#and she was like...i don't know...I didn't think that far ahead...i didn't think anyone wouldn't do it since it's a requirement.... | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

moonchildstyles · 2 years

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nest

harry is y/n's best friend. he also happens to be an alpha. spending a week at his place has her brain doing weird things.

cw: a/b/o dynamics! while this has no smut in it, I still heavily encourage anyone not familiar with the trope to look it up before reading ahead!

wordcount: 10.5k+

—————

(Y/N) panted as she scaled Harry's driveway with her too-heavy weekender bag hanging over her shoulder. Did she know she was overpacked for only a week long stay? Sure, but she would rather be safe than sorry, so if that meant bringing an extra five pairs of panties and three more sets of clothing than she needed, that was only being safe as far as she was concerned. What she hadn't planned for, was scaling Harry's long driveway with her bag banging against her side and her phone charger spilling out of the top and her school backpack weighing down her other side. Parking in her usual spot by the curb with shady covering provided by the leafy tree in his yard sounded perfect, until she felt her shoulders aching with the weight of her bags as she peered up the driveway.

By now, she was sure a sheen of sweat had collected above her brow and Harry was going to kill her for exerting herself when she could have easily texted him for some help with her things. But, (Y/N) didn't want to call on him to carry her things, her was already doing too much for her.

He was already letting her crash at his place for a week—maybe more—, so there was no reason to make him carry her textbooks and a week's worth of clothing. She'd take a little bit of a scolding instead of pandering for more help.

Just as she climbed the porch steps, the front door swung open only to reveal the alpha of the house with a bunny-toothed grin on his features and fluffy curls framing his face.

"(Y/N), h—What are you doing?" As expected, the second Harry caught sight of the sweat coating her features and heard the wheeze of her lungs, his brows furrowed and he all but rushed to join her on the short staircase. "Why didn't y'tell me y'were here?" he reprimanded her as he reached for her duffle, "And y'parked so far away. (Y/N), y'should have told me I would have helped y'carry your things in."

"I know, I know," she said, relief flooding her system when circulation returned to her arm, "I didn't think the bag was going to be that heavy, though, I promise. And, you're already doing so much for me, it's not fair—"

"Don't go off about what's fair with me, again," he cut her off, apparently having already anticipated this conversation, "I offered to let y'stay with me, and you're not inconveniencing me in anyway, okay? The only thing that isn't fair is when y'don't let me take care of you like I promised I would."

(Y/N) sighed as he brought up his promise again. It wasn't a new topic, but still one that made her tummy flutter every time he brought it up.

Years ago, when they first became friends their first year of university, Harry had been around when she had gone through a particularly bruising breakup. The alpha was not who (Y/N) thought he was, and that much was only apparent after she had fallen in love with the facade he had presented. Harry had been the only one to pick up when she called sobbing in the middle of the night, needing to talk to anyone who would listen and reassure her that she hadn't just ended a relationship with the only person who would ever love her like that alpha had screamed at her.

That night in the dark of his student dorm, Harry promised her that he would always be there to protect and take care of her. No one would be able to tamper with her self-worth ever again, or make her feel like she was a burden or hard to love—platonically or otherwise. It had been a serious promise, one that he said in the deep grumble of his alpha tone and with his eyes matching hers as he said it.

But, now, he loved to use it as an excuse to get his way whenever she wouldn't let him do something silly like hold her duffle bag or drive her to her early morning class. While she always made a point to roll her eyes at him when he made such comments, it never failed to make her heart feel full at the reminder of his promise.

Harry was always the one alpha who never tried to change her or push himself on her just for the fact that she was an unmated omega. He was even the driving force behind her deciding to continue her schooling towards her master's degree after graduation. So, if he wanted to scold her a little for carrying her own textbooks or parking too far away from his front door, she'd let him. It let her know he cared.

"Sorry, dad," she sighed, a petulant tease carrying her voice, "I'll park closer next time."

"That's what I thought," he said, pushing her with a hand on the small of her back through his front door. "And, you'll let me know when you're here, so I don't have to listen for you."

"Whatever you say," she shook her head, laughter filling the foyer as he piled on his conditions that she knew he wouldn't do anything about if she didn't adhere to them.

"Good," he grumbled, locking the front door behind them before he continued ushering her up the stairs. "Got the guest room all set up for you if y'want to go that way."

Harry's house was (Y/N)'s second home after her apartment, so the layout was easy to maneuver even without his hand on her back guiding her. Still, that didn't mean she wanted him to stop.

As expected, Harry had the guestroom set up perfectly for her, just as he always did whenever she had to sleepover at his place. The quilt he'd had in his dorm when they met was folded across the bottom of the bed, the familiar holes and frayed edges brought a smile to her face as it covered a section of the fluffy white duvet he'd bought specifically for her. There was something especially intimate about him buying her something that could so easily become the perfect base for a nest, but she knew it was only a part of his alpha instincts to give an omega something so special even if they were only friends. The rest of the room still held the potted plant she gifted him at his housewarming, sitting right in the bay window as the vining leaves draped themselves over the sill. A humidifier was stationed in the corner of the room, just beside the walk-in closet, a detail she knew he had in his own room because then he could turn it on just before bed after grabbing his pj's or turn it off in the morning after he got ready for work. The bedside table had a scented candle left with its cap off, allowing the strong scent of him to be filtered through the lens of autumn leaves and vanilla whipped cream.

(Y/N) felt at home as she stepped over the threshold. Harry's hand on her back disappeared as he moved around her, settling her bag on her temporary bed with a bounce of the mattress.

"Everything look good?" he asked her over his shoulder as he began to fuss over the little plant in the window.

"Yeah, thank you. It's perfect." (Y/N) could hear the smile in her own tone, with Harry surely able to smell her happiness as it flooded the room.

Pride lifted Harry's shoulders as he gave her a lopsided smile over his shoulder, having rotated the plant just enough so the baby leaves that just sprouted had the most sunlight. "Good, that makes me happy," he told her, his voice a quiet croon.

It was moments like these especially that (Y/N) couldn't believe he didn't have an omega. She knew that if she had the chance and wasn't so worried about the friendship they had curated, she would be clinging to him at all times, scenting all over and pining for his mark on her neck. He was too good of an alpha and a caregiver to be on his own, she believed.

Settling on the edge of the mattress, Harry unzipped her bag with the intention of helping her unpack just like he always did when she stayed for a little longer than a couple of days. "Has your building told y'any more about what's going on?" he asked her, pulling out her rolls of outfits from the weekender.

"Not really," she shook her head, taking his offerings to the closet with the door open behind her, "I overhead one of my neighbours talking about bugs, though. Like, a lot of them. Enough that the foundation or structure, or whatever, of the building isn't doing great. Some people might have to get their walls knocked down, too."

"(Y/N)," Harry sighed, absently reaching for another set of clothes to pass off, "Jus' come live with me, love. I told you that landlord wasn't right when we did that walkthrough."

"I know, I know, H," she said, used to this conversation from the many times Harry tried to convince her to move in, "But, its close to campus and rent is low, that's all I'm looking for right now."

"What happens when your entire floor falls through because bugs have eaten through the entire structure, hm?" he pressed, raising a brow at her while he plugged in all of her chargers.

"I'm sure my rent will be even lower then."

"(Y/N), please," Harry tried again, not laughing at her attempt to joke, "This worries me. I don't like thinking y'live somewhere so unsafe that they're kicking you out for a week—if not more—because the building might fall apart. You know I wouldn't make y'pay rent, and I can drive y'to class every morning on m'way to work."

Turning towards him, abandoning the hanger she was layering with clothing, (Y/N) gave Harry the same look she did when they talked about this. "You know it's not that easy, H"

"But, aren't we close enoug—"

"You're not my alpha, Harry. I don't want to live with anyone that isn't mine like that."

Though she felt bad to cut him off, she knew he wasn't going to understand otherwise. Yes, they were close enough she told people he was her best friend, but he wasn't hers. He wasn't someone that scented her, kissed her, or marked her. He wasn't her alpha.

Something ticked in Harry's jaw as he matched her eyes, the intensity making (Y/N) want to instinctively curl in on herself. "Trust me, I know," he murmured, "I jus' worry about you, (Y/N). Please at least think about it this week."

"I can do that," she relented with a quiet nod, "I'm sorry I worry you, I don't mean to."

Rising from his spot on the bed, Harry stood to the full of his height with his arms open for her. "Don't need to be sorry, 's not your fault 'm a worrywart," he told her once she stepped into his hug, arms cradling her shoulders while he pressed his cheek to her hair, "Jus' think about it for me. Even if y'only spend time here until y'find another place to live if your bug building gets worse."

"I will," she promised with a sigh, stopping herself before she could tuck her nose into the curve of his neck no matter how badly her instincts were urging her to do so, "Thank you for always letting me stay here if I need it."

"I love it when you're here with me, (Y/N), you know that. Makes me happy when all I have to do to see you is go down the hall." Though no one else was in the room—or the house, even—Harry spoke with his voice low as if he were sharing a secret only for her to hear.

Scrunching her eyes closed, (Y/N) curled herself tighter against Harry's chest. All she wanted to do was cling to him and inhale all of him that she could, scent him so she could take that crisp warmth with her wherever she went. But, like she had just told him: he's not her alpha. If she dared to even graze her nose along his neck, it would be far too intimate an act for two people who claim to be nothing more than best friends, she knew that.

Harry ran his hand along the plane of her back, palm warm as he skimmed over her skin through the loose knit of her sweater. "'S gonna be alright, love. Don't worry about your place, okay?"

While that wasn't exactly what was making her tummy hurt, she wasn't going to correct him.

—————

(Y/N)'s absolute favorite thing about waking up at Harry's place had to be the fact she was completely enveloped in his scent from the second she opened her eyes. While everything was clean and washed before she came over, the detergent and softener smell couldn't even dream to cover up the smell of everything Harry that had soaked into the fabric. Bringing the sheet up to her nose, (Y/N) indulged herself in a deep inhale of crisp apples and burnt cinnamon, deep and warm and heady.

All alphas had their own scent, distinctly identifiable, but they all had that deep dominance in common. Nothing could completely cover it up the same way suppressants could conceal an omega or neutralizers could cover a beta. There would always be a little bit of something—a base note of dark wine, or peppery firewood—that seeped through even the strongest of concealments. And, (Y/N) loved that when it came to Harry. She knew he set up a scented candle for her every time because he didn't want to overwhelm her with the strength of his scent after going from her light omega surroundings, but she always made a point to cap it before she went to sleep on her first night. By the time she woke up, nothing could hinder the smell of him.

The only thing that could top waking up in his scent was getting to lie in it all morning—which, since it was a Saturday, she got to do.

She didn't know how long she soaked in the smell of him, in a half dream state as she dozed in and out of sleep with the help of his comforting scent, but by the time Harry knocked on her door, she still felt like she hadn't gotten enough of him.

"Yeah?" she called out to him, stretching under the sheets as she tried to pry her eyes open.

Harry carefully cracked the door open, peeking his head in with a soft smile on his face as soon as he saw her wrapped in her bedding with wild hairs framing her face. "Jus' wanted to see if y'were awake. I have some breakfast from earlier waiting for you in the microwave if y'were awake enough to come downstairs."

"What'd you make?" (Y/N) peeped as she threw her legs over the side of the bed, feet searching for her slippers.

"French toast and those hashbrowns y'like."

It was the same breakfast he always made at least once for her when she stayed over.

"And chocolate milk?"

"And apple juice, if y'wanted something different."

She hoped he could smell the way her heart perked up for him. He really knew her so well.

—————

"Are you sure its alright that I tagged along today?"

The lopsided grin that molded Harry's features grew as he looked down at her for a second as he steered the shopping cart. "(Y/N), jus' because y'ask me four different times doesn't mean you're going to get a different answer."

"I know," she sighed, rerouting herself when Harry made a quick turn into the bread aisle, "I just feel bad you're shopping for me since I'm only staying with you for a week."

Harry shrugged, reaching for a loaf of thick bread to be placed in his trolley. "I don't mind, jus' like I've already told you. And, it might be longer, remember? We need to, at least, get a couple of things for you to take to class."

"I'm going to pay you back for all of this, Harry," she cemented, following after him as moved an aisle down for all things pasta, "I know you're going to say no, but I am. This is more than just letting me stay with you for a little while. I wouldn't feel right if I didn't give you something for all of this."

"Just be happy and consider what we talked about the other day, okay? That's all I want from you—nothing else, alright?"

"But, Ha—"

"Do you like the five cheese marinara or the basil and garlic more?" Harry cut her off, holding up two opposing jars of spaghetti sauce.

Raising an unimpressed brow, (Y/N) looked to Harry's seemingly oblivious face between the two raised jars. "Harry."

Puckering his lips to the side, Harry turned the jars to get a look at the labels. "Yeah," he hummed, "We should try both. I haven't tried this brand yet, anyway, so I don't know which one is better for the gnocchi."

"Harry," she tried again, a giggle seeping into her words as she followed after his slow steps down the shelves of dried pasta, "Please."

"Nope," he popped, reaching to the highest shelf with ease as he grabbed for a package of whole-wheat linguine, "'M not listening."

"C'mon," she tried again, stepping in front of him so he couldn't get away too easily with the cart in tow. "It's not a big deal, as soon as I get paid I'll just—"

"No, you won't," he solidified, looking down at her with the full intensity of his green eyes, "Remember what I promised you?"

"I can't believe you're using that against me, right now, in the middle of the pasta aisle." (Y/N) playfully puffed out her bottom lip.

"What? Y'don't like being reminded that I like to take care of you where everyone can see you get all flustered? Is that it, (Y/N)?"

Maybe it was the way he didn't dare pull his gaze from hers or the deep tone of voice that rumbled through his chest, but (Y/N) felt her tummy tighten as she gazed up at him. Did she get flustered when he talked about the promise? If she did, she'd never noticed before. But, it seemed Harry did.

"I don't get flustered," she countered lamely, fluttering her lashes as she dropped her gaze, allowing him to win that game.

"Yes you do," he sung, a tease coating his voice as he ducked his head into her line of sight, "Every time I say something, I swear your eyes get all dreamy and y'won't look at me until your butterflies stop."

"I don't have butterflies."

Harry shook his head then, lopsided smile and a single dimple in his cheek. "Sure, y'don't, silly. And I don't smell them on you right now, either." With that, Harry straightened his posture and grabbed for the bar of the trolley. "Now, do y'want some of those little protein packs or fruit to take with y'between classes?"

(Y/N) watched as Harry nonchalantly started down the aisle, moving towards the wall of refrigerators while she couldn't find it in her to unlock her knees and follow after. The muscles of his back shifted under his top as he pushed the trolley, black sweats hanging low enough on his hips that if he moved just right, she was allowed a peek at the tan skin of his hip.

Something's changed. This wasn't the first time in the last couple of days since she'd started her stay that Harry had practically flirted with her. Sure, there had always been a little something to their interactions that solely came from the fact they were sexually compatible given their classes, but this was different. It was more than the friendly teasing that had been apart of their friendship since the beginning. He was doing more, pushing more, getting closer and speaking lower, a voice she wasn't familiar with.

It'd only been three days since she started sleeping over—longer than any of her previous weekend stays—and (Y/N) was beginning to worry about what else he was going to start picking up on if he was now noticing just how easily flustered and butterfly-filled he could make her.

"Are y'coming, love?" Harry called to her from the end of the aisle, his brows pinched as he beckoned to her.

Immediately, she perked up, not wanting to be left behind. "Yeah, sorry."

"'S alright, jus' stay close, yeah?" he murmured once she was close enough, corralling an arm around her back to tug her between his chest and the handlebar of the cart, "Saw some alpha looking for a little too long and getting a little too close to you."

"Really?" She really must have been oblivious if she didn't notice a whole other dominating presence creeping up on her.

"Mhm," Harry grumbled, his hands on either side of her flexing around the bar as he escorted them towards the snacks, "No reason for him to be getting so close, especially when you've got m'smell all over you."

(Y/N) was grateful for the fact he only had a view of her back when a small smile plucked at the edges of her mouth. If she allowed her mind to wander, she could argue he sounded... protective over her. Like he had claimed her.

"I'll stay right here, then," she murmured, "No more wandering."

A contented hum that verged on a soothed purr rumbled Harry's chest. "Thank you."

—————

(Y/N) jumped as the sound of Harry's laughter pulled her from her half-asleep state. Her eyelids fluttered open with a quiet gasp, only to see a different Julia Roberts rom-com gracing the television screen than the one she remembered playing the last time she had her eyes open. Maybe she had been a little more than half-asleep.

Making a point to sit up from the curling position she found herself in, (Y/N) shifted under the quilt that was taken from her temporary bedroom. With a short stretch, she folded her legs underneath her and pushed her back firmly against the cushions. Leaning against the back of the couch, she found Harry's arm tossed around her form, the warmth not having shown up on her radar in her sleepy daze.

Once he realized she was awake, (Y/N) saw from the corner of her eye as he gave her a fond look before ducking his head down. With his lips hovering by her ear, he spoke as if they really were at the cinema they were pretending his living room to be, "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake y'up. I promise I was trying to be quiet."

"I wasn't asleep, its alright," she mumbled out, clearing her voice she in hopes of living up to her facade. Running a heavy hand through her hair with a clarifying tug at the roots, (Y/N) tried her best to suss out what was happening on the T.V. If she squinted enough with the sleep in her eyes, she was somewhat sure that Mystic Pizza was playing.

"Right, cause you knew y'were drooling on my shoulder for the last half hour, and you jus' thought it was too funny to stop," Harry countered, canting his head to the side with a nonchalant half shrug while the light from the television highlighted the side of his face.

Eyes wide and jaw dropped, (Y/N) felt her grogginess leach from her system, warm embarrassment replacing it.

"I didn't drool on you," she denied, her eyes drifting down to the shoulder of his shirt before flicking back to his shaded gaze, "Did I?"

A little too smug of a smile molded his features before he shook his head. "No, but now I know you were sleeping," he teased, his grin only widened when she saw her lips puff into a pout. "'S alright if y'were asleep, love. I can turn off the movie and we can go to bed, if y'want. It's getting late, anyway."

(Y/N) was quick to shake her head, knowing the long day Harry had and that he was taking this time to decompress. "No, no, it's okay. Let's finish this one, and then we'll see," she insisted, focusing her gaze forward, "What did I miss?"

Though she had her eyes trained forward, watching Julia Roberts' character find her love interest in a bar, (Y/N) could feel Harry's eyes lingering on her as he made no attempt to follow the direction of her gaze. Heat traced over her profile as if he were running his fingertips over the planes of her face. The warmth danced over the bridge of her nose and bounced across her Cupid's bow though she swore he lingered over the pillows of her lips. A beat passed before she peeked over at him, the intensity of his gaze confirmed when he didn't mind matching her eyes and didn't shy away when she caught him.

"What?" she peeped.

Something flashed in his eyes—either it was the light from the T.V. or something else, (Y/N) didn't know, but she saw it.

"Nothing," he murmured, voice low and purring, "C'mere."

Slipping his arm from around her waist, he pulled the quilt that was draped over their laps to sit on his other side in a bundle.

"Wait, wh—"

"Lay down, love," he told her, nodding his head towards his lap, "I'll bundle y'up as soon as you're comfortable."

A small smile tugged at (Y/N)'s lips when she realized what he was suggesting. They hadn't cuddled like this in a while, probably not since before her last relationship ended over a year ago.

Shuffling her way over the couch, (Y/N) laid herself out on the cushions with her legs scrunched to fill out the remaining two with her head landing in Harry's lap. The full of his thighs worked as her pillow, warm and comforting with her most favorite smell of all surrounding her, right from the source. Even with the muscles cording his arms and beefing his stature, Harry was gentle as he tucked the quilt around her form, keeping her warm and cuddled up.

"This better?" he asked her. The dark of the living room allowing only peeks and glances at his features once the scene on the television lit up enough to do so, but (Y/N) couldn't help but hope she really did see the fondness in his gaze and it wasn't just a trick of the light.

"Yeah, thank you," she murmured, feeling her eyes grow heavy now that she was comfortable and well taken care of by an alpha.

"Good," he smiled at her, grazing his fingertip across her brow to pull a stray hair that threatened to peek in to her line of sight, "If y'fall asleep, 's alright. I'll take y'upstairs, okay? I jus' want y'to relax, (Y/N)."

The soothing rumble of his tone and the careful skim of his skin against hers was enough to have (Y/N) fluttering her eyes closed in contentment. "Okay, H," she responded dreamily.

Shifting to lay on her side, (Y/N) cuddled in with her hands under her chin while Harry played with her hair in soothing motions. Though she tried to keep track of the film for as long as she could, (Y/N) didn't stand a chance with the warmth of Harry's touch skating through her hair and the comfort of his scent wafting to her nose directly from the source. The audio of the movie became background noise that helped set the tone for the nonsensical dream that was beginning to shape up behind her eyelids.

Until Harry started purring, of course.

That became the center of her focus then. The rumbling deep tone of his purring comforted her farther than what just the smell of him and his soft touches could do. None of her previous alphas had ever shared something so intimate with her, knowing that purring like this could feel like music to an omega like her—especially seeing as how she was fostering feelings for Harry.

Maybe he didn't even realize he was doing it, or maybe it was the pending dream talking, but (Y/N) liked to think he wanted to share this with her.

—————

Harry rolled his neck after shifting his car into park in the garage. With his eyes closed, he let out a deep breath as he relaxed into the plush leather of his seats. This week has been excruciatingly long, and it was only Thursday.

And, it was because of (Y/N).

His workload was the same as always, maybe ticked up a tiny bit just because one of his team members was out for vacation, but nothing he couldn't handle. The only thing that plucked him off-kilter was his little houseguest.

Not to say she was unpleasant to live with—quite the opposite if his badgering for her to move in with him meant anything—, but he found himself struggling more than usual around her. Harry knew since the day they met that they were compatible. Call it instincts or the fact she was so obviously an omega that balanced out the alpha in him, but Harry swore in his gut, he knew that (Y/N) was going to be special to him.

But, that had been years ago, back when she was with another alpha and had confided in Harry as a best friend. Though he never really lost that sparkle he felt for her, it was something he was able to manage, especially as it seemed she didn't feel that same glimmering affection towards him outside of being a best friend.

These past days seemed to be putting that notion of management to the test, though.

Harry didn't know what it was, but something shifted this time around. Maybe it was him; he knew he was toeing into territory not yet explored between them with the way he flirted with her more obviously, and tried to squeeze a cuddle in any time he could manage it. Even with that, Harry couldn't forget the way he caught her snuggling up to his sheets when he woke her most mornings for breakfast. With the scented candle he brought up for her capped and stowed away, she had her nose tucked into the sheets that had been stored in his linen closet next to his usual sets he alternated through for his own bed. He knew, that even though they were clean and unused, his scent had to have stuck to them and wiggled its way between every fiber. She was looking for him when she smelled those sheets.

Even the other night during their impromptu movie night, (Y/N) had been the one initiating all of the snuggling until he had to corral her into settling down in his lap so she could get some actual sleep instead of knocking her head against his shoulder. When she looked up at him after he tucked the quilt around her form, he swore he saw something extra in her gaze; extra soft, extra fond, extra tender, extra trusting. He even purred for her.

Trust was as good as foreplay as far as Harry was concerned, the notion flooding his heart and calling to his more basic instincts, especially when the idea involved (Y/N). That was what had been plaguing him throughout his work days. No reprieve could even be offered when he came home, though—especially not on those days (Y/N) came home early enough from class to get dinner started with her scent trailing all around the house as she cleaned up and did bits of housework he would never expect from her.

Still, that didn't mean he wasn't ecstatic to be coming home to her. He just didn't know how much more his heart could take before it gave out and he had to offer it up to her for repairs.

Leaving the sanctity of his car behind, Harry came in through the garage. Though he hadn't expected (Y/N) to be back already, today being one of the days her classes ran longer than his workday, he was surprised to find the entire house soaked in her scent. More than usual.

With brows furrowed, he stalked through the house, stopping to take a peek out the front window, (Y/N)'s car wasn't there just as he figured. Nonetheless, he couldn't ignore the way his entire house reeked with the smell of her fruity perfume though this selection was decidedly more heady and dark than what he was used to scenting from her. There wasn't even a discernible trail of where she might have been, the mass of scent having permeated through the whole space and planted itself in every inch.

Though the more basic parts of him were responding especially well to the glaze of omega scent that touched over all of his things, Harry couldn't help but feel concerned. She wasn't supposed to be home if her lack of car was any kind of proof, so he couldn't see why her smell would be so deeply ingrained no matter where he touched.

Trailing up the staircase, with every step the perfume only grew stronger and stronger until he was directed to his bedroom. The door was left ajar only a small crack, but Harry didn't need that peek inside to know what he was going to find the second he pushed the door open.

(Y/N) sat on her hands and knees, back and bottom facing Harry as she rummaged through a pile of his clothing she had ransacked and splayed out across the floor. Every suitable piece she found was tossed over her shoulder in the direction of his bed, where her nest was beginning to form, full of every soft piece of linen and bedding in the house as well as everything that was directly Harry's that carried his scent to the max. She'd even plucked her own clothing off in favor of putting herself in a large shirt of his and a pair of slouching sweats he'd worn to bed the night before.

His bedroom was steeped in her scent. The typical notes of cherries and raspberries, creamy strawberries and alluring rose petals flitted to his nose before they were blended and aged into something heady and dark like the wine he had chilling downstairs. There wasn't a single surface left untouched with her smell.

Harry felt his chest tighten as he breathed in, lungs filling but unwilling to let even a single particle of her scent leave his body. With her frantically pulling a nest together in his bedroom and the extra heat that was added to her scent, Harry knew what was going on as well as his body did in the way it reacted to her.

"You're nesting," Harry said, voice low but firm as she stepped further into his bedroom.

With a gasp, (Y/N) sat up from where she was reaching for another of his knitted sweaters to add to the mess that was becoming his bed. She turned with a flutter of her hair, eyes wide as her mouth dropped into a small gape the second she took him in.

"Harry!" she breathed out, her features molding into a smile before she scrambled to her feet, "You're home!"

She crossed the room in frantic steps, all but tripping over herself and the length of her borrowed sweats before she launched herself into Harry's arms. Harry stood solidly as she bounded into him, catching her around her waist as she pressed herself flush against his form. The absolute contentment he could smell mixing in with her pleasured scent was only made more apparent in the way she all but melted into his hold, arms looping around his neck as he gazed up at him with hearts in her eyes.

"I am," he mumbled, trying his best to keep his mind clear despite the way her scent urged him to leave himself to his most basic instincts, "Didn't think y'would be, though."

"Oh," she sighed, blinking her eyes with a flutter of her lashes, "yeah, I left class early today."

He couldn't say he was surprised. "Yeah? What happened?"

(Y/N) didn't even seem to be aware of the way she squirmed in his arms, her chest pressing tightly to his as she lined her hips up perfectly with the full of his thigh. He stayed unmoving as she did so, forcing himself to keep a strong hold on his control until he had a better understanding of what was happening.

"I don't know, I don't remember," she bubbled off for him, a lazy smile on her features as she began to play with the baby curls on the nape of his neck, "I just wanted to be home with you." Just then, her face dropped, eyes rounding out with lips turning into a frown. "But then after my friend dropped me off—she said I wasn't allowed to drive myself because it wouldn't be safe, so I'll have to get my car tomorrow or something, I don't know. Anyway, she dropped me off and when I saw you weren't home, I got so sad, H. I forgot you worked."

As mind-muddling as this whole thing was, her scent clouding his head and directing his blood flow south, he couldn't help but smile some at her explanation. She forgot he had a job and wouldn't be home, even though he had said goodbye to her this morning before he left.

"Is that what got you all upset enough to start nesting in m'bedroom?" Harry pressed, pulsing his arms around her waist when the roll of her hips got a little too deliberate over the full of his thigh.

Her brow pinched in the middle as if she forgot that was what he had walked in on her doing, the mess on his bed having been thrown from her mind the second he walked through the door. "I guess so," she shrugged, "I knew I wanted to make a nest when I came back even if you were home, and I guess I wanted to make it in your room."

The idea of (Y/N) toddling home with the intention to nest, only to instinctively go straight to his room, had him seconds away from backing her into his bed and shucking those sweats from her legs once he got her settled in her nest.

"And y'put m'clothes on?" he murmured, ducking his head down until he felt the tip of her nose grazing his own.

Not a bit of shame or embarrassment he knew would normally have followed an admittance like this came as (Y/N) nodded her head with a lingering smile. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," he told her, the effects of her scent having nothing to do with that, "Y'said y'don't remember why y'had to leave class? Or why your friend had to drive y'back?"

"I mean," she drawled, tilting her head with a giggle, her throat exposed to Harry's gaze. He swallowed as he traced his eyes over the delicate curve. "I think I do, but I'm scared to tell you."

The mention of her fear pulled Harry from his lost fantasy as he imagined sinking his teeth into the delicate skin that covered her pulse. She would look so pretty with a mark like that on her throat.

"Why? You know y'don't have to be scared to tell me things," he told her, his voice turning to a coo that he knew would draw more of her compliance to the surface. If this was what he thought it was, he needed to hear it directly from her.

"I know, I know," she sighed, matching her gaze to his with that same dreamy quality swirling in her irises, "But I don't want to make everything weird. I don't want you to stop holding me."

His fingertips gently denting the soft planes of her back, Harry held her tightly against his chest, matching her gaze with his own intensity. "I won't, love, see? Hugging y'even tighter, so now you've got to tell me."

Though she attempted to bite back her smile, the curve of her lips took over the softened features of her face. He couldn't help but match her expression with a quirk of his own lips, dimple denting his cheek as she raised herself to stand on her tip toes. Meeting her halfway, he ducked his head down and turned his ear to her.

"I think, I'm having my heat."

Her voice was a breathy whisper as her lips hovered by his ear, her breath fanning across his heated skin. Her words practically dripped over his skin like warm honey, sticky sweet and heavy as they clung to him.

"Yeah? You think so?" he pressed, voice deep enough to verge into alpha territory as his arms tightened around her.

"Mhm," she hummed, canting her head to the side as if she didn't know how tempting that sight would look to Harry in his state. She was lucky she wasn't being as squirmy as before, otherwise all the hard work she put into her nest would have been for nothing with how quickly he would have torn it apart with her on all fours for him. "I've only ever needed to nest this bad when I've been on my heat," she explained, her voice becoming the perfect counterpart to the deep gravel his was leaning into, "But, I've only ever had my heat when I've been with my last alphas, so I do—"

(Y/N) cut herself off as she jumped in his arms, mouth falling open at the low grumble that shook his chest. In a second her pupils were blown wide as he looked up at him, her breathing stuttering in conjunction with the racing of her heart that all but shook her veins. Harry watched as she tipped her head to the side, relaxing against as she bared her neck to him.

"Don't speak about them," he told her, voice low and deep, just one octave above dipping into his alpha voice and making it a command she couldn't refuse.

"Sorry," she whispered though she didn't look all that sorry given how turned on she was.

"Are you?"

The frantic nod she gave him as she trapped her bottom lip between her teeth was all the response he was given before she tightened her hold around him. He felt her body move against him as she strained on her tiptoes, her nose skimming his jawline as she spoke in a whisper, "Let me show you."

Just before she made a move to stuff her face in his neck, scent him just as intimately as he had imagined since he'd met her those years ago, Harry was reminded of the flash of her blown pupils. Her breathless voice rung in his ears and the intoxicating scent of her that not only muddled his head but no doubt had her spiraling since she made the choice to come home earlier in the day. He was quick to shift his hold on her, grabbing for the back of her neck before she could make the choice to scent him, a line they never crossed when they were both sound of mind.

(Y/N) whined when she was stopped, her brows pinching as her lips puffed into a pout. "Why did you do that?"

It took every bit of strength he had to combat his instincts, trying to tame himself against the heat of her body and the fact she was so willing to do anything for him, anything to make him happy. If she really was in her heat, the fact she had only every gone through them with whatever alpha she had been with at the time made it that much clearer to Harry that this wasn't something she would want with him normally. She wasn't of sound mind. She thought she wanted him because he was the closest alpha to her—the easiest one around to quell her needs.

While he wasn't in a much better headspace than her, he knew he had a better chance of saving them from the regret (for (Y/N) when she woke up and realized she'd let someone she only had platonic feelings for be so intimate with her) and heartbreak (for Harry when he saw her come to that realization) that would ensue the morning after. This wasn't a good idea despite how much his body wanted to convince him otherwise.

"We can't, (Y/N)," he told her, softening his tone as he massaged the back of her neck in hopes of soothing the rough way he had grabbed her in the first place.

"Why not?" she whined, her arms around his neck tightening, "Don't you want me? I thought you liked my nest, and I've been making dinner and cleaning up while you're at work. I thought I've been a good omega for you."

Rolling his lips between his teeth, Harry forced himself to refocus as he listened to her.

"Y'have been really good, (Y/N). Such a good omega, you know that," he attempted to soothe her, distracting her with his words as he unlaced his hands around her waist in favor of unwinding her arms from his neck. He watched as he perked up at the praise. "I'd be so lucky to have you, I know that. I've wanted y'for so long it hurts, but you don't want me like that."

(Y/N) was quick to shut him down with a shake of her head, her hands in his turning into a tight grip that urged him to stay. "That's not true! I do want you! I nested with all your clothes, Harry! I want you around me all the time, you're the only one that can make me feel better. I love you, isn't that enough?"

He swallowed as he tried not to let her pleading go to his head. He'd been waiting around for years to hear her say anything close to that ramble she just shared with him. But, the second he reminded himself that wasn't really her—that it wasn't really his shy, sweet best friend who looked to him for comfort and safety without the pressure of other alphas—he knew he couldn't let himself get caught up.

"Of course, that's enough, (Y/N). I jus' don't think rig—"

"Don't you love me, too?"

The back of Harry's jaw ticked as he processed her words, his gaze dropping to the ledge of her collarbones. He didn't have the strength to look into her eyes as she said things like that and keep his head on straight.

"I do, (Y/N), so much. For so long, too. But, I think you and I both know that you're not in the right state of mind right now for us to talk about that, right? Are you listening to me?" Maybe he was using his alpha-sway to his advantage, but he needed to know (Y/N) was listening to him, even if she wasn't quite understanding or agreeing for the time being.

"But—"

"No, jus' need y'to listen to me right now—that's how you'll be a good omega for me," he explained, tilting his head as he waited for her to mirror him to know she was in tune to what he was saying. "I think your heat is telling you that y'need me, but I don't think that's true. And I wouldn't want to do anything to my best friend that might upset her, even if she thinks its what she wants. Do I?"

The short shake of her head he earned was enough to have a lopsided smile curling his lips.

"You won't upset me, though," she peeped back, eyes shining, "I want you so bad because I love you, Harry."

Though the sentiment she shared was enough to have his already hammering heart skip a beat, he needed to level himself out before he only did something that would upset himself in the morning.

"I know," he told her, thought he wasn't so sure of that, "How about y'sleep in m'room tonight, and we'll see how y'feel in the morning if anything's changed. Do whatever y'need to do to make yourself happy, alright? I'll be downstairs." On instinct, he wanted to tack on that she could could grab him if she needed him, but that wasn't the kind of invitation she needed to hear at the moment. "I want to help you, love, I really do. But, I can't."

Harry swore his heart broke as he watched her face fall, tears tingling on the waterline of her eyes as he sat her down on the edge of his bed. The mess of his clothes and fluffy linens shifted as the mattress sunk under her weight, but she didn't seem to pay her little project any mind with the way her eyes were glued to him.

"I'll see you in the morning, alright?"

Harry waited for any kind of response until (Y/N) only gave him a small nod.

He was able to make it out, door shut behind him just before he heard the beginning of her breathless crying.

—————

Waking up in the morning, Harry felt more exhausted than he's sure he would have if he had just stayed upstairs with (Y/N).

Scrubbing his hands over his face, he sat up from where he made an impromptu bed on the couch with the single sheet (Y/N) had left in the closet during her effort to make her elaborate nest. He cringed as he rolled his neck; the throw pillow he had stuffed under his head put a crick in the muscles during the three hours he was able to sleep.

It wasn't (Y/N)'s fault that he wasn't able to shut his mind off or stop listening to everything happening only a floor above him until he finally passed out at three a.m.. She had whined for him for an hour, the cries muffled through the floor separating them, but he knew she was calling for him with every puffed sob. Guilt plagued his every thought as he listened, willing himself to stay just where he was at on the living room couch, no matter how much the alpha in him urged him to soothe his favorite little omega and give her anything she wanted. After she calmed down from that, he listened to the way she darted through his room, her feet shuffling over the floor as she assumedly perfected her nest or whatever she needed to do to fulfill herself without an alpha at her disposal. He tried hard not to think about what the creaking of his mattress could mean the later the night went on. It was only when she seemed to find her own reprieve, quieting for a bit of time, that Harry was able to lull himself to sleep.

Now, at six a.m., his body apparently deciding he didn't need anymore sleep though his brain begged to differ, he figured he might as well check in on (Y/N). If he thought he had a bad night, he could only imagine how the last handful of hours had been for her. He didn't know how much of their conversation the night before was something that would still hurt her in the light of day, but he hoped anything he said that would still upset her sound mind could be soothed with a plate of his cinnamon French toast and that special raspberry honey he found at the farmer's market that she loved.

Stretching out his limbs, Harry caught his bearings. Swinging his legs over the side of the couch, his bare feet touching the hardwood sent an orienting chill up his body. Not only was his neck and back going to hurt for the next three days at least, he'd also managed to sleep in his work clothes, keeping him from getting comfortable in his skin. The best part, he was going to have to shower and change right into another set just like it.

Standing from the couch, he made slow work of folding up the sheet and placing it at the foot of the couch, to be put away when he had a moment. It wasn't until he started towards the bedroom upstairs that he realized there was noise coming from the kitchen, silence filling the upstairs. A pinch pulled at his brows as he slowly woke fully.

While there was evidence of (Y/N)'s perfume everywhere in his house still, the concentration had dropped considerably. The sweetened top notes that he always associated with her won out against the dark merlot-heavy essence that mixed in the night before. Everything was decidedly less frantic throughout the house, less muddled and more in order, even if that was just because the haze of her scent was no longer clouding his judgment.

"(Y/N)?" he called out as he ventured towards the kitchen.

"I'm in here," she answered, her voice decidedly quieter than what he was hollering through the house. She was embarrassed, that much he could tell already, her scent growing demure as if she were trying to shrink herself from the inside out.

Stepping into the kitchen, he found her now dressed in her own pajamas, damp hair pulled up from her neck into a twist as she stood in front of the stove. The entire kitchen had been wiped down from the midnight snack he made for himself after (Y/N) had settled some in the night, leaving only the supplies she'd used while making breakfast on the counter.

"Morning," he mumbled, finding a post at the kitchen island to lean into with his elbows on the surface.

"Morning," she chirped back, trying to hide the demure rose he could smell in her scent. "I'm just finishing up the hashbrowns, but I already made omelettes and everything. It should be ready in a second."

Typically, heats could last somewhere from three days to a full seven depending on the omegas needs and whether or not an alpha was there to fulfill them. Even in the most mild of cases—which hers was not if any of the frantic bubbling and devastated pleas for him to stay were anything to go by—(Y/N) shouldn't be up and caring for him so early in the morning. She even had time to shower and wash her hair, something Harry knew could take her close to an hour depending on how long she felt like luxuriating under the water.

"How are y'feeling?" he tested, watching her for reactions despite the way she had her back to him.

With spatula in hand, she scooped out the shreds of potatoes and doled out sections to each plate. She shrugged as she did so, though Harry could see the set of her spine was anything but nonchalant.

"It was—um—it was a false heat," she murmured, "So, I was able to sleep it off after I calmed down."

"Oh," he sounded, nodding his head. That wasn't too surprising; it's happened before to omegas. If they spend enough time around an alpha, someone they trust but might not be intimate with, it can push them into a false heat with their body running through the adrenaline and the need for a companion, only for the effects to wear off in twenty-four hours.

"Yeah," she affirmed, turning to him with their plates of breakfast in hand. Silence settled over them as she rounded the island and picked a stool near where Harry was leaning, his plate being placed just at his side. Taking the invitation to sit, Harry waited as he watched her, noting the way she seemed tightly wound and unable to look at him for longer than a second before her eyes were focusing on something else.

"Y'feel alright now, though?" he gently prodded. Something was wrong and she wasn't sharing it with him.

"Yeah, just tired," she simplified, nodding her head before she poked at her omelette with her fork.

"Gonna stay home today, then?" he asked, cutting off a bite of the hashbrowns with the side of his fork.

"Kind of have to since I don't have my car," she breathed out, attempting to make herself laugh in spite of the obvious discomfort surrounding her.

"Right," he smiled, the curl nothing more than a facade that he wanted so badly to ease (Y/N).

Every word that came out of her mouth was a chirp, nothing more. No explanation, as if to avoid any kind of conversation with him. This wasn't at all how he saw the morning after, especially not after he tried so hard to keep things from getting messy between them.

"Harry?" she asked after a beat, looking to him though her eyes were stationed on the countertop under his hand. After Harry hummed an acknowledgment, she paused as she took in a deep breath, flitting her eyes to his where he found a sheen covering them. "I'm so sorry," she peeped.

In an instant he was off his stool with open arms, moving to collect her and soothe her, "Oh, (Y/N)."

"No, no," she shook her head, her fork clattering to her plate as she waved her hands in front of her. Harry stopped in his tracks, wanting so badly to soothe her but knowing that she wasn't going to let him. "What I did last night wasn't right, and it wasn't fair. I tried to force myself on you after you said no so many times, and then kicked you out of your room all because I couldn't calm down. It's not f-fair"—now the sniffling began with tears running over her waterline—"that I went th-through all of your stuff without asking, all because I wanted to ne-nest. I'm so, so, so sorry. I can't be-believe I did all that to you and you were still so nice to me."

By then, she couldn't contain the sobs that puffed her chest and stunted her lungs. Harry couldn't hold himself back as he saw her hang her head in her hands, palms to her eyes as she cried her heart out in the middle of his kitchen. As carefully as he could manage, he wrapped her in his arms, giving a moment's time for her to push him away if she wanted her space, but it was her that snuggled deeper against his chest once the warmth was offered.

"'S alright, (Y/N), really," he crooned to her, dropping a kiss to the top of her head before smushing his cheek in the same spot, "I know that wasn't you, okay? You're such a sweet girl, I knew y'weren't being yourself as soon as y'started talking to me like that. I don't blame you, okay? Heats and ruts can make us do crazy things, especially when we aren't prepared." A smile quirked his lips when he felt her nod her head against his chest, tears smattering his shirt as she clutched the fabric in her fists. "And I offered to sleep on the couch, remember? I knew y'needed your space and I didn't mind that y'needed m'things or m'bed to feel comfortable through it all. Besides, it was a wonderful little nest y'made, no reason for me to complain."

A hiccuping laugh was muffled against his chest as she nuzzled her nose into his top. "Th-Thank you."

"I wish I could have taken care of you, so y'didn't wake up feeling like this. I was so worried, I jus' didn't know how to help you, (Y/N). It scared me," he murmured to her, the words sinking into the strands of her hair.

"I didn't mean to."

"I know, sweet girl, I know. Not your fault at all, remember?"

A beat passed as she melted into his arms, the scent of her curling and flourishing the more she let herself relax after the morning she'd had. With her face still tucked against his chest, the tip of her nose skimming his skin through his top, she whispered, "Can I ask you something?"

"Course, sweet girl." He liked the way her scent peaked in contentment, roses blooming and strawberries flowering anytime he dubbed her his sweet girl.

"Last night, I know I was kind of out of it, but I remember you telling me you loved me," she started, "It didn't feel like when you usually tell me, though. I-I think you told me you've loved me for a long time... What did you mean when you said that?"

Now it was Harry's turn to go dry-mouthed as he fought to formulate an answer. He had almost been hoping she wouldn't remember something like that.

He must have floundered for a second too long when (Y/N) pulled away from his chest, looking up to him with glossy, red-rimmed eyes before she tried to backtrack. "If I'm totally wrong, that's fine, I'm sorry I brought it up. I don—"

"You weren't," he cut her off in a rush, the words falling from his mouth before he could control them, "You weren't wrong."

Harry watched as her eyes widened with a glimmer sparking through her irises. The smallest curve plucked at the corner of her lips just as her scent went even sweeter—a sign of sticky, sweet joy dribbling into her system.

"I'm not?"

Taking in a deep breath full of her fruited scent, Harry shook his head. "No, I did say that," he started, shifting his hold on her to land with his hands on her waist, "And I meant it differently than when we usually say it. I meant it."

The hands she had bundled in his top tightened, the fabric hers now with how hard she gripped it. "You meant it like—like—"

"Like 'm in love with you."

The way she perked up in his arms with a quiet gasp had all of Harry's worry draining from his system. She looped her arms around his neck, mimicking the position he found himself with her the night before but with much more clarity and less squirming. "Are you being serious, Harry?" she bubbled off, bouncing in her spot with her eyes bright and smile big.

Seeing her get so excited made his heart race. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because, you're—I—," (Y/N) couldn't contain herself as she pulled herself to his chest with a bubbly squeal, "You like me!"

"I do," he cemented with a breathy laugh, ducking his head down until the tip of his nose was skimming hers, "Can I take it that y'like me back?"

She nodded her head, hair fluttering around her face that had escaped from her clip, "So, so, so much!"

"Yeah?" he murmured, voice low and cooing, "Enough to let me kiss you?"

All it took was the bubbling nod of her head, nose nudging his in the process, before Harry stamped his lips against hers. It was clumsy with the way she struggled to keep from smiling, stop from squirming in her excitement, but Harry wouldn't have it any other way. She was his sweet girl, through and through.

"Will you stay home with me today?" (Y/N) peeped in between a slew of sweet pecks he dotted over her mouth, sipping on her taste, "I-I don't want you to leave when we just figured all this out, H."

"Give me one more kiss, then I need to make a phone call and tell someone 'm sick." The way (Y/N) smiled into their one last kiss had him running through what kind of faux-illness he could use to buy him a long weekend with her.

It was only made that much better when he heard her giggling laughter as he left the kitchen in search for his phone. Her scent bloomed around the house, imprinting her deep enough he hoped she'd never leave.

—————

this is def a little bit different for me ngl besties! I've never branched out into this kind of fic before so I really hope everyone enjoys! thank you all sm for reading and sorry for any mistakes! if you have any ideas or requests of your own please send them in!!

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bakedbakermom · 7 months

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i am nearly to the end of season 7 in my rewatch, and i want to tell new fans something that they may not have known about the original run:

we had no idea, until basically the day the finale aired, that there was going to be a season 8. the actors didn't know even while they were filming it.

see, turnaround times for network tv shows used to be MUCH shorter. they would spend usually 8 days shooting, a couple days in editing and post, and then it would air. often they were still editing in the MINUTES before airtime.

gillian anderson did an interview with letterman on the late show (i had to tape it because my mom wouldn't let me stay up to watch!) on like the thursday before Requiem aired saying that she had no idea what was going to happen. they had filmed one ending for if the show would continue, and another if it wouldn't. she said there was "this thing that i say" and if she says it, that would give us our answer. (it was "i'm pregnant" and when i say i DIED... like if i still had my diary from age 13/14 i would scan it for you just so you could see how unhinged i was about this.) (she was completely adorable in this interview and if anyone can find it i would love to watch it again. it was in may 2000.)

fox was in negotiations with the xf team for weeks leading up to the finale. they had no idea if Requiem was going to be a season or SERIES finale. david duchovny didn't want to come back, they didn't know if they could continue without him, they had NO IDEA what the plot for 8 would be if he didn't come back.

(this is why i laugh when fans try to say they planted clues about the ivf arc in s6-7. no they didn't. they did not think that far ahead. i love that you're trying to make this make sense but please don't tie yourselves up in knots about this, because no one else involved did.)

the weeks leading up to the finale were some of the most nail-biting times i have ever experienced in a fandom.

if you're wondering why og x-philes are all insane, this is just one of many reasons.

#txf #fandom lore #respect your elders we have SUFFERED

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am-i-the-asshole-official · 20 days

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WIBTA if I refused to be my ex-boyfriend's sisters' bridesmaid?

💐 to identify

Me (29F) and my now ex-boyfriend (29M) have been dating for almost 4 years now and we broke up last month. I found he was cheating on me, but that is not the only reason - the relationship has been going downhill long before that and in a way I'm glad it ended. I'm not going to detail the relationship because that is not the point of this post, but just to be clear we are still living together (separate bedrooms), I'm preparing to move to a city I have always wanted to live in and we have reached a stage where we can calmly discuss things to make the break smooth for each other, and he has been very accomodating so far.

Now, my boyfriend's sister (27F) asked me to be her bridesmaid two years back when she got engaged, and back then everything was okay so I said yes. She is going to be married this summer. To be clear about this, we don't have a relationship outside of her brother. We get along fine with each other and have some common interests, but we have never hung out one on one except for a couple of concerts we went to together. The only reason she asked me is because I'm her brother's girlfriend. The other bridesmaids are two of her friends and their eldest brother's wife. She doesn't have a lot of friends and I feel like the only reason she asked me and her SIL is because she didn't want to do the wedding with just two bridesmaids.

I don't plan to have a relationship with her once I move out of here (I want a clean break). I'm sure she wouldn't want my pictures all over her wedding album if she knew of the fact, and neither would I. That said, if I back out now it would put the whole wedding in a jeopardy. Everything has been planned with 4 bridesmaids and dress fittings too have been done. The fittings were done before the break up but I could have informed her sooner so they could hold off on making the dress, but I didn't even remember the wedding in the whole mess of everything else. I'm sure the dress has been done by now - I don't know how to ask without having to explain why.

My ex-boyfriend thinks we should just go ahead with the wedding without informing anyone about the break up but I think that's kind of dishonest and also I don't want to wait around here till summer if I can help it.

Even if we aren't that close I still think it was sweet of her to ask me and I was touched by the gesture and now I feel bad, because I will mess up the wedding preparations and she may possibly have to postpone it if she can't find a bridesmaid in time, and I will end up adding to her and her husbands' worries during this stressful time.

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

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happynowyo · 1 year

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Stubbornness

Fandom: Six of Crows

Pairing: Kaz Brekker x Reader

Warnings: mentions of traumas and touch aversion, Reader being a Healer

A/n: so here's the thing I wanted something angsty and smutty but could come up only with the first part tonight so I'll do another hot part in a few days to finish this completely.

Word count: 2,1k

Part 2

— I don't need that, — the confident tone cut through the silence like a sharp knife, sending shivers down your spine for a second.

You might have believed it if you hadn't personally witnessed a couple of Dime Lions beating Kaz with such zeal that the crunch of his broken ribs was clearly audible in the empty valley.

So you continued to worry about him without listening to what was said. You paid far more attention to the quiet sighs Kaz let out with each step, leaning harder and harder on his bad leg, as you noticed the pained expression flickering in his eyes, though you had to hand it to him that he was using all his acting skills to pretend to be fine and make you leave.

— Stop being so stubborn! Even Matthias isn't afraid of my abilities anymore after I healed that bullet wound in his shoulder.

You determinedly followed Kaz into his room, letting the door slam menacingly. As a sign to Kaz that you wouldn't just give up and leave him to be alone with the pain. As a sign to everyone else in the Slat that no one was allowed to bother him anymore in the next couple of hours.

There was no relationship between the two of you. At least, that's what you both claimed when Jesper and Nina cast too many meaningful glances at you, and Inej carefully kept in a secret all those times she saw you leaving Kaz's bedroom before breakfast, knowing that you had spent the night with him. Saints, sometimes even you convinced yourself that you had nothing in common, even though certain details made it clear that your relationship had long gone beyond the professional.

If you didn't know Kaz personally, you'd think he was giving you conflicting signals. He was withdrawn and aloof, preferring to talk only about business. Even if he insisted and you spent the entire evening around him, he went about his deals as if he didn't notice your presence. His stern tone was used toward you as often as it was toward everyone else.

If you didn't know him, you'd be sure that Kaz Brekker was a cold, indifferent bastard who was only interested in kruge and the future death of Pekka Rollins. Calculating and cruel and completely incapable of basic affections. But in reality it was very different. The trick was not to take Kaz for an ordinary guy and not to see him as such. His difficult past had made him wear such armor that it had time to blend into his skin over the years.

In those moments when anyone else would have approached you with caring questions and a warm hug if you were suddenly hurt during the heist, Kaz would limit himself to a brief worried look, though later he would definitely comb down the person you were paired with. You once accused him of being incapable of showing any emotions, but you later realized that the Barrel had hardened him to show it in the most inconspicuous way possible, so as not to put you in any danger. Only the Saints know what Pekka or anyone else would have done to you if they had known about the secret feelings Kaz had for you.

When Wylan revealed that he knew a Healer, everyone took it with great enthusiasm. Even Kaz saw it as a good sign, and it made everyone feel a little more at ease about the tasks ahead, though you remembered to remind Crows to be careful. You could heal a lot, but it wasn't always instantaneous and serious wounds could take a couple of weeks to fully heal. The bigger problem was someone else's stubbornness - Jesper would drag himself to you almost every day with any simple cut, while Matthias or Kaz would literally have to be persuaded.

— I want to help. Let me, please.

Despite the soft shell, the authoritative tone was no deception to Kaz. He sighed heavily and, after a little hesitation, pulled off his jacket, ignoring the flash of pain around his shoulder. Who would have thought that Pekka's secretary was so good with knives?

— You're not supposed to be here, Y/n. He'll be looking for you. Did Pim let you in? — the curt speech was the proof of how much effort Brekker was making to hold back a painful groan and, God forbid, admit that he really needed some help.

You were bound to Anderson with an indenture and officially worked at one of his clubs along with the other Grishas. He was a part of the Merchant Council and was involved in key decisions regarding politics and trade in Ketterdam, which, however, did not stop him from accepting bribes, being under the wing of Pekka and running a real brothel in his club. Many men were really interested in spending the night with Grisha, though more often they ended up asking the girls to demonstrate their skills.

— Anderson is having a party tonight, along with a bunch of other great merchants. And you obviously knew that, since you'd snuck into Pekka's club, counting on the fact that he'd be among the other guests and his office would be empty. Why didn't Nina feel the heartbeat of the guards? — you were tired of the distance between you, so you approached first, gently helping to undo the buttons on Kaz's blood-soaked shirt. Your eyes tried desperately to catch his, but Brekker stubbornly looked away, trying to control the panic that was building up. Close bodily contact was still difficult for him, though his was making definite progress with your help.

— The Fabricator. Someone had worked on the office door, turning it into a veritable safe, through which it is impossible for Grisha to feel or hear anything. Someone from Dregs had told Pekka about our future attack.

Kaz looked angry, but you understood that he had already passed the stage of frustration with his subordinates and so was calculating his options as to who might had done it. His sharp mind was constantly at work, and it was clearly to his advantage now, since it distracted him from realizing how close your fingers were to his body. Phantom heat could already be felt, but it was nothing compared to what he was going to feel later.

You had tried some things before. Intimacy might have been expressed in different ways, but gradually you raised the degree higher and higher. Kaz was getting used to your presence more and more and it allowed him to push his boundaries a little further. Recently you were even able to spend the night in the same bed, separated only by the thin fabric of your pajamas. Before his trauma Kaz was a particularly tactile child, and you hoped to bring him back to that at least a little, showing him that physical touch didn't always have to be accompanied by pain and panic.

You remembered perfectly your first kiss. How timid and cautious it was at first. How desperate and greedy it became later, until a wave of anxiety swept over Kaz and made him pull away first. He focused on avoiding you for a whole week after that and was pretty sure that you were disappointed in his ability to control himself or that you were angry because of his attitude toward touching and the fact that he couldn't give you something normal. However, you managed to change his mind and you continued to take steps toward each other, guided by your growing feelings.

— None of that matters now. You took the papers you wanted, and I'll heal your wounds. We'll deal with everything else in the morning, okay? — you smiled encouragingly, and then you gently stepped closer, your fingers caressing Kaz's bare left side, trying to bind the broken ribs together. Your attentive gaze was fixed on Kaz's face the whole time, assessing and comparing, so that you could instantly catch the moment when the panic of too close contact would occupy his mind again.

— Will you stay? — Kaz finally stopped pretending that his brave solitude on that night was more appealing to him than your support.

— If you behave yourself, sweetheart.

You pulled his shirt aside and examined more closely many bruises and cuts that studded Kaz's torso. The open wound on his right shoulder demanded your attention first, so you gently nudged Kaz toward the bed so that he could sit on it and give you more space. As you worked, you couldn't stop gazing at him, admiring him openly, and your free palm lightly touched his hair, brushing back the strands that had fallen to his forehead. Tenderness filled your heart, and a wandering smile appeared on your lips that didn't escape Kaz's attention.

He liked these moments of comfort with you, and he expressed it in his own way, deciding to take the initiative and slowly run his fingertips from your knee up your thigh. You were standing almost between his legs and the height difference you created gave him an advantageous opportunity. Touching you was still new to Kaz, but the mind-fogging desire was too great and, at certain moments, overpowered any panic. And that's why he gently wrapped his arm around your wrist and pulled you toward him to make you sit on his lap, facing each other even closer.

— It's good you weren't there in his office. If Pekka finds out you're working with me, he'll definitely tell Anderson. They're great friends, it wouldn't cost him anything to get your indenture to himself, — Kaz' eyes were filled with pure hatred, and some part of you was glad it wasn't meant for you.

— You could buy me out. That way I would belong only to you.

— You already belong only to me, Y/n, — Kaz said confidently, in a wave of ghostly jealousy, not even paying attention to the fact that your palm moved to his face, healing his cheekbones from the horrible bruises.

— Only at night. You only claim me here, among these confined four walls, when no one can see or hear us, — you shrugged briefly, getting rid of the sadness in your voice. It would be foolish to expect a man like Kaz to drop everything and leave for a peaceful life. Ketterdam, power and the pursuit of money was everything to him. — Sometimes it takes an effort to remind myself of that during the day, when I don't know if I can see you again because people on streets are about to break the news of your death after another fight or because Anderson will sell me out to someone else.

It was harder to hear about it than to just know it and keep it in the back of his mind. You were the fairest and most beautiful girl for Kaz, the person he truly wanted to protect from everything and care about, and he was sickened by the thought that someone could take you away or hurt you somehow. The words swirled on his tongue, burning with its despair, and he needed to do something to hold on to that moment and cling to you, to prove that the only thing real now was you, your caressing touches erasing the painful sensation from his skin, and the heat of life itself that emanated from you.

The few times before all your kisses had come from you. Kaz had found it easier to accept touch than to touch himself, but now the need to be with you made him go with his urges, so his palm gripped your waist, pulling you closer, and his lips covered yours so hastily, as if he feared it was the last thing he would ever have time and ability to do in his life. But kissing him was still extremely satisfying.

So much that the desire instantly settled in your blood and made you more pliable. Your tongue slid playfully along his, and a convulsive, loud exhalation became yours in common. You unconsciously buried your fingers in his hair and pulled stronger, causing Kaz to moan briefly right into the kiss before he slowly pulled away with a completely shaken look and a bright smile and a glint in his eyes. And in that moment he looked a hell of a lot like his usual self, just a guy spending time with the girl he loved, and their only problem was not the prospect of death at the hands of rival gangs, but the question of whether they'd locked the door.

Although Kaz Brekker had another question stashed away — would you agree to wear that ring he bought for you so you could remember him and his feelings at all times?

Part 2

#kaz brekker #six of crows #kaz brekker imagine #kaz brekker x fem!reader #kaz brekker x reader

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nomoreusername · 9 months

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Dibs

{All of this is from Gally's P.O.V}

I'll be the first to admit it. I didn't trust Y/N when she first came up. I was worried she'd throw everything out of order or was sent up as someone we need to be suspicious of.

That had been proven wrong three Greenie's ago. She didn't even interact with people much, and she's definitely never done something to throw this place off balance. If anything she contributed a lot, going in-between jobs whenever needed or just doing smaller ones throughout the day. She could be a Builder one day and Slicer the next. She'd volunteer as a Cook for one hour and switch to being a Slopper.

There was only one thing she refused to touch which was actually surprising. Despite what you're thinking it's not the Maze. Some days she's actually a Runner. No, she refuses to be anywhere near the Greenie's. When the box comes up she's almost nowhere to be found. Sometimes she's not even a Runner or even just in the Maze so I don't know how she disappears for the entire day. I'll be the last to admit that I've actually looked to see if I could spot her. So far nothing.

So I did something that I don't even know the reason for and hatched a plan. When everyone's by the box I'm checking every square inch of this place. There's no real reason for me to do this. She's not a troublemaker. I just don't get how nobody else notices her absence.

So I was waiting for everyone to start standing by the box. A few others were already making their way over just in case something happens. After another minute, then two, then five, basically everyone has left. Knowing I had to be quick since she obviously couldn't stand them I tried the first place that made sense.

The Deadheads were never something I've really gone in. Maybe once or twice to chase down a Greenie but never without any other reason. Still, Y/N knows not a lot of people need to come here. Sometimes the Track-hoes need fertilizer, which she also got without hesitation, but never anybody else. This was the perfect hiding spot for anyone.

♡ - - - ♡

As I went further in I realized she definitely wasn't here. I kicked the tree next to me, and just a second later I heard rustling above me. I looked up, puzzled by the noise, and spotted two feet dangling near the top branches. Suddenly I didn't know what exactly I would do. I hadn't actually planned this far ahead.

Debating whether or not this was completely stupid I decided it probably was. Despite that I started making my way up the tree anyway. Random branches sticking along with painful thorns tore up my hands. If this is where she goes to hide why pick here? Especially since she actually was at the top.

Still, fueled by determination I didn't quit until I was on the branch beside her. She didn't say anything or acknowledge that anyone was next to her for what felt like centuries.

"I wanted to know why you're never there,"I admitted. As always she didn't react to my words. She doesn't react much to what anyone really says. She'll talk to you and have a conversation, but she has this blank look the entire time. It's not a zoning out or disinterested look. It's more of she's expecting you to tell her to do something, maybe work another job around here. If it's not she still sits there talking but stone-faced. It's hard to explain.

"Shouldn't you be with everyone else in case the Greenie gets violent? You know? Scare them with your 'day one Greenie' and all that,"She asked, after a while.

"Probably,"I shrugged.

"Why are you up here with me then? You've been here for about two hours."

"I didn't even know this place was that big,"I responded.

"Well, it is. Now answer my first question. Why aren't you with the others greeting the Greenie?"

"I got permission from Alby to not be around during Greenie day."

I have to admit that this caught me off guard. I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't that she actually asked so she wouldn't be around them.

"Dibs?"I asked, not knowing what that meant or even if I heard her right.

"Why did you ask him though?"I questioned. She didn't say anything as she looked at the ground. For a second I thought she was just going to stop talking all together until she mumbled something under her breath.

"Dibs."

"Yeah. When I came up a bunch of you starting calling dibs on me. I heard a few 'is she hot?' and 'I wanna look'. I didn't hear many people say anything to them. Just Newt pulling me out of the box and promising me I'd be okay, Alby telling them to get to work, and you telling them to shut their mouths before you make them."

"Oh. I forgot about that,"I said without thinking.

"Of course you did,"She sighed. "You know, you all greet the Greenie's in a normal way? You pull them up, maybe laugh at their confusion, and explain everything. Sometimes you chase after the ones who run like you did me."

"I couldn't let you go in the maze,"I pointed out.

"Why do you think I was running Gally?"

"Because you were surrounded by a bunch of strange boys and no memory?"I guessed.

"Partly. Most of it was the fear of what could happen. Of what one of you could do to me, much less an entire group. I didn't know my name, but I knew that I wasn't a human at that moment. I was nothing more than a piece of meat, a joke to spread around like ash, and a little girl with no true protection. All I could think was that I couldn't let someone catch me. I couldn't even let them come near me. If I fought I knew there were more of you. Even if I know you wouldn't attack me now I didn't then. All I could do was run."

I didn't know what to say to any of that. I remember that day, but I never actually paid it much mind. I just thought it was another Greenie day. Only there was a girl this time. I didn't think anything more about it. To her though, it was everything different.

"I know some of you still think I'm weak. That's why I travel from job to job and do the things a lot of you don't like. Plus, I'm never around too many people for long. You didn't trust me when I came up, right?"

I just stared at the ground not knowing what to say to that either.

"Not at first,"I confessed.

"Right. Well, I don't trust some of you. Even those of you who didn't say anything like that are people I keep an eye on. Sure, I have some friends I'd give my life for, but it's either because they stood up for me or weren't there. Newt, Alby, Minho, Ben, and Chuck are all the people I truly feel safe with. I'd trust more than I do if we were friends, but I'd still come to you if I was in a situation that called for it."

"Well, you followed me to my hiding spot so I'm going to tell you anyways. After the first two I realized you all treated them so differently. No dibs or jokes. It sucked to know that my welcome was me being talked about like an object right in front of me. No shame, no guilt, no anything. Just comments. That hurts sometimes. Knowing that nobody is yelling at anyone to shut up or leave Greenie alone hurts. Because I don't feel like a Glader. That's why I took so long to carve my name on the wall. I feel like an outsider in what's supposed to be my home."

"You're wondering what this has to do with avoiding Greenie's, aren't you?"She asked.

"Oh. No, I kind of forgot about that part,"I admitted.

I just sat there dangling my feet above the ground like an idiot. I really, really, really, didn't think this far. What exactly do you say when someone pours their heart out to you? Much less someone who you've never had a personal conversation with?

"I don't know if it means much, but I never really saw you as weak. Maybe suspicious, but never anything else negative. You work hard, and you've actually helped fix a few things we hadn't noticed."

"What choice did I have? Not working hard means people can make more assumptions about me. Some still do. I might accidentally drop something that doesn't seem heavy because I've spent hours carrying other heavy things or trip over my feet in the garden because my legs hurt from running the maze yesterday. Then, a few people may still make a comment."

"Well, that's stupid. Nobody else works every job here. What right do they have to say anything?"

"It's just how it is Gally."

"It shouldn't be though."

"There's not much anyone can really do. I've accepted that it's not me and brushed it off."

I turned to look at her since I've never actually seen her there. She was staring straight ahead with the same blank expression.

"You thought it was you?"I asked, not knowing how that was possible.

"For a bit. The life we live isn't easy. There's a lot of stress and questioning your sanity. You don't think you're the only one who sits on the Watch Tower at night to think, do you?"

"I leave when I realize someone's there. I didn't realize who was there for three nights until I almost got caught one night. I make sure to check more carefully now,"She explained.

"If you want you can just come up, and we could just share it. I'll sit on one side, and you can sit on the other,"I offered.

She didn't say anything so I looked back at her. For the first time that I can remember she had the ghost of a smile on her face.

"Yeah. I think that's fine. After all I trust my friends with my life."

"Yeah. So we're friends now?"

"Depends. Are you willing to deal with what people could say about you?"

"Yeah."

"Then, yes Gally. We're friends now."

#the maze runner #tmr gally #one shot #gally x reader #gally x y/n #tmr

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draco-dormiens · 4 months

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THE STRANGEST OF PLACES - Chapter Twenty One

draco x fem!ravenclaw reader / postwar au series

an: happy new year guys ♡ your kindness and patience has been very much appreciated. i hope your holidays have been wonderful, if you have celebrated :)

warnings: possible strong language, angst, unrequited love, alcohol use (characters are 18+)

wc: 4194

masterlist

taglist is now closed - i’ve officially run out of tags! thank you all

The Greengrasses Come to Tea

Days pass by rather quickly when you're miserable as sin and dreading a certain something.

Another letter from Narcissa arrived the day before the dinner was planned to go ahead. In her letter she had explained, in thorough detail, exactly how she expects the evening to go, exactly how she expects Draco to behave, and exactly when to get down on one knee.

It was so calculated Draco felt like he was reading an instruction booklet.

Nothing much had changed, apart from the fact Granger's visit did nothing but play reruns in his mind. He was pretty certain you had no idea she'd come down to see him, otherwise she wouldn't have been there. The information she gave to him had scenarios playing out in his head. What would happen if he did show up? Would you be happy? Mad? Would you kiss him, slap him, or just tell him to get the hell away from you? He likes to think you'd run into his arms, but after how foul he was, he wouldn't blame you for breaking a piece of your mind. It's not too late, Granger said.

Can he really fix this mess? Would you really love him despite his cowardice, despite him making all the wrong decisions and leaving you no choice but to turn away. Could you find it in you to forgive him?

Over the last few weeks, as you've been avoiding each other like the plague, he's come to see that he never even tried to fight for you. Never once did he prepare himself to stand up to his parents. That's not to say he hadn't thought of it, because he most certainly had, but the bravery he would need escaped him. No wonder you're finished with him, he'd once again allowed himself to be pushed along the road by someone else. You were far too good for someone like him anyway, he tells himself. Someone else out there will have the guts he doesn't possess, and fight for you, just how he should have done. With only a day left until he was made to give his life away, Draco's patience was running very thin, and even someone being within his proximity irritated him, but Astoria seemed to be oblivious to this and invaded his space regardless. He held his tongue, because he's about to spend every waking moment with the girl, but in his mind he was thinking of several ways he could disappear without anyone knowing.

"Beautiful afternoon," Astoria sighs, once again trying to brush her hand against his as they walked along the edge of the lake, "don't you think, Draco?"

He retracts his hand into his pocket. Astoria was a fan of walks, and since the engagement was settled to happen, and you were out of the picture, she'd been asking him to join her most days. Draco, feeling like, somehow, his mother was watching his every move, agreed, but hated every second of being away from his dorm room. From the corner of his eye, he could see her growing impatient with his inability to reciprocate her efforts.

"It's nice," he mutters, "always liked the lake."

"As I've heard," she smiles across at him, "didn't you befriend the giant squid in your younger years?"

Draco chuckles lightly.

"The squid is harmless, and actually enjoys the company of many students," he explains, "I'm not special, I'm afraid."

"I think you are," she compliments, and he can't help but feel a little nauseous. It's so wrong that this girls feelings are being wasted on him, "even if the squid doesn't."

Draco only smiles thinly.

"Thanks," he answers quickly. He feels her getting closer, her arm brushing his. He knows he must show some sort of willingness if this was to work, so he gestures for her to loop her arm around his. She does so in a heartbeat, and leans into him.

"So," she begins, sounding a little cautious, "you and your friend are still not speaking?"

Once the incident in the woods happened, Draco returned to the Slytherin common room looking worse than ever. His hair was a mess, his face was pale and his eyes puffy. Astoria, because why would anything be in his favour, happened to be reading in the common room when he entered looking like that. She rushed to him, of course, fussed about how upset he looked and sat him down, rubbing his arm. Draco felt so numb he didn't even feel her presence beside him, or really hear what she was saying. That's when he mumbled, staring into the fire;

"It's over. We're done."

Astoria knew in that moment, within a day, you had held your end of the bargain. It was perhaps cruel, but she felt a weight lift off her shoulders. He never questioned her about approaching you, he simply didn't have the energy for an argument. You knew, and you'd made your decision. Maybe, in some sick way, it was a blessing he didn't have to be the one to do it. He wasn't sure he could.

Draco refuses to speak about you, and Astoria knows this, but asks, in a roundabout way, if he's been reckless and gone back to you. Each time she asks, he feels his heart snap all over again, and forces out an answer that pleases his future wife.

"No," he answers shortly, and Astoria says no more on the matter. She only nods.

"Have you thought about what you might do after school?" she changes the subject as they stop at the water's edge. Gentle, little waves roll up the shore and crash by their feet, "I'm sure your exam results will be good."

"Hopefully," he says, his voice as empty as always, "the Ministry, maybe. Or something in medicine. Haven't decided yet."

"You'll be great, no matter what you do," she said, looking up at him with longing eyes. He looks back at her, another guilty feeling taking over him, "you're wonderful, Draco."

From the way she's looking at him, he knows what the girl is asking. It's not the first time she's looked at him that way, either. She wants him to kiss her. To show her that this decision is the right one, and that she's worthy. God, he feels like a criminal. He moves his head to look over the water, but Astoria's hand brings his gaze back to her. The look in her face tells him her patience is running rather thin, too.

"Draco," she whispers to him, fingers tracing his jaw. The only touch he can feel is yours, "you know we have to at some point, right? And tomorrow, they'll expect it."

He feels like he's being unfaithful. Her eyes are screaming it, asking him to lean in and take her as his wife. To accept her. Draco feels lightheaded, like he might pass out at any minute, when she's gently pulling him down to her level. Her lips almost brush his when Draco puts his hand on her wrist lightly, stopping all her movements.

"I can't," he whispers hoarsely, and Astoria's face drops, "I'm sorry, 'Storia. I can't kiss you."

"Because of her," Astoria mutters almost bitterly.

This was affecting her, too. He knew that, and just how unfair his behaviour must seem to her.

"I can't help it," he takes in a shaky breath, "I'm still... I'm not over it yet. I understand it's not what you want to hear, and I'm deeply sorry for that. I just... I- I need time."

She nods, and remains close, but she doesn't pressure him anymore. He can see, that even she is doubting his ability to see this through. He tries to move away, but she holds on to him. She needs someone right now, so they stay like that for a while. It was the least he could do for her, offer some comfort, so he rubs her back soothingly and she leans into him. From the corner of his eye, he sees two figures approaching them from a far. He focuses his eyes to see who it was, and his heart drops to the very pit of his stomach.

It's Granger, and you.

Astoria rests her head against his chest, unaware of their company. All he can do is stare back at you, and Granger tugs the arm of your sweater. Without taking your eyes from his, the two of you double back, and walk in the opposite direction. Once you've processed the image before you, you're turning away, rushing before Granger as she picks up pace to walk beside you. If he was feeling any kind of guilt, he was feeling worse than ever now.

"On the one day I convince you to actually come outside," Hermione huffs and puffs as she tries to keep up with your incredibly quick pace, "I can't believe it. I really can't."

"It's fine," you mumble miserably, quickening your pace to get as far away as possible, "this is mostly my doing, anyway."

"There you go again, blaming yourself," Hermione pants, "he's no saint in this, you know. He's just as responsible."

"That somehow doesn't help," you said, now marching back towards the castle, "this feeling... it doesn't make it go away. Ever. The guilt."

"After this weekend, you'll never have to see them again," said Hermione, desperately trying to keep up with you, "and I know that sounds awful, but being away from him, from this school, and the ever growing fear of running into them, might be what you need."

You stop at the edge of the school grounds, Hermione coming to a halt behind you. Hogwarts looked gloomy, even under the midsummer sun. Even in the hazy afternoon sunshine, in the warm and sweet air, it seemed miserable. Graduation was approaching quick and fast. Families and guests of the school will be arriving over the next couple of days, readying for a day of celebration when Saturday rolls around. There was nothing more sickening than that thought right now. Your mother had owled over freshly pressed robes and presents from family members. Flowers, cards, chocolates. Happy little messages and congratulations.

Shame you can't seem to enjoy such a pivotal time.

"Someone up there hates me," you mumble, and Hermione's hand rests against your shoulder.

"Well, someone down here doesn't," she says kindly, and you turn to face her, etching a smile across your solemn face, "and no one at the dinner tomorrow does. In fact, Ron owled me to say how excited he was to see you. I'm sure it's the same for everyone else, too. You're not alone, Y/N. There are so many people who wish you happiness."

"Thanks, 'Mione," you mutter softly, and then look back up at the towering heights of the castle as Hermione starts to walk ahead of you. A gentle breeze ruffles your hair, as two birds soar across the sky to disappear behind a tower. You take a deep breath, and exhale slowly, before whispering to yourself, "in another life, Draco. In another life."

The day breaks into blistering sunshine and clear blue skies. Friday morning greeted the grounds of Malfoy manor with the sound of whistling birds and fresh, crisp air. The flowers were in bloom; brilliant shades of red, pink and yellow. Rather a contrast to the glooming building in the distance. Watering cans, seemingly moving by themselves, sprinkled water over the petals and the neatly trimmed shrubbery as they danced across the gardens. The dark and dreary exterior of his childhood home looked evermore depressing as Draco stood just beyond the gates, gathering the will to enter the front door. Just inside, no doubt, his mother was ordering the house elf to fold napkins and polish cutlery. His father, he presumes, would be tucked away in his study, out of the way and minding his own business. He expects his mother has arranged more house elves to prepare the dining room for what some might say is a wondrous occasion.

Her son was getting engaged, after all. To the woman she had desired, no less.

Draco drags himself to the front door, and with a small flick of his hand, the large piece of oak begins to scrape along the tiled floor, revealing the foyer. His mother had freshly picked flowers decorating the entryway and lined along the corridors. The giant windows cast gorgeous rays of gold into the dark hallways, specs of dust floating in the light as he made his way towards his room. He could at least get a little bit of time alone before the dreaded dinner.

Or, at least, he thought he could.

"Draco," he hears his mother's voice call from the other end of the hallway, hand clasped around the handle of his bedroom door, "I had no idea you were here," Narcissa said as she crosses the space between them, "Why are you hiding in there? Are you feeling well?"

She presses her palm to his forehead, looks at his throat as she instructs him to say ah, darling, and feels under his jaw. With a perplexed look, she huffs, holding his face in her hands.

"Do you need to lay down? You look pale, sweetheart. Is everything alright? Is it nerves?"

Her eyes were kind. When his mother showed her true affection for him, it was oddly warming. Draco knew his mother loved him - that's why he was feeling this pain. That's why she was breaking her back to make sure he became a respectable pureblood, because she knew how it felt to be shunned and whispered about in the street. She knew how it felt to have the world watching as your reputation crashed and burned in a courtroom full of judgmental faces. More than anything, did she want him to avoid that. The less pain he had the better, and yet, because of her divine protection, Draco had never felt so much pain in his life.

"I just need to rest before tonight," he smiles thinly, "please, don't worry yourself."

Narcissa doesn't stop him from turning the handle and disappearing behind the dark wood door. His room came into view; green satin sheets neatly made up on his bed, fresh towels folded at the end and his suit for the evening freshly pressed and hanging from his wardrobe. His belongings were exactly where he had left them; papers on his desk, half read book on the bedside table and his curtains shut. Draco pulls back the long, heavy material from his bedroom window to look down at the grounds below. Glorious sunshine. Water fountain gently trickling in the middle of the maze that was his back garden. A few house elves were trimming the hedges. It's a shame really, because when you were a guest in his house, it was near freezing and covered in thick white snow outside. You never got to see the garden in its full glory. He wonders what you're doing now, if you're already at Weasley's house. Surely having a better time that he was...

Right?

"What do you mean you're not coming?"

Hermione bellows over the muggle phone that Mr Weasley has. Her hands were covered in batter, her apron speckled with flour as Ron and George attempt to hang the "Happy Gradation!" bunting over the dining table (Mrs Weasley, in a rush, had forgotten the 'u'.)

"I thought we'd gone over this," Hermione said, leaning to speak into the phone that was sitting on the side, its cord winding back to the holder at the other end of the kitchen, "everyone would love to see you, and you'll enjoy it once you're here."

You hear a kerfuffle in the background. "I said to your right, Ron, that's your left." George's distant voice laughs, as Ron protests "Do you want to try? I'm trying not to stand on the forks." Then a clash and a bang, and George's laughter erupts into hysterics.

"Is everything alright there, 'Mione?" you ask, and she sighs irritably.

"Ron's just fallen off the table," she said nonchalantly, "anyway, back to you. I would really love it if you could make it, Y/N. It might do you good, to get out and be around familiar faces. Besides, we graduate this weekend! We need to celebrate."

"I'm not exactly a joy to be around," you said miserably, "I'd hate to be a buzzkill."

"You won't be!" Hermione reassures you, panicking slightly that if, by some grace of the Gods, Draco decides to take her advice, you won't even be there when he shows, "please, Y/N. Rethink it? You have time, it doesn't start for a few more hours."

"I'll... think on it," you mutter, but Hermione isn't convinced, "please don't think I'm not grateful to you all. What you're doing is lovely and I do want to celebrate with everyone."

"I know," Hermione's kind voice said over the noise; George's roaring laughter and Ron's angry chuntering just audible,"I understand. Just promise me you'll think more about it before making a decision?"

There's a silence, as you stare out of your living room window, a white lie rolling off your tongue.

"Yeah," you breathe, smiling sadly on the other end, "I promise."

Night crawls in like a bad omen, seeping darkness into the unlit parts of the Malfoy's home; lamps and candles now lighting the long hallways, dining hall and main drawing room. The huge windows cast light across the dark grounds, the humid summer heat still hanging in the air. The antique clock on Draco's bedside table ticks, and ticks, and ticks. He fixes his tie one last time. Smooths down his hair, his suit, and takes a long, raggedy breath.

Grangers words still circle his mind.

There was one last chance still lingering, waiting for his hands to grasp it. He took a long hard look in the mirror at his pale complexion, something that never seemed to change about him after all these years. Still pasty, eyes still sharp and greyish blue, hair still thick and fair. The only thing that ever seemed to change about Draco was his age; the rest of him, even his bitterness, never faltered. Although, even those around him were not blind to the way he had softened - despite him always being Malfoy, his hard demeanour and nasty glare weren't as they once were. Something, or someone, rather, had managed to shift him slightly.

But to Draco, as he looks into the mirror, dressed in his best, all he could see was the same old coward. The same old Malfoy.

"Draco, dear," a loud knock on his door tore his eyes away from the reflection, "they'll be here any minute, I need you down in the foyer to greet them."

"Yes, mother," he calls back, slipping the tiny velvet box on his desk into his pocket and leaving the safety of his bedroom.

The house was filled with the sweet aroma of summer flowers, grown in his mothers flower beds and arranged by the house elf for tonight's festivities. Candles and sconces lit his way, and he entered the main foyer to stand beside the large oak doors that Astoria Greengrass was no doubt about to walk through. He thinks back on Christmas, and how you showed up, in blistering cold and thick snow to bring him a simple box of chocolates. How you both drank the cellar dry and played pool like two giggling school girls. A smile creeps onto his face, just as his mother comes galloping down the staircase in a rush.

"Any moment," she mutters to herself, grabbing Draco's arm to stand beside her, directly opposite the door. One last look over her son, she smooths his tie and gives him a loving look, "so handsome," she whispers, pinching his cheek lightly as he grimaces at the gesture.

Then a loud, almost nautisating bell rings throughout the foyer, and Draco's stomach drops. Narcissa hurries over, and with a flick of her hand, the door scrapes along the tiled floor to reveal Mr and Mrs Greengrass, Daphne Greengrass, and her younger sister, Astoria Greengrass.

"Ah, how wonderful it is to see you, Mr and Mrs Greengrass, please, do come in." Narcissa graciously moves aside, as Draco extends his hand to Astoria's father, kisses her mother's hand and gives his old classmate Daphne a little bow.

"Daph," he smiles thinly, and she curtsies in return.

"Draco," she greets him kindly, "it's been a while."

"Yeah, just a little," he jokes with a lifeless chuckle, "you look well."

"Thank you," she nudges him on the arm, "and so do you. But, you've always scrubbed up well. Remember the Yule Ball? Gosh, I regret that gigantic pink gown to this day."

The two remenice a little while as Astoria stands at a comfortable distance, watching Draco's every move whilst speaking to her older sister. They laugh about some past memories as young Slytherins, until Daphne finally remembers why she's there.

"Oh, Merlin, listen to me ramble," she says, turning to face her little sister, "I'm sure it's my kid sister you really want to speak to. Right, 'Storia? You've done nothing but talk about Dr-"

"Shut it," Astoria, red cheeked, snapped quietly to her sister, before giving Draco a kind, almost reassuring smile, "good evening, Draco."

"Evening, 'Storia," he reaches out to press a kiss to her hand politely, "you look lovely."

She blushed a furious red, and in true Slytherin fashion, Daphne started chuckling to herself, opening her mouth to comment on her sisters tomato face when the tiny house elf that lived at the Malfoy residence offered to take the ladies coats. A look of relief washed over Astoria, thankful at the interruption. Drinks were poured in the drawing room, Lucius discussing current Ministry affairs with Mr Greengrass as Narcissa gave Mrs Greengrass a very lengthy description of the many portraits on the walls. Astoria excused herself to use the restroom, giving Draco a moment's peace after she talked and talked and talked about her interest in becoming an activist for magical creatures in captivity. As noble as her cause was, Draco was bored to tears. Then the couch dipped down beside him, and he looks up to see Daphne had claimed her sisters spot, a knowing smirk at her lips.

"You're so miserable, do you know that, Malfoy?" She says, swirling sparkling wine in her glass. Draco chokes on his.

"Excuse me?" he coughs, "you do realise you're in my house, drinking my wine as you insult me.”

She laughed.

"Oh stop being so uptight," she said. Daphne had known Draco for many years, and as a result of that, knew his tell tale signs. She was in his circle of friends, and Pansy stuck herself to Daphne just as much as she did Draco. Her fair share of childhood mischief was done with Draco at her side. Parties and celebrations as children were spent sneaking about their parents houses and making trouble for the guests. All those years had gone now, though, but Daphne was still someone Draco remembered fondly, even if he was marrying her sister unwillingly. But Daphne, unlike her sister, had the qualities of a true Slytherin, and nothing, absolutely nothing, got past her, "you do look bloody miserable. What's wrong? Wait, don't tell me. 'Storia's been talking your ear off about magical creatures rights, hasn't she? Girl's about as interesting as a mop bucket."

Draco can't help but chuckle at that, and Daphne smiles over her glass at her old friend.

"Her hearts in the right place, Daph," Draco then defends the poor girl, who isn't even present to do it herself, "it's just... not for me, that's all."

"Sure enough, but my God, she needs a hobby, Dray," Daphne shakes her head, and the nickname was nice to hear from someone other than Pansy. It had some good memories attached to it, as well, "and so do you, by the sounds of it. All I've heard from 'Storia is how much time you spend in your damn room."

"It's called studying, Daphne," Draco points out, finishing his last drop of wine, "I didn't go back to Hogwarts to just sit around, you know."

"Oh, really?" she says sarcastically, "here's me thinking you just fancied a change in scenery," she sips her drink, noticing Draco's glare from the corner of her eye. "So," she then goes to say, "tell me. Why are you doing this, exactly?"

Draco almost gets whiplash from how quickly he turns his head.

"What?"

"I asked why you're doing this," Daphne repeats nonchalantly, "you clearly don't want to be here. I'm not saying that my sister isn't a catch, because for the right guy, I'm sure she is, but for you... I guess I thought you'd be against all this arranged marriage nonsense."

"I am," he mutters bitterly, deciding to stare hard into the fire instead of face Daphne anymore, because, as usual, her observation was off the charts, "but I don't want to disappoint anyone."

"But you're happy to disappoint yourself?"

He swallows thickly. Daphne sips her wine and watches as he squirms under pressure, how he still plays with his fingers when he gets nervous. Then, she shrugs, sighs, and gets up from her seat, "better get ready for dinner. Nice talking, Dray."

As quickly as Daphne left, Astoria reappears, sitting awfully close to Draco as she fills up his glass with wine she had collected along the way.

"So," she says, sitting back comfortably beside him, "what did I miss?"

disclaimer: i do not own hp or any of the characters in this story

tags:

if your name is bold - i either couldn’t tag you or i’ve hit the tag limit :( sorry lovelies ♡

@lovesanimals0000 @cappgyuccino @lightning1ce @onlygetaway @honeyyypeach @namelesslosers @ghostyv @mikadorbs @redactedhimbo @morganadpl @scarecrowscaresthomas @camille-1019 @valkyrie418 @animeloverfreak310 @budugu @marplest @torresbarnes @bunny24sstuff @champagneesupernova @serafilms @siriusly-parker-main @lovely-maryj @i-bitch-you-bitch @astablacksword @sun-fiower-seed @tinafuentes @venusjustleft @omgitstatertot @aangsupremacy @ilovezy @leclerc16s @aslanvez @talesofadragon @3vasaur @the-skys-musical-echo @yeolsbubbles @idk-dolans @xx-kiraa-xx @sunbruized @vinkiesz @snickersmee @fandomrulesall-blog @astheraa @idkatee @marsanhwa @vintageoldfashion @63sucker @j-n-i-c-o-l-e @anarchistsons @smallsweetvanillabean @newbooksmell777 @tangomangroves @neoteezrenyoung @l0v3lies @delusionally-loveless-by-choice @higanbanagirl @ace152435 @arcanebabe @slythermuf @hea-vin @zucchinimalfoy

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keeneschoices · 11 months

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I'm gonna miss one of my classes because I stayed up late to watch the finale of Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies and couldn't sleep afterwards... WELP, ANYWAY.

what a fucking good episode.

SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 10 AHEAD!

I've seen people saying they didn't like it that much because it was more relosution of past problems than anything else, but I did love it. The race didn't get to me nearly as much as I thought it would because after being presented with Cynthia and Lydia's situation, and the whole Olivia marrying that predator, I honestly had more things to worry about than any of that, but it was sort of fun.

Anyway, the whole song in the beginning of the girls telling Olivia not to marry that creep ("he's literally just a guy, hit him with your car" vibes) was just amazing. Everyone's vocals were great but holy fucking shit, ARI?? ARE YOU FOR REAL? THE TALENT.

We got a little more of backstory for Lydia and got some sort of hint regarding Cynthia's mom (my theory is she left them when Cynthia was young and sometimes she calls If she's in need of something). I'm loving to get to know these characters better, honestly.

The whole coming out scene between Nancy and Cynthia broke me. Like, literally had me crying and pausing the episode because I couldn't see anything behind the tears! I'm so goddamn glad Nancy talked to Cynthia and accepted them as they are (not that I ever thought she wouldn't), and seeing Cynthia cry, no, sob like that in Nancy's lap was so heartbreaking because their friend accepted them but it's still the fucking 50s and it's scary as hell.

AND THE MIRROR HOUSE SCENE?? WITH CYNTHIA SEARCHING THROUGH FOR LYDIA AND BEING VERY CLOSE BUT THEN AGAIN VERY FAR, UNTIL THEY CONNECTED AT THE END AND FINALLY GET THE RESOLUTION WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!! MY HEART MELTED. THEY'RE ALL IN, LYDIA!

God, I just love love love the mirror house song and scene, it was so well done (I SCREAMED OKAY?? THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE THING). And Nancy not only preparing Cynthia to go in but encouraging her and even entering the house to make sure Lydia knew Cynthia was serious about their feelings? AMAZING. NANCYCYNTHIA BESTIES, YES.

I also sort of liked that Hazel is now a Pink Lady and sort of didn'? like, I love the message and I totally think If anyone else deserves a chance to be a Pink Lady, it's her... but like, the other four are so connected already because of everything that's happened between them. I'm not saying Hazel couldn't fit into that, but with a bond like theirs it's normal that she'll probably feel left out at least a little bit and that's not what I want.

OHH, AND THE LITTLE NODS TO GREASE AND GREASE 2 WERE SO GOOD. Potato's "speech" to keep things intereseting with Nancy mirroring Sandy's to Danny from the first movie made me cackle and I just looooveeee that they included the Pink Ladies' Pledge, not only the pledge in on itself but also that little part of the song from Grease 2. I loved it!!

The only thing that really bothered me from the episode was the cliffhanger in the end. Because I was expecting like, a cliffhanger and we got, well, name dropped. Which is not bad I guess, I just don't give a shit about whoever this Zuko is and what his relation to Danny is so I'm sort of hanging here for season 2 because If this is the main plot, I'm gonna be tuning in mostly for my favorite characters. Not saying the plot won't be good (because these writers are fenomenal), but it's not as interesting as of now for me personally.

WELL ANYWAY, I'M GONNA GO TO SLEEP NOW BUT I STILL WANT A SEASON 2, YOU HEAR ME PARAMOUNT?? LET'S GO.

#cynthia zdunowski #nancy nakagawa #lydia rotpl #grease rise of the pink ladies spoilers #grease rotpl spoilers #rise of the pink ladies spoilers #rotpl spoilers #grease rise of the pink ladies #grease rotpl #rise of the pink ladies #rotpl #olivia valdovinos #jane facciano

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pelgraine · 1 month

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Halo s02e08 rewatch thoughts - many spoilers ahead:

Janine was actually being a huge bitch and Miranda displayed more restraint than I might have in the circumstances.

Jeanny also clearly lied - and badly - about having touched the object containing the spores. I mean, not only did she not look Miranda in the eye, she answered "I don't think so" to Miranda's question of whether she was there earlier.

Then we get the cheery music starting. Does anyone know what that song is?

We see Janine touch hands with another scientist on her way out down the corridor. At first glance I thought maybe they were girlfriends and she was just saying hello, but then I thought the other scientist was passing back the swipe card that Janine had borrowed from her in order to get into Miranda's lab. And on second thoughts, I'm thinking that is the case, and that it's not the first time Janine has borrowed someone else's pass to get in there. I think she just had hoped Miranda wouldn't be in there that time, which is maybe why she was being so passive aggressively bitchy - hoping that Miranda would stalk out in a huff, leaving Janine free to fiddle around with the Forerunner object once more.

But, as we know, it's much too late anyway.

We see the infection take over Janine. It's interesting watching it all again and seeing a few things I didn't note the first time around, like the order of progression of symptoms, or how negatively an infected individual appears to react to sound. Janine seemed to react specifically to sound as a threat, even before people got in her space.

The horror juxtaposed with the smiling scientists walking down the corridor beside the lab with the cheery tune, all oblivious, no one even looking through the window to see the male scientist lying twitching and dying as he bleeds out, is done so well.

I also really liked that we were introduced to the next scene in darkness with nothing but indistinct radio comms chatter and the sound of Perez whispering through a desperate prayer in Spanish. Having that sound before the picture came in seemed to make the circumstances even more stark and visceral. The fact that we can then hear Perez's breathing and whispers inside her helmet louder than anything else & juxtaposed with the apparent silence of the weapons fire we can see before them, or at least the relatively dull sounds of explosions going on all around them while they wait in the bay before the drop just makes the vast empty vacuum of space seem so much more apparent.

As an aside, does anyone have the words & translation of the prayer?

The scene where Perez is spinning wildly out of the control is beautifully done. Awe-inspiringly terrifying.

(I'm still 🥺🥺🥺 over Spartan mother Kai and her baby Spartan-III goslings. Perez is clearly the favourite pseudochild, or at the very least the one she feels most responsible for.)

I just realised, upon seeing John and listening to slimy politician Parangosky speak, that we don't know why Halsey vanished when Miranda was speaking to her in the previous episode. Many of us - including myself - had assumed Halsey had snuck away to get onto John's ship, knowing it was bound for the Halo.

I hate the way Parangosky says "Neither one of us has a choice." As far as we're aware she's the top dog at ONI. She definitely had a choice about the way she decided to spend all those Spartan-III lives as cannon fodder. I cheered when John says "who to save and who to sacrifice," especially when he says nothing more to her after that. It was also a nice touch that when John's words ring out into the room it's evident that all the ONI workers around Parangosky stopped what they were doing and listened in, judging by the lack of background noise during that bit.

I don't understand Kwan's line of "Its been watching me my whole life and now it's here." (I have to admit I don't understand the meaning of a Forerunner Geas placed on her bloodline.) I have to admit I do subscribe to the theory that whatever has been speaking to Kwan is a human consciousness stuck inside the Gravemind and she's just superimposed the face of that shaman lady she met on the visions it gives her. This makes a little more sense when we get to the bit where Kwan is literally swamped in Flood zombies and the voice stops them. If some part of the Gravemind remained human and had just enough control over the Flood for a short period, then I'd accept Kwan's amazing escape.

I actually loved Kessler and Ackerson's conversation. It was spot on for both of them, and also amusing. I also think, upon rewatching it now, that Ackerson has a soft spot for young children which makes sense. If his beloved sister died when she was 12 or thereabouts, it'd make sense he'd have spent much of his life looking for echoes of her in other young people and caring about their welfare generally.

There's so much hate for Laera online and honestly, I liked her so much more than Soren.

The slug sliding out of Janine's mouth it's actually nauseating to watch omg.

I love how well they did the entry onto the covenant ship. All the sounds they included are fantastic as well - the metal clunk of their armor down the corridor, the click and crunch of weapons, Perez's and the other S3s breathing, the groaning of the ship as it shifts around them. I laughed when Mullins said clear after they were told off for saying it last time 😂

Omg. The anticipation of what comes next even while I know what's going to happen is still incredibly high. It's so good!

That sound of the plasma charge and the way Olsson just calls out "Kai," before getting obliterated hits so hard.

I love how when Kai and the S3s hold fire during the pause, Kai tilts her head down and to the side at an angle to listen. Like, it's such an instinctive, ingrained human behaviour. I know it makes it easier for us as an audience to see that she's listening hard, but I also like the idea that it's just something you do instinctively in a tense moment, despite the fact that she's got that helmet and all the sound is probably piped in electronically. I also love the sounds her armor makes as she moves. It's done so well. You can just hear how much heavier, sturdier and more expensive the Mjolnir amor is than the S3s because of the difference in sounds.

Watching this scene again makes it so much more apparent how terrifying and enormous a roaring Elite is. I hadn't quite appreciated it in fights with the Spartans before.

I love that when Perez moves in and yells "Frag out!" Kai automatically moved to cover her back.

Oh man, when Kai calls for reload and support after the fleet arrives and you can see the ship turn towards them as the man is speaking - it's so tense I almost can't watch. The fact that they show Kai's eyes a few moments later looking sweaty, exhausted and a bit hopeless right before she flinches them shut at the sound of their support ship getting obliterated - too real.

The next scene where we have both Perez and John's past conversation relayed was very well done. Ups the emotional stakes even further and looks extremely cool when he flips the coin and watches as it slows in the air.

Fuck you, Parangosky. I cheered when John replied to "John you can't save them" with "you have no idea what I can do" before putting on the helmet. Hell. Yes.

(I'm skipping the next bit because honestly I don't really give a damn about Makee.)

God I love Perez.

"Goddamnit. We're going to die in this bullshit ship in a bullshit battle that means nothing, that we lost" yelled out over comms, all the while firing an endless stream of bullets.

I love Kai-125.

"What matters is you signed up to die for me. I signed up to die for you. Now, get your head in the game."

🥺🥰 I will immediately headcanon these two as future ride or die BFFs in all fic and in season 3.

The click of an empty pistol. The "Shit, I'm out." Perez's reply of "Yeah, me too. What do we do?"

Then "You ever fire a plasma rifle?"

"No."

"You never forget your first."

And then the run and slide and smooth motion of picking up the carbine to fire away while explosions are happening all around them is just beautiful. A++

Perez taking a few seconds longer to find and get her hands on the nearest weapon and then picking up a needler is perfect. The fact that she hones in on what looks like two grunts (or jackals) and an Elite or two whilst armed with nothing but a needler is fantastic.

Perez getting shot and her crying out to Kai's immediate cry of "Perez!" is not fantastic. I was worried she was a goner.

The way Kai runs forward, drags Perez back while Perez keeps firing? The way Perez turns to pick up a second needler to dual-wield both while being dragged to safety? The way she screams in rage as she's emptying the two needlers at a bunch of energy-sword armed Elites closing in on them, while Kai pulls her backward at speed?

I will be thinking about that scene for the next two years. It's honestly awe inspiring.

The way Kai says, exasperated, "you're an idiot" and the way Perez doesn't miss a beat to reply with "I'm an idiot with two needlers," is legendary.

I love them.

The way Kai sees the fact that Perez's injury is mortal wound level and just lets out an "Oh," in a sort of groan like oh shit, I don't think we can fix this - while Perez lays there with what seems to be part of her abdomen missing and insisting Kai help her up because she can still fight 🥺🥺 Honestly, Perez deserves to be recognised as a Spartan.

Watching Kai gently rest her armored hand on Perez's helmet for a long moment, looking at Perez like I love you but I can't save you, makes me want to cry.

They're out of ammo with no backup coming and Perez is saying tell me what to do frantically, and the way Kai just pauses to tell her she did good 🥺 like it's over for them already? Then Perez sees Kai pull the spike from her belt and tells her right away to use it even though she knows it's going to kill them both, kill everyone, because she's always known that "this was always going to be a one-way ticket." I cannot 🥺

Then Kai strides out to use the spike while the last few S3s fight and die around them, before being saved by the bell of an explosion. I noticed that Kai points her pistol in that direction and fires reflexively but you hear the same empty click from before. There's a horde of Elites at the door being made into chop suey, and Kai knows it's John. I think she'd recognise the sound of that armor and the way he fights anywhere and anytime, let alone the fact that only John could have made it through the wall of Elites.

I love how dramatic the scene was when John swaggers in after saving their asses, armed with the gorgeous energy sword. I mean, Kai was literally expecting they'd all be dead in the next several moments, with no hope and no backup, an entire fleet getting smashed behind her. John was supposed to be somewhere else entirely, saving humanity, so it's no wonder she's standing there looking a lot like she's questioning whether they might all be experiencing a collective hallucination of the Master Chief.

That scene where John and Kai stand looking out across the battlefield was genuinely moving. I also loved it because I keep coming back to the thought of "What do we say to the god of death? Not today!"

I hate how Kai lies to Perez and Mullins and says I'm right behind you. She pauses to make sure Mullins has enough balance to help Perez walk to the Condors, and then let's them go.

We're treated to the pretty sight of the extremely cool bridge controls and I remember thinking the first time I watched I was thinking oh shit, please let it not be the spike plan after all. We get to see the explosions reflected on Kai's visor for a breath, and then we're back to Zombieland.

The fact that the newly infected are stock still with the faint background sound of slithering was eerie as hell. Then Kwan goes "they're not breathing," and I absolutely agree with Soren's comment of "shit."

Then we see Flood-Janine do the exorcist and slime through the bars oh my god that's disgusting holy shit. It's like a tongue.

I have to admit Ackerson's saving them by pulling out the pistol endeared me to him quite a bit. Then I was thinking oh shit no they're all going to die when we discover the guard is infected too.

Here we have Halsey again! Still no explanation of where she's been except for the fact that she's clearly under guard. Where has she been? Why did she disappear right when Miranda was talking to her last episode? How long has she been gone?

I actually chuckled when Parangosky tells Halsey to command John and Halsey just conveys absolute disdain with one look.

She does it again when Parangosky says "Its just an AI you'll make him another one." Somehow one expression from Halsey manages to convey fuck you and you repulse me by mostly using just her eyes.

I was rather thrilled when Halsey disobeyed the order, for a number of reasons. Not only because she evidently cares about John, but because Parangosky's disregard for what Cortana means for the UNSC and the risks of the AI being left in the wrong hands is just plain stupid.

Then we're back to creeper voice dude. I had thought John was trapped with the Gravemind at first and was forced to recount his mission, but watching it again now you can really see the blue light glow at this point, especially when the creeper replies and there's a bit of a pulse of light across John's skin.

The fact that Cortana says "I've simulated all of the possible outcomes. This only ends one way, Chief. We're both going to be destroyed," in the ship crash on Halo before they both very clearly aren't lends weight to the theory that Kai's armor saves her later on as well.

I like how Ackerson manages to somehow sound creepy and threatening when he says "You have a lovely family." He's definitely an odd one.

God the Halo is beautiful. I wish I was better at screenshots so I could capture more of it and save it as my desktop. When we hear the themesong as John looks up at the curve of the Halo I got chills, both the first time and on the rewatch. Also loved the sound the energy sword makes when he unsheathed it to check it's functioning.

Perez wakes up in the bay of the Condor, with a gnarly wound and skin pale enough to make all the blood loss even more evident, sees Mullins - the only squadmate remaining alive - and asks for Kai. Mullins just tilts her head as though to say 'You know the answer to that one already. She's off doing stupid heroic shit.'

We see Kai spending a moment or two watching the mothership further decimating the UNSC fleet, before she glances down at the Corvette's controls and says how hard can it be. The next moment we see Perez - having correctly interpreted Mullins' facial expressions - immediately attempt to bail off the gurney, yell in pain and tear off her IV as she curls up before standing, stumbling towards the Condor's controls to look out the windows.

Mullins says "hey, you can't -" and Perez yells back "Stop!" in a voice more enraged than we've ever heard her use, before she limps forward into the Condor, itself awash with radio chaos of voices yelling and dying over comms. Perez limps on ahead and stops to watch through a floor to ceiling window, spotting the corvette she was previously on underneath the big Covenant mothership, and breathes out Kai's name in horror.

We see Kai manage the glowy ball controls well enough to steer her corvette on a collision course. We see Parangosky bring advised of what's happening, but only see Halsey looking like she's aware a Spartan is at the helm of the corvette.

We see Perez's face, dishevelled and a little bloodied, unable to tear her eyes away from watching someone she so clearly cares a lot for perform kamikaze. Then we've got Kai saying "this is going to hurt" a second before successfully steering her corvette into the mothership and destroying them both.

Now, I'm going to sidenote here to talk about my Kai lives theories:

1. We've just seen John and Cortana survive the ship they were on being destroyed when it crashed into the Halo. Cortana, an AI, was convinced neither of them would survive that, but they did, thanks to John's armor.

2. We've seen Kai make it through being on Halsey's ship which crashed and exploded before, back in season 1.

3. People who are going to die wouldn't necessarily use the words "this is going to hurt" before they're about to die. An expectation of pain like that implies that Kai expected to survive but very injured.

4. A lot of people have referred to a Spartan named Linda - which I have little knowledge of so won't expand on here - as evidence of the direction the show is likely to go in and therefore Kai survives. Further, we've got the intro scene in the Halo Infinite game where John is fished out of the black and revived by that lost Pelican pilot.

Anyway, the next scene is poor Perez's devastated face 🥺😭 and Mullins looking sad but not like the sight of Kai's death caused her physical pain the way it seemed to for Perez.

We're back to the CIC control room for a moment before we see Miranda still studying her sample. We see her startle at the noise I didn't immediately realise was effectively a phone ringing because it was so quiet and relatively non intrusive and now I want it for my ringtone so if anyone finds it please let me know. It's Halsey on the phone and Miranda says the thing I've been thinking all along with "Where the hell have you been."

Miranda tries to tell Halsey of the potential dangers and we hear her voice right as Halsey notes the bizarre behaviour of some of the security people around her in the CIC - though we know it's too late, Halsey immediately tells her "stay where you are. I'm on my way to you."

I'm thinking that Halsey tells Miranda to stay there for several reasons. One being that she has to get out and away from the infected she's spotted, two being that the lab is likely a sealed environment with things like airtight rooms and or biohazard suppression seals and the like so Miranda might otherwise be relatively safe there, and three Halsey wants her daughter to be safe and for them to be together so they can make it out safely.

Then someone gets tackled and it gets even more disgusting real fast. I did appreciate the way how they conveyed the rapid spread of the infection among personnel even despite the security measures that would have been present at ONI. As in, there'd be many departments that would have little to no interaction with other departments to stop information leaking, and plenty of locked rooms only certain people can access, but that didn't stop the flood because people are people.

Watching again I can see how Halsey got infected now, or at least likely. The fact the dude was right on top of her and then got shot while she was turning her face away would have been enough to splatter flood parts on the exposed skin of her neck.

Then we see Parangosky getting eaten alive by Flood zombies and it's deeply satisfying end for someone like that.

Gonna skip the next bit because I'm less than invested in the outcome of Kwan, Soren and family and Ackerson, but you have to admit that name drop of the Flood was cool.

After that we see Miranda handling the Forerunner sample container inside the sealed examination box and looking like the ramifications of what she's accidentally unleashed has just hit her all once. She startles at the sound of a frantic knock and we see Halsey has made it to the lab, so Miranda lets her in.

Halsey proceeds to be her science-addicted morally questionable self and immediately gets distracted by the potential of a bioterrorism weapon equivalent, instead of paying attention to Miranda clearly having the start of what looks like an anxiety attack as she describes to Halsey what she's discovered.

Miranda's plaintive "Can we get out of here?" is soft as though she's already realised Halsey is lost in her drug of choice, science - partly confirmed when Halsey's reply is "if only you could see as far as I can see, you'd understand just how irrelevant we are" and Miranda is soon suppressing tears because her only potential ally in that absolutely terrifying situation wants to stop and smell the roses, so to speak. 🥺

Halsey is lost to the beauty of the scientific potential, trying to convince Miranda of her views and failing utterly to see the way Miranda backs away and curls into herself, the way she nearly sobs the words "a biological catastrophe."

Halsey makes a valid point about the awesomeness of being able to built bridges with light, right at the same moment that Miranda sees an infected right outside their window. Halsey says "Sometimes I don't understand how you-" and stops mid-sentence.

Miranda looks back at her - looking scared, rapid breathing, body language screaming that she wants to bolt - replies, angrier now that Halsey is refusing the acknowledge the situation - "You don't know how I what?! Go on, Halsey. Say it."

And I'm wondering if she was expecting 'I don't understand how you think' or even something cutting like 'I don't understand how you came from me.'

You see the exact moment Miranda realises something is wrong. Her face just - drops. From angry, upset, scared and exasperated, distracted by their personal history to - oh no. She even stops breathing so obviously. Miranda's soft little, "Halsey?" kills me.

She spots the infected-like stillness of Halsey a moment before she sees the Flood dribble on Halsey's coat, before shifting Halsey's hair aside gently and carefully to reveal evidence of the Flood infection. Seeing and hearing the knowledge of their new reality hit Miranda was painful to watch. 🥺😭

Then we have the coolest sword fight I've ever seen on television. I actually want to pick up sword fighting after seeing that. It was so incredibly brutal in so many ways. Chief just gets the stuffing beaten our of him and you think he's done, but then we see him rise again. After playing Infinite a lot lately seeing the grappleshot used like that was also extremely cool.

The way Chief beats the Arbiter until you can hear him slowly drowning in his own blood was absolutely visceral. The full-body sigh of relief the Arbiter gives when he sees that Chief had understood and chosen to give him the warrior's death and the respect he deserves - I was relieved too. I was sitting there thinking Chief was just going to let him suffer and die shamed, but thankfully not.

When we see Miranda next she's obviously been crying by those big, shiny eyes 🥺🥺😭😭 and we see she's enclosed Halsey in cryo to try and give her more time so that Miranda can save her 🥺😭

I can't help but wonder if trying to find the cure for the Flood will drive Miranda to madness. Whether she'll become more like Halsey in an incredibly tragic way, obsessed with the science of it all in an effort to save the one parent she has left.

I found it curious that Janine said that line about "biology is not your strong suit" at the beginning. Now I'm thinking Miranda will devote her whole self to something that isn't a strength of hers, all the while drowning in guilt because she's the one who went back for the sample container and inadvertently unleashed a biological catastrophe that might have killed her mother.

What I am absolutely desperate to know us how Miranda is going to get out of there. She's in a sealed room in the middle of the base riddled with scores of infected, with many right outside her door, at least one literally staring at her. She has no weapons that we know of, no support, and will presumably want to try and get Halsey's pod out with her when she goes. I can't believe we have to wait to season 3 to find out how Miranda makes it.

The next shot after Miranda's sad but resigned face is space debris, revealing Kai's otherwise intact armor floating amongst the remains of the destroyed ships. She's either unconscious or dead and I hate that we'll be left wondering for the next two years. That is way too long.

The UNSC fleet dropping through the clouds on the Halo was hella cool.

We finally get to find out who John has been talking to. John says something curious here which I'm adding to my list of reasons why Kai is still alive - being that the armor "belongs to the ones who are gone" - say, Riz and Vannak - "and the ones who are still in the fight" - Kai, and possibly meaning Perez and the S3s as well.

The monitor or whoever/whatever it is (Guilty Spark?) is so wonderfully creepy. He has such a human-sounding voice, and then we get a full frontal of a glowy orb machine that leaves us with some wonderfully creepy words. The fact that John is sitting there in the dark, having presumably been speaking to Guilty Spark for some time now, right before he puts a damaged helmet on his head, lends weight to the theory that John's met GS after a fierce battle and we'll see flashbacks of what happened at the start of S3.

Anyway, if you've been kind enough to read my thought-essay on my new favourite episode of television, thank you!

#halo season 2 #halo the series #halo series #halo tv show #halo tv spoilers #kai 125 #talia perez #miranda keyes #catherine halsey #john 117

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hiken-no-stark · 9 months

Text

I put a spell on you (König x Reader)

Summary: After a rough day König found himself in the middle of the woods with a bleeding arm and in front of a mysterious woman.

Warnings: Angst, mention of blood. Use of (Y/N). I gave König a name (I don't know if that's a warning)

A/N: Hi :D This is going to be a Two Shot, but I hope you all like it. I'm sorry if there are any mistakes. Enjoy!

Part 1/2

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It have been a really rough day and it was starting getting dark. König was walking around the forest trying to get out of there. The sun was setting behind the tree tops, leaving the forest in shadow as he limped out of a clearing. Blood trailed down his arm and stained his sleeve. He'd been running on adrenaline and was finally starting to feel the wound and exhaustion. His head kept dropping forward as he struggled to stay awake. He kept walking until it was completely dark. He just wanted to lay down for a moment and take a rest, but his feet continue making him move.

He eventually stumbled to his knees, looking down at the dried blood caking his arm. He knew he wouldn't get far in his condition, he couldn't quite accept the idea of being alone. He was about to force his legs up when he heard a faint sound ahead that was enough to stop him in his tracks. He raised his head and stayed in silence trying to focus on the sound. He didn't know if it was an enemy or an ally… Or even an animal.

But then he saw a light, it was a bonfire. He moved towards the light as quietly as he could, holding the bloody bandage tightly around his arm and wincing silently with every movement. He decided to stay in the shadows in order to eavesdrop.

And that's when he notice that the owner of the bonfire was a woman… A young woman wearing a white dress. She was kneeling next to the bonfire humming softly, and accommodating a pair of things in front of her. He stayed still, afraid to make a sound and give away his position. It was weird to see a young woman standing out in the forest late at night, but what really caught his attention was what she was doing in front of the fire. He squinted his eyes, trying to get a better view but the firelight was bright and blocked his sight too much.

Then the woman stand up and take off her dress, revealing her naked body. She close her eyes and start to dance around the bonfire humming a song. The cold air of the night doesn't seems to disturb her.

He felt his mouth hang open in shock as he watched the woman dance around the flames. His heart began to pound in his chest so hard that he feared she might hear it. His anxiety caused him to break into a cold sweat, his skin going pale and clammy. What was she doing? Why would anyone behave like this? He wanted to look away, but he couldn't move. He was entranced.

He had already forget of the pain in his arm. And what happened next shocked him even more… She continue moving around the flames when suddenly her feet leave the grass. She had start floating and close her eyes smiling.

His heart went into overdrive as he saw her feet lift off the ground and he couldn't comprehend what he was seeing. It wasn't possible for anyone to float mid air, so the scene baffled him. All logical thinking had left him and he found himself unable to think of a rational explanation. His anxiety was getting worse by the minute as he continued to stare, watching her float above the fire.

Maybe it was his wounds, he must had hit his head really hard. This can't be real. Yeah, that's it. The lack of blood was making him saw visions. The lack of blood… He stumbles and almost fall but hold his body to a tree. But the noise was enough to caught her attention. She fall to the ground and look at him.

He stood there for a moment, still unable to believe what he was seeing. His heart raced and his breath came fast, but when he saw that she had seen him and was now looking at him with concern, he couldn't help but take a step closer. He reached out to help her and suddenly snapped back to reality.

"D-did I just hallucinate?" He muttered under his breath as he tried to process everything that had just happened. For a moment it had felt so real and he was questioning everything.

She move back covering her breasts, scared that might he wanted to hurt her. But then she noticed is state, the hod covering his face, his dirty uniform, the blood in his arm. She was about to say something when suddenly the tall man fall next to her. He had pass out.

He lied unconscious next to her as his anxiety eased for a moment. The strange images he had seen were starting to blur together with reality. He was injured and exhausted and the sight of the woman had only added to his confusion. The thought of seeing her naked body kept nagging at him and he couldn't remember why. He shifted uncomfortably in his sleep, muttering something about it all being a dream.

≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫

When he opened his eyes again he didn't know where he was. This wasn't the base or a hospital… Not even a place know by him. He looked around, it was a wooden cabin. A bed, a couch, a table, a chair, shelves and jars. Then he take a look at himself, his hod have gone, his vest and shirt as well. And his arm was bandaged.

The sun shone through the window, and the place felt warm and inviting. "H-how did I get here?" He muttered, sitting up quickly in shock. His mind couldn't process everything that had happened. He thought that the memories of seeing her naked were just a product of his imagination, but he now knew it was real.

She appear by the door carrying a basket full of vegetables, herbs and some flowers. She was wearing the same white dress as last night. But now whit the sunlight he could notice her features.

When she noticed that he was awake, she greet him with a shy smile. “Morning.” She whispered walking to the table and letting the basket there. “How are you feelin?”

He couldn't take his eyes off her, the images of last night still lingering in his thoughts. The sight of a beautiful woman dressed in nothing but a white dress was enough to make his heart race again. He could sense his anxiety growing, but he forced himself to remain calm.

"T-t-thanks, I'm doing good..." He muttered, his voice raspy as he tried to look away. But he couldn't bring himself to, instead his eyes kept gravitating towards her. He couldn't understand his reaction, what was wrong with him? Why couldn't he think straight?

“I'm glad.” She said smiling and start to take out of her basket the vegetables. “I'm going to cook you something to eat. You must be starving.”

"Y-yes please." He said, his voice sounding rough and tired. He was still looking at her, but he tried his best to look away. It was only a woman, after all, what was the big deal? But seeing her naked body and now cooking for him while dressed in a white dress, it was too much, he could feel his anxiety starting to take over again.

"W-what's your name?" He stammered, trying to distract himself by asking something as normal as a name.

She take a knife and start to cut a pair of carrots. “I’m (Y/N).” She move around in the tiny house looking for a pot to cook. “And you are Alexander, aka König, right? I saw your name in your dog tags.”

"T-that's right." He confirmed, still blushing uncontrollably but trying to act as if it was nothing. "What were you doing last night near the woods?" He asked as she continued to look for the pot to cook. He needed answers to satisfy his curiosity and hopefully make him forget about his anxiety. "And how did I get here?" He continued, glancing at her.

She place the pot over the table, she was nervous by his questions. “What did you saw?” She shake her head quickly. “Whatever you have seen, forget it.” She start to put the vegetables on the pot, still avoiding his gaze. “You were bleeding and I got you here. I couldn't let you there in the middle of the woods.”

"I..." He started to say, unable to form a coherent explanation as he recalled the images of (Y/N) floating above the fire. But what was the point? It have been his imagination, right? "Thanks." He finally said, his voice still rough but sounding a bit more confident. He tried to focus on the vegetables and not think about what had happened before. "I was bleeding pretty bad. I can't remember anything after that, it was all a fog."

“Yeah, you were bleedign pretty much. I was scared you would die.” She said as she start a fire and place the pot over it. “Talking about that… I need to check your wound.” She take a step closer to the bed.

The thought of (Y/N) tending to his wounds made his anxiety grow even more. It was all too much, seeing her naked earlier and now that she was going to be close to him while he was injured. He couldn't think straight. "I think it's alright." He said, his voice becoming shaky again. He was just starting to relax and now she wanted to inspect the wound? The idea of her touching him and cleaning him seemed too intimate for his liking. His face turned red just from thinking about it.

“I need to check it.” She insisted, moving closer to him. Her hands quicly start to take off the bandage on his arm. The wound was covered by a couple of leafs and an ointment. She cleaned it quickly and carefully. “It looks good.”

He shifted uncomfortably as she touched his wound, feeling his skin tingle when her hands gently caressed him when she cleaned him. His chest felt tight as he tried to stay as still as possible, while trying not to focus on what she was doing. "Okay..." He murmured. He was trying to act as naturally as possible, especially considering the situation they were in. It was hard for him to believe that she had actually helped him last night the forest. There was no way it was just a dream, he could recall her every feature clearly.

He was so lost in his thoughts as she continue attending his wound. She put some ointment in the wound again and cover it with new leafs before bandaged his arm again. He still felt uncomfortable with her tending to his wound, but the ointment and the new bandages did make him feel a little better. He breathed in deeply as his body relaxed, no longer bothered by the pain. He was starting to feel more relaxed now that his arm was properly bandaged and he tried to make small talk with her.

"Umm… How long was I unconscious?" He asked timidly, not wanting to bring up last night again.

“All night.” She answered walking to the pot in the fire, taking a spoon and start to move the preparation. “I stayed next to you making sure you were still breathing.”

"I… thank you." He said, his voice sounding raspy. The thought of the young woman worrying about him while he was unconscious made him even more grateful towards her. She walk to a shelf and take a bowl to serve him some of the vegetable broth she had made for him. Then she move next to him and give him the bowl and a spoon.

“I know it's not to much, but I hope you like it.” He couldn't help but blush a little bit as (Y/N) continued to give him that shy smile of hers. He took the bowl and spoon from her hands, his eyes lingering on her beautiful eyes.

"Thank you." He murmured, his tone sounded more relaxed now that he had a chance to eat and rest. With his injuries and low blood pressure, he needed to eat and drink to stay healthy. He raised the spoon and tasted the broth. "Hmmm… it's delicious." He commented, already feeling much better now.

Her smile grown and he could saw a tiny blush appear on her cheeks. “I'm glad you like it. There is more if you wanted.” Then she turn around and walk again to the table, returning her attention at the basket, she take out the herbs and start to put them in differents jars. “You must be really tired. You should rest, I'll be in silence. I promise.”

He took another spoon of broth and ate it, not wanting to be too greedy but enjoying the delicious mixture of vegetables. The warm liquid was soothing to his wounds and calmed his anxiety, making him feel more relaxed. Once he finished it, he realized just how thirsty he was, the broth having hydrated him a lot.

He glanced over at (Y/N), watching her prepare the herbs. He felt like resting for a while, but he didn't want to leave her alone either. There were still so many questions he wanted to ask her.

She turn her head and smile at him. “Would you like more broth?” She asks turning all her attention at him. He sighed, still feeling exhausted after everything he had been in the last couple of hours. But he was also too curious to leave (Y/N) alone and continue asking her all sorts of questions. Especially since it was the opportunity to know more about the strange young woman.

"Yes." He answered, handing her the empty bowl. He wanted to say more, but felt that his words might escape him. So he just kept staring at her with a small but warm smile.

She take the bowl still smiling and walk to the pot to serve him more of the delicious vegetable broth. Then she return to his side and give him the bowl. “There you go.”

"T-thank you..." He muttered, starting to eat the broth again. (Y/N) couldn't help but notice how nervous he had become the moment he started eating again, almost as if he knew he should keep her company. But what should he say? Was she aware of his attraction to her? He wanted to talk to her, but he was starting to freeze up. He had to do something, or else the awkwardness would continue. So he forced himself to speak. "H-how long have you been living in the woods?" He asked, thinking it was a good starting topic.

She smiled at his nervous state and found it cute for someone as big as him. It's not a way she would expect that a soldier will behave. “A couple of years.” She asnwered returning her attention at the jars, placing them on the top of shelves. “It's a nice place to live.”

"Yeah, it is calm." He said, looking around with curiosity. All he had seen so far were a few flowers and the occasional trees scattered around the woods. But from what he could see, this little cabin looked like heaven in comparison. "Why do you live here… all by yourself?" He asked, trying to avoid looking at her as much as possible, even though he was fascinated with her beauty.

She sighed. “Let's just say I belong here. This is my home, the woods, the nature. I belong here.” She turn her head and smile again at him. “You are my first guest.”

"And I'm honored to be your first guest." He said, returning her smile and glancing away quickly again. If it was just him and (Y/N) in the woods, then he definitely was her first guest. But something about her words made him question why this young woman would choose to live all alone in a cabin. He wanted to know more about her and get to know her better. "Um… What's your story? If you don't mind me asking." He continued, still focusing on the broth instead of looking at her directly.

“My story.” She giggles. “You wouldn't believe it if I told you. And the less you know, the better.” Then she walk to the door of the cabin with basket in hand. “I will go to look for something different to cook for you. Stay here and rest. I will go back soon.”

"I wouldn't mind hearing it, honestly." He said with a shy smile. This was his chance to learn more about her, to satisfy his curiosity which was killing him. But he also felt a wave of awkwardness wash over him as (Y/N) stepped toward the door to leave. "Wait. Umm… how do you make your food?" He asked, curious about how she managed to survive while living completely alone.

“The woods provide everything I need.” She answer and get out of the cabin leaving him all alone again full of thoughts. He have more questions than answers now. He watched her leave, noticing that she moved like water. She was graceful and swift in her movements, which only added to her beauty. But why was she living alone in the woods? What had happened to make her want to leave the world and society behind?

He continued eating the vegetables broth while glancing around at the cabin. Everything here was so different from what he was used to. For a moment he felt like he was stranded in a dream. He decided to explore the place while he waited for her.

It was a small cabin but somehow she has make it a real home. He look around the place, the flowers make the cabin smell beautiful. There are a couple of books at a shelf. Jars full of different herbs. This place looks like take it off of a fairytale. He look by the window, outside there was a vegetable patch. That was where she had gathered some of the ingredients for the broth. She was definitely self sufficient, maybe even a little more independent than he thought.

He couldn't help but admire the cabin and how (Y/N) had managed to make it her home. It's clear that she loved where she lived, the place had a unique feel to it which made it much more inviting than a normal house.

He decided to look around the place for a few more minutes, hoping to find something that could tell him more about her.

Candles, quartzes, potions...

Was she some kind of… Witch? No. That’s a stupid idea. That is unreal.

"That's ridiculous. Witches don't exist." He said to himself, trying to stay rational. He walks towards a trunk and opened it, there where clothes and a picture of a woman carrying a little girl. Maybe they were (Y/N) and her mother. The sight of the candles, quartzes, potions, and the picture of the mysterious woman and her little girl all made him feel like he was crazy. But he had heard many stories of witches before, they were all fantasy though.

He quickly looked away, hoping to stop the witch thoughts in his head. He didn't want to ruin his chance at getting to know the young woman by acting foolish.

If she wasn't a witch then why she was floating the last night? No. She wasn't floating, that have been a figment of his imagination, probably because of the exhaustion. Or not? He doesn't even know what to think. Still, the very thought of it all made him feel weird. What if it wasn't a dream? What if (Y/N) really was a witch? The thought almost seemed too unbelievable.

He leave the picture and close the trunk, standing up. Then he walk to the books at the corner of the room. He turned his thoughts away from witches again as he opened the book, reading through the words. The book was called "Meditations and Spells" and it talked about spells and their different meanings. Was she really a witch? He look at the cover of the other books. There are books about herbs and their medicinal use, but there were also a few about witchcraft.

Okay… That is weird.

He closed the book and put it back in its place on the shelf, turning quickly to the bed and pretending to relax. However, he felt himself shaking and his hand clenched tightly around the blanket, his thoughts spiraling out of control again.

Then he heard footsteps and started getting nervous again. Was she returning? His heart began pumping faster and faster as he tried to keep himself calm and relaxed.

She opened the door and greet him with a smile. “I'm back. I found a rabbit, I can cook it for you.” Her smile disappear at notice his nervous state. “Are you alright?” She asks with concern in her voice.

He couldn't help but smile when he saw her entrance with that adorable and calm smile on her beautiful face. How could he be scared of her? No, it was his own thoughts that were making him nervous and creating all that panic.

"Um... yeah, I'm fine." He said, calming himself down and forcing a smile. "I'd love some rabbit. I was really hungry and the vegetable broth was delicious." He tried to keep the conversation casual, as if he hadn't been reading one of her books a few moments ago.

She blinked a few times and took a quick look around the cabin, everything seemed to be in place. She hopes he hasn't taken a look around in her belongings. “I'll start cooking then.” She said and smile again.

But he was already nervous. He didn't know anymore if it was secure to eat anything she woul cook for him. What if she had add some of the potions on his food? The thought sending him back into a panic. He had eaten two whole bowls of the vegetable broth, which meant that he could have consumed any of (Y/N)'s concoctions if she had added any. Was it too late? He started to feel weird and anxious, even though he had been fine a couple of seconds ago.

"Uhh… (Y/N)?" He mumbled out, feeling confused about all his emotions. "Um… are you putting anything strange in the food you're making me?" He blurted out, hoping to make himself clear.

She tensed for a momento and stops her work over the rabbit. “W-What?” She muttered looking at him. “I just add some herbs I find in the woods, but they are comestible. They give the rabbit a good taste.” She opened a jar and take a pair of herbs puttin them in her mouth and swallow them.

A witch.

He felt like the world had just turned upside down, but her explanation made a lot of sense. She had gathered the herbs herself, of course that meant that they were indeed safe with all the knowledge she had of the woods and nature.

"Sorry… I just got a little nervous." He said looking down, feeling ashamed of his accusations. She had already served him two bowls of the vegetable broth without any problems. He shouldn't worry. "Can I ask you a question…? It has been bothering me for a while." He murmured, trying to change the subject.

“Sure. What's on your mind?” She said, continuing with her handy work on the rabbit. She had made this a lot of times so it was really easy for her.

"Are you really alone out here?" He asked, looking back at her. She was definitely too kind hearted to be living alone all those years without contact with anyone else. "Don't you get lonely?"

“Yes. I live alone here.” She said smiling. “At first it was difficult, I felt alone… But now I am used to it and I like it a lot. No one disturbs my peace.” She put the rabbit in the fire and then take a kettle and serve herself a cup of tea, taking a sip. “Sometimes I'll go to the nearest town to find some supplies or sell vegetables.”

He was impressed by her strength and resilience. "But what about your family? Friends? Or a husband?" He asked, staring at her with curiosity and hoping to get to know her a bit better. "You said you lived here for a couple of years, what were you doing before that?" He asked, noticing how easily she changed her topics of conversation. She wasn't revealing a lot about herself, which made his questions and curiosity to rise even more.

“No family. And obviously no husband.” She giggles and take another sip of her tea. “Honestly I used to live here when I was a child, but my mom and I moved to the town when she started to get sick.” She explain with sadness in her voice.

He felt bad for asking such a delicate question, not knowing that there was a sad story behind it. If anything he was learning that (Y/N) was strong but also kind, which made her even more lovely in his eyes. He was also curious about her situation, although he was hesitant to ask more questions and bother her with them. But he decided to do it anyway. "Your mother… do you mind me asking what happened? I'm sorry if you don't want to talk about it." He said, feeling more comfortable in her company now.

“She had lung cancer. It was very difficult for both of us. But I know that she is resting now and without any pain.” She said looking at the floor. Then she shake her head and smile to him. “But that's enough about me. How about you, Alexander? Or do you prefer König? Are you a kind of elite soldier or something like that?”

"König." He appreciated that she had already called him by his name, it felt like a sign of respect since she knew so little about him. "I prefer König. And yeah, I was a member of a special forces group." He stopped talking, wondering if he should reveal more about himself. "I'm not anymore… I was actually kicked out of the military." He said hesitantly, feeling a bit embarrassed by his confession.

She opened her eyes in surprise. “Why did they kicked you out? I mean, you can tell me if you are comfortable to.” She wasn't saying a lot about her life, so she doesn't blame him if he doesn't want to share details of his life.

"You want to know the truth?" He asked, staring at her. His eyes were full of uncertainty, not sure if he should be honest with her or not.

But (Y/N) seemed to have noticed his emotions since she remained silent. "I... it's complicated." He started, taking her surprise as a sign that she really wanted to know. "I made some mistakes and caused some trouble for others, and as a punishment, they fired me." He revealed the truth in a few words.

“And they… shot you in the arm?” She asks pointing at his bandaged bicep. She could remember the hours she spent trying to take out the bullet and stop the blood.

He looked down, staring at the bandage on his arm. He couldn't deny it, it had been obvious since the moment she had started treating his wound. "Yes..." He muttered, feeling uncomfortable at the question. He knew it would come sooner or later, so he had to be honest with her. It didn't feel good telling the truth to herself, but she deserved it. "I... I deserved it."

She widened her eyes in shock. “What!? I don't think anyone deserves to be shot. Let alone left alone in the woods.” She said with a hint of anger in her voice.

And then something strange happened. One of the jars breaks into pieces.

He felt a cold and chill that he couldn't understand running along his spine. The sudden and loud sound of the jar breaking made him freeze for a moment and look around. Then his gaze returned to (Y/N).

His breathing was slow and the air in the room seemed thick. His eyes had gone wide with fear, and his heart was pounding in his chest. "(Y/N)... is there something wrong with you?" He said, staring at the broken jar on the floor. "What was that?"

His anxiety was back and stronger than ever, even if the jar had broken accidentally.

She was nervous as she look at the broken jar on the floor. “I'm okay, It was just an accident.” She said nervously and kneeling to pick up the pieces of broken glass. “I come back in a minute.” She almost run out of the cabin, leaving him alone again and the rabbit still cooking.

He stared at her as she left the cabin once more. "(Y/N), wait!" He yelled, standing up and opening the door to the cabin. She was too far gone, he couldn't stop her. He watched her disappear into the woods at a distance and his heart felt like it was being torn apart. He needed to know, he had to follow her. He ran out of the cabin, hoping to find answers that might change his life forever. He was scared, but he had to know the truth about her.

He had tried to follow her, but clearly she knows the woods better tan him. He give up and return to the cabin. So many questions without an answer.

#könig x reader #könig x y/n #könig

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gaintsnowflake · 9 months

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Hey, can you do a Lockwood x reader where the reader is Kipps' sister, and Lockwood is in love with her from the very beginning. After a joint and successful case, Lucy invites her to sleepover(Lucy is her BFF and sees what is happening between them) and this is an opportunity for Lucy to play matchmaker. But Kipps disagrees and goes with them. He interferes with Lucy's plan, so she locks him in the basement(She lets him out for breakfast in the morning) .It's a bit complicated, but you're talented, so you can do it ☺️

𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐑

PAIRING : Anthony Lockwood x fem!reader ( Qill Kipps x sibling!reader )

ONESHOT : in which lucy is a wonderful matchmaker

TRIGGERS : being locked in the basement ?

A/N : I hope you enjoy this, if this isn't what you were hoping for, please dm me and I will do write it again or if you want an extention. I loved writing this, the complexity being a bit of a challenge was fun, thank you so much for this request! Please ignore any spelling and grammar errors, this is not proof-read! Thank you for that sneaky complement as well.

WORD COUNT : 1.9k

masterlist

EVERYONE KNEW. How could it be a secret? His stares weren't discrete, he would constantly throw himself into danger for you, nor was the way he took every opportunity to touch you in some way, even if it was just a simple bump. It was so unbelievably obvious that he was head over heels in love with you. But yet, you still didn't believe it.

Anthony Lockwood and you met nearly a year ago when you had finally convinced your older brother to let you on his team instead of insisting on keeping you on night watch. That was your first encounter with him, and to put it lightly, you were shocked by it. Quill had talked down about this man for what seemed to be years, yet there you were face to face with a gentleman.

What was even worse in Kipps's eyes, even though you did at one point get him to admit that he may fancy the girl, was you instantly became best friends with Lucy Carlyle. It was probably bonding over running down a long hallway while a type two chased you, only to be met with a type one across the way.

That best friend status was now being utilized as you walked out of a large mansion with her, your brother and his team not too far behind. Anthony, you started calling him this instead of Tony to piss him off just enough that your brother wouldn't notice your liking of the boy, although he does like the way his name rolls off your tongue rather than the other Local Kipps, and George were far ahead. You were pretty sure that Anthony was complaining about Quill coming to "rescue him" but you would like to think of it as a successful team effort.

"So... how about you come and sleep over?" Lucy asked, her voice full of hope.

It had been nearly a month since your last sleepover, and you will admit, you missed staying up late to talk to the girl. As well as liking running into Anthony in the morning, long before anyone else would wake up.

"Don't know, Luce, I think Quill and I were supposed to go out for ice cream." That was in fact true, Quill owed you some ice cream after the two of you got into a long fight about something dumb that you cannot even remember now.

"Please? Kipps can wait! We haven't had a sleepover in forever," Lucy exclaimed, walking closer next to you, as you reached the gate of the house, Anthony and George standing just outside.

"I guess you are right, wait for me, yeah? I am gonna tell Quill I am staying over," You started to turn around and walk away, ignoring her silent cheers.

Quill and the others were far behind, it took you nearly three minutes to meet them in the middle of your locations. You were returned to your typical spot among the team, at Quill's, who wasn't listening to Ned ramble about something stupid while Bobby and Kat just stayed annoyed silently. They didn't seem to notice your presents and were rather preoccupied with ignoring Ned.

"Hey Quill, I am sleeping over at Lucy's tonight," You informed your brother, hoping he was distracted enough to not question or really realize what you are saying. But sadly, he definitely does, because he then gives you a look.

"What? We have plans," He was quick to exclaim, gaining everyone else's attention.

"Oh come on Quill, we haven't slept over in ages," Your voice drew out a bit as you tried to convince the boy.

It took a few minutes of you going back and forth before you reached Lockwood and Co, who were standing outside the gate. Anthony and George confused at your sibling bickering gave Lucy a look.

"I invited her over for a sleepover," The wink she gave Anthony had nearly gone unnoticed if it wasn't for Quill looking at her, instantly understanding what she was planning. He was not having any of it.

"I'll be back in the morning Quill," You told him, walking over to the trio. "We can continue this tomorrow."

You had now turned around to face the three, Lucy smirking, George looking clueless, and Anthony had a slight shade of pink rising on his cheeks. You hadn't noticed the wink or anything that gave away Lucy's plan of playing matchmaker. So the following words out of Quill's mouth took you for a shock.

"I am coming with you," His voice was stern as if there was no stopping him.

Anthony was quick to shut down the idea, but after nearly ten minutes of listening to their bickering, you decided to stop it. Seeing as everyone else was annoyed, it would be doing them a favour too.

"Alright, Quill, if you just, let me go, your ice cream dept will be forgiven and all will be forgotten," you stated, stepping in between the rivals to create a physical barrier as well as a verbal one.

"I am going," he stated again, which caused you to send death glares.

"Quill," You warned, "I swear, I will be fine. Just go home."

"Fine."

If only it was that easy. Although you did think he went home, Lucy was quick to realize that wasn't how it went.

You were at their house now, you had found your way in the Library with Lockwood, just as Lucy planned when she had sent you out to get tea and biscuits. But while you were talking to him about the magazine he was reading, Lucy heard the front door open from her position on the stairs. She was quick to jump up and reach for the nearest weapon.

Luce looked over the railing to see a very familiar guy step into the home. He was still in his uniform, making her wonder if he ever did take it off. His rapier banged into something, causing him to mutter a few curses as he closed the door.

"Kipps," Lucy's voice was just above a whisper as she walked down the stairs, catching the intruder.

"Shit," Quill's voice was low as he tried to give her a smile. "Sorry, but I can't let you set them up. Let me just get here and we will be on our way."

Lucy was quick to think of a plan, a dumb one, but it was still a plan. She just hopes Kipps was dumb enough to fall for it. Which, much to her surprise, he was. Or perhaps he was just too tired to truly realize the trap he was about to put himself in.

"Okay," Lucy said, hoping that it wasn't too quick to draw attention to her plan.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really," she nodded, walking down the stairs. "Come on, they were in the kitchen last I checked."

Lucy led the way down the stairs into their kitchen, which when they opened it to be empty, Quill was a bit aggravated. But when he saw a door, the basement door, cracked open he began to think they were down there—not questioning why it was so quiet.

"I thought you said they were in here?" He grumbled, looking around the place.

"Probably took a trip to the basement, we have storage down there, and it looks like we've run out of tea," Lucy begins to ramble, as she didn't think she would get this far in her plan. "Door is right there if you want to check."

Quill was slow to check but still did. Which he would defiantly blame on his tiredness later. But once he was down the stairs he heard the door close and lock, signally that he was now stuck down there. Hearing the noise he ran up the stairs and banged on the door, begging for Lucy to let him out. Lucy, on the other hand, was making her way back to her spot on the stairs, waiting for one of you to emerge from the library so she could shove you back in there. This left the Quill to sigh and admit defeat, to where he found himself, sitting on the ground of the basement.

Lucy wasn't that cruel, after nearly an hour, she went and found a spare set of blankets and pillows and opened the door for a few seconds. She left them there with a note saying he will be let out in the morning. To which he was very thankful as he took them and made a makeshift bed.

While all that was happening, you and Anthony were deep in conversation, not realizing how much time had passed. You were just sitting there, talking about nothing.

It was then that you realized how close you were to him. You started out sitting in the chair next to him, but after he wanted to show you something, he moved over slightly, letting you sit in his chair with him. Not the two of you were fully facing each other, sides pressed against one another and your faces barely a hand length apart.

Your laughter stopped as heat rose to your cheeks. His hand found its way over the top of yours and was now caressing your fingers. You just looked into his eyes, analyzing every bit.

You stayed there for a few moments before his other hand found its way to your cheek. He blinked a few times before the scary words left his mouth. "Can I kiss you?"

You were quick to nod your head, not trusting words to leave your mouth. That is when he leaned in, closing the gap between your lips. It was a gentle kiss, only lasting a few seconds. But those few seconds were life-changing either way.

"I really like you, y/n," He muttered, not looking away from your eyes, except to steal a quick look at your lips. "Would you be interested on going on a date with me?"

"Yes," You were quick to respond, before putting another soft kiss on his lips.

Somehow, you guys managed to fall asleep together in his chair. This completely abandoned your sleepover plans with Lucy, but she wouldn't mind, especially since she was the one who set this up in the first place.

You woke the next more to Anthony shuffling around under you. Which, you were quick to open your eyes to.

"Sorry, love, didn't mean to wake you," His voice was gruff, as he had also just woken up. He was slightly out from under you, showing that he was trying to escape your grip. "But I can smell George cooking breakfast and I would really like whatever the hell he is cooking."

At the sound of George's food, you got off of him, not saying another word. You didn't check your messy appearance, which was yesterday's outfit, as you never managed to get changed, as well as untamed hair. George's food really did wonders as you were downstairs staring at the boy in a matter of seconds.

"That smells amazing George! What is it?" You asked, trying to peer over his shoulder.

Lucy had already been at the table, happily spilling her tea. Anthony walked in shortly after you laughing at your actions. The laughter didn't last long as he heard a banging at the door.

Lucy made a quick, "oh shit" face before rushing to the door, unlocking it to let out an aggravated Quill Kipps.

"She is a barbarian Tony," Quill spoke, in a grumbling tone, before going to sit down in a random chair. "You should hire someone else, and don't even think about saying y/n."

"Quill, what the hell are you doing here?" You sounded shocked, just as the other two boys were.

Lucy gave her best sorry smile before explaining how he ended up in the basement. Which did seem successful as you and Lockwood did end up together at the end of the day. You do have to admit, she is a good MATCHMAKER

#lockwood and co fanfiction #lockwood and co #fanfic #anthony lockwood #anthony lockwood x reader #lockwood oneshot #quill kipps

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richonnesbitch · 1 month

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Thoughts on ep 5?

This was pry my least favorite episode so far. I’ve never cared for Gabriel so his and Jadis’ scenes bored me. The 3 new people they introduced were killed off so quickly… and badly? Idk it’s like 10 years into the apocalypse and known of them seemed to know how to survive, it felt stupid. They were literally just there to show how Rick and Michonne worked together.

Also I was surprised that Jadis ended up helping them in the end, she could have just died and got the last laugh that they didn’t know where the file was.

Honestly, I would say I loved it if not for all the Gabriel/Jadis scenes. That really brought it down for me. The entire time they were on I was fighting the urge not to skip ahead. But I guess I'm glad I didn't because I would have missed hearing that Rick wanted to marry Michonne on the bridge!!! Absolutely insane. Absolutely BONKERS.

But with that being said, I loved the rest of the episode so much. It really gave The Next World and Say Yes vibes which are two of my favorite episodes ever! Seeing Rick and Michonne on their honeymoon is just soooooo 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

Rick trying to get that "junior" license plate for RJ just melted my heart. He loves that baby already and he hasn't even met him. Father of all time me thinks! And then Rick gifting Michonne her favorite toothpaste because he remembers and cherishes every little thing about her. When I say the line "I was in love with my son's best friend" sent me into orbit..... it sent me into ORBIT. I was crying my eyes out. And then when he gave her the replacement "m" necklace. Oh Rick Grimes, how I love you. I love seeing them getting to be happy and love on each other as hard as they can. Wish we could have saw their drunk freaky cabin sex where they most definitely probably tied each other up 😉 it looked a little too natural when they tied themselves up for Jadis.

It was so pleasurable for me seeing Jadis die slowly, brutally, and painfully. Everyone say thank you, Michonne! Rick telling Michonne "maybe just maim her first" had me chuckling! He's so funny. I guess Red and his siblings really were pointless? Why did Jadis think Rick and Michonne wouldn't be able to easily take out those randos? But seeing Jadis FINALLY die felt so satisfying!! I'm glad she suffered. And I'm glad Michonne didn't give her any peace as she died. She let her know the CRM will be getting what's coming to them 🥳🥳🥳

And last but not least my favorite part of the episode. You already know what it is. Rick fucking proposing to Michonne!!!

8 fucking years and we FINALLY got a proposal. I mean it's weird how most of the other couples got that chance but not the lead couple? It's weird. But I'm so glad to see it happening now. Vindication has never felt so good.

And this was only the proposal! Meaning we got a wedding coming up.

And I love this proposal so much. It's not lengthy or over the top and you really feel the few words Rick and Michonne say to each other. They carry a lot of meaning. I'm just so beyond happy!!!

But in conclusion, I do understand why this isn't people's favorite episode. I don't dislike it as much as anyone else but it's not my favorite either. I think my ranking would be episode 4, episode 1, episode 2, episode 5, episode 3. I loved that we got a little lightheartedness before shit hits the fan in the finale!

#michonne grimes #rick grimes #richonne #the walking dead #twd #the ones who live #towl

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gr00vyminibus · 1 year

Text

A woman's heart.

Izogie x Black!fem Agojie

After drinking with Izogie your feelings become admitted.

Taglist: @zeezeecave @mybonafidefeelings @masterajoy314 @xenaizogie @blacksapphhicmaddonna

[A/N: Switched it up, I love mess and makeup tropes 😋]

Under the clay construction, the far moon shined on Izogie and you. Illuminating your individual brown shades of skin. Two friends enjoying the night breeze with liquor in their systems. Your eyes flickered to Izogie's flask in her hand and swiped it.

Her walking halted as she watched you take a few quick sips snd give it back, frowning at the heated sensation traveling down throat and into your chest.

Izogie wouldn't drink with just anyone, you were a loyal and special friend, eserving of letting your guard down around her.

"Slow down, lightweight." she chuckled sipping next from the flask. You gently bumped shoulders with her as a way of telling her to shut up.

She smiled with her head back and managed to keep drinking the whiskey that trickled down her mouth, a skinny drop slid down the corner of her lips and left a glimmering trail that you so desperately wanted to clean up.

She led you inside her chambers and made her self comfortable on the bed, leaning back against the wall while babysitting the flask on top of her raised knee.

"You're quiet, what's on your mind?"

"I couldn't tell you if I didn't know myself.." when you focused on the ground your head was empty but if you peered into her eyes the mental space inside of it would definitely many thoughts.

"look at me." The tip of her knuckle pushed your head up. Why was she so effortlessly seductive. This small action was weakening you as you unconsciously held her wrist and flipped it over to examine her nsils.

"Can I touch them?" Your eyes hesitantly pulled away from tracing the shape and analyzed her neutral and tipsy expression. Izogie sat up straighter and flexed her hand.

"Normally I don't like for people to touch them but,"

"go ahead." The pads of your fingers pricked against the sharp edge and slid down the other side of it. You separated her fingers and then matched the palm of your hands.

But they weren't the only thing you admired. There was a scar on her neck you wanted to kiss on and make a path up her jaw, then appreciate her nude lips.

Pecking her eyelids and brows, feeling the texture of her hair and so much more, much more you wanted to do with her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"I cannot decipher it.." Izogie grumbled, smirk splintering her stoic facade. You wore a nervous smile on your face, sitting beside her.

"It is.." her looked at the ceiling "kind," she glanced at you.

"—intense even. Perhaps you.... nevermind." Izogie chuckled and grabbed the whiskey, internally cursing when she shook it, only a little left.

"Go on"

"I said nevermind."

"Well you brought it up in the first place, why shy away now?" A glare was thrown your way.

"Tell me what my look means."

"What, do you like me?" Izogie jokes thinking that'll stun you so hard you'd hold your breathe, she just wants to make you laugh is all.

But your pounding heart may have been audible to her ears. Maybe the gods above finally had the chance to answer your prayers that you chanted late at night. Or even begged for with a sigh whenever she let her eyes linger on you during instruction.

If you didn't have the liquor in your system you would've played it off smoothly but your heart demanded the floor so you let it speak before you could think about.

"... yeah." Her eyes slightened widened at you as you stared back, repeating yourself a bit louder and more clearer. Your eyes lowered to her lips eventually as courage grew within you by the minute.

"You're kidding"

"I'm not." You narrow your eyes.

"Swear, y/n."

"I swear." Izogie looked off somewhere and chuckled in disbelief, "you think I'm lying?" She nodded before synchronizing with her pointing finger.

"You had me alm-" An experimental kiss was placed on her lips; and as if on instict she pressed back into you but it stopped just as quick as it started.

"Y/n!" Izogie whisper-yelled but she wanted more and you noticed.

"You kissed me back."

"You confused me."

"How?" Well this is definitely not how you thought your confession would go. Izogie stopped herself from sputtering a response and just sighed loudly. You wanted her to explain though, she looked very thoutful right now.

Sealed lips getting grazed with her teeth as she pressed her thumb to her mouth.

"Why did you kiss me back?" You placed your hand on your thigh as you rested on your hip.

The reason was because she secretly craved you. The lady right to her eye level who never complained and accepted all consequences, good or bad. A restless and determined soul just striving for pride.

And although you didn't make yourself known, Izogie paid even better attention to you. You were meek but not frail hearted and that attracted her in ways she couldn't mentally seperate from her role as your teacher.

"If you don't want to speak I'll leave." She dropped her hand and pressed up against the wall better, her eyes still not meeting yours.

"We must forget this, the kiss. It never happened." Izogie finally looked at you and saw you avert your gaze almost shamefully as the painful lump formed in your throat.

"Okay." As usual you'd never complain and this time she didn't like it, deep inside she wanted wanted to argue and protest that the kiss meant something to save the outcome of this moment but this felt best.

You picked yourself up and went to exit the hut until she called for you.

"And Y/n?"

"Hm."

"Don't let anybody see you." Your toungue poked your inner cheek as you gently moved the flap aside to leave with the little decency you had left.

Because if you stayed longer you would have broken down.

•••

The next morning was the same but a little bit harder to bear since you had to act like you didn't kiss the woman of your dreams that coldly rejected you on the spot. She carried on better though, the emotions that swirled in her eyes last night were gone.

Izogie's back was straight, chin high and ready to do what she had to do while you were toeing the sand and avoiding her surveilling eyes.

"We will do a morning run to have your blood rushing for the day. Get in formation." All of them stood in straight line towards the straw gates of the palace.

"If you fall behind, jog or be high on your knees. There will be no walking, slouching.. or complaints." She walked around the back of the line where you were and looked over you purposefully. Ouch.

You breathed in and out through your nose and looked away from the sun to calm down, why did your emotions want to flood in now when you were so skilled at hiding them.

"A mɔ nǔ jɛ mɛ à?" Izogie called out as they agreed and started jogging towards and out of the gate. Your feet carried you for miles up and down hills, tredding through grassy plains. The synchronized huffs of others began to quiet in your ear.

"The oyo will catch you, hang you by your feet and cut your throat!" Loud claps and complaint were heard from the back as nawi, a trainee was getting scolded. You ran past a few girls to drown out her voice completely.

After a while the heat definitely got to you especially since you didn't eat breakfast. The feeling of dizziness attacked and the others caught up and surpassed you multiple times until you were the only one left walking in the back.

Except for one.

Izogie jogged up to you and eyed your state.

"pick it up, y/n. Your knees." You shut your eyes and continued walking begrudgingly.

"I can't– right now."

"I did not think I would have to remind you of this but what is the first rule of training." She moved infront you as you both continued traveling across the soil. You honestly couldn't care less about what it was but your mind instantly spoke out from memory.

"To always obey you."

"Do not forget it now, shake this off and catch up." You knew she was talking about the kiss and your attitude. You dropped your hands from your hips and jogged around her. Izogie felt like she nearly severed the ribbon of your relationship.

She would have to talk to you sooner or later, to see if you were on the same page.

•••

During sparring Izogie was as stern as usual maybe a bit colder now and stricter, she was buzzing by your ear like a mosquito. Correcting you on every little thing even your breathing and posture.

She thought if she instructed with you more you'd get the memo that Izogie was not aiming to ignore you and had no harsh feelings.

But it only agitated you to the point where you stopped fighting with your opponent and threw the spear on the ground. Your hands locking above your head as you marched off somewhere.

"Y/N!" That tone, Izogie never used that tone with you. So threatning and scorching. You shook it off and kept walking, there wasn't a consequence you couldn't handle. You just needed a break.

"She's so full of it.. I swear." You hissed, voice almost breaking as steady footsteps sounded behind you. There was a woven straw barrier that you could go behind and crumble down to your knees.

Away from everybody's instructions and orders.

You hit your hand against the dry clay as a hot lone tear rolled down your cheek. Izogie finally reached you with a hand balled up by her side. Her gaze hotter than molten lava but cooling to the sight of your evident pain. She crouched down to you as you covered the side of your face and crossed one arm over your chest.

Her eyes tracked your body language before speaking. "Why did you run off?"

"That's the question you ask.." You folded both arms over your chest now and continue not to look at her. Although, Izogie didn't like how you were unwilling do so, you were technically rejecting the warrior and it stung, just on the cusp of burning if you kept treating her like this.

"If it's because I was instructing you during the sparring, my intention was not order you around like some puppet.." She spoke blandly. Face still hardened from her own personal irritation.

"You were breathing down my neck, correcting everything."

"That is my job incase you have forgotten. I am your teacher, feedback as frustrating as it may seem is mandatory."

"Why all of sudden did you want to give me all that attention?" You looked at her, pink eyes incredulous and it confused her along with your question, her eyelids slowly blinked as she shook her head.

"What are you talking about y/n-"

"Don't make me feel stupid!" Her gaze softened before it deepened.

"Lower your voice."

"And if I don't, if I say no just once will that abuse your stupid ego! Forget about the training and the run, you broke me when you told me to forget that...." You sucked your teeth and looked away as tears brimmed over your lids yet again.

You abruptly got up and wiped your whole face as she got up next, albeit slowly.

"I'll tell you this, that kiss meant alot to me." You sniffed as she stared at you.

"I ran off because you still didn't understand that, or rather you do not want too. You're so stubborn but I guess my heart is too since I still... like you. Foolish of me?" You were about to walk around Izogie when she gently grabbed your arm and pulled you back infront of her.

"What-"

"Come to my room after dinner."

"...." you were truly done talking and Izogie sensed this.

"Please." You removed her hand and walked away from her freely as the warrior and swallowed a lump down her throat, her heart squeezing for you and twisting from your absence.

All she could do is hope you would come see her. And to believe with such emptiness in that possibility didn't make her the same for the rest of the day.

••

When dinner came around you took your sweet time, you ate slower and even got a second bowl, bathing time was luxurious in duration. Stretching for nearly an hour as you took that time to relax.

Eventually you went back to your hut and moisturized your skin while putting on some fresh clothes for bed.

Izogie wasn't going to string you along so easily anymore, she could beg outside your hut for all you cared. The warrior really hurt you this afternoon and to face her in her homely hut, with the atmosphere mirroring her every aspect was like sitting in a blood curdling steam room.

Izogie didn't expect much but she did, so she had back up plans if you didn't show up. The sky was only getting darker and nothing changed besides the position of the grey clouds.

Izogie sat on her bed thinking if she walked to your hut it come off as desperate but this was a now or never situation.

So she threw her pride away and got up, pushing her flap to the side and stepping out into the night.

"Y/n I would like to say that.. I am sorry and I should've never- no." Izogie cracked her knuckles and started over.

"I understand that kiss meant a lot to you and I made the mistake of...? watering it down to- mawu." Izogie sucked her teeth and bring a thumb to her temple like it pounded painfully. Your hut was in the distance and she saw it, her heart thumping at the rate of milliseconds.

When Izogie finally stood infront of it she licked her dry lips and shut her eyes momentarily.

Praying for this to go as she hoped.

Izogie reopened her eyes and called out, "y/n." You cracked an eye open from your fake sleeping and frowned. "Y/n are you awake?" You faintly smirked and raised off the ground, slowly creeping to the flap and standing infront.

"Maybe she's asleep... " you pulled it back and watched her whole form freeze.

"Are you just going to stand there or come inside." You swiftly turned on your heel and let her come through as she opted to stand up while you settled on your bamboo mat.

"I wanted to come and apologize about this afternoon and last night. I want to actually talk about it and why I did what I did, when you.. kissed me I," Izogie walked over to you and settled on her knees.

Her gaze penetrate yet nervous. You fixed your face on your propped hand and returned the look back, minus the nervousness.

"enjoyed it."

"You don't have to lie Izogie." You dismissed as your eyes drifted elsewhere momentarily.

"Y/n, I never lie to you." Izogie stated lowly as you blinked, eyes softening.

"I wasn't led by any conscious when I kissed you back and it scared me. I felt so content and.. selfish because it felt so good."

"Then why did you push me away?" The way your voice was contrasting and gentle pinched at her heart, the warrior nearly crumbling to her thoughts of embracing of you but that would come later on.

"Because I didn't want to start something that I couldn't finish. Imagining how attached I could've been to you and then one day you're gone made me push you away."

"How can you grow attached to me, I thought I was your friend." You tried to repel all of Izogie's sentiments with your assumptions of her. It was a test to see if she felt different than what you assumed.

"If you were just a friend, I wouldn't have been with you that night, I wouldn't have kissed you, went out of my way to talk to you this afternoon, or ask you to come room. Y/n you're more than a friend.." Izogie sighed as her hands gripped her skirt, almost tearing the material.

"And?" You sat up, face to face with her as your eyes ran over her features. The woman straightened her posture and reached for your hand.

You glanced down at it and looked back into her eyes, smooth and glassy. "And I like you." A sincere smile washed over your face as she mirrored it and swiped her thumb across your knuckle.

"I don't have to forget this too right?" She chuckled with you, the mood lifting just by your harmonious laughter. "No, you don't have to forget anything, especially not this." Izogie moved into you first and connected your lips in an exploring kiss.

It was slow and wondering over the plumness and bows of your lips, your breaths mixing into the perfect pheromone for love and devotion to one another. No matter how short or long it would last.

And this time Izogie would not be rejecting her hearts desire for you. Not when it felt this blissful and not when you both rightfully deserved it.

You pulled her down to the mat as the warrior made it up to you all night with skin to skin carreses and wet kisses along the expanses of your body.

She told you her feelings all through with feathery freedom resting on her shoulders.

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