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#all os us are dead
chouqs · 1 year
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      ⌦   ⌣⌣   🍄  ˘ ˘
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mikkouille · 3 months
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wait actually connecting the dots was the guy telling us the fight would go well when we were half a party of first timers also the one who forgot to lb3 us like bro was a tank one of em. jffjjssn he forgor.
#the one guy who does know the fight gjdjsjsbsbsbd#no one doing trial roulette at midnight we were all here to discover it#actually the coach review im doing in my head is critical again i realised i once more forgot to hit SSS like i have to figure out a spot on#the hotbar for me to remember#ok authors notes and definitions ¹LB for Limit Break: staple of FF big ability that you get to use after certain conditions#in this case for the time spent in the fight (+other little things but mostly its about the time spent). in the context of this tale#a protective one was needed to supershield us from death. hence 'tank lb' speaking of ²Tank: one of the three key roles in a fight#alongside Healer (self explanatory) and dps (damage-per-second– hence damage dealers) the tank is solid and takes hits#so that the others dont have to. its sturdy and healthy and looks particularly yummy tovthe enemies to make tjem want to hit Just this guy#in this specific story there were Two tanks#one of them seemingly having knowledge of the specific fight we embarked on#the other likely not. neither of them activated the special limited use bug spell we needed to survive though (only they can)#and for ur curiousity dear scientual i play as damage dealer. so that i cant be the bearer of thus sort of mistake ever 👍#though granted dps also could do LB fumbles in this specific fight apparently. twas the fight disclaimers on the guides jdjfjfd#'do NOT cast dps LB UNLESS the boss himself os casting something or else he'll activate invulnerability and make it all useless'#+8second of invulnerability??? bro i just elected to not even try it even before the fight went. awry.#even tho technically my position is good for damage lb its ok given how it went i doubt anyone would mind that no one hit the lb gjdjsjsjsks#to be fair its one of these situations where its better left to the healer in case all goes wrong again#(author note damage lb does big damage. healer lb does big heal and if maxed out on its capacity can even ressurect anyone dead)#(hence. given the struggle. it was better off being theirs even outside of the odd conditions of the boss turning invulnerable)#dont think anyone used it tho#its ok.
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toaster-selfships · 3 months
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I normally don't make vent posts on this blog(even though no one really sees this blog anyways) but I'm going to completely spill in the tags ✌️JCJDJSJ
#i swear i used to be able to gush so much#and then a bunch of stuff happened and now i feel a weird feeling in my stomach every time i do it#it just feels like its a waste of time or no one really cares about what im saying#i talk with a selfshipping friend on discord and they gush all the time and i feel like i can never get a word in#i still gush a bunch but i just feel like im taking up space and time whenever i vocalize it#i feel like no one cares#like normally if youre friend is into something you care about that something as well a little or have some compassion for iy#cause its important to your friend so it has some value to you as well#i feel like there is zero value or care or compassion for what i say#but like...especially with gushing#i so wish i could describe the feeling or have words for it cause its such a unique feeling that i havent entirely felt before#i feel like theres never any room for me to talk. like theres only enough time for others to talk and nothing left over for me#or like im constantly interrupting every conversation even if its dead silent and we havent talked in an hour#or like i always bring it up at a bad time#i used to be able to gush so much and so freely but now i feel like i feel bad after every time i do it#even sometimes i feel bad gushing HERE. on MY blog that is for SELFSHIPPING and gushing and talking about my F/Os#sometimes i have trouvle even tryint to gush cause it feels like i dont even know what to say anymore cause i hardly ever get to do it#like everything is always about someone else and never about me
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Whenever I see people saying that Dazai's an asshole and doesn't care about anyone I laugh. Guess he did a good job of fooling you buddy.
#I mean it was an account which presumably liked Akutagawa#So I can TOTALLY see why this happened. I get it. Your fav was abused by this character and he's in general an asshole to a lot of people.#But also he isn't a complete monster and that's crucial to understanding his character.#I used to hate Mori and that made me make him ooc SO many times.#And I know it's not exactly the same but for your own sake : if you're biased towards a character please stop telling people they're wrong#about said character. Because your bias is probably preventing you from seeing Dazai in a caring light and that SHOWS.#“Dazai left chuuya behind in the woods” dude. Chuuya was his enemy. They were in war. He needed to take Q back.#Did people seriously think Dazai would be able to carry both a grown man and a kid on his back all the way to an extraction point?#And he literally took Chuuya back in stormbringer after the first time chuuya used corruption.#and he waited until chuuya woke up before leaving in dead apple and stayed beside him so that chuuya wouldn't be affected by the fog.#I think people overestimate Dazai's abilities sometimes. where tf was he supposed to take chuuya in dead apple?#there was still a battle going on.#There's nothing I hate more than dazai haters trying to make him look bad in every situation.#“oh he spent Kunikidas money that's asshole behav-” THEY'RE FRIENDS ASSHOLE!!!#If Kunikida wanted he could've kicked Dazai's ass to the sun and told him to never touch his wallet again.#he didn't. BECAUSE THEY'RE FRIENDSSSS (maybe something else too to the kndz shippers)#like shut up and leave ♡#also “this os MY post on MY blog” how do you feel about me uno reversing you sweetie <3#bungou stray dogs
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xythlia · 1 year
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trying not to get nervous about the fucking chernobyl cloud spraying us all with vinyl chloride but yk it's hard to not freak out
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chaosmenu · 2 years
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me pretending im normal so that my brother will give me the ipmi or whatever to his fuck-off powerful server that he just. has. so that i can use it to make a silly little webbed site
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atlabeth · 10 months
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come on back to me - nikolai lantsov
summary: five times you save nikolai and one time he saves you.
a/n: if you've seen my thoughts as i read through siege and storm and ruin and rising then you know that i am deeply in love with nikolai lantsov and since ive finally finished the trilogy i finally feel qualified to write about him lmao. i actually don’t think i’ve written a 5+1 which is crazy so here you go. i wrote this in like 2 days in a spurt of inspiration and im absolutely in love with it, so i hope you all are too!!
title from you’re the one by greta van fleet
wc: 7.3k
warning(s): fem!reader, canon typical violence, siege and storm & ruin and rising book spoilers (i have not watched the show), medical inaccuracies, nikolai's volcra era, hurt/comfort and a happy ending (as usual)
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Os Alta
It all happened rather quickly. 
One moment, you were in the infirmary mending a poor soldier’s broken arm. The next, screams were erupting everywhere. 
You and the soldier locked eyes, and you did a final bit of healing on his arm before you nodded at each other and darted off. 
The soldier grabbed his gun and went further into the palace, no doubt to find the royal family, and you adjusted the collar of your kefta before you ran out into the fray. 
Nichevo’ya had surrounded everything, attacking anyone they could find, and their shadowy bodies were like a void’s blight on the land. You knew the sight would be forever burned into your mind.
You knew the Darkling was going to march on Os Alta, that he would have to do it directly to use his shadow soldiers, but this was so much earlier, so much worse than you’d expected. Enforcements were meant to come from Poliznaya. You guessed that was off the table. 
You were fine at fighting—alright with a pistol and better with a dagger—but you were a Healer. You spent more time dealing with the aftermaths of battles, more skilled at setting broken bones and mending bullet wounds than inflicting them. 
Times like these were the ones when you normally questioned your decision to not hone your abilities into a Heartrender, but now you would at least be a dead man either way. Nichevo’ya didn’t exactly have hearts to stop and organs to manipulate. 
You had to get to the other Grisha. You had to make sure the Sun Summoner made it through this attack, even if it meant you wouldn’t. 
You broke into a sprint, trying your best to ignore the crippled and broken bodies in the carnage. Your instincts tugged against you, but you knew there was nothing to be done. If you stopped to help a dead man, you would soon join them. 
You nearly battered into a group of people from your speed and lack of attention, and you reeled to the side seconds before a head-on collision. When you looked up, drawing in ragged breaths in the one second of rest you’d gotten, your eyes widened. 
You were face to face with the royal family. The King, the Queen, and Nikolai Lantsov. The absence was glaring. 
“Grisha,” Nikolai breathed, and he grabbed onto your shoulders like a madman as his fingers ran over the embroidery. He might as well have been one, the way wildfire flickered in his eyes. “You’re a Healer? One of Alina’s?”  
You nodded rapidly. “Are you—” 
“I’m getting them to safety on the Kingfisher,” he cut off, “and she wants me to get that old woman as well.”
“Baghra—?”
“You’re a Healer?” the King interrupted harshly. Your heart stuttered—you’d never been directly addressed by the King, but you supposed circumstances like these called for different standards. 
“Yes,” you nodded. “Are you hurt?” 
“My wife,” he said, and your attention turned to the Queen. Genya’s absence had taken a toll on her, and the shards of glass sticking out of her side weren’t doing her pallid frame any favors. 
“Madraya,” Nikolai whispered, his eyes wide, “I didn’t even notice.” 
“Alexander—” her voice was ragged, her entire appearance pallid— “we’ve much bigger concerns.” 
“Nonsense.” The King’s gaze bore into you. “We have time. Heal her.” 
You screwed your eyes shut, your hands closing into fists for a moment before both opened and you nodded. “Keep an eye out, moi tsarevich,” you huffed, and you moved to the Queen’s side. Nikolai’s head perked up for a moment at your words, but it disappeared just as quickly as he adjusted his grip on his pistol. 
“Of course,” he said wryly. “Not that I don’t trust your work, and not that I don’t trust my abilities, but it would be grand if you could do this quickly.” 
“Working as fast as I can,” you muttered, ignoring the noises the Queen made as you pulled the shards of glass out with little care. Your mentors would be rolling in their graves if they could see you. 
“Vasily is dead, by the way,” Nikolai said, attention focused on the nichevo’ya all around. Thankfully, you’d run into each other in a spot relatively hidden from view. Hopefully it extended to shadow creatures. “I know you were wondering.” 
Your hands faltered for a moment, but it was hardly noticeable as you continued to work. He wasn’t wrong. “I’m so sorry.” 
The Queen choked back a sob, and the King’s face betrayed the slightest bit of emotion. 
“An awful way to go,” Nikolai muttered, more to himself than anything. “But fitting that he brought about his own end.” 
His parents said nothing to your surprise, but you stood up from your knees and nodded at the King and Queen. “She’s healed enough. No internal bleeding, at least.” 
“Healed enough?” the King repeated. “That is not—” 
“It’s the best we can hope for,” Nikolai interrupted sharply. “We’ve already wasted too much time out here.” 
He then nodded, grasping your hands with fierce desperation. “The crown thanks you, darling.” You’d never seen him like this—you’d never seen him fear anything. The Darkling and his creations were a good start. “I thank you, truly.” 
“Just doing my duty,” you assured, and you pulled a small container out of the pocket of your kefta, leftover from your work in the infirmary before it all went to hell, and pressed it into his hand. “She should be alright, but I’ve been slightly rushed. Rub this salve on her wounds when you’re out of danger just to be sure.” 
Nikolai nodded again, slipping it into his own pocket. “Keep our Sun Summoner safe,” he said. “Or else this’ll have all been for nothing.” 
You nodded. “With my life.” 
Nikolai’s eyes met yours, and something unsaid passed between you. Then his hands slipped off of yours, and he continued to herd his parents away from the chaos. You muttered a quick prayer to any Saints that would listen for their safety, and then you head off on your own way. 
2. The Pelican 
You thought either the bones in your hands or the wood was going to crack with how tight you were holding onto the side of the ship. Your heart was still hammering away in your chest—the adrenaline from the battle and Nikolai Lantsov’s sudden appearance and being shot at a thousand different times by a thousand different militiamen still had you quite shaken. 
You knew the sort of chaos you were in for when you made the decision to travel with Alina Starkov rather than stay in the White Cathedral, but you think you hated being in the air like this even more than you hated being trapped underground with those zealots. 
Someone called your name, and you turned to see Adrik a while away with wide eyes. You huffed a sigh as you reluctantly let go and hastened your pace to catch up with him. If he was sent to fetch you, then someone needed healing, and you couldn’t exactly hold off on the one thing you were good at. 
Adrik led you over to a corner of the Pelican where a large portion of your group of Grisha were gathered. Tamar was kneeling next to whoever was injured, one hand splayed above their chest, and you took a deep breath as you forced calmness to wash over your mind. 
“What are we dealing with?” you asked Tamar, but it was clear enough when he spoke up. 
“I’m telling you, it’s fine,” he insisted. “Just a flesh wound.” 
“He was shot,” Tamar said dryly, “and he refuses to accept its severity.” 
“So we meet again,” you said placidly. 
Nikolai seemed to perk up when he saw you, any prior frustration absent from his face as he grinned at you and said your name. “If you’re the Healer here, then I guess I’m not so fine.” 
“Am I ever going to be around you when you’re doing important princely things,” you said as you crouched on the other side of him, Tamar continuing to keep his heart rate steady, “or only when you’re injured?” 
“This is a very important princely thing,” Nikolai said. “I’m showing my soon to be subjects that I’m just like them.” 
“You were shot and you thought you were fine?” You let out a loose sigh and shook your head—it wasn’t worth getting into it. “Keep it steady, Tamar.” 
She nodded, and you reached out to begin unbuttoning his outer coat. He wouldn’t stop shifting around, and it made it infinitely harder. 
“Will you sit still?” you snapped. 
“I am,” Nikolai said. 
“You are not,” you asserted, and you undid the final button on his coat after a struggle, “and you are making this much more difficult.” 
“My apologies,” he said. “Usually women that are taking off my clothes aren’t this angry with me.” 
You scowled, only making his smile grow. 
“You do it yourself if you want to be like that,” you said, letting your hands fall back to your side. “I’m sure the rest of your soldiers will listen to a Healer.” 
“Ah, but none of them bravely threw themselves into danger for you,” Nikolai remarked. “I’m sure that earns me a few points.” 
“Points that you’ve immediately lost by being this difficult with me.” You crossed your arms. “And you did not throw yourself into danger for me—you were in the battle and you got shot.” 
“We came to save you all, and you are a part of it,” Nikolai said. “I’d say I definitely threw myself into danger for you.” 
“You’re impossible.” 
He raised his eyebrows. “Will you not even allow a dying man some honor?”
“You are not dying,” you said, “but you will be if you continue talking. Now take off your clothes and stop being so difficult so I can fix this up before you do die.” 
He tutted as he shed his jacket and worked on the rest of his clothing. Princes were apparently fond of multiple layers. “For a Healer, your bedside manner is remarkably poor.”
“Don’t worry,” Nadia piped in, “she’s always been like this.” 
“I have very fond memories of you healing my broken ribs,” Alina said dryly. 
“All of you are still alive,” you said tartly with a glance back at your fellow Grisha, “aren’t you?” 
“I think you made me wish I wasn’t,” Harshaw mused. 
You scowled again and Nikolai laughed. “That bodes very well for me, considering how much I seem to irritate you.” 
“You’re going to be fine,” you grumbled. When you turned back to him, he’d gotten down to his undershirt and unbuttoned it. Blood had spread across the white fabric, but apart from being shot, the wound wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. It’d had the chance to fester for a bit, but with Tamar’s aid it hopefully wouldn’t be a problem.  
You took a deep breath as you placed your hands on his chest—lucky as always, you could sense the bullet missed all his major organs—but Nikolai grimaced before you could even do anything. 
“Are you alright?”
“Your hands are very cold,” he said and you just shook your head. 
“How no one has wrung you by the neck is beyond me.” 
“Many have tried.” He flashed that smile again. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t add your name to the list.” 
You ignored him, taking another deep breath before you closed your eyes. You felt your power within you, the tug you’d grown accustomed to over the years, and you focused it into a single point. 
You slowly worked on healing Nikolai, making sure you went from the inside out to stop any internal bleeding before you carefully wedged the bullet out with your knife. Surprisingly, he managed to keep his mouth shut for the most part. He watched you the entire time though, wholly unyielding, and it was unnerving. 
Nikolai covered up his pain remarkably well, but you still caught the slightest grimace when you practically stuck a dagger inside him.
“Do you always try to injure your patients more when you’re healing them?” he asked innocently. 
“You typically don’t make fun of the person fixing you up,” you said, and you held up the knife, “or the one holding the blade.”
“Surely you could’ve used David to get it out,” Zoya offered lazily. “Better than practically stabbing the King of Ravka.”
“I’m not the king,” Nikolai said. “Not yet, at least.” 
“And I’m not stabbing him.” You held up the bullet with your other hand, then let it fall to the floor. “I just didn’t feel like digging around inside him.” 
Nikolai picked up the bullet, and you frowned in question. He just shrugged. “To hold onto the fond memories of this battle and the kindest, prettiest Healer I’ve ever laid eyes on.” 
Someone snickered behind you, and you turned to see all of them just standing around—Zoya, Harshaw with Oncat perched on his shoulder, Adrik ignoring his sister to watch, even Alina and Mal were still there. At least Tamar had enough sense to stay quiet while she helped you. 
“Don’t you have anything better to do?” you snapped. “It’s hard to focus with you all watching me.”
Alina blinked, seeming to come back to her senses. You almost didn’t blame her—she had so much on her shoulders, it made sense to just want to stand and stare for a minute.
“Right,” she nodded, and she gestured at Zoya and the Squaller siblings as she started walking across the ship, “Adrik, Nadia, I need you all over…”
Alina's words trailed off as she got farther away, and the small crowd dissipated to find duties to carry out without their Sun Summoner to indulge their whims. 
“Thank you for your help, Tamar,” you mumbled. “I can take it from here.” 
She nodded and went off to join the others—the controlled state Nikolai had been in dissolved as she let go of the hold she had on his heart, and the slight daze in his eye went away. 
“Are you always this mean?” Nikolai asked. You turned back to find him with that same unshakable confidence, same lazy smile even in the face of it all. It was no wonder noble and commoner girls alike tripped over themselves when he returned to Ravka. 
It was no wonder Alina fell for his charms despite the tracker by her side—he always knew the right thing to say to make you feel like everything would be okay, and in the midst of Ravka’s endless war, that was a valuable quality indeed.
“I save it for irritating princes,” you remarked. With a final flourish, his wound was sewed up, and Nikolai raised his eyebrows as he touched the newly healed skin.
There was another slight wince, but he still smiled up at you. “Excellent job.”
“That’s what I’m here for,” you said.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to Grisha handiwork,” Nikolai said as he pulled himself up from the side of the ship. “Especially the healing kind.”
“It would do you good not to get used to it,” you said. “You may not be king yet, but Zoya is right. I’d appreciate it if you tried to stay out of my infirmary.”
“Do you not enjoy my company?” he asked. 
“I don’t enjoy bringing Ravka’s only heir back from the brink after every battle,” you corrected. “You’ve got a lot more weight on your shoulders now, moi tsarevich.”
His eyebrows furrowed slightly at your Ravkan. “Say that again.”
You frowned, wondering if you’d heard him correctly. Nikolai continued staring at you, so you sighed. “Moi tsarevich?”
He laughed, and that only soured your mood further. “What are you laughing about?” 
“I recognized it back during the attack but I didn’t fully think about it,” he said. “It comes out the most with your R’s. You’re not Ravkan, are you?”
You paused at his sudden subject change. “You were focusing on my accent when everyone was dying around us?” 
“Answer the question.” 
Your frown deepened. “I am in most senses of the word.”
Nikolai’s eyes narrowed. “You’re Kerch.”
Your lips twitched. “Yes, but I don’t—”
“You still haven’t lost the accent somehow,” he continued. “At least, in how you speak certain Ravkan words. Is it Ketterdam?”
“Don’t you have better things to do than quiz your Healer on her childhood?”
“Perhaps,” Nikolai said, eyes twinkling, “but if you’re really my Healer, as you said yourself, I’m surely allowed to ask as many questions as my heart desires.”
“Your heart desires no more,” you said wryly. “I have other injured to attend to. Call if you find yourself actively dying.”
To his credit, he didn’t try to fight it. Just offered that same smile that weakened knees from the Kaelish to the Shu. “I’ll be sure to ring before I’m dead and buried.”
“Put your clothes back on before you do,” you said.
“Ah, but isn’t this your reward for putting up with the irritating prince?” Nikolai asked with a slight gesture at his chest. “I’d imagine you’d want to keep an eye on your handiwork.”
That sparked a rare smile of your own, and you bowed your head. “Moi tsarevich,” you said before you walked off.
You felt Nikolai’s eyes on you even as you approached an injured First Army soldier, and after the first few preliminary questions you couldn’t help but look back. 
When you did, he was gone. 
3. Monastery of Sankt Demyan
You sat on the Spinning Wheel, off to the corner so you wouldn’t be disturbing anyone, staring at your hands as you tried to ignore the thousands of things bumping around in your mind. You’d been on the run with the Sun Summoner and a smattering of other Grisha for longer than you would have liked, but you had to accept that this was what life would be like until the Darkling was either defeated or destroyed you all. 
It was a damning sort of fate, knowing what awaited you unless the impossible was done. At least it would be quick if the nichevo’ya tore you apart. 
You grimaced. That was one thought that would do you no good—if you’d made it this far, from Os Alta under the Darkling’s control to Os Alta under Lantsov control to the White Cathedral and now to Fjerda of all places, what was one more piece of the puzzle? 
A very big piece of the puzzle, of course, and there was still the intrinsic distrust that some soldiers—and even Alina at moments, flickers of it you could see in her eyes against her will—had towards you. You, like the rest of the Grisha here that hailed from the Second Army, served the Darkling until you’d switched sides. You wanted nothing more than to see the Darkling to his grave, for Ravka to be restored and for all of this to be over. 
But you had switched sides in the first place, and you knew enough from the looks of those soldiers—they still believed that if you could betray the Darkling, you could always still betray the Sun Summoner if given enough cause. 
You didn’t try to dissuade their views through words; it wouldn’t do any good. You just hoped the long hours you spent holed up in the infirmary healing the injured would. You missed Maxim if only so you wouldn’t have to do it all alone. 
“Vlachka for your thoughts?” 
You looked up, surprised to see Nikolai Lantsov of all people. You hadn’t held a true conversation with him since you healed him after his bullet wound. He’d been busy with princely things like banishing his parents and saving Genya’s livelihood. 
You were thankful for that, at least. She’d suffered too much at the hands of the Darkling and the King. 
“You’d need a lot more than that,” you said. 
He smiled. “I’ve got quite a bit. Have you seen this place?” 
You chuckled and shrugged. “Just thinking. About our next move, about the Darkling, about what will be after this.” 
“You certainly aren’t the only one,” Nikolai said. “Lately it seems to be all anyone can think about.”
“I’m sure you’d much rather have them thinking of you,” you said wryly. 
“Oh, there’s plenty of that going on as well.” Nikolai smiled. “An even balance, I’d say.”
You chuckled again. “What brings you here, Nikolai?” 
He shrugged. “I wanted to get to know my Healer.” 
You huffed a sigh and looked away. “Why do you call me that?” 
He was awfully good at feigning innocence. “Call you what?” 
“My Healer,” you repeated. “Your Healer. I don’t understand it.” 
“I like the sound of it,” he said. “I’ll stop if you don’t like it.” 
You felt your cheeks heat and you felt his eyes on you. “It’s not that. It’s just—” 
“Because I can,” he continued. “Would you prefer lapushka? Milaya? Perhaps babya.”
You scowled as you turned back to him, and you hit him lightly on the shoulder. “You should stick to the seas and the throne, moi tsarevich. Comedy is not your strong suit.” 
“I like it when you call me that,” he mused. “I like your accent, your voice.” He sat down next to you, mildly unexpected, and you hoped you did better at hiding your surprise than it felt. “There’s something soothing about it.” 
“I am from Ketterdam,” you said after a moment. “You guessed right. Born and raised. When my abilities started showing, my parents put me on a ship to Ravka with a map, some vlachki, and the clothes on my back. I made my way to the Little Palace, pleaded my case to the Darkling, and I haven’t seen them since.”
Nikolai was silent, and you fully turned to look at him. “You wanted to know more about me. That’s who I am. A girl from Ketterdam in over her head.”
“Give yourself some credit,” Nikolai said. “You’re a woman from Ketterdam in over your head.” 
You huffed a laugh, and Nikolai’s expression softened a bit. “Why did they send you away? If that’s alright to ask, of course.” 
You shrugged. “Being a young girl in the Barrel is bad enough. If anyone figured out I was Grisha, I would either be dead in the streets, indentured before I could blink, or worse.”  
“They thought it would be safer in Ravka,” he guessed. “In the Second Army.” 
You nodded. “They couldn’t have known any of this would happen,” you said dryly. 
“Do you miss your parents?” he asked. 
“Every day,” you said quietly. “We sent letters when we could, but it was never enough. And those stopped after Alina left the Little Palace, obviously.” 
You didn’t need to recount the months of the Darkling’s madness as he searched for his Sun Summoner. Nikolai might have been Sturmhond at the time, but you didn’t doubt that he had contacts in the Little Palace. You didn’t exactly want to remember it either. 
“How about this?” Nikolai adjusted his position so he could look right at you, those smart hazel eyes enough to get lost in. You forced yourself not to. “On the slim chance that we make it through these next few weeks, when the dust has settled and I’m officially King, I’ll charter a ship for you back to Ketterdam.” 
Your head whirled back to look at him, eyes widening. There was no sign in his eyes of a false promise, only that soft smile, charming as ever. You had the sudden, misplaced urge to wind your fingers into those blonde curls and kiss him. 
“You’d do that for me?” 
He nodded. “Of course. Only the best for my Healer, right?” 
That got a laugh out of you, but the heat rose to your cheeks all the same. “That would be incredible, Nikolai. Thank you.” 
“Of course.” 
He looked—gazed— at you for a touch longer than usual before he spoke again. 
“There’s going to be a meteor shower later tonight,” Nikolai said. “One of my crew figured it out—he’s very fond of the sky, and he told me it would be… quite the sight.” 
Your eyebrows furrowed. Was he—
“I’d like to watch it with you,” Nikolai continued. “Of course, I have to put on a display with Alina, but after that,” he looked over at you, hazel eyes gleaming, “I’d like to spend the night with you.” 
It took a moment for your brain to fully process his words. “Moi tsarevich, are… you asking me on a— a date?” 
“Just Nikolai, please,” he said with a grin. “And yes, I am.” 
It seemed so trivial in the scheme of things. You were leading an impossible battle against the Darkling, and as a traitor to his throne, you would end up dead or worse if he caught you. The near entirety of the Second Army was dead, friends you’d grown up and honed your power alongside with ripped apart by nichevo’ya. Your chances for victory relied on the firebird, and no one knew a damn thing about it. 
It was trivial. It was frankly ridiculous, for the prince— the King of Ravka—to be asking you on a date, especially when it was imperative for him to present a certain image with Alina. 
But for all the triviality and ridiculousness and idiocy, you found that you’d never wanted to accept something so badly. 
So you did. You nodded, smiled, brighter than usual. Nikolai seemed to have that effect on you. 
“I’d love to.” 
“Wonderful.” Somehow, impossibly, his grin grew bigger. Nikolai took your hand and pressed a delicate kiss to it before he stood back up—you’d never been so thankful for his confidence, because you found yourself at a loss for words. “I’ll see you tonight, darling. Try not to get into too much trouble without me.” 
You nodded again, and you knew you looked like a dazed idiot. The better half of a decade spent training as a Grisha and all it took was a kiss to your hand for your brain to stop working. You really had been at war for far too long. 
Nikolai could tell every thought—or lack thereof—in your head by the overly pleased expression he wore as he walked away, and your entire face burned as you bit back your smile. 
He knew exactly what he did to you. 
4. The Bittern 
Sergei sold you out. 
That son of bitch had betrayed you all to the Darkling the first chance he got, and he’d been rewarded with a quicker death than any of you would get. 
You’d been left fighting for your lives against the Darkling’s oprichniki, Grisha, and nichevo’ya alike, and as usual, you were hopelessly outnumbered. You knelt over Adrik as Zoya, Nadia, Harshaw, and David kept the crowd of enemies back, doing your damnedest to keep him from bleeding out from his nichevo’ya bite. 
His arm hung at a bizarre angle, and you didn’t know how you would tell him and his sister you didn’t think you could save it. You were sure Genya’s whispered words were the only thing keeping him even slightly calm.
By the time the Bittern was in the air, precarious but afloat, you were about ready to collapse. It had all been too damn much, with the Darkling and Baghra and Nevsky, and now the poor schoolboy lying beneath you with an arm you couldn’t save. 
“He’ll be okay,” you murmured to nobody but yourself, wiping beads of sweat from your forehead as you laid against the side of the ship. As okay as any boy who lost his arm to a shadow monster and went through what he just did. 
Thank the Saints for Tolya keeping both Adrik’s and your heart steady during that ordeal, because you were sure your panic would have won over. 
Everyone in your motley crew was injured in some way or another, and you were the only Healer. Soon you were back on your feet, pushing the horrors of the night out of your mind as you mended lacerations and fixed up bullet wounds. 
Every so often, your eyes would drift over to Adrik. You’d healed him the best you could, but it wasn’t enough. 
And then your mind went to Nikolai. 
Nikolai. 
In the chaos of the battle and the subsequent healing haze, you hadn’t even realized he wasn’t with your group. The Pelican had taken off before you all got to the Bittern, but Nikolai wouldn’t have left Alina on her own after all he’d done to ensure her safety. 
You were almost too scared to ask, but you did anyway. 
“Alina,” you asked, slightly surprised at the sound of your voice in the silence of the night, “where’s Nikolai?” 
Her eyes were unfocused, arms crossed around her midsection for warmth despite the light that glowed beneath her skin. “The Darkling,” she murmured. 
“Wh— what did he do to him?” you continued. “What in the Saints’ name happened to him, Alina?” 
“He ruined him,” she whispered. “He turned him into a monster.” The look on Alina’s face broke you into even smaller pieces. “He turned him into a monster all because Nikolai dared to stand against him. He’s gone.” 
Your grip tightened on the side of the ship as she explained what she had to watch, and your knees threatened to buckle. 
Maybe it was stupid, but you hadn’t even realized you cared this much about the prince. The king, you had to keep reminding yourself. But the thought of him hurt—a hurt that you couldn’t heal—it tore your heart to shreds. 
Only last night you were laying on a blanket next to him, staring up at the meteor shower through the glass dome. He’d never looked more beautiful than he did then, with the streaks of light illuminating his handsome features and those hazel eyes you’d grown to appreciate. 
Few words had passed between the two of you, but once Nikolai had taken your hand in his, neither of you let go for the remainder of the night. That urge to kiss him came back in spades, but you never acted on it. 
Saints, you wished you had. 
“Do you think you can heal him?” Your voice sounded oddly foreign, but you didn’t even feel like you were in your body. Like you were watching it all happen from above, because this couldn’t have been happening. Not to Nikolai— to your Nikolai. 
You were his Healer, and he was your Nikolai. That was how it was supposed to be. 
“I don’t know,” Alina admitted, her tone strained. “My light might be able to help, but… but whenever I’ve used it against the nichevo’ya, against the volcra, I— it kills them.” 
Her voice broke on the last few words, and you wanted to hug her. Alina didn’t love him, you knew that much, but anyone could tell she’d grown close to Nikolai over the months. She was hurting just as much as you. 
You didn’t. You found that you couldn’t do much but stare into the night sky.
He was all alone. Forced into a monster, and now he was all alone. 
It felt like ages before the Bittern finally landed, everyone’s teeth stained rust-orange and bones run deep with exhaustion. Everyone was still alive when you woke up the next morning, and after another check-up on Adrik, you went off into the woods under the guise of searching for kindling. 
Really, you needed some time to yourself. After what had happened—Sergei’s betrayal, losing even more Grisha when you had little to start with, Baghra’s sacrifice, Adrik and his arm, and— and Nikolai—
It was too much. It was just too damn much. 
You’d never gotten close like this to anyone before, never moved further than some useless flirtations and a few stolen kisses with various Grisha when you were bored back at the Little Palace, and when you finally did, with the damned future King of Ravka, this is what happened. 
Guilt tore away at you as you plodded through the woods, and you let the tears you’d been holding back all night fall. You wished you’d been there for him. You wished you’d kissed him. You wished you were strong enough to take the Darkling down on your own for what he’d done. 
The hairs stood up on the back of your neck, and you heard the rustling of branches. You whirled around to the source of the sound, taking a few steps to peer through the trees, and that was when you saw it. 
Your eyes widened and your heart cracked all at once. 
“Nikolai,” you whispered. 
You’d have recognized him anywhere. Despite the shadowy veins splintering across his chest, the wings furled behind his back, claws and fangs in place of fingers and teeth—he was still your Nikolai. His blonde curls remained, his sharp cheekbones and strong jaw, even his clever eyes—even if they were black instead of hazel. 
The smear of blood around his mouth was a sharp contrast to it all. You wondered what—or who—had become his unlucky victim when he could no longer control his hunger. 
Nikolai didn’t move as you stepped closer. His dark gaze was unreadable and you wanted to sob for what the Darkling had done to him. 
“It’s me.” You continued to speak softly as you moved closer, saying your name in hopes of even a spark of recognition. “Your Healer.” 
His eyes followed your movements, his gaze falling down to your hands. He pointed at them with a clawed talon.
You held them up. “My hands?” 
You realized the blood around his mouth wasn’t the only bit of it on his body as your eyes trailed across his bare chest. There were cuts all across his arms and chest, most small but some deeper. He pointed at a thin scar near his abdomen, the only sign of the bullet wound you’d stitched up. 
He wanted you to heal him. He knew who you were. 
This time, a small sob escaped you, and your hand flew up almost on instinct to cover it. You brushed the tears brimming in your eyes as you moved closer to him, and you gently placed your hand on his arm. You felt his limb stiffen for a moment before they relaxed, and you couldn’t help your small smile. Your Nikolai was still there. 
The thin cut vanished as you healed it, and you continued to do the same for the myriad of other injuries on his body. You felt his gaze on you the entire time, and some part of it was comforting. Nikolai was still there—his humanity was still there. This was the least you could do to make him feel the part. 
Once you’d healed up the last of his wounds, you felt the glow of Grisha power inside of you. Nikolai grabbed onto your hand the moment you’d finished, and you looked up into his dark eyes as your fingers clasped around his talons.
“We’ll figure this out, Nikolai,” you whispered. “I promise.”
The corner of his lips curled up ever so slightly, the barest sign of the old smile you’d grown to love.
And then he let go of your hand, and he shot up into the air. It took only seconds for him to disappear, but your gaze remained stuck in place. 
All you could think of was Nikolai’s dark eyes and the shattered shadows beneath his skin, the feel of his taloned hand in yours.  
You would find a way to bring him back. You knew that much. 
5. The Shadow Fold 
“For Saint’s sake— catch him, Zoya!” 
“You screeching at me isn’t helping,” she snarled, her hands held out above her as she summoned wind to break Nikolai’s fall. 
It was almost laughable, how Alina ended it all with a bit of stabbing. First Mal, then the Darkling—now Soldat Sol and oprichniki alike were glowing like human lamps around the Fold. The nichevo’ya dissolved with the Darkling’s power, the same thing that created Nikolai’s monster—you screamed in general when you first saw him falling, and then you screamed at Zoya. It was a credit to her growth that she didn’t slap you first. 
Thankfully, the updraft did its job, and he only landed in the sand at concerning speeds rather than very concerning. 
You ran for him without thinking, not even feeling the jolt in your ankles as you lept from the skiff onto the sands. You no longer had to fear the Fold—the various Sun Soldiers that had gotten Alina’s powers had done away with the remainder in no time—and even if you did, you would brave a thousand volcra for Nikolai. 
He looked so small, so vulnerable laying there in the sand, only clad in torn pants and a myriad of bruises. The last of the shadows receded when you finally reached him, and you didn’t try to stop the tears as they flowed freely down your cheeks. 
“Nikolai,” you whispered, falling to your knees in the sand next to him, “Nikolai, can you hear me?” 
You cradled his head in your hands, tears splattering in the sand around you, and then his eyes opened. 
His beautiful hazel eyes opened and looked right at you, his lips tugging into a smirk as he said your name. 
“Would you say this is an important princely thing?” His voice was husky, damaged from whatever dark thing that had taken a hold of him, but the usual lilt was there. “Or just another injury?” 
You broke into full on sobs, unabashedly and unashamed as you wrapped your arms around him and pulled him into a hug. You felt his arms around you as well, and he rubbed circles on your back. 
“I had time to think,” Nikolai murmured, “and I think I’ll settle on lapushka.” 
Darling. 
You couldn’t help but laugh, and you moved away from him just so you could look at him, gaze at him, never forget his beautiful features. 
“I’m so glad you’re okay.” 
“I knew I would be,” he said, his eyes twinkling. “I had you looking out for me.” 
“Stop,” you said, your voice watery. “I can’t keep crying in front of you.” 
“I think you’ve more than earned it, lapushka.” 
You laughed again as you shook your head. “How do you feel? Can you still move all your limbs?” 
Nikolai took his hand in yours, fingers intertwining with yours. His gaze didn’t move from you. “Limbs are fine.” 
You let your smile shine unabashed as you squeezed his hand, thankful for the lack of talons. “Can you sit up?” 
Nikolai visibly winced at the effort, but he managed with your help. “My chest hurts quite a bit.” 
“You’ve definitely broken some ribs,” you murmured, “but it’s nothing I can’t fix up.” 
“There’s nothing you can’t fix,” Nikolai said. 
“Careful with all the praise. I might get used to it.” 
“Good.” 
You glanced over to see Tolya and Zoya moving across the sand towards you and you looked back at Nikolai. 
“We’re going to get you back on the skiff, Nikolai,” you said. “I’ll get you healed up and then we’ll get you some clothes. Alright?” 
“I told you,” Nikolai said, “this is your reward for putting up with the irritating prince.” 
“That was for the prince,” you said, running a hand through his blonde curls to untangle them. “My reward for putting up with irritating kings is to make sure they’re clothed and healed.” 
His smile shone brighter than anything Alina could conjure up. 
The Darkling’s Skiff 
You ended up below deck with Nikolai, Tolya, an unconscious Alina and Mal, and the Darkling’s body. It normally wouldn’t have been a cheery atmosphere, but you were just thankful to be alive after all you’d done. Thankful that Nikolai was alive and himself and that the Darkling was dead. 
A First Army uniform was folded next to Nikolai’s makeshift cot where you sat next to him, and Tolya’s companionable silence was appreciated as he stayed by Alina and Mal to ensure they stayed alive. 
“You broke a few ribs in your fall,” you murmured, your hands placed on his chest, “but overall, I’d say you made out pretty well.” 
“Yes,” Nikolai said wryly, looking at his hands. Faint black lines ran across each of his fingers, where claws had torn through his skin. Though the other shadowy marks had faded, these appeared to be permanent. “Pretty well.” 
“You know what I mean, Nikolai.” You moved your hand over his ribs and focused your power—by the slight grimace on his face, the itch that came along with Grisha healing, you knew they were mending back together. “You’re still alive. You’re you again. That means everything.” 
“And your hands are still freakishly cold,” he mused. You smiled. 
A moment passed before he spoke again. 
“You know,” Nikolai said, and you felt his eyes on you again, “I remember everything. Everything that I did when I was that… that thing.” 
Your throat bobbed, but you nodded, encouraging him on. 
“I went to you,” he said, “and… you helped me. You weren’t afraid—you understood what I meant, and you healed me.” 
“Of course I did,” you said softly. A smile tugged at your lips. “I am your Healer, after all.” 
Nikolai placed his hand over one of yours, and your power wavered for a moment as your heart stuttered. 
“One of your ribs is still broken, Nikolai,” you said. “I have to—” 
“I love you,” he interrupted. Your eyes snapped to him, and you thought you misheard him. 
“What?” 
“I love you,” he repeated, as if it came as easily to him as breathing. “Forgive me for the lack of ballads and sonnets on how to express it—I plan to remedy that as soon as we’re back in Os Alta. But I love you, and it’s the one thing I’m sure of at this moment.” 
You continued to stare at him, as if you’d suddenly forgotten how to speak. Nikolai was no Corporalnik, but you were sure he could hear how loudly your heart was beating. 
“It’s alright if you don’t feel the same,” Nikolai said, “or if you’re not ready. I’m a very patient man.” 
It was like your limbs had suddenly regained the ability to move, because something clicked in your mind. You took his face in your hands and you kissed him with a brazen fierceness you didn’t even know you had. 
For a man with two bruised ribs and one broken one, he kissed you back with the same intensity, if not more. You poured all your fear, all your anxiety, all your worries about him into the kiss, reveling in the warmth of his lips and his hands and—
Tolya cleared his throat. “We’re nearly out of the Fold.” 
You pulled away as quickly as it had started, Nikolai looking very pleased with himself as you fixed the collar of your kefta and looked over at him with eyes that were surely more pupil than iris. 
“Thank you, Tolya,” you said, and you cleared your throat as well. Good of him to ignore the two of you. Embarrassing of you to nearly forget about your surroundings when you looked at Nikolai. 
“Yes,” Nikolai said, mirth in his voice, “thank you, Tolya.”
You rolled your eyes as you turned back to him, your lips still burning from his kiss, and you settled your hands back on Nikolai’s chest. 
“No more interruptions,” you said. “I’ve got to get you healed and dressed before we’re off the sand.” 
His eyes twinkled. “Whatever you say, lapushka.” 
You had no idea what was next. The Sun Summoner died on the Fold, the Darkling’s reign of terror was finally over, and Nikolai was to be King. You didn’t know where you would fit in, though you were sure he would find a place. 
But you loved Nikolai, and by the Saints, Nikolai loved you. 
And for now, that was more than enough. 
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hopingforrainydays · 1 year
Text
birth of the bone-breaker | general kirigan
pairing: general kirigan x fem!reader
warnings: descriptions of blood and gore
word count: 2.3k
summary: soft times with the darkling as he comforts a traumatized grisha; in other words, a story in which a healer becomes something else and finds solace in the shadow summoner
author’s note: so so excited for shadow and bone season two. this one has been sitting in my drafts for a long time, and i’m happy to finally share it with y’all!
requests are open!
--
You were dragged through the palace gates at Os Alta, your limp form tugged forward--and held up--by the red-clad Grisha on either side of you. You barely registered their forceful motions, keeping your chin tucked into your chest. It was sodden with dirt, blood, and what could only be assumed to be some other form of bodily matter. But that wasn’t a bother. You barely registered that either.
It had been a long enough journey, but you had not fought the Grisha hauling you by horse, carriage, and on foot. You weren’t a fighter by nature, and even so, any of the adrenaline that flowed through your veins had ebbed away. Besides, you deserved whatever they had planned for you. The iron grip of the Corporalniks prevented any attempt of a struggle. The black detailing of their keftas marked them as Heartrenders; they could take the air from your lungs or crush your heart in a matter of moments.
But you could do the same, couldn’t you?
The shadow of the Little Palace loomed over you, and yet your gaze did not falter from its focus on your muddied feet. It was the only thing grounding you to this moment, no matter how you wished to glance upon the palace one last time. Once inside, you found small purchase on the smooth marble floors, the tips of your toes tripping at the quick pace set by your companions. A part you, deep inside, was apologetic of the mess you were bound to leave behind: muddy, bloodied footprints.
It wouldn’t be your first mess.
The First Army soldiers flanking the grounds had kept their hands on the trigger of their rifles and any Grisha that now flock through the halls followed your every movement, hands clasped in front of them. The dark forms of the oprichniki walked ahead, leading you to your doom. A strategic hold on your arms forced your hands to be kept apart.
You understood, in part, their caution. It still pained you. The presumption that the Grisha--your family--looked at you as though you were a monster clogged your eyes with tears.
Saints, you deserved whatever awaited you.
The Grisha soldiers brought you to the end of the hall. Ornate double-doors pushed open, and you were marched to the center of the large room. The bruising hold on your biceps ceased, causing you to fall to the ground in an ungraceful heap. You caught yourself against the ground, eyes trained on your bloodied fingertips. Your fingers folded into tight fists, the jagged edge of your fingernails cutting into your palms. You winced at the throbbing pain, but dug your fingertips further into the soft flesh. In the wild panic that rose in your throat, in the unsurety of the future, and in the potential meeting of your gruesome fate, you found that it was the one thing that reassured you.
“What is this?” The voice came from in front of you. It was cold and calculating, and one that you faintly recognized from your years spent training at the Little palace. General Kirigan.
“Forgive us, moi soverennyi. It’s a matter of grave importance,” said one of the Heartrenders. From what you could tell, they were stood not far behind you. Ready, in case you were to attack. 
There was a shuffle of feet behind you. One of the Grisha, a Squaller, stepped forward. Her voice cracked as she said, “We were meant to deliver a few supplies to the Second Army regiment posted outside Chernast. When we arrived, they were–” she paused, taking in a shaky breath. She whispered, more to herself than anyone else, “Saints, they were all dead.”
“Except for them,” the other Heartrender spat. There was a sharp tug to your hair, yanking your head back. You let out a yelp, wild eyes meeting the cool stare of your general. “We found this one near the Fjerdan border, not far from the rest.”
“Release her.”
“General, you should know it was a massacre.”
“Release her.”
The hand in your hair released. Your head slumped forward, a throbbing pain forming at the back. General Kirigan stepped toward you, his finger reaching out to lift your chin. You flinched. He hesitated, the finger hanging in the air for a moment before retracting entirely. Instead, he crouched, his eyes now level with your own.
“What happened?” he asked, his voice softer now than when he spoke to his soldiers.
“Our best guess is drüskelle-”
“I wasn’t asking you,” the general snapped at the Heartrender. He turned his attention back to you, waiting patiently for your response.
You shook your head back and forth, frantic. The memories of the attack had plagued your mind throughout your journey from Chernast to Os Alta, but you were always quick to shove them away. You didn’t want to remember.
The general’s tongue darted out to wet his lips. His dark eyes roamed your indiscernible features, watching as your eyes darted to look at the Grisha beside you. With a frown, he rose to his feet.
“Leave us.”
One of the Corporalniks made a noise of disagreement, but with one look from their general, quieted. The remaining Grisha left the room in slow, hesitant movements, as if they thought General Kirigan would change his mind. With a final bow, the Squaller closed the door behind her.
There was a tense silence as you remained on the floor and the general leant back against the round table. You were afraid to move, though most of the stress in your muscles had eased at the near-isolation.
“Can you stand on your own?”
You didn’t respond.
“Are you injured? I’ll send for a Healer.”
“No,” you were quick to dismiss the idea. The voice that left you did not feel like your own; it was rough as sandpaper, and a lot louder than you intended. Noticing the general’s taken-aback-expression, you were quick to whisper an explanation. “The blood isn’t mine.”
With a sigh, he moved towards you. He reached his hand out in front of you, mindful to keep his movements slow and stay a respectful distance away. You eyed his hand before placing your palm into his own.
He turned it over, brushing his thumb over the deep crescent marks left by your fingernails. A trail of blood ran from them down to your wrist. The look he gave you had your face burning in childish embarrassment, as if you were getting scolded by a parent.
“You’ll visit the infirmary later. I’ll have a servant come to clean you up, lest you’re hiding anymore injuries.”
You wanted to scoff at his choice of words. A small mark of self-mutilation was hardly an injury, and would never compare to the harm you brought to those in Chernast. Instead, you settled on a frown. He hoisted you to your feet and set you straight. As he moved to leave, you caught his arm.
“Wait,” you said. He looked at you expectantly, and you found yourself at a loss for words. You weren’t sure where you were going with this, but the idea of being left alone terrified you. The idea of being left alone with one of the servants terrified you even more. You wanted to believe it was because of the looks the other Grisha had given you upon your arrival--distrust, discomfort, and horror. You would never admit it, but you knew the true reason: you weren’t afraid of what they’d do to you, but of what you’d do to them. “Stay.”
After a beat of silence, you cleared your throat, pulling away from the powerful man. It was foolish, you were foolish. You leaned against the table, propping yourself up with both arms. The strength it took to hold yourself up became too much, though, and your arms trembled with exertion. 
General Kirigan reached out to catch you, balancing your weight on his forearms. He didn’t say anything, didn’t react to your request, or reprimand you for being so forward. Instead, he wrapped an arm around your back, supporting a majority of your weight as you leaned into his side.
He mumbled encouragements as he led you to a side room, resting you against the cool surface of a sink. You observed the new environment, the realization that he had brought you into his washroom dawning on you. The room was large enough, with a tub seated in the center. General Kirigan was beside it, turning the handle to allow water to pour from the faucet. As the tub filled to a level of his liking, he set out a variety of soaps and sponges off to a table on the side.
He took a few tentative steps in your direction, as though he were approaching a wild animal. Maybe he was. He gestured to the door you had entered through. “I’ll be in the other room.”
With a flustered expression, he shut the door behind him. It took you a while to get the motivation to move, to make any progress toward the bath. The ruined garments decorating your body would not budge under your trembling fingertips, so you eased into the tub fully-clothed. The water was scorching hot against the exposed parts of skin, but as you adjusted, you found that you preferred it. The bitter cold of the Fjerdan border still bit into your skin, so you welcomed the hot pain.
Cold. Chernast. Pain. Burn. The connection formed before you could stop it, and you were plagued by the memories from days before. You whimpered, curling into a fetal position. You remembered your weak attempts at healing the fatal injuries that littered the bodies of your fallen friends; the Fjerdan warriors charging you, axes raised to cut you down; the burning rage as your hands moved in ways they never had before; Fjerdan blood mixing with Grisha as it splattered into the snow.
The rap of knuckles against the door startled you out of your trance. The general’s voice sounded from the other side, “Is it okay to come in?”
You froze. Had it really been that long?
The door creaked open. He stepped into the room, his eyes finding yours. He let out an exasperated sigh at your state: curled in the tub, clothed, the water barely warm, and skin still dirty. His figure disappeared into the other room, bringing back with him a wooden chair.
He took a seat by the tub, reaching forward. His hands rested on your shoulders, smoothing over the fabric as his fingers moved to work at the buttons of your ruined kefta. The general was close enough now for you to smell him. A whirl of musk and spice filtered through your nose. You inhaled deeply, the scent strangely calming you.
The rest of your layers were stripped from your skin, and he folded the garments--Saints know why; they were beyond the help of any Fabrickator. You were left in a loose shirt and pants. The muck and grime caking your skin itched, and it took everything in you not to scrape it off. Your fingernails dug into the fat of your calves, jabbing through the thin material of your pants. You curled further into yourself, head rested against your knees. The pain brought you to the present, and it was all you could do to focus on that.
“What did this to you?” the general asked, rolling up his sleeves. He rubbed a bar of soap against a damp towel until the suds grew to his liking. He pressed the cloth to the skin of your hands, gently rubbing away the grime.
It was a different way of asking what happened, with an implication that you were not the cause. If only he knew that you were. “I don’t know. I don’t want to know.”
“You’re a Heartrender, no? You must remember the attack.”
“I’m a Healer.”
The confession stalled his movements. His grip on your wrist loosened, but he continued his work in the silence that followed.
“I do,” you whispered, after a moment. “I do remember.”
Kirigan didn’t say anything. He glared at the bruises marking your arms from the Heartrenders’ grip.
“Fjerdan warriors attacked in the night. We never saw them coming. There was so much blood, so many bodies.”
“But you weren’t one of them.”
“No. I was trying to help those still alive. Heal them, if I could. Saints, at that point I was saving them just for them to die again.” You swallowed, thick and teary-eyed. “One of them found me, in the midst of it all. He pinned me to the ground. I saw the axe raise. And I just…panicked.”
By now, Kirigan had moved to cleaning your face. He dabbed carefully at your forehead.
“My hands were on his chest, and I felt every bone in his body break.”
You were disgusted with yourself. You were a Healer, not a Heartrender. It was your chosen specialization because you could not stand the thought of causing another person pain–you wanted to help. And yet here you were, one massacre later.
His finger smoothed the crease of your brows. “That sounds like self defense to me.”
“It could’ve been. If I hadn’t hunted down every warrior after that.” He gestured for you to stand. A fluffy towel wrapped around your shoulders, soaking in the sopping wet material of your clothes. “Why are you doing this?”
“Doing what?” he asked as you stepped from the tub.
“Taking care of me.”
“Someone needed to.”
“You didn’t have to.”
A pregnant pause. You thought you may have overstepped or offended him. He pulled you close by the towel on your shoulders, fingers gripping the sides of your jaw. His thumb rubbed against your cheek. “I did. I know what it’s like to feel like the monster.”
“General–”
“Kirigan. Just Kirigan.”
“Kirigan.” You smiled, if only a small one, for the first time in weeks. “Thank you.”
--
buy me a coffee
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gateway-2000 · 10 months
Text
just remembered that damn near every action on older OS's like windows 95, 98, etc. used to make noise. clicking, closing windows, emptying the recycle bin, menu popups, getting an error message all had sound effects. now everything is dead silent. wild to think about
712 notes · View notes
lincolndjarin · 7 months
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A Little Mishap.
main masterlist ✧ kinktober masterlist ✦
kinktober : day five - afab!reader x dark!francisco morales
prompt : hate sex [ 18+ mdni ]
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word count : 1.4k (sorry all of these are so short, there's so many i've been struggling to make them longer)
summary : READ ALL WARNINGS. THIS IS MY FIRST DARK FIC. you and frankie return to base camp after an unsuccessful mission, each of you blaming the other for the outcome.
warnings, etc. : dead dove do not eat, dubcon/noncon, dark!frankie, unprotected p in v, spanking, use of restraints, panty gag, painful sex, degradation, orgasm denial, creampie, ambiguous ending, probably other things lmk if i forgot any tags
a/n : a lot of my october stuff is gonna be barely edited so my apologies for that but this is my first time writing frankie but also my first time writing any sort of dark fic and i'm definitely feeling anxious about posting this but here it is uhhhh yeah. i've been finishing all of these before work this week and having this tiny little time crunch before doing a ten hour shift really wakes me the fuck up lmao.
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He shoves you into the tent, both of you fuming at this point. Neither one of you speaks as you take a seat on your cot, putting your head in your hands. After a moment you can see his boots appear in front of you. 
“I can’t fuckin’ believe you.” He growls and you feel your jaw tense as you look up at him. 
“You can’t believe me?” You say incredulously. “If it weren’t for me we’d have nothing.” 
“If it weren’t for you we might have everything.” He hisses, planting a hand firmly on your shoulder as he shoves you back into the wall, you sit up quickly, kicking his knee in retaliation, watching as he slumps to the floor. 
“I did exactly what Santi would have wanted me to do in that situation.” You usually don’t physical when you two fight, (which is happening more and more often these days) but today you’re fed up with him, you’d been on that mission with just him for over a week when he’d fucked up. You could have lost everything if you’d listened to him, at least now you had half the haul. 
“La puta…” He grumbles, grabbing you by your ankles as you lean back to kick him again. “Os voy a dar una lección.” He mumbles, twisting your legs until you stop resisting. You swallow a squeak that threatens to bubble up from the pain, you’re about to swing on him when he pushes you back down, his hands swiftly yank your pants down making you freeze in shock. He doesn’t give you a chance to protest as he drags you off the cot, knocking the wind out of you as you hit the tent floor.
“Asshole!” You yelp as he pins you down with his knees, taking both your wrists in one large hand as you squirm beneath him, trying to flip him off you.
“Fucking- quit it.” He delivers a sharp slap to your jaw promptly halting your struggle as you scowl at him. You’re about to hurl another insult at him when you hear the familiar sound of his switchblade flipping open. “Don’t move.” He mumbles as you feel the cold steel against your hip and in an instant you hear a slicing, followed by the same on the other side, you squeeze your thighs together instinctively as he pulls your panties off with ease now that the sides are torn.
“Frankie!” You shriek and he takes the opportunity to shove the bunched up fabric between your teeth.
“‘Talk too damn much.” You try to kick him again as he tugs your pants the rest of the way down, bringing them up as he haphazardly flips you onto your stomach, binding your hands behind your back with one of your pant legs. You’re about to spit your panties out when you feel the steel on your throat. “You keep that smart mouth of yours stuffed or I’ll find another way to shut you up.” His blade digs into your flesh as a silent warning and you don’t dare. He gives you a minute to decide what you want to do and you choose to just stay still, trying desperately to steady your breathing. 
He digs his knee into your lower back one more time, eliciting a pained groan from you before slotting himself between your thighs. You’re dizzy from everything happening so fast and he doesn’t give you much of a chance to process any of it as he takes hold of your makeshift cuffs, dragging you upright as you kneel, his free hand wrapping around your waist to cup your mound. 
“You know how often I think about this?” He rests his temple on yours as his chin sits on your shoulder, his body heat suffocates you. 
How many times had you reluctantly thought about the same thing? Rolling to face away from him in your shared tent and shoving your hand between your legs, imagining what it would be like when he finally got sick of your shit and bent you over. You’re snapped out of your thoughts as he dips two fingers between your folds with a satisfied sigh. He slides his digits back and forth, scooping up your abundant wetness with a throaty chuckle.  
“You get off on bein’ a brat?” He dangles his fingers in front of your face before rubbing your slick onto your parted lips, forcing you to taste your own arousal. “Then I’ll treat you like a brat.” He tangles his fingers in your hair, yanking your head up as you feel him grind the front of his pants against your ass. “Fuckin’ soaking me.” He bends you over, forcing your ass up and pushing your face into the floor. He keeps one hand locked around your wrist as the other shoves his own pants down. You whine into the makeshift gag. “Maybe I’ll just fuck some obedience into you.” 
You let out a squeak as he slaps your rear. He lets his palm rest there, before roughly spreading your cheeks. You hear him spit, followed by the sensation of it dripping down your seam, you can feel him lining himself up at your entrance, all of his actions are rushed and you just can’t keep up, your body doesn’t even have time to make an attempt at defending yourself as he rams himself into you without warning. A muffled squeal falls from your lips as he beings to fuck you mercilessly, giving you no time to adjust to the sheer size of him. 
With your face pressed into the floor you can’t see him but you can certainly feel just how thick he is. The underlying pleasure does nothing to soothe the feeling of being split open by him. 
“Jesus-” He grunts out, your pussy gushing around him only spurs him on, his movements somehow becoming harsher as he bumps against your g-spot with ever slam of his hips, the combines overstimulation and pain makes your eyes water, a few tears slipping past your lash line. “Dunno how I’m gonna last in such a tight cunt.” He slaps your ass again, hard enough that you’re pretty sure you’ll have a mark, drawing a sob from you. “Fuckin’ choking my cock when I do that.” 
He spanks you again, a loud crack rings throughout the tent as your cunt involuntarily clamps down on him, his hips stuttering forward. 
“You fucking love this, don’t you?” His voice is low and dangerous as the rough denim of his jeans scratches at your thighs. “Is that why you keep squeezin’ me?” You don’t realize he expects a response until he smacks you again. “You love this?” You nod fervently, mumbling something similar to a yes into your panties. “You wanna finish on my cock?” Much to your own dismay you nod once more.
You don’t know how, but against all odds you really are close. The coil tightening in your stomach threatens to consume you as you try desperately to force yourself over that edge to no avail.
“That’s too bad, only good girls get to come.” He growls, readjusting himself so one hand is tangled in your hair and the other is gripping your wrists, keeping you hovering above the tent floor rather uncomfortably, your lurch forward with every one of his brutal thrusts. You groan something that sounds like his name but you know it’s useless to try and reason with him. With a few more long drawn out thrusts you feel him burst within you, his grip on your hair tightens and you shriek as his release begins dripping from your swollen cunt as he slips out of you.
Your tears are drying on your face and you slump forward once his hands release you. Your body continues to buzz with frustration, a small part of you is genuinely upset at your lack of an orgasm. You can hear the rest of your mission party returning as Frankie leans forward and presses a kiss between your shoulder blades, a sharp contrast to everything he just did to you. You can hear the zipper on his pants as he pulls himself together, leaving you wrecked on the floor. 
“Why don’t we see how Pope feels about your little mishap?” He whispers before you turn your head just in time to watch him lean out of the tent, calling Santiago over.
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a/n : i would love any sort of feedback on this?? i've never written anything like this before so i'm a little nervous.
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aleswiftgron · 8 months
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For the people who keep making weird tiktoks about how Cassie like incest bc she's used the trope
(first of all, have you really read all the books right?? Because it never seems like she's using it in a romanticizing it way, but in a way of showing a power abuse and violence)
I just want to say that she's CAREFUL AS FUCK when picking the couple right
Because thanks to TLH we kind of have an idea about the family tree.
The Blackthorns and Jace's Herondale line, are related, Tessa being their great great grandma i think??, Also the Lightwoods are there too
She really said: i'm not going to stay here and be acused of SHIT,
Alec, is paired with a 400 y/o indonesian warlock, safe✅
Julian and Emma's line are not intertwined, safe✅
The Fairchilds never mixed with the main families, so Jace and Clary, safe✅
Mark, he is half faerie, so he mixes with a faerie prince, and a mexican girl, he really said, not in LA, safe✅
Simon's a jewish mundane, Isabelle a Lightwood, safe✅
Diana and Gywn (the hunter), safe✅
Aline Penhallow, and Helen Blackthorn, Aline is not really one of the mains, safe✅
As for new possible couples:
Kit and Ty, Blackthorn and Herondale, yes, buuuuuut, its the LOST Herondale line😌, safe✅
Dru and Ash, well he is a prince of faerie and son os Sebastian Morgenstern/Fairchild, safe✅
She really brought back Jem from the (practically/mentally gone inmortal state) dead, Jem and Tessa, safe✅
I mean practically everyone is mostly related, the Blackthorns and Jace have the same great great grandma, and Jace and Emma are kinda related because of Cordelia, and the Lightwoods were cousins with the Herondales in TLH sooo she really thought about it
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heliads · 3 months
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because I'm in the mood for Pain could i request a nikolai fanfic with a grisha reader. they were childhood friends, but then one day reader was captured by fjerda and after they find the cure for parem they come back to ravka and don't think they're good enough for nikolai because they were too weak to resist the drug. i hope you're having a lovely day!
'only in my dreams ' - nikolai lantsov
masterlist
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There’s an old saying, one that’s been tossed around by generations of practitioners of the Small Science and otkazat’sya alike, one that you’ve heard since you were small and keep hearing as you get older. There’s no good place to be a Grisha. It’s been used as a weapon and an assurance at times, a claim that you don’t belong and a reminder that life doesn’t really get better, so you might as well enjoy who you are wherever you are.
Right now, though, it just feels all too real. When you were a child growing up in the middle of nowhere in the Ravkan countryside, no one trusted a Grisha. When you were brought to Os Alta to train in the Little Palace, the glimmering city didn’t feel like a home either, just a place where you would be brought up to fight in someone else’s wars. You could go anywhere you want, but it would never quite be enough. You find your home in people you trust, but no place will ever want a witch.
And, rotting in a Fjerdan cell, you think it’s especially true now. You pity the Grisha who were born in Fjerda, and wonder how they would have managed to grow up in a country whose own army was dedicated to the cause of hunting them down. It wasn’t all that great to grow up empowered in Ravka, either, but at least there was somewhere for you to go once you were discovered, and that was the Little Palace. In Fjerda, the only place that newly discovered Grisha go is the grave.
That, or the cells, and right now you’re wishing that you were six feet under instead of here right now. Other than wanting them dead, the Fjerdan government seems fascinated by just how Grisha work. They’ve managed to get their hands on jurda parem, and you’re a part of their latest batch of test subjects.
You last received the drug a few days ago, and already the debilitating ache of withdrawal is starting to press against your bones, tearing against your sinews and skin until all you can think of is when you last had it and where you could get some more. The Fjerdan scientists are single-minded in their approach to treating Grisha with parem; exact doses are carefully measured out and only delivered in the precise windows of time that they desire. Once medicated, the captive Grisha will have their hands unchained for slim opportunities to practice their gift, most likely to build or destroy or torture other captives as directed by the Fjerdan guards.
Eventually, the parem will wear off, and then you’ll be back to where you are right now:  curled into a corner of your freezing cell, desperate for warmth or parem or anything more than this heavy, never-ending horror.
You used to be more than this, you know. You used to be a proper Grisha, one who could never imagine themselves as you are now, exhausted and starving and addicted to a drug no one even knew existed until just a short time ago. You had been brought to Os Alta when you were quite young, so for the most part, the Little Palace was the only life you had ever really known.
And what a life it had been; your mind drained by the constant tests of parem, you slip into a dreamy half-sleep, letting the memories cloud your consciousness so you don’t have to think about whatever horrors await you.
Os Alta had been beautiful. Ravka has been a struggling country for quite some time, and will likely go on eking out its days one by one for quite some time, but the royal family spared no expense on its capital city. Even the Little Palace, the smaller and humbler variant of the Grand Palace, was intricate and masterful, a testament to the artistic prowess of the Ravkan people when its creators went long enough without hunger pangs to focus on their craft.
You can almost imagine you’re there if you close your eyes. The sensations come back to you as if in a dream:  the rustle of your kefta as you walk, the smooth edges of the cobblestones where they’d been worn down by hundreds of feet, the sharp voices of your tutors, the thrill in your veins as you used your powers. You can still remember when it had been a joyous thing to use your powers uncorrupted by parem. Now, every tug to the making at the heart of the world feels like a betrayal of your own people, a sick and terrible thing that should not be practiced by any living thing.
You turn your mind away from that harsh reality, opting instead to remember the good days, the golden memories when the worst thing you could imagine was doing badly in one of Botkin’s training sessions. Since you’d been at the Little Palace since you were small, you had plenty of friends across the branches of the Small Science, plus one extra boy whose eyes used to shine like sunlight off of the True Sea. He wasn’t a Grisha though. He was–
He was a prince.
Nikolai Lantsov wasn’t supposed to visit the Little Palace. Truth be told, he wasn’t supposed to leave the Grand Palace at all except when instructed by the king and queen or one of his tutors. However, the young prince didn’t seem to care for rules, and rare was the day when he wasn’t sneaking off to pass days by his own volition. More often than not, his errant path brought Nikolai to you.
The two of you had been friends for years. Never mind the fact that a friendship between a Grisha and a prince would be strictly forbidden, no one ever caught on and the two of you were quite obliged to keep it that way. Nikolai was brilliant in mind and spirit. When you think about the happiest you’d ever been, the days you wished could stretch on forever, it’s the time you spent with Nikolai that was the best of all. Sometimes, you snuck him an extra kefta and the two of you would explore the Little Palace, or you’d run around the countryside surrounding Os Alta. You’d swap stories and little trinkets or gifts, and you’d smile like everything was alright, because when you were with Nikolai, it was.
Then he got older, and you did too. Nikolai stopped being able to visit you as often. You grew through the ranks of the Grisha, and were sent on missions with increasing frequency. Sometimes, you’d be away from Os Alta for months at a time, and only come back to find out that Nikolai had just left on a similar errand. Your paths started diverging, and even though every time you saw him, it was like the days hadn’t passed at all, both of you had growing up to do, and unfortunately, that didn’t involve each other.
You still held out hope that maybe he would become king and find a way to loop you back into his busy days. Just recently, he had returned from his years at school (and, as the rumor has it, at sea), and you had hoped that maybe you’d be able to spend more time together. All you had was one more mission, then you’d be back in Ravka for many months. Surely you could use that time.
The Fates didn’t seem keen on that happy of an ending for you, however. Your mission went awry. Fjerdans intercepted your group. You distracted the enemy soldiers long enough for the rest of your party to get away, but you were captured and brought back to Fjerda. You had assumed you’d be killed, but instead, you were sent to their experimental division and given your first dose of parem.
So the angels fall. Now, the idea that you could be remotely close to a prince’s best friend is laughable. If you could see him now, you have no doubt that he would still be the same golden, glorious boy he had always been, now imbued with the confidence of years wearing the crown. By contrast, you are huddled in a cell, your powers harshly amplified by the corrupting influence of jurda parem.
No, Nikolai Lantsov certainly wouldn’t want you now. The only way you can have him still is in your dreams, those beautiful fragments of imagination in which both of you are still young and blameless. He hasn’t fled Os Alta for a false name and a life at sea. You haven’t been captured and forced to undergo cruel tests. Both of you are happy and whole, and nothing bad has ever happened to either of you. What a dream indeed. 
A dream, but dreams are all you have. The dream of being back with Nikolai is a good one. So, too, is the dream that someone will come to take you out of this place. You’ve had this one many times before, and it slips over you like sleep. It would happen quickly, the break-out. The Fjerdan guards would shout in surprise, then be quickly silenced. You’d hear the rattle of fast footsteps, and the door to your cell would fly open. All doors would be open, and all Grisha would live. You’d run far away, to a place that would finally want you again. All would be well.
You’re comfortable with it, not bothering to open your eyes lest you lose track of the dream. Only– maybe the parem is still lingering in your system, because you swear the faux sounds of fighters are louder than they usually are in the dreams. It’s not real, but the shouts do seem real, don’t they?
It’s not real. After all, parem has a way of messing with your mind. Many times during your captivity, you’ve thought you’d seen someone from home only to realize differently during the cloudiness of withdrawal. This is the same as that.
However, when the door to your cell clangs open, you feel the reverberations through your skin and bones, something that never happens when the Fjerdans come to get you. Your eyelids fly open and you scramble back against the wall, watching with terrified eyes as soldiers hurry to you. One’s in Ravkan fatigues, but the other is a Healer in a red kefta.
“You’re not real,” you grit out, teeth pressed together.
She shakes her head sympathetically. “I am, my friend. We’ve broken you out at last. Here, I have the cure.”
She holds out a syringe pre-loaded with some sort of substance. You snap back when you see it, too familiar with Fjerdan tricks of trying to inject you with different medicines. “Don’t you dare get that near me. I know what you do.”
The Healer jerks her chin towards you. “Hold her,” she says to the soldier.
You scream, a high, drawn-out sound, and do your best to fight, but your captivity has left you frail, and he’s able to subdue you after minor effort. The Healer pushes the needle into your veins, and you wait for something terrible to happen, another grievous experiment to begin in your body, but the strangest thing happens:  you feel better.
You stare up at the Healer. Your mind feels clearer than it has in days, and, impossibly, you can feel your strength returning. “What is that?”
“A cure to jurda parem,” the Healer tells you. “Sincerest apologies that it’s taken this long to get to you.”
You’re guided out into the corridor, where you join the former occupants of the surrounding cells. All of you regard your rescuers and each other with the same incredulity and faint excitement. Is this really it? Are you finally out?
The ride back to Ravka should be long, but it feels as if it’s over in the blink of an eye. Several times, the rescue party stops at safe houses along the way, giving all of you opportunities to wash up, get new, warm clothes, and eat and drink to fix the gnaw of hunger that clings to all of you. By the time the gates of Os Alta swing wide to admit you, you’re almost feeling normal again.
Almost.
The torment of your time in the Fjerdan cells will stick with you forever, and the awful memories of what it had been like to be under the influence of jurda parem. However, the Healer’s cure worked well. When you try to use your abilities, they work the same as they had before the awful drug was first administered to you. By all accounts, you’re back to normal, even if your mind doesn’t entirely feel that way.
The driver calls to your group that you’ll be arriving outside the Little Palace shortly. “King Nikolai will be there to greet you,” he announces over his shoulder.
Excited whispers surround this, and you can’t help but listen in intently. “Nikolai Lantsov will be there?” One girl giggles by your side.
Another smiles in encouragement. “They say he’s been observing each coach that brings back rescued Grisha from Fjerda. It’s like he’s looking for someone. Maybe an old friend?”
You feel your stomach chill, the warm delight of rescue starting to cool off again. You have no doubt that you’re the one Nikolai is looking for; he had told you many times that you were his favorite Grisha by far, even when he was briefly engaged to the Sun Summoner for purely political reasons, but you find yourself hoping he doesn’t find you when you get out of your coach.
It’s not that you don’t want to see him, you do– the idea of being with Nikolai again had sustained you through your time in the Fjerdan cells better even than food or drink, but the fact remains that you are no longer as you were in your memories. You are no longer someone that a king would care to see. More so than just your weakened frame, your disorganized mind– you were captured on a mission, and you succumbed to jurda parem. In the back of your mind, a cruel voice whispers, pathetic. Nikolai will be spending his time with the finest diplomats, the noblest princes and princesses. He will not want a Grisha who could not hold out against a drug.
You gather your borrowed cloak about you, pulling the hood down over your face. It’s a size or two too large for you, by virtue of it belonging to someone else, and right now you’re glad for the extra fabric to disguise you. Nikolai is looking for a ghost, and probably out of necessity. He’ll likely be relieved that he won’t have to handle you like a difficult situation.
The coach pulls to a stop. Many rescued Grisha are crammed inside, so you blend into the crowd as you all pour out. Other Grisha from the Fjerdan prison are there already. It’s easy to slip amongst their ranks, keeping your head down. Nikolai is there in front of you as promised. His head is tilted up slightly, his gaze sweeping row after row of visitors. Maybe he isn’t even looking for you at all.
Then, his eyes catch yours briefly. Immediately, you look away, and start backing through the crowds again, trying to lose his gaze. When you feel it’s safe to look again, you breathe out quiet relief when you notice that he’s still scanning the crowd where you had been. Lost him. It’s a victory, but it’s an awful pain nonetheless.
Once everyone has arrived, Nikolai says a few kind words about how he’s glad everyone has returned home and how apologetic he is about the time it took to get you all back. No one seems to hold it against him, though, and how could you? He rescued you in the end, and managed to get you the cure to jurda parem to boot. It’s a fine success if you’ve ever seen one.
Nikolai releases you to the Little Palace to rest. Grisha stream past Nikolai, but he doesn’t stop to talk to any of them, looking again for someone. For you, maybe. You pull the hood down low again. If you move quickly, maybe he’ll miss you. You give him a wide berth, keeping your eyes low. You’ve almost made it to the edge of the courtyard when you feel a hand rest on your arm, carefully pulling you to a stop.
You don’t look up, not at first. You don’t have to look to know who it is. You’ve known Nikolai for years. You would know how he walks, the precise pattern of his boots against the cobblestones. You would know how the breath hitches in his throat when you’re reunited after too long a separation. You would know how his hand feels on you. You’ve dreamed of it a thousand times, but this isn’t a dream anymore, this is real.
“Excuse me, moi tsar,” you whisper. Maybe he doesn’t know it’s you yet. Maybe you can still escape with your dignity intact.
Any hope you had of avoiding recognition vanishes in an instant when Nikolai murmurs, “Y/N,” in such a desperate voice that you feel you could hardly move if you tried.
You stand still. A strong wind could blow you over, maybe. You watch the ground as Nikolai’s boots cross the ground to stand in front of you. His other hand rises to brush your hood back from your face. A gasp is ripped from his lungs as he takes in the sight of you.
“I look that bad, then, do I?” You can’t help but laugh quietly. It’s a bitter sound. You used to sound happier when you laughed with him, you think. A lot has changed.
Nikolai’s hand leaves your hood, drifting to your face. He raises your chin with a soft finger until you’re looking him in the eyes again. “Not to me,” he says, voice hardly louder than a whisper. “I’ve always thought you were beautiful.”
A quiet scoff escapes you. “I have been a prisoner of Fjerda for months, moi tsar. I doubt that was conducive to beauty.”
“You’d be surprised,” he tells you. Then, a bit more insistent, “You don’t need to refer to me with a title, Y/N. You didn’t when we were little.”
“I didn’t know better,” you say. It’s not quite true, and he knows it.
“Don’t say that,” Nikolai pleads. “We were friends, excellent friends. Now we’re older and you’re avoiding me. Why?”
You look away again. “Don’t ask me that,” you say with a laugh. You meant it to be a joke, but it comes out as a plea.
“I will,” he insists. “I have always been stubborn, you know that about me. Stubborn enough to search every single Fjerdan prison my spies could find when you went missing. Stubborn enough to stand here and wait in the cold until I could find you. And certainly stubborn enough to wait here with you until you tell me why I’m no longer good enough for you.”
This, at last, is enough to make your eyes fly to him. “That’s not true,” you insist hotly. “Quite the opposite, in fact. You’re a king and I’m a Grisha. And a Grisha that couldn’t even withstand jurda parem, to be specific. Saints, you win wars and I lost the first one that ever came to me. If there is anyone that has ever been insufficient, it would be me.”
The hand on your arm slips down to your fingers, and Nikolai squeezes once, twice. A heartbeat. A prayer. “You have never been insufficient to me,” he tells you. You make some sound of disagreement and he repeats it, insistent as ever. “No, you listen. You aren’t. Jurda parem is notorious for the pain it causes. You think you lost the war? The fact that you’re still alive in front of me tells me that you won it. Every day since you went missing, I woke up and went to bed terrified that you were dead and I would never know. I need you, sweetheart, and I need you to stop punishing yourself for something that wasn’t your fault.”
You stay quiet for a while, letting the words turn over in your mind, then, impulsively, you ask, “Sweetheart?”
He grins, easy as always. “It fits you. Don’t argue with me, I’ve had plenty of arguments prepared to convince you otherwise.”
You laugh, and this time, it’s real. “I wouldn’t dare, then. I just would have thought that you’d have plenty of princesses who would have won that nickname for real by now.”
Unable to stop yourself, you cast a glance towards his left hand. No ring. When you look back up at Nikolai, he’s beaming. “No queen for me, I’m afraid. I was waiting for mine to return from captivity.”
You roll your eyes. “Still haven’t given up on that, have you? I seem to remember you trying and failing to convince me to marry you since we were six.”
Nikolai grins, slipping your arm inside his so he can guide you back to the Little Palace. “I will never give up. Not until you say yes.”
You laugh again, shaking your head in mock disbelief. It’s been a while since you saw him. It’s been a while since he asked. If he were to do it again, you think you might have a different answer than when you were both so small. 
Nikolai turns to look at you, his eyes shining. He’s always had a gift for knowing what’s on your mind, and judging by the light in his smile, you think he’s predicted your thoughts yet again. He’s got some time before he attempts another proposal. This time, though, he’ll have a better outcome than before.
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yandereaffections · 1 year
Text
Hellsing Masterlist
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Alucard
Falling in love HC
Turning S/o into his No Life Queen
Headcannons
The 30 years hes gone
How Alucard approaches you
Integras view on your relationship
Fluff HC
How freetime is spent wth his S.o
Protecting his S/o from the hands of Millienium
Alexander anderson trying to ‘save’ his S/o
Pet names hc
Using Alucards last name
Affection HC
Domestic HC
Alucards Child reader unintentionally being a yandere magnet 
Seeing his child reader after 30 years
Turning his S/o HC
Darling offering their blood to Seras
S/o’s hopelessly in love with him
Darling who greets him with nose rubs and kisses
Asking why he gave Seras a choice to Turn but not you
After care HC
Christmas w/ Alucard HC
S/o suffering through their period 
Sick S/o
S/o who’s basically a bunny
Darling visiting their family outside the country
Darling who is agressive unless theyre being held
Amnesiac S/o 
Foreign s/o introducing him to their family
Parental Alucard finding out his kid is in a harem
Small and innocent darling
S/o having to stay in their native country for family emergency 
Human S/o who’s terrified of him
Anemic and hemophobic Darling
oblivious S/o
Arguing with Alucard
Comforting Alucard after a nightmare
Accidently upseting his crush
S/o getting hurt
Alucards reaction to Seras being obsessed with his S/o
Playing Hide and Seek
Bunny who fears and avoids him
Accompanying his Bunny on chores
Alucards reaction to a bleeding S/o
Bunny using his jacket as a blanket while waiting for him to get back
Making Alucard melt
Showing Alucard merchandise of himself
Managing to get him a present
S/o is a university student
Bunny w/ low self esteem 
Yandere Alphabet: H,K,T
Alucard reacting to someone romantically approaching his bunny
Yandere Alphabet: A,B,E,I,Q
Yandere Alphabet: L,S,X
S/os Neurodivergent 
Alucard reacting to Iscariot trying to take you away from him
Punishing s/o
Vladcard headcannon
Playing Tag
Comforting Alucard
What makes Alucard go Feral
Feeding from Bunnys blood
Taking him to your home
Telling Alucard hes apart of your family
Sleeping in a coffin with him HC
Getting Alucard a gaming console 
Iscariot managing to kidnap Bunny
Finding a newly turned vampire s/o
Scaring off rivals
Trying to escape cuddling with him for your classes/work
S/o wanting revenge but not being able to take the last step
Darlings accident prone
Taking a bullet for him
Hellsing Alucard meeting Castlevania Alucard
Trying to cheer up his bunny
Platonic Headcannons
Loving Alucards voice
S/o shifting into sleep when showing him something
Darlings going to the hospital due to a mission injury 
Platonic Cuddling Headcannons
Trying to get him into a new hobby
S/o whos too shy to sing in front of him
Darling who seems dead while sleeping
S/o who cares for everything including monsters
Taking in a stray after a mission
Play fighting with him
Trying to hide him in fear people would try to experiment on him
S/o struggling to stay up all night
Pulling him off to dance
Touch starved Headcannons
S/o who fears confined spaces & cant sleep in the coffin
Narcoleptic S/o
Abridged Alucard & Normal Alucard fighting over you
Abridged Alucard Headcannons
S/o a bunny hybrid
S/o is a singer/dancer
Running into a tourist S/o during a mission
Being invited to a Wedding on S/os side of the family
Abridge Alucard interacting with normal Alucard
S/o is all loopy from getting their wisdom teeth removed
S/o showing favoritism towards Abridge Alucard and normal Alucard
Polar opposite S/o
Punk S/o whos only soft to him
S/o with a Zuko scar looking birthmark
MtF S/o
S/o worrying their not good enough for him
S/o whose aggressively affectionate
Wanting to wash with Alucard
Scientist S/o who loves talking about their interest
Human S/o who was experimented on and now has powers
Baskerville loves Alucards S/o
Giving him positive reinforcement 
Bunny likes to serenade him
Selectively mute S/o saying “I Love You” for the first time
Preference to the job at Hellsing S/o has
Getting caught in crossfire and being turned by a enemy vampire
Small buff s/o
Confessing to him first
College student S/o tied up in a bunch of college stress
Celebrating his Birthday
Taking him sight seeing in your home town
Taking S/o on a date to the aquarium 
“You look so cute―scared and shaking under my touch.”
“You’ve been so good for me. Don’t ruin it like this.”
Succubus S/o
S/o learning romanian 
Scary movies
Naga HC
Siren S/o
S/o gives him lil knicknacks from their home country
Biting him back
Bunny being the big spoon
Abridge Alucards ginger S/o being called “soulless”
Alucards ginger S/o being called “Soulless”
Yandere Alphabet D,F,H
Gamer/streamer S/o
S/o from our world appearing infront of the hellsing manor
Newly transformed Vampire S/o likes biting him as affection
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Seras Victoria
Platonically obsessed with Alucards S/o
Reaction to Alucard turning his S/o (platonic)
Falling in love with Alucards S/o
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Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing
Headcannons
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Walter
Headcannons
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Pip 
Headcannons
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Alucard
NS FW HC
Somnophila HC 
S/o who likes to be choked 
Watching his bunny masturbate 
Cockwarming Headcannons 
Breeding Kink & Aphrodisiac 
Alucard and Abridged Alucard x s/o Threesome
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babyxbluexmoon · 1 year
Text
☁︎ tsu'tey's daughter ☁︎
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Neteyam x Daughter Tsu'tey! Reader!
Warnings: Light angst. Depressed reader. Abusive/toxic mother. Not proof read.
synopsis : After Tsu'Tey's death, you were raised alone by your mother, Rhi'all. Best female hunter of the clan. However, best the daughter of quite a high ranking, meant expectations that you weren't seemingly born for, and that was what actually drew Neteyam to you. Your passion for healing, armoured off by the preassure of being a warrior.
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Today was like any other day.
You had an argument with your mother to start off your 'lovely' day. Next off, you flew on your Ikran, scoping out sky people, marking where theywere on a piece of -what the lab people call- paper. She let out a breath, and after her morning chore, she headed back to the omaticaya clan base hidden in the moutains to keep away from the demons. Her and her purple and blue Ikran pulled up and she kissed his snout before making her way over to the Sully family, more pacificly, Toruk Makto, Jake Sully, the Olo'eyktan.
"Y/n." He said, smiling as the girl walked over. She was slim and blue, with adnormally short black hair. But some reason your hair mever grew passed your shoulders, so you just tried to own it. And for your eyes, that matched Tsu'Tey's to a T. That's probably why Neytiri amd Jake Sully were so protective of you. "Hello mr and mrs. Sully." She greeted, her voice actually quite motherly. "I have the wereabouts." She said, handing them the paper which Jake took and scanned his eyes over. "Well done, Little one." Neytiri petted your hair, and Y/n left.
She went back to her Ikran, pnly to hear a squeal of fear. She grabbed her weapons and bolted towards it, into the trees where she saw the Sully's youngest, Tuktiery with an angry Thanator approching her. Y/n jumped infront of her and hissed at the beast, which roared back at her. Y/n got herself ready, gripping the blade in her four fingered palm, standing infront of Tuk who stared at her bewildered and frightened.
The thanator went for her and she roared and went back, using her skills. As she fought it off, protecting Tuktiery, Neteyam and Lo'ak arrivied, staring at the scene with wide orbs. "That's Y/n! Her father was the great Tsu'Tey!" Lo'ak whispered to Neteyam, "Who fought beside dad!". "I know.." Neteyam replied, seeing her, her arm sliced and soon she was slammed to the floor, and Neteyam lifted his bow'n arrows, shooting at the beast that roared out in pain, then growled at him.
As the Thanator was distracted with Lo'ak and Neteyam, Y/n lunged forward and stabbed her blade straight into its nap, regretting it instantly, but it was that or possibly four deaths, inculding a child under the age of ten. She couldn't let that happen. "Your time on pandora was served well brother, now you may walk alongside Eywa." she endee his life quickly, speaking her words in Na'vi before dashing over to Tuk, checking her.
"Are you alright? How's your body? Any scratches or bites? Anything?" Y/n asked and Neteyam smiled softly. There was his Y/n. They grew up aschild hood best friends, being only two months apart in age, Neteyam being older. He loved the real Y/n. Sensetive, gentle, fragile. Not this.. warrior machine her mother forced her to play. God, they used to be so close until her mother drove them apart. Speaking of her mother...
"Y/n!". An angered filled voice yelled and Y/n whipped her head around, neeting the eyes of her mother, Rhi'all. She gulped before speaking. "Mother, what os the matter?" She asked and the female omaticaya snarled. "Is this where you have been, slacking off, and infront of the Olo'eyktan children of all." Could herm other not see the blood staining her body, or the dead thanator behid her? "N-no mother.. I fought the thanator to save Tukt-". "I do not want to hear your nonsense! Home, now."
Y/n gave the siblings a dry wave, but before her hand could completely fall, it was grasped in the palm of Neteyam, who glared at her mother with inflamed golden orbs. "She saved my younger sister from a thanator, show her some respect." He spoke sternly, and the shock of everyones faces was definetly readable. "Excuse me, boy?" She asked, but it was then that Jake arrived. "I saw everything." He said, and went over to Y/n. "Thank you..".
He then turned to Rhi'all, "She fought the Thanator bravely. Rhis girl needs rest." He spoke and her mother only replied with taking her daughters hand and ripping her from Neteyam, dragging her away. She glanced back at her old friend and gave a gently wave with her free hand, which made him wave back, then look down, feeling defeated once again by that wicked na'vi. "We should set mommy on her." Tuk huffed and Jake chuckled, picking her up. "Or your grandmother.".
Y/n stood in the training area, panting as her mother kept throwing diffrent challenges at her, each harder than the last, by god she was exhausted. Her body, her small, gentle hands, her kind expression.. she wasn't meant to be this sort of na'vi. She wpuld make the perfect healer, but ever since the death of her great father, she was cursed to live up to him, a curse set by her mother.
"Mother, I can not do anymore.. please, let us sit..?" She asked, leaning down to place her hands on her knees, exhausted. Little did she knew, a pair of eyes were watching, golden and sharp. "No, you Train!" She yelled but Y/n had, had enough. "No! My body is on fire, mother! I just need ten minutes to regain myself!" She barked and suddenly felt a stinging pain on her cheek. Rhi'all had slapped her.
"You are disapointment to your father!" She screeched and Y/n felt like her heart had been pierced. "You nothing like hi-". "And I never will be! I'm me, mother! I will never be anything more! So just... grow up and deal with it! Your like a baby!" Y/n yelled back and her mother hissed at her, but just before Y/n could hiss back, a deeper hiss arrupted. She turned and saw Neteyam, and his family behind him. "Never, lay a hand, on her.." he snarled and Y/n stared slightly wide eyed.
It was then Neytiri approched and went right up to her, staring her down with an evil look. "She does not dissapoint Tsu'tey.. you do." She said,theb turned to Y/n and placed a hand on her head. "Come, we are going to redo some beads as they are dirtying. Join." She offered and Y/n gulped, was she really about to walk away from her mother. Seems that choice was taken when Tuk grabbed her hand, "lets put beads in your hair!" She giggled and began to drag her, making her squeak in surprise.
Neteyam smiled softly and followed after, but got stopped by his father who looked down at him. "You should tell her today, son. Only then, can we protect her." He said and Neteyam nodded, "yes sir." When they arrived bacl at the Sully's hut, she allowed Tuk to sit her down and do her short hair. Kiri helped the youngest aswell, smirking at Neteyam as her hair was beaded nicely, with a bit of help from Neytiri.
Neteyam couldn't help but stare. He'd never seen Y/n look.. girlish and pretty. He swallowed, then stood up and cleared his throat. "I wish to take Y/n somewhere." No more needed to be said, everyone nodded and he held his hand out to the girl who was confused, but nodded and walked away with him. "Where we going, Neteyam?" She asked and he chuckled, "you'll see. Come on!" He took her away from the moutain hide out and climbed down to the forest below. "Are we allowed here?" She asked and he nodded, "With me, you are.".
They came to the forest, and she remembered how her fathers life was taken here by the sky people, and how Jake Sully ended his pain by finishing him. "Why are we here, Neteyam..?" She asked, and he slipped his hand into hers. "You'll see.." he pulled her along, going over a large log where the trees never parted, making it ahole lot darker even in the evening. She followed, holding his hand, her heart fluttering from the contact. She knew her feelings for him since childhood hadn't faded, she had just pushed them down as the years went on.
"Over here!" He said and took her to.. "The tree of Voices?" She asked, staring amamzing as their blye skin slightly illumated pink. Spinning frogs with almpst mushroom like heads went around them and Neteyam couldn't help but remember his mother describing it. Now he knew why she loved this memory. "Wow.. this is amazing Neteyam. But why are we here?" She asked, holding her arms out as they walked, letting the pink vines hit her scarred skin and wave over her.
"My father told me a story.." he started. "He said that, if you were to..confess your love for someone here.. Eywa would guide you down the right path.." he swallowed and Y/n's eyes widened slightly, and he turned away slightly, making her tilt her head. "If you do not accept my feelings.. I understand. We aren't as close as we used to be.." he said gently, but then heard Y/n giggle and turned back to her.
"Neteyam.." she said gently, then sighed and grabbed his hand, making him fully turn to face him. "I see you.." she said and his ears twitched. If his face didn't give away his reactipn,his tail certainly did, swaying quickly as if he would take off in flight. "I-I see you.. Y/n..". With that, she slowly moved her hand, cupping his cheek lovingly and he leant into her touch, then slowly placed his hands on her waist and pulled her body closer to his.
"Oh and um.. your father, would never be disapointed in you.. Y/n.." he said, flustered and she giggled. "Kiss me, Neteyam." He placed his lips on hers and she felt fireworks go off in her heart, and butterflies in her stomach. A sicky feeling bit she knew that was a good thing. As they kissed, Neteyam reached back and took his braid in his hand, bringing it over his shoulder and she did the same. They pulled away slightly, inches away and slowly, staring into eachothers eyes, they connected.
A small sigh excaped their lips, and Neteyam hugged her closely. "I promise to protect you from now on.." he whispered. He knew they weren't fully mated yet, but he knew neither of them were ready to.. do that- but this was enough. "My love..". He said gently and she sighed, melting into him. "I know you will... ma'neteyam..".
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paladibun · 9 months
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So I got bonkers obsessed with BG3 and while this isn't a BG3/D&D AU(which I might do a bit later), I did start thinking about fantasy byler again.
The Lore of this particular AU:
Will and Mike are childhood best friends in a peasant town. Mike is a human son of a merchant, and Will is a half elf in hiding. Maybe he has some kind of special power or is favored by a god making him a target for multiple assassins' and groups of interest hunt for him in order to use his power. Joyce, finally thinking she could let her guard down, was able to live with Will in that quiet town for six years until one of those hunters found them and destroyed the whole town causing Mike to take Will in order to keep him safe from the kidnappers. They would be 12 y/os on the run that meet the rest of the gang on their adventures in different areas. Maybe El and Will are connected through dreams and their goal is to find her so that they can get whichever power Will has out of him. Or maybe both El and Will lived in the same town protected by Joyce but El got kidnapped but Will and Mike managed to escape and they want to get her back or something. Anyway, at first it was Mike attempting to swordfight, often badly, but slowly becoming an adept swordmaster through experience and mentors while Will, wanting to be able to help Mike, would study as a cleric to be able to patch him up after he keeps fighting till he's half dead on instinct.
Thinking about how the turns would table after five years of traveling together and growing stronger where Will can finally properly help Mike after of all the years of him keeping them both alive.
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But also yeah I keep thinking about Swordsman Mike that just keeps rolling very low all the time. Maybe something cursed him early in life? Something about luck or perception. Someone help me make magic ADHD.
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unactive-shroom · 3 months
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hello! i hope you're doing well. for your Valentine's event, may I request nikolai lantsov with prompt #4? have a great day!
Prompt #4: Proposal ♡
“It seems like someone has a very important question to ask… and what better time to do it but on Valentine’s night?”
Character: Nikolai Lantsov. See Valentine's Event: HERE
You stood at the edge of the lake, watching the purple glow of dusk slowly swallowing the last of the early February sunshine. It had been thirteen months since Alina Starkov had left the Little Palace, and despite her offering for you to join her and Mal, you had remained by Nikolai’s side in Os Alta. Recently you’ve found yourself taking the long winding path through the trees to the Little Palace, reminiscing about the days you would spend together at the lake, chatting and feasting on blini or pelmeni stolen from the kitchen. A hand snuck around your waist. “I thought I’d find you here.” You smiled and sunk into Nikolai’s warm embrace, not realising the cold that had crept up on you. “I get that the Grand Palace is ugly on the outside and all that, but really, y/n, you’ll catch a chill if you keep coming down here without warm clothes” he said as he fussed over you, pulling a heavy velvet cloak around you. Once satisfied that you were warm, he turned his attention to the lake. The silence stretched between you two until Nikolai softly said ”You know we can visit them, right? Keramzin isn’t too far away. We could stay a few nights, bring some gifts, maybe. Or maybe they could come visit us, either.” You chuckled at that part. “I think Alina’s had enough of the palaces by now. Besides, isn’t it too risky for them to come here? They are supposedly dead, you know. And I think that people might start to get suspicious if the King of Ravka and his entourage start to regularly visit an orphange.” he hummed in agreement, tilting his head. “It’s okay, Nikolai. We did just see them, what, two months ago? I’m just being nostalgic, that’s all. Let’s head back to the Palace, It’s cold.” He took your arm in his, a look of feigned pain on his face. “Funny how you always seem to want to go back whenever I join you. Unrequited love is a terrible, terrible thing. Am’st I doomed to be alone forever-?” You let go of his arm and strode ahead of him, in no mood to put up with his antics. “Y/n, wait! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, let’s go warm up, please?”
A few hours later, whilst Nikolai was in some meeting, you found yourself in the concert hall. Empty, as always, but with a beautiful, sleek, black grand piano in the centre of the stage. Your footsteps echo, magnifying your pathway to the stage, announcing your presence as you pull out the piano stool, and as you played, you thought about how you had gotten here. Going from a high ranking army officer, experienced in intense and gruesome warfare, fighting alongside friends and seeing horrors unlike any other, to sitting here now, in a sleek and comfortable kefta, playing piano, and living in a palace. Of course, you were still a very active member of the army, and while politics held a greater position in your life than it had previously, you still had many army duties, one including tuition at the little palace. But recently, no doubt accredited to Nikolai, you had a lot of free time. “Mandatory resting periods for those involved in the war”, as he called it. And, not to mention, the whole country’s eye on you and Nikolai after a stablehand had leaked information about yours and Nikolai’s relationship. At this point, you were simply waiting for the day where acquiring a Ravkan Queen, a wife for Nikolai, was simply unavoidable, and the relationship was cut off. It made you sick to the depths of your very being, but you were determined to enjoy it while it lasted. It’s something that had always hung over the two of you, and at the beginning of your courtship you had discussed it in great detail, and you were adamant on the fact that when the time came for Nikolai to choose a wife, they would simply forget their relationship and move on with their lives. But it was getting increasingly difficult for both of you. You’d noticed that Nikolai had been closer to you recently, constantly there whenever you both had free time, or, pestering you at work, egging you on to leave work to go read with him in the library or take a walk around the palace grounds. And you had felt closer to him too, saving snippets of poetry for him in books you read, playing melodies for him on piano. These small, intimate moments meant everything to you, especially knowing that Nikolai had very little time left to spend with you before he was married off to some stranger.
Leaving the concert hall and heading back to your chambers, you heard voices in the hallway ahead of you - Nikolai and Zoya. “I just- I don’t know how to tell her, Zoya. How can I ask her-?” he sighed audibly, running a hand through his hair. He turned, and locked eyes on you. “Oh- Y/n!” The marble floor seemed to grow colder through your shoes as Zoya looked at him meaningfully. “I think you and Nikolai ought to take a quick walk around the Palace, Y/n. I’ll see you in the morning, your Majesty. Good night.”. As Zoya’s footsteps echoed down the hallway, you felt your heart fall to your stomach. This was it. Nikolai was going to tell you he had found a suitable bride and that it was no longer possible for this relationship to continue. You swallowed, and smiled at Nikolai, not wanting to draw this out any longer. “Shall we?”
You and Nikolai walked side by side through the moonlit gardens in utter silence, until finally, stopping at the glaringly white marble statue of some old king, you stopped. “Nikolai, I know what’s happening.” You whispered, turning your head away from him. “You do? Y/n, I-” You shook your head. “Don’t. I undertsand, Nikolai. You need to do what’s best for your country, I’ve always loved that about you. Just…before we part ways, I need to ask you for one last thing - and then I��ll be gone by morning, your majesty.” You turned to face him, a single tear betraying your determination to not cry, only to find Nikolai on one knee, a look of utter bewilderness on his face. You mirrored the look, not knowing what he was doing. “…why are you on the ground? Nikolai, you’ll ruin your clothes, and it’s far too cold to be-” You sniffled. “Y/n. Please let me talk. I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about, but you can’t leave now - and what’s this about us parting ways? I think you really misunderstood what I’m asking you.” Nikolai cleared his throat, suddenly looking nervous. “I… I know that our relationship hasn’t been under the best circumstances - first as Sturmhond, when I quite litterally held you captive on a boat for the state enemy and yet you fell for me, Saints knows how, and then when I proposed marriage to Alina… and now, having to keep our relationship secret…” He took a deep breath. “I know it’s been impossibly unfair on you. But please, y/n. Allow me this selfish idea - at least consider it - because I mean it when I say that you are my everything. You thrive in politics, the people love you, you have given incredible service to Ravka, you’ve fought wars - been through hell and back for this country, your beauty is unmatched even by the primal, eldest saints of the land - the sun and moon themselves are outshone by your radiance. When I imagine the ideal Queen for this country, the only person I can see fitting the role is you. Y/n L/n, would you allow me the honour of being your husband? Will you marry me?” In a complete and utter state of shock, you took a step back, incrediously shaking your head. “Me? But- but Grisha can’t- I have no title, no links to nobility - I’m an orphan from Keramzin! What will you get from marrying me?” Nikolai remained on one knee, looking directly at you. “What would I get from marrying the love of my life? Saints, y/n, I would get happiness. I would be able to go to sleep in the arms of the person I love, be able to count on her unwavering support that she’s shown me since day one, be able to wake up every morning and know that whatever happens today, I have the most incredible person by my side. I would be able to feel safety in my role as King, with an incredibly capable Queen by my side, beloved of the people and the crown itself, and know that I will not have to spend my life yearning for the woman I sent away so that I could marry for political values, as she would be in her rightful place by my side. I would do anything for you, y/n. But I just can’t bear the thought of you leaving me.”
At this point, your vision was blurry with tears, but you felt Nikolai take your hand. “Well, my love? What do you say?” You felt the tension in his gentle hold of your hand. “If you’re sure about this… then yes. I do. I will gladly marry you, Nikolai.” He beamed at you, standing up and wrapping you in his familiar, warm embrace. As he wiped the tears from your eyes, you giggled. “So does this mean that I get to call you Nikolai even when referring to you?” “You could always do that, my love.” “Yeah, but, if I did, I’d get funny looks. Oooh, can I give you nicknames now, too? How about Niko? LaiLai? Kolai? E-Kolai?” You gasped suddenly, startling Nikolai. “Oh, I have to tell Alina and Mal!” He smiled, then hummed thoughtfully. “Yeah, We’ll have to make a public address too. Then decide on the length of the engagement, do a tour, loads of boring court stuff - but it shouldn’t be too bad with you by my side. Now come along, it really is quite cold. How about we have a glass of brandy’s to celebrate? The one the Kerch ambassador sent awhile ago has been calling my name, but I simply hadn’t a good enough reason to break it out…”
A.n: Y’all the amount of Nikolai Requests I have in my inbox is INSANE. ALSO WHEN I WAS WRITING THIS I MIXED UP MAL AND MATHIAS?? so glad that I realised cause wtf. also I had to break up the last paragraph bc apparently tumblr has a limit of words u can have in one text block?? anyways. thanks for requesting, I hope you enjoyed &lt;3
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