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margowritesthings · 9 months

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Te Beroya: I

SERIES MASTERLIST

pairing: Mandalorian!Arthur Morgan x reader crossover: Star Wars x Red Dead Redemption prompt: 24. “Your charms won’t work on me, pretty. I’m not that kind of bounty hunter.” & 45. “You’re prettier than the stars above, you know that?” (from @saradika's Star Wars prompts!) word count: 3359 words warnings: brief mentions of harassment in a flashback, implied non-con intentions but flashback ends before anything happens, somewhat suggestive fighting authors note: this is shameless self care where I have no idea if anyone will even read this, but I totally just sat and wrote the whole ass thing last night in one sitting?? anyway, this is 100% inspired by @saradika's incredible fallout/star wars AU, and it will be a mini series! I hope y'all enjoy, cause Mandalorian!Arthur has my whole ass heart. If you're here from Red Dead and have no idea whats going on, I've left a little glossary at the bottom of the fic with any terms I've used!!

i haven't tagged anyone cause i didn't know if my usual Arthur people would like a crossover or not, so please let me know if you'd like to be tagged in the next part!!

beta read by @cowboydisaster, divider by @saradika

Max Rebo is on tonight, so the Cantina is busy. More so than usual, which gladly works in your favour. It’s much easier to blend in with the rabble when there’s so many of them, diminishing the danger of getting a simple drink after a long day. You miss the time when danger wasn’t something you had to consider before something as simple as a trip to the watering hole, but that’s life now.

You’re sitting at a table for two, the second chair pulled away by a group of Klantoonians playing Dejarik and making bets amongst each other, which works fine for you. An empty chair might invite guests, which is the last thing in the Galaxy you want right now.

When you throw your drink to the back of your throat, it burns just how you like it, though the sight of a now empty glass pulls your brows together in an almost pout. You have very few credits left, and with your face coded into half the bounty pucks this side of the Outer Rim, work is pretty sparing these days.

A knight in shining beskar turns heads as he strolls into the Cantina, a Mandalorian whos helmet catches the dim spotlights scattered around the dusty bar when he appears to survey the clientele surrounding you, capturing your attention in the process. It’s a rare sight, seeing a Mandalorian walk so openly around the place, and the man instantly ignites a fascination in you. Sure, the Daimyo around here has the armour, but Boba Fett doesn’t claim to be a part of any creed, so you’re not entirely sure where he stands.

You’re so lost in your thoughts that it isn’t until the stranger is right in front of you, two glasses in hand, do you realise he was even approaching.

“Mind if I sit? I can pay rent.” He asks, his low, gruff accent hinting at origins in Mos Pelgo Freetown- as he gestures to the two glasses grasped in gloved hands. Curious eyes scan over his figure, tall and built as he is, landing on the full glass of whiskey with your name on it. A solution to your dry problem, albeit a risky one. It all depends on how much you’re willing to gamble for a drink…

“If you can find a seat, sure…” You shrug, fauxing a nonchalant air about you to keep suspicions low. You have no reason to trust this man, but showing that so openly would surely attract questions you’re not prepared to answer.

The glasses are placed down, the mystery Mandalorian taking a few steps, winding around the merry crowds to reach the nearest table. You watch on, amused, pretty sure anyone in this whole place would choose a fight over giving up their seat; the Cantina hardly has the clientele of the highest calibre. It’s an apprehension you feel, almost an excitement, at the thought of a fight breaking out and distracting everyone enough for you to pick a few pockets. And you’ve already got your drink…

You’re busy planning who you’re gonna steal from when you notice the presence this man commands. He’s tall, built up with muscles packed under his beskar. You can’t see his face, and you wonder if he’s one of those Mandalorians who never remove their helmets, your curiosity officially piqued. He approaches the group who took the seat in the first place, one of them scoffing at what you assume to be a request for the seat. You sit up, ready for the ensuing fight, but it never comes. Instead, the Mandalorian leans down, right up to the other’s face, and it’s far too loud in here to hear what he’s said, but stars would you love to know what has a Klantoonian scrambling up like that and offering out the stool.

Disappointment and a strange sense of admiration mixes in you as you lean back into your seat, your new tablemate following suit and sliding one glass across to you.

“Cheers,” You announce, lifting your glass to clink it against thin air before taking a sip, savouring the burn over your tongue a little more this time. The Mandalorian nods his head in response, and just as you think you’ve worked him out, he reaches for his helmet and pulls it off his head, placing it down on the table and taking a gulp from his own drink.

It takes you a moment to take him all in. His sandy hair, tousled from the helmet, a couple strands falling in front of his tanned skin. He has the jawline of a deity, spattered with stubble that is only broken with a small scar on his chin.

Dank Farrik.

You know his face. You know this man, you’ve seen that scar, those eyes, (though even in the dark cantina you can see an incredible ocean hue that no hologram nor poster could never hope to capture) before, hanging on the walls of the underground bars you used to frequent before every crime family on the planet were after your head.

Arthur Morgan, bounty hunter.

It’s too late to flee, and the disruption you’d cause by bolting would only draw more attention to you, so your only option appears to be complacency, for now. Act the fool, pretend you don’t know exactly who he is and why he’s here, and let whatever little plan he has in store for you play out until you can excuse yourself and get the hell out of here.

You school your expression to as much indifference as you can, though the rather long sip of your drink may have given you away. Arthur watches you intently, and if you didn’t know better you’d think he was buying you a drink to flirt with you. But you do know better, unfortunately.

“You know,” he starts, drawing out the statement and retaining your attention with a long sip of his own, “You’re prettier than the stars above.”

Whiskey shoots down your throat and back up again with your little splutter, not expecting this to be his plan. You just about manage to suppress the scoff rising up like bile, concealing it in a cough. Your fight or flight is in hyperdrive, and the reverend Arthur Morgan laying on the fake charm in order to cash in on the price on your head really isn’t helping. He’s good, though, you had to give him that. It’s a mighty fine pickup line coming from a mighty fine looking man, it’s just a shame he’s trying to capture you.

“Afraid your charms won’t work on me, pretty boy. I’m not that kinda girl.”

“Pretty boy, really?” He doesn’t seem mad, more amused, a raised brow meeting with a little chuckle and a head shake as he throws the last of his drink back down.

It’s now or never.

You throw the last of your own drink back, part for the plan, part for the Dutch courage needed to actually pull the plan off.

“Same again?” You ask, your stool squeaking awkwardly against the stone floor when your straightening legs push it into the wall, “I think this rounds on me.”

It’s a near perfect act of indifference, with only a single, traitorous voice break right at the end. You hope he doesn’t notice, but it’s wishful thinking. Arthur stands too, echoing your stools creak, his hand reaching on instinct to the holster hanging by his hip.

Dank farrik dank farrik dank farrik!!

“Don’t you worry about that, pretty girl.” The way he throws your pet name back at you… he knows you know, and you have seconds to act.

Eyes wide, like a bantha in headlights, you take your chances in throwing the last of your drink back, before throwing the glass over to the table of gamers and gamblers. It hits one of them on the back of the head, and everybody turns to him, the music cutting off abruptly for a few seconds of silence before the chaos erupts.

You’re the first to move, breaking the almost comical freeze frame to put one boot on the table and push it into Arthur. He lunges for you, missing by inches, so close you feel the air rush past your skin where he nearly grazes you. The table hits him in the stomach, and he’s forced to bend over it, giving you the perfect opportunity to risk everything and grab the blaster jutting out. You shoot twice, high into the ceiling, which really kicks things off. The cantina soon descends into riot status, with punches thrown, drinks flying and the like. The distraction you’ve been after ever since he walked in here with his uneasy air and the hairs on the back of your neck first began to stand on edge.

The path out is far from easy, and you’re pretty sure you stood on more than a few limbs, but when the dry heat of a Tatooine night hits you, you’ve never been so grateful. You don’t look back once, not knowing if he’s following you or even if he saw where you’re going, you just run until your lungs burn and your muscles scream at you and then you run some more. There’s a spot you know, an abandoned farm house just outside the city that’s covered in sand and looks like it hasn’t been touched in years. You hid out there once before, the last time a bounty hunter tried their luck with you, successfully prolonging this never ending hunt where you’re the prey every damn time.

It’s a long night, one where you don’t sleep a wink nor dare to light a fire. It doesn’t seem like Arthur followed you, but it was a few hours after reaching the farmhouse did you release the grip of your stolen blaster enough for it to no longer press each metal marking into the skin of your palm. You keep your back pressed firmly against the wall of one of the sand-filled alcoves, keeping hidden from sight until the suns are both well above the horizon. The mid-morning heat is a grateful relief from the biting cold; even the desert cools in the dead of night.

You spot the bantha first, letting it lure you into a false sense of security before it gets close enough for you to make out the details of its silhouette, one detail in particular being the goddamn bounty hunter sitting atop it.

The fact that he’s here at all means he knows he’ll find you here, but logic doesn’t get in the way of you scuttling back into the house, climbing to what used to be the second floor and pulling the blaster back out to press against your chest.

Not exactly the faster creatures in the Outer Rim, it takes the bantha and its rider a few torturous minutes to reach you, but when they do arrive, Arthur dismounts casually, with no indication that he intends to send you back to your maker. Your breath hitches as he walks down the little incline of sand into the ruins of the house.

He turns on his heel, and you notice the spurs on his boots make a little circle in the sand around his feet.

“I know you’re here, mesh’la,” he taunts, bringing out a Mando’a translation of the newly formed inside joke you seem to share now, “Ain’t no point hiding.”

He’s right, you know he is. There is no way out, no possibility you’re going to escape him, and even if you did, there’s no cover out here. He’ll be able to sit back and watch wherever you run, just waiting to follow. You could shoot him, but the weight of the blood you’ve already spilled is already becoming too much. Could you really carry more?

Tears threaten to prick at your eyes, but you refuse to let them fall, refuse to let the shaking of your hands carry on for any longer than your cover does. He won’t see the cracks in your facade, that you’ll make sure of.

“You’re prettier than the stars above, you know that?”

It will be a cold day on Mustafar when the great Arthur Morgan bows to flattery, but that doesn’t stop you from poking whatever fun you can reach.

Your voice echoing around the remains of the farmhouse alerts Arthur of your general location, so he turns to it, giving you a full view of the amused grin on his face.

“Your charms won’t work on me, pretty girl. I ain’t that kind of bounty hunter.”

You laugh. A genuine, true laugh, despite yourself. Despite everything.

“Come on out now, no-one needs to get hurt…” He pleads, wandering eyes indicating he’s still not 100% sure where you are.

“Except me, when you hand my ass in for a few credits.” You point out, noticing that your back and forth seems to have quelled the tremors in your hands. Let’s not ponder that right now…

Arthur looks taken aback, like he genuinely doesn’t know what to say to that. Good. Let him stutter to death for all you care.

“Well, maybe you shoulda’ thought of that before you started sloggin’ off some mighty powerful people, sweetheart…”

His comment seems to spark, igniting a firework of anger deep within you. It explodes loudly, albeit quickly, when you aim Arthur’s own blaster to beside his feet, firing a warning shot that smokes in the sand. You wouldn’t be surprised to see one of his boots singed with how close you were, but when he jumps back, pulling out another identical blaster from a second holster and aiming it right at your alcove, you curse inwardly. How did you not notice that?

“You have no idea what you’re talking about, bounty hunter.” You seethe, that anger burning hot as he claims to understand your situation.

“Well why don’t you come out here and we can talk about it?”

That earns a scoff, which Arthur responds to with a long sigh.

“Look… way I see it, you’ve got two choices. You can come out, do this the easy way, and I can bring you in nice and warm, get my full fee, and you live to see another day. Or-”

“Yeah, I get it, beroya,” You spit the Mando’a name out like a curse, “Or you can kill me right now and have a real lonely drive back to wherever the hell it is they want my corpse.”

You hate that he’s right, hate that you’re cornered, hate that it’s over, ignoring the small part of you that sighs relief at the prospect of no longer having to live life with one eye on your back.

There’s one last, long, deep breath, the exhale feeling like letting go of something, though you’re not sure if it’s freedom or the captivity this hunt has kept you in, and then you’re jumping from the second floor, landing in the sand with a thud. You’re still clutching the gun, but so is Arthur, and you’re not sure you’d fare well in a duel against an actual sharpshooter, so you toss it over to him, sand flying off at him in a final, petty move.

Arthur picks it up, holstering a pistol at each hip as he slowly approaches, hands raised like a keeper trying to tame a wild rancor. You can’t decide if you like that allegory on not, rancors can get pretty vicious…

The handcuffs you also didn’t notice last night hang from the bounty hunter’s belt. You’re still while he corners you, appearing willing when he plucks the binders from his belt. It isn’t until you feel gloved hands against your skin do the prickles on the back of your neck start burning and the urge to flee rises up again like bile.

Phantom hands, Trandoshan ones, appear all over your body as you’re flung out of reality from a single touch.

“Aren’t you a gem?” his whisper just about reaches your ear, warm breath bubbling at the skin of your neck like acid. He runs a claw across your jaw, resting it below your chin so you can’t look away.

“Please don’t touch me.” You demand, though your voice is weak. Scared. You know what happens to girls who don’t do what they’re told around here.

That displeasure spreading across his face twists and contorts it when he registers your disobedience. Notably, his claws remain on you, and when you try to step backwards, he crowds you, following until your back hits the cold stone wall. Claustrophobia sets in, your breath hitching when you feel his chest press against yours.

“Hm… I think I will, girl. Nobody says no to me, you’ll do well to remember that.”

The stench of whatever cologne rich Trandoshan boys wear lingers in your nostrils like it so often does, but your mind catches up with where you really are faster than your body does. It’s instinct, when you bring your knee up to hit Arthur hard in the gut and completely wind him. He lets out a groan, doubling over and dropping the binders in the process, which you kick across the sand.

You use his distraction to push him over onto his back, but he grabs the lapels of your jacket and drags you down with him so you’re straddling him, crotch to crotch as you attempt to pin him down into the sand. Your thighs squeeze together in an attempt to constrict his wriggling, but he’s pretty strong. You’re not thinking straight when you pull your fist back, with every intention of striking Arthur in the face, but the shock of his catching your fist in his much bigger hands seems to bring you back to reality and you realise what you’re doing.

Frozen, for only a second, but it’s enough window to give Arthur chance to overpower you, twisting your bodies together until you’re below him instead and he can pin down each arm by the wrist. Your thighs remain wrapped around him, and with Arthur towering over you, it has suddenly become an awfully intimate position shared between the two of you. His face is inches from yours, his hot, panting breaths mixing with yours. Both of your chests rise and fall, just barely touching as you glare into eachothers eyes.

“The hell was that?!” He demands, and you’re trying your absolute hardest to ignore the prodding you feel against your thigh. Maker help you…

He doesn’t deserve a response from you, only the ceasing of your strained muscles trying to escape his iron grip as a silent admit to defeat. With the way you fell, your satchel is digging awkwardly into your lower back, so you raise your hips slightly to ease the ache. An unexpected effect of that is your pelvis grinding oh-so gently against Arthur’s, which seems to bring a surge of energy to that bulge pressing against you. Your eyes widen, as do Arthur’s, and there’s one single moment shared between the two of you before he quickly scrambles off you, not releasing his bruising grip on your wrists.

When he stands, he doesn’t give you the chance to before he’s walking to the direction you kicked his cuffs. It drags you along the coarse sand, your wrist screaming from the strain of carrying your weight.

“Ow- you’re gonna break my wrist, you fucking nerf herder!” You hiss at him, kicking your legs in protest as sand flies about the place and you’re dragged to the cuffs.

“Shoulda’ thought about that before ya tried to break my goddamn nose, mesh’la.” The term of endearment is anything but sincere, coupled with rough movements as he cuffs you that hint that he may be pretty pissed about the sudden unexpected fight. The binders are a little too tight to ever be comfortable, but you’re pretty sure that’s intentional. A slice of revenge for trying to run again.

“These are too tight.” You complain, lifting your wrists up to his standing form.

“Well, you better get used to it. We’ve got a long ride to Mos Espa, Princess.”

beroya - bounty hunter dank farrik - curse word mesh'la - beautiful trandoshan - an alien species, one of the crime families of tatooine

#arthur morgan fanfiction #arthur morgan #arthur morgan x reader #rdr2 #arthur morgan imagine #arthur morgan rdr2 #arthur morgan x y/n #arthur morgan x you #arthur morgan fanfic #star wars #tha mandalorian #crossover #star wars crossover #star wars fanfic #star wars fanfiction

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ataraxiaspainting · 2 months

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May I please request Yandere Machi, Pakunoda, and Shizuku? (separate)

Here's the scenario: They haven't seen their s/o in a decade, ever since they got put in prison. The rest of Troupe managed to break them out, and they go on the search for their s/o.

However, they encounter their son/daughter—who was eight the last time they saw them—now an adult and full-pledged hunter. Their child tells them that they'll defeat them and put them back into prison in the name of justice, which is sad because before they were captured and put into prison, they used to be very close.

Yan Machi + Yan Shizuku + Yan Pakunoda / Having a Hunter Child.

Warnings: The reader uses she/her pronouns respectfully, implied dub-con, manipulation, unhealthy relationships, and threats/mentions of violence.

Word Count: 900.

*~*~*~*

Machi

Eyes the color of a cloudless sky meet those dissimilar to them yet all too familiar at the same time for as many reasons as there are stars during the time of midnight. The young man’s eyes share the same hue as yours, yet have the same type of glare Machi used to always use on you to keep you in line, to prevent you from doing anything stupid.

“Komacine. I shall strike you down if it is the last thing I ever do.”

Machi is not scared, just disappointed, in both her son and you.

“Oh?” But she is also happy because, for the first time in nearly ten years, she can see the image of her son and you, both within her grasp where you both belong. “You don’t mean that, do you?”

Her words made the young man’s sword be held up even higher, but she was still not afraid.

“I shall, Spider, that is a promise.” But deep within those eyes, there is regret and sorrow, Machi thinks.

“Is that any way to talk to your mother?”

Her son merely snarls like a wild animal, still having his weapon raised high. “You aren’t my mother. You’re just yet another piece of evidence of all the wrongs there are to be righted in this world.”

From the corner of her eye, Machi sees you wearing a pink apron through the window, seeming to be humming to something while peeling some potatoes, carrots, and onions. She would have made her way into your home by now, if your son hadn’t at that exact moment opened the front door, which had immediately set off his Nen detection.

“Am I not? You look just like the little boy I used to take to the playground all the time, all those years ago. The games we used to play, your favorite one being… hmm…” She put her thumb and pointer finger under her chin, pinching it lightly.

“That was then and this is now, Komacine. I will kill you for what you did, all the people you hurt and murdered in cold blood.”

Choosing not to pay any clear attention to the threat, Machi simply thinks back to all the past moments, so bittersweet like her favorite tea blend.

“Ah… it was hide and seek, wasn’t it?” From the sound of silence, she knows she is right. “Shall we play that one now? …Would you like that?”

No answer is to be heard.

Shizuku

Shizuku turns her head to the side, confused.

“Why are you attacking me?” Did she do something wrong? “Why do you think? I know you have a bad memory, but try to use that brain of yours, Spider. For your good.” This man looks familiar, but from where?

Then she realizes, as the moonlight shines on the tops of both of their heads, showing the eerily similar hues of ink black. She smiles, and the moonlight also shows how wide it is, much to the horror of the young man.

“Ah! You’re my son, all grown up! Gosh… the years have flown by, haven’t they?”

She chuckles as she reminisces about old times, full of sentimentality.

“We should have a game night, just like those times! Oh, to see your mother again as she plays with us… it would feel like a dream, wouldn’t it?” To see how you have matured too, just like your son, both from the inside and outside, is a sight that would make Shizuku’s heart burst with love. Even though you are all ten years older, she is sure that you are still as beautiful as ever.

It feels and sounds like a threat, but is it? Shizuku does not lie, and her threats are always nonexistent, anyway.

He prepares to run just in case it is and is real, though.

Pakunoda

In an instant, she gets closer than he can blink and puts a finger to his lips.

“Shush. Calm down, please. I love you both, and I always will.”

Little by little, the sword lowers, as small as the change is.

But she notices. She has always been observant, which only proves to be more amplified during her ten-year-long search for you.

“You’re a Spider, you hurt us, you hurt more than us. Why would I-” Another interruption.

“I missed you plenty, you know. You and your mother were the lights of my world all those years ago. You both still are. Did you miss me too? Either of you?” It is not an odd question, but without physical touch, it may as well be. Her Nen can only work when she has her hand or arm on someone, after all. However, even without using it, she can still detect when someone is lying. The slight quiver of the corner of the lips.

He can’t move. He can feel his soul sinking, far beneath the ground.

“No.” There is only one word, but the lie is still apparent.

“Shall we go in? We have a lot to discuss, your mother and I. We can also chat about old times if you want to.” She smiles as she walks up the steps, slowly with her hands raised. Her son lets her.

#yandere #yandere x reader #aya abstractions #yandere hunter x hunter #yandere hxh #yandere hxh x reader #yandere machi #yandere machi x reader #yandere shizuku #yandere shizuku x reader #yandere pakunoda #yandere pakunoda x reader #200 followers event #yandere hunter x hunter x reader

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lusc1nia · 1 year

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gift for @dustofthedailylife, event hosted by @2022gisecretsanta

okay so like have you ever felt so angry because i lost like ~10k worth of words because MY GOOGLE DOCUMENT GOT CORRUPTED? I HAD EVERYONE IN THEIR LIST WRITTEN ANd I AM SO ANGRY BECAUSE NOW ITS ONLY 1 CHARACTER *AND* LACKLUSTER and then you keep rewriting aND REWRITING BECAUSE YOU AREN't SATISFieD AND YOU're STILL NOT SATISFIED BUT IT's THE 29TH AND YOU FEEL BAD BECAUSE THE PERSON RECIEBVING THIS IS WoNDERING WHERE THEIR PRESENT IS AND AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHJHHH

if the person whose receiving the gift wants me to i'll rewrite ayato's and zhongli's parts in separate posts later on because boy they weren't as angsty as al-haitham's and i was trying to do a mix of fluff, angst w/ comfort, and angst no comfort

sorry if i'm rambling too much i'm just genuinely so mad at my pc and google docs

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wc: ~1.1k

Al-Haitham x Reader: Coward

only in Al-Haitham's perspective, reader makes a short appearance and is implied to be missing in action

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Al-Haitham is a coward.

The Scribe of the Akademiya is a coward.

The savior of Sumeru’s deity is a coward.

No matter where Al-Haitham is, or what he thinks, he’s a coward true and through. And as he stands in the Grand Bazaar’s stage, with his newfound ‘friends’ celebrating the reinstatement and the saving of Lesser Lord Kusanali as the archon of Sumeru, Haitham could only remember the expression on your face when you last saw him.

The traveler smiles, speaking in a feminine, child-like voice.

“Everyone, it’s me.”

A soft, adoring smile adorned the traveler’s facial features as she placed her hand over her heart.

Paimon shrieks, and immediately the Scribe begins to tune out the conversation.

“My, I didn’t expect to be having a conversation with the consciousness of Lesser Lord Kusnali in the Grand Bazaar,” He glances at Nilou expectantly, “How interesting. Was this also planned for the feast?”

Nilou shakes her hands in front of her face, replying to Al-Haitham, (who bitterly shakes his head) “No, no.. of course not!” She turns towards the traveler with hesitancy, “are you.. are you Lesser Lord Kusanali, then?”

Lumineー or Nahida, who's occupying the traveler’s body, giggles, “Hello, Nilou,” Nahida gives a short wave.

Taking a step back, Nilou gasps, “You.. you know me?!”

Al-Haitham turns away, tuning out the conversation slowly, but Cyno nudges his shoulder, “The least you could do is pay attention. It’s our archon for Celestia’s sake, show her some respect, Al-Haitham.”

Opting to not respond, Al-Haitham silently glances at Cyno, and Cyno returns the glare.

Dehya stares at them with a pensive look on her face, mouthing, “Not the time for this.”

Cyno relents, breaking the eye-contact between them, “No need to be so ceremonious, Lesser Lord Kusanali, it has always been my duty to protect you.”

Al-Haitham scoffs, “That’s how the relationship between the Akademiya and our Dendro Archon should be like,” Remaining with a cold poker face, Haitham takes a jab at Cyno, “but we just did what was necessary to set things up on the right path.”

Dehya ignores Al-Haitham’s jab at Cyno, and adds on to Cyno’s sentence, “You’re an Archon, but you act so humble. You really don’t need to be..”

Dehya’s words mash together in a distorted way as Al-Haitham drives his focus away from the conversation at hand. Even when faced by a deity, he's still focused on you, and you alone.

No matter what he’s done or what he’ll do, he won’t ever escape your grasp, the hand that’s holding him by the neck and cornering him into a loss. Something the Scribe doesn’t experience daily.

He remembers a time late after everyone had finished with the graduation ceremonies, where everyone went home, rushing to find a position in the Akademiya, or maybe still studying late at night in the archives of the House of Daena.

Al-Haitham remembers finding you sleeping with obvious eyebags under your eyes, and he felt sympathy for you.

How many nights have you spent like this? He wondered. How many times have you fallen asleep, your brain calling to the comforts of sleep? The freshly graduated Al-Haitham looks down at you with (once again) sympathy.

Sure, he was your past so-called academic rival, just in different fields, but he realised at that moment when you both argued about the morals of the Akademiya, that you both were kindred spirits.

You both took different paths, but arrived at the same solutions. While he believes that humans are naturally bad, and choose to do good things to better mankind, you believe that all humans were born kind, but choose to do the wrong things.

“Scribe, and what makes you say that? Why are you commenting on moral philosophy when you’re a Haravatat graduate?”

Al-Haitham rubs his temples furiously, “Suddenly, I’m not allowed to have opinions anymore, as dictated by you, my supposed ‘equal’.”

You shook your head in discontentment, “Maybe, just maybe, Scribe, you should try to stay in your own lane, and not question the ethics and morals of the Akademiya,” you say, tucking your hair into your ear, “I represent the Akademiya, I reinforce the ethics and morals of the Akademiya. You just have to sit pretty and write down the important things for archon’s sake, I swear, you truly are impossible..”

Al-Haitham shakes his head, mocking you in that subtle way that he always did, “You expect me to back down, and bend over for the Akademiya,” His lips previously in a thin line were now turned downwards. Al-Haitham stares at you with amusement pooling in his eyes, and he folds his arms in that weird way he had always done.

“You’re.. you're kidding me. Right?” You stare at him, a bewildered look in your eyes, “you certainly can’t be serious.. A high ranking position at the Akademiya, who doesn’t share the same morals as the Akademiya for Greater Lord ... sake! Next thing you’re going to tell me is that you have the utmost respect for Lesser Lord Kusanali!”

Closing his eyes, Al-Haitham curtly replies, “You’re not wrong.”

At this point, Al-Haitham can imagine that you were pulling your hair out with a furious look in your eyes. That’s how it’s always been, hasn’t it?

But he opens his eyes, just to see you staring blankly, without reason and without a shine in your eyes.

His eyes narrow in on yours, and you simply shake your head, “I should’ve expected someone like you to defy the Akademiya,” you said, a deflated tone in your voice, “maybe you are just better off as a scribe, huh..”

Al-Haitham watches you walk away, he was ultimately the victor of this, ‘pleasant’, conversation, but he certainly didn’t feel like one.

Intrusive thoughts echoed throughout his head as he walks away from the House of Daena:

Coward. Why was it that you always needed to fight [Name]? They were like you, stubborn, but more emotional. You should have just backed down for once. You’re such a cowardー remember those roommate posters you put up after graduation? It had to have been for [Name], but you got cold feet, didn’t you. You had to have picked Kaveh, just because you didn’t want to see [Name] walking around your house, you would’ve caught feelings, huh? You already caught them. So what was the point, Scribe?

Al-Haitham is snapped out of his thoughts of you when the traveler approaches him after the feast.

“Oh? What do you need me for, Traveler?”

But in the end, Al-Haitham is still a coward. He is many things, but he is a coward, true and through.

#genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #alhaitham x reader #al haitham x reader #gixrsecretsanta2022 #lusc1na ー my (shit) writing

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autism-corner · 8 months

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The Seven and a Half Morningstars

AO3 || 2.1K words || you/yours pronouns || Masterlist

Levi and Lilith have something in common. Something none of their brothers have. They both are the reason that 'the morningstar/demon brothers' doesn't really apply anymore.

transfem sisters figuring themself out together. although, not at the same time or without severe loss (and gain). <3

ft. you loving levi (either romantically or platonically)

Levi knew. She’d known for a long time, but she was content with the way things were. Until you came around. She could handle everyone seeing a gross guy otaku. She could not handle you, seeing her in a way that wasn’t her true self. It felt like lying to you, and that's the last thing she’s ever wanted. Part of her thought it was selfish, but she wanted you to love her. Not him.

—

It all began way back in the celestial realm. Back when they were known as the seven brothers. Ofcourse, everyone was siblings to each other in that place, but everybody could tell that these seven had something special between them. Lucifer, the morningstar, had basically adopted the younger boys, and it created a bond that few, if any, could break. While every one of them looked up to Lucifer, each angel was also steadily growing attached to the other 5. Mammon and Asmo were both extremely extroverted and found common ground there, and the twins were already close as could be. Lilith and Levi were both outsiders, and that’s where they connected.

Ofcourse, Lilith had the twins as well, but Lilith tended to wander around more, and he kept feeling like he didn’t really belong in heaven anyway. Ofcourse, Lilith loved his brothers, but sometimes he longed for a different life. A more free one. That’s why he drifted towards Levi. Leviathan always seemed to be in his own little world, and Lilith wanted to join him. So the two hung out a lot together, slowly creating a world away from everyone.

—

Lilith laid out on Levi’s bed. His arms reached out towards the roof, seemingly grasping the words to explain his thoughts. “You know,” He began. Levi sat in his chair in the corner of his room. Even though he seemed to be reading a book, Lilith knew Levi would listen to him. “I wish things were different. You understand, right?” A vague ‘hm’ came from the corner. Lilith sat up. He only ever did that when things got serious. “I don’t mean here.” A sigh. “I’m talking about like. Feelings and stuff.” This made Levi pause. Levi knew that he wasn’t the best with feelings or expressing things. But he also knew that Lilith understood that. He closed his book and waited. Clearly, Lilith had a lot to say about this, and the only thing Levi could do was wait and hear him out.

“I’m also not talking about struggling with feelings like you are. This is…” Hesitation. This was definitely a difficult subject for Lilith to talk about. He’d started biting his nails again. “More personal, in a way? I think.” He fell back down on the bed, still fidgeting. Levi slowly looked up.

This was so different from the usual Lilith. Lilith is often so full of energy that Levi could barely even keep up. This Lilith is trying to be calculated and calm, and it’s worrying Levi. “You should stop biting your nails.” A quiet response from Levi. A silent way that tells Lilith that he cares about him, and that he’s paying attention to him.

“Can you come here for a second? Just lay next to me. Please.” To many others this would’ve sounded like a simple request. But Levi picked up on the desperation that was hidden behind it. He slowly got up and walked up to Lilith, who was now curled up on his side. Levi joined him, laying, although stiffly, beside him. Levi wasn’t sure yet how to approach the situation, but he would stay and listen to anything Lilith had to say.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lilith's hand move. An invitation (request?) to hold his hand. He sat aside the discomfort he might feel with physical touch, and joined their fingers together. He’d do anything to comfort Lilith.

“I don’t want to say it this bluntly, but I can't figure out a better way.” Lilith had pulled up a pillow and was clutching it against his chest. “I don’t think I’m a guy.”

—

It wasn’t often that people would see Lilith cry. Lilith often had a way of life that would brighten up every room, conversation and face. The ways that Lilith broke that day, in front of Levi, showed the weight of this issue. Clearly this had been bothering Lilith for a long time now.

Lilith began explaining to Levi about all the things she’d wish to be different. And Levi listened. What else could he do? Lilith explained that she didn’t necessarily want her name to change. She’d grown up with this name and had so many memories with it, it was impossible to be complete without her name. But she did want people to refer to her differently. She wanted to be called pretty and cute and beautiful. She wanted to be a little sister.

Levi listened and understood. Levi helped her alter her clothes, helped her pick out new ones. Together with Levi, Lilith became who she wanted to be. And together with Levi, she explained it to everyone else. Thanks to Levi, she became her full self.

Things were glorious for a couple of centuries. Everyone lived and laughed, now being known as ‘The Seven Morningstars’, rather than 'The Seven Brothers'. Everything was perfect.

Until she fell.

—

Desperation broke out. How could Father do this? How could He break up their family, their comfort. How dare He take away their little sister. It was unfair.

They had to keep living.

Dark times turned darker upon their arrival in the Devildom, strangers in a new world. But with the darker times, aside from the anger still flaming within everyone, new forms of warmth began to rise as well.

Lilith’s replacement, set free by the anger she caused, came to them. Ofcourse, no one but himself saw Satan as Lilith’s counterpart, but that didn’t soothe his anger. He raged and rampaged wherever he could, but slowly gained comfort in the sister he never had. He finally settled with a piece of Lilith in his heart, allowing himself to release the anger she could never express.

Like before, they started being known as ‘The Seven Brothers’ again.

All the struggles they went through together made them that much closer, now only having each other to depend on. Bond’s grew again and strengthened, setting them up for their new life. A new life that is better than they could’ve ever imagined back in the Celestial Realm. A life with freedom. A life that Lilith gave hers for.

—

Levi had taken it hard. Her fall. Even though the relationships with his brothers improved, to levels never even achievable in the celestial realm, an important part of his life became irreplaceable. Someone to actually talk to, someone who got him, someone who was like him. He never got the guts to actually tell her. How he related to her. How he too, wished to change.

It caused a silent suffering.

Until you came. Even though things hadn’t been all that bad, he viewed you as his saviour. The one who brightened up his days again, gave him everything they could. But most importantly, someone who understood him. You made him better. Like his sister had before.

That’s when Levi started to question things again. You were able to give him his confidence back. When you were together, it felt like nothing could tear you apart. It was a mutual understanding between the both of you. It felt like Levi was back with Lilith again, but improved. Ofcourse, nothing could replace Lilith, not even you. But you gave him back his feelings, familiar yet somehow more intense. More worth the risk.

During the healing you were the cause of, Levi began to find their truth again. The truth that they had always already known, but often pushed back, was being indefinitely resurfaced by you. You reminded Levi of her. And now, finally comfortable, she could rise & remain.

Lilith was the one to tell Levi about this. Levi was never good with her own feelings, after all. If she hadn’t indirectly told Leviathan that being like this was okay, that things could change for the better, that life doesn’t have to be a struggle, Levi might’ve never even known. And now, it’s time for her to tell you.

—

She wasn’t as brave as her little sister. She couldn’t possibly tell you this straight to your face. Praise to the devildom and its better developed technology. A voice message it’ll be. A regular text message did feel a little too impersonal for something like this.

“Hey. uhm. Right.” A clear fumble with paper can be heard. The clearing of a throat. With a robotic voice, certainly reading a script that’s been spent hours on, Leviathan started. “I don’t know how to properly tell you this. It’s hard. But very. very. important. To me. I. I am not. who you think I am. But I want to be. And I know you want me to be myself as well. You have told me that plenty of times. And I am grateful for that. It is because of your continued persistence in being comfortable with myself that I bring you this. That I trust you with this. Because I don’t think I can continue being a guy.”

It was a sudden and unprompted message to you, with an even more abrupt ending. Upon finishing her script, Levi pressed the send button immediately and directly shut off her phone. She couldn’t bear the thoughts about your response, but knew she’d have to.

It hadn’t even been a minute when you knocked on her door. Within that time, you had listened to the message, sent her a streak of five different messages in response, and raced through the entire HOL to her room. It only took two unanswered knocks for you to barge into her space, where you hurried to her bed to find her already sobbing.

Her emotional state, and her body finally being engulfed in your arms, made her spill everything. About Lilith, and how she was the one that planted this idea in her head in the first place. How hard it had been without her. How regretful she is for never having been able to tell her little sister.

She told you about how much you mean to her, and how she kept thinking, no, knowing, you only loved the wrong version of her. You loved the version of her that kept wishing he was different, that forced himself to be someone he only partly was. You loved someone that was not her. And she told you about how hurt that made her feel.

But she also talked about how loved she felt by you. How despite the rude comments Levi made, both towards Levi’s self as to others, it never made you love Levi any less. She talked about how lovingly and calmly you always handled her meltdowns, how you asked permission for every touch, how you didn’t grow annoyed anytime her energy was too low. She talked about all the things she would miss if she lost you. Things only you could give her. Things that made her feel like she was worthy of love, things that made her believe being herself might be worth it. You make her believe suffering doesn’t have to be.

—

It was an emotional and extremely draining rant. Many tears were shed, from both sides. At the end, you had simply kissed her head. It was enough for Leviathan to feel at peace. The mentally taxing questions could come later. For now the two of you would cuddle and rewatch TSL. No need to talk. Now was the time to simply lay embraced and at rest, as the both of you slowly drifted off thanks to the comfortable atmosphere. It somehow felt an impossible amount more loving than usual.

—

It was amazing to see her flourish. Huge bits of her anxieties were visibly taken away as soon as she grew comfortable in her new out and proud identity. She smiled and laughed more, talked more enthusiastically in her higher trained voice, and was more excited for the mundane joys. Life was easier. Life was better. Alongside you, thanks to you, she grew into herself. Nothing else changed much. She kept being her otaku self, she kept sneering comments anytime her envy flared up, and she kept the same bond with each of her brothers like she always had. Loving in their own special way.

Although, admittedly, one sibling-relationship did change. Anytime she found joy in her womanhood, there was a little part in her that felt more love, more similarity for her sister. A connection that was evergrowing. Despite never being able to tell Lilith, Levi knew she had known. Lilith had always had her way with people like that. Levi knew that somewhere, Lilith was smiling down to her. The exact same way she had once she started living her full life as herself.

#transfems my love <3 #also levi's hella autistic <3 #anyway although Levi's gender is so magical that it'll remain a secret to me personally. I will always firmly believe that Lilith is a tran #btw titel is not to call either satan or lilith half a morningstar. it just feels weird to put either 7 or 8 because neither feel true to m #urgh #obey me #obey me fanfic #obey me x reader #obey me leviathan x reader #leviathan x reader #transfeminine fanfic #transgender #obey me fluff #obey me leviathan #obey me lilith #obey me sibling bonding #obey me comfort #sillyposting #my work

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hangmanwh0re · 1 year

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"Anh bỏ bùa gì mà lại làm em yêu vậy" What Spell Did You Cast to Make Me Fall In Love With You?

pairing – hangman x f!reader, jake seresin x f!reader, wife!reader, pilot!reader

summary – the marriage between the cocky blonde texan who thinks he's too good for everybody and the soft vietnamese girl

warnings – fluff, no smut, safe for minor readers, PG-13 language so be warned, like three mentions of alcohol, VERY slight angst, also no usage of y/n | 1.59k

word count – 1,587

notes – based on my desired reality (DR) vietnamese oc born in the united states, callsign is "dragon" and name is nicole. also, the title is a line in a vietnamese song called see tình by hoàng thùy linh, it's a good song! also, this is the first fic i've ever written in full so please enjoy!

ACT 1, SCENE 1 - THE HARD DECK

Nicole walks back to the pool table from the bar, drinks in hand. She hands a beer to Jake.

"Mrs. Seresin, what on earth are you drinking?" says Jake "Hangman" Seresin, reminding her of her soon-to-be married name. He gestures to her glass, a rosy-colored concoction of various fruit juices and seltzer.

"Have you got a single thought behind those green marble eyes of yours? Asian flush, genius!" she responds, the tone jokingly mocking.

Phoenix and Coyote almost choked on their drinks laughing at the exchange. Phoenix puts a hand on her chest and clears her throat.

"You know, when you guys told us about the engagement thing, I almost didn't believe you. Cowboy marrying a city girl. Now that's funny." said Phoenix.

Jake sashayed over to Nicole, wrapping his big arms around her. His way of showing her love was through physical touch. Hugging, kissing, holding hands.

"You know I'm only teasing you, baby." he said. Nicole giggled and wrapped her hands around his arms. Eye-rolling and further snickers ensue from Natasha and Javy.

Nicole understood this familiar plea for attention. They best enjoyed moments where it was just the two of them. No snickers, no glances, no doubts of their relationship. "Well, guess we better be on our way, it's.." Nicole glanced at her watch. "5:54!" she exclaimed, breaking out of Jake's grip.

Jake and Nicole set down their drinks down on a table. "Take care of our tab!" Jake said hurriedly, as he and Nicole frantically get ready to leave the Hard Deck. Nicole reached into her pocket and grabbed her keys, organized by size. "We'll see you guys at the ceremony," she said, grabbing Jake's hand and speed-walking with him out to the car.

Phoenix looked at Coyote in disbelief and scoffed, "Those two never pay their bill."

"Good thing I brought my credit card.." said Coyote.

ACT 1, SCENE 2 – THE CAR RIDE HOME

Nicole grasped the steering wheel as she breathed deeply. Music was softly playing through the speakers.

As "Glue Song" by beabeedoobee came on, Nicole glanced out of her window at the orange-red sunset, a common sight since moving to San Diego five years ago.

Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, which was 1,082 miles away, she enjoyed and preferred the sweltering heat of Southern California rather than Oregon's aqueous, blinding rains and windswept squalls.

She turned the music volume down using the button on the dashboard.

"Is something wrong?" Jake said, looking over at her. Placing his fingers in her hair, he started to run them through the ends of her slightly wavy, brown hair.

"Jake, you know my family."

"Well, of course I do, we've had dinner with them at your parents' restaurant so many times."

"That's sort of the problem." Nicole sighed, shifting a little bit in the leather driver's seat.

"What do you mean?" Jake said, returning his hand to his side.

"It's just that.. you know. I'm Asian and you're white. I'm really nervous on how our wedding is going to look."

"Oh, Nicky. You're worried about nothing. It can be disorganized as hell and I'd still be happy because I'm marrying you."

She felt more eased. Nicole loved it when he comforted her. The feeling was like an ocean wave had swept over her feet. Calming yet so comforting.

"Thanks babe." She said, turning her head to smile at him, replied to with a bright pearly white smile from her husband.

ACT 2, SCENE 1 – FLASHBACK, FIRST PERSON JOURNAL, NICOLE

I had just gotten to North Island yesterday afternoon. My god, the warm air and sun makes me feel like I'm on vacation or something.

"Looks like we have ourselves another lady pilot!"

I turned my head. There's a 6'1 man coming towards me. Who could this be? Is he talking to me? Surely, he is.

He extended his hand to me. Do I shake it? Reluctantly, I did.

"Nicole. Callsign's Dragon. And you?"

"The name's Hangman, but you can call me yours."

Oh my god. Did I just get hit on within my first HOUR of being here? Yes, I did. I just decided to forget about it.

Later that evening, my new friends Natasha and Callie took me to a bar. It was called The Hard Deck, I think? Really funny name. Fitting for a Navy bar, I guess.

But what do you know it, when I walk in, guess who I see? That blonde man from earlier.

For the first fifteen minutes, I tried my best to bury my head in conversation with Natasha and Callie. Their callsigns were Phoenix and Halo, which I thought was super cool. Dragon, Phoenix, Halo, the best female pilots in the nation, damn right.

I couldn't get him off of my mind though. So I told them what happened earlier, and they told me to go strike up a conversation with him. I don't regret it at all.

I walked up to the bar where he was sitting, pulled out the stool next to him, and sat down. He looked up.

"Well, who do we have here? You're that lady pilot from earlier today. Dragon, right?"

"How did you even remember all of that?"

"I'm magic, darling."

I couldn't help but blush. Darling? Please, this sounded like a cheesy romance novel that I would be forced to read for junior high English class.

"Whatever. But uh, yeah. I thought about what you said earlier. I respect you for having the guts to be that outgoing."

He chuckled. His teeth were perfect. I really can't lie, he's gorgeous.

"You, uh, never really told me your name either. You just told me your callsign. So.. yeah.."

"The name's Jake. Jake Seresin."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Jake Seresin."

And that is the start of how I got a date for this Friday. For the second only time in my life, I'm dating somebody. Maybe someday, I'll marry somebody too.

Nicole, August 24, 2019

ACT 3, SCENE 1 – 3 DAYS LATER, WEDDING DAY

Nicole closed the journal and set it on the table of the vanity. She re-read the entry from her first day at Naval Air Station North Island, reminiscing on her first encounters with her soon-to-be husband.

"I can't believe the last line became reality. It's like it was just yesterday." she said to her sister, Josephine, who was curling her hair with a hot curling iron.

Nicole was wearing a white Áo dài with a white headpiece too, as per the Vietnamese tradition.

Josephine turned off the curling iron and helped Nicole get up from her chair.

"You're looking so beautiful, all dolled up like this, Nicky. You're a big, strong woman now." She said, giving her sister a bear hug.

"Thank you. Thank you so much, Joey. It's like yesterday we were just playing dollhouse in the basement, and now I'm getting married."

Both smiled at each other. "Go on out there girl. He's waiting."

Nicole walked out of the dressing room, and moved in between the arms of her parents, Uyen Kim and Han Hoang. They were so moved by the sight of their daughter marrying a man that makes her happy and content with life.

Nicole couldn't help but tear up when she looked out into the room and crowd. The wedding hall was clearly decorated with Vietnamese and western influence, paying homage to both families.

And there in the distance, she saw Jake waiting for her at the altar. Dressed in his Navy whites, he looked like the most handsome man in the world in Nicole's eyes.

When they reached the altar, her parents let go of her arms, and returned to their pew, as Nicole walked up to Jake, holding a bouquet of flowers. She saw the tears coming out of his eyes too.

In the congregation as Hangman's groomsmen were Rooster, Coyote, Payback, Fritz, Harvard, and Omaha. Nicole's bridespeople were Phoenix, Halo, and disregarding the traditional gender binaries, she also had Bob, Fanboy, and Yale. Also in the congregation was Penny and her daughter, Amelia.

"You look good, baby." said Jake, smiling at her and wiping her tears with his fingers.

"You look good too, baby." said Nicole.

When the time came to place rings on each other's fingers, Jake started to see all of their happiest memories together.

When he used his umbrella to cover her during a rainstorm, sacrificing his own uniform for her own comfort, and when he carried her back home on his back after an exhausting work day.

And as the minister had them recite their vows, Nicole started to see all of their memories flash before her eyes too.

The sunset drives where they sung along to Taylor Swift's "Our Song", the bar games where he always won, and the hugs that he would give her in front of their friends, not having a single worry in the world about embarrassing themselves.

"And now, you may kiss the bride." the minister said.

Jake leaned in to kiss her, finally landing a loving, gentle kiss on her lips. So moved, so loved, and so now married.

The congregation erupted in clapping and cheering.

"I can't believe they actually worked out." said Rooster, who was seconded by Phoenix and Coyote.

After a few full seconds, Nicole and Jake finally let go of each other's lips.

Looking each other in the eye, Nicole said,

"What spell did you cast on me to make me fall in love with you?" she said, smiling through tears and at this point, full sobbing.

"You know me. I'm magic, darling." he said, smiling back at her.

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sissytobitch10seconds · 5 months

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Clever Boy

Fandom: Grishaverse: Six of Crows and Shadow and Bone (TV) Summary: Something explodes in Wylan's lab and Jesper takes the brunt of it. Wylan would feel less bad if his boyfriend would just take his injuries seriously. Warnings: Minor injuries and implied sexual content Word Count: 993 Ship(s): Jesper Fahey/Wylan Van Eck

Archive link!

“Wy?” Jesper called as he walked down the long hallway that led to the basement room that Wylan had taken as his laboratory. As much as the boy had protested against anything that could be considered against the law or criminal, he had still been experimenting with chemicals and explosions well into his career as a Mercher. Since the substances that he acquired weren’t exactly legal, they had to hide the lab that he worked in. The logical place for that was down in the basement, but it also usually meant that by the time Jesper got down there, he had no patience to listen to anything until he got his thoughts out of his head.

That very thing had led to him almost having acid splashed on him because he had startled his boyfriend, who had thrown the nearest beaker at him. It had also gotten him stomped on, punched, and had the door opened in his face. It was nothing hard enough to even bruise and Wylan had apologized as soon as he was back in his own head enough to realize what he had done, of course.

Jesper was never good about learning his lesson. If he was anyone else, then he would have known to knock before he entered at the very least. He wasn’t anyone else, he was the boy that had nearly lost his father’s his farm by playing a handful of cards too many, he was the boy who had worked alongside Dirtyhands to break into the Ice Court, he was the boy who had been all over Ravka to try and bring down the Darkling. He didn’t care about his own safety and he certainly didn’t learn his lesson.

So as soon as he got up to the door that led to his boyfriend, he grasped the doorhandle and then flung it open with the force of a man on a mission. “Wylan! I need to speak with you about-” he grunted when he felt something searing hot push him back against the wall in the hallway.

He had barely even processed what it was before the heat was burning off the hairs on his cheeks and then melting the flesh from his palms. His ears were the last thing to clock what had happened and he was overwhelmed with the sound of shattering glass and a near-indescribable thrum.

“Jesper!” Wylan almost screamed as soon as everything was over.

The world was shimmering in a black and blue haze as his eyes tried to recover their sight. His ears were ringing so badly that he could barely even hear what his boyfriend was saying, despite Wylan being right next to him. His body felt like he was thrumming with the most beautiful kind of rush, the kind that he had never been able to get from the cards and only from a gunfight. He knew that meant that he was in some kind of shock, but it was so euphoric that he could barely pay attention to that.

“Jesper, are you okay?” Wylan asked worriedly. He brought one of his delicate, Mercher hands down onto his boyfriend’s shoulder to catch his attention.

“I think so,” he grunted as he pushed away from the wall and then up to his feet. He brushed his hand over his clothes to get rid of the dust and glass that had spewed through the doorway moments before. It was only then that he noticed the horrendous way that his hands felt against the fabric. “Ah, Saints above,” he whimpered.

Wylan’s pretty blue eyes went wide with panic when he heard that noise. They had been together for long enough, and had done missions for even longer, that they knew every tell of pain from the other person. Wylan immediately reached out, lean fingers wrapping around the zowa’s wrists so that he could flip them over and see what had happened. He let out a little gasp when he saw the half dozen blisters and angry red that covered his calloused palms. “Jes,” he breathed.

“It’s alright, love, it’s alright,” he replied immediately. It took one look from his partner for him to sink back down into himself. They had had many talks about him doing that, most of them resulting in his brain fluttering with thoughts for about a half hour before they drifted away into nothing. He had always had a bad habit of trying to make sure that everyone around him was happy or pleased about something instead of looking after himself. Wylan also had a habit of hiding his pains or injuries, but he was better at breaking himself out of it since Marya was staying with them.

“I promise you that I’m not making it easier this time. This is way better than the first time that I had a gun overheat on me,” he explained. “I can puncture the blisters when they finish developing and then drain them. This is nothing that bandages and a couple of days aloe won’t fix,” he explained.

Wylan gave him an unsure look, blue irises flickering between Jesper’s face and his hands. “Are you really sure?”

“Course I am. Though this means that if we’re still planning to spend the night together, we’re going to have to have you do all the work. I know how much you like showing off for me though, so it shouldn’t be that bad,” Jesper teased. All of the pain was forgotten when he saw the way that Wylan’s cheeks turned bright red. It was a good way to get both of their minds off of what had happened, and one of the only good uses of Jesper’s sharp tongue. Though at the moment, with sex on the mind, Jesper could think of a couple others.

Before he even had the chance to say as much, Wylan was pulling him down the hall so that they could patch up his hands.

#fanfiction #fanfic #writing #ao3 #archive of our own #grishaverse #six of crows #soc #shadow and bone #sab #wesper #wylan van eck #jesper fahey #jesper x wylan #wylan x jesper #shadow and bone ship week #save shadow and bone #saveshadowandbone #six of crows spin off

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fragileizywriting · 6 months

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Day 1: Coming Untouched

“Come in your pants like a good boy.”

“I would rather die,” Adrien bites back, quite plainly, face flat and dull, from across the living room.

It takes a Herculean effort to not roll her eyes. He’s being a bit of a brat about it, something about how his slacks take such a long time to come back from the dry-cleaners, something about who-knows-what, because she’s not paying attention. Who cares? That thing doesn’t even matter anymore, not really, because she has enough magic to make it disappear if she wants. Hell, if he’s really that concerned, she’ll suck the come right off the fabric itself, but he’ll probably complain about that, too. Something about it being gross.

God. She just can’t win.

So she twirls her finger around, just snagging his orgasm like she’s threading her hand through a taut string. With it, Adrien’s face cracks just a bit, showing the inescapable stress on his face, wheezing in arousal. His face is flushed darker than night, green eyes screwed shut when he lets out a shaking breath. That cock of his is hard. His abs might be harder. Maybe. He’s squeezing his own muscles in an attempt not to give into her, because, again, the pants, but it’s a losing battle. She has enough stamina to keep wrapping her magic all around him until he’s cocooned, looking up from her sketchbook as she doodles and draws and focuses on a round of anatomy— he’s on the other side of the living room, far enough to theoretically escape her grasp, but he should know better by now.

That’s what he gets for feeding her his magic for two years. And isn’t it just a perfect return gift? She’s always been so thoughtful, always so caring to reciprocate.

“Why now?” he hisses out.

She leans into her palms, chin right on the flesh of her hands, never once letting her forefinger curl on her cheek. “Oh. Huh. I’m not really sure, but you look just so cute today.”

Maybe she’s biased. There’s something so attractive about him when he’s absolutely minding his own business, which usually is practically never, but recently the dynamic in the house has changed. He minds his own business, nowadays. He knows better. Luka has taught him to relax. All he was doing was reading a book, curled up on the couch, cozied up next to the table lamp to see the words on the page. That was it. That was all. But she’d fallen for those expressive lips, peering over her sketchbook as she did her studies of him, following the contour of his nose… and here they are now, her toying with his arousal because she likes the way his lashes flutter like a Princess, expensive slacks tenting with an impressive dick.

Hello!

“All I’m doing is reading.”

“I know! But in a cute way.” The taste of his orgasm is lingering in the air. “You’re like my very own little nerd, so cute and so adorable, I can’t help it. You look so innocent when you’re reading your books with your little sweater vests. So helpless. I can’t stop myself.”

“Please…” Oh, begging, this is her favorite part. He looks ashamed, though, looking down at his lap. “Don’t make me ruin my pants…”

“I’ll clean it for you.”

“You hate doing laundry.”

“No more than you.” Checkmate! “I’ll suck you off straight through your slacks,” she replies with a shrug, and a grunt comes out of him like he’s exhausted already.

He whines. “What if we… didn’t make me come today? Give my balls a break?”

Ever since Luka’s felt awake enough to exist, to be part of the relationship in a more active way than passive, he’s made Adrien’s life living Hell. Both of their lives. How many times has she walked in on them both going at it, Adrien’s face pressed into the mountain of pillows in the bedroom, getting the life pounded out of him? How many times has Luka snatched her, grabbed her chin and helped her open her mouth until the root of his dick was right behind her fangs? Even as her eyes had teared up, Luka had sighed in relief, thankful for some help relieving what he claimed to be one of the worst erections in his entire life, using her throat and lips like a vacuum seal.

The orgasm had been worth it. Delicious.

The lack of voice hadn’t. Kind of hard to do anything without it.

Every time Adrien is done getting wrecked, she helps him get back to health. Usually, it’s by having him cuddle up with her as she smooths out her magic inside of him to fix anything that hurt or tear; their boyfriend loves it rough, loves it hard, loves making them scream whenever they can. Her approach differs sometimes. Adrien’s temple finds her chest, and the poor thing dozes against her breast. She’s fond of it. It’s cute. He finds her too soft.

“What was that? Something about coming until your balls break?”

“Don’t you dare—” It’s not really a scream that follows, but it’s a noise, and she loves it. A yelp. A surrender. A mewl. Adrien manages to drop his book onto the couch, frustration beading at the corners of his eyes, golden-brown hands turning white when he fists them, just doing his best to weather through it as she tightens the coil of his orgasm around her finger. Oh, demons are just so fun to manipulate. Large hands touch his abs, down to his belt, and he fumbles with the opening, trying to give him reprieve. “M-Marinette, Lord, please—”

“Poor Adrien Agreste, can’t even fight back a poor little succubus’s spell!”

“I could, back when you were weaker—”

“But now you’ve fed me too much and now I’m not weak anymore.”

“If I knew you’d get this strong, maybe I wouldn’t have been so— hnmnh— enthusiastic to feed you on the regular.”

“Awh, don’t be mean. I’m giving your ass a break!” Literally. He’s been complaining about the discomfort for a few days now, how raw he feels from how much he’s gotten pounded. Luka doesn’t play nice. She didn’t either, because succubus, and also because she’s hungry, always, forever, whatever, but she’s been laying low for a while. Double teaming Adrien on the daily is no good for his sanity, even if he’s a young demon who heals nearly instantly. Plus, it isn’t as fun if he gets used to it.

She wants him to like getting numb with pleasure.

Not indifferent.

Also, raw skin starting to blister is not sexy at all.

“My balls also need a chance to rest! I haven’t stopped coming—”

“I know,” she sighs, all decadent, all excited, and no one can blame her when she bats her tail lazily and happily. Who would even want to make her unhappy? “Every day is a gift!” she chitters. “I’m getting protein shakes every day, I’m so lucky.”

“Please, please, please.”

“Just once for me, Baby. You won’t even feel it. A little one. A tiny one. A micro one. Just something to take the edge off.” She pouts when he doesn’t give in. “Won’t it be nice when this stops hurting?”

“Marinette—”

“You should hump the air. Thinking about me being in your lap? Hm? Or are you thinking about Luka easing you wide open?” A waggle of her brows to really sell the story, and her grin blossoms wide open when his hips move, as if he’s giving in. “Just like that! What a good boy!”

“I’m going to die.”

“Oh, please. You wish. You’ve done this plenty of times before, you can do it!” It’s going to be such a delicious snack when he’s done. “Do it and I’ll leave you alone. Just keep thinking about me squeezing your dick with my throat and come, Kitty-cat.”

Pointer finger and thumb meet, and with it, she pulls like she’s ripping the orgasm thread right off of him.

Adrien comes inside his slacks, shuddering out a pathetic, wet grunt, embarrassment burning his dark skin red.

#speakizys #demon lovin #i'm not going to go in order just fyi #i'm just going to jump around to prompts that interest me and they're not all going to be massive like this

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arc-misadventures · 2 years

Text

What Are Those?!! XIII

Ozpin: Welcome, Miss Sienna Khan, it is a pleasure to meet you. Allow me to welcome you to, Beacon Academy.

Sienna: Charmed…

Ozpin: While a tour of the facilities is a common procedure for welcoming visiting dignitaries, you no doubt care more about meeting him than any of that.

Sienna: Indeed I am, if the rumours are true, this could bring about a new age for the faunas as a whole. And, since my dear friend, Kali Belladonna assures me that he is indeed a dragon faunas of some sorts, “A hunter must see with their eyes, to confirm what hear with their ears.”

Ozpin: A noble statement. One I dare say must be said to my students more often. Now, enough delay, Mr. Arc is currently in the training hall for his lessons. If you’ll follow me…

Sienna: Lead the way then…

~~~

Ozpin: And, here we are, one of Beacon’s many training facilities.

Sienna: And, where is he?

Ozpin: Hmm… Oh, he’s one the stage.

Sienna: Which one, there are two boys there?

Ozpin: The one who looks like a knight.

Sienna: A knight…? Hmmm…

~~~

Mercury: So, you’re the guy with all the sexy faunas draped across him.

Jaune: If you’re thinking about asking me to hook you up with one, you can forget it. The last person who ‘asked’ is still growing back his hair.

Mercury: What if I beat you in this fight, will you introduce me to one of them then?

Jaune: Let me think… No, no way in hell. They’re not mine to give, no matter what people say.

Mercury: We’ll see about that!

Glynda: If you two are done talking we shall begin the match. The match will end if either of you are knocked out of the ring, or if your aura reaches red. Understood?

Jaune: Understood.

Mercury: Yeah yeah, I got it.

Glynda: Very well then… Begin!

Mercury’s shot out towards, Jaune, his gunboots propelling him towards him as he planted a high kick against his shield. He blasted back again with his boot, shoving Jaune back from the recoil of the shot.

Mercury closed the gap between them his kick boxing style of shooting at his shield, and kicking ever higher forced, Jaune to block high, while his sword came down to smack away any of his attempts to shoot out his legs trying to knock him down. Unfortunately, Jaune couldn’t bloke every shot.

Just as, Jaune calculated, Mercury shot at his foot, breaking his balance, and causing him to fall onto the floor. Mercury pressed his advantage, with an over arching hick kick that slammed on the ground where he once lay.

Jaune quickly rolled to the side, climbing to his knees. But, his balance was weak as he was struggling to counter his fast opponent, because of this, Mercury shot at his sword hand, knocking it away from his grasp.

A cry of alarm, and shock echoed through the hall, he could here the gasps of his friends, and the jeers of those who wanted him to pay for all the attention he had been getting from the female faunas as of late. All the while, Mercury looked down on him with a cocky smirk.

Mercury: Hehe… This is easier than I thought! So much for the ‘powerful’ dragon faunas! Ha!

Jaune, was really getting tired of people treating him like some sort of god. Much less using it as a means to tease him.

Mercury: You know what… Forget the faunas, how about I take your partner instead, that Nikos girl… Yeah! Wouldn’t that be fun instead?! Hahahaha!

Something snapped inside, Jaune’s mind. He didn’t know what it was, but it was dark, vicious, and violent. And, as of this moment it wanted on thing, and one thing only; Mercury’s severed head.

He threw his shield at the arrogant prick like a frisbee intent on having it take, Mercury’s head in the process. However, Mercury easily dodged it, he turned to give a cocky grin at, Jaune. But, his eyes soon opened into shock, and alarm as, Jaune charged opponent.

Mercury prepared a round house kick, with his left leg, sending it flying with a blast of his boot. Mercury’s thought process was simple: Hit him with a round house kick, deplete his aura, steal his woman, easy as that. However, he did not expect, Jaune to counter him. Much less, in the manner of which he did so.

Jaune, hadn’t expected this either, but he simply reacted to, Mercury’s attack by biting his leg.

A shocked cry of alarm, excitement echoed through the hall. Many had seen the quote, dirty side of fighting, but this was on a whole different level.

Ozpin gazed down with a shocked expression in his eyes, for the battle had taken an unexpected turn.

All the while, Sienna leaned forward, with a delightful glint in her eyes, and a wicked smile across her face. Things have certainly gotten interesting, very interesting indeed.

Jaune, himself hadn’t expected this. All in all it was a clever tatic, after all who would expect your opponent to literally bite down on their whole leg. But, Jaune noticed something very interesting that no one bar, Mercury would know about his leg. He hadn’t bitten into aura, nor had he bitted into flesh, he had bitten into metal, poor quality metal at that. Which gave, Jaune an idea.

Jaune’s left hand grabbed onto, Mercury’s leg, and he bit down, hard. He could feel his fangs bite down into the cheap metal of, Mercury’s prosthetic leg. Fire erupted from, Jaune’s mouth, burning the fabric of, Mercury’s pant leg in seconds. And, by the time, Mercury knew what was happening, it was already too late.

With a cry of torn metal, and sparks of electricity Mercury’s leg was rended in two. Cries of fear, and alarm carried out throughout the training hall as, Mercury fell to the floor. Mercury’s eyes were wide in shock, and fear as, Jaune towered over him, the remains of his leg still held within his mouth.

Jaune spat our his leg, letting the broken prosthetic limb fall to the floor with a dull thud. Before, Mercury could say anything, Jaune was upon him. His hand was upon his neck, pinning him to the floor. Jaune raised his hand, he flexed his fingers, and sharp talons appeared at the end of them. Jaune snarled at his foe, flames of fire jutted out between his teeth as he broght his hand crashing down, and…!

Glynda: Enough!

Jaune stopped, his taloned hand mere inches from, Mercury’s face.

Glynda: That is enough, Jaune! He’s defeated! Get off of him…

Jaune spared, Glynda a passing glance before he retracted his talons. But, he didn’t get up, he had one final word to pass on to he defeated foe. Jaune leaned down to silently whisper into Mercury’s ear. His breath was hot upon his ear, but Mercury knew it was not because of his breath, but from the fire that raged within.

Jaune: Say anything… Anything like that to me, or my friends again… And, I will gut you like the pig you are…

Jaune shoved, Mercury’s head to the floor, leaving the sack of crap where he belonged. Not caring for the stunned silence that fallowed his foot falls as he retrieved his weapons. The silence seems to last in the air for some time, until Professor Goodwitch finally spoke up.

Glynda: Ahem… Winner, Jaune Arc! By incapacitating his opponent!

A series of cheers came from his faunas classmates, as well as from his teams in friends. While many others looked on in shock at the madness they had just before witnessed. The cheers, and joyous applause soon died, with the indignation of fury, that came from the defeat, and humiliated, Mercury.

Mercury: The fuck?! That animal just tore off my leg?! Why the fuck are you all celebrating?! And, why the fuck did he win?!

Glynda: He won, because you are clearly unable to battle, something of which should be taken as a given. As for your leg, something like this was bound to happen.

Mercury: Bound to happen, the fuck are you talking about.

Glynda: Mind your tone boy! Unless you focused your aura, it would never cover your augmented limbs. If J… Mr. Arc had bitten your arm, you aura would have protected you, but since your leg is not encompassed by your aura, this was inevitably going to happen. And, with this, you lose.

Mercury: Grrrr!!! You’ll pay for this, Arc! You hear me! You will pay for this!

Jaune: I don’t think I have enough to pay for that. So sorry, no can do.

Soon the whole training hall burst into a fit of laughter, as Jaune made his way down to the changing room. All the while, several pairs of eyes stared at him intently, all with a similar thought in their minds.

Desire.

~~~

Ozpin: Well… I must admit, I did not expect that, nor anyone else for that matter. So tell me, Miss Khan, what do you think of Beacon’s, Dragon?

Sienna said nothing as she stared intently as the man walked away from them. A smile spread across her face as she leaned over the railing watching him leave. She quickly licked her lips in hunger before she stood up to address the Headmaster of Beacon Academy.

Sienna: Tell me, how soon can I meet him. Our new King~?

#rwby #jaune arc #pyrrha nikos #glynda goodwitch #sienna khan #mercury black #rwby ozpin

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dragonnwriter · 1 year

Text

Inviolable Bindings

AemondxAegonxFemOC

All Chapters Here!

Chapter 2

There was a loud bang as if someone had slammed an object onto a table. The noise was alarming enough to stop Viserra in the doorway and make her take a good look around at her surroundings.

She counted seven heads of silver hair in that room, amongst others who did not share the same Valyrian features. Five of them sitting and two standing. The man standing at the far end of the table looked no older than she was herself. He seemed to hold everyone’s attention, his cup held up as if to raise a toast. The tension in the air was palpable and the only one who seemed to notice that she and the Hand had entered the room was him.

The man spoke, “Final tribute. To the health of my nephews, Jace…Luke…and Joffrey. Each of them handsome, wise…” He darted his piercing eye towards her at the door, holding it there for a second before bringing it back to the others at the table, “Strong.”

A smile was now formed on his face and she realized he was the only one in the room doing so. The eyepatch gave away his identity, knowing only of one Targaryen that had lost an eye many years ago. But instead of ruminating on her thoughts, she decided to continue to watch the events unfold in front of her.

“Come! Let us drain our cups to these three strong boys.”

The standing brunette lad puffed out his chest, obviously offended by the comment, “I dare you to say that again.”

“Why?” The one eyed man questioned, turning towards the other. His face fell back into the same cold expression he wore only moments before, “It was only a compliment. Do you not think yourself strong?” Both men stepped towards one another and suddenly the brunette swung at the offender.

Commotion erupted within the room, with the others getting up from the table. Some were adding to the chaos but most looked to try and deescalate it. Viserra kept her eye on the one who had taken the punch. To her surprise, she realized he remained so unbothered that he hadn’t even spilt his wine. She recognized a familiar fire in his eye as he pushed the other man to the floor. Still, he seemed the only one amused by the events transpiring here, a wicked smile back on his face.

There is no doubting it now , she thought, this has to be Aemond One Eye.

A plain woman seemed to corner Aemond and scold him for his behavior. Viserra’s attention turned to her right as she watched as the two brunette lads were struggling to get to him, being held back by the guards. Their anger was seething and it was obvious that such seemingly innocent words seemed to hold significant disrespect.

“I was merely expressing how proud I am of my family, Mother. Though it seems my nephews aren’t quite as proud as theirs.” Aemond roughly ripped his arm away from his mother and turned back towards the two held by the guards, one breaking free of their grasp only to be cut off by another older silver haired man.

This other man had been quiet until now when he stepped between the feuding pair. With only his finger raised and an intimidating energy, he called off the brunette. Another Targaryen woman next to him nervously and sternly commanded the group to head to their chambers, each of the younger ones listening with scowls on their faces.

Viserra could feel their questioning eyes on her as they walked past her in the doorway, but right now she didn’t pay them any attention. She was too caught up in the interactions between the rest of the room.

The energy that radiated from this older silver haired man was intoxicating. It was the type of power that people only dreamed of having when they walked into a room. He had turned towards Aemond wearing an expression that seemed to dare him to try to make another move like he just had.

Billowing like a plume of smoke, the tension between the two continued to grow for another few seconds. Neither of them had their hands on their weapons, but the threat of violence that loomed in the air felt like it would snap at any second. The man she suspected to be Aemond finally broke the gaze and stalked out of the room, coming only inches from brushing against her but not acknowledging her presence this time.

Turning on his heels to follow, the older Targaryen man seemed to notice Viserra for the first time. She locked eyes with him as he walked by, pausing momentarily before her before leaving down the hallway. There was a hint of curiosity and suspicion in his eyes as he noticed the silver braid sticking out of the hood.

It was Otto’s whispered voice who broke her concentration, his arm lightly touching hers as he spoke. “I am sorry for that, Lady Viserra, this family is constantly in a state of battling egos.”

She didn’t look towards him, instead focusing on two of the women quietly holding arms and conversing in front of her. There had been talk of the Targaryen household being quietly divided and this display of tension seemed to reinforce those whispers.

The red haired woman broke apart from the other, who hung her head and exited the room quickly and with purpose. Her wide eyes were nervous and she looked around for a moment before finding Otto’s gaze, suddenly focusing on Viserra. The look of concern spread over her face as if to wonder how much Viserra had seen.

“Gods be good, the timing of this could not have been any worse,” she lamented, approaching them both, “Lady Viserra, it is good to have you here. I am sorry you had to witness that. I am Queen Alicent, wife to your father’s cousin, King Viserys.”

It had not occurred to her that this nervous woman would be the Queen, but upon hearing the words Viserra uncovered her head, bowed, and addressed her with her proper title, “Your Grace, no apologies are needed, all families have feuds and some happen at more inconvenient times than others. I understand.”

The Queen let out a small sigh, “It seems as though supper has been disrupted, but I would like to sit with you and get to know you a little bit better. I am sure there are many questions that you have as well.” She motioned to one of the chairs and ushered her in that direction.

Before Viserra could reach the table, two of the other Targaryens walked towards her, both curious and wanting to know who their new guest was. The one girl looked about her age, but instead of straight hair like Viserra had, her beautiful hair was thick and in waves down her back. The young man also had scraggly waves, but his cut had been much shorter, stopping right at his chin.

“Viserra!” The girl exclaimed, lightly pushing past her mother and taking Viserra’s hands into her own. “I am Helaena.”

The friendliness was not something she had expected or really even cared for, but this girl radiated nothing but honest and honorable kindness, to pull away from her would be disrespectful and rude. She was able to give her a smile and a nod back, returning the gesture in her own way.

“ Princess Helaena.” Otto corrected, interrupting their greeting.

“Simply Helaena will do, Viserra and I will be getting to know each other very well in the next few weeks.” Her smile was innocent and seemingly full of good intention.

Viserra couldn’t help but wonder how much this girl knew about her. Helaena’s friendliness made her feel like they had already known each other from somewhere before.

It was the other Targaryen’s turn to come join the conversation, he swayed over with a crooked smile on his face. The man was clearly deep in his cups, but she wasn’t to blame him after watching his family almost tear each other apart. Even without the process of elimination, it was obvious that this one must have been Aegon.

He cleared his throat and leaned on the chair that she was about to sit on. “Gods, when I heard we were going to have a pit fighter come stay with us for a while, I thought she’d be some broad shouldered, bull of a woman,” he laughed at his own words and looked her up and down, pausing only to study the way of her curves. “I am Aegon, pleased to meet such a delightful surprise as an addition to our keep.”

She kept her cool despite his disrespectful gaze, pursing her lips and nodding to him as well. She studied his face and sternly looked into his eyes, trying to relay that she was not the one to be jesting with. It took a few moments, but he seemed to understand and his smile slowly left his face. Though he still had enough drunken confidence to continue to stare right back at her.

“She actually reminds me of Aemond, don’t you think? Can’t take a jest, tense, gaunt at the waist.” Aegon did not hesitate to see how far he could push her, though she wasn’t sure if it was intentional or just his nature. The image of the other chaotic brother flooded her mind, she wouldn’t disagree that they might have similar dispositions.

It was the Queen who interfered this time, “That is enough Aegon. She is our guest and we will be treating her as such.” She turned to Viserra and motioned to the chair again, this time sitting down next to it and awaiting her to follow. Next to her, Helaena brushed Aegon aside and sat down with a curious energy.

“I hear you have a dragon like us! I would love to take them to the sky together sometime, my brothers seldom ride with me anymore. You could tell me all about the Free Cities and what it’s like to live so close to where our ancestors came from.” Helaena’s enthusiasm to spend time with her was confusing as she had not really had any friends growing up that weren’t training with the sword or heavy in their studies.

This girl seemed like such a free spirit and she honestly wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. What had she seen in her? A stranger from across the Narrow Sea dressed in leathers and stinking of dragon. She didn’t seem like the type that a castle raised princess would associate herself with. But maybe this was how those with the blood of the dragon sought each other out. Maybe simply her blood would bring them a bond that Viserra had imagined was possible only between dragons.

“My dear Helaena, Viserra will have plenty of time to talk with you on the morrow. She looks hungry and tired this evening, maybe it is best we save all of the conversations for later and focus on letting her rest from her travels.” The Queen seemed to have kind and maternal characteristics, something she was not really familiar with yet did not feel opposed to. Helaena nodded and got back up from the table, taking Aegon by the arm and walking him out the dining hall as well.

“Indeed. I could use a meal and cup of wine before settling in for the night. Tomorrow I shall be better company and we can speak of the logistics of my stay here with you. I would enjoy speaking with the King as well.” Viserra spoke with confidence and authority. Part of her was curious as to why the King had not been at the dinner, might he also had been lost in his cups just as his eldest child was?

Otto raised his eyebrows at this comment and nodded to her, “Yes, we will be happy to answer any questions you have for us. As for your accommodations, I hope they will be of your liking. We will have a chambermaid assigned to you and seeing as you packed lightly, the Queen will send her seamstress to get your measurements tomorrow afternoon if you are needing more dresses.”

There it was, the cloying man hinting that she should be wearing dresses here in the Keep and not a pair of tunic and pants. Viserra had nothing against dresses, in fact she liked to be donned in the most beautiful gowns when it suited her needs. However, if she were to be utilized here for her skill and dragon, dresses were not really going to cut it when fighting or riding.

Out of respect she smiled at him and uttered a quiet thank you, focusing her attention on the dinner table. There was plenty of leftover food in front of her, clearly dinner had not been even halfway through when the familial contention took place. She took her time eating in silence and managed to drink a full glass of wine by the end of her meal. The Queen and the Hand conversed softly amongst themselves while waiting for her to finish. She poured another cup while getting up and the duo followed her in standing.

“My dear, I would love to show you to the guest chambers. I will have the chambermaid draw you a bath and the wardrobe there has several dresses if you need any, hopefully I have sized you up appropriately.” The Queen motioned for her to follow and Viserra grabbed the cup of wine before catching up to her steps. “Please let me know if anything is amiss or if there is anything I can do to make you feel more at home.”

There was a certain level of hospitality that would be expected of a host, but it had started to feel as if it was overcompensation for something else. The words of her father rang in her head, telling her not to trust anyone. The Queen seemed nice enough, but Viserra knew that she did not know her well enough to make that call. Not to mention the dislike she had for the Hand already, he made her skin crawl with his constant observing and sly smile always pasted on his face.

The walk to the guest chambers was not a long one, there were a few longer hallways and one set of stairs. The Queen had stopped to show her a large room full of books, just a short distance away from where she would be staying.

“I do not know if you enjoy reading in your free time, but we have quite the collection of books here in our library. There is information on almost any subject you can think of. You are welcome to it all… especially if you are seeking out the recent histories of our family.” The Queen did not take her inside the library, but continued on to the chambers. “You will have a guard outside your room at all hours, so please know that you may sleep easy,” she informed her, gesturing to the guard standing motionless outside the chamber doors. He instinctively swung the doors open to welcome them inside.

The guest chambers were nicer than she expected after seeing some of the other parts of the Keep. There stood a wooden canopy bed, dark fabrics hanging with the purpose of keeping its occupant shielded from the morning’s light. She then noticed a beautiful set of furs that lay in front of a large, crackling fireplace, a long upholstered couch and matching armchair sitting angled towards the fire. There also stood a finely chiseled table in between the two furniture pieces.

Viserra took in the beautiful room, the decorations were nothing like she was used to at home, but the deep and dark coloring of the room was absolutely to her liking. Heading back in further, there were doors leading to a balcony and to the side, another small room. A small copper tub sat in the smaller area, along with a sitting chair and a few other items.

“Thank you, Your Grace. This is more than sufficient for me. I appreciate your hospitality,” she bowed towards the Queen and gave her a smile, hoping she would accept it as a farewell for the night.

“If you should need anything, send your chambermaid out with your request,” she smiled at her and walked back out of the room.

It was only a moment until the chambermaid entered the room with a large bucket of steaming water. She paused to give her a curtsy then brushed right past her. Viserra meandered over to the wardrobe where she saw her packs had been delivered. The scenario seemed familiar. Last night as she was waiting for her bath to be filled, she was packing to leave, but tonight she would be taking out her belongings and placing them where she saw fit. The wood of the wardrobe also was decorated with beautiful carvings all along its edges. The room itself had many fine details in its items, many including inscriptions of dragons.

“Lady Viserra?” The timid chambermaid asked, approaching her while she was deep in thought and memorizing her surroundings, “Your bath is ready.”

Answering with a smile, Viserra turned towards the girl and spoke to her, “What is your name?”

“Elia, M’lady,” she squeaked, seeming wary of making eye contact.

Viserra smiled at the response, trying to catch her eye with a kind voice, “What a beautiful name, I do appreciate you drawing my bath. Afterwards, I would like to walk around the Keep a bit and wouldn’t mind another cup of wine. If you would bring me some more.”

The girl quickly nodded and left to fetch another decanter of wine.

The sword on Viserra’s hip and the dagger on her thigh were the first items she took off of her body, setting them near the tub. She then slowly disrobed her boots and riding leathers, peeling the fabric off of her skin and seeing she was a lot dirtier than she had previously realized. The bath seemed to have a faint floral scent, but she brought in her own small vial of oils to pour into the hot water. It would be nice to soak in water that smelled of the familiarity of home. Slowly stepping into the water and lowering herself up to her chin, she felt the heat slow her heart rate and breathing simultaneously. Sometimes she liked to imagine the scalding water as if she were sitting in embers, the same way dragons eggs were kept while awaiting hatching. Her chambers were eerily quiet, but the silence only contributed to the calm that she felt immersed in the bath. Slowly she scrubbed at her body, removing the sweat, dirt, and smell of dragon from her skin. Soaking then massaging the sweat out of her hair was the last thing to do before she would get out. While deeply relaxed, Viserra kept her senses alert, so when she felt the presence of the chambermaid behind her, she knew it was time to get out.

“Do you have a cloth to dry off with?” Viserra said without looking behind her and the girl scrambled to her side holding a large blanket. The uneasiness of her behavior was irritating to some extent. “You do not have to worry about me mistreating you, if that is something that troubles you.” She looked into Elia’s big brown eyes that stared back with obvious apprehension, “I promise.”

Viserra then stood out of the water and reached for the blanket. Elia’s gaze went down to the massive scar on her stomach and her eyes grew even wider. Her body frightened even the chambermaid who worked in a castle filled with the chaos she had witnessed at dinner. Pursing her lips, she snatched it out of her hands and wrapped it around her body.

“I left a gray dress on the bed, would you please fetch it for me?” She asked.

Moving quickly this time she toweled herself off and waited for Elia to bring the clothing. Grabbing the dress and sliding it over her head, she turned so the girl could help with the laces. The silk fabric of the dress slipping over her head felt cool and sent chills over Viserra’s warm body. She was already missing the heat of the bath.

Reaching just for the dagger, she tied it to her thigh and decided that she would leave the sword there in the room. The burning stare of the young chambermaid was noted in Viserra’s peripheral vision, “Would you not rather serve someone capable of defending you in a castle like? Not as a usual damsel who would cower from danger if it made its way into this chamber?” There wasn’t threatening intent behind her words, but Elia’s nervous nod left Viserra thinking that someone had traumatized this poor girl before.

The decanter of wine sat on the small table in between the sofa and armchair. She poured herself another cup and walked to the chamber doors. The guard that had been promised to stand outside was indeed still there. Once she had stepped outside, she took a look around noting the details of her current location. Usually good with direction and details she wasn’t too worried about losing her way. There were many similarly looking hallways and areas of the Keep but the corridors seemed pretty straight forward.

To the library, she thought to herself walking slowly down the hall, listening to the echoes that her own shoes made on the cold stone floor.

Around the corner and down the next hallway the large doors that lead to the Keep’s library remained shut. There stood no guards outside the entrance so she opened the doors and let her eyes adjust to the slightly darker room. Straight back to the wall were a few sets of large shutters that had closed out any moonlight that might have illuminated the area. She walked to them and started opening them one by one, pleased with the amount of light that had been let in. The library was larger from the inside than it originally appeared. There were many free standing shelves lined with books and the walls also held built in areas of storage.

Breathing deeply to smell the leather binds of the books and their papers, she was suddenly aware of another presence near her. The energy did not seem welcoming and Viserra’s hand instinctively came to rest above the dagger that lay hidden under her skirts. She looked around and took a few steps towards the left of the room, noticing an array of arm chairs placed along the wall.

Her eyes suddenly met the intense gaze of the one eyed prince from dinner. He was facing her, leaning back with one leg crossed and a closed book resting on his thigh. At that moment, she realized the interaction she was about to have might not be as friendly as the other ones that took place earlier on. Holding her own unwavering and unamused expression, Viserra decided she would not willingly back down from his attempt to intimidate her.

Whatever could possibly be his problem?

#aemond x aegon ii x oc #aegon ii x oc #aemond x oc #aemond targaryen #aemond smut #aegon smut #slow burn #enemies to lovers #enemies to friends to lovers #house of the dragon #house of dragons #game of thrones #house targaryen #fanfiction #ao3 fanfic

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gamebunny-advance · 2 years

Text

Heart and Soul

AN: A story about Yinu and Tenten's first meeting.

So fair warning, I haven't written fiction like this in literal years (unless you wanna count my comic scripts), and I think this whole thing is actually pretty trite and cliché (if the trite and cliché title didn't already tip you off to that), but sometimes you just gotta write some fluff to help you sleep at night.

This is also probably one of the worst platforms for posting long-form fic like this (this is over 12,400 words long, so I don't blame y'all if you don't have time for it here on tumblr). Maybe I'll open an account on a proper fic-sharing website and post it there.

But for now, I hope you'll enjoy this silly story from me.

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"...I assure you, Yinu will surely flourish under NSR's care."

The adults talked to each other intently as Yinu's eyes wandered around the office. On the desk was the usual boring collection of things that no child would usually pay much mind to: a small canister of varied writing utensils, a paper holder holding many papers and documents. Among them, she saw the papers that her and her Mama had signed earlier. She was very proud of her own signature: she'd practiced it a lot before coming here. It had taken some time to make sure she could stay on the line. She liked how it looked next to her Mama's, even if she couldn't understand what Mama’s squiggles meant.

Of slight interest was the triangular name plate on the desk. It adorned the name of that lady who would be her new "boss".

"Tatiana Quartz."

Yinu said it in her head a couple of times. She thought she had heard the word "quartz" before. Something to do with measurement maybe? Music? "Oh, like a quarter note!" She was impressed that her boss knew so much about music to be named after it.

She noticed the big portraits on the wall behind Miss Quartz. They were tall and imposing, scary even. The center one she recognized as Miss Quartz herself. The painted lady seemed to glare down at Yinu with incredible force. Her intense expression was very unlike the warm smile of the real Miss Quartz. It was a little scary, so she averted her gaze to the right portrait. This one was another lady, or was it two ladies? There were lots of hands too. Maybe it was even more ladies! Yinu couldn't quite understand the portrait, but she thought she liked it. She looked to the left of Miss Quartz's scary portrait and there was a very strange person wearing a square mask. Yinu had never seen a mask like that: what did the circles mean? Where's the mouth? Or the eyes? Or any kind of face? The strange masked person was surrounded by a few other people. They weren't wearing masks, but they didn't look quite "right" either. They reminded her of the shiny people she saw on TV sometimes, though she couldn’t quite remember what they were called.

Yinu's eyes and mind continued to wander about the room as the voices of her new boss and her Mama blurred and slurred together. She knew they were talking about her, but she didn't really understand what it was about. When she heard her name she would focus again and try to listen, but it was always about things like a "salary" and "management" and other boring and adult topics of that nature. Nothing fun. Nothing interesting.

As Yinu kicked her legs a little in the slightly too big seat, something urgent suddenly struck her. She tugged on her Mama's hand to get her attention.

"...I'm just worried that- oh, what is it Yinu?" Mama looked down into Yinu's eyes. "Mama, I have to go wee."

"Oh, okay I'll take you.” Mama took a hold of the hand that was tugging her fingers, “I'm sorry Miss Quartz may I-" Mama had begun to rise from her seat, but Yinu tugged back, trying to break free from the grasp.

"I can go by myself." she said. Yinu was a big girl after all. Surely at 8 years old she could use the restroom all by herself she thought.

"No Yinu, I don't want you to get lost." Mama said firmly.

"But, Mama..."

Yinu tried to insist, but she knew she could never win an argument against Mama, and there wasn't much time to argue anyway. The situation was becoming more than urgent.

Miss Quartz seemed to notice this and decided to speak up.

"The restroom isn't far, it's only down the hall to the right. It would be easier to get lost walking down a runway."

Yinu was impressed at her new boss’s attitude. She was rarely given any kind of support when it came do doing things her way. But now was not the time to think about how cool Miss Quartz was.

Mama wanted to protest, but the tugging at her hand was getting fervent. She sighed and let go. "Okay, but come back as soon as you're done."

"Okay!" with that Yinu ran quickly out of the room.

Miss Quartz chuckled to herself lightly at the girl’s enthusiasm for simply being allowed to relieve herself.

"I'm sorry about that." said Mama as she lowered herself back into her seat. "It's quite alright. Even at that age, kids want to prove themselves. Sometimes you have to let them. Even if it's just to go to the bathroom."

Mama laughed a little too.

"And I'm sure she'll prove herself a great asset to this company as well. As I was saying-"

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

Yinu had some trouble reaching the sink, even on her tippy-toes, but she still managed to help herself up and get her hands sparkling clean, just like Mama and Papa had taught her. She looked at herself in the massive mirror in front of her. Mama had dressed her in her formal clothes: a white button-up shirt with a small pocket adorned with a red ribbon around the collar and a long flowing skirt. Yinu liked to twirl the skirt by spinning around. It made her feel magical and reminded her of when she and Mama would dance in the living room while Papa played the piano.

She looked at her hair in the mirror too. Mama had tied them into two twin buns. Each one looked like a mini rose bouquet. Yinu thought it was pretty, but it was a little heavy on her head and they were twisted just a little too tight. She had been sitting for what felt like hours in that big chair, and her neck was starting to hurt just a little too much for her comfort.

As she climbed onto the counter to get a better look, she decided to take off the bands that her holding the buns in place. They were cute little bands: red with little flower bead decorations. She thought they were very pretty and was always happy when Mama let her wear them, especially as bracelets.

Her hair fell just below the bottoms of her ears like a waterfall ending in little rosebuds.

Yinu felt relieved and still thought she looked like a proper young lady even with her hair down. Satisfied with her work, she put the bands around her wrists: they were cuter this way anyway, and she hopped back down from the counter and left the rest room and began to make her way back to Miss Quartz's office.

The hallways were terribly quiet. Yinu's foot steps echoed through the halls and the smell was what she could only describe as "fancy". She had been through halls like this numerous times: the concert venues that she frequented always had long halls like this. Sometimes they scared her because they seemed to go on forever, but as long as Mama was there holding her hand, they didn’t feel as scary.

She slightly recalled meeting Miss Quartz at one of those concerts after a certain competition some time ago. She was the one who presented Yinu with her trophy for winning first place in the event. She remembered because she was so happy to tell her Papa about it after the show. They both wished he could have been there in person, but he'd said he was so proud of her for winning. They would rewatch the recording in Papa's room and Yinu was so happy to see Papa smiling again.

All the while, she played with her hair bands on her wrist. She liked the way it felt to twirl the beads and tug on the elastic. Her foot steps got slower and smaller as she continued to focus on tugging on the band. It hurt to have it snap back at her, but it was still kind of fun. As she fidgeted with it, the bands found themselves off her wrists and into her hands where she tugged on them to watch them snap back. She could launch them really far if she pulled back hard enough.

Curious about the result, she stretched one of the bands as far back as her tiny hands could stretch them and she let it fly. And flew it did.

"Oh no!" she cried.

It flew so far that it straight past Miss Quartz's office room and landed in front of the grand elevator. She ran to retrieve it from where it had fallen. She quickly picked it up and returned both bands to her wrists, not wanting to accidentally lose them again. Her curiosity of how far the bands could be flung had been satiated, but a new curiosity crept as the doors to elevator opened in front of her.

She had promised Mama that she would go back as soon as she was done, but she really wanted to know where the elevator would go.

They had been in that office for hours already, or so it felt. They would probably be there for several more hours. Besides, they weren't talking about anything that Yinu could be involved in anyway. It wouldn't be bad if she looked around just a little bit.

As she walked into the little room, she heard her Mama and Miss Quartz call after her, "YINU!"

But the doors had already closed shut.

"Mama!"

Yinu began to panic, she hadn't ridden on very many elevators and she didn't know what the buttons meant. She pressed all the buttons she could, which wasn't many given her short stature, but the doors remained closed. She could still hear her Mama and Miss Quartz outside, yelling incoherent instructions, and trying to stop it, but it was too late. The elevator began to lower, and Yinu was alone.

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

No sooner than Yinu had begun to cry, the elevator finally released her. The screen which read the floor number was too high for Yinu to see clearly, but she knew if she'd stayed in the elevator, she would be trapped again. She didn't want to spend another moment in that scary box, so she stepped out and watched the door close behind her as it continued its descent to whatever random floor she had managed to hit.

She looked around, this floor was almost identical to the one she'd been on: the same echoey halls, the same endless closed doors. She called out, "Hello?"

It reverberated through the halls, but became deafly silent again. No answer. No sound. Just the small scuffle of her own feet as she began to walk forward, hoping to find someone, anyone, that would help her.

She jiggled the handle of every door she came across but each one was tightly locked. Every step made her a little more anxious as she walked down what seemed to be an endless corridor. For a moment she decided to look behind her, but she'd already walked so far that the elevator was nowhere in her sight. The hall just seemed to stretch forever in both directions, leaving her utterly lost. As she began to feel the hopelessness of her situation catch up to her, she'd begun to cry again.

"Mama... I'm sorry... please help me..."

Her legs stopped walking and she fell down where she stood, balling her eyes out.

As she did so, she'd begun to hear something else in the hall. It was a quiet, but rhythmic thudding, like heavy footsteps. It echoed through the halls and seemed to get closer. Yinu called out towards the noise, "Who's there?"

The sound paused for a moment as if to consider the question. In return, the pace of the thudding quickened and began to get louder, moving towards Yinu.

The source of the sound finally came in view at the far end of the hall. It was person. At least it looked like a person. They were too far away for Yinu to make out any particular features besides the vague silhouette of a person wearing a tallish hat. But somehow, despite the dim lighting, the figure's face seemed to be glowing, causing unnatural shadows to be cast across their face.

Feeling a little embarrassed about being found crying, Yinu tried to suck up her snot and tears with all her might and stood up. "Hello, can you help me?" she called out. "I lost my Mama. I... just want to go back to my Mama."

The figure paused again until it received the entire message. Then it began to walk towards Yinu. At first Yinu was happy that someone had finally found her, but something felt off about that person.

Their footsteps were just a little too heavy and the way they moved looked a little too stiff as their arms refused to sway naturally at their sides. As they grew closer, the sound of mechanical creaking and whirring had became audible. Eventually the figure came close enough for Yinu to make out the features of its face: its reflective metal shine, its glowing white eyes, its unflinching expression. It was just like the shiny people she had seen on TV. The scary shiny people that shot lasers from their eyes and enslaved humanity. The things Yinu finally remembered that were called “robots”.

Yinu screamed and began running away back down the hall. She ran as fast as she could, trying her best not to look back. She didn't hear it getting faster, but she wouldn't stop now just to find out if she was actually making headway. There was no way that scary things like that could really be in a place like this. If this was the kind of scary place this was, then she'd want nothing to do with it. When she found her Mama she would tell her as much. “Mama...”

As Yinu recalled that she was still technically lost, she tripped on herself and skid her knees across the rough carpet floor.

"Ow, ow..." she cried as she sat up to inspect the scrapes on her legs. As she did so, the mechanical being was still making a steady pace towards her. Even as her tears welled, she tried to pick herself up again to run, but it hurt too much. The figure was getting closer. She couldn't run. She couldn't hide. The best she could do was cover her face and hope the monster would be quick in whatever it was going to do.

As she cowered she heard it stop in front of her and did… nothing. It stood motionless for a while, waiting for some kind of response, or perhaps it was analyzing the crying mass in front of it. Eventually, the light sobbing was interrupted.

"Are you hurt, Little Miss?"

A synthetic voice poured out of the monster. While it was clearly inhuman, it was a little deep and gentle. Almost warm. "Wh-what?" sobbed Yinu.

There was a brief pause between answers.

"Are you hurt, Little Miss?" it asked again.

"Little Miss?" she thought. She liked the way it sounded. It was kind of like a grown-up. Having received this bit of respect, she felt herself growing braver.

Yinu uncovered her eyes to look up into the monster's face. Seeing it up close, even though it still wasn't human, it wasn't as scary as she thought it was just moments ago. The arrangement was very simple, just two glowing white orbs for eyes and a line for a mouth. When it spoke, its mouth wouldn’t move but light up in rhythm to its words. She thought it was like a doll she used to have as an even smaller kid.

"Uh-huh..." she nodded cautiously and rubbed her knees. The speed of fall and the friction of the carpet had given her small red scrapes across both knees. A little blood had trickled out, but nothing so ghastly as to need any serious medical attention.

"I see. May I treat your wounds?" asked the voice. Yinu nodded again, "Okay..."

"Very well." The android crouched onto one knee as to be more level with Yinu. It had stood so incredibly tall and imposing earlier, but up close it appeared much more friendly. It inspected the cuts briefly. Besides her knees, Yinu's face had also gotten a little scuffed from the fall, making her already rosy cheeks even rosier.

"I am about to administer an antibiotic. You may experience slight discomfort, but it is necessary to reduce the risk of infection."

The android raised its left hand towards the wound on her right knee. At first it held its entire hand flat with palm facing down. It curled all its fingers towards the palm, leaving only its index finger extended towards the wound. Suddenly, the tip of its index finger unhinged upwards at the first knuckle and revealed a small nozzle which quickly sprayed what it claimed to be an antibiotic onto the wound.

Yinu winced a bit from the sudden pain and the android apologized for the discomfort again. It repeated this for each area that it had considered as needing attention. Once all the antibiotic has been "administered", it dispensed 4 bandages from its mouth. Yinu giggled a bit, thinking it looked like it was growing a very long tongue.

"Would you like me to apply the fabric adhesive strips?" it asked.

Yinu laughed out loud at the funny way that it referred to the bandages.

"No, I can do this part myself." Yinu said proudly as she gently tore and peeled the bandages apart and applied them to both her knees and her cheek. “I don’t need this one.” she said as she tried to return the extra bandage. “You may keep it. Extra fabric adhesive strips are good to have on hand.” it replied as it gently pushed the offer away. “Okay.” so Yinu stashed it away into her shirt pocket along with the bits of wax paper so she could throw them away later. Mama always told her to throw away her trash in the trash can like a proper lady.

"Was my service satisfactory?" asked the android as it stood back up onto both feet. “Yes.” she replied with a beaming smile. “Very good. I am happy to hear that.” replied the android. Yinu looked up at the android to really take in its features: it looked like it was dressed in somewhat fancy clothes that she thought she had seen somewhere before. Maybe in a movie or a store or something like that. The big hat it was wearing was equally as fancy. On the side of it she caught the glimpse of something shiny. She turned her head to try to get a better look, but now that it was standing at full height again, it was hard to make out. She thought it looked like some lines and circles in a nice neat row.

As she thought of that she suddenly remembered her manners, "Thank you for helping me." she said sincerely to the android.

"You are welcome Little Miss." it replied.

With that formality out of the way, Yinu began another one, "What's your name?" she asked.

The android replied: "I am: 1010-XJ L-Type Version 2.0.1"

"That’s really your name?” asked Yinu, not believing that the string of numbers and letters the android had said could really be a person’s name.

"Can I call you something shorter?" she asked.

The android paused, searching for an answer before finally responding,

"You can. You may call me: "Tenten".

"Tenten? Like the number? But two times?" Yinu asked as she open and closed her hands twice for “ten, ten.”

"Yes." Said the android. While it had searched its memories for an acceptable answer, it had noticed that when being spoken about, humans would often shorten his name to only the first part. When it was relevant, it would be referred to as the "L-Type," and when the Captain was angry it would be referred to as “Soldier,” but "Tenten" was usually sufficient and would probably be easier for the Little Miss to say.

"Okay Mr. Tenten, my name is Yinu."

"Yinu. That is a very nice name." Tenten replied. While its face made no change in emotion, its voice sounded sincere in its tone. Perhaps it thought every name it heard was a "nice name," but without even considering the possibility of this being a stock response, Yinu beamed, "Thank you!"

In what was only a handful of minutes, Yinu had gone from thinking she was in a literal nightmare realm to quite liking the nice android that had helped her out. For a moment she had again forgotten she was still lost until Tenten had reminded her.

"Little Miss, I do believe you were calling for help just a moment ago, yes?" it asked. "That is why I followed your voice, but you ran away before I could help you."

Yinu felt a little embarrassed about her earlier behavior, but having remembered her original goal, she explained the situation about how she had flung her bracelet and gotten on the elevator and separated from her Mama and how she couldn't remember which floor they were on or where she was, and how she saw this scary monster, and oh wait, that was Tenten.

After intently listening to her story, Tenten replied, "Miss Quartz's office is at the very top of NSR tower, so it will be very easy to return there from the elevator." As he said this, he raised his arm and pointed down the corridor in the direction that Yinu was running. It didn't look so far away now, and she was sure that now knowing where her Mama was, she would be able to get there herself.

But after everything that had happened, Yinu was tired of being a big girl for one day.

"Will you go with me?" She tugged on Tenten's free hand, causing him to look back down at her.

Her hand was lightly trembling. Even though she really wanted to see her Mama again and give her big hug, she was equally scared of how much she was going to get yelled at for running off. Mama had sounded really angry when she had gotten on the elevatr. Even so, she felt like it'd be a little less scary if Tenten was there too.

Tenten lowered his pointed hand and wrapped his fingers around the tiny hand which had grabbed him. "Okay. We will go together. From the elevator, it should not take more than a minute to reach the top floor."

No sooner than he had given this assurance, the building intercoms began to sound with Miss Quartz's voice, "Attention all NSR employees. We have a code orange. Currently be on the lookout for Miss Yinu. She is approximately 8 years old, has yellow hair-" the two listened to the alert until it concluded with, "If found, please make a report using the intercom system and return her to the lobby. Until she is found the building will be on lock down and the elevator will be suspended. Thank you."

Yinu felt another huge rush of embarrassment come over her and she began to panic. "What do we do now?" she asked.

Tenten was about to offer a few comforting words to the panicking child, but was stopped by an incoming transmission.

"Tenten, do you copy?" said the voice in its head.

"Yes sir, I can hear you." it replied out loud.

"Who are you talking to?" Yinu asked as she started swinging Tenten’s arm in anticipation.

"My captain is calling me." said Tenten. "Captain?" Yinu thought. She couldn't hear what the "Captain" was saying and began to wonder if Tenten was playing some kind of game with her to make going back not as scary.

On the one hand, Yinu didn't like being treated like she was some little kid who still played make-believe, but on the other she appreciated that Tenten was so worried about her to even think to turn this into game. If that's what he thought was best, then she would play along too.

Meanwhile, the conversation between Tenten and its Captain continued.

"Are you with someone Tenten? Never mind, we need to call off your test right now. At the moment, it is of utmost importance that we locate Miss Yinu. Did you take note of the physical description in the announcement?"

"Yes sir, I am currently with Yinu."

"Oh, very good! The training really is paying off. Okay, I'm down here with Yinu's Mother right now, so if you could-"

"Yinu! Are you there?! Can you hear me?!"

Tenten's inner voice was interrupted by Mama's cries of concern.

"He doesn’t have a receiver on his end Madam, but it seems my robot has already found Yinu. I'll direct him to bring her down immediately. Did you catch that Tenten?"

"Yes sir. We were about to take the stairs and-"

"My Yinu is with a robot?! I swear if it did anything to hurt her, I'll tear it apart!"

"Madam, please relax! Robots are very safe nowadays. Furthermore-"

As the Captain continued his lecture with Mama about the great strides in safety and advancement robots had made in recent years, Tenten turned his attention back at Yinu, who was still gripping his hand and looking back at him patiently. It looked at the bandages across her knees and cheek. The bandages which covered wounds that he had inadvertently caused.

It had hurt Yinu.

If it had hurt Yinu, then it would get torn apart.

Getting torn apart would result in system failure.

If he could somehow avoid Mama but return Yinu, then he could fulfill his current objective without being destroyed, but its system failed to generate any possible solutions that didn't also put Yinu in grave danger. It considered giving her directions to send her alone, but he had already promised to go together. As the situation was, it would be impossible both return Yinu and avoid assured destruction. Then the next best option...

"If I may interrupt sir."

"You can even find robots in hospitals nowa- Oh, what is it Tenten?"

"It is no longer possible for me to return with Yinu under these conditions. I will keep her with me until conditions improve."

"Wait, what conditions?! What happened!? Is she hurt?!" yelled the Captain, desperately trying to get details about the situation, but to no avail.

"I am sorry. Good-bye."

Tenten disconnected from the call and set himself to "cloaking mode.” For now, it was in his best interest to move as far away from this place as possible to avoid being tracked to his last known location.

"Okay Miss Yinu, I know I said I would take you back, but would you like to play hide-and-seek with me first?" he asked.

"Uh-huh!" Yinu smiled at him. She knew right from the start about his plan to make this a game, so she was happy to oblige him. "Okay, we are going to hide from my Captain for just a bit. I know a good place where we can hide, but it is a little far. Do you think you can walk for a while?"

"Yes, sir!" she saluted with the wrong hand, but Tenten accepted this answer.

"Then let us go."

As the two began walking towards the stairs, a new announcement came through the intercom. This time it wasn't Miss Quartz. It sounded like Tenten, but more natural and much more angry.

"Attention all NSR towers employees and visitors! This is code red! A rogue android has taken the missing child Yinu as a hostage. It is to be considered armed and dangerous! Please take cover wherever possible and do not approach the android under any circumstance and allow security bots through. The android is approximately 203 centimeters tall and is wearing a naval style uniform. I repeat, this android is considered armed and dangerous! Please take cover-"

"Oh, is everyone playing?" Yinu asked quizzically as she looked up at the speaker making the announcement.

"It would appear so." replied Tenten calmly, as he continued walking with Yinu to the first set of stairs, still holding her hand firmly.

"This will be lots of fun then!" she said happily.

"But, that man said you were dangerous? Is that true?"

Tenten paused to think of an answer.

"You were hurt because of me, were you not?" it replied. Yinu hmmed a bit as she considered the bandage that was currently itching her face. "Yeah, but that wasn't your fault." she said as she let her free hand glide on the stairwell's railing. "Besides, you helped fix me up, so it's okay."

"I see." replied Tenten as it made note of this opinion.

Finally the two had reached the top of the first flight of stairs. There would be many more flights before they reached Tenten's intended destination, but Yinu was eager to get a move on.

For a while, the Captain's warning message had echoed through the building, but it had finally ceased as the two had cleared their 2nd flight. Now it was just the echo of their foot steps through the stairwell, occasionally interrupted by walking through the halls to avoid any security bots posted near the stairs. It became a tango of walking then ducking for cover as they raced past the less advanced security bots to the next flight of stairs. Yinu thought the security bots were very funny looking. They were all boxy and had very long arms. They were nothing like the humanesque Tenten that was with her.

Although this ducking and running was somewhat entertaining, Yinu was beginning to grow tired. Tenten slowed his stride to keep from dragging her along, but the situation was still urgent to him.

"Miss Yinu, we still have a ways to go, you should keep your pace up." he inquired.

"My legs hurt..." she replied wistfully.

Tenten immediately stopped. "I am sorry. I have caused you pain again."

Under the usual circumstances, Tenten would have forced Yinu to pick herself up by her bootstraps and continue on, but he had been taught recently that he could not expect that same kind of force to work on civilians, especially children. He had to be gentle and considerate of their needs and wants, and right now he realized that he had been neglecting this.

He began to reconsider its current objective: he was determined to keep Yinu safe from further harm, but even traveling the building like this was taking a toll on her. They still had a few more floors until they could reach what Tenten considered a "safe room". Even if they made it to that room, he knew that they could not hide there indefinitly. He could easily keep making the Captain and the security bots keep circling around the tower looking for him for hours if not forever, but Yinu could not. Eventually she would need food or water, and other basic needs that Tenten could not provide while they were hiding. If he prioritized Yinu’s condition, then eventually they would get caught.

Right now, all he could do was prolong the inevitable, but he was determined to do so for as long as he was able.

"Miss Yinu, I can carry you the rest of the way. Would you like to ride on my shoulders?"

Yinu sleepily nodded. In response, Tenten crouched down and arched his back in a way to make it easy for the small girl to climb on. She carefully stepped onto his back then slung each leg over each of his shoulders, resting her body on the back of his head and her head on top of its cap. She thought that its body would be cold and metallic, like a refrigerator, but the robot was surprisingly warm and metallic, like a preheating oven. It was cozy.

"Are you secured?" he asked.

"Uh-huh." she replied. At this, the android began to rise again, holding onto her legs from the front. From here the floor seemed so far away from Yinu, but she always liked being up so high, especially on Mama's shoulders: it was a new, great perspective for her. She wondered if everyone this tall saw the world like this everyday. Even through her sleepiness, she couldn't hide that she was excited about getting carried.

"Okay, I am going to walk a little faster now, so please hang on tight." he said as it began to dash for the next flight of stairs. Yinu wrapped her arms around the robot's head. She giggled sleepily as she felt the rush air blow over her face.

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

They continued this steady pace for the next couple of floors, so Yinu broke through the monotony by asking the questions that were on her mind. She had been thinking of several since getting properly acquainted with Tenten and now seemed to be as good a time as any to ask them.

"So... what were you made for?" she asked. It had taken her until about now for it to really sink in that she was with a robot. She'd seen robots on TV sometimes, usually in movies, but sometimes in the news too. She thought a lot of them were scary since a lot of them tried taking over the world in a fight against the human race, but clearly Tenten was different from those robots. Those robots never printed out bandages or carried kids on their shoulders (unless they were giant friendly ones).

Tenten did not answer for some time both as he pondered what an acceptable answer for a child would be and wanting to keep his voice down from the guards.

He had not been around many children since it had been activated, but it was programmed into his core that he should absolutely handle them with care. Anything that his system categorized as "scary" couldn’t be said to a child.

So it decided to describe itself in its simplest of terms. "I was made to help people."

"Like what you did for my ouchies?" she asked as she swung her legs a bit to emphasize her bandaged knees.

"Yes, and much more. I can administer basic first-aid as well as perform other helpful functions."

"Like what?" Yinu kept pressing. She wanted to know everything that Tenten was capable of, but it started listing mundane utilities like opening and closing doors, twisting open jar lids, playing catch.

"That's all kinda boring." she said honestly. "Can you shoot lasers and stuff?" she asked. Almost all the robots on TV could shoot lasers of some kind, usually from their eyes.

To Tenten this was a "scary" subject, but since Yinu was the one to mention it, perhaps she was not scared of such things? So, weaponry was cleared from his “scary topic” filter so he could be a little more honest about himself. So it answered, "Yes. I can shoot lasers, but only when absolutely necessary."

Yinu's eyes lit up, "That's so cool! Can you show me?"

"It is not absolutely necessary that I do that right now. It would also be very dangerous."

"Aw..." she was very disappointed at this answer, but she figured he was right.

As she thought this, she looked at some of the framed pictures of instruments on the walls that she could finally see from the higher vantage point. They were all artsy renditions, using abstract shapes and colors, but they were still clearly recognizable as people playing instruments. A saxophone player, a cellist, a keyboardist, and many more.

"What about music? Do you play anything?" she asked. They were in the tower of a record company right now. Even if Tenten was a robot, maybe he could do something with music.

"I have not learned how to play any instrument, but I can sing and dance."

Yinu lit up at this. Even if he couldn't play anything, she'd never seen or heard of a singing robot before. "Can you sing something for me?" she asked excitedly. "Not right now. We need avoid detection right now." he said as he steered them up another stairwell.

Yinu's expression sunk, and she lowered her head deeper into its cap. "Can you sing for me later?" she asked in a begging tone. He thought about this. Would there even be a "later" after they got caught?

"Yes, if I have the opportunity, I will sing for you." Yinu was satisfied with this answer for now, so question after question continued to tumble out.

“How old are you?”

“I am approximately 3 years, 7 months, and 2 days old.”

“Hah, that’s younger than me! I’m 8 and a half years old. But you’re a really big kid.”

“My physical age is irrelevant to my size.”

“What does “ear elephant” mean?”

“Irrelevant means it is of little to no consequence.”

“What does “con see quince” mean?”

“It is the result of an action.”

“Will I ever get as tall as you?”

“If your genetics favor height, then possibly.”

“What does that mean?”

“If your parents are tall, then you are likely to become as tall as either of them when you reach maturity.”

“Oh! My Mama and Papa are really tall! Maybe even taller than you!”

“Then you will likely be tall when you become an adult.”

"Do you have a Mama?"

"No." replied Tenten.

"Then do you have a Papa?"

"No."

"How about a Grandmama?"

"I do not have any form of parent." said Tenten, having finally found the common thread in this string of questions.

"Oh..." she said sadly as she balled her fists into the cap, creasing it slightly. Noticing this, the robot stopped walking.

"What is wrong Miss Yinu? Did my answer upset you?"

"You don't have someone who looks after you? Or takes care of you?"

It considered this new definition for a moment. Someone who looks after it and takes care of it?

"I believe my Captain matches that criteria." he replied. The Captain did indeed look after Tenten during his training and the Captain was usually in charge of managing his maintenance checks.

"Then that's your Papa, silly!" Yinu perked her head up again and smiled to herself, but Tenten still didn't move.

"The Captain is my Papa?" he asked. Yinu thought for a moment, "Huh? Well yeah, if he loves you and cares about you, then he's your Papa."

"So a Papa is someone who looks after you, and takes care of you, and loves you, and cares about you. Is that correct?" he asked. "I think so." replied Yinu, though she was a little unsure if this was a satisfactory answer herself. She thought it didn’t exactly describe what she thought of as a “Papa,” but it was technically correct, so she didn’t add anything else.

The android began trying to process this new definition of "Papa."

"Then I do not believe my Captain meets all the criteria." it replied.

"Why not? Didn’t you say he takes care of you?" she asked a little concerned.

"I am not capable of quantifying "love," so I can not determine if the Captain "loves" me or not."

Yinu didn't understand what Tenten meant. Love wasn't something you "quantified." What did quantify even mean? It was just a feeling, and she had a feeling that she had a lot to teach this android. She tried to think of all the things her Mama and Papa did that made her feel loved.

"Does your Captain ever tell you stories at night to help you sleep?" asked Yinu.

"I do believe he has shared his personal history with me before, but not to aid in my rest."

"Does he kiss your ouchies better?"

"No. I do not get "ouchies.""

"Um... does he stay by your bed when you're sick and feed you soup?"

"No. I do not have a bed and I am incapable of any organic consumption."

The girl was running out of ideas for how to explain the feeling of "love" to the android.

"Well, how do you feel about him? Does he make you happy when he's with you?" she asked, grasping for anything that she could reasonably call love.

Tenten repeated the question to itself, "Do I feel happy when the Captain is with me?"

Tenten tried to analyze all of his memories with his Captain which contained feelings of “joy.” It came up with less than a handful of results, but they were still results.

A day when after a particularly long dance practice session, the Captain remarked, "Good work! You're finally getting it down!"

Another time at the shooting range when it'd managed to achieve 99% accuracy and the Captain said, "Impressive! You've still got it Tenten!"

Earlier this year when the Captain said, "This is it, we finally made it to the top brass: NSR! I know you and the squad are going to shine out there!"

"Yes." it finally replied.

Any instances of praise did cause a reaction of "joy" in Tenten. It knew it was programmed to please the Captain and he was rewarded with "joy" for meeting these expectations, but if this reaction could be considered "love" and the expression of praise was likewise "love" then perhaps the Captain did love Tenten, and Tenten loved its Captain in return.

After considering this assessment, he also considered the warning that his Captain had also just given, condemning him as an armed and dangerous robot. His Captain had essentially given anyone who saw him permission to kill him. That action did not seem to line up with any definition of love that Tenten currently had.

If the Captain did love him, then the Captain did not love him at this time.

Tenten began moving again, determined as ever to complete its current objective, but he hadn't noticed that while it was stopping to think, a couple of security bots had seen the duo and were starting to close in.

"They're going to get us!" Yinu cried playfully. This game was getting very exciting, and the sudden idea of getting caught had woken her from her near stupor.

Tenten quickly looked around the hall, looking for anywhere, anything he could use to help them escape, but there was nothing he could use without causing unnecessary damage. Crashing through the window would surely harm Miss Yinu. Just evading them wouldn't stop them from following them afterwards: once these security bots had their target in sight, it would be almost impossible to shake them off.

There was only one solution right now to both get through to the upper floors and keep the bots from following after them.

Tenten grabbed his cap from off his head and placed it onto Yinu. It was a little big, falling just over her eyes.

"Hey!" she cried as she peeked from underneath it.

"You wanted to see me shoot lasers, right?" he asked, as aimed his right arm towards the bots and pointed at them with his index finger.

"Uh-huh!" she said excitedly.

"You can peek, but cover your face with my hat when my lasers hit those bad guys, okay?"

"Okay!"

The moment he got this assurance, Tenten fired a short beam from his finger tip, aimed squarely in the middle of the first security bot's rectangular chest. It shot straight through the bot leaving an opening big enough to see the other side of the hall through. It was so fast that Yinu nearly missed it, but she guarded her face as the bot began to explode into pieces of debris and scrap metal. Tenten helped hold her in place on his back with his free hand and tried to block as much of the scattering parts from hitting Yinu as he continued blasting through the small wave of bots.

Yinu could hear them bursting apart and desperately wanted to see it happen again, but hearing the little flecks of metal bounce off the cap convinced her that keeping cover would be for the best right now.

Once the way was cleared, Tenten began to sprint up through the next flight of stairs. The commotion had attracted the security bots to guard the top, but Tenten blasted through them all the same.

"Miss Yinu, please hang on. We have almost reached our destination."

Tenten made a dash through the hall until he had his sights on a pair of grand double doors.

"We have arrived." he said as he crouched down to let Yinu off his shoulders so he could open the doors. He allowed Yinu to scurry in first before following and closing the door behind them. Yinu was in amazement of the room: it was a large concert hall, one of the biggest she'd ever been in before. Even the smallest sound she made seemed to echo throughout the room. But more than all that, what caught her interest was the grand piano on the stage.

Of interest to Tenten were the many rows of seats and balconies which could be used for cover and barricades if needed. They could hole up here for several hours and make quick trips to the dressing room to procure bottled water for Yinu.

"We should be able to hide h-h-heeeeeere. Y-Y-Yiiiiiinuuuu." Tenten's voice began to stutter and distort, creating an uneasy sound which echoed through the hall. His legs began to buckle and he dropped to his knees, nearly collapsing on the floor. "Oh no!" Yinu rushed back to his side. She tried to help him up, but he was much too heavy for her to even prop up. This game was starting to get a little too serious.

"Tenten, what's wrong! Do you feel light headed? Do you need some candy?" she cried, thinking of all the ways she tried to help Papa when this happened to him.

"I'm r-r-r-runnnnnnnnning ouut of p-p-p-pooooower." by instinct, Tenten wanted to process how he could have saved more power by being more efficient, but even that act would have quickly drained him of what little power he still had left.

"Power? How do you get power?"

"M-m-m-m-mussssssssic-c-c-c." he hissed.

"Music? Any kind of music?"

"Y-Y-yes..."

Yinu looked down at the stage with the grand piano again then back to Tenten. "Okay. I'll play something for you." Yinu stood up, ready to get on the stage, but she felt her leg getting pulled back.

"B-b-b-but we we we we we willllllll bbbbbbbe caught. Caught. Caught. If you plaaaaaay."

She crouched back down and took Tenten's hand into hers, it was burning hot from all the shooting he'd done just moments prior.

"It's okay. Eventually everyone gets found during hide-and-seek. And I... really don't want you to die yet. Please... don't die yet." she said. She remembered saying the same thing to her Papa once. It hadn’t worked back then, but maybe it would work now.

Tenten said nothing, but he loosened his grip on her leg and gave a weak nod. "I had a lot of fun today Mr. Tenten. You did a lot for me, but now it's my turn."

Yinu began to scamper away and back towards the stage. As she did so, memories of today replayed in her head: losing her hair band. Being scared and running away from Tenten. The funny way he treated her scrapes. Feeling safe holding his hand when they were lost. The satisfaction of talking about the meaning of love. The excitement of tearing through the security bots. Everything came together to be what she considered a very entertaining day. There was no way she could let it end with her new friend dying trying to help her. Days like this deserved a happy ending, she thought.

Climbing up the steep steps, she admired that beautiful grand piano. Its ebony hull seemed to sparkle with the invitation to be played.

Yinu adjusted the piano bench's height to accommodate her short stature. Upon sitting she lifted the key cover and took a deep breath. Soon, her fingers were gliding across the keys, playing sweet melodies which reverberated through the entire room and beyond. Everyone, who had been in a panicked fervor trying to locate the missing Yinu a few floors above and below stopped to listen to the sound. It carried far and wide throughout the building, reaching even Mama's ears.

"That's gotta be Yinu playing!" she cried. Miss Quartz who'd been with Mama since Yinu disappeared declared, "We have a grand piano on floor 10, that’s got to be where they are. Jay, order all security to that floor immediately!"

"I'm on it!" as Tenten's captain motioned for the team of deluxe security bots to follow him up the stairs.

Still planted on the ground, Tenten looked out to the stage, watching as Yinu lost herself to the ivory keys. Each note sent just a little more power through his body and began recharging his battery. Soon he had enough power to stand back up, albeit clumsily.

He began to hobble down the lane, using every other seat as a balance as he moved towards the stage. He just had be closer to the wonderful source of sound. It was a song unlike any he'd ever heard before, and never would have.

This was a family piece that Yinu's Papa had taught her when she was very small. They played it together often, and when Papa had passed, she always played it for her Mama. It was a happy song that reminded her of sad times. It was the song that won her many awards and got her signed onto NSR. It was still precious to her and she was happy to play it for anyone who would listen.

It wasn't long before Tenten had joined Yinu on the stage and was hovering over her, listening intently until the piece had concluded.

Yinu turned around to see him clapping for her. "That was a wonderful performance Miss Yinu." Yinu's face lit up again at seeing her friend well and standing. "Tenten!" she practically jumped off the stool to hug him, so relieved and happy that he was okay.

He almost fell over, not expecting such a sudden great force bashing into his legs after he just recovered his balance, but he nonetheless returned the gesture by patting her on the head. He lowered himself again to meet Yinu at eye level.

"I am feeling better now thanks to you. So, thank you." He held out his hand for her to shake it, but she leaned in to give him another hug. This time, he properly returned it. "I'm just glad you're okay." she said, hugging him tighter.

At this, Tenten stood up once more and turned his gaze towards the piano. "I did not know that you could play the piano so well." he said.

"Yep!" Yinu beamed. "That's why I'm here, so I can play the piano for everyone!"

It had finally occurred to Tenten that he had not once asked why Yinu was in the NSR tower. He had put all his objectives before learning anything about her, and for this he felt somewhat ashamed. He would need to make up for this grave error before his many other grave errors caught up with him.

"Do you think you could play for me one more time? I’m not fully charged yet, and I would like to sing for you, like I promised." he asked.

"Of course! What do you want me to play?" she giddily made her way back to the piano bench ready to play any number of songs for her friend.

"I am not capable of improvising, but I am familiar with a small library of popular songs. Could you pick one, and I will tell you if I know it."

"Okay... do you know this one?"

She began to play a few bars. He listened intently as he tried to match the sounds to his database.

"I believe so..."

He seated himself next to Yinu on the bench. "Mama and Papa used to play this one a lot together." she said as she continued through the first measure.

Tenten counted to himself until he began to sing.

Outside the hall, all manner of security bots being led by Jay, were getting ready to storm inside, but all ceased when a voice began accompanying the piano.

"Heart and soul,

I fell in love with you.

Heart and soul,

The way a fool would do:

Madly, because you held me tight,

And stole a kiss in the night..."

"Who is that?" asked Mama, who was close behind Jay and Miss Quartz.

"It sounds like… Tenten?" answered Jay, surprised that his rogue soldier would be doing something as quaint as sing a song during an apparent kidnapping.

"Shouldn’t he be trying to hide?” asked Miss Quartz who was similarly flabbergasted that such an advanced military A.I. would do something to blatantly blow its cover like this.

“Maybe this is his way of giving up? Or it’s a trap and he’s getting ready to ambush.”

“Look, it doesn’t matter why it’s singing. Go in there and get Miss Yinu!”

“I can’t just barge in there without knowing the situation!”

While the two bickered, Mama listened closely to that sadly familiar song. Without thinking, she opened the doors to the hall herself. Although the other two were too late to stop her from walking headfirst into theoretical danger, there was no sudden shooting of lasers or other obstruction. Instead, the sound of the duet just poured out into the halls for everyone to hear clearly.

Yinu had started to join in the song too. She was a little off key and she stumbled slightly, her talents were truly in the ivory keys, but the two of them were having too much fun to worry about something like perfect pitch.

"Heart and soul,

I begged to be adored,

Lost control, and tumbled overboard,

Gladly...

That magic night we kissed,

There in the moon mist."

Both were so lost in the song that they failed to notice the all the security bots trickling in along with the Captain, Mama, and the CEO.

"Oh, but your lips were thrilling,

much too thrilling.

Never before were mine so

strangely willing."

As the bots quietly closed in around the stage, the adults stayed back watching the strange display before them: A little girl playing piano and singing happily with a military-class battle bot. Surely, this was the kind of sight you could only find in a place like this.

"But now I see,

what one embrace can do

Look at me,

it's got me loving you,

Madly, that little kiss you stole,

Held all my heart and soul..."

Yinu continued to play, but Tenten had noticed the sound of the doors opening and the movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked out toward the seating area, seeing all the security bots now surrounding them at the foot of the stage and his Captain looking back at him, arms folded in what Tenten recognized as "disappointment.”

"Oh, but your lips were thrilling,

much too thrilling.

Never before were mine so

strangely willing.

But now I see,

what one embrace can do

Look at me,

it's got me loving you,

Madly, that little kiss you stole,

Held all my heart and soul.

Held all my heart and soul."

As the last note of the piano played and reverberated through the fall, it was followed by clapping from the human watchers. Yinu almost jumped in surprise since she hadn't noticed that the hall had filled up. She looked towards the back of the hall and saw her Mama with one hand resting on her cheek. She was trying to keep her smile from showing after hearing her daughter play so beautifully. Right now she had to look serious.

When the clapping stopped, a voice broke through the silence, the Captain's voice.

"That was very nice you two! Very lovely!" he called out giving a couple of last claps. Yinu looked out at the source of sound. His body looked the same as Tenten’s, but the face… was he wearing a mask? She felt like she’d seen it somewhere before, but he was too far away for her to make out the details.

"But Tenten, you need to let Yinu go now before I order security to fire! Stand and keep your hands up where I can see them!"

Tenten stood up from the bench with his arms raised to his head. Yinu mimicked him, but hid behind his legs, scared of the security bots below. When did the game get so scary? Were they still going to be in trouble even though everyone was playing together? Tenten turned his gaze towards her and noticed the tears welling in Yinu’s eyes. He moved to place his hand on her head again to help her calm down.

"HEY! Keep both your hands up Tenten! Miss Yinu you don’t have to do it too!" called out Jay. As Yinu lowered her arms, Tenten could sense the guide lasers from the security bots being aimed at his head. He dared not move again unless instructed to.

"Miss Yinu, you’re safe now! Please step away from Tenten and come off the stage. Your Mama is very worried about you!" he called.

Yinu stepped a little from behind Tenten, but quickly ducked back again and hugged his leg when she too noticed that all the security bots had their hands pointed at Tenten. These bots were different from the blocky ones that Tenten had blasted away. They looked like bigger, meaner versions of Tenten, and if they were anything like him, he was going to be blown up to more than just pieces.

"Don't be afraid! They won't hurt you, just come down and-!"

"I won't go if you're going to hurt him!" she cried out.

The room was quiet again as the adults murmured to themselves about what to say next. Tenten wanted so badly to turn to Yinu, but he could not risk it. Instead, he tried to focus his sonic hearing on the adults across the room.

“Did he brainwash her or something?” whispered Miss Quartz.

“I don’t think he’s capable of that.” said Jay. “We haven’t added the “smooth talk” feature yet.”

“Can’t you shoot him from here and get Yinu back?”

“We can’t be hasty. That is still a highly-trained military class battle bot. He hurt Yinu earlier, so he might be willing to use her to protect himself if he needs to.”

Had his processor been capable of it, Tenten would have been appalled at the mere suggestion that he would ever willingly hurt Miss Yinu. Instead, he broke through the murmurs himself, speaking loudly so that all could hear him:

"Yinu, we have caused a lot of trouble for everyone today. Please return to your Mama. That was our original objective, was it not?"

Yinu began to cry, "But... you're about to die again... You can't die yet... you said you wouldn't..."

"I did not vocalize such a promise. And this situation is different. I am about to be killed. That is different from dying." he said so matter-of-factly.

"You still promised! You promised you wouldn't die yet!" she cried.

"I am sorry, but I do not have any choice in this matter."

"Then I'm not going!"

"Yinu, do not be stubborn. Go to your Mama."

"No!"

"Yinu."

The two went back and forth like this for a bit bickering the same way that siblings would over who’s turn it was to use the computer. It was beginning to be comical to those looking in. Or so it would have been had this not been a literal crisis situation. All the while the adults continued to murmur to themselves.

"This is ridiculous!" grumbled Jay as he pinched around his “face” where a brow used to be. "What is even going on here anymore? Is this even still a kidnapping?”

“This wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t let that thing free-roam!” chided Miss Quartz.

“I have to do the field testing somewhere! What am I supposed to do, let him walk around the Metro Division by himself?”

As those two bickered and the kids bickered, Mama was lost in thought. Anger had long since subsided as she was more than relieved that her little girl was alright. But as she listened to the playful way in which the android and her daughter was speaking, she began to think that maybe she really wasn’t ever in danger with him by her side.

Finally, the verbal battle on the adult’s side had come to an agreement.

Jay called out again, "Okay! Tenten, you come here with Miss Yinu! Keep your hands up and we won't shoot! We're just going to have a talk about this!"

Yinu cried out, "You promise you won't hurt him!"

"I promise! Now both of you get down from there so we can all go home!"

The security bots lowered their weapon hands.

Yinu looked up at Tenten, "Okay... let's go..."

Slowly, Tenten began making his way off the stage, hands still raised. Yinu followed behind, not letting her hand off of the back of his left leg. They descended the steps off the stage, and started walking down the aisle towards the adults until they were standing no more than a few feet apart.

"Yinu, are you okay baby?" asked Mama calmly.

Yinu was still behind Tenten, but she replied with a sheepish, "Uh-huh."

She was about to go back to her Mama’s open arms, but then Yinu looked up at Tenten's Captain. Now that she was closer she could see the details of his mask... it wasn't a mask, it was his actual face. Was he a robot too?

Yinu wondered how a robot could be the boss of another robot, but she supposed that some people were the boss of other people too, so it made sense. Just before she could walk back over to her Mama’s side, the Captain began talking, very angrily.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself solider?" the Captain asked sternly.

"Papa..."

"...What did you just call me?" exclaimed the Captain.

"I mean, Captain Neon Jay, sir." Tenten quickly rectified his blunder.

"I sincerely apologize for my actions today. It was not my intention to endanger or harm Miss Yinu in any way. I-"

CLANK!

"I am not asking for your excuses soldier!" the Captain slapped his hand across the android's face, turning his head a full 90 degrees to the right. The loud clang of metal on metal froze everyone in their spots.

Yinu cried, "Tenten!"

"I was not hurt, Miss Yinu..." Tenten assured the girl as he clicked his head back to its original position. This was half-true. It did not hurt him physically aside from a small scuff from metal clashing against metal. The slap had probably done more harm to the Captain's hand than it did to Tenten's face, but the gesture was agonizing. Never before had the Captain reacted with such violent disappointment.

"How could you possibly disobey direct orders like that!? Not only did you put a child in a dangerous situation, but you used firearms in an unauthorized zone! Not to mention cloaking without express permission! Do you know how much this is going to cost us!"

The android could do nothing but stand and listen as all of his failures today were listed out in great detail, each one causing him to feel just a little more shame. But, more than that, he began focusing on Yinu holding onto him tighter and tighter. He could feel her tears streaking down his leg, and right now that was the most important detail.

"You are making Miss Yinu cry."

"And you know- What did you say?! After all that you still have the nerve to interrupt-" Jay was about to raise another hand towards Tenten until he repeated:

"You are making Miss Yinu cry."

Jay turned his attention to the girl still cowering behind Tenten.

She was murmuring to herself, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... it's my fault...if I didn't run away then... you wouldn't be getting yelled at…"

“Yinu… it’s okay Yinu...” Mama finally stepped forward to comfort her daughter with a hug. Yinu gave a half hug back, not wanting to let go of Tenten’s leg.

Tenten looked back at Yinu. "Miss Yinu, No one is mad at you." he said.

Tenten so desperately wanted to comfort Yinu too. It was taking every bit of restraint in his processors to keep him from moving from his current position, for he still had not been given permission to lower his arms. He hoped that his words would be enough comfort, though he doubted their effectiveness.

"Everyone here was very worried about you. They are mad at me because I got you hurt." he continued.

Yinu broke away from everyone.

"But you didn't hurt me! You protected me from everything." she chided the android for saying what she thought was a lie.

"Then why are you covered in bandages?" pointed out Miss Quartz. Yinu felt the bandage on her cheek again. It had happened so long ago already that she'd forgotten it and the ones are her knees were even there.

"I tripped and fell when I was running away. Tenten fixed me up." she admitted between sniffles.

Neon Jay crossed his arms and turned back towards Tenten. "Is this true, Tenten?"

The android said nothing.

“Soldier, you answer when I ask you a question. Is it true that Yinu was hurt because she tripped and fell?”

“...Yes sir.”

"Then why did you say you hurt her?"

"Miss Yinu tripped and fell because she was frightened of me. That means the fault lies with my poor approach."

Neon Jay sighed. "That's... You blew this whole thing out of proportion! We thought you did something to seriously hurt Yinu!"

"Is this not serious?"

"I mean, accidents happen Tenten. Something this small doesn’t necessitate all the hell you put everyone one through today."

"But I was threatened.”

“When? By who?”

“I quote, “I swear if it did anything to hurt her, I'll tear it apart!” end quote.”

The Captain looked at Yinu’s Mama who was still hugging Yinu before turning back to Tenten and pinching at his face again "We really need to refine your ability to understand figures of speech."

"It wasn't a figure of speech." murmured Mama. “But… no, I wouldn’t have done it if I knew that’s what happened.” she finished as she picked up Yinu to carry in her arms and get a good look at the “harm” that had been done.

"What about your hair Yinu, how did it come undone?" asked Mama.

"I did it myself. It hurt to have them that tight, Mama."

Mama furrowed her brow. "Why didn't you say anything?" she asked.

"Because I know Mama worked really hard to make it really cute like that. I didn't want to disappoint you…" Yinu said shyly.

“Oh Yinu…” Mama kissed her cheek.

“Well, I’m glad this has been resolved and no one was seriously injured, but this has still been a major incident.” started Miss Quartz. “Jay, I expect you to file the proper reports on this and make-up for your robots’ mess today.”

“Yes Ma’am!” the Captain saluted, but his tone had the slightest bit of annoyance behind it, aimed at the much too cautious android.

Then Miss Quartz turned toward Yinu and her Mama. “As for Miss Yinu’s transfer, we can continue this another day. I’m sure you would both like to go home and relax after all this nonsense.”

They both nodded. “And Miss Yinu,” she turned her attention specifically to the little girl. “I am willing to overlook today’s events as a simple accident and misunderstanding, but I’m expecting a lot less tomfoolery from you in the future. When your Mama asks you to come back immediately, you do so. There is nothing wrong with wanting to do things by yourself, but you must still obey your Mama, understand?”

Yinu nodded, “I understand.”

“Very good, then everyone move out. There’s a lot to catch up on! Chop chop! I’ll escort you both to the exit.” Miss Quartz clapped as everyone exited the concert hall to return to their respective stations.

As the Captain and Tenten were about to walk away to survey the damage done to the security bots a few floors down (which would certainly have to be deducted from the Captain’s salary), Yinu called out. “Wait, Tenten!”

The robot stopped and turned around to look back at her calling his name. “Go ahead.” said the Captain. With permission, Tenten walked over to Mama carrying Yinu.

“Yes, Miss Yinu?” Tenten asked.

“A little closer.” she said. Tenten took another step forward towards Mama and Yinu.

“Closer!” she laughed. He took a few more steps, enough that he noticed that Mama was getting a little uncomfortable having to look at the robot so closely.

He became so close that his face was only a few inches away from the girl’s face.

“Now turn your head to the left.” his face whirred into place.

“My left.” he whirred again until his left cheek was facing Yinu.

Finally Yinu reached into her pocket and pulled out the extra bandage that she still had from earlier. She applied it to the scuff that was left from the Captain’s slap.

“There, now we match.” she said proudly.

Tenten turned his head back to look at Yinu and the bandage that was stuck to her left cheek too.

“Yes, we do.” he replied as he touched the freshly applied bandage. “Thank you very much Yinu. I hope we can see each other again.” he said.

“You probably will,” started Miss Tatiana. “She’ll be working with us very soon. Once we clear all the paperwork.”

Yinu nodded and smiled. “Yeah! We’ll get to see each other a lot!”

“Yes, hopefully with a little less excitement next time.” said Miss Quartz towards the android. “But right now, it’s time for you two to say good-bye.”

“Okay. Good-bye Tenten.” said Yinu as she waved farewell towards him.

“Good-bye, Miss Yinu.” he waved back and began to walk back to the Captain’s side.

As Mama began leaving with Yinu, the girl let out a small yawn as her sleepiness caught up with her again. “I’m sorry I made you worry Mama.” she said sleepily. Mama kissed Yinu on the forehead again. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“Mm-hmm…” Yinu’s eyes started to glaze over until she finally closed them as she nuzzled into her Mama’s warm arms, falling fast asleep.

Meanwhile the android and cyborg walked in relative silence back towards the stairwell to investigate the lower floors.

There was a lot that Jay had to consider about what to do with Tenten. Whether it had good intentions or not, an android that so clearly disobeyed orders did not give the Captain confidence in its current programming. Something would have to be done about this, but until then, there was one question still weighing on Jay’s mind that he wanted answered sooner rather than later.

“Tenten, why did you call me “Papa” earlier?”

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

Several months passed since Yinu had been properly signed onto NSR. She was already raising the ranks in Natura. By next summer it was all but guaranteed that she would take over as the top charter. During such a small amount of time, she had already accomplished much at NSR, but she hadn’t seen Tenten again since she returned. Apparently he had been undergoing maintenance during his upgrade to MK III. She did however learn that Tenten was actually a part of group of other Tentens.

She wondered what that would be like, five different versions of Tenten. Would they all be as nice as the one she’d met before or would they all be a little different. But today she would get to seem them during their new debut. She was excited to meet them again after what felt like forever.

“Yinu, please don’t run in the halls!” Mama called after her trying to match her daughter’s energetic pace.

“I want to seem them Mama! I want to, AH!”

“Yinu!” gasped Mama as she ran over to her side.

Yinu had accidentally collided with someone and fell over. “Ouchies…” she cried, rubbing her forehead. Whoever she hit was unnaturally hard, and metallic. Wait, metallic?

“I’m sorry, are you alright Little Miss?” asked the voice. It was clearly synthetic, but it had a warm and familiar tone.

Yinu looked up to see a robot looking back down at her. Its face a little different than she remembered. It was a lot more human than before, but the glowing white eyes and fancy clothes were a dead giveaway.

“Are you al-”

“Tenten!” Yinu beamed. “I missed you!” she said.

“Oh, but you didn’t miss me. You ran right into me, Doll.” he laughed.

“Huh?” she said slightly confused at this answer. Tenten never really told jokes like that. He smiled back at her, but she thought he would be a little more excited to see her again.

From behind Tenten the Captain appeared.

“What did you bump into this ti- Oh, it’s Miss Yinu again! How are you?” said Jay as the little girl came into his viewing range. “Hello Mr. Jay. I’m well,” replied Yinu a little more formally. She hadn’t gotten to see Neon J. much either since coming back, but the last thing she remembered about him was him yelling at Tenten, so she was still a little frightened of him.

“What happened to Tenten? He’s a little… different now.” she said, looking back up at the white haired robot. Did Tenten even have hair the last time she saw him? She didn’t think so, but it was a little hard to remember everything that happened that day.

“This is the new MK III Tenten!” exclaimed Jay. “He’s a little more natural and a lot more stylish, but he’s still got the same Tenten moves.” he said.

“Yeah, new and improved, Babygirl!” said Tenten with a wink.

“But… do you remember me?” asked Yinu, looking straight into Tenten’s glowing eyes, hoping to find a hint of the answer she wanted to hear. Jay was silent and was about to stop Tenten from saying anything else, but it was already too late. He had improved his reaction time too much:

“I can’t remember someone I’ve never met.”

---------

AN: Originally I wrote a bit more after the last line, and after Jay asking about why Tenten called him "Papa" but neither were going anywhere, so I cut them. If y'all like it though, maybe I'll write about both aftermaths. Fair warning though, neither are going to make this ending any happier.

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philhoffman · 9 months

Text

Missed my Monday Philm and this guy while on vacation last week, so I decided to watch something special tonight. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007), with the commentary track featuring director Sidney Lumet and stars PSH and Ethan Hawke. It's one of the few tracks Phil did that I hadn't listened to before—I think it might be the last one I had yet to hear? So, it's bittersweet—good to hear his voice (he must've had a cold, he was coughing so much; yawning, his big laughs; the way you can almost hear his silence, the absence of his voice hanging in the air) but sad to be another step closer to seeing all there is to see.

The last time I watched BTDKYD a few months ago, I mentioned something about how difficult it is to write about this film, for obvious and personal reasons alike. The raw emotion and intensity and explicit drug use and blood squeezed into this film make it a hard watch. But the last couple days I've felt I'm in a safe and solid enough place to do some reflection and healing and to generally work through a couple of the many complicated feelings I have about addiction and grieving Phil's death. This is clearly one of the pieces most directly tied to those struggles.

So closely tied, actually, that it used to leave me despondent. The car scene alone—unbearable, until I heard Sidney Lumet (in a behind-the-scenes short) describing the technical and practical and artistic choices that went into creating it. It really helped to hear how Phil, as an actor, helped shape that scene. Just a reminder, as simple as it sounds, that it's "not real."

I figured the commentary track would help ease that feeling for the whole movie, and for a large part it did! Sidney Lumet sure was something, lmao. You get to know people very quickly and on a curious level when you watch a film with them, as these tracks simulate. Ethan Hawke is brilliant and so thoughtful and poetic, he is truly a gem not just as an actor but an artist and member of humanity. Phil mumbles. I am so in love with his mind—I think that's part of the reason he's been my person so intensely for so long now. He isn't as effortlessly eloquent as Ethan, but you can hear the gears turning as he thinks and speaks, you can almost reach out and solidly grasp the ideas he is struggling to form and push and shove out of his mind. It helps that we have many of the same tastes and he's shaped my own artistic perspective so much, but he has such a grip on profound truths—they stumble out of his mouth almost accidentally, inconsequentially, as if they don't shift my worldview.

Commentary quick hits below the cut

Watching the opening scene: "I'm mum. I'm silent at this part."

They all kind of lose their breath for a moment when Marisa is on screen (her and Ethan's nude scene) and Phil breaks the tension by saying he was breathless because of Ethan being naked pls

Phil is definitely the quietest. Lumet goes on and on about absolutely nothing related to the film, Ethan steers them back, Phil coughs and says something about eating strawberries and at one point is 100% not paying attention 😭 They're talking about Katharine Hepburn and Phil is so zoned out he goes "Who?"

He's not extremely forthcoming. He said something striking (and obviously in hindsight, devastating) about Andy's drug use during that graphic injection scene but otherwise he let Lumet do most of the talking.

Apparently there was a contest to be an extra in this movie??? Why didn't I know about that? (I was under 10 years old when it was filmed)

Lumet said there were times when he got nervous because Phil's acting was so organic and powerful and raw—the vein popping out of his forehead, slamming his fist onto the table, the violence in the final couple scenes.

What Phil said earlier about drug use was upsetting but I was fine. Then, when Hank's tween daughter calls him a loser, Phil (a dad to two toddlers at the time) laughs and says "Oh man, is that what's coming?" I had to physically shake that one off. Fuck man

There was total silence during the whole car scene. Neither Phil nor Ethan nor Lumet said a word. That isn't unheard of for a commentary track but it's not common either—just goes to show how staggering that performance is. Stunned silence.

Phil told a story about how he used to fall asleep before wrestling matches as a kid and still dozes off in his dressing room before stage performances because of his anxiety he's just like me <3

Every time I try to wrap this film up in a neat bow it ends up an incoherent mess. I think that's okay for now. But I do wish there were more commentary tracks to listen to. It's nice to watch movies with Phil. I wish there was a PSH commentary track for every film I've ever seen.

#babbling nonsense once again. not at all what I was trying to write this week but here you go #monday philm #before the devil knows you're dead #philip seymour hoffman #psh #*#beautiful beautiful boy. most handsome beautiful boy in the world

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seradyn · 2 years

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Hey I saw your requests were open and I can't really find anyone else open to requests for Ardyn at the moment. And as a little brain rot I was hoping for maybe Fluffish or normal-ish Cannon ardyn with a reader who has a similar curse to his but refuses to embrace the darkness and only indulges it if someone was in trouble?

And this kind of leads to incredibly painful and messy nights where it tries to consume them? I actually thought a lot about this but no one roleplays online here or at least I haven't found them. But the person in question is hidden in the bathroom of a hotel in the shower to kind of censor out their pained cries but is obviously inevitably found out?

Sorry for the long ask! Again it's kind of a concept I like working on with each passing hyper fixation.

They Come At Night

Thanks for the request!

Reader, afflicted with the same curse as Ardyn, struggles to keep the daemons under her control. With Ardyn busy being a politician, the monsters have a chance to strike.

For @ducttapewizard

Word count: 2310

TW: none

———————————————————————

It was hard to keep yourself straight sometimes, with all the daemons that called your body home.

So many voices, always clamoring for an ounce of your attention, congealing into a writhing beast that twisted and squirmed deep inside you. You could feel them crawling under your skin, whispering pleas for just a second, just a moment to release their power. The tiniest morsel of freedom would do. They could make the misery of eternal life disappear.

You knew better, knew those moments would turn to minutes, then hours so easily, the terrible darkness that would seep from you as it burned itself into every one of your nerves. You’d given in before, had fallen for their honeyed words, only to be horrified at yourself, watching helplessly as your form was contorted with the flailing limbs of all manor of different monsters. The times when you weren’t able to control your power often ended in you waking up surrounded by your dismembered victims.

Given centuries to practice, you had developed a detailed mask to conceal them. You cherished that persona, determined to keep it in place no matter what happened. The times when it slipped, it broke you to see the fearful looks of your kin, the cries of ‘monster’. You learned quickly, after escaping your prison on that stormy island, that even if you used your curse for the good of others, they always responded the same. Always met with wide, horrified eyes and screams of terror.

During the day, it was much easier to be yourself, display the shreds of humanity you held so dear.

But at night, the daemons would stir, filling your mind with thoughts of maring flesh from bone, of making those humans pay.

Whenever you lost control, you felt the miasma sear as it escaped through the cracks of your withered body. The black veins that wrapped around your arms, your neck, your legs, so much like those chains from before, and you were just as powerless to stop it. Your face would become damp with tears, the same color as your corrupt, oily blood. You’d grimace, for you knew soon the anger would come boiling up, like a volcano ready to explode, blinding you to anything other than the desire to destroy…murder…kill.

There was one thing that could break you from your trace. Your lover since time immemorial, imprisoned with you in that wretched place two thousand years ago. He had allowed himself to be consumed by the anger, the rage, and in exchange for his surrender, he had a much firmer grasp on his daemons. Although he knew how hard you tried to stay strong, to fight back their fury. He was the only one who could calm you, reminding you how much you meant to him, how important you were to his own stability. Yes, Ardyn had always been your rock, grounding you and driving away those disgusting thoughts.

Though now, when you needed him most…he was, of course, absent.

You’d thought you’d be fine for the trip to Altissa, a voyage born of necessity. Ardyn had limitless duties, which came with the title of Chancellor. The Emperor had demanded he travel to the far country of Accordo, to remind them that they were, in fact, a part of the empire. The whispers of rebellion were beginning to swell, and Ardyn had been ordered to discuss the matter with Accordo’s officials. So off you’d both gone to the capital, using the time as a pseudo vacation of sorts. Though much to your dismay, your lover was kidnapped by endless meetings, hardly having any time for you. That morning, you’d awoken to an empty bed, his side long since cooled of his body heat. A note he’d left with swirling script told you he’d be gone until that evening.

The daemons used his absence as a perfect opportunity.

While out enjoying the lavish architecture of the floating city, you’d felt the familiar wriggling of your malicious parasites. The takeover had started off slow, the soft push of another’s will on the corners of your mind. You’d immediately stamped it out ruthlessly, continuing to savor your time in the oceanic city. You adamantly refused to let them get their way, holding your ground against the hatred that churned in your heart.

But they were persistent. Patient.

Once you were back in your shared hotel room, you delighted in the view of a lazily setting sun, watching it through the floor to ceiling windows in the main room. Ardyn was still away, something about more official business coming up unexpectedly. You found politics rather dreary, so you’d opted to stay behind. You missed him, of course, but you wouldn’t let it damper your mood, relaxing on the plush cushions of the designer couch you’d draped yourself on.

And so suddenly, like a slap that cracked across your face, they made themselves known again. Reminding you what they’d done to you, those bothersome humans, how you’d been betrayed by the very people you gave your body and soul to. For pulling the malice from them, for returning life to them, you and Ardyn had been gifted such endless suffering. Try as you might to push them back down, to bury them, today, the daemons weren’t having it.

The pain preceded their possession, roasting your delicate skin and filling your nose with the smell of charred flesh. Your eyes grew wide, and your heart increased its tempo, filled with fear at yourself, at what they might make you do.

It was a split second decision. You bolted off the couch, feet pounding onto the carpeted floor as you ran towards the bathroom. Flicking on the light, you slammed the door behind you, just as you felt your will beginning to dissolve. You crumpled onto the floor, hugging your legs to your chest and burying your face in your knees. There, you gently rocked yourself, trying to sooth your violent urges, the prick of black tears piercing your eyes.

The sobs came soon after, until you were openly weeping, drenching your pants and face in the disgusting, sticky liquid. Your throat closed, choking the air from your lungs, stuttering breaths providing minimal relief. Your nails dug into the tender flesh of your calves, trying to clamp down on the rage that spilled into your blood. You prayed to anything that would listen, begging that no one would see you in such a valuable state, losing the battle with the daemons you chose to harbor. You didn’t want them to see how weak you were, how you’d failed to keep a hold on your darkness. You tried so damn hard to fight it…but it was never enough.

The tile bit into your tailbone after a while, but it hardly mattered. Not when inhuman screaming and roaring filled your ears, their hatred all consuming. You knew you surely looked a mess by now, your veins now black with tar, your eyes clouded with darkness. You hated how you looked in such a state, the way your humanity was stripped away to reveal the monster beneath. The midnight cracks that appeared on your skin, such a stark contrast to your pale complexion. It only made your flaws all the more obvious.

And it was all your fault.

You were a pathetic failure.

You bit your bottom lip to keep the howling wails of despair inside, knowing it could alert someone to your plight. Even then, wet sniffles and gasping sobs still escaped, the pain and the anger and the disappointment becoming entirely too much.

You heard something through your crying, but you didn’t even bother lifting your head. Footsteps rapidly came through your hotel room, bringing someone right outside the room you huddled in. You knew who it must be, for only Ardyn had a key to the room…yet you found no comfort in that.

Don’t come in here.

Don’t see me like this.

Don’t find me.

But he always knew you liked to hide when you got like this.

The door smashed open, reverberating against the wall so hard there might’ve been damage. Your daemons hummed in glee, feeling the presence of their comrades in your lover. It only made them bolder, their desire burning hotter, brighter.

You shuddered, hoping Ardyn would just go away. You didn’t want him to see how you’d failed again, how you’d been broken like a flimsy twig. It happened so rarely these days, but whenever it did, it erased all the progress you’d made towards controlling them. Ardyn was able to do it so effortlessly, and yet here you were, struggling to maintain the urges he’d mastered centuries ago.

It was embarrassing.

How weak must he think you were?

Pathetic.

The rustling of clothes told you he’d come down to your level, now sitting on the floor with you. You tried to swallow down your sniffles and hiccups, despising it when people saw you cry.

Two sturdy limbs wrapped around you, lifting you up and depositing you on something soft. Warm breath fanned across your scalp, displacing your unkempt hair. Ardyn’s chest expanded and contracted into your side, his heartbeat somewhere to your right. He held you in his lap, bending his knees to cradle you there, enveloping you in his protective frame. Arms closed around you tightly, one hand coming up to card through your locks.

The shame quickly was abandoned, unable to care as you devoured the empathy he offered you. You traded your legs for Ardyn’s vest, turning your body into him, clutching it with both hands and burrowing your face into the expensive fabric. The tiny thread of comfort he’d stitched into your heart was intoxicating. You needed more. You needed him to banish what you could not, make the daemons retreat and never come back. The way he held you, it etched his emotions into the patterns he traced on your back.

His touch was so wonderfully loving, so deeply intimate. A soft balm to your soul, that took its time working through your body. Spots of affection broke through as Ardyn held you, the burning anger soothed as he reassured you with his existence. His actions spoke of things neither of you had the courage to say, easing your worries with the brush of fingers, the scrape of a short beard.

I will love you despite this evil. You are worthy of love, not in spite of your flaws, but because of them.

The heat of fury was beginning to fizzle, replaced with the glowing embers of devotion.

He rested his head against yours, pushing soft kisses into your hair. His stubble was rough on your sensitive flesh, but it was effective in distracting you from your internal torment. He gently shushed you, a slow swooshing sound reminiscent of being inside a mother’s womb. His breathing was calm and even, reminding your own lungs to relax. One hand was pressed into the small of your back, while his other slowly dragged down the back of your head.

So much patience. So much love.

Your skin began to cool, the daemons repelled by Ardyn’s light. Your grip on his shirt loosened, your breathing synced with his. He hummed in approval, noticing the tension that oozed from your muscles. He rewarded you with longer kisses, whispering gentle encouragement as you were brought back from the edge.

“That’s it, my love,” he purred, barely audible in your panicked state. “Keep going.”

You let out a long sigh, letting go of the last of your anger with it. Soon, the daemons were nothing more than a memory, locked away in the bowels of your being. You tentatively leaned back, allowing Ardyn to see your disheveled face. When you looked at him, expecting abhorrence, you were met with the sweetest smile, his expression the picture of adoration.

“There she is,” he cooed, pushing back a loose strand of hair from your face.

The ghost of a smile graced your own features, making him all the more pleased. He used one thumb to lightly wipe the tears away, his palm resting against your cheek. You nuzzled into it, letting out another sigh as he soothingly cleaned your face. You closed your eyes in bliss, relishing in the warmth of his calloused skin. It all screamed I love you. You matter to me. And that was what you desperately needed to hear.

Ardyn surprised you further though, being the charming romantic that he was. He bent forward, grazing his delicate lips on your other cheek. You gasped lightly, tilting your head for him as he kissed away the last of your tears. His own eyes closed, basking in how lovely your supple skin was, how it gave wonderfully under his mouth. You were a treasure, his treasure, and nothing would take you from him, human or otherwise.

When he parted from you, your eyes fluttered open, offering a weary smile in thanks. It vanished instantly when you noticed the black liquid that covered his lips. A spike of shame impaled your heart, knowing your scleras must still be dark and corrupt. Though he smiled, watching you with golden eyes that crinkled in the corners, filled with compassion.

“Feeling better?”

You nodded, not trusting your voice yet, grinning as you both knew he was the reason why. He always did this, always cured you of any heartache with ease. You’d been afraid when it started happening, afraid this would be the final straw that would make Ardyn realize how pitiful you were. But you were his, and he was yours. The bond had been forged eons ago, and it wouldn’t break so easily.

“Good.” He rose up with you in his arms, making you grapple to keep from falling.

“Let us get you cleaned up,” he murmured as he carried you out of the bathroom.

———————————————————————

Sorry this took so long. College has really been draining me. Hope you like it! 💕

Next work will be another addition to my Halloween collection, so I hope you look forward to that! 😄

#ardyn x reader #ardyn izunia x reader #ardyn x you #ardyn izunia #ardyn lucis caelum #ardyn #ffxv #episode ardyn #final fantasy 15 #final fantasy xv #ff15 #ardyn ffxv #ffxv ardyn

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