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i-write-sometimes-maybe · 8 months

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Celebration- Lady Lesso X NeverFem!Reader (NSFW)

Synopsis: It was a night of many celebrations.

Warnings: SMUT. Alcohol consumption, kinda bratty bottom!reader, top!Lesso, some book descriptions, blindfolds, toys (vibe), denial, overstimulation, fingering, oral, biting, tears, tribbing w/toy, allusions to choking but not really, gets emotional at the end.

Word Count: 6.8k

A/n: Okay if I’m being totally honest, this kinda drags on (not in a bad way) because I have been lacking with motivation for smut, but it makes it’s incredibly intimate, so I’m not entirely complaining. I’ve been wanting to get this out FOR-EVER. Like longer than it should’ve taken. ENJOY 🥰🫶🏻

☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎

It was a celebration of sorts. The staff was celebrating many things. Goodness prevailed, Rafal had fallen, the schools had joined, and Sophie and Agatha had returned to Gavaldon.

In all fairness, you did enjoy having those girls at the schools, not to get you wrong, but you were more than pleased to not have any antics started by Sophie anymore.

As a Never professor, you should've enjoyed it, but seeing the strain it put on your Dean, it wasn't enjoyable at all.

Lady Lesso had to deal with the newest reader starting things and challenging her, while she also had to deal with her past not only being brought up again but reoccurring.

Because of this, Lesso was not herself. A little rougher with everyone, that part you did enjoy, but there was something hidden within her. And you wanted to know what it was, you wanted to comfort it out of her. To be the one holding her while she sobbed like you knew she desperately needed to.

The triumph of that is what Lesso was celebrating currently. She would've been more angry with Good winning, once again, but she couldn't bring herself to care after all these past few events she had to go through, again. Something about watching it happen to another, hardly able to do anything about it, was almost worse. Almost.

Dovey, on the other hand, was tipsy off of her one drink and bragging about the already-known information to everyone, all the Ever and Never professors. No one cares that Good won again, you merely rolled your eyes.

You desperately wanted to down a few drinks. Not necessarily to get drunk, you were no light-weight, but enough to make this little 'celebration' fun. But instead, you were just standing off to the side, people-watching as your first shot went un-sipped and warming in your hand.

And by people-watching, you were watching one person. Watching how Lesso smoothly drank her clean whiskey on the rocks, downing it a little sooner than she probably should. You wouldn't admit just how impressed you were with the way she handled her alcohol, downing each drink and acting as if she was drinking mere water.

You hid your slight panic when Lesso made eye contact with you. Her eyes darting to the glass in your hand and back to your eyes with a single eyebrow raised.

How'd she know that you haven't drunk anything yet tonight? Was she watching you the same way you were her? You didn't think you were being that obvious.

It was now or never.

Instead of making a fool of yourself, trying to come up with an excuse, you decided to just drink it. You weren't a giggly drunk, or a mean drunk, or the runaway drunk. No no, what you were was almost worse, at least according to you.

You raised your glass in her direction, feigning a toast, and downing it in an instant. You didn't quite catch how Lesso observed each move of yours as you downed the liquid, watching as a droplet of liquor dribbled from your chin and down your exposed chest, all thanks to the low-cut dress you decided on.

How you didn't notice her eyes glued onto you as you took one of your fingers and swiped up the alcohol from your breasts and delicately sucked it clean in a moment, she'll never know.

It was almost instantaneous, the moment the alcohol hit. It didn't make you dizzy or nauseous, no, it made you unbelievably horny. You still had your entire self-control, that wasn't the problem. You weren't a handsy drunk, you were simply a horny drunk. Not even a horny drunk, seeing as it happens with just one drink.

You couldn't tell if the immediate flush on your cheeks was from the alcohol, embarrassment, horniness, or the way Lesso was still looking at you.

It was probably the combination of all of them.

You set the shot glass down and tried to look away, knowing that if you kept looking at her or if you had another drink, it wouldn't help your situation.

The liquor went straight to your center the moment the liquid went into your stomach. An almost uncomfortable heat starts between your legs and spreading everywhere else.

This really wasn't the time or place for this, there was a reason you only drank in your quarters or why you quickly left when you did drink.

You tried to not think about your predicament, to not think about Lesso, but that was proven impossible as she made her way in front of you. Little did you know, your sudden uncomfortable shifting was obvious.

"Is there a problem, darling?" At first, Lesso was truly a little concerned but it shifted into something more when she noticed your thighs squeezing together at the pet name.

"Oh, not at all, I'm all good. Just, trying to make some fun with this so-called 'party'."

Her signature smirk appeared on her face, "I can help with that."

With a pulse sent to your already aching pussy, you would've sworn it was the alcohol. But you only had one shot, no way were you already imagining things. You can handle your liquor better than that.

"Wha-?" You thought that maybe neither of you was thinking straight, but that was quickly disproven too.

She leaned closer to your ear, not helping your issue in the slightest of ways, "I can help you with your little... situation."

A low chuckle emitted from her when your thighs squeezed again accompanied by an almost undetectable thrust of your hips, almost.

You smirked as well, seeing her smirk and hearing the melodious chuckle, reaching out to grab the lapel of her blazer and pulling her even closer to you, "Don't make promises you can't keep."

"Oh my pet, I intend to keep it." She pulled back to look at you once again, matching lustful looks on both of your faces.

Silent words were exchanged as she just grabbed your hand. Of course, you allowed her to pull you from the ever-dying celebration.

The walk back to her quarters was unbearably long. The remnants of your self-control had snapped once her door was closed.

You reached out for Lesso's tie again, this time wrapping it around your hand before using it as leverage to pull her closer to you. Your confidence increased tenfold when you saw how her pupils increased from your little action.

Lesso decided that the time you took to examine her sultry eyes was too long, no longer wasting time she pulled you into a bruising kiss.

You could tell with the way her lips moved on yours that she had been wanting this too, for at least as long as you have.

A breathy moan was immediately consumed by the redhead as soon as it escaped your throat, all due to Lesso biting down on your bottom lip, the action causing the wet spot in your panties to grow even more.

Lesso moved you back, pressing you against the wall, and placed her hand by your head, effectively pinning you to your spot, though you had no desire to leave.

She pulled back from you just enough to get a quick look at your now-flushed face, "My beautiful pet."

Before you could even think of some sort of response, she reattached her lips to your jaw, slowly moving them down toward your neck.

You wanted to whine at the speed she was moving but your excitement and the anticipation unknowingly stopped you.

You need to feel her, to have her against you, persuaded your actions as you reached out to hold onto her waist, just to have her as close as possible to you.

The closeness you two were currently sharing wasn't enough, you needed more of her. Just as her lips had made their way to the nape of your neck, you began pulling the blazer off her shoulders. A chuckle came from her at your eagerness, but all you could think of was that you wanted to feel more of her.

It was driving you mad.

When Lesso pulled away from you to drop the blazer, you allowed an audible whine to escape. Her deep amethyst eyes were looking into yours, causing you to get lost for a moment.

"Tell me what you want," She spoke softly, her tone sending chills across your skin.

You tugged her waist further against you, "More," You were beginning to be breathless, the anticipation becoming overwhelming.

"Tell me exactly." She continued to pry.

You bit back your desperate sigh, knowing that none of your noises would sway her into simply giving in to you. No matter how much she loved hearing them, or how badly she wanted to hear more. No matter how badly she already wanted you.

"I want to feel you. I want you to touch every part of me, make me fall apart. Make me yours." Your last statement was a mere whisper as you moved your lips to rest near her ears.

She may be the one who's currently in control, but she can't rid you of your confidence. Not that she'd ever want to.

She hummed, the same torturous smirk coming to her face, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you've imagined this unfolding before?" It wasn't a question, you knew that.

You tilted your head, "Well, do you?"

"Do I what?"

You smirked this time, "Know better?" Gods, the things she was going to do to you.

Her smirk turned nearly sadistic as she stayed unmoving, you began to fear maybe you crossed a line but that thought was diminished as she reached behind you to slowly unzip your dress.

You wanted to complain about the speed she was pulling the zip, knowing you could've been bare before her eyes with magic, but something about the way she looked into your eyes as she was doing it was oddly intimate. Yeah, you definitely weren't complaining.

Nothing about her wavered as she moved to pull the straps off your shoulders, the chill in the room finally running through you. But it was her touch that sent a shiver down your spine, the anticipation beginning to be overwhelming.

The dress fell off your torso with ease but caught on your waist. The dress, luckily, wasn't too fitted so with a little bit of your help it quickly fell the rest of the way to the floor.

Lesso wouldn't admit just how at a loss for words she was when she saw you, her throat going dry yet her mouth watered with her desires.

A few of your insecurities rose forward as she stayed unmoving, still staring at you, but all of your worries diminished when she spoke.

"You, are absolutely stunning," Butterflies filled your stomach with just how breathless she spoke those words.

You were left standing in a sheer black-lace bra, with matching panties, leaving not a single thing to the imagination.

"It's your turn, I think it's only fair." Your voice was just above a whisper, knowing that if you were any louder your voice would likely waver.

She played into it, leaning back slightly to watch you as your eyes raked over her. You couldn't decide what you wanted off of her first, you knew you wanted it all off. You decided on the vest, mainly cause that was the next thing standing between you and her bare skin.

You looked directly into her eyes as you popped one, two, and then the third and final button of the vest. You continued to watch as Lesso pulled it off her shoulders and let the garment drop to the floor next to her blazer.

Just as her hands went to the bottom of her button-up, you stopped her with your hands on hers.

"Wait! Let me, please let me." With a smirk, Lesso released the fabric, moving her hands back to the wall beside your head.

You pulled her closer to you with the loops on her trousers before untucking the shirt. Your eyes couldn't leave your hands as you watched, slowly more of her perfect body and porcelain skin was revealed. You could feel the anticipation making your head spin. But as your eyes remained on your task, Lesso's eyes stayed on you.

She loved how she could see the desire within them, the desire for her. Never, not once, has she ever felt more wanted than she has with you. You may not have realized it, but she noticed every single glance you threw her way, how could she not?

You still couldn't tear your eyes away from her, even once the the shirt was fully open, your eyes roamed across every part of her. A part of you was not at all surprised that she chose to abandon the common bra and go with the more comfortable sports bra.

A small smile formed on your lips as you noticed freckles on her chest, and a few peeking out from under the button-up on her shoulders, that was another thing that you didn't notice Lesso saw.

Lesso was taken by surprise as you swiftly pulled her flush against you, you wanted to feel her against you too bad to wait any longer. Taking advantage of this new position, you started leaving kisses on Lesso's neck, the sensation causing a hum to come from her. Chills had erupted across your skin, and unknown to you, across Lesso's as well, as you finally felt how perfect her skin felt on you.

You craved to hear all of the other noises she could make, that you could cause. And once you stepped out of your dress, you knew that Lesso gave in to her cravings as well.

She was no longer wasting time as she pulled you across the room to the awaiting bed, still perfectly made. That is, until Lesso's knees came into contact with the edge of the bed, prompting her to sit down. Her hands slowly ran up your sides as you moved to straddle her.

Though neither of you noticed, nor cared enough in the moment to pay attention to it, you knew that from this point forward neither of you would be able to go without one another. The addictive touch she laid against your sensitive skin, the chills she erupted just by the ghosting of her breath, you wouldn't be able to go without it now that you're aware of how thrilling it is.

Just as her lips came back to your neck, your arms involuntarily wrapped around her own neck to pull her closer against you, the feeling of her suckling your skin to leave a mark caused a breathy moan to escape you.

And boy, did that moan just snap the last remaining control Lesso had. In a blink, she had switched positions to where you were laid against her bed, hair sprawled out on the duvet and face beginning to flush, that was a scene she'd devote to memory.

"Gods, the things I'd do to you." Her eyes roamed over you once more.

It had been a hefty moment since you said something smart in return, you tsked, "You keep making promises, but I've yet to see results."

Lesso's eyes shot to yours at your audacity, only to see your eyes blown with lust. She'd be lying if she said this didn't have any effect on her.

"Oh, pet. We've only just begun."

You wrapped your legs around her waist, the slight friction was enough to make your breath hitch, gods you were so fucking desperate, "You're still wearing more clothes than me." You quirked your eyebrow, watching as a smirk slowly came to her face.

Instead of simply untangling you from her, she pushed your legs further up her waist. You had a slight pout when you realized it was your body that was obstructing your view of her unbuttoning her trousers and sliding them off. But your pout didn't last too much longer, not once you began to feel more of her soft skin against yours.

You had to fight back any possible sounds that you could've released as you saw her crawl back up you after releasing your legs from her, the way she did so was almost primal, stopping just at chest level. Your eyes could help but flutter a bit once you felt the warmth of her trailing kisses all across your chest.

Your hands instantly came up to her head, entangling in her fiery locks as she startled suckling on a spot just below your collarbone. A hum involuntarily came from you as you felt her hand roam up your side.

Just as her lips started trailing further down your chest, her free hand moved to your hip to steady herself. The moment she squeezed your hip was the moment she nipped the exposed top of your breast, just peaking from the top of your bra. The sensation was soft yet intense enough to make your head spin.

The near-silent whimper and tightening of your grip on her hair certainly didn't go unnoticed by the Dean.

"Pet, if you want something, you need to speak." You practically felt her words on your skin as she just barely lifted herself from you.

You took a stuttering breath, anticipation taking over your thoughts, "Gods, please, I need more,"

"Mmm, very good," She left one final nip to your skin before pulling back.

Lesso adored how much you were squirming, but she could tell you were trying to keep yourself from moving too much. And she unknowingly made it her mission to see just how much she can make you squirm, after all, she's just barely touched you.

She finally reached behind you for the clasp of your bra, able to do so with your back being slightly arched in attempts for more contact. The moment your breasts were freed, Lesso was transfixed. She would've taken longer to admire how the cold air caused your nipples to nearly instantly harden, but her desire to finally taste you was too strong.

She quickly decided that she was done wasting time, that she would take her tastes and bites with pleasure, hoping to soon see you fall apart. Sure, it was your pleasure, but it was her selfish need to watch her cause it. To hear you call her name as you finally come on her fingers and tongue.

A small moan left your lips the moment you felt her lips wrap around your left nipple, the sound becoming slightly louder as you felt her tongue swipe over the sensitive bud. Your hand moved to her waist, pulling her weight on top of you. Lesso didn't mind too much as it allowed her greedily to feel more of you.

You could feel your arousal becoming increasingly harder to ignore, and you just knew that you had long soaked your panties. Lesso had switched to your other nipple, knowing that she couldn't go without giving attention to both.

Lesso moved to the valley between your breasts, leaving a mark and starting a trail down to your navel. While this would've been plenty to make you even more desperate, her hands moved to where your thighs met your cunt, yet she never quite reached where you wanted her.

"Fuck! Leo, please!" Tears of frustration were starting to arise, "No more teasing!"

Something else ignited within the redhead at hearing the breathless whisper of her name.

"Say it again, say my name again."

"Please, Leo,"

She smirked, "Oh, how I love my name sounds coming from your desperate mouth." She nipped your hip, before pulling back and looking at you.

You thought you were going to get another remark or even some more teasing, but you were pleased to see and feel as she curled her fingers under the waistline of your panties and pulled them down your thighs, practically ripping them off past your knees and tossing them off to the side.

Lesso nearly moaned herself at the sight of you being completely soaked.

"It's all for you," You spoke breathlessly, watching how Lesso licked her lips before staring directly into your eyes.

"Oh pet, it better be all for me,"

You smirked at her tone, "Uh huh, and what if it wasn't?"

She got up to her knees and gripped your thighs, yanking you down the bed, you were nearly eye-level with her. The look on her face almost made you want to take it back.

"I'll show you." Your stomach filled with nervousness and excitement at that statement.

Before you could even realize, in the time of a blink, she was back between your legs. She swiftly pried your legs apart and pulled one over her shoulder.

It's like with your words, she had to prove you wrong. That she knew she'd have to ruin anyone else for you, anyone else but her. But she didn't have to try that hard, you didn't even think of anyone else but her already.

Your head fell back against the bed at the first swipe of her tongue, gods you were so fucking desperate.

A whole moan finally left your lips and your hands flew to Lesso's hair as she started devouring you as if you were her last meal for the next millennia. Her hands were wrapped around you and laid against your hips, her grip unrelenting and you knew you'd have marks to remember this time for days to come. Not like you were complaining.

Her tongue was expertly gliding over your clit, as if it already knew all of the spots that caused you to squirm. The suction and swirling combination she did stole the breath from your lungs.

"Fuck! Don't stop!" Your back arched further off the bed and Lesso could feel your pathetic attempt to close your thighs, it was blatantly obvious you were so close to your orgasm.

That blissful orgasm that you knew only Lesso would be able to bring. The very same orgasm she ripped from you as she stopped her ministrations.

You whined, tears of frustration brimming your eyes, "Fuck! Why?!"

"All for me, right?"

Your pleasure-clouded mind wasn't thinking straight, "What?!" Your back collapsed against the bed, your eyes searching hers for an answer before she spoke.

"Tell me, it's all for me. Tell me, that this pretty pussy only gets soaked for me. Tell me that you're all mine." She was looking square at you, her eyes going more dark with each word she spoke.

"Yes! It's for you!" She responded with a bite to your inner thigh, and a wince escaped you.

"Not good enough. Again."

"It's all for you, always for you," You paused to think about the words she said. "This pussy is yours. I'm yours."

A pleased smirk graced her face and she returned to your throbbing cunt again, she could taste your desperation, but she couldn't wait to taste your come.

Her tongue was swirling around your clit like it previously had, slowly building up your peak once more.

Just as your fingers threaded through her fiery hair again, her fingers started tracing your entrance.

"Please! More!" She didn't have to be told twice.

Two fingers instantly slipped into your pussy, all thanks to you being completely soaked. Lesso had never heard a more delicious sound before than at this moment. She couldn't find it within her to do anything that would potentially stop you from making more of those sounds.

She started thrusting her fingers at a generous speed, never ceasing her actions on your clit. Gods know you were nearly seeing white as she did so. One of your hands began fisting the sheets beside you, and you would've sworn you had torn them.

"Yes, Leo!" Your moans were motivation enough to keep her going, to ignore the strain of her jaw and tongue and ignore any possible burn in her forearm.

She had begun curling her fingers, instantly hitting the right spot within. And after a few brief moments, she could feel your thighs begin to quiver under her.

Just as you were about to voice your impending orgasm was about to arrive, she stopped. She didn't ease out of it, she pulled back.

The tears had finally fallen, "No! Fuck! Come on, please let me come!" You begged.

You begging with tears down your face was now Lesso's favorite thing.

"I told you, we've only just begun."

It may have only just started, but damn did you want to come. You still couldn't squeeze your thighs to relieve some of the desperation as her grip on your thighs hadn't eased.

You knew that what you were about to say would get you your way, "Please, I wanna come. I wanna come for you."

Lesso's eyes would've darkened more at that sentence if it was possible, you saw as she tried to bite back another smirk as she swallowed. You saw her head turn back to your thigh and you knew you had won as her tongue peeked out to taste your mid-thigh, trailing up back to your dripping cunt.

She resumed once again, continuing to swirl the tip of her tongue over your clit. You hoped that this would finally be it, that this would be when she finally let you come. You knew that this would be the hardest you've come in a while, if ever.

Your moans hadn't ceased since she returned to your needy pussy, and they only got louder as she inserted her fingers again. She was unforgiving in the way she wasted no time to gradually speed up her fingers, instantly going the pace and curling her fingers the same way that swiftly brought you to your near high earlier.

And just like before, it didn't take too long for you to get close once again. Your neediness with her speed and skill caused you to return to the edge of your orgasm quickly.

"I'm gonna come, please don't stop! I wanna come for you!" Your words were beyond rushed, hoping she wouldn't deny you again. Your grip on her hair became stronger, just as the shaking in your legs did.

Lesso did nothing this time but hum. You took that as her approval, that and the fact that she didn't pull away or stop again. You bit onto your bottom lip as your body tensed, though you quickly released it as you finally came with a curse and Lesso's name. Your orgasm hit you harder than a tsunami would meet land.

"Oh, fuck, Leo!" Your back finally had a chance to relax as your body fell flush against the bed.

Lesso slowly stopped her actions, allowing you a moment to calm yourself without stopping the pleasure too suddenly.

She started leaving more love bites along your inner thighs before she pulled back and looked at you.

"Do you trust me?"

It took you a moment to catch your breath, "What? Why?"

"Do you, trust me?" She annunciated.

"Yes, I do."

"Excellent." She said nothing else but summoned a black silk tie, which you assumed was one of the ones she frequently adorned. "This will go over your eyes," Excitement distracted your neediness.

"Say 'red' and I stop, got it?" She crawled up your body, moving to straddle your waist and you took a moment to steal a glance of her perfect body.

"Got it." She smiled and reached down, setting the tie over your eyes.

Soon, your vision went black. You felt her tie the tie behind your head and you couldn't wait to see what she would do next.

But she got up. You wondered if she was simply standing, observing your needy and pathetic self squirming on her bed all sprawled out and waiting for her. But you heard the sound of a drawer sliding open, you tried your best to hear any other clues as to what was about to take place but it was nearly silent.

Suddenly after a few moments, you felt her hands roam across your body. Slowly her hands worked their way from your thighs to your hips, up to your chest where they only stayed on your breast for a moment, much to your displeasure. Her hands continued up until one of them lightly wrapped around your throat. Only the slightest of pressure was added, but Lesso was beyond pleased to hear a whimper come from you at that action.

Her hand stayed in its place, the pressure in which it was wrapped around you increased slightly as you realized she was beginning to straddle you again. You registered that in the moment she was gone, she stripped the rest of the way as you felt her own wetness come into contact with your lower stomach.

"So beautiful," She whispered for the second time this night.

Her hand moved from your throat as she moved to be kneeling between your legs, but it didn't land anywhere else on you. You strained your ears to hear any hints and what she could have been doing.

But, you didn't have to strain too hard before you heard the start of a buzz, and you knew what was to come. But the idea of Lesso having one came to mind, the idea of Lesso bare on her bed using one caused a whimper to come from you and wetness to start dripping down your thighs.

"Oh, god!" You nearly screamed as the vibrator was pressed against your sensitive clit.

The vibrator brought you back to your high nearly instantly, all thanks to it being on full power and you being incredibly sensitive and desperate. You knew you couldn't take it if she took this orgasm from you again.

"Oh, fuck!" Your back arched to the point where your neck wasn't in contact with the bed any longer. "Please don't stop, I'm so close!"

"I'm not going to stop," Her eyes raked over you, loving how a layer of sweat adorned your perfectly heated skin. "If you're going to come, come."

With her near demand and the continuous stimulation, you couldn't resist. You screamed her name as you saw white. You tried searching for her to hold onto, but in the half second you tried and failed you simply relented to grip the sheets once more.

You couldn't catch your breath, the vibrator still being firmly pressed against your abused clit no matter how much your hips bucked at the stimulation.

"I-I can't-"

"I told you, I'm not going to stop." You didn't see it, but you could hear the smirk in her voice.

One hand stayed attached to the sheets but your other reached down in attempts to shun the friction from your cunt, just to give you a moment to breathe. But Lesso's free hand grabbed your wrist and moved your hand above your head.

"That stays there." Her time left no room to argue.

The vibrator stayed on your swollen clit, your thighs began to shake again but this time, not from denial. You felt Lesso grab one of your legs and move it atop hers and her other leg swung over you. It took you a moment but once you heard a delicious moan of her own, you finally pieced together the position you were now in, both of your hips were nearly connected.

Lesso couldn't ignore her own need anymore, she had moved you around her so she could have access to the vibrator too. And the mental image of this position, her between your legs and the vibrator pressed against both of your clits, just pushed you that much closer to the edge.

"Leo, I-I'm close again!" You were surprised that words managed to come out as you were so breathless.

Another moan came from the redhead, seeing your orgasm is one thing but this one, she'll get to feel it too, "Wait, wait for me."

And oh dear gods did that single sentence give you the willpower to hold off long enough so that you would get to come with her. You realized with this willpower came overwhelming pained pleasure.

Lesso was getting close to her own orgasm, rocking her hips into the vibrator. Each increase in pressure almost sent you over the edge but you'd be damned if you didn't get to come with her.

"You ready, pet?"

"Yes! Yes! I wanna come with you!"

"Go on, come pet," She was breathless too.

"Oh shit!" Your legs shook a bit harder and your hips bucked again.

That buck being the final push to send Lesso over the edge too. Your name falling from her lips luckily didn't go unnoticed by you, even in your near-blacked-out state.

You tiredly attempted to pull yourself up the bed, "Can't. Too much." You tried to speak, but your voice and body were weak.

Your body still had residual shakes as you heard the vibrator shut off and as the blindfold was removed.

You felt the bed beside you dip and you processed that Lesso was hovering over you. You looked at the care-filled face of the Dean for a moment before trying to focus on catching a breath.

You felt her hands come to your thighs, but before you could protest anymore for the night, her hands began massaging your twitching thighs.

There was a comforting silence that was shared between the two of you for a moment, Lesso still opting to bring sensation back to your legs.

You were finally starting to come back, you realized as your thoughts became more clear. And she realized too as your eyes began to look around more and lose their clouded appearance.

"How are you feeling?" Her soft voice was just above a whisper.

You looked from the side to her, seeing concern laced in her features, "I'm feeling damn good if I'm being honest."

She couldn't help but chuckle at that, knowing you had finally come back to her.

"Good, I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." She added as she stood off the bed.

"Don't think I could if I wanted to." You simply responded, earning laughter from the Dean.

She was very much aware that you likely wouldn't be able to move, which is precisely why she got up to get the rag to clean you up with.

She returned with a damp cloth, wiping your sweat-covered face and chest before moving between your legs. The events left a mess all over your thighs, nearly to your knees, which is a first for you. Again, not like you were complaining. Lesso abruptly looked at your face when you winced the moment the cloth came into contact with your beyond-sensitive clit.

Lesso got rid of the cloth, still looking to find something that may soothe you.

"Are you thirsty? Would you like something to eat?" You smiled as she pushed some of your hair away from your face.

"I'm all good, I'd rather be close with you if you don't mind?"

"Of course, I don't mind," She said as she got back on the bed beside you. "We will have to shower tomorrow at least, we absolutely smell of sex."

You chuckled this time, "All thanks to you."

Lesso only had a playful eye roll as a response. You shuffled closer to her, wrapping your arm around her waist. You both still enjoyed the feeling of each other's skin on your own.

The moment was calm, neither of you quite ready for sleep as energy surprisingly still coursed through your veins. You delicately ran your finger over her side, a kind action that Lesso was certainly not used to.

Your mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Lesso, partly replaying the amazingly wild events that just took place, but mostly of her reserved behavior. Well, more reserved behavior. You knew that something wasn't right and you not only wanted to know what but you also wanted her to know that you're here to listen.

You moved your face up to see her a little better, watching for a moment as she stared up at the ceiling with a nearly undetectable smile on her face.

"What are you thinking about?" You inquired.

"Nothing, nothing at all." That was all she said.

You had allowed a few minutes to go by, mainly so you didn't possibly ruin the moment with your conversation, but you couldn't go any longer without addressing your thoughts.

"How are you doing?"

Lesso scoffed, beginning to sit up and sat on the edge of the bed. That response told you everything you needed to know, she wasn't doing alright.

You stopped her before she could stand up, "Look, I'm sorry if I crossed a line or if you don't want to share but I thought it would help. I know something is not right. And if you don't want to talk about it, I won't make you. But, I'm here for you if you do."

She looked over her pale shoulder at you, and you could see the start of a tear gleam in her eyes, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you actually care."

"Well, do you?"

"Do I what?" The Déjà Vu hit both of you at the moment she spoke.

"Know better."

She scoffed again, but this one was different.

"I do care." You added.

"I just, never thought I'd have to endure something like that again. So, I pushed it all down and-" She cut herself off and shook her head.

"Talk to me, please?" You sat up with her, ignoring the way your legs protested. "I hate seeing you hold this in."

She relented, laying back down on the bed, trying hard to not get close to you like she desperately wanted to, "I pushed all the memories down. 'Out of sight, out of mind', right? But all this just made me realize I wasn't okay, I guess."

You were at a loss for words at her confession, a part of you knew that's what was bothering her, but hearing it and hearing her emotions coating her words was entirely different from your expectations.

Since you had no words, you simply just laid back down beside her and pulled her onto you. Her arm instantly wrapped around your waist as she buried her face in your neck.

"I may not know exactly what you've been through, but I do know that you won't have to go through that ever again. Not while I'm around." You spoke with certainty as your hand returned to her hair, your nails lightly scratching her scalp.

A soft kiss was placed where her lips lay against your neck, "I know." You weren't sure how she knew, but you were glad to hear that she fully believed the words she just spoke.

"No matter what you go through, from now on you won't ever have to go through it alone. I promise you that." You were so disappointed that an amazing woman like Lesso had to go through so much all by herself, going through hardships alone.

She may be the Dean of Evil but she didn't deserve that, no one does.

"You can't really promise something like that." She whispered.

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere. Everything you go through, I'll be with you for it. You've already marked me and you can't it back." You gestured to your body, now covered in love bites thanks to the redhead.

You felt lighter at the sound of her laughter, "Okay, okay. You make a good point." You could feel her smile against your skin.

"I usually do." You planted a kiss on her hairline.

At this moment, with the admissions now in the air, you knew that though the future may not be set in stone you also knew that you'd be alongside Lesso. The way you both just poured your all into each other finally caused you to be calm enough to feel tired.

Your body feels full exhaustion, Lesso fully relaxed against you.

"I think it's time we get some sleep." You suggested as you summoned a light blanket to lay over your bodies, you knew that neither of you wanted to get up but you needed to be covered.

"Mm, me too." You would've pulled her closer to you if it were possible, so instead you just strengthened your grip on her.

Lesso may be this Evil being to everyone else, but she knew you never really saw her as that. And now she knew that you saw her for who she was. That you saw the humanity within her, and for that, she couldn't be more grateful. In the few moments before she gave into sleep, she vowed that she'd do everything in her power to make sure you'd know that she was there for you in the same way you were for her. She vowed that you'd never have to wonder if you're worth it.

But both of you vowed that the other would never have to be alone again, that you'd have the other beside you through it all.

🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮

Taglist: @inlovewithgreta @v3nusxsky @just-your-casual-nerd @pebbleswritessometimes @hxzxrdous @bigolgay @scream-queenlover @darkth1ngs @sgelessoanddoveykissing @i-like-reading

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starry-eyes-love · 3 months

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Dance with Me

Main Masterlist Series Masterlist

Pairing | Joel Miller x F!Reader, post-outbreak. Ch 8.5 of my series “My Journey to You”, but can be read as a stand-alone.

Summary | Joel can't sleep and thinks about the first time he danced with you, back in the Boston QZ three years prior. He was too afraid to tell you back then how he felt, but he speaks his mind now to you as you sleep.

A/N: This is my 200 follower appreciation post. Thank you so much guys for all of the love and support I’ve gotten within this past year. It means the world to me that all of you love this little slice of fanfiction/ world that I have created. Thank you!

Warnings | 18+, Minors DNI. Age gap (unspecified, but 20s/50s), language, fluffy (like a ton), sexual tension, tiny bit of angst (if you really squint), carefree Joel, Joel dancing with you (it needs its own warning), soft Joel, Joel soothes you, terms of endearment, love bomb dropped… and that’s about it I think.

Word Count: 3.4 K

You gently shifted in your sleep, mumbling to yourself yet again. Joel soothed you and kissed your temple once again, trying to get you to go back to sleep. “I’m sorry for not telling ya sooner, but I love you baby. And I promise I'll spend the rest of my life makin’ it up t’ya.” Joel said, gently whispering in your ear. You let out a small content sigh and said, “I’ll hold ya to that promise Miller” and then you drifted back off to sleep yet again.

Joel laid beside you in bed while watching you sleep. Your lips were slightly parted and you were breathing slowly and evenly, in and out with each breath. You wore an old, worn out t-shirt that once belonged to Joel, and underwear for sleep shorts. The old t-shirt was your favorite shirt to sleep in as it felt like the comforts of home, if home was a thing in the apocalypse. You were lying on your stomach, hair tossed messy to the side, blankets draped over your lower half as you quietly slept. Joel, lying awake, felt the tug of his heart at the peacefulness of you. He wanted all of this to work out; for you, him, and Ellie to be a family. But how can one be a family in a world that was meant to destroy?

Joel turned to lie on his back, arm bent up and over his shoulder. His head rested on his forearm as he stared straight up at the ceiling. His mind was working overtime tonight, unable to shut down to fall asleep. You had been asleep for hours, peacefully resting in the quiet world. Where do we go from here when spring hits? Joel wondered silently to himself. You three were slowly running out of supplies, and food was getting harder and harder to find. The snow was deep, making hiking or walking almost impossible in certain areas. This limited your options, which put a strain on this little life that you had built. Death was once again staring all of you in the face, mocking and testing to see if you could survive.

Joel heard you whimper slightly, eyes moving rapidly while shut. You were lost deep in dreamland once again, and tonight Joel had hoped it was pleasant dreams that you were having. As he silently watched you sleep, he couldn't help but feel protective over you. You were his Angel, his baby, his future wife that he loved. You counted on him to be strong, to be a protector for you and Ellie. Joel was faced with difficult choices ahead of him, trying to figure out how to keep the three of you alive.

When Joel heard you quietly whimper yet again, he turned on his side. He gently reached out and soothed you by saying, “shh baby, I'm here and you’re safe.” He then lightly kissed your head, inhaling your sweet scent once again. Joel could get drunk off your scent, from the tenderness of your body, and the warmth of your heart. You smelled like vanilla and sugar, a delicate cupcake. One that he desperately wanted to taste and bury himself deep within. He wanted to wrap himself around you, so neither one of you would know where one person ended and the next one began.

“Joel, dance with me,” you said, still dreaming, whimpering slightly to yourself.

With a small chuckle, he ran his hand through your hair while whispering slowly in your ear “ok darlin’, I'll dance with you.” He then started to hum the song the two of you danced to a few years ago in the Boston QZ. As he hummed the tune, you relaxed and sighed in your sleep, feeling safe and content once again. Joel smiled to himself, remembering the details behind that fateful day where he showed you a piece of himself, a piece of what he was like before.

Flashback to Boston QZ

3 Years Prior

You rushed into the room, shrieking to yourself at the prospect of finding a record player once again. “Joel look” you said, jumping for joy at your find.

“Damn it woman, ya stay next to me and wait until I say t’go forward, understood?” Joel snapped, coming into the room that you just rushed into, without checking the room first.

With an eye roll you said, “Yes, Sir,” not wanting to argue with him.

Joel froze at your statement, not wanting to admit what your statement did to him. How it made his pants a little tighter in the front. Your innocence and excitement in life shouldn't be something that made him feel attraction, but yet it did. The thought of him showing you things, how to do things, made him stiff in his jeans. You were practically a kid to him, even though you were technically an adult. You just were a much younger adult than he. He was old enough to be your father and because of this he knew he shouldn't be attracted to wanting you the way he did. None of this made any sense to him, especially since he had Tess. But here you were, practically jumping for joy, bouncing around like a goddamn kid in a candy store at the thought of finding some old record player that probably didn't even work anymore.

“Can we-”

“No,” Joel said with finality in his voice.

“Maybe we could just-”

“Didn't ya hear me, I said no. We're not here for some stupid record player. Damn thing probably doesn't even work anymore.” With that statement Joel saw your eyes glaze over with tears. Joel didn't mean to say the word stupid, to call the thing that you were excited about stupid.

“Darlin’, I-”

“No you're right, it is stupid. I am stupid.” You said with venom lacing your words as tears welled up into your eyes. “God forbid I find one thing, one fucking thing, that excites me and makes me feel alive again when I feel anything but. I know why we're here, what we came for. You're forgetting that I have brought you more money, delivered more goods than anyone else in this God forsaken QZ. So excuse me if I want to laugh again for just a second, and not feel numb anymore. You can thank the asshole that carved his dumb mark in my leg and forced his knife to my throat that made me feel numb when all I wanted to do was-”

You stopped yourself suddenly, looking over at Joel who was now glaring at you with concerned eyes. You've never spouted off to him like this before, and you never, ever, have been honest with him about how you felt after David attacked you. Joel had asked you countless times of how you felt after he rescued you two years prior, asked if you wanted to talk about it. Each time you told him to ‘just forget about it.’ Dwelling in the past wasn't something that either of you could afford to do, so you were shocked that you mentioned anything now.

“Uh Joel, just forget what I-”

“Wasn't gonna say anything,” he said, still looking at you with concern. “If ya wanna talk ‘bout it, I'll listen.”

With a long sigh you shook your head and said “I know Joel, and thank you. I just-I don't want to talk about it. Let's- let's just get what we came here for, and then go.” After you spoke you hung your head and marched out the door.

Joel heard you sniffling in the other room. He found himself glancing at the record player, the one he just scolded you for wanting to take. He tried convincing himself that it wasn’t worth picking up and carrying back, that it was pointless to have something like this. But he couldn’t stand seeing you so upset. He internally scolded himself for his actions as he quickly packed it up to take with him as a gift for you.

“Joel, are you ready?” You asked, not wanting to be yelled at again. When he didn't answer, you yelled saying “JOEL.”

“Jesus woman, I'm right here, ya don't need to shout.” he said, his pack full and bulging.

“What did you get?” You asked, while looking at his back.

“Found some medical stuff, now come on” he said as he walked out the door.

Later that night you were laying in bed, looking up at the ceiling when you heard a knock on your door. Your back was sore from carrying a lot of stuff, and Joel was in no better shape when you returned. You were freshly washed, Joel insisted that you use the shower first when you arrived back home. You had been staying with him and Tess since he rescued you from David. Every time you thought of a reason to leave his house, Joel would always come up with an excuse to have you stay. After the first year, you stopped trying to find reasons to leave and just accepted the fact that you now lived in the guest bedroom of Joel and Tess’s house. When you heard Joel knock again you gently said “come in” and took a deep breath, bracing yourself for whatever news he was going to tell you.

“I made some dinner, ya want to come and eat with me?” he said, examining the wood construction of the door and lightly running a finger over the rough edges. Joel seemed timid tonight, something that you weren’t used to.

“You cooked?” You asked as you slowly sat up, raising an eyebrow at him. When he nodded his head you teased, “and the house didn't burn down?”

Joel rolled his eyes at your quip, responding back, “No wiseass, it didn't. Now ya hungry or not?”

You quickly got off the bed, stomach audibly growling at the smell that was coming from the kitchen. When you arrived, you saw two plates with spaghetti on them, two waters and alcoholic drinks (whiskey), with about a hundred candles all lit around the living room and attached dining room area. As soon as you saw the scene in front of you, you felt your face fall.

“What's the matter?” Joel asked, puzzled, wondering if he did something wrong.

“Oh nothin' I-I didn't know that you and Tess were going to have a night to yourselves. I'll just grab my food and eat someplace else I guess,” replying meekly and hanging your head at the fact that you once again felt like the third wheel. With a dramatic sigh you took a step forward to go find something to put your food on. As you stepped forward towards the stove, Joel reached out and gently grabbed your waist, pulling you back into him.

As soon as your back hit his chest you froze. You could feel his strong body behind you, molding to your curves in the way that you loved. Usually Joel wouldn’t outright grab you like this and hold you firm against his body, unless you were about to search a house and decided not to listen to him. It was his way of stopping you before you’d endanger yourself. This though was outside of the norm for him, considering that you weren’t about to search a house for supplies.

You felt Joel gently stroke your skin underneath your t-shirt, a t-shirt you stole from him tonight to sleep in. He was slowly rubbing gentle circles on your skin, slightly gripping your waist every time you tried to move away from him. He was silently telling you to stay tight against his body until he said it was safe for you to leave. You relaxed into his touch, head slowly leaning back as you melted into him. You felt the strong and prominent bulge behind you, fitting tight against the curve of your ass. You gave your hips a tiny roll as you heard Joel let out a low growl in your ear at the sensation. Your head was swimming with a combination of his manly scent, warm food, and arousal, and because of this you didn’t realize that you had slightly whimpered at his touch.

Joel, whispering gently in your ear said, “Tess ain’t home darlin’. She ain't gonna be here all night. This is just for you and me.” He then growled in your ear while lightly nipping at the soft spot below your ear, the spot that makes your toes curl and your clit throb. Joel lightly laughed as he pulled away from you, looking at you with dark eyes saying, “come on darlin’, I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”

You don't know how it happened, but somehow Joel was sitting next to you at the table, thighs touching, hand running soothing circles on your leg from time to time as you both ate. You two were also talking softly, occasionally laughing hysterically at the jokes that Joel was making. Joel Fucking Miller, Mr. Grumpy Man, was laughing and cracking jokes with you. You didn’t realize how easy the conversation could flow with him. It was like the whiskey you both were drinking, it felt smooth.

“You know I don't think I've ever felt this good talking with you before, ever” you say, slowly sipping your drink.

“Yeah well, I reckon it's cause you don't know the real me darlin’.” Joel says, slowly reaching out and grabbing his drink while brushing his knuckles over the back of your hand once again. Joel was touchy feely tonight, something that you've never seen him do with you. You didn't know if it was because he missed Tess, if he was just enjoying himself with you, if it was the alcoholic drinks that the two of you were drinking, or if it was a combination of all three. You weren't going to complain, you loved the attention he was giving you and by the looks of it, he was also enjoying the attention you were giving him.

Dinner had gone well and somehow you found yourself sitting on the couch, side by side, thighs touching as you slowly sipped your whiskey. You were on your third drink of the night, feeling loose and relaxed, wanting to keep the conversation going, but forgetting that your mouth needed a filter.

“I heard the fight that you and Tess had last week. I heard her leave.” You said, wanting to decide if his closeness was just him being lonely.

“Yeah well, shit happens I guess.” Joel said, leaning back and opening his legs a bit wider as he leaned into the couch, placing his one hand on the inside of his leg. He was looking down at the glass that he was holding in his lap, slowly sipping at it and trying to relax.

“Do you wanna tell me why she left, or am I just going to have to guess?” you said boldly.

Joel, taking another slow sip of his drink said, “well darlin’, ya better start guessing then.”

Letting out an exhausted sigh, you turned to him and raised an eyebrow. You knew the reason why she left, you heard her scream at him as you laid in your bedroom unable to sleep that night. You were hoping that Joel would tell you, admit to you the problem that happened, that he moaned out another woman’s name when he was fucking Tess. The longer you looked at him though, the more stone-like his features became.

“Joel I-”

“Don’t” he said, shaking his head, while taking another sip.

“Joel, I heard the argument that you and Tess had, and I-”

Joel’s eyes widened at the realization that you heard the argument, that you heard him moan your name when he was fucking Tess. “Quit it, will ya,” he said, embarrassment finding a home on his face. “I don't wanna fucking talk about it.” “It's embarrassing,” he mumbled to himself, thinking that you couldn’t hear him say it, but you could.

“Joel, I think we should talk about it.”

“Talk about it,” he said with a sarcastic laugh. “There ain’t nothin’ to talk about. I moaned out another woman’s name in bed when I was fuckin’ Tess and she almost ripped my balls off cause of it.” What Joel didn’t say was that ‘the woman’s name was you baby.’

“Who’s name was it?” you asked curiously. You thought you heard your name that night on his lips, but you couldn't be sure. When Joel looked at you, you could tell that he wasn’t going to say it. With a shake of his head and a huff he quickly changed the subject, trying to get you to focus on something that wasn’t so personal.

“Got a present for you, thought you’d like this so I brought it here.” He said, standing up and walking over to the other side of the room. He motioned for you to come over by him. “Thought you'd like this present darlin'” he said, putting the needle on the record. As soon as the sound started you heard Donnie Iris “Ah Leah” song come on. You squealed and ran over by him, jumping for joy that he brought back the record player you found. That was what was in his pack today, and why you had to carry double the load in yours.

‘It's been a long, long time, you're such a sight. You're looking better than a body has a right to. Don't you know we're playing with the fire. But we can stop this burning desire Leah. Ah! Leah! Here we go again.

As the song continued to play you felt Joel grab your drink and set it down on the coffee table. He then grabbed your hands and started dancing fast with you to the beat of the song. He was swaying his hips back and forth, spinning you around, moving his arms as he danced with you, singing the lyrics.

‘I see your lips and I wonder who's been kissing them. I never knew how badly I was missing them. We both know we're never going to make it. But when we touch, we never have to fake it Leah. Ah! Leah! Here we go again.’

The longer the song went, the more Joel was relaxing, enjoying himself. You were laughing, moving your body to the beat of the music as you watched Joel shake his hips with his belt unbuckled, wanting to be himself and comfortable for a change. You have never seen him this comfortable or laid back before, and honestly it stirred something deep within you. You quickly switched to where he was behind you and you were in front of him, swaying your hips, slowly grinding your ass on his crotch.

“Show me how your daughter was made Joel,” you said, grinding back into him.

“Fuck, I’ll do more than that darlin’” he said, nudging your backside while grabbing your hips, swaying you back and forth to the music. Joel then whispered the lyrics in your ear again.

‘Baby, it's no good, we're just asking for trouble. I can touch you, but I don't know how to love you. It ain't no use, we're headed for disaster. Our minds said no, but our hearts were talking faster Leah. Ah! Leah!’

As the song slowly started to end, Joel was still twirling you around, smiling ear to ear. You were laughing, both of you feeling carefree. It was the first time the both of you felt like you could breathe and have fun again in a world that was full of death and destruction. For the next hour you two danced together, having fun, taking just one night in life to forget and have it for yourselves.

Present Day

Joel laid in bed, slowly stroking your hair and remembering the last time he danced with you. He was internally scolding himself, telling himself that he was such an idiot for not telling you back then how much you meant to him. He also hated that he didn’t kiss you or take you to bed that night like you both wanted him to. You gently shifted in your sleep, mumbling to yourself yet again. Joel soothed you and kissed your temple once again, trying to get you to go back to sleep.

“I’m sorry for not telling ya sooner, but I love you baby. And I promise I'll spend the rest of my life makin’ it up t’ya.” Joel said, gently whispering in your ear.

You let out a small content sigh and said, “I’ll hold ya to that promise Miller” and then you drifted back off to sleep yet again.

Joel chuckled to himself that you heard him, even in your half sleep state. With another smile plastered on his face, he leaned over and kissed you gently on the lips, thanking the heavens that you were here with him. He then whispered a few lines of his re-done version of the lyrics of the song you two danced to. He wrote them the next morning after your night of fun of dancing as he watched you sleep even back then softly. “It ain't no use baby, we were headed for disaster. My mind told me no, but my heart talked a hell of a lot faster. I love you.”

-End Story-

Taglist: @punkshort @shotgun-shelby @strawbunnyx @orcasoul @pedritoferg @chiogarza @jesfreedark @untamedheart81 @rainbow12346 @nandan11 @swiftpascal @eliza-8 @joeldjarin @vickie5446 @nastiasnow @staywildflowahchild @ratoonstown @l3laze @its-always-420-on-the-moon @kirsteng42

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runwithwolvcs · 1 year

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Right Where You Left Me

For Your Eyes Only

PAUL POV

The feeling of longing aches in my chest. God, I fucking miss Saskia.

I imagine her. Standing in front of me, touching me, telling me to breathe. To work through the steps Sam had given me to control my emotions. I can’t be losing it like this when she's not here, it just means I really don’t have everything under control and the prospect of hurting her again.

Another bout of anger courses through me.

She was so easy to forgive and forget what happened. To let me get close to her again, and wrap her in my arms as if I was the safest place on earth for her.

I wasn’t even angry. I mean not really, I’ve seen her in Jacobs mind. Laughing, working on those stupid bikes, even confiding in him when it should have been me. I should have been there all along. I could have been if I had just locked eyes with her sooner. Sam and his fucking rules ruined that, but his fears became reality all because of a simple touch. Jacobs hand on my imprint.

She won’t make me angry, I don’t think it’s even possible. She's so smart, and kind. Always thinking before she speaks, unlike me. Her way with words is something I envy. It was so easy for her, or at least it sounded easy. I can’t even tell her how I feel most days. The big, bad wolf with emotional baggage he can’t control. Pathetic.

I should have told her I loved her months ago, when the thought first crossed my mind. She was the one, I knew it even before I phased.

Anger, jealousy, envy are all things I know I feel too much of, I know they can trigger an unwanted shift.

My biggest fear is feeling too much of anything around her now, and if that means denying her the one thing she’s been aching for, then so be it. Though I can’t bring myself to admit that to her.Her gentle touch feels like electricity coursing through my veins, even if it's just to comfort me. One simple rush of excitement could ruin everything.

“You okay, son?” My dad asks, jolting me from my inner turmoil.

I grumble in response, not in the mood to divulge into conversation with anyone but Saskia.

He doesn’t get the hint as he asks me another question, “When does Saskia get back?”

“Sunday.” I mutter. It's been just over twenty four hours since she had been gone and I was losing my composure, fast.

“Maybe give her a call.” My dad suggests and I push my chair away from the table to stand up. Seems like everyone thinks Saskia’s the solution to my problem, and maybe she is, but I refuse to burden her with my issues. She has enough going on as it is. We’re finally back to a good place between us, all the normalcy we had before I had phased returning. Like nothing had changed. If I lose it she may not forgive me this time, and disappointing Saskia is not something I can handle right now.

“I’ve got it under control.” I say slowly clenching my fist at the mental image of her frowning because I phased accidentally, again.

“Sure looks like it.” He gripes causing an involuntary growl to escape my throat as I leave the kitchen. Can’t he see I’m trying?!

As soon as I reach my room, I call her number. I don’t care if she doesn't pick up and I have to listen to her voice message. I just need to hear her voice.

“Hey, Paul” She answered after two rings, I could practically hear the smile on her face.

“Hey, babe,” I try to hide the strain in my voice.

“Is everything okay?” She asked, trying to speak louder than the background noise. Saskia seems to alway know when somethings up, even when I think I’m shielding her from the problem.

I let out a small laugh, “Yeah, I was just calling to check on you..”

“Oh, well, everythings fine here,” she says, before breathily mentioning, “I miss you.”

I could feel the relief fill my senses knowing I wasn’t the only one feeling this way, sometimes it feels like the imprint only affects me. Leaning back against my bed frame, I tell her honestly, “Miss you too.”

“Hey, listen, we’re just about to head to my aunts for dinner. But I promise to call you after, okay?” Saskia promised, sounding distracted by whatever she was surrounded by, “You can tell me all about the drama I’ve missed between Jake and Bella.”

I let out a genuine laugh, “Will do.”

“Talk to you later, Paul.” She said in a hushed tone before hanging up.

Just like that, I’m alone again. Wondering about where she was going, would something go wrong? There could be leeches there. Maybe I should go check it out, I could find her using her scent. That's weird though. She’ll be fine, I reassure myself.

My phone dings nearly fifteen minutes later, there's a photo message from Saskia. I immediately open it, worried that something is wrong. It's just a mirror photo of her with her shirt bunched up over her breasts. No bra. The arm she was using to hold the camera was covering her scars, whether she did it on purpose or not, I don't know. I don't want her to feel insecure about something I did to her. Her long legs are showcased by a short skirt. The message attached I read aloud to myself, “Something for you to use to pass the time. x o ;)”

“You’re killing me,” I mutter, a grin forming on my face as I take in every detail of the photo. I sent back, “brb printing a poster of you for my room.”

I know she hates the one I’ve currently got, she mentions it every single time. I only keep it up to keep her riled, nobody compares to Saskia in my mind. Nobody ever has. I’ve had a crush on her since the day I moved in next door. The way her mom and her had been dancing in the rain when my dad and I pulled up with the moving truck. The way she laughed as she slipped in the muddy grass and picked herself up like nothing had happened to continue twirling around with a pair of costume fairy wings on. I was hooked.

“For your eyes only, L¯a wats a¯ kil,” was the next text she had sent. I read it back in confusion, not sure what she had actually called me. It was Quileute, that I knew, but I didn't grow up learning the language like Saskia had. As if she could sense my confusion, she sent a follow up text, “Grams says it means wolf.”

I can’t fight off the grin that forms. Saskia had purposefully asked how to say wolf in Quileute, meaning she was indirectly talking about the pack, maybe even just me, to her grandma. I knew her grandparents were elders and knew the histories well. Maybe they even know about the pack. I can't wait to see her again and hear about what she has learned from them.

#paul lahote #paul lahote fanfic #Twilight wolf pack #paul lahote imagines #paul lahote imagine #paul lahote smut #paul lahote x oc

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anaveragebibliophile · 1 year

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All Smiles (Carlisle Cullen x OC)

You’d think that that part would’ve been easy. You’d think that the minute he heard of the vision he’d have run. You’d think that that insatiable desire to fight for his family would’ve sparked a fire within him to leave and allow Rosalie and Emmett to take the reins.

No. Not by a long shot.

Instead, here we were two hours later. Still on the couch. Still nowhere closer to getting him to see reason.

“I can’t just leave you, El,” my husband said. “You’re still ill, and you’re not getting any better. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened while I was away.”

Placing a hand on my growing belly, I gave him my most disapproving look. Once his eyes caught mine, he immediately looked away, chagrined.

Clearing my throat, I began. My voice was even hoarser than in days past (if that was even possible at this point).

“Honey, let’s be realistic here. You staying here isn’t going to increase the probability of a timely recovery any more than you leaving. What’s more, this little guy enjoys the pampering I’m getting. He’s not going to want to end this anytime soon.”

As a phoenix, a resurrector of the dead and believer in the goodness that the life of all beings brings, I’m capable of connecting with any being, those that are living, dead, or on the periphery. In this case, our son, the little dude in my belly, would be considered as a being on the periphery. He’s alive but not co-existing with us in the land of the living just yet. However, despite that, I have been able to establish a connection with him that allows me to determine who he is, who he’s going to grow up to be, and what he’s capable of.

With respect to what he’s capable of, manipulating situations is a big one. And while it might seem like this is a malicious act on his part, the truth is that he has good, kind intentions. Out of his love for me, he wants his father to continue to shower me with his love and compassion. He wants his father to remain dedicated to his mother. Ultimately, this allows our child to understand Carlisle better. It goes without saying that their bond has strengthened over the last few months. At this point, my husband can barely keep away from the both of us.

So, how did our little guy manipulate the situation this time? Well, it would seem that he compromised my immune system somehow, leaving me with one of the worst flu strains I’ve had in years. And the best part is that he’s the only one that can decide when it will end. Not Carlisle. Not me. Not medical science. Just him. And considering the fact that his father has been within close proximity around the clock, I wouldn’t count on any reversal anytime soon.

“That doesn’t mean you should be without medical assistance. Rosalie and Emmett, albeit resourceful, aren’t doctors,” Carlisle retorted, his hand moving towards my bump, waiting for his son to kick him hello.

Soon enough, it happened. We both grinned down at the beautiful creature just waiting to make his appearance. Only a few more weeks to go.

Looking down, I responded. “I know they’re not doctors, sweetheart. I just think that we shouldn’t take any chances where Bella’s concerned. She’s still human. And she has a family. What if that were him?”

“I understand what you mean. She will be our daughter-in-law sooner than later.”

“Much sooner than you think.”

Alice isn’t the only one that had visions in this coven. I do too. The only difference is that mine are pretty inconsistent. I’m always given myriad possibilities and unable to determine which is the correct one. Yet, we had all agreed that any vision would be taken seriously because it’s validity depends on the choices one decides to make. In this case, we don’t know if Bella’s decisions are going to force her into a potentially harmful confrontation with Jane in Volterra or not. Only time will tell.

But that was why Alice and I wanted Carlisle to be out there with Bella and Edward. Just in case.

That yearning doesn’t seem to be getting us anywhere though.

“Please, darling,” I said. “Do it for me. I’m telling you that I feel well enough to have Rosalie and Emmett watch over me. If I didn’t, I would’ve demanded that you stay.”

It was so obvious that he was torn. His gaze turned away from mine and down to our son once again, his brows pinching in both frustration and agony. “I know, darling, I know. It just doesn’t sit well with me. As a husband and a father, it’s my duty to be present and attentive to your needs as well as his. I feel like I’m doing you both a disservice by traveling to Italy when there’s been no indication that she’s been harmed.”

“If it’s any consolation, I still believe she’s at risk. I just have this gut feeling.”

Mulling that over for a few moments, my husband sighed in resignation. “Then it’s settled. I’ll go. Let me go speak to Rosalie and Emmett.”

At that response, I leaned forward from my spot in front of, let’s just say, a ton of support pillows, completely preventing Carlisle from moving away from me.

Cupping his cheek, I smiled at him. “You’re such a good man, Carlisle Cullen. I hope you know that.”

His hand reached up to his cheek to grasp mine, leaving all the unspoken words to be heard and appreciated with just that one touch.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Now, remember that her nightly dose of Amoxicillin must be given at eight o’clock if she wants to be eligible to take it early tomorrow morning. And as far as comfort levels go, she’ll want her pregnancy pillow that’s laying on our bed upstairs, the heating pad for her lower back–which is in my office–, and some tea as well. Earl Grey, to be specific, which can be found—”

“Carlisle, it’s okay, we’ve got it,” Rosalie said, sitting down next to me. “Eloise will be in excellent hands, so you don’t need to worry so much. We’ve read your notes three times over and will consult them if need be. Plus, she’ll have her phone on her, I’m sure, so you can contact her whenever you please.”

“Rose’s right, Carlisle,” Emmett interjected. “We promise to be extra vigilant and prudent. We understand how important they both are. We love them too. But it will all work itself out. It doesn’t look like she’s going anywhere anyhow.”

All her husband could do was nod, watching as I shrugged and blew my nose. The look of agony on his face was all I needed to know that this separation was going to destroy him. But it needed to be done, for the sake of our family and our sanity.

“Thank you. Thank you both.”

Dropping his carry-on, the only bag he was bringing, my husband came to kneel beside me on the couch. Kneading his fingers through my hair, he pressed a lingering kiss to my forehead, savoring the last few moments we would have together for a few days.

Him and me both.

“I’ll see you soon, okay? Call me if you need me.”

“Will do, sweetheart. Now, go be amazing. I’ll be here, keeping our little one safe,” I said, watching as our son wanted to get in on the action.

Kissing my forehead one last time and then my lips, he moved to place a long, loving kiss on my belly.

“I love you both. I’ll see you soon.” he said, all smiles.

#carlisle cullen #carlisle x reader #twilight #newmoon #eclipse #breaking dawn #jacob black #alice cullen #Bella Swan #edward cullen #emmett cullen #jasper hale #the volturi #volturi #twilight carlisle #vampires

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the-creative-crow · 7 months

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I don't know what to call this, but it was knocking around my head at work so I decided to write it out. I don't plan to do anything else with this.

I look over the empty field where I spent the night as I try to stretch my arms and legs. Logically I know it’s pointless, these metal joints with their fixed weapons system cant stretch, but the humanity still left in me does it instinctually. 4 weeks since the bombs fell. 4 weeks since my home was wiped off the map. 4 weeks I’ve been in suspended animation piloting this mech.

Funny, I used to think I’d never tire of the feeling. That towering over the landscape, a machine of death able to slaughter battalions of soldiers with minimal effort. But now I’m trapped. I try to think back to my training. I was never good at memorizing all the rules. 6 hours, 6 hours was the recommended maximum to pilot a mech under standard procedures. That could be pushed to.. 3 days? Yes, 3 days in case of emergency. I try to focus, what was the maximum time? 1 week? No, it was longer than that. It doesn’t matter, I'm well past that. My radar blips softly, 1 contact 400 meters away. My friend or foe systems were shot so I have no way of knowing who it is.

I begin the trek towards the contact. I need friendlies so I can disconnect, but if it’s hostile then… nevermind that I need allies. The joints of my machine groan and strain as I push forward. Don’t worry buddy, we will get you oiled soon, I’ll make sure of it myself. 200 meters, just over the ridge, the contact hasn’t moved, strange but they could be damaged and immobile.

I crest the ridge and look towards the contact, another mech with friendly colors. Trying and failing to stop the hope from welling in me I pick up my speed, forcing my mech to sprint. As I get closer I can see they are wrecked, I blast my warhorn to alert them of my presence. No response, unless you count the hundreds of birds I scared off. I see no signs of life from the mech. I aim my cannon carefully at the hatch cringing knowing the pain I’m about to inflict on the pilot as I fire a single shot blowing the hatch open.

I lean and peak inside, nothing but wreckage, the animation tank shattered and a lifeless corpse lying in the mess. I feel like crying but this body can’t, no eyes means no tears. Then a sharp pain shoots through my shoulder. A rocket hit me, but my shields absorbed most of it but the armor was damaged. I swivel looking for the source when I see the flash of a rocket coming from the woods. I fire wildly with my autocannon, sending rounds down in a desperate attempt to stop another impact. A lucky shot hits the rocket sending it careening off harmlessly destroying some dirt. Focusing on the woods I let loose with a salvo of my own, 15 micro-missiles exploding at where I hoped the attacker was. No further movement or attacks came my way so I allowed myself to relax.

Now 15 missiles down and a couple hundred cannon rounds I continue my trek, focusing north. Hopefully the capital is still standing and I can find help there if not sooner… just 8 more weeks of travel.

#writing #robot #mech #no conclusion #trans writers

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monsterfloofs · 11 months

Note

Since it seems I’ve found myself in a Maestro hyper-fixation what about, Maestro gets invited to a grand musical or ballet premiere and is given a second ticket for a guest. After the whole singing thing with the reader he considers perhaps they might enjoy going but also worries about how he will ask, considering their previous interactions. Also if they go,it could be a romance story much to the surprise and embarrassment of Maestro but reader loves the show anyway. Thank you & love your work!

Oh my gosh— I’m so sorry hun! I started writing this and then my motivation completely tanked! I really wanted to get this out to you sooner and in one piece— But I will send what I have ;-; ) I hope it will suffice.

Maestro (Male Peacock Harpy) x GN Reader

-Unfinished-

After the large show in the music hall, there was a couple weeks lull in practice. Giving the musicians time away from the rigorous schedule to take a break and relax. Perhaps it was a double edged sword, as the two weeks passed in a blur for most, Maestro was struggling with the quiet.

Papers of half composed songs littered the floor and stacked on any available surfaces, abandoned cups of coffee perched amongst the pages and pages of work.

He couldn’t concentrate, no matter how much he paced. It’s been days of much of the same, walking back and forth from his piano to his desk. Impatiently tapping his pen against the paper to stimulate something. Finally, his hand jerked, drawing a dark angry line of ink through his latest creation. Claws snapping closed to scrunch up the paper he had been staring at the last hour. Crumpling it into a tight ball and throwing it into the paper bin beneath the desk. It bounced off the side, landing in a minefield of crushed papers that were left scattered along the floor.

He leans back in his chair, and groans. Using his clawed talons to spin the chair around while he stared up at the ceiling in defeat.

At this point, he was better off pulling a blood feather, than continuing to try and fight for any kind of inspiration to surface. He sits like this for a while, his eyes closing. His head nodding and tilting to the side as he began to doze in the quiet.

A knock at the door has him startling out of his respite. Careful to rub his eyes with his knuckles. A leap of hope almost imperceptible, has him rising from his chair and striding over to the door.

“Well hello there, cousin— Oh— Oh you really look dreadful, trouble sleeping?”

Jameson’s eyes snap open wider at the voice, before he glares daggers at the other figure on the other side of the door.

“Angelo. . . how,” A strained hiss of breath, “Lovely, it is to see you again,”

Angelo beams hopefully, “You really mean that?”

“No,” Came Maestro’s dry responce, already moving to close the door.

“Wa-wait! I am only in town for a little while!” The other harpy blocks the door from closing all the way with their shoulder. Jamming themselves between the door frame.

Angelo’s gives them a wobbly smile, “I was thinking. . . maybe. . . you and I could spend some time together.”

“I’d rather be plucked.”

Angelo’s perfect white eyebrows knit together as his lips form a tight line.

“You know. . . you don’t have to be so crass—“

Jameson gives the door a tiny tug to see if he could sway the other to move, before rolling his eyes to the ceiling. Giving a growl before abandoning the attempt to kick the other harpy out. Stalking over to his desk and busying himself with gathering up his papers.

“Now what do you want? Have you come here to gloat?”

Angelo blinks, their expression turning shocked and hurt. “Of. . . of course not. I was excited to see you, I thought. . .” They trailed off for a moment, “I thought we could talk-“

Jameson snorts, “You and I? There’s nothing to talk about.”

Angelo crosses his arms and looks to the side, “. . . I know you aren’t fond of me much anymore.” Ange sighs softly, “I. . . wanted to apologize, we had been so close when we were younger, goodness you showed me the joy of music. I looked up to you, I. . . I still do.”

“Oh really? If I recall correctly, you stole a song, I song I wrote,”

Angelo winces at the remark, “I. . . I know. It wasn’t mine to take, and I know I can’t turn back time and do it all over again. If I could, please, please believe me, I would have.”

Jameson glances over his shoulder. Angelo shifts from foot to foot uncomfortably. “I want to make it up to you.”

#monster x reader #monster x human #exophilia #peacock harpy x human #peacock harpy x reader #harpy x reader #harpy x human

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isshua · 1 year

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Messianic Aureation

Chapter 8: Lessons from the Kreideprinz

Summary: Under Albedo’s guidance, Cara chooses to spend weeks in Dragonspine in order to learn how to use a sword with the hope that she will become a better fighter in order to protect both herself and her friends. Will she finally learn how to unlock the mysterious power that lies within her?

Sorry for the long wait on this chapter! It was supposed to come out way sooner, but it went through so many edits and revisions that I couldn't publish it until I was satisfied. I will admit that this isn’t one of my favorite chapters that I’ve written, but I really did enjoy writing Cara’s interactions with Albedo. I hope you all do too! Likes and reblogs are greatly appreciated! :)

Chapter 9 is here

“Cara.”

“Your Grace.”

“It’s time to wake up.”

Cara moaned out a sleepy protest and snuggled deeper into the warmth of her blankets. The voice calling out to her was pulling her into the conscious world. “Five more minutes,” she drowsily begged.

“I’m afraid not,” the voice said. “You’ve been asleep for quite a while, and we must begin your training. You can’t battle an Archon defenseless, after all.”

Training. The memory of the previous day resurfaced. Cara groaned one more time before sitting up and drowsily opening her eyes. Albedo was beside her, a smile on his face as he greeted her. “Good morning.”

“Morning,” she murmured while she rubbed her eyes. “How long was I out?”

“You fell asleep yesterday afternoon and slept soundly through the night,” Albedo informed.

“Seriously?” Cara yawned. “Huh, that’s weird. Usually I don’t sleep for that long without waking up on my own at some point.”

“Immortals have many similarities to humans,” Albedo explained. “They recover their energy through means of rest, but in much longer intervals. Barbatos was asleep for 1,000 years while his wounds from the Archon War healed. Your body works in the same way. This period of sleep you just experienced was a reaction triggered by your immune system in order to heal yourself from the strain of waypoint traveling and being alone in the Dragonspine wilderness.”

Cara was way too tired to comprehend anything the alchemist just said, but also didn’t want to awkwardly dismiss him and possibly hurt his feelings. “I had no idea that my body could do that. Strange. Maybe I’ll have more energy for training now. Speaking of training, before we begin, can we have breakfast if it’s okay with you? I don’t work well on an empty stomach.”

Albedo chuckled. “Of course. I as well can become quite famished after waking up in the morning. I will give you some privacy so you can prepare for the day. There is a hairbrush and some hygienic supplies on that shelf over there for you to use. When you are ready, come meet me outside of the camp. I will have a hearty breakfast made up for the both of us so we are adequately energized for our training session.”

Cara sat on her cot for a good minute after he left, reveling in the feeling of her blankets surrounding her before she decided to get up and start the day. She raised her arms over head and arched her back in a deep stretch, a noise of satisfaction escaping her as she did so. Then she headed over to the shelf Albedo pointed out and began the process of her morning hygiene routine.

When she was finished, she felt fresh and clean, as well as more awake. But as she turned to go outside to join Albedo, she realized something. Her clothes were filthy, with multiple tears and small holes scattered through the fabric. Albedo had been right when he said that waypoint traveling wasn’t very good for one’s attire. The cloak Razor gave her seemed fine enough, but the tunic and pants from Uncle Elias looked like they were on their last legs. She couldn’t continue to wear these; if she did, they would fall apart.

I guess I could wear my traveler outfit, she thought. It was the only other piece of clothing she owned, after all, and thus her only option. She took out her backpack and reached into the void, concentrating her mind on the image of the colors of the outfit. Instantly her fingers closed around the shirt and shorts. When she pulled them out and observed them, she felt a sense of familiarity, which she found rather odd. She had only worn this outfit for a few days, but despite that, when she looked at the black diamond on the front of the shirt, she felt an intense intuition that this was something she was meant to wear, like it was literally made for her and no one else.

After changing into it, she observed the way it fit her like a glove. The shirt and shorts brought comfort to her. I guess I can wear this from now on, even if it makes me stand out more than I’d like. A sudden breeze of cold air from the outside blew into the camp, and she shivered. I wish they weren’t shorts, though. Even if it is summer, Dragonspine’s temperature never seems to rise above 30 degrees.

As she thought this, suddenly, her shirt and shorts started to glow a bright gold. She gasped as it consumed her entire body from the neck down. It lasted for only but a moment before ebbing away, and what was revealed to her had her shocked.

Her short-sleeved outfit was no longer short-sleeved. Now, her shirt had thick sleeves that went down to her wrists, and her shorts were baggy pants that shielded her legs from the elements. Her twin tail cape had transformed into a long black-and-gold cloak with a puffy hood. Somehow, her traveler outfit had heard her thoughts about the frigidity of Dragonspine and changed to fulfill her wish to keep warm. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, though. Anything is possible when you're trapped in a fantasy videogame world.

She found Albedo by the cliff overlooking the massive ribcage of Durin. He was sitting on one of his Solar Isotomas, and a cooking pot was set up to his right. “Okay, I’m here,” she said to him. “Sorry if I took too long.”

“You didn’t take long at all. I was just admiring the view while I prepared breakfast. Here, let me-” His eyes widened in surprise when he looked at her and took in her new outfit. “Oh, you changed your clothes.”

“The outfit I was wearing wasn't in the best condition,” she told him. “And this one is…unique. I woke up in it when I first arrived in this world, and apparently it can read my mind to change its appearance based on how warm or cold I get. Before, it was short-sleeved, but after I felt how low the temperature was, it turned into a winter version of itself.”

“It must be a gift from Teyvat,” Albedo said. “It does have a distinct aura to it that feels very similar to the one you possess. Perhaps we can take a sample of the fabric and put it through some tests to see how it reacts to certain elements…”

“I think I’ll pass on that,” Cara hastily said. “I already have one outfit with a bunch of holes in it, and I definitely don’t need another.”

“If you say so.” Albedo raised his hand and squeezed it into a fist. A second Solar Isotoma erupted out of the snow-covered earth to the left of his own. “Come and sit with me. I made pancakes.”

Cara settled down on the strange Geo flower and felt a hum of energy send little tremors through her body. “I didn’t know you used your Vision in such a casual manner,” she commented.

“Ah, well, it is nothing more than a tool for me,” Albedo said. “My Vision aids me in my experiments, and I see no difference between it from a beaker or a crucible. The same can be said when I use its power to create something as simple as a seat. Visions are gifts from the gods, but they are also an extension of their wielder. It might as well be another limb. So, why shouldn’t I use it to aid me in everyday happenings like I might use my own two hands?”

“That’s…actually a smart way of looking at it,” Cara said. “I mean, obviously you should use a Vision according to how you see fit to use it, as long as you're not, you know, going on murdering sprees or whatever. You earned this power, so why not take advantage of it?”

“Exactly,” Albedo agreed. “You understand. By the way, speaking of Visions, I have been meaning to ask you something. Do you feel any sense of connection to the manifestation of Geo you are sitting upon right now? As Teyvat’s Creator, and therefore the original creator of Visions, I want to know if you might have some subconscious control over one, even if it’s not your own.”

Cara looked down at the Solar Isotoma and pressed a hand against it. It was slightly warm to the touch and glowed a bit brighter than it had been, but besides that, there were no further reactions. “I don’t know if I might be able to control Visions. Do you really think I’m capable of doing something that powerful?”

“It is a possibility,” Albedo replied. “However, I have my doubts. A Vision is the manifestation of a person’s ambitions, so it might be quite difficult for someone else to control those ambitions. We will have to return to this topic in the form of an experiment after your training concludes. Perhaps Sucrose will be willing to lend us her Vision to use so we can run through some Anemo-based tests.” He took a plate from beside the cooking pot and piled a stack of pancakes onto it. “Here you go,” he said as he handed it to Cara. “Breakfast is served.”

Delicious satisfaction filled her mouth and stomach while Cara ate them. “Albedo, these are so good!” she praised. “I don’t understand how you could think you aren’t awesome at cooking!”

“I wouldn’t say it is what I am best at,” Albedo said rather bashfully. “I do enjoy a little bit of cooking from time to time, but there are certainly other people in Monstadt who are far better at it than I am. I appreciate the approval. I would give any chance to make food for my god.” He took a bite from his own plate of pancakes. “Sucrose introduced this recipe to me. Pancakes aren’t a dish I indulge in often, but I will say that they are definitely delicious.”

“By the way, where are Sucrose and Klee?” Cara asked. “Did they ever come back and tell you if Kaeya, Bennett, and Razor are alright?”

“They returned while you were sleeping,” he answered. “Sucrose informed Kaeya about your whereabouts, and he passed the information on to Bennett and Razor, who are hiding away in Wolvendom due to the fact that Bennett is currently a wanted criminal in Monstadt.”

Cara blanched and nearly dropped her plate. “What?”

“Rest assured that all three of them are okay,” Albedo said. “I did tell them though that it would be safer if they didn’t come to visit you out of the need for discrepancy. Sucrose and Klee will also be giving the two of us some solitude so we can focus on your training without interruption. I will keep them all regularly updated with letters noting your progress.” He paused for a moment when he saw the look of utter horror on her face. “Are…are you okay with not seeing Kaeya, Bennett, and Razor for some time? If you wish to see them sooner, I suppose we can set up a location to meet out of the sight of the knights.”

But Cara wasn’t listening to him. All she could think about was Bennett, how he was now being targeted by the knights for a crime as simple as being her friend and ally. “He’s wanted because of me,” she said with a quiver in her voice. “All because he decided to help me, his entire life is ruined. It’s all my fault.”

“Cara.” Albedo placed his hand on her shoulder. “Please, do not blame yourself. Bennett was extremely brave to stand up for you and help you escape the city. I know I would have done the exact same thing if I were in his position. You need to remember that we are not in the wrong here. It is the knights who are being controlled by the Madness, not us. So do not feel like any violence being enacted in this nation is your fault. You are here to put an end to it. For that to happen, you must remain alive.”

“I can’t let this happen anymore,” she whispered. “Albedo, if anyone is killed because they were caught giving me aid, I will never be able to live with myself. I’ve already endangered Bennett’s life. I can’t endanger anyone else’s. I have to get out of Teyvat. I have to get home.”

“That can’t happen if you don’t regain your original power,” Albedo reminded her. “This is why I have decided to teach you how to use a sword. Once you know how to defend yourself, you can defend others. I will help you learn. The more knowledgeable in the art of battle you become, the closer we get to ridding this world of the Madness once and for all.”

Cara wanted to tell him that she couldn’t care less about whether the Madness continued to exist in Teyvat or not. That was what she would have said if this were only her first day here, after she had just been run out of Monstadt City by the knights. However, when she dwelled on it, she realized that if she were to say this to Albedo now, after learning about the Madness and its mind-controlling effect on people, telling him she didn’t care it would be a lie. Deep down, she did care. She cared about Jean, and Amber, and Eula, and everyone else who wanted her dead. She couldn’t help it. Genshin Impact was something she loved, and by extension, she loved the characters. Getting back to her own world was her number one priority…but, if there was a way to get rid of the Madness, then she wouldn’t mind doing that, too.

“Your Grace,” Albedo said. “Are you ready to begin your training?”

Cara didn’t hesitate. If she learned how to fight, she would have a higher chance of defeating the Archons and getting home. That was her motivation. That was her drive. “Yes.”

“Good.” He stood up. “Let’s bring our plates and utensils back to the camp. Then, your first day of learning to use a sword will begin. Come and follow me.”

The Prototype Rancour was a beautiful weapon, one that felt extremely lethal in Cara’s hands. She gripped the hilt tightly and held it up to the rays of the sun, watching the way the sword’s gold-and-bronze metal gleamed. The tassel attached to the end of the hilt was rough leather, and the little blue orb at its base made a slight jingling sound whenever she brushed her fingers against it. This was a blade meant to be wielded by a seasoned warrior, not a person like her who knew absolutely nothing about fighting.

“What do you think?” Albedo asked her. “It’s a fine sword, isn’t it?”

“It is,” she replied. “I don’t think I deserve to use it, though.” She lowered the sword and looked at him. “Are you sure you want me to use this for training? Aren’t you afraid I’ll ruin it somehow?”

Albedo shook his head and sighed. “You are far too kind for this world, Your Grace. Allow me to answer you with a question of my own. Do you recognize this sword?”

Cara studied the blade. “It’s a Prototype Rancour,” she said. “It’s Liyueian, and its strength lies in physical attack.”

“Yes, but do you know the history behind this specific one?” Albedo carefully took the blade in his hands and ran his palm over it. “This was my first gift from the Creator after becoming a Vessel. It was years ago, but I have held onto it ever since. You entrusted me with this weapon as a sign of recognition that I was worthy of your power. Now, I want to return it to you.”

“Oh my god,” Cara gasped. “I completely forgot about that!” She recalled when she first received Albedo from his banner after pulling for him, how excited she had been to finally have him as her own. She forged, ascended, and refined this Prototype Rancour just for him. “But why do you want to give it to me now? Do…do you not like it?”

“Quite the opposite,” Albedo said. “I love this weapon, but after receiving a second sword from you, I realized the Prototype Rancour just doesn’t work with my skills as effectively as my new sword does.” He brought out another blade: it was a Cinnabar Spindle. Cara had equipped it to him after receiving it by completing the ‘Shadows Amidst Snowstorms’ event that happened last year. “I didn’t want to simply get rid of my first gift from the Creator, however, so I decided to hold onto it as a sort of backup in case my Cinnabar Spindle was suddenly lost. I would like to give it to you so it can be used once again.”

“Wow,” Cara murmured. “Thank you, Albedo. I promise I’ll take good care of it.”

“I know you will. Now, to training.” Albedo raised his sword. “The art of swordfighting is a complicated one. When wielding such a weapon, it is important to remember one thing: always be aware of what you are doing. An inexperienced person such as yourself can easily cut off her arm with her own sword if she is not aware of where her blade is going when she swings. So, we will begin with mastering a proper stance. Watch me.”

The way he held his sword was one of grace, and when he swung it, she saw that grace mingle with ferocity. She marveled at the way he handled the weapon with practiced ease, how it almost seemed like a second limb. When he finished his display, she voiced how impressed she was. “That was incredible!”

He smiled. “Thank you. Let’s try to get you to do the same. Adjust your body according to my orders, alright? Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Move your right foot back a little…yes, just like that. Lower your sword to your middle. Hold it in only your dominant hand, it will grant you much more versatility. Keep your back straight, but not too straight. You must be prepared to bend and dodge when you are in battle.”

Cara did her best to follow his orders. Thankfully, she seemed to be adjusting herself to his satisfaction, because he nodded in approval. “You are still a little tense, but that is to be expected from a beginner. Besides that, I’d say your stance is almost as good as mine. Well, almost, of course. It would be hard to become as great a swordfighter as I instantly.”

“Har har,” Cara said affably with a smile. “Classic Albedo, ever so humble.”

Albedo exhaled a small laugh. “I am teaching the God Above All Gods to swordfight. Of course I must remain humble. Humor aside, you do need some improvement, but as I said, that is expected from a beginner. Let’s practice swinging together so you can mirror my moves.” He held his sword in front of him. “Again, with me.”

Cara nodded and obeyed. She raised her sword, this time with the determination to be perfect in his eyes.

For the first few weeks Cara was with Albedo, they did nothing but focus on her stance and swinging. Her determination and diligent practicing eventually pulled off, because one day, he deemed her skilled enough to move onto the second phase of her training. “You have greatly improved since the first time you picked up a sword,” he said. “Though you are nowhere close to being a true expert, I believe you are prepared enough to begin practice-fighting.”

“Am I going to be fighting you?” Cara asked.

Albedo shook his head. “No. Not yet at least. You are nowhere near being strong enough to take me on in even a mock battle. For now, you will be practicing with these.” He gestured to three wooden structures lined up before her. Each one had a trio of large red-gray-and-ivory horns attached to them with chains. “These are training dummies I, ah, borrowed from a nearby hilichurl tribe a few days ago. Your task is to dispatch them as quickly as possible.”

“Oh.” Cara tried to mask her disappointment. She had been hoping Albedo would continue to be as hands-on with her training as he had been with her stance and swinging practice. I’m only learning so well because he’s here to help me. “Okay, I can do that. I’m not very fast, though, just to warn you.”

“Don’t be discouraged,” Albedo said, ever able to pick up on her emotions. “I will still be here to tell you where you are going right and where you are going wrong. Once I have deemed you are ready, I will allow you to fight me. But only when you have gained my approval.”

For Albedo, everything was an experiment. Cara guessed it was just in his nature as someone who thought so scientifically to study every single little thing he came across. She was a case no different; while she practiced attacking the hilichurl dummies over and over again, Albedo kept notes, his feathered pen flying across his clipboard while he studied her movements with great attention. She listened to him mumble his writings out loud. “Hm, speed is average, as are endurance levels. But attack blows are sharp and precise, most likely due to these past weeks’ practice…in conclusion, your performance is, to put it simply, mediocre in terms of attack movement.”

Cara deflated, shame and embarrassment crawling over her skin, her stomach dropping like a heavy rock.

“This isn’t something to be upset about,” Albedo said. “You should have expected this from the very beginning. As someone who has never fought with a sword before, you shouldn’t be able to go into a training session and pass with flying colors on your first try. These skills take time to perfect, and trust me, as we continue, you will become better. I went through the same thing when my master started teaching me how to wield a sword. Besides-” He tapped his clipboard. “I said your performance was mediocre, not sloppy. When I sometimes watch rookie knights practice at the Knights of Favonius training grounds, I always mark their performances ‘sloppy,’ with very few lucky exceptions. This was my first time seeing you train with a dummy, and you scored a ‘mediocre.’ You are doing better than you think you do, Your Grace. Let that fact comfort you.”

“Okay.” Cara shook off her self-consciousness, eager to do better for both herself and him. “I will. Let me try again.”

Albedo resumed his writing. “Be my guest.”

She turned back to the training dummies and went in for the attack. Just as she was about to slash her sword towards one of the first dummy’s horns though, her foot got caught in a pile of thick snow. She gasped when she fell flat on her face. Her sword slipped out of her hand and into the snow with a plop.

“Cara!” Albedo cried. He was at her side in an instant to help her up. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

Cara spat snow out of her mouth and pulled her hood over her head to hide her red cheeks. Humiliation once again flooded through her. “I’m fine,” she mumbled.

She heard him sigh, and then he gently pulled her hood back. “Things like this happen,” he said as he took her sword and folded her hand back around its hilt. “Pick yourself up and start anew. There is no point in feeling ashamed now, not after all of the progress you have made.”

She took her sword and smoothed back her hair. When she looked at the three dummies, she didn’t notice a single scuff mark on either of them. There were no blade cuts, no dents, nothing. She was going at these things with all she had, and she couldn’t even leave a noticeable blow. Exasperated and disappointed with herself, she felt a surge of anger and punched the nearest dummy as hard as she could without a second thought.

The connection between her fist and the dummy resounded with a rippling boom throughout the area. Instead of what should have happened-bloody knuckles and bruised skin-practically the opposite occurred. The dummy was sent rocketing backwards and straight over the cliff into Wyrmrest Valley. Cara was left standing with her fist extended in place, jaw dropping as her anger diminished and she realized what she had just done. There was no pain, only a feeling of intense power. A bit shakily, she examined the glowing gold veins pulsing across her hand. When she yanked her sleeve back, she saw that they snaked up her arm and straight to her shoulder. They were the same color as her blood.

“Oh my,” Albedo said. “That…was certainly a bit unexpected.” He took her arm and traced the veins, sending little shivers down Cara’s back. He then pressed his fingers against the bottom of her wrist, right where her pulse was. “As I thought. Your blood is glowing through your skin.”

“Wait. Those are actually my veins?”

“It appears so,” Albedo confirmed. “The energy surging through your arm right now is matching the rhythm of your heartbeat. This is just a hypothesis, but I think your blood might have helped supercharge your arm when you punched that dummy so you could gain the necessary power to send it careening backwards with such a massive amount of force. Truly fascinating. I was right to think your blood has properties beyond its unique color.”

As he spoke, the veins dimmed, and then vanished completely. Albedo let go of her arm. “I am impressed. We should integrate strength training into your lessons from now on. Such raw physical power will aid you greatly in a fight against an Archon. I wonder, would even the eldest of the Seven be able to withstand such a punch from the Creator?”

He was speaking so casually. Cara voiced her disbelief. “How-how are you so relaxed about this? I just found out I have superhuman strength, and you're talking about me taking on Rex Lapis in a fistfight? You have to be as terrified about this as I am! I could kill someone if I punched them like that!”

“Of course you could,” Albedo said, completely nonchalantly. “You of all people shouldn’t be surprised by this. You are a god. You have strength that is incomparable to any mortal. You could take something as harmless as a pine needle and turn it into a weapon of war. Do not underestimate yourself. This body of yours is capable of great destruction.”

Cara stared at him. She didn’t know how to reply to his words and simply looked at her arm again with a creeping sense of great disturbance and fear.

“I think we can wrap up training for today. I will do a little further investigation on that blood sample we took from you.” Albedo walked back towards the camp. “Come along, I’ll make us some dinner. If you don’t mind, I’m in the mood for some Sweet Madame tonight…”

Cara didn’t follow him right away. Instead, she walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down. The training dummy had gained a lot of ground from the force of her punch. She saw it's remains far away, a scattered pile of smashed wood and keratin, barely visible through the misty snow. Such destruction created by nothing more than a punch. It was inhuman.

“Cara!” Albedo called from the warmth of the camp. “Come along!”

She turned and followed him without a word.

After spending the following weeks doing agility runs, strength training, stance exercises, and hitting practice shots on the hilichurl dummies, Albedo finally deemed her skilled enough to take him on in a mock battle. At first, she was thrilled to finally have the opportunity to put all she had learned to the test. But then she remembered how powerful Albedo was and grew nervous. “You’ll go easy on me, right?”

“I won’t hurt you, if that is what you are afraid of,” Albedo answered. “But I certainly won’t be gentle, either.”

“Alright.” Cara took out her Prototype Rancour. “If I win, you have to make dinner tonight.”

“I enjoy cooking for you. Making dinner is hardly a punishment for losing. But if you wish for that to be the prize, so be it.” Albedo unsheathed his Cinnabar Spindle. “I hope your culinary skills are sufficient enough to make me dinner, Your Grace, because it is you who will be standing at the cooking pot tonight.”

They faced each other, both of them still, until Albedo called out “Begin.” As quickly as possible, Cara raised her sword in a defensive stance; she knew Albedo was more experienced than her, so going in for the attack could immediately put her at a disadvantage. Albedo was in front of her in an instant, his sword slamming against her own. A loud clang reverberated as metal met metal.

“Your strength and reaction time have gotten better,” he said. “Impressive. An ordinary mortal would have been thrown back by that attack.”

“I guess the reason why I was able to withstand it is because I’m a god?” Cara shoved forward and twirled the hilt of her sword in the direction of his hand, with the intention of knocking his weapon away. Albedo foresaw her move and raised his arm in a quick dodge. They were once again separated by distance, but her mentor kept up the conversation like he wasn’t participating in a fight. “Actually, yes. Caratrice witnessed countless battles before her death, and being the leader of the Nine, her fighting skills were unparalleled. The legends say just seeing a glimpse of her fabled sword, the Veritas Incarnata, was enough to vaporize a person in an instant. And since you are her reincarnation, those memories of battle are somewhere deep inside your psyche. I have been seeing traces of their manifestation since we began your training.”

“I doubt that,” Cara grunted. “I don’t think it would be that easy for me to remember the fighting skills of a god that lived thousands of years ago.” She thought for a moment. “Hey, Albedo?”

“Yes?”

“Why are you helping me?”

“What do you mean?”

Their swords clashed. Cara braced herself against Albedo’s push of strength. “Almost everyone in Monstadt wants me dead. Why don’t you? Because of me, your position as chief-alchemist, your life, and everything you’ve worked for is in jeopardy. Wouldn’t it be easier for you to hand me over to Jean instead of going through all of the trouble of hiding and training me?”

“It would.” Albedo swept a foot towards her legs, but she jumped back before he could make her fall. “Not only would I be safe, but Klee and Sucrose would be as well. If I were to turn you in, I would do it not for myself, but for them to ensure their safety.”

“Then why don’t you do it? I know you're helping me because you think I’m the key to saving Teyvat from the Madness, but if you know Klee and Sucrose would be safer if I wasn’t here, why don’t you just get rid of me?”

“Is it not obvious?” Albedo sent a wave of strikes her way. Cara parried them all, all but barely. She was starting to tire. “I consider you my friend. Your warmth, your vivacity, your entire being has been with me for years. I have heard you laugh, and I have heard you cry. I know you, and you know me. I fight for you, and with you. If I were to betray you and side with a world that wants to persecute you, I would be breaking the trust you put in me when you chose me as one of your Vessels. I want to see you live.” He hooked his sword under hers and managed to force it out of her hands. It fell, and Cara barely had enough time to react before Albedo gently pushed her to the ground. Slight pressure was applied to her middle when he pinned her in place with his knee. The blade of the Cinnabar Spindle was held inches away from her neck. “Which is why I will train you to defend yourself, so I can see you rise and reclaim your godhood. As a follower, a believer, and a friend, I want to protect you in any way I can. That is why I refuse to participate in the hunt.”

Cara was both struck dumb at how easily he had rendered her defenseless and awed at his words. “Albedo, you…you really care about me that much?”

“I would be a fool if I didn’t.” Albedo moved his sword away and stood up. He offered her his hand. “Looks like I won this round. You put up a fine fight. Are you looking forward to making dinner?”

Cara stared at his hand, then at him. He was smiling; it was a smile of fondness, a smile that emanated trust. She smiled back and took his hand. “I hope you like burnt food, because I am definitely not as good a cook as you are.”

She was helped to her feet, and had her fallen sword handed to her. “Cooking is an art in itself. As with painting and swordfighting, it is always easier to learn when you have a teacher,” Albedo said. “I will guide you, don’t worry.”

“Hey, do you think Caratrice had unbelievable cooking skills that are hidden in the recesses of my brain, too?” Cara asked as they walked back to camp.

The corners of his lips curled, and his laughter bounced off of the snowy mountainside to ring out beyond Wyrmrest Valley, so that even the lost spirit of Durin might hear. “Somehow, I certainly doubt that.”

“A letter arrived for you,” Albedo told her one afternoon while she was cleaning her sword’s blade. He waved it in the air; it was an anonymous envelope with no name or address listed on it. Cara put her sword aside and practically snatched it right out of his hand. She tore it open and felt relief when she saw Kaeya’s elegant handwriting.

Hello Cara. I hope this letter finds you well. Albedo tells me that you’ve gotten stronger since I last wrote to you. Dragonspine is really turning you into quite the seasoned warrior, isn’t it? I’m honestly not surprised. You have the natural fierceness of a fighter that befits you. Remember that one time when you punched me in the stomach? I haven’t forgotten it. Sometimes I swear I can still feel the phantom pain. No hard feelings by the way.

Bennett and Razor say hello. I know how worried you are about them. They are safe, and I am making sure the knights won’t find them, no matter how hard they search. They can’t wait to see you again and get a look at your fancy sword. Perhaps you would like to join me in a friendly duel sometime? I would like to see how much of Albedo’s fighting skills rubbed off on you.

I am worried about you. I trust Albedo to keep you safe, but I can’t help but be scared that the knights might find you. Please be careful if you are ever out in the wilderness alone. Stay close to Albedo. I don’t doubt that you can defend yourself in the face of a threat, but knowing he is protecting you eases my worry. It’s always better to have a friend watching your back, no?

Keep training. I will write again soon. I look forward to the day when our little group reunites. It is a day that is hopefully on the horizon.

Like always, Kaeya’s words pierced through her heart. She could easily hear his voice reading the words out loud. Though she knew she couldn’t write back-she was too afraid of someone possibly discovering and outing Kaeya as a friend of hers if she did, which would definitely get him arrested or killed-she still imagined what she would say if she could. Thank you guys for sticking with me. I miss you. I love you. Please stay safe. Please be okay.

“Is everything alright?” Albedo asked. He was tinkering with some tools on his work table, but his head was inclined towards her as an indication that he was listening.

“They’re okay,” she said. “All three of them are safe. There’s no sign of the knights ever discovering any of us, and things are relatively normal. It’s just his usual check-in.”

“That’s good. I will continue to update him with your progress.” Albedo held a beaker up to the light of a torch, examining it for dust. “Kaeya wrote about how impressed he is with you, didn’t he?”

“I’m nothing to be impressed about. But I do think he’s happy to hear I’m learning how to properly fight. I do a lot more damage when I know what I’m doing. You know, I punched him in the gut once.”

Albedo made an extremely un-Albedolike snorting noise that might have been a laugh masked over by a fake cough. “Did you now?”

“Yup, ask him the next time you see him. It’s true. I could totally beat him up again.”

“I have no doubt about it. I think it would be quite…amusing. Or maybe just a tad bit pathetic on Kaeya’s part.”

Cara watched him continue to prep various pieces of experimental equipment. Curious, she got up and looked over his shoulder. “What are you doing?”

“Preparing to study the blood Sucrose took from you,” he answered. Surely enough, in the center of the work table was the vial of golden ichor, still as radiant as it had been when it was first extracted. “After your original power was temporarily activated a few weeks ago, I decided to see if I could run a few more tests on this sample and try to get more reactions. I would also like to make a request for you to fulfill.”

Where is this going? Cara thought. “As long as it doesn’t involve taking more of my blood, I’ll consider doing it.”

“It doesn’t, don’t worry. I would like for you to go out to the training field and practice with the hilichurl dummies. Try to unlock your original power again. After you have done so, return here and tell me how you triggered it.”

“Wait, seriously?” Cara hadn’t expected his request to be that. “But I don’t know how to make it happen again. I don’t even know how I activated it the first time.”

“Your powers seem strongly linked to your emotions,” Albedo said. “When you got angry, you channeled your power without even realizing it. You let go. If you do that again, maybe the results will prove to be successful.”

“Well…okay. Are you sure you're alright with me training by myself? Aren’t you afraid I’m going to accidentally cut my own arm off or something?”

“I don’t have to worry about that anymore,” he said. “You have been training for weeks now. You’ve grown skilled with your sword, and you have an understanding of how to handle it. I am no longer concerned that you might hurt yourself while training. Think of this as a sort of…graduation. If you don’t end up losing a limb to the blade of your own weapon, I will allow you to train by yourself more often. Deal?”

“Okay, deal. I’ll be back after I get my veins to turn gold again. Hopefully I’ll be able to do it.” She sheathed her sword. “I’ll be back before dinner.”

The hilichurl dummies were no longer set up right outside of the camp as they once had been. She and Albedo moved them to a larger area so she could work on both her attack skills and agility at the same time. Cara had to walk up a small hill to make it to the snow-covered field where the dummies stood. She drew her cloak closer around her and twirled her sword a few times as she stared them down. “Alright, dummies. Albedo finally trusts me not to kill myself with my own sword, and I’m sure as hell not going to give him a reason to regret it. You're going down.”

There was a long pause. Cara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Inhale. Then let it out. Exhale. She slid her foot back, braced her shoulders, and held up her sword. When her eyes opened, they locked onto the first dummy like magnets. Then, she shot forward, raised the Prototype Rancour, and brought the blade down upon its wood. Chop! The top was cleaved off. Cara didn’t stop. She retracted her sword, spun, and cut the second dummy down, right through its midsection. Wood splintered. The wind blew. She could feel it moving with her arms, as if Teyvat were holding her hands and guiding her to swing with more speed, more momentum. Maybe it was.

The last dummy sat condescendingly in front of her, unharmed. Cara turned to face it, and without thinking, drew her arm back and hurled her sword forward. It sped through the air like an arrow, moving faster than it should have been, and pierced straight through the dummy’s chest. But it didn’t stop there. The sword continued to fly, until it was eventually stopped by a massive boulder. Cara heard the sharp crack of breaking rock, followed by a shudder in the wind. She went still and panted, stunned at how fast and ruthless she had just acted.

When she walked over to the boulder to retrieve her sword, what she saw was incredible. The Prototype Rancour was practically embedded into the rock, with giant splinters branching from the point of impact all throughout its surface. Cara had thrown the sword with so much strength and speed, the weapon had literally broken through what should have been unbreakable.

Albedo’s words from the other week replayed in her head. “You are a god. You have strength that is incomparable to any mortal. You could take something as harmless as a pine needle and turn it into a weapon of war. Do not underestimate yourself. This body of yours is capable of great destruction.”

Mildly disturbed by how many changes she had gone through upon entering this world while remaining visibly the same, Cara grabbed the hilt of her sword and pulled it out with little difficulty. She ran a hand over the cracks in the boulder. She didn’t want to admit it, but the idea of her being a god was becoming more and more believable. No ordinary person should be able to cause this sort of damage to a boulder. She wasn’t even sure if Albedo could do such a thing without gaining some sort of power boost from his Vision. Yet she did it all on her own.

The snowfall had picked up, and the wind began to howl. Cara looked up and saw that the usual Dragonspine gray sky was now completely blotted out by white. There’s a storm coming, she thought. I better head back to the camp. I don’t want to be caught in this. She fulfilled Albedo’s request and once again awakened her hidden strength. Once the storm subsided, she would bring him to this boulder and show him what she did. He’s going to be so excited once he sees it.

She was about to put her sword away and begin the short trek back, when without warning, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and her heart started thumping. Cara froze, her grip on the Prototype Rancour’s hilt tightening. This wasn’t a warning from Teyvat, but rather a premonition that something was about to happen, something disastrous, something life-threatening. She wanted to run, but didn’t get a chance to, and turned around just in time to see a giant bird made entirely out of fire flying straight towards her.

Her agility lessons with Albedo proved useful. She threw herself out of the firebird’s line of attack. The creature slammed into the boulder with a screech, and an eruption of flames burst through the area. Cara was hit with the sweltering heat and ducked her head to protect her face from it. When the light of the flames winked out, she lifted her face out of her arms and saw what the firebird had done to the boulder. It was completely shattered, now nothing more than a series of jagged rocks, every single one of them blackened and smoldered.

She whipped her head in the direction of approaching footsteps. Out of the worsening snowstorm came a man dressed in a large winter coat with a hood over his head. In his hand was a claymore on fire, the Pyro energy swirling over the massive blade and leaving a sweltering scent in the air. When the man pulled back his hood, she saw his familiar red hair, along with ruby eyes glowering with a hatred that burned like hellfire.

“There you are, imposter,” Diluc snarled. “I’ve finally found you. Now, let’s see how long it takes for you to crack.”

#genshin sagau #genshin impact sagau #sagau #genshin impact #genshin isekai #isekai #genshin fic #genshin impact fanfiction #fanfiction #albedo #dragonspine #sagau impostor au #messianic aureation

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whump-card · 7 months

Text

Sunless Lives Part 34: I Need to Apologize

~1730 words

CW: internalized victim blaming, aftermath of whump, medical setting, restraints, negative self-talk, derogatory language

First, Previous, Next, Masterlist

~~~

Dear Matthew,

I’m sorry. Everything is my fault. You were right. I should have done what you wanted. Instead I keep inviting people to hurt me. Tempting people. I’ve realized that I’m just not very smart. I never finished highschool. I’ve been hit in the head too many times. I will always make bad decisions that put myself and the people around me in danger.

I’ve decided to leave. I don’t want you to look for me. I’m not killing myself. I don’t want to die. I never wanted to die. I don’t know what happened but I never tried to kill myself, I know that. So please don’t worry about me. I’m not worth it. You made the right decision, leaving me. You should have done that sooner.

I’m not loyal. I’m not a good person. I think I can only survive when someone else is telling me what to do. But I don’t want to burden you with that anymore. You deserve better and I know you don’t want it.

Please tell Christian I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to give him the wrong idea.

Simon

~~~

Simon drifted back into his body slowly, in a fuzz of dulled pain that settled deep into his bones. A machine beeped rhythmically next to him and someone huffed and sighed.

Matthew?

Simon’s eyes flew open, and were stung by a panel of light in the ceiling. He tried to lift a hand to shield himself from the glare, but found he couldn’t move his arms. He flicked his eyes downwards. His body was covered by a thin blanket, but something underneath compressed his arms and held them crossed over his chest like a corpse about to be buried. Carefully placed pillows immobilized his legs as well. Something ticked his face and nose.

He turned his head, just a little, and his heart leapt when he saw Matthew out of the corner of his eye. Matthew sat in a chair next to Simon’s bed, hunched over a laptop. His right arm was in a sling and cast, and his neck was swaddled in bandages.

Are you okay? Simon opened his mouth to ask, but all that came out was a wheeze of air as his throat painfully flexed, his vocal chords straining but achieving nothing.

The small sound made Matthew look up sharply, and relief and joy flooded his face.

“Simon!” He set aside the laptop and stood, leaning over the bed so that Simon could see him more easily. “Don’t talk, okay? Don’t talk, you…” His smile changed, and became a little pitying. “Your throat is pretty messed up. All of you, actually.”

How did - ?

The memories crashed over him. Bowers. The warehouse.

The pipe.

The beeping of the monitor sped up. Simon would have whimpered if he could have. Matthew’s smile vanished and was replaced with deep concern.

“Hey, it’s okay, it’s okay, we got to you in time, you’re going to be okay,” he said, his hand hovering over Simon’s chest, “Gina and I came after you, we tracked your friend Nora’s smartwatch right to you. We faced Bowers alone and… it didn’t go well, but then he bit me,” Matthew continued quickly as Simon’s eyes widened, “And because I’d taken the cure, my blood turned him. He’s dead now, and Amber arrived in time to get everyone to the hospital. Gina’s going to be okay too, she has a ruptured spleen and a bad concussion but she’ll be okay. We’re all going to be okay, Simon.” His voice grew wobbly towards the end, and he smiled at Simon with tears in his eyes.

Simon just stared at him, overwhelmed. Gratitude. Guilt. Relief. Shame.

Matthew doesn’t want to be with you anymore.

Matthew doesn’t want to be with you anymore, and he still put his life on the line for you. Nearly died for you.

(You’re not worth it.)

He found tears pricking his own eyes and his shoulders jerked with a suppressed sob.

“Hey hey, don’t move,” Matthew warned gently, “They immobilized your arms because both of your shoulders are all messed up. You shouldn’t try to move anything, actually, they - they had to do a lot of work, on your leg and your hips. They had to put in a whole bunch of pins and rods and things. And they’re bringing in a specialist to look at your throat. He’s supposed to be here later today. They’re not… They’re not sure, how… You’ve got a feeding tube, for now, down your nose. I hope it’s not bothering you.”

Simon forced shuddering breaths in and out. The straps around his arms felt like they were suffocating him. His eyes darted around the room wildly.

“Oh, I was thinking about how to do this…” Matthew left his side, and rolled a tray table over to the bed. He lifted his laptop onto it, and pulled up a morse code chart.

“Only if you're up for it,” Matthew looked at him, at the ready with a hospital-branded notepad on the table and a pen held awkwardly in his left hand.

Simon’s eyes flitted over the chart.

He could ask about Christian.

He’s dead.

He could ask what Matthew was doing there.

He probably feels obligated.

He could ask why Gina and Amber had helped rescue him.

They probably felt guilty for putting me in Summerwhite.

Eventually he just shut his eyes, and turned his face back towards the ceiling. It was all useless. He had nothing to ask, and nothing to say. No words, especially not words spelled out letter by letter, could explain how he was feeling about Matthew right now. Grateful he was here. Terrified that he was going to tell Simon to his face that they were done. Angry that he hadn’t done that in the first place.

“Oh, that’s okay.” Matthew couldn’t hide his disappointment.

Simon listened as Matthew moved the chair closer to the bed and sat down. The silence stretched, and Simon could feel Matthew building up his nerve. He finally spoke.

“Simon, I need to tell you something.”

Simon’s eyes snapped open.

What now?

“Christian is dead. Bowers killed him.”

It was only confirmation of what Simon already knew. His face crumpled, and he turned away from Matthew as best he could. His shoulders shook painfully.

“I’m sorry, Simon,” Matthew said softly, “I’m so sorry.”

Matthew reached out and rested a hand on Simon’s short, fuzzy hair. The touch made Simon expel a gasp. It felt so good to finally be touched by Matthew again. He was scared for a moment that Matthew would misinterpret his reaction and pull away, but the hand stayed, heavy and comforting.

“I also… Simon, I read your letter.”

Simon screwed his eyes shut.

Oh no.

“I’m sorry you feel like I left you, I didn’t mean to make you feel that way. I love you.”

Simon was frozen for a moment, then twisted his head to gaze at Matthew with tearful disbelief.

No, Christian said…

Simon’s eyes found the morse code chart and he frantically started blinking.

“Woah, slow down!” Matthew leaned forward, grinning. His smile faded as he transferred Simon’s message onto the notepad, painfully slow with only the use of his non-dominant hand.

I. S. L. E. S. A. Y. U. L. E. F. T. M. E.

Matthew muttered the message to himself a couple times before sitting bolt upright, outraged.

“That’s not what happened! I was with you, I helped him bring you to his home, I was going to stay and help, but he kicked me out and got a restraining order. Simon, I was doing everything I could to see you.”

Oh.

Christian lied.

The revelation of this new layer of betrayal sent the heart monitor racing again. Simon’s chest rose and fell rapidly, and he opened his mouth - he needed to speak, to curse, to scream. He could feel his throat tensing and flexing and trying and all he could make was a terribly painful rasp.

“Simon, Simon, it’s okay!” Matthew cast aside the pen and notepad and settled his hand back on Simon’s head. “Breathe slow, it’s okay, I’m here now. I’m here now. And I’m - I’m so sorry, Simon, I’m so sorry -”

Matthew abruptly burst into tears of his own.

“This is all my fault, not yours, Simon, I let them take you away from me and you were right, you should never have gone to Fort Summerwhite!”

Simon stared at him in shock. Matthew babbled on.

“I know they did something terrible to you there, and Isles too, because this?” Matthew stood, pulling the yellow paper out of his pocket and waving it at Simon. “This isn’t you! You’re smart, and you’re capable, and you didn’t ask for any of this. You don’t deserve any of this, and I’m so, so sorry for everything that I said to you, Simon, there’s nothing wrong with you, you’re not an idiot, and, and…”

Simon couldn’t respond, couldn’t argue, as Matthew ranted.

“And you think you're not loyal? Simon, you’ve never betrayed me, not once! I know you think you did, I know something bad happened at Summerwhite, with an orderly, but if they were forcing you then that was abuse, not cheating!” The letter crumpled in Matthew’s grip, “And, and, you’re not a bad person! You sacrificed yourself to save me and the team from Peacock, and you stayed with me after I became a vampire so that I wouldn’t hurt innocent people! Simon, you…” Matthew sank back into the chair, searching Simon’s face. He looked exhausted. Scared.

“What happened that made you think about yourself like this?” he pleaded.

When did I realize I was stupid?

When they told me so.

Reeder. “Dumb fucking slut.” “Stupid whore.” “Stupid fucking bloodbag.” Every other day, for weeks.

Dr Deckard. “Your irrational tendencies stretch back far.” “Let’s work on making better decisions.” Twice a week, for months.

Christian. Not with his words, but his actions. He took over my life. He doesn’t believe I’m capable of anything except lying and hurting myself.

Didn’t. Didn’t believe.

And then…

“I hurt you, you fucking idiot!”

You only needed to say it once.

The tears overflowed and ran across Simon’s turned face and spilled onto the pillow. He needed to apologize for disappointing Matthew. For turning out like this. But he couldn’t move. Couldn’t talk. He was useless.

Useless.

~~~

First, Previous, Next, Masterlist

Taglist: @flowersarefreetherapy, @pigeonwhumps, @sunshiline-writes, @seasaltandcopper, @pirefyrelight

#whump #whump fic #whump writing #sunless lives #sunless lives arc 4 #cw internalized victim blaming #aftermath of whump #cw medical setting #cw restraints #cw negative self-talk #cw derogatory language

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circusgoth-dotcom · 9 months

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Goodbye, Brother of Mine

Ship: Prince Charming & Althrú (Familial relationship; Adopted Brothers)

Word Count: 1095

Summary: Never thought I'd write a fic set in the Shrek universe but here we are. Althrú's application to a school for assassins has been accepted, meaning its about to leave the safety of the Kingdom of Far Far Away's walls for the first time in years. After a fight with its brother, Prince Charming, Althrú wants nothing more than to escape the people it once found comfort in and get on with its life. Charming appears to have other plans. CWs for arguing and familial strain.

Tag List: @canongf @rexscanonwife

Althrú sighed as it did a final check of its luggage. It was still stewing from what its brother had said the day before, though it really shouldn’t have surprised it. Charming had always been an airheaded egomaniac, though one had to wonder if that had anything to do with his mother. If Charming really wanted it out of the house, then so be it. That had been the goal for a while now, in fact, ever since the Grimm Academy of Assassins had accepted it. It planned to leave with just enough time to arrive at the station as the train came in, that way it’d be out of sight and out of mind before it could cross paths with Charming or his mother. Althrú respected and was quite appreciative of Fairy Godmother, after all, she had taken it in when no other would’ve, but some days were certainly better than others.

As Althrú closed its last suitcase, a knock came at his bedroom door. Cripes.

“What?” It asked as it opened it, using just enough infliction to show its annoyance. Charming stood before it, looking oddly sheepish.

“Morning, Althrú-”

It closed the door before he could get in another word. It turned and double-checked that it had closed its final trunk, only to be interrupted by another knock. It paused momentarily, considering that it could simply ignore it, but it also knew Charming could be terribly persistent. It opened the door again.

“Look, can we talk?” Charming placed his hand on the doorframe in an attempt to keep his brother from shutting him out again.

“Charming, I’ve been accepted into an academy meant to train assassins, mercenaries, and other types of hired guns- do you really think I would refrain from crushing your over-manicured fingers with my bedroom door?”

He quickly drew his hand away. “Duly noted… please?”

Althrú cringed at its brother’s attempt at puppy-dog eyes. “Fine, but only if you never make that face again.” It checked his clock. “You get five minutes, that’s it.”

“Great!”

The two began walking through the castle belonging to King Harold and Queen Lillian. After all, Fairy Godmother was a trusted advisor of theirs, so of course she and her offspring were allowed to reside within their castle.

“Well, I’m waiting,” Althrú prompted as they descended a glittering staircase. “Make your case, whatever it is. I’m surprised you can even look me in the face after what you said yesterday.”

A panicked expression overcame Charming’s features. “Right!” His voice squeaked and he cleared his throat, hot embarrassment dwelling in his cheeks. “I… I didn’t mean it.”

Althrú scoffed. “That’s a laugh. Everyone knows siblings are supposed to be jealous of each other, a blowout was bound to happen sooner or later.”

“Jealous?? Of what?” They paused at the bottom of the staircase.

“Oh, I don’t know. Your mother’s affection for me, my ‘infiltration of the nest,’” it looked at its brother, its head morphing into that of a wolf’s as it growled in a darkly amused tone, “the fact I’m a freak and you’re not?”

The prince appeared uncomfortable but did not flinch away. “I didn’t say what I said because I was jealous,” he said hotly as his brother went back to looking like its usual self.

“Then why act like you don’t want me around? Do you really just… hate me all that much?” It tried its best not to show any emotion as it spoke its thoughts aloud, quickly making a beeline to the nearest exit with Charming not far behind.

“Althrú!”

“Your lips are moving but I haven’t heard a single comforting thing out of them all morning.”

“Alright! Alright, I’ll tell you why I said what I said,” Charming quickly cornered his brother beside a fountain as they walked out into the gardens, though there was still plenty of room for an out if Althrú really wanted it. He waited for it to respond in some way, but Althrú didn’t budge. Taking a breath, Charming spoke again, quiet; “I don’t want you to leave. I can’t stand it. How could you think I hate you when we’ve almost always been so close? Once I got used to having a sibling… I can’t imagine galavanting in these walls alone, Altie! I’ll…” He drifted and sat on the edge of the fountain. “I’ll be lonely, Althrú. I’ll miss you.”

Althrú didn’t look at its brother for a moment, conflicting feelings rising in its chest. It settled down next to him. “That’s why you yelled at me?”

“I yelled because I was scared and I couldn’t take the fact that you’d be gone today. I thought a fight might make you leave sooner. I didn’t realize my mistake until I had woken up.”

Althrú’s lips trembled. “You shouldn’t have yelled at me.”

“I know, Altie. I’m really, truly sorry. I just want you to be my brother forever, you know? A-and now you’re going off to a university where they train people to be ruffians-- what if you get hurt?!” Tears welled in Charming’s blue eyes as he looked wildly at his brother.

“It’s a risk of the job, Charm. I know what I’m getting into. Why would I have applied if I didn’t? Charming, you know I’m not built for a lavish life. If I’m not on the run, I’ll go stir-crazy.” Finally, Althrú met its brother’s eyes. It then put a hand on his arm. “You’re so dramatic, Charm. You’ll be fine without me.”

Charming sobbed loudly, flopping into Althrú’s arms.

“There, there, y’big lug.” Althrú hummed, rubbing his back. “I’ll write you if that’s what you want.”

He continued blubbering for a moment before sniffing loudly, slightly turning his head to look at it. “You’re not mad at me?”

“Well, I certainly was but… I can’t stay that way… I know you meant well, now. You’ll always be my brother, alright, Charming?”

Charming nodded, slowly resuming a sitting position and rubbing his eyes and nose on the back of his sleeve. “As you will always be mine. I think… I’m ready to see you off, now. But you must write me as soon as you’re settled on campus.”

Althrú laughed a little. “Yes, I will.” It stood, squeezing its brother’s hand. “I need to pack up a carriage now, before ma wakes up. I don’t need her all teary-eyed before I’m off to the station as well.” It then hugged its brother tightly. “Take care, Charming. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“I love you, Altie.”

“I love you, too.”

#self shipping #self shipping community #self insert #self insert oc #familial f/o #fictional other #f/o #👑Charming Siblings👑#✨️👹.s/i #circus scripts #late af posting

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lady-grace-pens · 10 months

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FOAD Excerpt [9]

Holy shit it’s been 3 months since I shared a raw excerpt. I just hit 70k and it’s my birthday so here y’all go. Where I’m at right now is spoiler station so it was rather challenging deciphering what to post, but luckily my current scene provides for excellent material!

Emily and the gang travel to her childhood home for Secret Plot Reasons, which stirs up a ton of conflicting emotions and leads her to talk with her terrible mother.

Enjoy!

Taglist: @isabellebissonrouthier @wordwizards @flowerprose @serafyyn

I stand before the mausoleum of my childhood: a quaint, unassuming Victorian mano more humble on the outside than in. Hell, the guts may as well be decked out in a string of pearls.

Cal and the rest skip up the stairs with a merry gaiety I can’t understand. My eyes strain themselves at the base of this skyscraper. What little sun we’ve been given is blotted out by the roof. The severity of the task I’ve asked myself to do robs something of my spirit that I can’t identify, let alone pray for a chance of getting it back.

The porch groans from the weight of my first step. The floorboards stick to my feet. As punishment, as I breathe in that familiar scent of potting soil and paint, my first dose of memories is injected into my bloodstream. Cal and sweating glasses of fresh lemonade, MawMaw, hot biscuits dripping with butter and honey. Midnight longings. Fear, heartache, failed efforts, rage both misguided and justified.

I haven’t been here since college. Not even to visit. If we require something here, Cal is our faithful carrier pigeon. Frankly, I believe Mother is able to stand her more. It’s just a theory, but I’d understand if it’s true. Her face, her presence, her voice, Cal is nothing short of round edges. That being said, Mother is distant to us both. It’s no wonder why I was so eager to escape into university the summer following my graduation.

Cal’s hand melts off my back. Ilya’s well-meaning smile is blurred in my vision. Pierre stops at my side. He steals my hand with his own weighty grasp. Only he refuses to budge until I step through the threshold before us: an imposing black portal teeming with ghosts of events I can’t exercise.

Holy intent or not, his expectant eyes grate my shoulder. My legs are porcelain as are my lungs. If Matthieu wants a doll, he’s earned one. Pierre must force me through.

From there, they settle into the living room. Cal fetches iced tea, Ilya analyzes each detail of the decor, and Pierre flings himself onto the emerald loveseat, channeling the blasé sophistication of Amory Blane.

Cal returns sooner than she left. One could count it as a blessing, but it means so little to me. I’ve been stricken dumb. I don’t know what to do with myself. The glass she hands me slips from my fingers yet somehow ends up on the coffee table flawlessly intact. Their muttering conversation evidently sparks an agreement, for Cal and Ilya scatter upstairs, leaving Pierre and I to fend for ourselves.

He contents himself on the loveseat, his feet thumping softly against the wooden frame. It’s a vintage reproduction, following the style of the rest of the house. Dark wood, blackened hallways, soulless false grandeur hindering the value of each object.

Potted plants somehow thrive in the cheap yellow lighting of dingy chandeliers. Ravenna handles this aspect infinitely greater. Hideous carpet whispers secrets from the bedrooms and the wallpaper glistens. It seems absolutely everything has some sprawling floral pattern, no matter how subtle.

I skim the edge of a dresser that never housed anything save for untouched sewing supplies, bills, and crayons. Family portraits—mostly distant relatives—leer in their tacky golden frames. Chipping paint and a cocktail of judgment. The funny thing is, I can’t recall having a single conversation with any of these people. Still, their portraits hang…

A hand touches my shoulder. I turn. Pierre’s grin glitters through the shade of his rich brown curls and beard. His presence is a tether to my consciousness, drawing me out of whatever daze I was plagued with. The warmth of his presence bleeds through his laughter.

“Hey. There you are. I’m gonna go raid the pantry for snacks, do you want any?”

“No, just—um… Mother always kept these chocolate oranges in the door of the fridge—”

“Up up up,” Pierre brings a finger to my lips. “Say no more.”

With this, he waltzes into the other room.

The air in this house has always been stale, but without Pierre, I recognize it for what it truly is. Loneliness. The sort that groans and becomes indistinguishable from a twice broken limb. Thumps and creaks beyond those made by Cal and Ilya are simple extensions of that. Houses are built to become homes. This one has failed in its purpose.

As I ascend the stairs to the second floor hallway, I question whether or not this is true. The deep plum walls are barely visible due to the massive array of photographs spanning across four generations, stopping at my great grandparents. Goofy spells, birthdays, weddings, obituaries stashed in corners. Clear evidence of the love that once held these floorboards together.

Is it possible to feel such a strange connection to a place? A mixture so rich with nostalgia, yet equal parts loathing?

I stop by one in particular. My mother in the 60s, posing with her first car. My grandmother narrates the tale associated with that picture, as she told it many times before.

Momma never wanted to be a farmer’s daughter, but she was one anyway. She tried to escape to Vegas after high school, but it wasn’t too long before some bum from Arkansas dragged her back home on his way to Mississippi. Her hair and clothes were a ragged mess. To this day, the thought of her trying something that desperate is… obscene.

The light to her bedroom is a beacon at the end of the hallway. Think not of a sailor’s homecoming, but a Lovcradftian divinity indifferent to her power.

Suppose I should say hello. She is my mother. It’s been a while since either of us shared a glance, god forbid a conversation.

This idea directs my every step. It strings me further and further along until I’m breathing in the rotten grains of the door.

“Come in, Emily,” she calls, expectant. “That is you, isn’t it?

“Yes Mother.”

My acknowledgement came out closer to a raspy breath than a firm declaration. This will likely bite me in the ass later.

I open the door. Stepping beyond the entrance feels like an invasion, so I glue myself to the paneling at my hip. As our eyes connect, I’m reduced to a husk awaiting the slightest hint of an impression. Mother, with her silver curls, sharp features, and eyes of bullets, spares me a laconic glance over the brim of her latest bodice-ripper novel. That's more than enough time for her to formulate an opinion.

“God, you look like me.”

The simplest of sentences, yet it casts my gaze down to the floor in burning shame. I wrap my arms around my torso.

#wip: foad #writeblr #writing #my writing #wip excerpt #creative writing

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merriclo · 8 months

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Everything About Lorule

@ikaishere made some beautiful art of Lorule and so i’ve decided to spill everything i can about them. enjoy <3

> from hcau <

general/pre-hcau stuff:

i said earlier that Lorule’s 19 but i changed my mind!! he’s like 22-23 :)

ravio and her have the weirdest fucking relationship. there’s so many rumors about what’s going on. like they’re roommates. theyre best friends. they’re business owners. they’re married. they pine helplessly. they make out sloppy style. they’re afraid of the other rejecting them. they’ve been dating for years. they insult the hell out of each other. they wax poetics about each other. they’re in a qpr. they’re married for tax benefits. they’re in love romantically. they’re somehow both each other’s sugar daddy.

and then the truth is that Ravio’s very nervously working up the courage to ask them out. meanwhile Lorule thinks they’ve been dating for months. also they’re married for tax benefits.

Lo gives Rav a kiss on the cheek and thinks abt how much she loves his partner. meanwhile Rav’s like “haha. just bros being bros right??? 😃 he couldn’t possibly be into me right???? i have no chance??????” they’re sleeping in the same bed and Lorule’s wrapped around Ravio and he’s still convinced that Lo’s just a really friendly person

Lorule’s incredibly sweet and energetic and goes with the flow of things very well but on the inside the alarm bells are screaming 24/7. there’s so much behind those eyes and it’s called unspeakable anxiety.

she’s originally from Hytopia! he lived there for 14 years, but ran away to Hyrule after his mom died. yeah that’s right not only is this bitch a fucking ginger, they’re also french.

Growing up in Hytopia means that they’re good at sewing, knitting, crocheting, embroidery, macrame, etc.

because of this, she’s got eye strain, minor scoliosis + back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, and joint pain. they stretch and everything pops.

their accent is thick as hell, too. i have a fic that’s half-way written abt it that should be out sooner or later actually !!

before ALBW, she had a huge fear of heights and getting over it was really difficult. once she ended up sobbing while practically paralyzed on a floating, unstable, moving platform that was hundreds of feet above lava, just trying to get herself to jump off of it and onto the next platform below. understanding that they’re brave despite their fears is something he and Ravio are getting through together lmao

he likes marmalade. and birds

they’re simultaneously very very silly and jarringly blunt

they used to not curse much but Ravio’s rotten mouth wore off on them and it’s incredibly funny. once they tripped over a rock and let out the most vile string of curses known to man, only to get up and make direct eye contact with a horrified priest

their sense of humor is a mix of the worst puns in existence and incredibly clever innuendos or sex jokes

music is a crazy important part of Lorulian culture, so he and Rav sing together all the time :) he’s gotten pretty good at it too

speaking of Ravio, he’s got the worlds’ worst New Jersey accent. it’s the Lorulian accent but he’s undeniably got it the worst. overhearing him and Lo talk causes constant whiplash.

not a fan of ghosts or poes

he sleeps like a fucking rock. Gulley has to get creative to actually wake them up in the morning, because if he doesn’t she’s sleeping well past noon

BESTIES with Irene. they shit talk :)

he’s also very good friends with Zelda and Styla, and is in the process of forming a better personal relationship with Hilda

not necessarily the smartest when it comes to the more scholarly things. most of it flies right over his head lmao. Ravio has tried to explain politics to him several times and it’s never worked. however!! she’s very smart when it comes to hands-on things (and counting and measurements—those are essential to most crafts.)

complicated relationship with the concept of beauty. very very complicated relationship.

idolized the hell out of Oracle when they were younger. yes their mind breaks for a good while when they first meet them and realize he’s a total fucking loser jackass.

she’s always doing something. it’s both out of fear of being seen as lazy and out of a need for an outlet for their energy

fantastic depth perception

their map was their mom’s!! it’s crazy fuckin faded but he refuses to buy a new one

unofficially a part of the blacksmith’s family. it’s sort of like an open secret, everyone knows it but no one talks about it

he’s crazy close with Gulley, they hang out all the time. don’t let their constant teasing and playful bickering fool you, they would die for each other. they’re siblings your honor.

the blacksmith’s wife (i’ve named her Giulia) made her her clothes. Giulia might not be the best seamstress, but Lorule full on sobbed when she first put it on. something something, mommy issues and emotional healing, you get it

she does odd jobs and favors around town all the time. her off-days are spent roaming through Kakariko, sewing up holes in a clothes, fixing fences, delivering packages, babysitting, that sort of stuff. everyone in town is very familiar with and fond of him as a result.

hcau stuff:

out of the chain, they’re closest with Ages, Wild, and Oracle.

Ages because they’re both really creative people and Ages feels super comfortable around them because of his prior experiences with Ravio.

also. ok listen. i’ve been pondering adding a sort of tragic romance element to this au bc i am obsessed with the “maybe if things were different, if we were different, if we were in another life, we could’ve been” trope. i’m rlly interested in exploring the quiet acknowledgement that something is there accompanied by the quiet refusal to do anything because they both know that they’ll never see each other again once the journey is over. and idk man Ages and Lorule are kind of perfect for that 👀

regardless of if i pursue that route or not, their character arcs are very closely linked and they deal with and get through a lot of shit together :)

Wild because they’re both genderfluid and Lorule really admired their relationship with fashion. Wild rocks the most atrocious outfits with a confidence that’s an inch away from becoming hubris. also they talk abt magic jewelry and clothes together.

and Oracle because holy shit this hero i’ve idolized all my life is actually a total fucking loser in desperate need of psychiatric assistance i have got to help them. also Lo can sniff out a closeted trans kid from miles away. also also they talk abt magic jewelry and clothes together.

very good at conflict resolution. they’ve done the whole “working together” thing before and they’re damn good at it

because of how close they are with Gulley, they’re very good with the younger heroes. he doesn’t act condescendingly or keep information from them cause Gulley rants about how people do that to him all the time

heavily disagrees with how much Red and Prism sugarcoat things. she’s civil about it but definitely hates how slow they peel the bandaid off

after a big battle he’ll often volunteer for first watch, and stay up for second as well. he makes the excuse of needing to work on repairing tunics, but really it’s his anxiety going fucking apeshit.

they love listening to the others’ musical talents. they’re shit at instruments themself so they just sit there and enjoy the show whenever someone starts playing. and then of course Ages ratted on them being able to sing (Ravio had told him that she could during the war) and they were then promptly dragged into the shows

if it weren’t for Loft and their chronic fatigue Lorule would be the first to start snoozing almost every night

whenever the chain is in Lorule’s Hyrule and near Kakariko village, they’ll have dinner with the blacksmiths + Ravio

Wind, Wild, and Lorule band together to braid everyone’s hair. braid trains are a common thing to see during rests

there’s so much more but i can’t tell bc it spoils stuff so that’s it for now T.T sorry for typos

#i need to make one of these posts for all of them. i need y’all to understand how much i think abt these fellas.#hcau lorule #hcau ravio #bc he’s in here a lot lmao #hcau #hero’s call au #links meet au #ALSO. SORRY THIS TOOK ME SO LONG TO TYPE UP AHDKKDW #school was difficult for a moment there ahjakdka #listen man i got albw recently and it’s made developing lo so much easier. crazy ik #so many damn thoughts abt this guy swarming around in my mind like bees

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madcatdaderpydrawer-blog · 2 years

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Whump 6

“You actually came. I’m surprised.” Vibrant purple eyes popped out of the darkness before they stepped out, long cloak dancing across the floor. Sun grimaced, looking away.

“Do.. Do you have to use him for this?” Because that isn’t her body. It’s Moons. His brothers body, that’s moving and acting without his judgement whatsoever. He had thought seeing the way he had been acting the past several months was disturbing, but this was a whole other level. At least that was still Moon. He still acted at least somewhat like his brother. But now? It was like he was looking at an empty shell. He hated it.

She snickers, an unsettling smile settling unnaturally on his face as if it doesn’t quite fit right. “I’m not stupid enough to come to you face to face. Besides, I’d say this is rather... efficient, don’t you think?”

Sun can practically feel the smugness oozing from her voice, and he bristles. “Just get to the point.”

She hums casually, twirling the cloak between her fingers. “I have a deal for you, Sun.”

“ No. I’m not making any deals with you, no no no-no WAY!” Sun blurts out, interrupting her. Whatever sick games she wants to play, he won’t take part in them! She already took his brother from him, and she won’t let him take anything else. He won’t.

She holds up her hands in a mocking gesture of surrender, a coy smile still plastered on her face. “Hey, hey. Hear me out now. I think you’ll be very interested in what I have to offer. It has to do with your brother after all.” At that, Sun tenses. The unease starts to pick back up in his systems, prickling at his anxiety like an exposed nerve.

“... What is it?”

“Well, I’m sure by now you’re aware that your darling brother has been... compromised. He has been for a long while too. A pity you didn’t notice sooner...” the bell on the end of his brothers hat jingles softly when she tilts her head, the last part coming out as a curious hum. The more she uses his body, the more annoyed Sun feels. That’s not her body, and yet she’s using it so casually! As if she wasn’t taking it away from its rightful owner!

“If.. if you’re just here to gloat, then...” Sun falters, rays drooping as he struggles to contain his building anger and sadness.

“My, someones high strung right now~ But no, that’s not why I wanted to talk to you.” She fiddles with the cloak, fingers tracing up to the four pointed star pin holding it together. For a moment she unclips it, admiring the little star. Taking a closer look at it himself, it dawns on him where he recognized it from. For their joint 4th birthday, Sun had made Moon a bunch of galaxy themed pins. There had been a new shipment of resin, actual good quality resin to the daycare, and Sun had been so excited try it. Moon practically lit up when he saw the gift. But.. there’s no way he’d still be using those pins considering how strained their relationship has been as of late. Right? Yet there’s no where else he could’ve gotten that pin. It has the exact same holographic glitter sheen he had added, subtle enough that it only really became noticeable when the light hits it.

“You have quite the way of needling your way into his mind.” Sun snaps out of his thoughts, gaze darting up to meet her eyes. Her tone is... surprisingly bitter, and it makes him swell with pride. She probably thought her little virus would keep them separated, that they’d never be able to get along again. And while he wouldn’t say they were perfect, or even as good as they were before, they had been making... progress. He guesses he has that little boy to thank for that, though. He’s talked to his brother more in the single night then he had in months. Moons behavior still baffles him, and he’s still cold most of the time, but he has been trying. In his own weird, awkward way.

“Despite all the measures I’ve taken, it seems that he’s still too soft. And I have no use for a broken tool. Buut I do know that he means a lot to you. Here’s the deal: I’ll give you back your sad brother. Open some more avenues in his programming, and ensure his safety in the future outcome of my operation.”

“Really?” Sun perks up at this. Opening more avenues in his programming? Does she mean... would she be willing to ease this hellish viruses control of him, even if just a bit? The thought of getting any semblance of his normal brother back is incredibly tempting. And it would be a weight off his shoulders if he didn’t have to worry about monitoring Moons behavior to keep him from being decommissioned...

“Of course.... but. There is one little thing I need from you in return.”

“Wh.. What is it?”

“ I want the child by the end of the night. And if you can’t deliver on your end, well... I have many ways to make his life a waking nightmare.”

Sun barely stifles a squeak at the sudden drop in tone as she switches from her own voice to his. It only makes the weight of the sentence feel heavier to him, though. There’s no aspect of him she can’t tamper with, is there? What would she do to him if he refused? Possibilities race through his mind, each one worse then the last. It had never really dawned on him the severity of the situation. For so long he’d been thinking that with enough talking, he’d be able to get him to stop, but would she even let him do that? Wouldn’t she just continue to use him for whatever sick crimes she wants, willingly or not? Words just aren’t enough on their own.

Moons such a strong person, he always has been. Seeing him so helpless.. Oh, he is livid. Livid that she would ever put them in this situation, ever use his own brothers free will as some petty bargaining chip!

“No. No no NO! You rotten, dirty LIAR! Do you think bargaining with my brother would make me just let you hurt an innocent child?! You’re a monster! A psychotic lunatic! I know for a fact Moon would want me to keep this boy safe no matter the cost, not let one die just for the small hope that you might give him some semblance of his free will back!”

A heavy silence falls between the two of them, the tension thick in the air. Sun can’t find himself able to read the expression, and it makes him prickle with anxiety over his outburst. Before he can spiral further, though, Vanny cuts through his thoughts.

“That’s a pity, I thought we could make this easy. He really was helpful. But if you’re not going to accept my compromise then I’m going to have dispose of him and focus on another.” She waves her hand dismissively, as if making a decision about where she wants to eat dinner. Suns chest tightens, heart plummetting into his stomach.

She turns from the horrified jester to leave, offering him a passing glance. “I thought you were smarter then this, Sun. Hadn’t you realized? That this isn’t a deal between mutuals. Think of this as... a hostage negotiation. I expect the kid by 6, or you’ll lose your precious brother forever.”

#comments and reblogs are appreciated! ^^#fnaf security breach au #redemption au #daycare attendant #fnaf moon #moondrop #fnaf sun #sunrise #sundrop #fanfic #fnaf vanny #glitchtrap virus #whumptober

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dailybeastarsthings · 1 year

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Chapter 57 – To Seal A New Friendship

Fridays were always the busiest in the Bebebe Udon Noodle Shop and it was no different that day either. As Legoshi was getting ready for his shift in the locker room, changing into his uniform, his stomach let out a thundering grumble. Living the independent life sure wasn’t as easy as he had thought it to be.

After dressing up, he immediately ran to the kitchen, greeting everyone in there and picked up a few orders to deliver them to the tables. After all, Legoshi had been promoted to be a waiter instead of a cook when his boss saw how well he treated the different species.

Legoshi’s first order was delivered to a table for small animals. It was a couple of mice, who were first-time customers in the restaurant. The now-waiter wolf tried his best to impress them: good posture, mild eye contact and squatting as far down as he could to appear less intimidating and to signal that he treated the patrons as equals, no matter their size.

Soon, Legoshi was delivering to all other kinds of animals, too: a rhino who complained about the dish sizes, requesting a larger portion, a bat who simply refused to sit to a table instead of hanging from the ceiling and even a sloth, who was still placing his order when Legoshi gave it to him.

Miika and Sunaga watched from the kitchen as Legoshi strained himself – even though the rush hour was nowhere near. To ease up on his duties, the owl decided to give him a new task and try his canine employee out in the delivery.

‘Hey, Legoshi’ he smiled as he stepped to Legoshi with a small package in his hand. ‘I have a new job for you! It’s about time you try yourself out in delivery. Your first delivery will actually be quite interesting, too. You’re going to deliver this to a sea.’

‘A sea? Am I supposed to dump the udon into the water or something?’ Legoshi asked in confusion, scratching the back of his head.

‘No, silly. You’re going to deliver food to a sea creature. We just call them seas because it’s easier that way.’ Legoshi’s ears were twitching as he tried to process the information. ‘You know our motto, right? “We serve all species”. Just tell him you’re from Udon Noodle Shop Bebebe and he’ll know.’

‘Wait, if I’m about to deliver food to a sea creature, than I would need to know sea-speak, right? I can’t do that?’ Legoshi said in frustration.

‘Look, just say Abooboo bohbee bebebeh berob ponporoboo and he’ll understand it. This means that you’re from the Bebebe Udon Noodle Shop and you were dent to deliver his order’ Sunaga said.

‘Umm… Could you repeat that again, please…?’

‘Experience is the best teacher! Now go, and do not fail me!’ Sunaga said with a more serious and aggravated tone. Legoshi understood almost immediately that asking his boss too many questions would make him angry sooner or later. He picked up the order from the counter, walked to the company delivery bicycle and hopped on.

‘I’ve never met a sea creature before’ he thought as he cycled through the city. ‘Come to think of it, my Sea Speak classes were only about memorizing the vocabulary and the grammar, it had no practical use… How will we understand each other?’

Legoshi got to the street, which lead straight to the sea. He could see the golden disk of the Sun lowering down behind the horizon, turning the sky a beautiful mixture of crimson red and purple. He stopped for a moment, taking in the fresh salty breeze from the sea and the mesmerizing dance of the colors before remembering his mission again. His destination was only a few blocks away from the sea itself.

When he arrived to the address, he saw a Galapagos turtle security guard sitting in a booth at the entrance of the aquatic district.

‘Good evening, I have a delivery for basin 9-11’ Legoshi said politely.

‘Good evening, come right in. Please go through that gate so I can scan your belongings’ the turtle instructed.

Legoshi was very nervous as he stepped through the gate, even though he had no dangerous possessions with him.

‘Very good, you’re all clear for entry’ the turtle smiled. Legoshi was relieved and continued his journey to basin 9-11.

As he was walking through the aquatic district he was amazed by the view. There were tiny post boxes with roofs on posts, screwed into the rocks along the water basins. On the bottom each and every one of them, little silver bells were attached, with a thin metal wire hanging into the water. The basins were decorated with water lilies and other plants and rocks in and around the water. There were dragonflies and fireflies flying around as well, adding to the atmosphere. The roads were illuminated with garden lamps, which resembled tiny lanterns.

It took Legoshi a few minutes to find basin 9 and then number 11, where he had to deliver the food. When he was there, he thought about the greeting phrases, then rang the bell. Its chime echoed through the basin and the district.

There was silence for a moment. No movement, no reaction. Then, all of a sudden, something began to happen. First, there were only a few bubbles popping on the water’s surface. Then, in a few seconds, it looked as if the water was boiling. Legoshi watched tensely, waiting for the consequences of his actions. Suddenly, a catfish poked his head out of the water. It was wearing some sort of glass bottle on its head. Those devices were called gill helmets. With just enough water inside them to submerge their gills, it helped fishes breathe when they had to do some business on the land.

‘Pokra pokra’ Legoshi said. This meant ‘hello’ in sea speak.

‘Dabebeh bohbee abooboo. Banbooboo peppeh!’ the fish replied.

‘Oh, umm…’ Legoshi struggled since he had no idea what the fish had just said. He decided to use some sort of sign language to tell the fish about his business. ‘Well… I brought you your udon from the Bebebe Udon Noodle Shop’ he said while first pointed on the fish, then himself, then the plate he took out from his delivery bag.

The fish became mesmerized. At first, it seemed as it understood what Legoshi was trying to explain but the next thing Legoshi knew was a hungry fish biting onto his index, trying to pull him into the water – with not much success.

‘Sir… sir… I don’t think this is appropriate of you. Sir! Stop!’ Legoshi reprimanded the fish but it was no use.

‘Don’t panic’ Legoshi heard from behind him. ‘Fishes eat everything that moves.’ To his surprise, a spotted seal was talking to him. Keep quiet until he lets go. I’ll be your interpreter’ he offered.

When the catfish finally let go of Legoshi’s index, the seal explained the situation to him. When he signaled for the udon, Legoshi handed over to the fish, who poured it into his helmet, eating it happily. When he was done, he left a few sea shells in the bowl than swam back down below. The seal picked up the bowl and handed it over to Legoshi.

‘Take these shells to the money exchanger to get land money’ the seal explained.

‘Money exchanger?’ Legoshi tilted his head in confusion.

‘Yes, it is where they convert sea currency to land currency.’

‘Oh, I see. Thank you very much for your help! You’re a lifesaver, really.’

‘Oh, what are friendly neighbors good for if not helping each other?’

‘Friendly neighbors?’ Legoshi asked in confusion, tilting his head slightly.

‘My name is Sagwan, I live on the third floor of the Hidden Condo’ the seal explained.

‘Oh, I see! I’m sorry, I never would’ve guessed that a spotted seal was living in the same condo as me.’

‘You don’t have to apologize’ Sagwan calmed Legoshi. ‘Semis, such as seals, sea lions and penguins, who can live both on land and in the sea, usually have a hard time when it comes to a decision about where to live. Right now, I live on the land. But up until about 6 months ago, I lived in the sea, so I still have a lot to learn.’

‘My shift is over soon, could you please tell me more about the sea!?’ Legoshi asked eagerly.

Sagwan accompanied Legoshi back to the Bebebe Udon Noodle Shop where he patiently waited for him to finish work. After about an hour, they could finally leave for home. As they were walking back to the Hidden Condo, Legoshi noticed Sagwan holding his arms out to his sides, gently waving them up and down, while walking in a straight line. At first, he thought he was trying to walk along and balance on the crack of the sidewalk, but he soon realized that he might have just been imitating swimming. Unfortunately, Sagwan seemed a bit more careless than he should have and walked straight into a lamppost.

‘Are you okay!?’ Legoshi asked worried as he ran to Sagwan to help him off the ground.

‘I’m fine’ Sagwan replied while rubbing his head.

‘The land is full of dangers, you see. You have to be more careful!’

‘Don’t worry. Even if I die, I will be reborn again and see you again soon.’

‘Reborn?’ Legoshi flapped his ear in curiosity.

Sagwan looked at the wolf calmly before he started to explain ‘Us, sea creatures, believe in the circle of life. For example, fish lay a lot of eggs, hence they go through the circle faster than others. The word “predation” has no meaning. We eat and we are eaten – and the cycle repeats.’ Sagwan pointed towards the sea saying ‘We entrust our lives to the Mother Sea. We live calm lives over there.’

‘You eat and you are eaten, yet your lives are very calm?’

‘Yes, very calm. But don’t get me wrong, sea creatures do have feelings and emotions, too.’

‘What kind of feelings, Legoshi asked almost shyly. He didn’t want to disrespect the seal.

Suddenly, a vast surge of anger rushed through his veins and muscles. He couldn’t understand how such a world could exist when he had to go through so much suffering because of his instincts and his relationship with herbivores. He stormed off, but Sagwan grabbed him by his hand.

‘What’s wrong, Legoshi?’ he asked.

‘I can’t understand…’ Legoshi cried out. ‘The land creatures are suffering! Carnivores and herbivores must be distant from each other to prevent being themselves being eaten! Our ideas are too different from the sea!’

‘Such is the faith’ Sagwan said calmly. ‘Look, I will not force my view of life on you, but I must ask you that you don’t reject it.’

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t intend to do that.’

‘Good, now how about you tell me more about the land life over some tea in my apartment?’

Legoshi accepted the invitation and joined Sagwan in his apartment shortly after they arrived home. Legoshi was last to enter the apartment, so he closed the door behind him, turning his back momentarily to Sagwan.

‘Make yourself comfortable’ he heard Sagwan. He, however, was not prepared for the sight that greeted him when he turned to face the seal again. To his surprise, Sagwan stood in front of him, completely naked.

Legoshi’s eyes rounded. He never imagined himself seeing another naked male body other than his, yet alone someone who he had just met. Sagwan saw the surprised expression on the wolf’s face so he proceeded to explain.

‘Sea creatures are always naked. The clothes of the land are very uncomfortable.’

Legoshi turned away, covering his eyes while yelling ‘You can’t take your clothes off! You must always have clothes on and your body covered while on the land!’.

‘I know that it is rude to show your naked body to the opposite sex, but… you are a male, I am a male… and we are in my apartment, so…’

‘Actually, most males don’t want to see other males naked if they can help it, so you shouldn’t show your naked body to anyone, no exceptions’ Legoshi said, still covering his eyes.

‘Is that how it works?’ Sagwan asked knowingly. ‘Alright then, I’ll put my clothes back on’ he said as he reached for his pants. Legoshi, however, was quick to notice Sagwan’s expression, understanding that he can’t force his beliefs on others nor he can reject others’ beliefs.

‘Wait. You’re uncomfortable wearing clothes, aren’t you?’ Legoshi asked. ‘You can stay naked if you promise to do so only when we are alone.’

‘Thank you’ Sagwan said as he turned the electric kettle on to boil some water. ‘Why don’t you take your clothes off, too? It seems more appropriate since you will allow me to be naked, don’t you think?’

‘Well… I suppose I’m just too embarrassed’ Legoshi blushed. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever felt uncomfortable in my clothes anyway. It’s so commonplace to wear them on the land that I’ve never really questioned it.’

A few moments later, the water was boiling and Sagwan served the tea. He gave a cup to Legoshi and placed one in front of himself.

‘You are a bold wolf… Or so I have heard.’

‘What?’ Legoshi asked.

‘“The new resident in the condo is a wolf who was convicted for predation”’ Sagwan quoted the neighbors. ‘That is what the rumor says. Are you the same wolf?’

‘Rumors already?’ Legoshi sighed in disappointment. ‘Yes, it is true. I am a wolf who was convicted of predation…’

‘Did you go through something terrible?’ Sagwan asked, trying to understand Legoshi’s emotions.

‘Terrible…? Well… Sure… But I suppose it was more terrible for my victim, even though he offered himself to me…’

‘But… you have accepted my culture, so I shall accept you’ Sagwan smiled softly at Legoshi.

Legoshi felt weightless. An eternal calmness flowed in him while he conversed with Sagwan.

‘Let’s make a toast to our new friendship’ Sagwan said while holding up his cup. Legoshi accepted the toast, the cups clanked and the new friends talked throughout the night about different cultures, views and customs, enveloped in a calm atmosphere.

#beastars #beastars overhaul

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mnm-inc-miles · 2 years

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05/31/2022

Sifting through the darkness I searched for a crayon and paper. I wasn’t allowed many belongings here, but I was no longer on suicide watch. Hadn’t been for six months now, so I was finally allotted a few things. My eyes were slowly adjusting to waking from a transfixed dream. I followed the fox, I followed the hare, I followed the kestrel. With each beautiful woodland creature the dream followed along their lives in fast forward, and ended with their skull, staring me down in a black void.

“Pick again until the cards can form our meaning…” were the words that escaped my lips as I squinted and scratched the lyrics onto a piece of paper. I had a lot change the last year. They brought me back but I wasn’t ready. I knew if I returned…I would simply cause further chaos in the lives of those I loved. So I did the right thing, I committed myself to an asylum.

I underwent a small trial, since my crimes were decades old and there was no evidence of any of my kills, the courts decided to keep my circumstance on the down low instead of turning it into some huge celebrity blow out. I was found guilty of the crimes but sentenced to an asylum for evaluation and therapy. They offered me a plea of insanity, but I didn’t take it. I knew what I did, and it ate away at me the same as I’d always done to my victims. I needed to be punished for my crimes and I needed time for clarity.

For the first few months I was suicidal. I declined rapidly as I entered their program and was not left alone for any length of time until my condition improved. Medication and therapy proved beneficial, I always knew that it would, I just couldn’t be sure how quickly I’d see any improvements. But after six months of intensive treatment, I had my moment of clarity.

A deafening sound of silence put me to sleep most nights and it was then that I heard it. Everything all at once. The beating of my heart, the shallow of my breathing. Each bat of my eyelashes, every swallow in my throat, and each muscle and tendon in my body straining and twitching beneath the weight of my conscience. I needed to be a better man and I needed to do good things for respite of my sins. That’s when I started to get better.

That moment of lucidity was six months ago and I now felt more like me than I’d felt since I was fifteen years old. I still had bad days, sometimes very bad, but the violence had dissipated. The shell had cracked and although it was not a butterfly emerging from the chrysalis, life no longer felt futile.

So as the sun rose and the light slowly filled my room, I began to craft a letter to the one person I knew would always understand me.

Marcus,

Forgive me for not reaching out sooner. I have spent the last year trying to atone for my sins and get my headspace to a better and healthier place. It’s been no picnic.

I’ve been listening to the wind a lot recently. I’ve been having dreams of fields filled with rabbits…and the element of fear. With the wind comes the sounds of shots fired. I’ve been having a lot of dreams recently, some of them good and some bad. I suppose that’s expected…

I am allowed to have a pen pal now, the asylum I’m in currently has been treating me well, surprisingly. So I chose to write to you.

The leaves often bury the sun where I stay, it’s heavily shaded by canopies. I miss the beach. I miss my friends, but I am afraid yet to leave. I know they are thinking of offering it. But I’m not sure I’m ready yet…soon maybe, but not now. In this world, sanity is fragile even for the most well-adjusted soul. I cannot risk moving too fast or too soon.

I hope Winston and Lucas are okay…it pains me to know how much we’ve lost…and I can only desperately hope that they still have each other. I hope you and Blake are well, and your family…we often lose so much so quickly here, I’m sure I am very much out of the loop to whom is in whose lives these days…

I feel like I’m drowning some days still…this place can sometimes be too repetitious. Some of the people here I feel badly for, their minds so lost that I fear they may never be recovered. I feel like I cheated somehow, that I am not one of the movers and shakers, the people who go about their day repeating the same tasks because it’s all their consciousness can support. I am coherent. I am sane, although occasionally lost, I never regress so far into the recesses of my mind that my actions are predictable and autopiloted by my bodies instinct to keep going, to survive.

I have a lot I feel I could say to you, but I will stop here…and give you a chance to digest all of this. I love you, I’ve never had a truer friend who can walk the plains of darkness but still hold onto the light. You amaze me, you inspire me. I am by and far a lucky man to have met your good graces and been accepted into your heart. I strive now to be worthy of your love. Of any love that any gracious human may choose to give to me.

Talk soon.

Ed, x

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kass-storycorner · 3 years

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I’ve been thinking a lot about the Hu Tao and Chongyun storyquests the past days. Both deal with the afterlife (well the border between life and death so far) and ghosts. We know both are canon in Genshin, they exist for this world. Now what I’ve been thinking a lot about is … how much angst can I write with that in mind? I always see a lot of these how the characters would react to your death but… yeah, have fun with this. Or not.

The ghost of you

Prompt: You died and the characters are faced with the literal ghost of you.

Genre: Angst, Hurt, no comfort (especially for Xiao)

Characters: Zhongli, Xiao,

Format: text

Word count: 1714

This is not proof-read or anything, I just wanted to get that idea out of my head. I also really want to write this idea out for other characters, so maybe I'll share a part 2 in the future. and yes the title might be a mcr reference and i might have two other fics in my drafts named after mcr songsi had a rough week okay

Zhongli:

He loved you. With all his heart, with every fibre of his being, he loved you so much. Zhongli always knew that his decision to live a life among mortals would cost a price, but in his mind, it was paid with his Gnosis all those years ago. It was not until the first of his mortal friends started to die that Zhongli was reminded of how fragile humans were. Of course, he was aware to a certain degree that he would outlive his friends and even you, he just never considered how quickly a human life was lived. You both had spent an entire life together, and while Zhonglis body did not biologically age, he is able to change his form to his liking - so when you grew old and grey so did he. Most people in Liyue would see the two of take your stroll around the city, holding hands and they were enamoured by the way you still looked at each other, just like a newlywed couple. But you grew older each day until one day, on one of your walks through the city, your collapsed. Zhongli was quick to catch you and the people around rushed towards the two, helping Zhongli getting you to a doctor. However, what was a doctor to do, than to tell Zhongli that your body is giving up? The doctor nor Zhongli can do anything against the flow of time, though Zhongli wished he could. He was not ready to let you go, he was not ready for you to onyl life in his memories until the erosion of the earth will erease you from them.

You layed in the hospital bed, Zhongli right next to you never letting go of your hand, when you took your last breath. He sat next to you for a while, not saying a word, tears running down his face until he heard your voice.

"It's okay," there you stood on the other side of the bed, your dead body between the two of you. In all the years Zhongli lived he had seen more than a few ghosts and he was aware of the human afterlife - though seeing your ghost wasn't something he anticipated. "You're dead", Zhongli said quietly, tears still spilling from his eyes. "I know, love. I know. And I wish I could've stayed with you just a bit longer, I really do. But it's time. You gave me such a wonderful life; we spend so many years together and I am so thankful for it Zhongli. For all the stories you told me, for all the sleepless nights we spend together, for all the memories we made. I loved it. I love you." Zhongli still hadn't let go of your hand, still afraid of letting you go, even though the mind he loved was standing so close to him. "Love," he started, his voice heavy with grief. "I have so many more stories to tell you. Will you stay, just for a while longer?"

At that you had to laugh a bit and oh, how much he already missed your laugh. He just heard it a few hours ago, when you were still alive, but hearing it now just felt so painful. "Zhongli, even 10 lifetimes wouldn't be enough to be able to listen to all of your stories. But I'm so sorry to disappoint you, you know I can't stay."

He knew this just too well. Not only as someone who worked for decades as a consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in Liyue, but also as the former Geo-Archon he knew it was better for you to go. It pained him that he could never follow you into the afterlife that was awaiting you, even Zhongli didn't know what awaits you behind the border between life and death. "Then," Zhongli began, standing up and letting go of your cold hand, "let me accompany you."

Xiao:

Continuation for the Xiao one

Xiao refused to go even near the place you died for decades. The day he lost you was still so fresh in his memories, it pained him even more than his karmic debt to think about it. He always told you, when you were still by his side, that when you were in trouble, in danger, to always call his name. You did. You always did and he would be by your side, protecting you from what would’ve harmed you. The only time you refused to call his name in time was the day you died, and all Xiao could do was blame himself. You were visiting at the Inn earlier that day, standing next to him on the balcony talking about something he doesn’t even remember. What he remembers how happy you were, how enthusiastic you talked about it, whatever it was. Somehow though the conversation shifted, and you both ended up fighting – the reason for it was so stupid and it was all his fault. He was just in a bad mood that day and not even your warm presence were able to change it, so he let it out on you. Trying to push you away, again. Xiao cursed himself for how often he did that, how often he would hide how much he loved you, how much he cared for you, behind a mean exterior that only caused you pain. You knew what he was doing and that day, you just had enough. “Stop trying to push me away, Xiao!”, you shouted at him, tears already filling your eyes. You tried to reach for him, but he pulled away. Keeping you at a distance, again. “And you just stop talking, it’s exhausting to hear your voice.” Xiao already hated himself immediately after he said it, but looking back now, knowing what his words caused… it drove him close to madness. “Fine,” you replied, and he could her how much his words hurt you, “then you’ll never hear it again.” With that you left him. He tried to distract himself from the guilt he felt after your fight with his work, slashing through the enemies, spoiling the earth of Liyue with more blood. For nearly a month he didn’t hear you call him, and he was too scared to seek you out. Scared that you wouldn’t want to see him, scared that he ruined it all. When you finally called for him, when he finally heard you say his name – he hoped it was a chance for him to make it up to you. Xiao was not prepared to find your lifeless body, realising that you called his name with your very last breath. It send him into a blind rage, killing the enemies around him that were the cause for your death. When there was nothing left to kill he collapsed next to your corpse, tears spilling from his eyes, chanting your name over and over like a prayer. Asking himself why you hadn’t called him sooner to only remember what he said weeks prior. It was his fault. He couldn’t help it but to blame himself for your death. If he hadn’t said those words, if he hadn’t continuously tried to push you away… you were right. Xiao will never hear your voice again.

He avoided to go even near the place you died. If he hadn’t done that, if he had visited at least once, he would’ve seen your ghost, wandering aimlessly around. At first you were just confused, what had just happened? The last thing you remembered is that you called for Xiao and now? Now you stood in the middle of a forest, no Xiao in sight but also the enemies who cornered you just now were also gone. For how long you wandered around, confused and not sure what had happened you didn’t know. It scared you. You screamed his name, over and over again but you couldn’t hear your own voice. You just couldn’t make a sound.

He didn’t mean to come across that place again. Xiao learned to live with the guilt and grief he felt, just as he had to learn to live with his karmic debt. Still, it hurts more than he likes to admit. So when he stumbled upon the place he lost you all those years ago, he asked himself how he ended up here again. Something was telling him he should come here, but he tried to ignore that voice, that calling. But when he saw your ghostly figure between the trees of the forest, it used to be a plain field when you had died, he froze. Was it really you? “(Y/N)?”, he called out to you. Oh, how long he hadn’t said your name. It felt foreign, but also so familiar at the same time. But you didn’t hear nor see him, you were too lost after years of roaming the fields that grew to a forest – not being able to understand that time passed, that you were dead. Xiao came closer to your ghost and saw how you screamed something, over and over. His name. It was his name. “(Y/N) it’s me, I’m here. Please, I’m here, it’s okay”, his voice was strained and when your face met his – Xiao noticed how you didn’t look at him. You looked right through him, he noticed now how he couldn’t reach you with his words nor his presences. He tried to grab you, but his hand only touched the air. If he could at least hear you call his name. Xiao felt how his tears ran down his face, his heart shattering again in thousand pieces. Why hadn’t he noticed it earlier how you roamed the earth, lost and scared. He saw it in your face. Why didn’t he come here earlier? It pained him to know that you hadn’t found your peace. Xiao went down on his knees, face buried in his hands. The last time he felt so helpless was when he found your dead body, unable to help you. And now? Now it happened again, he had no idea what he could do to help you, to make you see him. From that day on Xiao spend most of his time watching over your ghost, hoping that one day he’ll hear you call out to him again.

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