divine being. His troubles sink into the dark pits of his mind as he allows himself to savor this moment. It doesn’t matter if your graduation photo is on that poster. It doesn't matter if Ajax or your boss are sour people. It doesn’t matter if this is a crime.

If an angel cannot excuse his sins, then you are not to be compared to one.

I think you’d make a perfect dolphin.

You are Xiao’s incriminating secret, his precious sugar star. And a star composed entirely of sugar is bound to dissolve in the vast depths of the murky sea. Xiao vows to be the black hole that will keep you safe. Even if he has to swallow your light himself—severing your ties with the Earth you so wish to live in—he’ll ensure it shines far brighter than it did before your confinement.

Actually, you’re more of a flightless seabird.

next chapter → [bitter & rotten]

#yandere genshin impact #yandere genshin impact x reader #yandere xiao x reader #yandere xiao #bittersweet secret #bittersweet secret chapter three

952 notes · View notes

firstbeachgoblin · 3 years

Note

Hey! I hope you’re well, can i request an imagine where reader is Embry’s imprint and they haven’t seen eachother in months because reader has a life she can’t just drop for him but she comes back when the pack is blowing up her phone ? Thank youu and don’t worry if you don’t write it, it’s fine!

Thank you for the request! It took a Long time But It's now complete with a total whopping 5k words!! Any way I hope you enjoy the fic.

I put it under the cut because it's so long but it's my brain baby at the moment lo.

Returning to you.

Embry Call x Reader

5058 words

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Most of my life has been spent in the Forks area so getting to travel to Europe for six months to see the art and culture was a dream come true. The past four months I’ve been travelling through Europe, starting in Greece and ending my trip in the Irish countryside.

The old art and architecture filled me with a joy that I could not get anywhere else in the world. The smells, sounds and sights all played their own part into the experience. I got to see the moon rise over Mount Olympus, the David by Michelangelo in the Vatican, tour through the Louvre, drink wine on the beaches of France and so much more. I’ve been living my best life.

It's been a dream to see the world, I've met so many new people and tried so much food. I’ve enjoyed every minute of my trip, but there was a part of me that longed for the beaches of La Push.

That part is Embry. Embry Call. My boyfriend, my pal, my love and my light. To me Embry is my everything and to him I’m his everything. That is one thing that has been made perfectly clear the past four months I’ve been away. Every day he’s told me he misses me and I know he means it, I’ve been told not just by him but also the rest of the pack.

Everyday I’ve woken up to ‘Good morning I miss you.” Sometimes he phones to tell me that he feels like he might die if I’m away for any longer. I always chuckle and tell him he will survive, it’s not like I’m going away forever; but that's what he feels like it is. This usually earns me a long winded whine from the other end of the line.

My phone buzzed against the smooth surface of the bedside table while Embry’s face flashed across my screen signalling that he’s calling. A smile graces my lips as I pick up the phone to be greeted with his loving voice.

“Hi (y/n)!! I miss you so much.” sadness was laced in his usual cheery greeting, it hurt my heart to be away from him but I would never trade this experience for anything. I’ve been planning this for years and I wasn’t going to pass up cheap plane tickets.

He filled me in on the pack's shenanigans, complaining about how they keep teasing him for being glued to his phone awaiting any updates I would send him. The later it got the heavier my eyelids seemed to feel, my speech started to slur with exhaustion of time zones while Embry continued to become more energetic with each passing minute.

“Em. . .” A yawn interrupted me mid sentence, a low whine emanated from the phone as he knew I would want to get to bed to have the energy for the long trip I’ll embark on tomorrow for Ireland, which is my last stop. I’d be spending the remaining two months of my trip in the lush countryside.

“I think I should get to sleep, I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow.” I mumbled into the phone.

“But (y/n)!” he dragged out. I knew he wanted to talk longer but I physically cannot do it. Even though Embry and I don’t live together officially yet, we’d talk into the early morning till one of us fell asleep.

“But (y/n) what?” I dragged out the ‘a’ matching his whine.

“I miss you and want you to come home.” I could hear him pause over line before he continued.

“Besides, sleeping isn’t the same without you.”

I ran my hand through my hair gently tugging on the roots easing the tension that’s built up over my trip. As much fun as I’ve had, he does have a point. Sleeping just isn’t the same without Em. My nights have been spent restless in beds that aren’t mine without the comforting touch of my boyfriend; but that doesn’t mean I can just drop everything and go back home.

“Em you know I can’t just pack everything and go home. . .” I looked at the painting that hung over the tv that sat opposite of my bed. A puppy-like whimper fell from his lips when he spoke again, his voice cracked like he was going to cry. It broke my heart hearing him upset.

“I-I know I just really miss you.”

“I know Embry I miss you too, but it’s only two more months then I’ll be home.”

We chatted for ten more minutes before I fell asleep on the phone. As much as I missed falling asleep in his warm embrace I can’t just fly back home, not yet at least.

The blaring of my alarm woke me from my slumber. The clock face read 6:02 a.m. taking everything within myself to peel back the blankets that encased me in their warm grip. I patted through the bed sheets to find my phone only to knock it onto the floor in the process.

My lock screen adorned a photo of Embry with icing smudged across his face from his birthday party but a swamp of text messages from the pack covered my favourite photo of him. Five texts from Leah, seven from Jake, nine texts from Paul, 12 texts and two missed calls from Sam and a whole group chat titled ‘(y/n) come home.’

The group chat kept pinging with the members of the pack who were still awake discussing the logistics of flying out to Ireland to take me back home. Was Embry really causing that much strife in the pack for them to create a group chat? Knowing him, it couldn’t be too far from the truth.

Leah and I call once a week to check in and make sure the other is doing okay since I left. It’s one of my favourite parts of the week being able to have a one on one with someone sensible. Every week she fills me in on Embry begrudgingly, she does it because she knows it makes me happy which I appreciate.

Reading through her texts she didn’t say much in regards to Em’s behaviour the only message relating to him was “come get your man child please, he’s getting snot on the floor.”

I listened through Sam’s voice mails which were begging me to come home, he informed me that once Em knew I was asleep he started moping around Emily’s house again for the fourth consecutive night in a row. This was news to me.

The texts entailed that Embry was becoming a pain on patrol and that Paul ‘couldn’t take another minute of the incessant whining.’ I told them the same thing I told Embry; I’m not dropping everything and rushing back home to sooth the wails of a love sick boy. There isn’t much I can do from across the ocean anyway.

I stretched my body and headed towards the bathroom to brush my teeth and shower before I had to leave for the airport.

I packed the few remaining things I left out to prepare for the flight and headed my way to the lobby to check out. I enjoyed travelling but I wasn’t going to miss sleeping in hotels and hostels.

Two weeks have passed since I touched down in Ireland and to say I’ve been having the time of my life is an understatement; I’ve been having a ball living my best life.

The land was capped in a luscious emerald green sea of grass that waved in the wind, the roads were lined with hand built stone walls that marked the division of farmers fields.

Sheep and cattle grazed in pastures, and old castles dotted the countryside. It was gorgeous. It was a view that I wanted to see again, a view I want to see with Embry.

It felt like time was flying by between sight seeing, trail hiking, museum tours and calls with Embry and Leah. It has already been a month. I had one more month before I was to jet set back to the U.S. and see my Embry.

One more month before I was back in La Push surrounded by the scent of sea water and trees with the looming threat of rain constantly overhead except in the summer. For two months of the year La Push was bright and sunny with the expected summer storms that happened.

I had fallen asleep on the phone with Embry again when I realized my phone was lost in the sea of sheets as it buzzed with an incoming phone call.

I couldn’t find it until the call had gone to voicemail and my phone landed on the ground when I gave up and ripped the blankets off of the bed but whoever called must have felt it was really important. Picking up my phone the most unflattering photo of Jacob was plastered on the screen, his name in white.

“Hello?” I asked groggily into the phone, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I looked over at the clock which said in bold red numbers 1 am.

“Hey (y/n)! You sound like you just woke up.” I heard him chortle from the other end.

“That’s because I just woke up Jake, it’s one in the morning.” a yawn escaped my lips, I know I’ll have a rough time getting over jet lag when I go home.

He occupied twenty minutes with idle chatter and borderline interrogation about all the sights I’ve seen before I asked him why he was calling me so early in the morning

“Embry has spent the week at my house, you need to come home there’s nothing we can do anymore to occupy him till you return.” He sighed, Jake knows I want to finish my trip but we made a deal that I would come home early if there were absolutely no options left to keep Embry from sending the pack into hysterics.

I knew he was buttering me up for something.

“Are you sure you can’t figure something out? It’s just another month!”

“Another month of him eating my cereal and getting dirt on me from my dad!”

I snorted with laughter at the fact that Billy was telling Embry every embarrassing detail from his childhood.

“Jake please just let me think about it okay?” I sighed, flopping back into my hollowed cave of blankets and sheets.

“Okay, I’ll let you think about it but don’t think I won’t be telling Sam.” he warned.

We laughed together and he wished me a good night before hanging up the phone, before I slipped back into slumber I sent Jake one more text.

‘You wake me up at one in the morning again and it’s over for you.’ in which he responded with ‘Oh no I’m so scared lol.’

I reached over to the bedside table and plugged my phone in before the sweet embrace of warmth and slumber took over my senses.

The next three days I was bombarded with texts from Paul whining about the wolf mind link and how every patrol shift he had with Embry was spent tuning out his constant thoughts of me.

Standing in the shower with hot water running over my skin soothing my tense muscles I heard my phone buzz against the granite countertop. I rolled my eyes and continued to bask in the endless hotel hot water.

As bad as staying in hotels could be, the hot water made up for the early breakfast and sheets that were tucked in a little too tightly.

I had shampoo in my hair when my phone started buzzing again, this time with a call. I grumbled under the stream of water washing away the soap before it could get in my eyes; whoever's calling can wait.

I moved on to conditioning my hair, letting it sit while I wash the rest of my body with a lightly scented lavender soap.

I refused to use the complimentary soap because it dried out my skin and the lotion just left me feeling sticky instead of moisturized.

Watching the soap run down the drain my phone rang again, I clenched my fists, who could possibly be calling me now? I still refused to get out of my steamy heaven to answer my phone.

My gut told me that whoever was calling wouldn’t let up until I answered. I washed out the conditioner from my hair and wrapped it in a towel.

The mirror was coated in a layer of steam, the tiles were cool against my feet. I wrapped the plush towel around my body, mopping up the droplets of water that remained.

My phone started vibrating with rapid fire text messages from the pack’s group chat they made a month ago. I sighed, picking it up to sift through the messages. I read a message from Jared telling me he’d pay me to return.

The pack always made me laugh, together they’re a walking sitcom. There is never a dull moment with them, someone always had something witty or sarcastic to say.

I checked to see who had called me and it turned out it was Sam, I listened to his voice mails and immediately phoned him back.

As soon as I hit the call button it only rang for half a second before he picked up.

“Thank you for calling back, I thought I’d have to call two more times.” he chuckled.

“Well I was in the middle of a shower, can’t really take a call there.” I moved through the room with my phone pressed between my shoulder and cheek. Stopping at my suitcase to pick out what I was going to wear for the day.

“I’m going to be frank with you, I need you to come home. . .” I let out a huff before he continued.

“Embry needs you badly, he’s just a pile of mush on the floor now. It’s a chore to get him up to go on patrol. Please?”

“Fine, I’ll see what I can do Sam, I’ll try to book a flight for the earliest date I can find.” I knew I was giving in but from what they were telling me and the constant texts were getting to be difficult to manage.

“Thank you, when you get back I’ll buy you take out for a month okay?”

“I hate that you know what my weakness is.” I laughed through the phone, a month of free take out? Hell yeah. It made the prospect of going back a little brighter since I wasn’t going to complete the rest of my trip.

I wasn’t losing out on too much though, I had seen and done everything that I wanted. It wouldn’t be too bad to go home early.

We talked for a couple more minutes before parting ways, I threw my phone on the bed and watched it bounce a couple times before turning my attention back to getting dressed. Since I had a flight to book it was okay to spend the rest of the day lounging in pj’s.

The soft fabric of my pj’s brushed against my skin as I jumped into bed with my computer in hand, and now it was time to book a flight back home. Maybe text Paul and tell him he can quit complaining as well.

I woke up the next morning with my flight booked for take off in the afternoon and my daily good morning text from Embry. I felt a little sad to be leaving such a beautiful country but the trees, ocean and Embry all called my name.

Pacing through the room I grabbed the comfiest set of clothes I packed for my return flight back to Seattle, I had enough time to sleep on the plane to be conscious enough for the three and a half hour drive back to La Push.

I was set for a long day ahead of me but it was going to be worth it in the end, seeing the bright and happy face of my boyfriend, getting to hug him and kiss him again.

I made one last check of the room before I gathered my clothes and toiletry kit and made my way into the bathroom to shower before my long flight. As I was stepping into the shower my phone pinged from the counter with a text from Sam.

“Have you booked that flight yet?” it read.

“Yeah I’m due for take off at 1. I should be back in La Push some time tomorrow!”

My fingers brushed the cool surface of the counter top as I put my phone back and got into the shower, hot water immediately running down my back; this time my phone wasn’t being blown up by a desperate wolf pack trying to get my attention.

I can’t sit in the shower for hours on end this time, I have a flight to catch and a boy to surprise. Embry was currently still under the impression that I would be coming home in two weeks. Boy would he be in for a surprise.

The residual steam wafted out of the bathroom while I brushed my teeth revealing my towel wrapped body and hair in the mirror behind the skin. I checked the time and noted that I had two hours to check out, make my way to the airport, and check into my flight back home. Two more hours before I could smell the trees and ocean, two more hours before I could see my friends and hug Embry.

The time managed to move by in a blur by the time I was shutting the trunk of the yellow cab that was going to drop me off at the airport. I got into the back seat and the driver peeled away from the hotel front onto the winding roads.

“Aye where are you headin’?” The driver inquired in a thick Irish accent.

One thing I noticed in my stay here was that the accent changed in every town or village I passed through. It added to the charm

“Well, I’m on my way home after spending six months in Europe.” My eyes scanned over the green hills that rushed past in a blur.

“My favourite places I’ve been have definitely been Ireland and Greece.” I smiled towards him.

The lines around his eyes crinkled with the smile that graced his face at the mention of Ireland.

“Well that’s good to hear innit? Glad you’ve enjoyed your stay. We welcome ya with open arms if you return.”

We held a light conversation until we arrived in front of the drop off area for passengers, thanked him and grabbed my bags before heading into the crowded lobby.

The front of the terminal was metal and glass that reached towards the heavens with automatic doors gaping open like a mouth. Inside was a dull white with light grey floor which my shoes clicked against with each step.

It was packed with people like a can of sardines, I weaved my way through the masses towards the check in desk which thankfully only had a short line to get through.

Under the mix of fluorescents and natural light the desk lady’s bags that donned under her eyes glared with visible exhaustion from the mass amounts of people that swarmed the terminal.

Despite her clear drowsiness she still greeted me with a warm smile and a soft hello.

I grabbed my ticket and thanked her then turned and pushed myself through to the security check, dropped my luggage off and took a seat to wait for the boarding call for my flight.

As I waited grey clouds started to fill the sky blocking out the little sun that was once shining in its place.

My eyes grew heavier by each minute that passed, waiting could be hard, but waiting in an airport where there’s no sense of time is worse. So I distracted myself by people watching.

A lady was bouncing her baby, the old man across from me was snoring. A businessman paced back and forth speaking urgently into his phone, a family chatted excitedly for their family trip to the Canary Islands.

I pulled my eyes away from them as the call for my flight rang out over the crowded terminal, grabbing my suitcase and making my way towards the gate.

Excitement filled my every step as the anticipation grew and bubbled inside me. I gave the greeting flight attendant a small smile and made my way to my seat, for being last minute I managed to get a window seat.

We sat on the tarmac for twenty minutes before taking off and before I knew it the seat belt light pinged off and I was fast asleep jet setting my way back to America, back to my home.

I couldn’t tell what time it was when I woke up but the clock on the tv screen said 2 a.m. and that we’re due to arrive in an hour. I sat up in my seat and gazed out the window into the starry night sky.

Energy started to course through me as I watched the arrival time tick closer and closer. A light rain misted down over Seattle as I left the Seatac terminal and made my way through the maze of cars in the night that was made darker by the rain.

I spotted my blue Subaru and popped the trunk so my interior and seats wouldn’t get wet. It had been a long six months since I last sat in my driver's seat, the wheel almost felt foreign in my hands as I turned the key and listened to the engine roar to life.

I drove through the winding roads of the city to the Seattle-Bainbridge Ferry to take the 45 minute ride into Bainbridge and headed North to get on the 101 then turn onto 110 which would take me back into the heart of La Push.

The closer I got to Forks the brighter the sky became; well as bright as it could be on a gloomy day. The clouds became painted in the glow of purple and pink as the sun rose over the horizon, the rain had let up and left me with an overcast sky for the remainder of the drive back.

Since I slept virtually the entire flight back I didn’t feel the weight of exhaustion at all, but surely when I arrived back in the arms of Embry I knew I’d hit the wall with sleep deprivation.

As I barreled through the corridor of trees I passed the signature ‘welcome to Forks’ sign and turned right onto the 110, twenty minutes to home. I was so close but my soul felt like it was light years away.

The clock on my radio told me that it was currently 6:45, the pinks and purples that coated the sky faded away to the typical grey that fills my senses with delight. Sea salt and washed up kelp started to seep into the air that circulated into my car making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

Closer to Beach Drive I got the stronger the smell of the ocean became. The turn signal clicked as I turned onto the road that gave way to Sam and Emily’s house so they could take me over to Embry’s in the off chance that he happened to be awake at this hour.

It’s highly unlikely that he would be up at this hour but it’s not something I could be one hundred percent positive about. I stepped out of my car and turned around to see Emily running as fast as she possibly could towards me with open arms and a huge smile plastered across her face.

Dropping my bags I dashed across their lawn into her embrace.

“Oh (y/n)! I missed you so much, you must be so tired.” She released me from her hug and settled her hands on my shoulders giving them a gentle squeeze.

“I missed you too Emily, I knew I’d be tired but not this tired.” I chuckled while wiping at my under eyes in a feeble attempt to wipe away the exhaustion.

She put her hand on my lower back and led me inside for the awaiting cup of tea while Sam moved my bags into his truck.

The warmth of their home embraced me, the comfort of their kitchen was familiar. The only thing missing was the rowdy group of boys that made up the pack who usually occupied every available seat in the home.

I took a seat at the kitchen table where three cups of tea sat waiting, I should have expected a q and a when I returned. Wrapping my hands around the mug the warmth that radiated from it filled my hands.

Emily took a seat beside me and Sam entered through the door and sat adjacent to both of us.

“So how was the trip?” We sat around their table chatting until our cups were empty and filed out of the house into the early morning air.

“Emily and I will drive your car back to your place after I drop you off at Embry’s, the kid’s been sleeping in my living room more often than I’d appreciate.” Sam’s eyes crinkled with a smile, I knew he was joking but at the same time there was truth to his words; and honestly I couldn’t blame him.

“Thank you for putting up with him while I was gone, I owe you guys one and you owe me take out for a month.” He rolled his eyes and ruffled my hair turning into the Call's driveway. Embry’s mom had already left for work leaving him to his own devices; which meant he would sleep in as late as his heart desired.

We got out of Sam’s truck and he dropped my bags on the doorstep. I turned and gave him a quick hug and a thank you before sticking my key into the lock.

The door creaked open and I dragged my suitcases to a stop in their front entry way and shut it behind me.

My shoes landed on the floor with a soft thud and I gingerly walked up the stairs to ensure I wasn’t too noisy while making sure to avoid the one squeaky stair.

I got to the top of the stairs and hung a left down their light beige hallway that gave way to the oak door that guarded Embry’s room. His soft snores filtered through the door, it’s door knob was cool in my hand. Making an audible click with the turn of my wrist.

Dark mahogany brown hair peaked up from beneath the sheet that tucked Embry’s body out of view. One pillow was on the floor while the other was tucked firmly between his cheek and arm, I smiled at the sight of my sleeping boyfriend which filled my every inch with the utmost joy.

My sock covered feet pressed into the carpeted flooring with each step I took towards his bed making sure to step over the piles of dirty clothes that were scattered around the room.

The sun filtered through the gaps in the window blinds casting pools of golden light on the floor and along his walls causing the crystal prism that hung above his closet to sweep dashes of colour across his walls.

I pulled back the grey top sheet to reveal his peaceful face and I swear my heart was going to burst with the amount of love that I feel for him. His hair was tousled in every direction and a cow lick stuck straight up on the left side of his head.

My hands ran over his hair, smoothing it out while I whispered his name. Embry groaned a bit and rolled over, I whispered his name a little bit louder and moved my hands from his hair to his shoulders running them along his arms finally waking him from his slumber.

“Hi Em!” I gushed out as his brown eyes opened and focused on me. His face split with his toothy smile and his arms shot around me, pulling me down into his chest.

“Do you know how much I missed you?” Embry mumbled into my hair.

“I figured a lot with the amount of texts I got from the pack.” I reached up brushing the hair from his face.

“You can never leave me for that long again. . .I didn’t know what to do without you here.” He ran his hands through my hair placing a gentle kiss upon the top of my head.

“I was so worried about you. I couldn’t protect you and make sure you were safe.”

“Well next time I’ll make sure you can come, then you don’t have to worry.” Craning my neck up I placed a kiss upon his lips which were still a bit swollen from slumber.

“The important thing is that I returned safe and in one piece. The other important thing is I get to spoil you with the gifts I brought back!”

His laugh filled the room sending vibrations through my body.

“Hey! That’s my job to spoil you, not the other way around.” He ruffled my hair causing us both to laugh. I peeled off my socks and wiggled my way under his blanket.

“I think it’s time we catch up on six months worth of cuddling.” I poked a finger into his side.

“Yeah I think that’s a good idea, you owe me for being gone so long.”

“What? I came back early!” His hands made their way under my shirt to rest on the bare skin of my back sending waves of heat through my body from being pressed into him. Oh how I missed my heater.

“Yeah, by like what? Two weeks?” his silky voice chuckled out.

“I missed you Embry.” I told him, placing a kiss on his exposed shoulder.

“I missed you too. Now let's go back to sleep, you look tired.” He said to me as he rested his chin atop my head and pulling me closer.

#embry call imagine #embry call x reader #twilight wolves #twilight wolf pack #twilight renaissance #twilight revival #twilight saga #wolf pack #embry call #jared cameron #jacob black #sam uley #paul lahote #quil ateara #seth clearwater #leah clearwater

706 notes · View notes

robininthelabyrinth · 3 years

Note

3. I have no idea if this time line would work, but MYX and XY get attached to each other, so when the time comes that MYX and XY need to leave Koi Tower, JGY helps them get married in secret and run away to Dongu. Anyways, a few years latter, JGY has a kid that needs to go and people in a removed location that owe him favors! Isn’t that a wonderful combination! A Jin(?) Rusong raised by Uncles Mo and Xue, or whatever they go by these days, would be very chaotic. Bonus: they start a relatively safe demonic cultivation sect, maybe with some guidance from the Nie (has NMJ never been killed by the Jin in this Au?), or more specifically, Huaisang. SL and XXC who got a happy ending decide to check out this no blood line sect (it looks slightly dubious, but surely can’t be to bad! Right?) A-Qing at least is enjoying her new friend -🟪🦋

Should Have Been Listening - ao3

“Let go of me.”

“I won’t,” Mo Xuanyu said, clutching Xue Yang’s arm. “I won’t, I won’t! You’re my only friend here!”

Xue Yang looked down at him in what he thought was mostly exasperation, but might have also been a little fondness – after all, if it’d been anyone else who’d grabbed him, he’d have stabbed them.

He still didn’t know why he didn’t stab Mo Xuanyu, too, but in all honesty, he wasn’t that interested in exploring it. He did what he wanted, and right now, he didn’t want to murder Mo Xuanyu.

Irritating as he sometimes was.

“Little brat,” he said. “I have important business to go do.”

“It’s not something that he ordered, though!”

“So what?” Xue Yang bristled. “I don’t just do what hetells me!”

“But that means he won’t cover for you, and that means you’ll get in trouble!” Mo Xuanyu argued. “How can I let you go all alone to get in trouble? You have to take me with you! What will you do without me? Who’ll keep you entertained and sneak sweets for you if not for me?”

Xue Yang’s lips twitched. Okay, maybe there was a reason he kept the brat around.

“You don’t understand,” he said. “This is something I’ve got to do – something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I’m going to kill a lot of people and get into a lot of trouble, more trouble than ever before. I’ll probably lose my life. How can I possibly take you with me?”

Mo Xuanyu scowled up at him. It was a very weak scowl – barely more than a pout. “You think that’s going to make me not want to come with you?”

Xue Yang’s eyebrows went up. “You cry at the sight of blood!”

“I cry at a lot of things!”

Xue Yang wasn’t sure how to respond to that. It was true, Mo Xuanyu cried at a lot of things.

“Maybe if I come with you, it won’t be so bad!”

Yeeeeah, Xue Yang wasn’t going to count on that.

“Or maybe you don’t have to go…?”

“I have to go,” he explained. “If I don’t go, I can’t get revenge, and I have to have revenge.”

Mo Xuanyu blinked up at him.

“I don’t really understand, but okay,” he said, and tugged on his arm. “Let’s go together, then. I promise I won’t cry!”

He cried.

He cried a lot.

“Stop fucking crying.”

“Just – ugh. Listen. You’re ruining the mood.”

“If you can’t stop crying, go away. Now. Or I’ll stab you!”

“Okay, see, look, I just killed the leaders, see? Just the old men. Everyone else is just locked in their rooms. Once the sect leader comes back, I’ll kill him too, and that’ll be all. Okay? Everyone else lives. I promise. Now stop crying, okay?”

“I don’t want to know,” Jin Guangyao said when they got back. “I don’t want to know at all.”

“Good,” Xue Yang grumbled. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Enough people heard about the reason for what you did that opinions are mixed as to whether your actions were the Chang clan’s just rewards for their former misdeeds or if they were actually wrong,” Jin Guangyao said. He looked irritated. “But you still killed high-ranking members of a sect, and you left enough alive that they’re demanding your head on a platter. You’re going to need to run away.”

Mo Xuanyu hesitantly gestured as if he wished to speak.

“Yes, you can go with him. Now that my father is dead, no one cares where you are.”

Mo Xuanyu beamed.

“You’re just going to let us go?” Xue Yang asked suspiciously. “That seems unlike you. What’s in it for you?”

“Oh, I’m not just going to let you go. I’m going to give you money, too,” Jin Guangyao said. “And all you need to do for me is one little tiny favor –”

Pity that that was when Xue Yang stopped listening, too busy staring at Mo Xuanyu’s delighted face and counting all the way he was in for it now.

“I’ve always wanted to take care of a baby,” Mo Xuanyu said happily.

“Good for you,” Xue Yang said darkly as he stalked through the streets.

He would rather that Jin Guangyao had needed a body buried and a death covered up or something – and judging by the baby’s perturbed expression, it probably agreed with him. Fuck, maybe Jin Guangyao had meant for them to murder the baby once they got it far enough out of the way. It was just as plausible as Mo Xuanyu's assumption that they were supposed to take care of it.

Damnit, maybe he should have been listening.

“Listen, neither of us are equipped to handle a baby. Go find a woman to help us – someone poor and helpless who doesn’t have any other choice.”

“Okay!”

Xue Yang shut his eyes. “What exactly,” he said slowly, “did you think I asked you to get us a woman for, exactly?”

“To…watch the baby?” Mo Xuanyu guessed. “When we’re busy or sleeping? Anyway, what’s wrong with A-Qing, anyway? She’s nice!”

“I’m not nice,” A-Qing said. The damn brat was smirking – and for once it wasn’t his damn brat, but some blind brat with a cocky expression. “I stole your wallet and you burst into tears and it was really embarrassing.”

“He does that,” Xue Yang said wearily. At least he’d noticed the theft this time – all of his lessons in ‘how not to be a sucker and get constantly taken advantage of’ were maybe having something of an impact. Maybe. “For some reason I’m apparently into it.”

He couldn’t explain it any other way.

“…loser.”

“I will stab you,” Xue Yang threatened. “I don’t care if you’re blind.”

“Won’t someone tell me why A-Qing isn’t a perfectly good babysitter?” Mo Xuanyu demanded. He was holding the baby in his arms again – the baby liked him more than it did Xue Yang, which meant that between Mo Xuanyu and the baby, the baby had better self-preservation instincts – and he was trying his best stern scowl which was of course barely more than a pout and a so-called ‘fierce’ expression that made Xue Yang want to laugh.

Not even Mo Xuanyu’s horrific make-up skills could make thatface intimidating. Or maybe it was just that the person behind the face was just so completely unthreatening that there was no help for it?

“Well? Tell me!”

Xue Yan opened his mouth, then shrugged and shut it again.

A-Qing patted Mo Xuanyu on the shoulder. “I’m too young. No milk.”

“…milk?”

“You know. The thing babies eat?”

“…milk,” Mo Xuanyu repeated, only now he looked absolutely heartbroken at having failed the mission that Xue Yang had assigned him almost entirely just to get him out of the way while Xue Yang collected some spare cash and threatened their way onto a ride out of this piece of shit town.

“It’s fine,” Xue Yang said hastily. “We’ll just get a goat or something, I don’t know.”

“Okay, I actually only came here to laugh at you,” A-Qing said. “But now I’m legitimately worried about this baby. Don’t you two know anything? How’d you even get a baby, anyway?”

“Stop laughing. It’s not that funny.”

“Seriously. Stop laughing, or I stab you.”

“Don’t worry, A-Qing,” Mo Xuanyu said. “He doesn’t mean it! Threats are just how he expresses affection!”

“It most certainly is not.”

“That is absolutely amazing,” A-Qing said, wiping her eyes. “Best thing I’ve ever heard., if by best I mean worse-but-hilarious. I mean. If that’s what he considers affection, what must his flirting be like?”

“No one is flirting with anyone!”

“Are you going to leave at some point?”

“Obviously not,” A-Qing said. She’d caught the same ride as them, using Xue Yang’s cash no less – Mo Xuanyu had insisted that it was the least they could do after the whole milk misunderstanding, which was stupid, she ought to be paying them for wasting their time. Xue Yang couldn’t wait to get rid of her, although he had to admit that she’d been pretty useful in terms of putting on the ‘poor sad blind girl and her two brothers all alone in the world’ act to get them a room at the inn at prices even Xue Yang felt comfortable paying. “Are you joking? This is so much funnier than walking by myself. Anyway, I enjoy watching people crash and burn.”

“Aren’t you too young to be such a bitch?” Xue Yang hissed. “And, I don’t know, blind?”

“You know what I mean.”

“I don’t care what you –”

The sound of crying came from the other room.

It was quickly followed by a second set of crying.

Xue Yang felt the onset of a headache.

“…truce?” A-Qing suggested sweetly, as if she knew exactly how much it pissed him off and thought it was the funniest thing ever, which was…probably accurate, actually. “I’ll get the baby to stop crying if you do the same with Mo Xuanyu.”

Yeah, that was definitely a headache. The sort of headache called why do I like that brat.

Mo Xuanyu owed him so much candy for putting up with this shit.

“Fine,” Xue Yang said begrudgingly. “Truce. Temporarily. And then you leave!”

“So we live here now, huh?” A-Qing said, looking around the house they’d claimed. “That’s neat.”

“Why do you live with us again?” Xue Yang asked her, though by now he barely even meant it. A-Qing was clearly another one in the same mold as Mo Xuanyu: you just couldn’t say no to her…or, rather, you could, at length and top volume and with threats, only it just didn’t stick. “I definitely did not recall asking you to stay.”

Though it was nice to have someone else around that wasn’t going to get immediately ripped off by literally anyone who came their way. Mo Xuanyu’d started getting conned by the literal infant that they were taking care of – he was completely hopeless.

Also, questionably blind or not, at least A-Qing had no hesitation about beating people with her stick if they struck her the wrong way, which was a life approach Xue Yang agreed with wholeheartedly.

“She’s going to learn to cultivate!” Mo Xuanyu chirped from where he was applying his make-up. “Demonic cultivation, too! We had a whole discussion about it while you were out getting groceries!”

That made a certain amount of sense, Xue Yang supposed. You didn’t need talent to be a demonic cultivator – technically speaking, given his bloodline, Mo Xuanyu was more naturally gifted in cultivation than Xue Yang, which was just wrong on all sorts of levels – and it was certainly more effective a defense mechanism than A-Qing’s stick. If there were two of them, they could protect Mo Xuanyu and the baby more effectively, taking shifts when needed, and Mo Xuanyu, who was also going to learn demonic cultivation no matter how many times Xue Yang had to hammer it into his head, could be the last line of defense, largely since no one would ever expect him to be able to do…anything…and they’d be right, too.

So it wasn’t the craziest idea in the world, only…

“…who is she going to be learning from, exactly!?”

“Have you ever considered charging for your skill in teaching cultivation lessons instead of your skill in stabbing people?” A-Qing asked one day. They were lying on the ground and having the corpses they’d raised fan them to try to reduce the temperature – it was that sort of day. Also, Mo Xuanyu, who might’ve objected, wasn’t around. “You’re not actually that bad at this. Might be more profitable, and less work. Just a thought.”

“Shut up. I’m great at stabbing people.”

“Yeah, but then after a while we have to move because people get annoyed at that, and it’s getting a little annoying to have to pack up all the time.”

“We’d have to move anyway. We’re wanted criminals, remember?”

“We could be wanted criminals with a house. Besides, wouldn’t you like to be called Teacher Xue?”

“What? No. Gross.”

“So you see, it turns out that they were teaching demonic cultivation in a safe and organized fashion,” Xiao Xingchen explained enthusiastically. “They’d even gathered up their own little sect! And of course everyone heard what the Chang clan did, so there’s no need to worry about them going around and murdering people at random – it was a targeted revenge scheme.”

“We’re working on teaching them regular cultivation,” Song Lan agreed, nodding. “To help mitigate the negative effects of demonic cultivation…well, we started out by just teaching them.”

“It turned out that they’d been secretly teaching all of the local delinquents, too, or at least Mo-gongzi had been teaching a few and Mistress Qing was teaching a few others, and even Sect Leader Xue had a few disciples,” Xiao Xingchen said, politely omitting or possibly having not noticed the fact that Mo Xuanyu had been teaching his ‘friends’ (read: scammers trying to take advantage of him), while A-Qing and Xue Yang had each been trying to form competing gangs and/or obtain lackeys. Xue Yang didn’t mind the oversight, largely on account of the fact that A-Qing had been winning, damn her – he’d kept getting distracted by inventing new things. “And a few of them had real talent – and you know that Zichen and I have always wanted to start a sect of our own, with no bloodline ties –”

“We’re joining their sect,” Song Lan said. “We’ll be leading the orthodox side, while they lead the demonic cultivation aspect – safely, of course.”

“I guess it’s better than them being crazy,” Jiang Cheng said. He sounded dubious. “I don’t like it, but at least all the demonic cultivators can be in one spot, you know?”

He made it sound like they’d be dropping off new ones there in the future.

Like they’d opened up some sort of pet rescue and were taking in unwanted puppies or something.

“Agreed,” Nie Mingjue said. “To the extent that they aren’t causing active harm, containment seems an appropriate remedy here. Who seconds the motion?”

“I do,” Lan Xichen said, and smiled at the newly agreed-upon sect. “Welcome back to the cultivation world, Sect Leader Xue.”

“I don’t want to know,” Jin Guangyao said, glaring.

“Don’t worry,” Xue Yang told him. “This comes as much of a shock to me as to you.”

The glare intensified, but that was fine. Jin Guangyao’s facial expressions, however minor and generally overlooked, had been the only thing getting him through that awful, awful meeting just now where people kept trying to salute him and make him salute back and if he didn’t then he was letting down Mo Xuanyu (who would send him a sad look) and A-Qing (who would hear about it from Mo Xuanyu later and then find a way to step on his foot right when he was concentrating on something).

Not to mention their two new resident lovebirds, who looked so righteous and proper from the outside but who also may or may not have accidentally full-on actually resurrected some dead asshole cultivator more or less the first time they’d joined Xue Yang in his demonic cultivation laboratory – which would have been fine, you know, that happened in demonic cultivation though not normally to quite such a wow-is-he-actually-alive extent, except that the guy’s intermittent moments of clarity suggested that his two new sect members might have just brought back the Yiling Patriarch himself, which was going to make all of them wanted criminal again the second anyone found out about it.

Ugh.

Being called sect leader was completely not worth this shit.

Xue Yang comforted himself with the reminder that later today he was planning on publicly introducing Jin Guangyao to the Xue sect’s head junior disciple “Xue Song” and announcing loudly that the brat needed some lessons in manners, that he’d heard that that was Lianfeng-zun’s specialty, and nominating him to take care of the kid while they were visiting.

See how the fucker liked that.

“I always knew Xue-gege could do great things!” Mo Xuanyu said, clapping his hands as A-Qing rolled her (by now, Xue Yang was almost definitely sure not actually blind) eyes behind his back. “As long as I went with him!”

#mdzs #xue yang #mo xuanyu #a-qing #jin guangyao #my fic #my fics #should have been listening

249 notes · View notes

darling-i-read-it · 3 years

Text

HCs for Enemies to Lovers with Steve

Steve Harrington x fem!reader

Warnings: insults, trivial high school bs, violence

Requested: by anon, Omg babes, I hope you had a great trip!! Let's see......... Can I request head canons for an enemies/rivals-to-lovers arc with Steve "The Hair" Harrington? I find myself suddenly very much in a Stranger Things mood lol. Love ya!

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director/creator

Author’s Note: steve harrington my dearest darling lol. I hope you enjoy!

- you hated Steve Harrington when you first met him

- granted, it had been quite the horrible first meeting, you were destined to hate him

- you met at a party in freshman year while he was downing drinks and you were just trying to walk past him

- he ended up splashing your new blouse with punch and instead of apologizing he commented on how awful it looked anyway

- needless to say, you weren’t a big fan of that

- Steve was the most popular guy in school and he was the biggest douche you had ever had the displeasure of meeting

- so naturally you said something about how his hair didn’t suit him

- you made an enemy for life right there <3

- and it stayed that way all throughout high school

- you stayed away from each other in the halls, he started some stupid high school rumors about you, you told people he had a small dick

- it was an aggressive amount of talking behind each others back

- in senior year you both decided it was probably smart to get jobs and unbeknownst to you both, you both put in to work at Scoopys Ahoy at the new mall in Hawkins

- you both got accepted and on the first day on the job you walked in just to see Steve already behind the counter

- your eyes met and he dropped his scooper

- fate had really dealt you a tough card

- you and Steve had far too many shifts together and you both needed this job

- if it weren’t for the other person, it might even be semi enjoyable

- at first you just did not speak to one another

- you literally ignored the others presence for a couple of work days completely until the manager pointed it out and made you talk to each other

- at that point it was just a lot of snarky backhanded compliments

- after a couple days you found yourself...enjoying the slights you had with Steve

- it at the very least kept you entertained at work

- you were working the same shift when Dustin came back and told Steve all about the russian interception

- you were bored and offered your help to Dustin

- Dustin, not Steve

- Steve immediately said no and that he had no interest in working with you but Dustin knew that you got better grades than Steve and truth be told, he needed the mind power

- so he let you in on it

- you and Steve begrudgingly talked yourselves through it and found that through all the snark, you were able to bounce ideas off each other well

- you were with them when things went south and everyone ended up in the secret russian base underneath Starcourt

- you and Steve were tied to chairs together, alone, scared

- ‘You know Harrington, maybe you aren’t so bad’

- Steve couldn’t help but let out a small sigh as he put his head against the back of yours

- ‘I’m sorry. For all the shit I said about you.’

- ‘Me too. We were just stupid kids, we were doing what we knew how to do.’

- truth be told, you thought you were going to die

- you just wanted to be at peace with the boy you were going to die with

- then Dustin came and saved you and all the shit went down with the mind flayer

- when all of that was said and done, you stepped out of starcourt and your parents were outside and you were shaking from fear and adrenaline and you found that all you wanted to do was hug Steve Harrington

- you turned to him and wrapped your arms around him and he embraced you

- ‘Your hair looks good’ you told him through silent tears

- he held you tightly and rubbed your back

- ‘I know.’

- Dustin said he saw the two of you coming but Steve didn’t believe him

- he was pretty sure no one saw that coming

Stranger Things Tag List: @dpaccione, @karasong, @elisaa-shelby

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington imagines #steve harrington headcanons

397 notes · View notes

raewritez · 2 years

Text

for the want of the sun | chapter twelve: fugitives

“This one seems edible.”

I inspect the berry in my hand, soft and purple. It squishes between my fingers and I tilt it back and forth, looking for any signs of poisonous qualities. Not that I know what those look like. I sniff, but the berry has no smell. I’m sticking my tongue out, the fruit about to touch the tip, when-

“Cut it out, Y/n.”

I shoot Zuko a glare, dropping the berry to the ground. “Well, what do you want to do? I’m starving!”

He groans, rolling his head. “I am, too, but you can’t just go eating strange berries. Maybe…maybe there’s an animal somewhere.”

“Yeah, like that fire-ferret you tried to chase down earlier?”

“I thought we agreed not to talk about that.”

I sigh, looking at the ground and trying to ignore the rumbling in my stomach. I raise my eyes to find Zuko already staring, and he jerks his head to the side in a tired manner. I walk after him in understanding, brushing past the bushes to find his uncle.

“Uncle,” he calls. “We didn’t find anything to eat! I can’t live like this, I wasn’t meant to be a fugitive! This is impossible!” He shakes his fists at the sky in anguish and I smirk. I look over at Iroh who is sitting on the ground, finger brought to his chin in a pensive expression.

“Whatcha doing?” I ask. Iroh turns to me with a smile, beckoning me over excitedly.

“Ah, Y/n, you’re looking at the rare white dragon bush. Its leaves make tea so delicious it’s heartbreaking!” He clasps his hands together. “That, or it’s the white jade, which is poisonous.”

“Hmm. Yeah, maybe that’s not the best idea then.”

“Uncle, we need food, not tea,” Zuko speaks from behind me. He walks past me, brushing me with his shoulder. “Y/n and I are going fishing.”

“What?” I exclaim. “I’ll be doing all the work!”

“Oh, sorry to inconvenience you,” he deadpans. “I guess starving will be easier.”

I stick out my tongue at him but follow begrudgingly. “See you later, Iroh,” I call. “Don’t eat anything poisonous.”

“Yeah, yeah, see you later!”

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

“How are you so bad at this?”

I send Zuko a fiery glare, stabbing the sharp end of my stick into the water. “At least I’m trying, your highness. It’s not like you’re any help!”

“I don’t know how to fish! I’m a prince! What’s your excuse?”

I stare at him, confounded. “Do you think the servants at the palace hunted for their own food or something?”

He shuts his mouth abruptly, looking away. “Uh, no, I just-”

“Okay, whatever. Can you just help?”

“I mean, not really.”

“Ugh!” I drop my stick, grabbing my hair. “We’re gonna die out here, aren’t we.”

Zuko shrugs. “Possibly.”

I sit on the mossy ground, bringing my knees to my chest. I feel lightheaded and dizzy, and the emptiness in my stomach has grown into a painful gnawing. The sun is too bright, and it sends colors whirling in my vision. I shut my eyes, trying to find a moment of relieving darkness.

A hand on my shoulder, and a soft voice. “I didn’t mean it, Y/n, we’re gonna be fine.” I can’t bring myself to look up. Zuko sighs from above me. “We’ll figure it out soon, ok? Let’s go find my uncle, maybe he knows what to do.”

With my head still buried in my arms, I nod, and I stick out my arm. Zuko grabs it, hauling me up beside him. I rub my eyes, trying to banish the blinding sun. I feel a tug on my wrist, urging me to start walking. I walk next to him, the rushing of the river growing fainter with every step.

“I’m sorry I’m freaking out,” I say. “I’ve just literally never been this hungry in my life.”

It’s ok,” Zuko chuckles, his face shaded by the straw hat atop his head. “Usually I’m the one freaking out.”

“Well, at least you’re self-aware.”

We come across the clearing where we left Iroh, finding him seated in the same spot. His back is turned, and at the sound of our footsteps, he glances back. “Zuko,” he says. “Remember that plant I thought might be tea?”

A pit settles in my stomach, and Zuko shakes his head wearily. “You didn’t.”

“I did.” He turns around, his pale face blotched with marks of red, and swollen. My mouth falls open. “And it wasn’t.” Next to me, Zuko jumps backward, letting out a yell.

Iroh speaks calmly. “When the rash spreads to my throat, I will stop breathing. But look what I found!” He pulls a branch from behind him, small, red berries blossoming at the end. “These are bacui berries, known to cure the poison of the white jade. That…or they’re maka’ole berries, which cause blindness.”

“Alright,” I step forward, snatching the branch from his hand. “We’re not taking any more chances with these plants. We need to get you help.”

“But where are we going to go?” He asks. “We’re enemies of the Earth Kingdom and fugitives from the Fire Nation.”

Zuko stands beside me. “If the Earth Kingdom catches us, they’ll have us killed.”

Iroh rises from the ground, scratching vigorously at the blooming rashes on his legs. “But if the Fire Nation catches us, we’ll be turned over to Azula.”

Zuko and I share a look, nodding. “Earth Kingdom it is.”

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Zuko and I lead Iroh down the forest path, coming across a small house in the woods. It’s lit in the approaching gloaming, soft light cast across the ground. At the door, we are met by a young girl, about my age, who promptly gasps upon seeing Iroh. “Come in!” she exclaims and leads us to a back room where she begins mixing some sort of salve, seating Iroh on the small bed.

“You all must not be from around here,” says the girl. “We know better than to touch the White Jade, much less make it into tea and drink it.”

Iroh chuckles sheepishly, his attempt to smile only making his swollen face smush together. “Whoops!”

The girl turns to us with a smile. “So where are you traveling from?”

I open my mouth to respond when Zuko shoots up from beside me. “Yes, we’re travelers.” I send him a weird look.

“Do you have names?”

“Names? Of course we have names. I’m, uh…Lee, and this is…Ming, and my Uncle…Mushi?”

Iroh shoots Zuko a glare and I use my hand to hide my grin. “Yes,” he says. “My nephew was named after his father, so we just call him Junior.”

Zuko glowers, slicing his hand across his neck.

“Mushi, Junior, and Ming, huh? My name is Song. You all look like you could use a good meal, why don’t you stay for dinner?”

“Sorry, but we need to be moving on,” Zuko says, and I elbow him in the ribs. “Ow,” he grunts.

“That’s too bad,” Song says, smiling innocently. “My mom always makes too much roast duck.” She sends me a smile and Iroh perks up from the bed.

“Where do you live exactly?”

After finishing up with Iroh, Song leads us into the larger part of her house, calling for her mom to let her know they have guests. I can smell the roast duck Song was speaking of, and my head flushes with a rush of lightheadedness. Her mother welcomes us warmly, seating us at the small table near the kitchen. I sit across from Song, next to Zuko, and I am almost leaning on him from exhaustion by the time the food comes. When it’s set in front of me, I waste no time diving in.

Song’s mother takes a seat at the table. “My daughter tells me you’re refugees. We were once refugees ourselves.”

Song nods at her words. “When I was a little girl, the Fire Nation raided our farming village. All the men were taken away. That was the last time I saw my father.”

I slow my chewing, the food suddenly not seeming as appetizing anymore. The newfound fullness in my stomach is quickly replaced with coldness, and I find that I can’t meet her eyes. So many people, so many lives ruined at the hands of my nation.

Zuko clears his throat. “I haven’t seen my father in many years.”

“Oh, is he fighting in the war?”

I look up at him, his face shadowed even under the soft light of the candles. “Something like that.”

I finish my meal quietly, Iroh engaged in pleasant conversation with Song and her mother. When Zuko is done he rises from his heat, sliding open the paper door and stepping outside. I stand to follow him, thanking the family for dinner. I find him sitting outside, his feet swinging from the porch. I sit quietly beside him, feeling the warmth from his body seep into mine.

“What’s up?” I whisper.

“I don’t know,” he answers. “I’m confused.”

The door slides open again, light spilling onto the grass below us. Song steps outside delicately. “Can I join you?”

I nod, smiling gently. She closes the door, taking a seat next to Zuko. “I know what you’ve been through,” she says. “We’ve all been through it.” I see her glance at Zuko, eyes lingering on the crimson pattern of his scar. “The Fire Nation has hurt you.”

She reaches out, fingers ghosting the edge of his skin. Zuko grabs her hand, pulling it away, and she looks down awkwardly. “It’s ok,” she whispers. “They’ve hurt me, too.” She reaches for the end of her dress, pulling the fabric above her calf. I notice it for the first time: a burn, a crimson swirl crawling up her leg, not so different from my own. Zuko looks at her, surprised.

“I’m sorry,” I say. She smiles.

We are broken apart by the sound of approaching footsteps, the creaking of the door. Iroh’s voice breaks through the silence. “Thank you for the duck. It was excellent.”

Song’s mother follows him to the door. “You’re welcome. It brings me pleasure to see someone eating my cooking with such…gusto.”

He chuckles, patting his stomach. “Much practice.”

Zuko stands up, walking down the grassy path and into the shadows. Iroh calls after him. “Junior, where are your manners? You need to thank these nice people.”

Zuko turns and bows. “Thank you.”

I turn to Song and her mother. “Thank you so much for dinner, it was wonderful.” The woman smiles warmly. “It was my pleasure, sweetheart.” I smile and turn to follow Zuko. Song calls out from behind me. “I know you don’t think there’s any hope left in the world, but there is hope. The Avatar has returned!”

Zuko stops, a pace, then keeps walking. His face is dark as we stray further from the house. “I know.”

I turn back, waving at the two figures on the porch. They raise their hands in farewell and step back inside. Zuko walks ahead of me but stops when he comes across an ostrich-horse tied up on the fence. He walks over to the animal quietly, unfastening its reins and leading it away.

“Zuko!” I whisper-yell, shaking my head. “What are you doing?!”

Iroh levels him with a stare. “These people have just shown you great kindness.”

“They’re about to show us a little more kindness.” He hops on the animal, glaring down at us. “Well?”

I stare at him, guilt etched in my face. Iroh jumps on behind him, and I follow, feeling like my limbs are made of lead. Zuko urges us forward with his heels, the ostrich-horse trotting along the path. I glance back at the house, gasping when I am met with the sad eyes of the girl, Song, staring after us. I stare back, frozen, and she closes the door.

this was pretty short but hard to write for some reason. also Zuko has hair now! celebrate 🎉

taglist: @aquaamethyst96

121 notes · View notes

silkylious · 3 years

Text

“I love you. Truly, deeply, eternally.” (Lucifer x Reader)

fandom: obey me! shall we date?

pairing: lucifer x gn reader

warnings: angst, fluff (mildly lol), suggestive (nothing explicit though!), bittersweet, ambiguous ending (??), unedited

wc: 2.1k

“Lucifer?” you called out to him on a whim, eyes trailing the seconds ticking away on his grandfather-clock.

“Yes?” he didn’t spare you a glance as he worked methodically through his second hill of paperwork; a heaping stack of duties assigned to him by Diavolo, endless bills–a consequence of Mammon’s latest spending spree, you ought to talk to him about those soon–and the sort piled neatly on his pristine desk, slowly but surely decreasing in size as Lucifer burned through the tedious task with unwavering efficiency. You felt exhausted just watching him work. Lucifer? He hadn’t so much as blinked more than three times in the past five minutes (yes, you counted). Obsidian sleeves rolled up just past his elbows, hair perfectly framing his face with one strand slightly out of place–hot–and a gentle crease between his brows (the only observable hint alluding to the mounting stress on his shoulders). He looked positively delectable, nothing like someone who’s been working diligently for hours without any breaks. But that just served as a testament to the fundamental difference between the two of you, you supposed.

“I’m in love with you,”

That made his meticulous fingers pause in their tracks.

“Pardon?”

As it turned out, his ears hadn’t, in fact, deceived him. You repeated the confession as if it weighed nothing on your tongue. You were strangely calm given the words you’d just blurted out; he almost didn’t recognize you. An unfamiliar shade of desperation painted all over your face, and yet your voice bared to him a serene conviction, one he’d never heard from you before. Lucifer’s heartbeat stumbled in your wake.

Basking in your courageous display just a second longer, he sighed. Too bad he’d have to mutilate such a pretty sight so soon.

That didn’t go exactly as he’d planned. The harsh rejection barely deterred you, leaving only a petulant pout on your lips and a promise that you’d come talk to him later.

Lucifer was anything but stupid. He knew that he let things stray too far between you, knew it was his fault for not pulling away from your kisses and instead indulging you (and himself) to the fullest. His fault for ignoring the guilt that settled deep in his gut like hunks of steel when you looked at him like he’d never experienced before. Lucifer had lived for many millennia, had relished the warmth of countless passionate lovers and faceless hookups, none of which had ever set him alight from the inside out like your adoring gaze had. It terrified him how after all these years, watching humans thrive and collapse over and over again, he thought he’d seen everything there is to see, all that humans had to offer. And then you come along, reinventing what love meant right before his eyes, with a simple look no less.

He never intended for you to fall in love with him, and he never intended to reciprocate. Had he been mortal, maybe things wouldn’t be so complicated. But life dealt a cruel hand, and he wasn’t. A relationship like yours was doomed to crumble in heartache from the start, it was best to stop it before things went too far. That was the plan anyway.

You didn’t share the same sentiment.

With one last exasperated sigh, Lucifer focused his attention back on his duties. He didn’t know how long he could hold up against your persistence, and honestly he preferred not to dwell on it. Whatever outcome lied for the both of you in the near future, itching one step closer with each tick on the clock, he’d face it head on when it was time.

Meanwhile, you laid wide awake, in your bed, rethinking every decision that led you here. You didn’t regret your confession, nor were you keen on giving up, but Lucifer’s ruthless rejection, his vehement claim that a relationship between a human and a demon is destined to end in tragedy festered a bud of doubt in you. You noted pettily that he hadn’t outright denied any feelings for you. How could he? Lucifer was many, ugly things but a liar’s not one of them; you wouldn’t believe him even if he did lie, not with how delicately he holds your hand in his gloved one, not with how heartbreakingly beautiful he was when he lets you in at his lowest, stripped completely of his pride.

You knew though, that as much as Lucifer was a creature of the past, he was a creature of regrets.

Somehow, you’d managed to reach the heart of the Avatar of Pride himself, bestowing a porcelain touch on it and subsequently rocking the monotony of his endless life. Despite the acknowledgment of both your feelings, you weren’t naïve enough to dismiss how his heart drums thousands of years apart from yours and would continue to do so long after yours gave its last valiant pump.

He was a creature of the past you realized; humans intently watch minutes, hours, years approach because there’s only so much of them live out, there’s only so much to do in a lifetime. Naturally it would be counterintuitive to waste scarce time on the past. The immortal have no such concern. When time is limitless, and life is all but a blur of recycled events, its only instinctive to lose interest in what’s to come. And you guessed, maybe there was a strange comfort in the predictability of eternity, maybe that’s why Lucifer was so offput by the notion of something serious yet temporary, especially romance.

You decided. You wouldn’t let him look back and ponder what ifs in that stubborn head of his, not while you were still breathing. With regained determination, you glanced one last time at your countertop alarm and entered a dreamless slumber.

Not even two days later, three consecutive raps on his door made Lucifer rub at his temples for the nth time and begrudgingly called for you to enter. Piled on his desk were several stacks of papers (as was the usual), though, that night he was in a particularly sour mood. Ever since your confession, he’d been feeling uneasy, Diavolo hurling more work at him last minute was only pushing him to his wit’s end.

“Lucifer,” he hummed in response, not bothering to conceal his growing agitation. “we need to talk,”

Ah, there it was. He was wondering when you’d confront him again.

“I believe I made myself quite clear last time,” he sighed, dropping his pen and finally meeting your eyes. “If this is about your feelings again then I’m sorry but I can’t–”

“But why? Can you really say that what we have isn’t special at all?” your lower lip quivered just a bit and Lucifer had to fight the immediate reflex of holding you close and hushing your worries. His impassiveness quickly arose frustration out of you. “God Damnit, Lucifer! All I want is to be with you while I still can! To die with no regrets, knowing you’ll be there with me, but it’s very fucking hard to do that when you’re too scared of the future to do something about–about us!”

It was a low blow to go after his pride, you knew that, but he wasn’t giving you much to work with.. Rubbing salt in a ghastly wound had certainly done the trick, the dimmed crimson that pooled just below his pupil began to shine scarlet. You would have found it gorgeous had it not been imbued with near murderous intent. Lucifer’s poker face was rapidly breaking, a horrid mix of anger and melancholy sat heavy in his throat. He was looking straight at you, but his eyes were somewhere else, some time else. He was staring hundreds of years behind you at an unhealed, poorly bandaged cut. An everlasting guilt he carried with him everywhere.

“What would you know about regret?” he breathed out the words like they’re bullets, whatever restraint he’d managed to scarp together deteriorating. He stepped closer, each stride bigger than the last as he closed the distance between you, a perfect diamond manifesting on his forehead and you could see the beginnings of black feathers sprouting from his back. “Do you have the slightest clue what a blessing mortality is? Do you have any idea how agonizing it is to live with your regrets and not be able to die with them?”

“You’re right. I don’t,” you stood your ground. “But, do you really want to live with one more regret to bear?”

He kissed you. He kissed you like he hated you, animosity and anger and pain and, most prominently, pining spilling from his lips. Lucifer parted from you just as quickly as he’d initiated the kiss, taking the time to let his irritation bleed out of him, until he was left grappling with (frankly terrifying) longing and adoration. Just this once, he’d take a leap of faith, he’d break his own rigorous code and take the risk of undying heartache in the future to be with you in the now.

One kiss turned into many, and soon you found yourselves stumbling your way from his office to his bedroom. He couldn’t get enough of you, the thought that some day he would be deprived of you broke him and made him yearn to cherish you just as much. Precious things aren’t meant for longevity, he learned. All the more reason to treasure them when given the chance. You were pushed onto his bed and not once did his hands and mouth and breath leave your skin; he couldn’t bear sever that connection.

Before long, your hands were pined to the mattress, fingers tightly laced with his as if he was petrified the moment will break and a thousand years would pass you by the instant he let go.

“I love you. Truly and deeply.”

Neither of you heard the clock strike midnight.

Lucifer was well-acquainted with sleepless nights. He was no stranger to the prick at the corner of his eye, excruciatingly familiar with midnight’s cold, lonely touch. But this one was different. Where usually lied a cool emptiness in his sheets, your warm, inviting body was just in reach. Where the corners of his mind were usually plagued by past mistakes and sorrowful repentance, you were all he could think about. He reflected on your words now that the high of emotions had worn off. He still disagreed with you on many things and, if he was being true to himself, it would take more than one night to abandon his reluctance, much more. But he was willing to put in his fair share of effort. He was willing to do many things for you, he mused. You were right about one thing though, regardless of whether or not he acted on his feelings, your parting would hurt all the same. Part of him was still resentful that he let himself fall so deeply in love with you, and a part of him knew it couldn’t be helped. You’d carved a home for yourself out of his heart, invited yourself in and declared pompously you’d be there to stay, and he’d be damned to hell all over again if he said he didn’t like that.

Pulling you closer to leech off your warmth, for the first time in forever, he dreamt of the future, a future with you.

Snapping out his reverie, Lucifer refocused his vision on the framed picture before him. It’s been a couple dozen years, the pain dulled into a hollow longing, and yet not a single regret weighed on his back. He was astonished, how you, who had lived but a fraction of his own lifetime, had such impeccable foresight. He lays in bed every night and morning thanking you for not giving up, knowing that if you had, he’d be spending the rest of his infinite days in self-loathing regret.

All Lucifer could ask for now is a little guidance. What was he to do now? Was he even capable of falling in love again after you? Would he allow it? All questions that began frequenting his head since you’re no longer there to occupy it. He only knew is that he’d love you, and love you, and love you until this world fell apart. He toyed with the idea of reincarnation. It certainly wasn’t out of the realm of possibility; he saw you in everything he did. Strange how you’d taught him more about appreciating every day’s mundanities than he had in the many eons he’s been alive. Lucifer wonders about the possibility of you donning the same white wings he once had back in the Celestial Realm. If you ever did, he wonders about the complications that would arise from that, he wonders if you’d even remember him. All Lucifer was left with was a simple truth. If you ever came back, whichever form you may take, he’d welcome you back into the adobe of his heart without a second thought.

He ran his thumb over your smile, a bittersweet acceptance in his own.

“I love you. Truly, deeply, eternally.”

Obey me! taglist: @katsucookie @strwbry-m1lk (you wanted to be tagged in this one lol) join my taglist here! <3

#obey me x reader #obey me lucifer x reader #obey me lucifer x y/n #obey me lucifer x mc #lucifer x reader #lucifer x y/n #lucifer x mc #obey me lucifer #obey me #obey me shall we date #lucifer angst

240 notes · View notes