#at least both cassandra and night get their happy endings now <3

[carewyncromwell]

[Disney AU] Night Rhea as Cassandra Moodboard

for @nightrhea-hphm​

“If I’m burning a bridge, let it burn, but I’m crossing the line!”

#dude I had SO much fun working on this I gotta tell ya #I'm only a casual viewer of tangled the series but I did watch most of the last season #because honestly cassandra's songs in the last half of the show were all like...incredible #even if the arc itself wasn't perfectly written but eh #BUT YES NIGHT #not only does cassandra become host of the moonstone opal and night is named...well night #but night ends up going deep undercover as a death eater during the war and loses most of her friends #like seriously 'nothing left to lose' made me think death-eater!night and it made me sad #and also night's relationship with her mother where she wanted night to be like jacob... #yeah it kind of reminded me of cassandra singing 'waiting in the wings' #and I got sad again #at least both cassandra and night get their happy endings now <3 #I hope you like it <33 #night rhea #other people's mcs #aesthetic #moodboard #disney aesthetic

[the-insomniac-emporium]

Crimson Ties (Bela Dimitrescu/Reader, Soulmate AU) Pt. 3

Fandom: Resident Evil: Village Rating: T for language Warnings: Typical Vampire shenanigans + mentions of animal death Genre: Hurt + comfort Summary: Time to meet the family! What exactly has Cassandra told her mother? Can Bela convince her family to calm the hell down? We'll find out! Spoiler: there's the start of a cute date afterwards Notes: Once more we visit Bela's private study, which I first described in a chapter of Serenade. Added a few more details this time. PS reader is probably low-key a theater nerd with a hint of a goth phase, just saying. Also this chap is a little short, sorry. Previous Chapters: 1: Stem the Flow, 2: Tangled Strands

3: Rumbling Thunder

Heart racing, you step into the dining room, just behind Bela. Both of you are nervous, but find comfort in each other. Still, what you see upon entering only makes you feel worse. At the head of a large table stands none other than Lady Alcina Dimitrescu. Besides her is her middle daughter, the one who confronted you earlier, who sends you a knowing smirk as you walk in. Lady Dimitrescu, on the other hand, is scowling. Her eyes are squinted in a clear display of disapproval. If not for Bela’s hand squeezing your own, it was likely that you would have fainted from fear.

“I see Cassandra has wasted no time in spreading rumors,” Bela said bitterly. You’re amazed by her ability to stand tall in the face of her family’s tension. Yet there was a part of you that wondered if you were worth the struggle, at least for your soulmate. Thankfully, you are not given much time to ponder the thought. No, you’re being pulled towards the closest side of the tabe, guided next to an ornate seat. Neither Bela nor yourself sit yet, however. “Please, mother, do not be hasty to make your judgement. I promise that-”

“Do not presume to tell me of my own business, daughter. The timing of my judgement is my prerogative, not yours,” Lady Dimitrescu interrupted, staring right at you. A shiver runs down your spine at the eye contact. What did Cassandra say to her? You wonder, struggling to breathe past the lump in your throat. Even Bela becomes visibly nervous at the interaction. “Now… are you certain, without a doubt, that this is your soulmate?” Did she really even have to ask? What were the chances that Bela would save you, one person out of at least a dozen in the cellar, for any other reason? Still, your soulmate straightens up at the attention, and replies as confidently as possible.

“Yes, of course, mother. I would not dare risk your anger for any lesser reason,” Bela assured. Then she gives your hand another soft squeeze, before pulling hers back a little, catching the thread that bound you together with her fingers. Lifting it, she tugs it somewhat absentmindedly. Out of habit you immediately return the action. Unfortunately, those around you would be unable to see the display. For all they knew, the two of you could be faking it, simply attempting to get out of the situation unscathed. Surprisingly though, you see Alcina hesitate. Her left hand twitches as if she was thinking of her own red string. Has she ever met her partner? Did she know the pure joy that her daughter had so recently felt?... Maybe she’d be more sympathetic to your situation if she had.

“We will see if your defiance pans out in time, Bela. For now… Why don’t we hear what your pet has to say about themselves, hmm?” Lady Dimitrescu suggested, giving a somewhat devious smile. Next to you, Bela grimaces, then sends you a pleading look. Alas, you cannot read her mind, and can only guess as to how you’re supposed to respond. Bowing is a sign of respect in virtually all cultures, you think, probably a good place to start.

“It is an immeasurable pleasure to formally make your acquaintance, Lady Dimitrescu,” you said, before giving your full name. Then you rise from your bow, once more making eye contact. Out of the corner of your vision you see Cassandra rolling her eyes. “I know that I am a mere human, and hardly the epitome of a prime specimen. But I am determined to prove my worth, for there is no prize on this earth more grand than being allowed to love Lady Bela. Every ounce of my willpower is prepared to devote myself to this task, entirely, so that I may give Lady Bela the courtship and happiness that she is deserving. It is both an obligation and an honor.” Hopefully your soulmate wouldn’t mind you using the same line twice, at least under these circumstances.

In the seconds that follow, several things happen: One, you see Cassandra frown a little, and refuse to look in your direction. Two, Lady Dimitrescu makes a surprised face, but quickly shifts into an expression of satisfaction. Thirdly, Bela’s hand finds your own again, giving it an incredibly soft squeeze. Last but not least… someone you haven’t seen before enters the room. She has red hair, a green pendant around her neck, and eyes that light up with curiosity when she sees you. If you had to guess, you’d assume that she was another one of Bela’s sisters. Here’s hoping she’s a tad bit friendlier, you think.

“Did I miss anything? Ooh, please tell me we’re having this lovely stranger for breakfast?” She asked, grinning maniacally. So much for being friendlier, you think, figuring that she was being literal. Based on the way Bela tenses up in response, you’re probably right. Before she can protest, however, Lady Dimitrescu clears her throat and speaks.

“Ah, Daniela… This stranger-” she says the word with far less venom than you anticipated, but it is venom nonetheless- “is your dear sister’s soulmate. We will not be draining them of blood. Again. Assuming that they behave themselves. Is that clear?” She asked, staring down at the newcomer. There’s a slight pause, tension still lingering in the air, followed by a sigh of relief from Bela. Much to your surprise, neither Cassandra nor Daniela seem particularly upset by this announcement. In fact, the latter simply shrugs and takes her seat at the table. Next thing you know everyone else is sitting as well, including Bela, who gestures for you to follow suit. “I’ll have one of the servants fetch you some more… appropriate food. Cynthia, my dear?” Soon enough a maiden, perhaps a decade or two older than yourself, hurriedly enters the room. With a bow, she addresses Alcina.

“Yes, Lady Dimitrescu?”

“Have Miss Bouregard make an extra plate of whatever it is you sort eat, and bring it here. We have an… unexpected guest,” Alcina explained. At that, Cynthia glances at you, her eyes briefly widening in surprise. Without another word she turns away, giving another bow before heading away to fulfill her task. Once more you’re the only human in the room. Oddly enough, you manage to feel quite at ease, as if surviving one round was enough to guarantee you’d win the overall game. Well, at the very least you now had a chance. Regardless of what was to come, you were glad for that, for this opportunity to be with your soulmate. At the end of the day… little else mattered to you.

———————————

Much to your relief, the rest of breakfast proceeded smoothly. Conversation was sparse, with most of it being hushed whispers from the other side of the table, but you hardly minded. Normally you would find it rude. Now, you were simply pleased that they weren’t being up front with their hostility. More so, it allowed you and Bela to have your own conversation, which mainly pertained to your plans for the day. Several times during your discussion, a glance elsewhere would show you that Alcina was paying attention. Exactly once you even saw her attempting to hide a smile. A sense of pride had swelled in your chest at the sight.

It has remained there, even until now, as you move into Bela’s private study. One quick survey of the room tells you a thousand things about your soulmate. For starters, it’s clear that she’s musically inclined. There’s a harp in one corner, adjacent to a folded music stand, as well as a small bookshelf dedicated entirely to sheet music. A couple medium sized instrument cases are nearby, but you don’t immediately recognize their shape. Further into the room is a rather old looking desk, slightly worn, yet clearly cared for. Possibly passed down the generations? Next to the desk is a massive window with a couple spare chairs. All across the walls were bookshelves and mementos, including several skulls (at least one of them human). Every book you looked over appeared to be well read, with many bookmarks inside, some held together by tape and prayers.

“This… this is sublime, my darling. I could rest here for a month and hardly finish cherishing half the space!” You said, grinning at your soulmate. She’s equally pleased, seeming a tad relieved as well. Perhaps she had worried you’d be thrown off by the skulls? Wanting to reassure her, you approach that particular shelf, examining them closely. However, you do not touch them, not wanting to risk damaging her collection. “Truly marvellous. Dare I ask where you got these specimens?” It’s a joke, but Bela stiffens nonetheless, making you quickly redact your statement. “My apologies, I meant it as a jest. Though you are welcome to tell me more about them if you so desire! I will listen with rapt attention, I promise.”

“Most of them are gifts from Cassandra. During the summers we hunt, her more so than Daniela or myself. I… dislike wasting anything, and there’s only so much to be done with most bones. They have quite a few ornamental uses, however. Useful for study, as well,” Bela mentioned, smiling softly. Then she moves to stand next to you, carefully reaching to grab one of the skulls. “This was from one of our hounds, actually. I raised her from puppy to adult, took her on every hunt, even let her sleep in my quarters on colder nights. When she got sick I…” A pause, mouth open but unmoving, eyes slipping shut. “I couldn’t bring myself to put her down. Even argued with my mother, night after night, begging for another choice. None came, of course, and in the end even I could not deny her the softest embrace of death… Still, you must think me strange, to keep such a thing as a reminder of her.”

“Not at all, my dear. We all remember, and grieve, in our own ways. I’ve often found myself intrigued by skulls, of all sorts,” you admitted, sheepishly rubbing the back of your neck with your hand. “All we are, our minds or mayhap our souls, contained in one hard shell. It’s incredible, and terrifying, all at the same time, to hold one in my hands, or even merely examine one. Oh, what stories these bones could tell, if only they could talk… Though I suppose there are entire fields of science devoted to such a thought…” With that said, you look back at Bela just in time to see her staring fondly at the canine skull. Then she places it back on its perch, dusting her hands off afterwards, taking one last moment to appreciate her collection.

“I’m glad you and I agree on this,” she said softly. Once more she’s looking at you, smiling wide. “Now let’s make memories of our own, to hold in our bones forevermore, yes?”

#bela dimitrescu x reader #bela dimitrescu #resident evil: village #re8 village #tw animal death

[jinx-jade]

The feeling of home Part 3: Video calls

“Hey Cass, have you seen… “ Dick froze, stopping mid-sentence at the sight in front of him.

“Oh My God! Hi! You must be Cass’s girlfriend!” Dick exclaims in excitement, causing the girl on the other end of the video call to giggle.

“Hello, I’m Cass’s girlfriend,” she began. “Sorry but I don’t have any more time to chat today. Maybe we can do a group video call later?”

“I’m sure all of us would love that!” Dick claimed with a grin.

“Je t'enverrai un texto plus tard mon amour” (I'll text you later my love), Cass’s girlfriend informs her lover with a smile.

Cass gave a bright smile and wave in return, a slight blush noticeable on her cheeks.

The second the call disconnected Dick let out a squeal.

“You two are so cute!” A grin clear on his features.

‘What did you need’ Cass asked in sign language, her blush still visible.

“Oh ya. Have you seen my Escrima Sticks? We have to patrol a bit and I can’t seem to find them. Any of them actually, including my spares.” Dick informs her as they start walking towards the cave.

‘Tim hid them as revenge for replacing his coffee with decaf’ Cass signs to him.

“Ugh. Of course, he did!” Dick groans in exasperation. “Thanks for the help, Cass! Can’t wait till we can officially meet your girlfriend!”

________________________

“Hey Alfred, can we have some popcorn? Something tells me this is gonna be fairly entertaining.” Jason claims as he sits down on the couch. He would go make the popcorn himself, but he was still banned from the kitchen.

“Of course Master Jason. Would anyone else like some refreshments or snacks before the call starts?” Alfred questioned.

The Waynes proceed to tell Alfred what food and drinks they wanted. Those who weren’t banned from the kitchen followed Alfred to help. There were very few Waynes still allowed in the kitchen, only Cass and Damian haven’t been banned, yet.

Once Cass, Damian, and Alfred had been in the kitchen for a bit, preparing the snack, Alfred turned his attention to Cass.

“There’s no reason to be so nervous, Miss Cassandra. I’m sure everyone will like your girlfriend.” Alfred spoke before focusing on preparing the popcorn.

Cass let out a slight whine. It was a mix between frustration, nervousness, and excitement.

“Tch. If this person was able to catch your attention and make you a smiling mess like Grayson with Kori, then I’m positive the rest of us will like her.” Damian states before walking out of the kitchen with a tray of snacks. Cass followed him out of the kitchen with her tray of snacks, Alfred not too far behind.

“Everyone ready?” Dick asked when everyone was settled into their usual spots.

Everyone gave some form of ‘yes we are ready’ Cass started the call.

…Calling...

A click was heard as the call screen was replaced with a person.

“Hello! It’s lovely to meet you all. I’m Marinette, Cass’s girlfriend.” Marinette informs them with a sweet smile.

“It’s nice to meet you as well Marinette. I’m Bruce Wayne, Cassandra’s adoptive father. This is my eldest Richerd, although he prefers to be called Dick. This is my third eldest Jason, my second youngest Tim, and my youngest Damian.” Bruce introduces.

When they were still planning the call on a day all of them would be free, Cass asked Bruce to introduce them to her girlfriend for her. All of the Waynes agreed to let themselves be introduced by Bruce since it made sense due to him being their father.

Marinette seemed to scan the room before nodding to herself. The acton seemed to make Cass let out a held-back laugh, confusing the Waynes.

Tim looked back and forth between the couple.

“What’s so funny?” He asked after not being able to figure it out.

“Hmm? Oh. Sorry, I’m used to Cass’s way of communicating. Pretty much, I just lined up who was who based on Cass’s description of you.” Marinette explains to Tim.

“Gasp. You talk about us!” Jason exclaims turning towards Cass.

Cass just gave him an eye roll for his antics.

“All good things, I hope,” Bruce says with a chuckle.

Marinette raised a brow in Cass’s direction, causing Cass to react by folding both of her lips inward and making a zip motion. Marinette had a smirk growing on her face while Cass had a glare that was slowly becoming more intense.

“Of course, all good stories.” Marinette states with a grin as Cass facepalmed.

“Stories? What kind of stories?” Bruce asked, looking in his daughter’s direction.

“Very entertaining stories if you must know, but shouldn’t you already know what the stories are about since you’re the ones who lived them?” Marinette asks, a grin still settled on her features.

“Renard faisant le chaos” (Fox making chaos), Cass huffs under her breath, causing Marinette to laugh.

“Nous faisons tous les deux le chaos. Non?” (We both make chaos. No?), Marinette states with a sharp smile that promised chaos, but with soft loving eyes.

Cass simply huffed and turned her head away. After a few seconds of silence, the couple started laughing, Cass not bothering to hold it back this time.

The Waynes didn’t seem to understand what just happened, even the ones who spoke French were confused. However, they didn’t mind the confusion, it was very rare for them to see Cass this happy. The Waynes all came to a silent agreement that they all liked Cass’s girlfriend and would be doing these family video calls more often.

The call continued late into the night, a few of the Waynes excusing themselves to ‘head to bed’.

After all, not all the bats could have the night off at the same time.

Tonight’s patrol consisted of Batman, Robin, and Red Hood since they had the easiest excuses to leave and go to bed.

Bruce had a meeting in the morning, Damian had school tomorrow, and Jason had a meeting with the W.E. security department. All of this was true, and technically Tim could have used the meeting excuse, but everyone knows Tim would never willingly go to sleep.

When Bruce, Jason, and Damian came back from patrol they were surprised with the rest of their family still being on the call.

Alfred made eye contact with them and shooed them off to bed.

“My Apologies, but I do believe we are now in the early morning hours. I believe everyone should at the very least, try and get some rest.” Alfred suggested.

Goodbyes and Goodnights were exchanged before the call ended.

While the Waynes moved towards their bedrooms, Alfred had a small smile playing on his lips.

‘The little guardian will surely be a good influence on them.’ Alfred thought before heading to bed himself.

#maribat #maribat march 2021 #marinette dupain cheng #the feeling of home

[honeysofte-archieve]

birdsong.

rating: teens and up. suggestive themes.

pairing: cremisius aclassi/female lavellan.

word count: 2,559

summary: Lavellan stays the night. Or rather: a morning.

haven’t written anything in a long while so this might come off as really clumsy & cringy, but here it is, anyway! <3

* * *

She is wearing his shirt.

She is sitting by the wide window sill, leaning against the wall and reading a leather-bound book while balancing a cup of herbal tea on one of her folded knees, and she is wearing his shirt and--

not much else, to be honest.

This is naturally the first thing Krem notices once he opens his eyes because he’s surprisingly one-track minded when it comes to Lavellan to his greatest embarrassment. Not that her appearance is the only thing that he cares about, far from it for he would adore her no matter what, but it certainly makes her all the more distracting to him.

The boys like to give him shit about it, too -- how utterly obvious and showy his affection and desire for her is. Krem would shut their faces permanently with his fist if Lavellan didn’t find it so endearing and smile at him sweetly whenever the topic comes up. Sometimes she even gets on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek in front of all of them like she’s not ashamed at all of his affection for her and isn't afraid to show she returns the sentiment just as wholly.

And isn’t that the most amazing thing in the world for someone to have? To love and be loved so genuinely and kindly that one can feel it all the way inside their spine and lungs, a comforting presence no one wants to lose, ever.

in ao3.  ♥

But of course, the topic of love has never come up, at least in spoken words. Everything is still quite new and wonderful, but Krem knows it's true. He loves her. And he's pretty positive she loves him too. Or he hopes she does, the other option gives him way too much anxiety so he's trying not to think about it. Like, ever.

But anyway, Krem can’t help but stare with no words to describe what he is feeling. He can feel the faint flicker of red on his cheeks. He can feel how his heartbeat quickens two-fold. He can feel a weight loosening free inside his chest as he watches this beautiful creature that is somehow his.

Inquisitor Lavellan looks open and vulnerable and beautiful in the morning sun, the light dancing on her neck and chest-- the old scars on her face, the faint stretch marks and moles littering her thighs and arms more prominent this way. She is frowning slightly as she reads, her teeth tugging her lower lip in concentration at whatever is happening in the book, before she licks her thumb and turns another page, oblivious to Krem’s gawking.

The shirt, of course, is not the main reason he can't keep his eyes away from her, though, even if she looks very attractive in it.

No, the very thing that has Krem astonished is that she's still here. In his room. In the morning. For the first time since they've started doing this, kissing and laughing and having sex, and Krem… isn't entirely sure what to make of it.

Lavellan is a very busy woman after all.

A few moments pass before Lavellan glances in his direction and takes a double-look when she notices him awake. Krem kind of does this awkward finger-wiggle sort of thing at her because it's quite impossible for her not to figure out he's been staring at her quite intently for a while now.

"Good morning, Cremisius,” Lavellan murmurs with a small smile on her heart-shaped face and does a finger-wiggle right back at him, making it look somehow elegant and not idiotic as hell.

No one, not one person, calls him Cremisius. No one except for her. And he likes how the name forms in her mouth, likes the look on her face as she says it aloud. His heart always skips a beat when she does it and he doesn’t think he will ever get used to it. He is so easy for her.

Lavellan looks unusually relaxed this morning, Krem has not often seen her like this-- probably no one does. She works and works and works and rarely takes time for herself and it’s always rubbed Krem off the wrong way how much people demand of her, never giving her a break, never letting her just be. Sometimes he feels like fighting every fucker who makes her feel like she doesn't deserve time for herself, but he desists. Mostly.

But here she is. Here she is this morning; still with him despite her duties and demands of others. For the first time during their relationship. It's almost astonishing.

“Morning.” Krem’s throat is slightly dry and his voice catches just a little when he meets her bronze coloured eyes. Maker, he hopes it’s not too obvious.

“Did you sleep well?” Lavellan asks gently, closes her book and takes a sip of her still steaming tea. She mustn't have been awake for long though the morning seems already later than normal. Krem is usually already long awake at this hour, doing drills with the boys or eating an early lunch.

Krem blinks and blinks again before finally realises she’s expecting an answer and he ends up nodding. And for a while, they just keep staring at each other in silence before Krem can’t help but beam at her in something like happiness.

“I like your shirt,” he blurts out, feeling absolutely moronic today for some reason. It makes Lavellan lift her eyebrow and for a while, Krem is sure she’s going to ignore the comment as she often does, but this time she only shrugs and says:

“I was feeling a little cold.”

It’s summer and it’s not true, both of them know that, so Krem grins, his lips wide, and Lavellan rolls her eyes in something like fondness. She scratches her leg, the shirt collar dropping downwards as her body moves and Krem has to swallow hard.

The moment isn’t awkward, per se, it’s just new and it seems like neither of them really knows how to fill it. It doesn't feel like the place for empty chatter.

“You look good in it. Comfortable. Very.... stimulating,” he dares to comment and suppresses a lewd grin that threatens to slip out.

“Hmm,” Lavellan answers. She seems amused, however faintly, which Krem takes as a victory. He feels an urge to do something with his hands-- pull her closer across the distance and touch the soft skin of her thigh. Or something.

“So,” Krem says slowly. The scratchy sheets are bundled around his waist and he scratches his abdomen. His chest is bound, but he doesn’t feel self-conscious around her, not anymore. For she knows him; she knows most things about him. He knows a little less about her, but he’s determined to learn every piece of her in time.

Lavellan opens her book again.

“So,” Lavellan answers and even though she’s not looking at him, the corners of her mouth are twitching. It makes Krem braver than he is.

“I kind of didn’t expect you to still be here.”

His words are casual and not accusing, not in the slightest, and he’s glad that Lavellan notices it as well because her expression doesn’t change.

“I’m taking the day off,” Lavellan replies and flips a page forward in her book, though she’s not reading it as far as Krem can tell, just staring at the words since her eyes don’t move on the paper.

“Can an inquisitor take a day off?”

“Who could stop me? I am the Inquisitor,” Lavellan kind of scoffs, kind of laughs. Krem’s gaze is focused on her pink mouth because, Maker, he is apparently just as bad as most other men are when it comes to a pretty face. He really hopes Lavellan doesn’t notice, that’d be quite embarrassing. Not that he has ever pretended to know something about words like honour or chastity.

“... Fair point.”

Lavellan hums underneath her breath, a breathy sound that is filled with something untraceable to him. He wonders what she’s thinking about.

“What are you reading?” Krem asks casually as he can, feeling slightly idiotic because he doesn’t know what to do at this moment. He wants to stand up and go to her, he wants to kiss her and pull her back to bed and do things to her that makes her body wet with sweat and pleasure.

Still, he does nothing except grip the bedsheets into this fist and takes a deep breath. He can be patient when he wills so-- he can be patient for her.

“A romance novel. Or rather a bodice ripper, I would say.”

“Shit,” Krem replies. Or more like mumbles as he still feels a little tired after the night despite having slept so long this morning. He's sort of surprised the chief hasn't come barreling through his door yet, the big damn oaf.

“Josephine gave it to me,” Lavellan continues casually. She is combing her long blonde hair with her fingers as she speaks and Krem wants nothing more than to touch her right at this moment. He aches with it, his fingers cramping at how hard he is gripping the bedsheets.

“She apparently got it from Vivienne who got it from Cassandra who got it from Sera who got it from... somewhere." Lavellan pauses. "Josephine called it the ‘the most beautifully written love story of this age’ so naturally, I needed to read it.”

“So, how is it?”

Krem doesn't want to talk about books.

He wants to pull her back into his bed and do things to her with his mouth and sleep some more afterwards.

“Mildly entertaining and educational. Considerably smuttier than I expected truth to be told, but I don’t mind. See, I had no idea qunari could be so incredibly... bendy.”

Lavellan grins at him, her mouth in a wicked bow, and Krem is not blushing. He is not. He is a grown man and doesn't flush at the mere mention of sex, that would be ridiculous considering he spends most of his time around Iron Bull and the other boys who hold nothing back.

"I'm certain you could ask the chief about it if you're really curious."

Lavellan huffs. "No thank you, that is definitely not the kind of conversation I want to have with my lover's superior."

Krem's heart jumps into his throat. Lover, he thinks. He likes the sound of the word. It feels fitting for them.

“Come here,” he requests throatily, changing the subject to something he is more desperate for. “Please.”

Lavellan spends a moment only looking, or perhaps studying, him with her piercing eyes before she sets down the book and her now empty teacup on the window sill and comes to him, all gentle smiles and cold fingertips. Just before he lays down, she takes off his shirt and Krem feels a tiny bang of disappointment before he realises that the sight of her bare frame, her charming curves and soft belly and generous chest, the constellations of freckles, moles and scars on her skin, are a marginally better sight.

Lavellan lets him look at her a moment that doesn't feel like enough time to drink in the picture she makes before she settles beside him on her stomach and Krem closes her delicate hand inside his own sword-callused one.

“You look so beautiful,” he confesses, perhaps too honestly, the words escaping his mouth like a bird out of its cage For a short moment Lavellan looks almost impossibly surprised like this is something she didn’t expect him to say at all. Her eyes are wide and sweet with something like utter fondness for him.

“And you are looking very handsome,” she counters, never quite knowing what to do with a direct compliment and this time he definitely blushes quite visibly but finds himself not minding it that much at all anymore. She could see all of him, naked and laid bare, and he would let her, always. No secrets, no fears.

Lavellan cups Krem's cheek and peers at him with an unflinching look, her thumb stroking the curve of his moist mouth. His tongue peeks out of his mouth and he swallows hard.

“Your freckles have grown bolder under the summer sun,” she comments aloud as her fingers explore every nook of his face, tracing the bridge of his nose with her long nail and thumbing the fragile, blue skin underneath his eyes that are still puffy from sleep. He feels invincible, confident beyond explanation. That's what Lavellan does to Krem.

Krem licks his lips. He licks his lips and the tip of it catches on Lavellan's fingertip, just before she presses her tender mouth to his own and kisses him for the first time for what feels like forever.

And it's a very good kiss. One of the best he's ever had.

Not overly gentle, but intense and sweet, and it consumes him entirely with its depth, making him feel thoroughly light-headed and happy.

So happy. Being with Lavellan makes him the happiest he's ever been. He's a lucky son of a bitch and he’s the first one to admit that.

"I'm glad you stayed tonight," Krem whispers, his voice husky with need and she looks straight into his eyes before murmuring: "Me too."

Afterwards, a comfortable silence surrounds them for a long while. They fill it with kisses and hungry caresses, but they're not in a rush to start anything more. They continue until Lavellan breaks apart and searches his eyes with her own brown ones. For some reason, there's a touch of sadness in them.

"You know it's nothing personal, don't you?" she asks hesitantly, her fingers drumming against his chest as she talks-- a habit that tells him that she’s genuinely nervous about his answer. She swallows before continuing: "If I could, I would wake up in your arms every morning, it’s just-- "

"I know," Krem murmurs, shushing her words with a small peck. And he does, but fuck how he hates it. Sometimes he would just want to bury her in his arms and hide her from the rest of the world. Not that Lavellan would ever let him, but a man can dream.

"Good." Lavellan nods, satisfied. She brushes his forehead with the back of her hand, sweeping off a drooping hair strand that's been tickling his brow for a while now. Krem isn't sure if he deserves such tenderness from her. Or anyone.

"Good," Krem repeats with the biggest grin that flashes his teeth and Lavellan rolls her beautiful eyes before kissing him again with a fierce sort of enthusiasm that takes Krem off guard.

But neither of them are leading it to anything more. They're perfectly content just like this, with rush or impatience for nothing.

It's a new feeling and it's lovely.

"This is nice," Krem says after they pull apart again with their mouths wet and red, her doe-eyes almost swallowed up by her black pupils.

Lavellan looks entirely fond. She presses her lips to his forehead, the gesture not overly sweet but close enough. "It is."

"Maybe you could… take a day off again some time," Krem suggests making Lavellan sort of snort in surprise. Though before Krem can feel too bad about asking, she murmurs acceptance in his ear.

"Mm. I'll see what I can do."

It's as good as a promise.

#dragon age #da:i #lavellan #cremisius aclassi #krem x inquisitor #female lavellan #cremisius aclassi x inquisitor #fanfic #*my writing #character: sage

[nathanknowsitall]

Stupid Crush

Summary: You shouldn’t be going to Harry’s party when you’re trying to get over your stupid crush on him, but you do.

Notes: I haven’t had a crush on someone in a while, so this is me reminiscing about what it’s like. Hope you enjoy! Sorry this is late! <3

You’re so goddamn stupid, you thought as you got dressed. Your friend Cassandra had insisted that you went to Harry’s party, even when you had reminded her of the fact that you were trying to get over your stupid crush on him.

“Why get over it? You know he likes you, right?”, she asked you yesterday as you both sat in the corner booth of a coffee shop.

She had been the one who introduced you two and she knew you’d hit it off. She just didn’t expect the hesitancy on both ends to make a move.

“No he doesn’t...”, you had said, deflated, thinking about how Harry never really flirted with you or ever made a move. “He’s a big rockstar Cassandra...I’m lucky to even be acquainted with him...”, you said, trying not to sound too disappointed.

Cassandra rolled her eyes comically, “Now you and I both know that’s a lie. You obviously clicked! One of you just needs to make the first move! C’mon, it’s just a party...come on.”

You rolled your eyes but you knew Cassandra was a master of convincing you to do whatever she wanted, so you just told her yes.

Which is why you were currently getting all dressed up to go to a party, hosted by someone that probably barely even remembered you. Or-more accurately-probably didn’t care enough to remember you.

As you walked out the door and got into the Uber you ordered, you couldn’t help but think that this was an incredibly bad idea.

-

“Y/N!”, Cassandra had screamed at you as you entered. She immediately ran to hug you and you could smell the alcohol on her.

“Hi Cassandra...”, you said hesitantly as you took in her severely drunken state. Her hair was messed up, make up smeared, and her eyes unfocused.

Cassandra leaned in, right next to your ear and whispered, “I have a secret for you...”.

You knew that it probably was something like she had made out with someone or had taken a body shot off of someone or something equally as obvious.

“What is it Cassandra?”, you asked as you held her up, escorting her to an empty loveseat.

“Harry likes you!”, she said excitedly. You hated the way that your stomach still flipped even though you knew it wasn’t true.

“Ha ha ha...very funny Cassandra. Now let’s get you home”, you said as you opened up the Uber app.

“Y/N! The party is still going on! Let’s stay a bit!”, Cassandra had said. You looked at Cassandra, taking in her face. She looked like she was going to be sick. You couldn’t take her a car like this.

“I’m going to get you a water really quick, okay?”, you said as you stood up to go into Harry’s kitchen.

You couldn’t even really blame Cassandra for getting drunk. After all, Harry had all the good booze. You just wished that she had at least moderated herself so you could’ve just picked her up and left as soon as possible.

As you walked towards the kitchen through the crowd, you heard someone singing over a microphone in the living room. You ignored it until the singing stopped.

“Hiiiii Y/N!”, the voice said. You cringed as you turned towards Harry, who had the microphone and seemed very drunk. You gave him a little wave, before turning away, and trying to walk to the kitchen again.

“You’re sooooo pretty! I wanna kisssss you! Pleaseeeeee!”, he sang to you, causing people in the living room to turn their attention towards you, now interested.

You froze and turned back towards him very confused. He continued, obviously not seeing how awkward it was for you, in his drunken state.

“Prettttttyyyy girl! This is my pretty girl!”, Harry sang, joyfully as he walked towards you with the microphone.

You felt yourself become really embarrassed as he came to stand right up next to you, causing the other guests to laugh at Harry’s antics.

“Hi Harry...”, you said softly as you looked into his eyes. He was definitely drunk, but he also looked just as handsome as ever. 

“Hi Y/N...”, he responded softly into the mic, seeming to mimic you. You were embarrassed, knowing that everyone in the living room could hear you trying to talk to your crush.

“Can I have the microphone for a second?”, you asked him politely, trying to get him to stop broadcasting your entire conversation.

“You’re gonna sing? Please sing? For me?”, he begged. Some people heard what Harry said and started cheering a bit for you. You rolled your eyes playfully, knowing that they just wanted to encourage Harry’s drunken antics.

“No...so I can turn it off...”, you said as you reached out for the microphone.

He pulled the microphone away from you easily, “But wait!”. You stopped, hand still in the air. “I wanna sing for you!”, he exclaimed excitedly.

He reached out with his free hand and took your frozen hand in his. You bit your lip. You knew that it was wrong to like this, especially when Harry didn’t know what he was doing, but you still didn’t resist him holding your hand.

“You can sing to me later, but I think you need water”, you said softly to Harry.

Harry looked into your eyes, seeming a little more sober, nodding, “Okay, lovie.” He dropped the microphone onto the carpet, you bent over to pick it up, and put it on a table before you escorted him into the kitchen.

You tried not to let yourself think about his pet name as you walked with him through the crowd, but that’s all you could really do. When you entered the kitchen, surprisingly no one was there.

You decided to set him right against a counter as you got him and Cassandra some cups of water.

“You’re sooo nice to me, Y/N”, Harry said. You could feel his gaze following you as you filled up the cups.

“It’s no problem, Harry”, you said flatly. You knew that none of this was the real Harry. Harry was nice, but this was drunk, flirty Harry. He’d probably do this to anybody. This wasn’t real, no matter what he said.

You turned back towards him, offering him the cup, “Here you go”. You stood back, just monitoring him cautiously, in case he spilled.

He looked at you for a long time before taking a sip, some of it dribbling down his chin. You got him a napkin and started rubbing at his face, while Harry was giving you a big gummy smile. You loved his smile, but looking back into his unfocused eyes reminded you that this smile wasn’t a happy one. He was just a drunk person, doing drunk things, and giving you a drunk smile.

“I loooovvveee you, Y/N”, he said when you finished cleaning off his face.

God, you wished this was real.

“Hey, Y/N”, another one of Harry’s friends said as they entered the kitchen, “I can take him off your hands”.

“Yeah...he’s all yours...”, you said as you exited the kitchen. 

You knew you did the right thing, but the whole situation stung as you walked back through the crowd to give Cassandra a cup of water.

-

The next morning, you woke up to the sound of knocking at your door.

As you rubbed your eyes, you remembered last night. Taking care of Harry, him saying that he loved you, getting Cassandra home, and finally falling asleep on the couch in your clothes from last night.

At this point, you didn’t care what you looked like as you answered the door.

Except for when you saw Harry standing on the other side.

You bit your lip nervously thinking about whether Harry remembers anything from last night. More importantly, whether he meant any of the things he said last night.

“I just wanted to come by and tell you that I’m-I’m so sorry about last night. I...I didn’t want to tell you that I liked you that way, it was so-”, Harry began. Your eyes widened in surprise.

“You like me?”, you asked, breathless.

“Didn’t I tell you that I did?”, Harry asked, confused.

“Yeah, you did...I just thought that you were drunk and didn’t mean it”, you said, looking at the ground, nervously.

“Well, umm...I meant it”, he said quietly. You looked at him. He wasn’t making eye contact, rubbing at the back of his neck, seeming to be way more interested in the ground. You hesitantly put your hand on his cheek, making him look into your eyes.

“Well...that’s good because I like you too”, you softly responded. Harry broke out into a huge grin. 

He immediately was every bit the confident Harry you knew as he leaned in, stopping right before your lips touched, “So can I kiss you?”.

“Yes, please!”, you responded eagerly before he leaned in all the way.

As soon you kissed Harry, your crush on him felt a lot less stupid.

#harry styles x reader #harry x reader #harry styles x female reader #harry x female reader #reader #female reader #harry styles #harry #harry styles fic #harry fic #harry styles fanfiction #harry fanfiction #harry styles blurb #harry blurb #tina writes #peterspeachy writes #writing #tina #peterspeachy

[karmautistic]

9 and 10 for both Varigo and Cassunzel?

9. Favorite aspect of them/their relationship dynamics?

Varigo - My favorite aspect of varigo is probably the how I think they'd act during the pining stage and also post relationship. I like the idea of during the mutual pining stage, they really do have some closer and more real binding moments. The bickering goes from them both arguing angrily to them insulting each other jokingly while smiling. They start to pick up on one another's cues which means they subtly begin to notice when the other is upset. There's lots of nights staying up later with comfort or even just laughing and telling random stories to distract from late night sadness.

Now if we're talking post relationship, I like it because it's soft, but it can be messy. Communication is huge from them. They both came from very fucked up backgrounds, so it's really important they can provide reassurance and patience to one another. Obviously, they keep their playful banter, Hugo's still a bit overzealous and Varian's still a bit ambitious, but for the most part they've dialed it back a bit. Even so, I think they'd have problems arise in their relationship occasionally.

I think Hugo tends to get a bit defensive of Varian whenever anyone is rude to him which is fine, but he tends to take it too far which upsets Varian. Varian has to tell him that while he appreciates the thought and that he wants to defend him, he can take care of himself and in reality, causing a huge scene and arguing with people like that only makes things worse and gives him major anxiety. He doesn't need the approval of all the townsfolk, he has Rapunzel, and Eugene, and all his other friends and more importantly he has Hugo. And he's okay with just that.

On Varian’s end, I think he tends to be a bit more wreckless? He stays up at late hours, he rare cares for his own physical needs and he, in Hugo's words, does "That stupid self-sacrificing hero bullshit that almost gives me a goddamn heart attack!" In short, Hugo is fine with Varian’s ambitious nature, but the way he runs headfirst into things without thinking really scares Hugo because, when working Donella, he's seen first hand how badly those things can end so it sets off his paranoia to no end. I think at some point (the point where he's on the verhe of just screaming and/or sobbing because Varian almost died) he'd have to tell him that it scares him when he does that. He doesn't need some hero to save him or some kind of protector, he needs Varian alive and well. Thats all that matters.

Cassunzel - this one won't be as well thought-out as varigo considering varigo is basically my bread and butter, but I still love them dearly so I will try my best !

So for cassunzel I'd have to say my favorite aspect of their dynamic was more seen in season one? I think Cassandra is still dealing with lots of feelings of jealousy and being overshadowed and it kind of manifests itself in ways that she doesn't even realize are a bjt spiteful until its too late. I think the part I like about this is Rapunzel trying to be a bit more patient as a response...

Cass can be in the wrong sometimes, but she's really not trying to be. She's mostly trying to figure out her emotions of her own trauma and why she feels that way and I think it comes out in the form of jealousy with unhelpful coping mechanisms.

If you don't know, I have BPD, so I struggle a lot with feelings of jealousy, and the way Rapunzel approaches more from the patient side really made me happy. (Not that my jealousy has actually made me do extremely spiteful things, I've found helpful coping skills, but still, sometimes it helps to have that extra help of reassurance.) I like how she acknowledges how Cass' emotions are valid and real and they deserve respect, but she also needs to watch how her emotions can manifest into actions and affect others around her. It's just a very valuable moment for Cass.

On Rapunzel's end, I like the idea that she's always been a bit too... toxicly positive? Like she tends to fall more on the optimistic side which can be helpful at times, but other times it can be a bit worse. I like the way Raps and Cass bounce off each other, because it's almost like she's there to ground her back into reality sometimes. They just kind of perfectly balance each other out to come to more realistic answers.

10. Least favorite aspect of them/their relationship dynamics? (Can be headcannon)

Varigo - good God, if I see one more person portrat Varian as soft pushover who's only enraptured by Hugo being a pretty boy and just lays down and takes his constant bantering and then they make Hugo a smug asshole who constantly pushes boundaries and is only interested in getting in peoples pants I will actually lose it.

I love thinking of characters as EXTREMELY complex things. I study psychology on the side, and let me tell you human beings are extremely complicated and interesting. I like to think of characters the same. Imagine it as a rubiks cube. Every time you switch one of the sides, its another aspect and depth to their character and it takes forever to solve and ultimately, I dont think it can be "solved."

The character dynamics and interpretations of Hugo and Varian are just... so deep and different and interesting to explore, so it really bums me out when people sand them down into one-dimensional characters, especially stereotypes no less.

Casunzel - Season 3. That's all. /hj

#tangled #varian #tts #varian the alchemist #tangled the series #rta #varian and the 7 kingdoms #varian and the seven kingdoms #hugo #vat7k #rapunzels tangled adventure #varigo #cassunzel #character analysis #relationship analysis #cassandra #rapunzel #hugo the human #alchemythoughts.txt

[finnoky]

AU where pascal didnt save varian in time and andrew dropped him in Rapunzel's return? :3

•| Send me a potential AU and I’ll tell you five fun facts |•

Oh god anon, right out the gate with the angst... I like your style. BUT ALSO THESE WONT BE FUN FACTS CBDJDBX.

TW: Character Injury

1) I'm gonna say that Pascals little thing is delayed — that by the time to thwacks Andrew, Varian has already been dropped + Andrew sorta... Falls overboard just after him. Rapunzel heard Varian yelling for help, and fought the other Saporians off, but by the time she makes it to the boat edge he's just... Gone. Without a trace. She's so panicked she doesn't notice the balloon lines getting slashed until it's too late... Seeing Andrew gives her some hope — girl works out how to lift the ship out of explosion range from the town + Yadda Yadda canon stuff hair goes glow, Rapunzel saves the town all sunshine and rainbows.

2) Boyo landed on a roof in Corona — alive but VERY injured, no one is sure he's actually gonna make it. Rapunzel is horrified the bubble thing didn't work for him which I'm putting down to Varian just not having the reaction time to DO that, at least to himself. But he's not dead. Civilians got him down and were debating what to do with him until Rapunzel came along and made them try help. At least then if he doesn't make it they tried their best; Boy is still awake, though not responding to anything [Cue Eugene arriving to Raps cradling Varian close + singing the healing incantation]

3) Rapunzel gets the fun time of dealing with what she could have done better and starts overworking herself trying to balance everything — it's hard work, she has to deal with her parents, recovering Corona, Cass' betrayal and Varians injuries. She can't bring herself to visit him though she clears his criminal record and assures he won't be going back to prison.

She can't bring herself to visit Varian — she frees Quirin but Eugene has to explain what happened BC she keeps breaking down into tears, she's horrified she sacrificed a friend for her kingdom and it's just. A lot.

She focuses on the kingdom first — it feels good to see herself making progress and the civilians are nice. Eugene catches her standing at the infirmary door most nights... And she suffers a lot as she tries to stay happy and positive. Drives people away by her determination to keep going.

4) Varian suffers a lot™ and is unconscious for days. His main visitors are Eugene and Quirin, with Lance who usually sits with him. It's a miracle he's alive, though he's far from unscathed [A broken arm, brain injury that leaves his memory spotty] and worst of all... A broken back + a spinal injury that leaves him without any feeling in his legs.

Though the injuries are bad he's doing ok! They're devastating, and he shuts off for a while. When Quirin returns is the first time he really reacts to anything, but from there there's progress. He gets help he needs. Assurance he's been cleared of crimes — Eugene forms a good friendship with him, but... Rapunzel still hasn't visited, and no one really explains Cass to him.

Honestly? Quirin is impressed by how Var draws up blue prints for wheelchairs and supports as soon as he can sit up for long enough. There's tough times... But he resolves to see it as a challenge, he needs a wheelchair or something so he can go back to work and start making it up to the people of Corona. After a couple of months he moves back to Old Corona with Eugene issuing him the Demanitus scroll to try translate

5) Whilst Varian starts improving, Rapunzel has managed to get most the castle repaired & shines as a Queen — though that's just on the outside. Cass' betrayal is still fresh, as is the guilt of Varian. Eugene tries to convince her to visit but it's too much. She's sure he's broken beyond repair and is terrified of that.

Eventually... She has to, she goes to Old Corona convinced that her friend will still be bitter and bedridden, only to be greeted by an explosion coming from the lab. Runs in panic. Sees Varian grinning to himself over some new formula. Asks what he's doing, Varian awkwardly explains... There's some tension and mostly exchanging pleasantries. Until Rapunzel finally apologizes — and once she starts she can't stop.

Rapunzel rants and raves about everything — how the kingdom is a mess, how Cass betrayed her, how she felt so bad because she thought HE died and she couldn't protect him. She's so sick of everyone else doing well while she feels like she's shattering to pieces.

That's when Varian speaks up. He gets the chance to explain all his frustrations in full — how now his life is changed forever, how he felt betrayed and bad and that Rapunzel still couldn't face him for what he'd done! He hasn't told dad or Eugene but of course he's struggling to... And it's just a sorta level they can connect on. They both struggle admitting they need help... And that things are far from perfect.

After that conversation is easier. Their friendship starts getting better + become good advisors to each other, Varian taking Cass' place as Raps' advisor / confidant and Varian getting the chance to feel like he is working on getting better.

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

These... Are long points but I didn't want bad end. I think rest of canon works — BVA happens in a similar way + Cassandra's Revenge is Cass stealing his wheelchair tho she's more aware of being the bad guy. Worries Varians replacing her which makes her a bit bitter and regret it less. I'm not sure about the finale? He could get healed, but honestly Varian doesn't feel the need to be healed — he's adjusted, and can still use his hands.

IF he did get healed he'd still need months of reablitation afterwards and still rely on a wheelchair a lot! It's not just a snap and fixed. Either way he gets a lot of love and support, and it deepens his bond with Punzie

#anon #Tangled AU #AU #AU ASK game #varian #tts au #tts #Rapunzel #tts varian #alternative universe #freckle sibling rights #sorry killing him would be too easy #and Rapunzel deserves to get good writing #struggling with guilt and empathy and being over worked #and disabled boy rights

[emma-nation]

The Devil In I - Bela x OC (Resident Evil Village AU) - Chapter 5

“Step inside, see the Devil in I”

Summary: Aleena Novak is a 19 years old orphan who desired more than living in a village in the middle of nowhere. A talented artist with a big future ahead, she gets the scholarship of her dreams in United States. But everything changes when her twin brother, Auryk, steals an important artifact from Castle Dimitrescu.

In this adventure, Aleena will find way more than she expected.

“You’ll realize I’m not your Devil anymore”

Pairing: Bela Dimitrescu x f!OC

Genre: Between T and M (Trigger warning for violence, blood, abuse and eventual smut)

Tag List: @nydeiri

Notes: I hadn't seen the video with all the sisters' lines, even those cut from the game. From the Maid's Diary we found, I assumed they could never leave the castle, even in Summer, as it was set in July like this fanfiction. I'll fix the mistake in this chapter. My apologies!

Thank you for all the reviews, follows and likes! It means a lot to me.

Trigger Warning: Language, abuse, blood and violence.

Castle Dimitrescu, Lady Dimitrescu's Bedroom - 3 Days Earlier

When Bela woke up in the morning after the attack, she had been taken to her mother's bed. After her transformation, she felt fragile like a child again. Not knowing who or what she was anymore, she was scared and lost. Her mother's bed felt like the safest place in the entire world. And it was. She loved being there. Alcina would never let anything or anybody hurt her. Nobody knew this side of her, when she acted like a loving and protective mother.

"Mother," she muttered, noticing Lady Dimitrescu was watching her and stroking her hair. "I'm sorry. I failed."

"Shhhh," Alcina kissed her daughter's forehead, "you need to rest now, daughter."

She started singing a jazz song Bela liked. Singing was one of her hidden talents. Her mother's voice was like a lullaby to her ears. She was almost falling asleep again, when flashbacks from the night before returned to her mind. She remembered being in Aleena's bed before falling asleep. She was holding Bela's hand, assuring her she'd be alright.

"Aleena," she sat down in an impulse. Bela feared what her mother and sisters could have done to the girl while she was sleeping. She started feeling agitated. "Where is she? I failed to protect her."

"She's fine. There's no need to protect her anymore, I asked Cassandra to keep an eye on her while I'm here with you."

Cassandra? But her mother knew Cassandra's intentions. She'd use Aleena to satiate each one of her desires and then, she'd kill her. If only she hadn't failed. If only she hadn't been so weak.

"But, mother... she's going to kill her. Please, she saved my life! She doesn't deserve to..."

"Nobody is going kill her, Bela. Once I have my goblet back, I'll let her go." Lady Dimitrescu pushed her back to the bed, tucking her under the blankets again. Then, she grabbed a book from the bedside table. "Why don't I read something for you? One of the stories you like?"

Bela forced a smile, listening as her mother began to read. She loved being there. It felt like the safest place in the world... in the past. Not anymore. Now she just felt betrayed.

When she noticed she was still wearing Aleena's jacket and inhaled her perfume, she thought there was somewhere else she'd rather be at the moment. Somewhere where she was truly feeling safe and happy. She wished to be in Aleena's bed again.

----------

Castle Dimitrescu, Lady Dimitrescu's Bedroom - Present Days

Three days passed and Lady Dimitrescu still wouldn't let Bela leave her room, even if she already felt completely recovered. She wouldn't leave her side for more than a few minutes and not even her sisters were allowed to see her.

She had everything she always wanted. Her mother's exclusive attention, to be sure she cared about her as much as she cared about her sisters. Yet, it wasn't enough. Not anymore. There was something new inside her. A part of her that wasn't connected to the life she had lived so far, a life that only included Alcina, Cassandra and Daniela.

"Good morning, sunshine," Bela covered her eyes as the sunlight invaded the room, immediately pulling her out of her sleep.

She was having those dreams again. Dreams she assumed to be memories from her past life. The one before the transformation. She decided to record them all in a diary. She hadn't much to do while she was stuck in that bedroom, it felt like a good manner to spend her time.

"Oh my god, now besides spending the day in bed reading Lord Byron, you're also writing a diary?"

"Cassandra," she angered, immediately getting up and grabbing the diary from her sister's hand before she could read anything she wrote. She also kicked the small pile of books on the floor to under the bed. "What are you doing here?"

"Quick and sharp. It's about time you leave the nest, don't you think?"

"This is what I want the most, but mom isn't convinced I'm recovered yet."

"Liar," Cassandra shook her head and smiled sarcastically. "You're loving it and I know."

"Are you jealous she remembered she has another daughter?" Her eyes and ears analyzed the space around her. Alcina was nowhere to be seen or heard. If their mother wasn't around, it could be a good opportunity to sneak out of the bedroom. "Where's mom, by the way?"

"Doing some boring shit in her office. She asked me to keep an eye on you."

"Okay, I'm doing great. Now leave, I'm gonna take a bath."

"Oh, no," her younger sister sat down at the bed with a book. "It's my turn to read something to read for you."

Cassandra began to read some words Bela recognized very well. She added a dramatic tone to her voice.

"When life offers you a dream so far beyond any of your expectations, it's not reasonable to grieve when it comes to an end. The hunter smiled in a friendly way as he sauntered forward to kill me."

That was an excerpt from the book Daniela once found among a servant's belongings. The one about a vampire who fell in love with a human.

"Why are you reading this to me?" Bela rolled her eyes. That story was beyond absurd, suggesting vampires glowed in the sunlight. Yet, she wished she had the opportunity of attending school like those vampires were able to. Being weak to the cold was definitely worse than glowing in the sunlight.

"You know why," Cassandra did that judgmental look again. "It didn't work well for mom, it won't work well for you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," enough was enough. Bela went to the bathroom to prepare her bath. She would leave that room and no one would stop her. "And we don't talk about it, remember? You know how upset mom gets everytime she's reminded of her."

"We're not talking about her, we're talking about Aleena."

She froze at the mention of that name. It was surprising how in only a few days, a simple name acquired so much meaning.

"What Aleena has to do with this?"

"She saved your life," her sister followed her into the bathroom. "She could've ran away, saved her own ass, but instead, she came back to rescue you. She fed you her own blood, even knowing you could lose control and kill her. There is something going on and you can't deny it."

"So what?" Bela closed her eyes inside the bathtub, attempting to relax. All those things were true, but in the end, she had failed to protect Aleena. So much the task had been given to her sister. "It wouldn't be the first time a woman becomes infatuated by me. Which is not her case anyways. She's only trying to show how brave and efficient she is."

"You can fool mom and even Daniela, but not me. I know you, sister. Something about you has changed from the moment Aleena entered this castle."

Cassandra was definitely doing that to annoy her. That was one of her favorite hobbies. Bela decided to ignore all that provocation.

"You're wrong. And besides, she'll be gone soon. It doesn't matter."

But it did matter. And that was exactly why Bela was so desperate to leave that bedroom. What if Aleena was already gone when she left the room? What if she couldn't see her at least one last time? What if she ended up being another one of Cassandra's maidens?

----------

Castle Dimitrescu, Office - Present Days

A few days had passed since the Lycans' attack to the castle. The heating system had been restored, as well as the windows. The members of the staff proved to be innocent, they were so scared and ambushed as any of us.

Cassandra and Daniela were finally warming up to me. But I hadn't seen Bela yet. Alcina was keeping her locked at her own chambers, not allowing me anywhere near it. Even her own sisters were only allowed to see her that morning.

I was caught by surprise when, after breakfast, Mrs. Volkov came to my room bringing the information Lady Dimitrescu wanted to see me. I hadn't seen her since her return. Her entire time and attention were dedicated to Bela and god-knows-what she did inside that office. Maybe that was the day she decided to end my life. Even if I knew she was immortal, I decided to go prepared. If she couldn't die, maybe my daggers could at least give me some time to run. I was glad to have my amulet with me.

"Sit," she ordered as soon as I entered her office. "We must have a talk."

I obeyed. She closed the door and served us both a cup of tea. I decided to accept it, even if I just had breakfast.

"How's Bela?" I asked.

"Oh Bela... my sweet daughter..." the woman sighed and shook her head as she took a sip of her tea. "She's the most tempestuous of my three daughters, even a small thing can affect her mood."

I had a feeling she was talking more to herself, than to me.

"She's recovering. Her wounds have healed but I still think she looks a bit weak. As you could see, the cold can cause a severe impact on their bodies. Had it been in Winter and my daughter could have..."

She interrupted her sentence. She couldn't pronounce that last word and neither could I. Even if I only knew Bela for a few days, I couldn't stand the idea of losing her. Seeing her looking so sick in my bed still haunted my memories.

"Anyways, this isn't why I called you here," Lady Dimitrescu changed the subject.

"Yes, m'am?" I asked, drinking my own tea. "Have I done anything that goes against our deal?"

She raised her eyebrows at my unexpected question. I could imagine she was used to people being less confident in her presence.

"You did everything against our deal. You've been bumbling around this castle like if you were at some kind of fairytale, you've been messing around with my daughters and you... you saved them."

"I did."

"You could've ran away or even killed them. That was your perfect chance but you chose to save them," I had never seen such a look in the eyes of Lady Dimitrescu before. Only in that moment she seemed like a loving mother, grateful that I made the stupid decision of giving up my freedom for her daughters' lives. "Why?"

"I don't know," I sighed. I really didn't have an answer for that. "Maybe I was just following what my mother taught me, to help anyone in need despite of who they are or what they did. Bela saved me in my first night here, I felt I owed her that."

"She saved you because I ordered her to protect you. I know how Cassandra and Daniela can be. You owed her nothing."

"I also owed you," I added. I had to work on earning her trust, if I wanted my freedom and my life back. "You could have killed me and my brother, but instead you're giving us a chance."

Alcina did everything to hide it, but I could tell my words had caused impact. She appreciated honor and loyalty, and that's what I was showing her.

"What do you want?" She finally asked. "I must give you something in trade for your courage."

I thought for a while. I could ask for my freedom. I could ask for money. I could ask for her to forgive Auryk. But instead, I asked something simple.

"I want to call my brother. I want to know he's well and inform him I'm doing fine. I also want to know about his search of your goblet."

"Okay," she indicated me the phone on her desk. "I'll give you some privacy."

I couldn't believe what just happened, but I dialed Auryk's number as fast as I could. Nothing brought me more relief than hearing his voice on the other side of the line.

"Auryk! That's me," I spoke.

"Leena? Oh my god, I was starting to think you were dead."

"No, actually I've been doing pretty well here. You wouldn't believe it."

"What? How is that even possible?"

"Nevermind," I smiled. "I'll tell you later, in person. So, how's the search for the goblet, speaking of which?"

"I've been following some leads but it seems impossible to trace the buyer. I've also received some information that seems confusing and misleading."

"Why?"

"Aleena, do you believe Miranda would be able to betray her own cult?"

We didn't spoke much after that, but the question remained inside my head. The leads Auryk obtained all lead him to people related to Miranda, her most loyal followers from the village. I also thought about the Super Lycans and how somebody planned to kill the Dimitrescu girls. Only someone with so much power would be able to plan such a thing.

"I need your help," Alcina spoke once she returned to her office. I lied to her, saying my brother was close to find her goblet. "Somebody has betrayed me and I need to know who."

"Okay..." I don't know how I could even help her with that.

"I bet that was him!" She smashed the teacup in her hand furiously, before starting to walk around the office like a maniac. "The pig, the bastard, the motherfucker..."

"Heisenberg?"

"Yes!" She looked at me proudly. As if it was any secret those two hated each other. "But I need proof to show Mother Miranda the rat he is. Otherwise, she would never believe me."

"You need to approach him cautiously," I suggested, "so he won't have any suspicions. Bring him into your territory, where you are in charge and not Miranda. It'll be enough to intimidate him a little. Enough for you to catch any hints of a strange behavior."

Lady Dimitrescu didn't say anything for almost a minute. At first, I thought she had found me extremely stupid for suggesting she should invite her nemesis to the castle, but then, she opened a sly grin.

"Smart girl! You just gave me an amazing idea... I'm throwing a dinner tonight, for Mother Miranda and the other Lords."

"Yes, give him some alcohol too. You know, men and alcohol... it's not a good match."

She laughed. Not sarcastically this time, but sincerely. Then she got up and caressed my chin. Her cold hands made me shiver from head to toes.

"If I knew you were such a good girl, I'd have kidnapped you earlier. Now go, I want you to be there too. I'll ask someone to get you an appropriate dress."

----------

Castle Dimitrescu, Ballroom - Present Days

After lunch, Cassandra asked me to show her some of my knife moves. She had been strangely glued to me in the last few days, like a dog guarding its bone. I knew I had promised her we could do a training session any day, but I never imagined she'd take it seriously. I started to wonder if that was a good idea at all.

She picked the ballroom for our training session. Where we'd have plenty of space to move and chase each other. Scary.

"I'm giving you an advantage," she said. "I lowered the room's temperature a bit. I can't transform into flies."

"Good," I grabbed my twin daggers, "not all of us can buzz around."

She rolled her eyes at the pun.

"Oh and I also fed before coming. So in case you get hurt, I won't have problems with my instincts."

"I'm glad to know."

I started by teaching her some basic moves, which bored her a little. Then, we proceeded to a close body combat. I had to admit she was good, even if she didn't have a specific style or technique. But when she fought purely by instinct and impulse, that was a disadvantage. I was able to deflect some of her moves easily.

"Damn," Cassandra panted, a little tired. "You're not so bad. Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"By myself, mostly," I swallowed an entire bottle of water. Training with a vampire had consumed all of my energies. "My father didn't believe women should hold weapons."

"Moron."

"And a bastard. That's what he was."

"How did he die?"

"I never found out for real. He was out for one of his travels and apparently he got in a bar fight or something. I can't say he didn't get what he deserved."

I sat down on the floor to get some rest before taking a shower, Cassandra joined me.

"Your mother is throwing a dinner tonight," I spoke. "She wants me to be there. I have to admit I'm kinda nervous."

"Don't worry, it's only an excuse so she and Heisenberg can yell insults at each other. It'll be like any other meeting."

We were in silence for a moment. Cassandra fell pensive but I noticed a smirk on the corner of her mouth.

"I saw her this morning," she commented. "Bela."

"And how is she doing?"

"Quiet, broody, boring... same as usual. I'd say she's completely recovered. Mother is exaggerating, being so overprotective. But it isn't like Bela doesn't like receiving attention and being spoiled."

"She seemed very weak that day."

"Not anymore," she was about to leave the ballroom when she remembered something else. "She asked about you, in case you wanna know."

"Oh," I tried to pretend I wasn't so worried and interested. But I could feel my cheeks burning. "She did?!"

"You're blushing, sweetheart," Cassandra was too smart to leave this unnoticed. "You like her, don't you?"

"It's not like that! I... I care about her, we... have this thing... we kinda saved each other, you know?"

"No, I'd call that 'having a crush'. And I must give one advice, it won't end well for you. You and Bela belong to two different worlds."

"I know that," I assured her. "Trust me, I don't have a crush on your sister. And I won't have. I have another priorities at the moment."

"Good for you."

She laughed sarcastically and leaving me alone in the ballroom with my own thoughts. I didn't have a crush on Bela. I couldn't. She was right, we belonged to different worlds. I was only fascinated by the sensation of danger, the adrenaline she brought to my life. A sensation I never felt before. She was a predator and I was her prey. A real feeling would never exist between us.

----------

Castle Dimitrescu, Dining Room - Present Days

Right after I took a bath, Mrs. Volkov knocked on my door bringing a stunning red dress, jewelry and shoes. That was what I was supposed to wear for the night. Never in my entire life, I could be able to afford something so fancy. If it wasn't for the fact Lady Dimitrescu was pondering if I should live or not, I could easily enjoy that life.

"You look amazing," was what Daniela spoke when I met her in the hall. "Come here, let's take a picture."

Taking advantage of the fact her mother had been busy with Bela, she was enjoying her free time to discover the joys of the modern world with me. She revealed me she also had a cell phone. One she stole from one of the maids and assumed to be broken. I explained there was no phone signal where she lived but that she could explore other functions of the device. Since then, she has been recording multiple videos of her daily life and taking pictures with me, Cassandra and even the staff.

Lady Dimitrescu was going to kill me. I raised a monster.

I also found out we shared the same passion for art. She was a very good artist.

"Red is Bela's favorite color, by the way," she told as she tapped her phone screen. Good thing the camera wasn't able to capture me blushing.

I finally saw Bela for the first time in days. She was coming down the stairs just as we took the picture. Dressed in white, she seemed like an angel.

"Aleena," she greeted me with a simple nod.

"Hey," I couldn't help opening a huge smile, "I was starting to get really worried about you."

"I'm fine."

She followed her way to the dining room. I could tell something had changed. I didn't know what though. Was she mad at me or at herself because of the Lycan incident? Was it something her mother said again? The thoughts were consuming me as we placed ourselves around the table.

It was a foolish idea to assume a civilized meeting could happen in that dinner. Lady Dimitrescu and Karl Heisenberg had already started to exchange insults. Daniela said inappropriate things about five times. Cassandra had just threatened a servant with her knife. In my turn, I observed Donna Beneviento and I could quite imagine why she wouldn't speak to those people.

"Mother Miranda," Alcina had finally reached the point where she revealed the true objective of that meeting. "About four days ago, I was called to an emergency at Donna's house. A prized possession of hers has also been stolen. When I returned home, my castle had been vandalized. Someone attempted to murder my daughters by exposing them to the cold air, besides sending Lycans to kill them. And they weren't normal Lycans, they..."

"Were Super Lycans," Daniela interrupted. "Their claws were exactly like my mother's."

There was an awkward silence before Lady Dimitrescu proceeded.

"As I was saying. The Lycans were modified to be stronger."

"Oh please," Heisenberg argued. "Who would bother wasting so much time with you?"

"Those Lycans could only have been created in that gruesome factory of yours."

"Gruesome? Let's talk about gruesome. How many virgins did you sacrifice for this bottle of wine?!"

Oh god. I suddenly didn't feel like drinking anything else for the night. But then, the conversation shifted to another point.

"You're inventing this attack to cover up the fact you let that little thief go and he has stolen from another Lord," Heisenberg accused. "It was more important to you to bring his sister to serve as entertainment for your daughters. Which she must be doing very well, considering she's still alive and sitting among us tonight."

"Hey," I opened my mouth for the first time that night. Suddenly everyone was looking at me. "My brother didn't do it. I called him this morning, he's not even around. He has been searching for Lady Dimitrescu's goblet. And dare you to disrespect me again and I will..."

Nevermind. What could I even do against him? He was immune to my bullets and my daggers.

Cassandra started laughing, while her mother looked at me in a mix of shock and disappointment. Heisenberg continued with his accusations.

"Prove it then. Prove your brother has no involvement in this whole situation. He could have planned the attack as well, to rescue you."

"My brother is human, he has no power to create modified Lycans!"

Mother Miranda cleared her throat, indicating all of us should shut the fuck up. I stared at her figure, remembering my brother's words. She could be the one behind all of that and everyone was blinded by her power.

"I've come to a decision," she spoke. "Heisenberg is right. So far, the only person who could be declared guilty is the Novak boy. Alcina, if I remember correctly, you made the decision of letting him go."

"What about the attack, Mother Miranda?" Lady Dimitrescu was furious, but not surprised at her decision. Miranda seemed to always favor the other Lords over her. "The girl has a point. Such a stupid manthing couldn't have created Lycans and given them more power."

"Do you have proof the attack even happened? I'm sorry, Alcina, but the castle is intact."

"I repaired the damage! It was a risk to my daughters! I have their word as proof, as well as the word of my servants."

Heisenberg started to laugh non-stop, before insulting her again:

"So now you remember you have servants? You always kill each one of them to satiate your thirst for blood."

Lady Dimitrescu couldn't find words to refute that argument. Whether because it was true or because she was being smashed by Miranda and Heisenberg.

"Your son of a bitch!" She punched the table, making everything shake.

"We're all doomed!" Beneviento's creepy doll, started to run across the room, repeating those same words. "Each one of us!"

In that moment, I could finally hear Bela's voice in all of the mess.

"At least one reasonable person in this room," she stood up and started to leave. "Angie is right. We're all doomed."

"Bela," Alcina called, "come back here. We're not finished yet."

But she had enough. And so did I. I didn't think before following her to the main hall.

"Bela," I called her. "Where are you going?"

She stopped, taking a deep breath.

"Somewhere," she said. "Are you coming?"

----------

Castle Dimitrescu, Bela's room - Present Days

I swallowed hard when I noticed we were standing in front of Bela's room. She opened the door and invited me inside. I felt my heart thundering inside my chest. It was the first time a woman invited me to her bedroom.

Bela's bedroom was a reflection of herself. Completely organized, perfectly decorated. Daniela was right about her favorite color, some things had shades of red. Such as the curtains and the sheets covering her bed. The walls were decorated with some paintings and a portrait of herself. She also had a small collection of vinyl discs and a telescope near the window.

It had a small study attached, where I could see she had her personal collection of books. That was where she entered and came back seconds later, bringing a bottle of wine and two glasses. Then, she sat down on a sofa, inviting me to join her.

"There's no blood in this one," she spoke. I stared at her, wondering how she even knew. "I can't hear you thoughts. I saw how you put your glass aside when Heisenberg made that comment."

Good. That was probably something good to know. Bela couldn't see the mess inside my head. She was merely an observant woman who could read people very easily. I smiled in response. I was too nervous to show any other reaction.

"I just can't stand all that arguing, all that yelling," Bela drank her entire glass in one sip. Then, she stood up and went to the window. I followed her.

"It's a beautiful night," I commented, pointing to her telescope. "Do you like to watch the stars?"

"Yes and it's the only way I can do it."

"So you can never leave the castle, at all?"

"Sometimes, during Spring and Summer," she sighed melancholic. "Days when the temperature is higher than usual. This year hasn't been kind to us so far. Or the last one."

Never being able to go outside should be a torture. Now I could understand why sometimes she seemed so moody and upset.

"Summer has just begun," I told. "Maybe you can get some luck in the next few weeks."

"I hope so."

She went back to the other side of the room, serving herself another glass of wine. I hadn't finished mine yet.

"What do you think?" She returned to my side and asked. "About the attack. Do you think your brother is fooling you?"

"No, no way. Auryk never lied to me before, I know he's telling the truth."

I knew Heisenberg accusations would cause me trouble. Especially with Miranda siding with him.

"Lying is different from having secrets," Bela said. "Don't you have anything you hide, even from your brother? Something no one knows, but yourself?"

I did. I never told Auryk about the night I spent with Gustav, where I wasn't able to lose my virginity to him. I also didn't feel like telling him about my days in the castle this morning. I knew he'd judge me, in both cases.

"I do, but..."

She let out a small laugh.

"Oh Aleena," she traced the border of her glass with her perfectly manicured finger, "you act so strong and tough but deep down you're so naive."

"What do you mean?" I wanted to know.

"You should've ran away during the attack."

"I wouldn't let you die."

"Why?" Bela was staring deeply inside my eyes. In a manner I was feeling completely exposed, uncomfortable. "Do you know how many people I've killed? Or how many women I seduced only to drink their blood? It's not like I deserved to be saved."

"It doesn't matter," I didn't have a right answer for her question. "It felt right. You saved me in my first night here."

"Only because my mother ordered me and I try so hard to be a good daughter for her. But I failed, right? Now Cassandra has been taking care of you."

"Is she? I mean, I noticed she has been kinda glued to me lately but... sorry, I don't believe she'd save me if she had to."

"No, she wouldn't. She'd take advantage of the opportunity to get you killed and feed from your blood. My sister is more reckless than I am."

"You're different."

"I'm not. I'm just more careful with my actions," she placed a hand on my chest, feeling my heart beating fast. She shook her head in denial. "How do you know I'm not playing with you? How do you know you won't have the same fate as those five teenagers from your village, three years ago?"

"I... I..." deep down, I always knew Bela had an involvement in that situation. But now hearing a confession was totally different. Yet, I didn't feel afraid.

"How can you trust me? We've only met for a few days and here you are, standing in my bedroom where I could kill you and no one would even hear you scream."

"You wouldn't do that," it was my turn to face her, to look deeply into her eyes. I placed my hand over hers. "I know."

"I'm a monster, Aleena. All the stories you've ever heard about me? They're all true."

I don't care. I don't care. I'd still save you if I had to. I wanted to scream those words, but they wouldn't come out.

"You need to stay away from me," she removed her hand from my touch.

"Why?" I asked. "Tell me. Be honest. Who are you trying to convince with all of this? Me or yourself?"

"Just go, Aleena," she turned her back on me. "Just go."

----------

Castle Dimitrescu, Library - Present Days

I couldn't get any sleep. I'd just keep rolling in bed, without being able to find a position. What did Bela mean with that conversation? Was she assuming I was in love with her or something? I wasn't stupid like the other women she was used to seduce. I knew better than that. She had absolutely no right to throw all her frustration and anger at me. I wasn't her mother. I wasn't Heisenberg or Miranda.

I grabbed my sketch book and walked to the library. That castle was even creepier when it was dark and silent. It was almost like you could hear the laments of the people who had been tortured and killed within those walls. I remembered the five teenagers from the village. My mind tried to picture how they were lured into the castle and who killed each one of them. I could see myself in the place of one of those girls and the only thing I could imagine was if they were in Bela's bed when they were killed. I imagined the things she did to them. I tried to feel scared but instead my heart would start racing all over again. I tried to ignore those thoughts, but I locked the door anyways.

I had to relax somehow. I sat down at the desk and attempted to find any inspiration. I started working on a piece that represented Mother Miranda, the Four Lords and all the mystery surrounding those people.

I heard the door opening, I quickly pulled a dagger from my ankle. I could sense a presence approaching me. I was ready to attack, when the low light of the lamp revealed who it was.

"Oh, I didn't know you were here," Bela spoke.

"I was about to leave," I grabbed my sketch book from the desk. When I turned around, she was standing very close to me. We were face to face now, even closer than we were earlier in her bedroom. Her eyes were different though. Before, she looked angry and upset. Now she just seemed sad. "Good night."

"You can stay, if you want. I shouldn't be here anyways."

"No, it's your castle and your library. I'm leaving. Also, I'm retuning your key."

I extended her my palm, handing her the key I was holding.

"Don't be ridiculous," she closed my hand again. "You're my mother's guest."

"Prisoner," I cleared my throat and corrected. Bela let out a small, ironic laugh in response.

"Well, you had the chance of running away. You wasted it, darling."

And we were back to 'darling'. The same 'darling' from the beginning, when she was still deciding if I should be her prey or not. From when she didn't even know my name.

"It wasn't a waste. Not when I was saving your life."

"You shouldn't have saved! I made a mistake, I should be the one to fix it or face the consequences."

"Oh my god, is it all because you were in danger? Because you lost control of the situation? You don't need to be perfect all the time, Bela. It's okay to fail."

"Not everyone is like you, Aleena. For you, it's just natural. You are perfect at everything you do. You can always fix everything that is wrong. You can always use the situation in your favor. You're always pleasing everyone, even my mom!"

My hands started to shake in anger. She knew nothing. I was far from perfect and my abusive father knew very well how to expose my flaws, my failure. For Adrian, being perfect was the only acceptable option. Otherwise, he'd beat us. He'd punish us. Yet, I didn't torture myself for that. Especially after his death. I was about to shout it at her face, when I dropped my sketch book.

I kneeled down, collecting all the spread papers on the floor and shoving them back into my sketch book. When I stood up, Bela was holding one of them.

"Why were you drawing me?" She asked, analyzing my work carefully. I froze.

"I... I..." I had no excuses this time, except for the truth. "I wanted something to remember when I'm gone."

"You shouldn't, Aleena. You should forget it as soon as you leave through the front door. Nothing in this place is worth being remembered."

"You are!" I finally said it. "What if I don't want it, huh?! What if I don't want to forget you?!"

She was in silence for a moment. Then, she closed her eyes as if she was trying to process what she heard and what she would do next.

"Then, I better give you something better than a portrait."

She grabbed my face, pulling me closer to her. There wasn't any more distance between us, I was pressed between her body and the desk. I couldn't move, not even if I wanted to.

Bela's kiss was like every other of her actions. Calculated, planned. She wanted to make sure she'd be in control of it. She wanted nothing but perfection.

She started it very slowly and shy, as if she was trying to figure out the territory first. Her lips softly brushed mine at first, like if she was asking for my permission to go forward. I retributed, pressing my lips harder against hers. I wrapped my arm around her neck, bringing her even closer. I wanted to show how much I desired her, I desired that kiss.

She gently parted my lips with her tongue, finding her way into my mouth. Her tongue gently stroke mine, raising shivers all over my body. I stroked hers back and I could feel her pulse accelerating too.

I don't know for how long we kissed. Minutes, probably. I didn't want to stop. Never.

"Now," I smiled against her mouth when we parted, "that was perfect."

"Shhhh," she whispered, opening a huge grin, "shut up, love. We're only getting started."

Our second kiss was different from the first. It was more desperate. More intense. More passionate. We were both confessing how much we had been longing for that. Then we kissed for a third time. And a fourth. Then I lost count.

All I know is that I spent the night in the library, making out with Bela Dimitrescu.

#resident evil village #residesnt evil 8 #bela dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu #alcina dimitrescu #bela x f!oc #bela x oc #resident evil fanfiction #the devil in i

[rogershoe]

Lights, Camera, Action

Part five

(Part four)

Masterlist

Summary: You’re a production assistant on the set of Cursed. The night before your first day at work, you opened your laptop to shockingly realise you’d be working with Daniel Sharman (and a plethora of other amazing actors), someone you’d been watching on screen since you were a teenager. You kept your expectations low, the PAs rarely got to interact with the talent…what was your chance?

Word count: 2.6k

Tag list: @sxperncturalimpala67 @mrsaaronkeener @tinygardensoul @disasterday​ @5am-cigarette @lancelotapricot @demoiselle-en-detresse00 @slytherlight @18somethingpsyche @ceruleanmusings@glxctt@cavillxhenry@lovelyapplessss@hereagainsstuff@linkpk88@aliceperdida@weeping-redemption@magicalsaladnacho@lancelotapricot@ineedyourskulls@fandomarstrash@cheythefangirl @pure-ghost @estrielle @tessxblxckthorn @isaac-lahey-is-bae​ @bubblyanis​ @proudhufflepuff77​

Warnings: age gap between reader and Daniel, swearing, blood/fear of blood, reader gets injured (cut on her finger), slow burn

Notes: This chapter is a lot shorter than the last one but also definitely more exciting!! I hope you guys like it and plzz lmk in the comments whether this was alright or not! I know that the plot of this part is a bit exaggerated but bare with me hahaha

You looked at Daniel and found that he had closed his eyes and Jasmine was dabbing a bit of powder over his T zone…probably to absorb the excess oil that she had proudly told you he didn’t have. 

“Do you do a lot of makeup yourself?” Jasmine asked you

“Not usually but sometimes I guess” you said

“So you know all the different brushes?”

 You thought back to the hours of mindless makeup videos you would spend hours watching at 3:00 am when you couldn’t sleep. 

“Yep, I do actually” you said confidently. Thank god you weren’t completely clueless in this new endeavour.

“Oh awesome! That’ll make all of this so much easier Y/N”

You laughed, happy that you were doing something right. You honestly just could’ve spent this whole time looking at Daniel but you obviously didn’t want to seem like a creep. You wondered if he recognised you from the battery station or his trailer. Not likely…you doubted that your face was all that memorable. 

“Can you pass me the spoolie?” she said, closing the powder and putting it on the counter. “It’s in the first drawer”

You quickly opened the drawer, and bent down to look through it. You were uncomfortably self conscious of how close you were to Daniel, your hips were almost brushing against his chair. 

Thankfully you spotted the spoolie and grabbed it, standing up straight and using your free hand to close the drawer. As you turned to give it to Jasmine, you took the opportunity to glance at Daniel. What you didn’t anticipate was to find his piercing eyes looking right back at you. His lips turned up and he smiled slightly at you. A small smile spread across your face and you felt your cheeks heat up.

 You hoped he didn’t notice you blushing and quickly turned away as Jasmine took the tool from your hand. You looked at her and saw her narrowing her eyes suspiciously at you. Trying to act natural, you looked around to see Cassandra walking back to you from talking to an extra across the trailer. Although she was one of the head make-up artists, she didn’t seem that old at all and looked to be in her early thirties.

“How’s it going Y/N? Not too overwhelmed I hope?” she said, a snide smirk on her face.

You swallowed slightly and attempted to sport a carefree smile on yours, “No, not yet”

She ignored your answer and instead went to look at Daniel. 

“Oh your beard needs a quick trim” she said laughing

Daniel smiled, “Do you have to? I’m trying to grow it out” he said laughing and running a hand across his jaw. You could tell by his expression that he was joking. 

Cassandra giggled like a little school girl making you raise your eyebrows and your stomach lurch. You could tell she was enjoying working with Daniel just as much as you

“Y/N, pass me the facial scissor” 

You looked towards the counter where she was pointing and saw a tin full of multiple small scissors, some open some closed. As you wrapped your fingers around one of the tools, you felt a sharp pain on your index finger and quickly pulled your hand away, the scissor clattering onto the floor. As you had snatched your hand from the tin, the scissor had probably dragged across your finger, making your injury deeper and longer. You looked at your finger, beads of blood falling from the deep cut and cursed under your breath. Why did you have to be so fucking clumsy?

You looked at the floor and saw the scissor at Daniel’s feet, where he was already picking it up. 

“ Oh god…I’m so sorry” you said and grabbed a tissue to try to dab the blood away. You looked at Daniel through the mirror and saw him looking at you. 

“Are you okay?” he said, and for a second after hearing his voice, you forgot all about your bleeding finger.

Before you could respond, Cassandra interrupted you, “I’m sure she’s fine…right Y/N?”

You nodded clutching your finger and trying not to wince, the pain was slowly increasing.

“Go and get cleaned up Y/N” she said, her face showing sincerity…whether it was real or not you couldn’t tell. 

“Thank you” you were about to leave when you heard Jasmine’s voice, 

“Can I go with her Cassandra?”

“Of course not…who else is supposed to help me if you’re gone too?”

You ignored her response and walked out of the trailer thankful that at least there was one person in there who liked you. 

When you got outside you weren’t surprised to find your vision going slightly hazy. You could watch hours of gory, bloody fights and killing on your TV but the second you saw anyone, (especially yourself) bleeding in real life, your warped brain suddenly decided it was time for you to start fainting. 

You walked to the side of the tall trailer and leaned against the vehicle, taking deep breaths. The metal was still wet from the rain this morning and so was the ground. Your head started throbbing and you hoped with everything that no one would walk out of the trailer and see you. The only people who had seen you before like this were your parents and Talia…it was rare for you to bleed anyways. 

For some reason your vision and head weren’t getting any better. It was probably the lack of sleep or food and water you had had since you had stupidly decided to skip breakfast this morning. You knew you had to sit down so you walked to the edge of the trailer farther from the door and sat on the tarmac. It was wet and you felt the water soak through your jeans. You put your elbows on your bent knees and your throbbing head in your hands. It was only your second week and you were already lightheaded. If only you had been more careful while grabbing the stupid scissor. 

You tried not to look at your finger that was now wrapped in the thin tissue you had hurriedly grabbed. That was probably a bad idea since the rough material would most likely start to stick to the blood. You took a deep breath and glanced at your finger to see the tissue was soaked through..how deadly was that scissor?

You suddenly heart footsteps coming towards you and quickly looked up, scared to see who it was. You breath caught in your throat and you could’ve sworn your heart stopped beating when you saw Daniel’s face come into view. Oh god….out of all the people it had to be him?

“Fuck, are you okay?”, you saw his lips move as he came over to you and knelt down.

“Oh yeah, I’m fine” you said and looked at him. Even in your awful state you noticed the way one strand of his hair fell across his face and how soft his dark blue hoodie looked. 

“Are you sure?”

“Oh yeah…definitely” you lied. To prove yourself right, you swallowed and put your uninjured hand on the ground and stood up. Of course you did it too fast and suddenly your vision went blurry again. You reached out a hand to lean it against the trailer but instead of feeling the cold metal of the vehicle, you felt warm skin. You looked up quickly to find that Daniel had taken your hand in his. Now that you were standing you were even more intimidated by how his tall figure towered above you. For a second that felt like minutes, you stared at both your hands….was he seriously holding yours right now? Maybe it was a sick illusion your brain had conjured up. 

“Oh no you aren’t” he said laughing slightly. He looked at the door of the trailer before gripping your hand tighter with his long fingers, probably afraid that you’d collapse again. Nevermind, it definitely wasn’t an illusion. Your heart beat faster because of the close proximity you two were in. 

“I think you should come with me” he said looking worried.

“What? No, I can’t” you said shaking your head, the concrete dancing underneath your eyes. 

You looked up at him and saw the confused look on his face, your head still throbbing, “Cassandra would kill me”

You saw the glint in his eyes as he grinned slightly, “Cassandra? I’ll deal with her…we need to get some fluid into your body or you could faint”

You knew he was right, you were just scared that if you were alone with him you might just end up fainting anyways. 

“It’s okay…honestly, I can just go get some water myself” you said not wanting to trouble him, he probably had to get back to the trailer anyways. 

“I have water in my trailer, I was on my way there to get my phone anyways”

You smiled through your pain and gave in, “Okay…thank you”

He smiled and started walking towards his trailer. You found yourself gripping his hand tightly, not because you wanted to but because you had to. Your knees felt like they would give away if you didn’t. The fact that it was Daniel Sharman’s hand was just a huge plus. 

Once you finally got to his trailer he stopped by the stairs and gestured for you to go in. You smiled gratefully and stumbled up the stairs into the familiar trailer. Your head was getting better now as Daniel had almost completely distracted you from your cut. 

He came inside behind you but didn’t close the door. 

“You wanna wash that up?” he said looking at the cut and grimacing slightly. He gestured to the door that you had suspected would lead to the bathroom.

You blushed and looked down at it, completely and utterly embarrassed. It was bloody and disgusting. 

You rushed into the bathroom and slowly peeled the tissue away, wincing at the pain. The blood had dried up and pulled at your torn skin. It hurt and tears welled up in the corners of your eyes but you blinked them away quickly. You finally got it off and threw it into the toilet and then flushed it (not wanting to dirty his dustbin). 

You turned the tap on and ran your finger underneath it, closing your eyes in pleasure at the cool stream. 

“Do you need help?” you heard his voice from outside the bathroom.

“No no..I’m alright” you said quickly. He had already wasted so much of his time on you so you tried to hurry up and closed the tap. The bleeding had thankfully almost stopped but the cut was still raw. 

You walked outside and found him bending down looking through a mini fridge. 

“Oh good you’re okay” he said smiling and gesturing to the purple couch, “sit down”

He pulled a bottle of orange juice from the fridge and handed it to you, “Here Y/N”

Your eyes widened when he said your name. 

You grabbed the cold bottle, “You know my name?”. As soon as you realised what you had said in your hazy state you looked down and wanted to slap yourself. Had you really just asked him that?

He laughed showing his teeth and you couldn’t help but smile as well when he sat beside you on the other side of the couch, “Of course I do….Cassandra said it like ten times”

For some reason your heart ached at her mention. 

You suddenly felt a wetness where you were sitting and remembered the ground had been completely wet where you had sat down. You hurriedly got up and looked at the couch which was now also damp where you had been sitting. Fuck, you had lost count of how many times you had embarrassed yourself in front of Daniel just today. 

“Shit, I’m so sorry” you said, and clasped a hand over your mouth

“Oh no, it’s fine” he said sporting a confused expression. 

“It was raining outside” you said hurriedly, not wanting him to think it was some other accident.

He looked at you a soft grin on his face, “I know, don’t worry”, his voice was oddly soothing, calming your nerves almost immediately. 

He walked to a cupboard near the bathroom and pulled out a towel. He placed it on the damp spot.

“There we go” he said smiling. He put his hands on his hips, looking at you and then towards the couch, “you can sit now”

You did but decided you had bothered him enough for one day.

“I should get going now…I’m so sorry for troubling you” you said getting ready to get up. 

“Wait your cut…and drink some before you get up” Daniel said softly, pointing to the bottle in your hand. You opened it and took a sip, you could feel the sweet cold liquid travel down your throat and through your chest. You took another.

“Feels good doesn’t it?’ he said from his position on the counter. From what could you see, he was rummaging through his wallet. He pulled out a large bandage and came over to you.

“Here…it won’t do much but it’ll keep the cut covered until you can get it wrapped by the medic inside the studio” he quipped handing it to you. 

“Thank you so much…seriously” 

“Do you need help putting it on?” he said grabbing his phone and putting it into his back pocket. 

“Oh no, I’ll manage….I’m sorry again”

“I have to go now but you stay here as long as you like, okay?” he said. 

“Thanks” you said smiling, who knew he would be so nice?

“Oh and do me one favour” he said grinning, as he was making his way out the door.

“Anything” you replied, curious to hear what he had in mind.

“Stop apologising” he laughed, before leaving the trailer. 

You smiled widely to yourself. 

Had this all really just happened? Seeing Daniel was insane in itself but actually interacting with him? You honestly still didn’t understand how you got a word out of your mouth. He seemed intimidating, but when he spoke to you, his voice was soothing and you felt like you could’ve talked to him forever. You looked down in awe at the hand he had held. You knew you were acting like a crazy fangirl, but you couldn’t surpress your emotions all the time. 

You snapped back to reality when you felt your cut suddenly sting. He had said there was a medic inside the studio. You got up quickly, Cassandra was probably wondering where you were and you had to get your finger wrapped first. 

8:12 am

You took a deep breath as you walked up the stairs of the make up trailer to Cassandra, Jasmine, and Daniel. You hoped that Cassandra wouldn’t be mad at you for taking so long. You hadn’t realised how bad the cut actually was until you took it to the on set medic and he wrapped your fingers in who knows how many layers of gauze. 

Your heartbeat accelerated as you opened the door slowly. You thankfully calmed down when you saw that everyone was loud and bustling around, no one had even noticed you had entered. You walked over to Daniel’s chair, where Jasmine was looking closely at the mirror. As you got closer you saw that there were multiple pictures of the weeping monk stuck into the frame of the mirror. She whipped her head around when she saw you in the mirror. 

“Y/N!” A worried expression adorned her face, “are you okay?”

“Oh yeah I’m fine…It looks worse than it really is” you said waving your finger in the air to show her. 

“Are you sure? Are you okay to help us?”

“Oh yeah definitely” you said scoffing, “It’s nothing”

She smiled, “Okay good”

You looked in the mirror at Daniel. He was looking at you, a knowing smile on his face. You looked away. You still couldn’t believe that he had seen you in such a flustered and sick state. It had been exciting when he had helped you but now you realised that he probably thought you were some kind off freak, going berserk over such a small amount of blood. 

All of a sudden feelings of sadness, anger and embarrassment flooded over you. Sadness because this was essentially the first impression that Daniel had of you, and anger directed towards yourself for freaking out like you did.

#daniel sharman #daniel sharman x reader #daniel sharman fanfic #daniel sharman fic #daniel sharman fanfiction #isaac lahey #weeping monk #weeping monk x reader #daniel sharman x oc #daniel sharman one shot #daniel sharman imagine #lancelot x reader #weeping monk x oc #weeping monk x nimue #cursed #cursed fanfiction #cursed fanfic #cursed netflix #netflix #cursed fic

[asofterhibou]

the gif from All That Josh of Josh tied to a chair reminded me of one of my favorite underrated moments from that episode, which is that Josh thinks he’s getting tied to a chair because he’s about to have a kinky threesome with Alice and Quentin, and his only comment about the whole thing is that it ‘seems a little high school’, and so obviously my next thought is that instead of Quentin sleeping with Poppy mid-season three, Quentin and Alice really should have ended up sitting outside the Cottage the night before the library heist with a mountain of sadness, distrust and sexual frustration metaphorically sitting between them, except then Josh comes along and literally sits between them, they all get a little stoned and then go have a threesome with Josh.

 Reasons why this should have happened:

1. The morning-after is hilarious. Alice and Quentin both leave so fast they basically make Looney Tunes style holes in the wall.

2. It would continue the theme of unexpected threesomes that the show should never have given up on.

3. Alice is having a really rough time in season three! She deserves something nice happening to her. Sure, the morning-after is awkward, but the night before she has at least seven orgasms (Josh has skillz, and Quentin just got fifty years of sex-having with Eliot and his wife dumped in his brain, he is vastly improved).

4. It would fit into the season three plot with only a little tweaking. Penny reading Cassandra’s stories in the Underworld skips the threesome sex scene instead of Quentin and Poppy’s, and also unfortunately skips part of the conversation the next morning between Alice and Poppy where Poppy’s trying to convince Alice to help with the heist, but is also like, “So you and Quentin and Josh? Nice. Did Josh do the tongue thing, you know where he -” and Penny’s like, “Oh, Jesus, no, nope, flipping right past that,” and so misses the bit where Alice, who’s fucking dying here, is like, “Look, it was stupid and desperate and a mistake and now we’re going to pretend it never happened, so shut the fuck up about it!” and Poppy just nods knowingly and says her line about being lonely making people do crazy shit.

Later, during the All That Josh scene where Josh is explaining his abandonment issues, he also says to Quentin and Alice, “We had a beautiful night together, and you guys both totally ghosted me!” Quentin and Alice try to dissolve into the floor. Kady says, “What. No, actually, don’t tell me. Never tell me.”

5. Eliot finds out about it because Josh marks it down on his Wall of Hook-ups, and helpfully explains when Eliot’s like,”… why is there a line between you and Quentin?” So obviously Eliot goes and finds Quentin, who’s in the middle of researching something about Calypso or whoever, and Eliot says, super casually,”You and Josh? And Alice? And Josh?” and Quentin doesn’t move his head from looking at the book, just slooooowly slides his eyes over with devastating incredulity, and says, “Yep.” And Eliot had been ready with a whole bit of ‘friendly’ ribbing about like, how many threesomes can you have before it becomes your thing, abruptly loses his nerve and says, “Well,” and then just. Leaves.

6. Also after season four happens, once Eliot wakes up free of the monster (and also in this version Quentin is still alive, because of reasons) but before he and Quentin talk things out and make up, Margo tells him that she and Josh are a thing now, and Eliot’s like, “Oh. Okay, that’s - great. I’m - happy for you,” and then five minutes later in the middle of a completely unrelated conversation just yells, “IS EVERYONE FUCKING JOSH NOW?” and Margo’s like “Wtf.” and Quentin looks at the ceiling and there’s an awkward silence until Josh says, “If you’re missing out, dude, I mean, me and you and Margo could definitely -” “No,” Eliot says. “Thank you.”

#the magicians #the magicians meta #does this count as meta? #sure.

[rachaelslibrary]

March Wrap-Up and April TBR

I am so happy to say that I had a second strong reading month, reading seven books back to back.  I really thought it was going to be a slower month since my mom was in town for two weeks and I was doing a lot with her, but I guess I found time.  It also helps that some of these were audiobooks that I could listen to on the way to work and while I crochet.

Anyway, in the order that I read them, here are the seven books I read in March.

1. Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

I have a whole post about how much I hated this book and the relationship in it.  I’ve never enjoyed contemporary romance, but I thought I’d give this one a try and I ended up regretting it. Here are my thoughts if you want to dive deeper

https://rachaelslibrary.tumblr.com/post/644767685050286080/trigger-warning-for-abuse-and-domestic-violence

1/5 stars

2. A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

Murder mystery at a boarding school?  Check.  Romantic tension between two leads?  Check. Narrator who is sometimes annoying as hell? Check.  Read this post for all my feels.

https://rachaelslibrary.tumblr.com/post/645067224940429312/lets-talk-books-a-study-in-charlotte-by

3/5 stars

3. Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare

I have a full post about this book, so check it out if you want to know my in depth thoughts and feelings about this book, but regardless I liked it a lot.  It had everything you could want from a Shadowhunters book, and Cassandra Clare's writing seems to get better and better each time.

https://rachaelslibrary.tumblr.com/post/645433280331759616/lets-talk-books-chain-of-iron-by-cassandra

5/5 stars

4. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

Again, I have another full post about this book, so go read that, but I was not the biggest fan of this book.  I'm not sure if it was a bad romance, or I didn't like it just because I don't typically like romance, but the show, Bridgerton, is sooo much better in my humble opinion.

https://rachaelslibrary.tumblr.com/post/646152797812932608/lets-talk-books-the-duke-and-i-by-julia-quinn

2/5 stars

5. Red Rising by Pierce Brown

There will never not be a time when I say that this is one of my favorite series of all times.  I have a post about the whole series already, but also just know these characters will always have a place in my heart.

https://rachaelslibrary.tumblr.com/post/617204666435076096/lets-talk-books-the-red-rising-trilogy-by

5/5 stars

6. Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Again I have a whole post about it if you want to check it out, but this book made Robin Hobb one of my new favorite authors, easily.  Despite being a little on the slow side, I truly grew so attached to Fitz, the main character, and I seriously can't wait to pick up the next book.

https://rachaelslibrary.tumblr.com/post/647076966094209024/lets-talk-books-assassins-apprentice-by-robin

5/5 stars

7. Admission by Julie Buxbaum

This last one was a random read for me, and I truly was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did.  Admission follows 17-year-old Chloe Berringer as she navigates through senior year of high school and applies for colleges, only to discover that her parents have paid someone to fake her applications so she could get in.  Now, her actress mother faces jail time, and she is left with the realizations that her parents have no faith in her, and her life might just be ruined.  This is definitely inspired by the Lori Laughlin, Felicity Huffman, USC scandal, but it also has a uniqueness to it of the main character having to come to terms with the fact that she has been born into privilege and really struggling with how to make that right.  It's also told in two timelines, a "then" that shows her in the beginning of the school year forming her applications and taking the SAT's, and a "now" that shows her mother being arrested and paparazzi stalking her house.  I found the whole story just really intriguing from the very beginning, and I did feel a real sympathy for the main character and what she was going through.

4/5 stars

Now that the wrap-up is done, let's chat about the books I want to read for April.

For starters, my English lit class is going HARD this month.  I have to have Beowulf entirely read by tomorrow night, in two weeks I have to read Dante's The Inferno, and then at the end of the month is the entirety of Hamlet, which I already know is going to suck.  I hate Shakespeare.  So that is at least three books.

For my audiobooks this month, I just started Jade City by Fonda Lee which is another one of my favorite series, and I have the audiobook of Golden Son by Pierce Brown to finish up when I'm done.  Both of these are rereads but the audiobooks seem to really enhance it, so I'm excited to get into those.

In the physical book category, I'm currently reading From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout that I've checked out from the library.  I'm about halfway through because I couldn't finish it the first time I had it.  I almost DNF'd it the first time but I know that so many people like it, so I've been trying to give it another chance.  I also have Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo which is the final book of the Grisha trilogy that I want to have read by the time the show comes out this month.  If I can finish all of those, then I also want to reread Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo because I LOVE those books, but also because the show is coming out.  And FINALLY, if I can somehow finish all of those first, my hold for Majesty by Katharine McGee should be ready.  That's the sequel to American Royals that I somewhat enjoyed, but I'm really just curious to find out if everything ends how I predicted

I just counted and realized that there are 10 books on my TBR somehow.  I mean, I'll do my best to try to get through them.  I also have a school project due in a few weeks that I have to try to finish so we shall see what happens.

Until next time :)

#dreamland #sarah dessen #a study in charlotte #brittany cavallaro #chain of iron #cassandra clare #the duke and i #julia quinn #red rising #pierce brown #assassin's apprentice #robin hobb #admission #julie buxbaum #books #review #wrap-up #march #april #tbr

[averagesmw]

DC Girls x Reader- Christmas time! (3/3)

DC Comics (Comics, not the movies)

A/N: This is a small one-shot collection, with the theme being the holidays!

I don’t own any of the images, they’re just so you can identify the characters easier

CHARACTERS:

ORPHAN/ CASSANDRA CAIN

-BATGIRL/ BARBARA GORDON

- HAWKGIRL/ KENDRA SAUNDERS

-HUNTRESS/ HELENA BERTINELLI

Cassandra Cain/ Orphan

Christmas, one of the most peaceful days of the year...or at least in Gotham

As someone who made a living out of being a henchman for various supervillains, you were up to date with the new job offers every time one came up

But for Christmas, not much would arise, and even if it did, you wouldn't take it, if there was one day you wouldn't work, was this one

Instead, you chose to spend it with your younger sister, the little one who was the cause for all your doings in the first place

She was so happy when you brought her a gift, and you were too when you saw a few family members in the room as well. They welcomed you and once the girl fell asleep, they said that they could handle it from there

They were good people, but it's just that you had never been told that before, and it wasn't like you didn't have any plans, it's just that, well, you didn't have any plans

But fortunately, the day was far from over and you ultimately chose to visit the one other person who left a mark on your life as well

Taking a taxi cab to Wayne Manor, you were welcomed by the butler, who also welcomed you with open arms. This was no coincidence, you were a frequent visitor of the place thanks to tbe people living in it so you were basically a friend at this point

However, while he was being polite, you could sense some relief upon seeing you there

"Is everything alright, Alfred? You look a bit worried"

"Well, you see sir/ma'am, Miss Cassandra won't stop training and while normally that would be alright, it's the holidays. I would like her to go out and enjoy the city when it's not attempting to kill her"

He sounded almost fatherly in his words, genuine concern was there but fortunately, you had arrived to help just with that

"Then I'll take her for a walk in the city, if that's okay with you"

"I wouldn't trust anyone else with it. You're the one who gets along so well with her"

"Give yourself some credit, Alfred"

The man couldn't help but chuckle at this. Shortly after this exchange, he stopped walking to announce that you had arrived at to what could very well be the mansion's gym and inside you found Cassandra herself, training

"Miss Cassandra, you have a visitor"

She stopped her actions to greet the butler, but once she heard what he had to say, her gaze shifted to see you and when she did, she rushed towards you

Cassandra gave you a hug, and a tight one at that

"Missed you"

It was hard to believe this was the same girl who was beating the crap out of a punching bag. Chuckling, you hugged her back

When the act was over, you directed her attention to a wrapped box you brought along with you

"I bought you a little something. I hope you don't have ones already"

"Even if she did, I got a feeling that she'll cherry your gift more, sir/ma'am"

The butler added, those comments were quite reassuring

"Thanks, Alfred"

He nodded as Cassandra opened the box, a smile appeared on her face when she saw a brand new pair of boxing gloves. She held them and even gave a couple of punches with them

"I love them. Thank you, Y/N!"

Another hug was in order, but this was to be expected, Cassandra was much more of an action person. Words never quite cut it

She then directed her attention to the butler in a child-like manner

"Alfred. Can I go out with Y/N?"

The man looked at you and smiled remembering the talk you just had with him and nodded

"Certainly. Do enjoy the night"

Cass smiled and left the room to get something warmer, leaving you two alone for a short while. When she was back, she had black winter clothes, she looked kind of cute, really

And so, you left the manor with Cassandra, happy to go out and explore with you. You'd spend a while walking down the streets with Cassandra, holding her hand as you guided her through this new perspective

She could see the snow falling down, people walking along with their family or friends, lovers sharing a drink in the comfortable warmth of a restaurant. You even stopped at a park with a frozen lake, where the people were handed ice skates to enjoy it

Needless to say, she was amazingly good at keeping her balance and moving almost gracefuly through the lake

The city had many wonders, but her reaction to them was perhaps the greatest of them all. You could tell that she wasn't used to simply go out for a walk, and she wouldn't just go out like that, but this time she chose to act differently

And that's because she was with you

Barbara Gordon/ Batgirl

"You should have seen his face when I told him that a cheetah and a jaguar aren't the same animals!"

Following that statement, you shared a laugh with your uncle Kirk, who was on the other side of the glass. Fortunately, it was just you, him and the guards in the room, so your laughter wasn't much of an issue

Currently, you were visiting your uncle, Kirk Langstrom, who was residing in Arkham Asylum for the time being

"My God, you sure are a busy fellow, Y/N" He said while recovering his breath from laughter

"And what about you? How are you doing, uncle Kirk?"

"Much better, they say I'll be out of here in three months if I don't cause an incident"

"That's great! You're practically good to go!"

"As long as they don't start talking biology, that is"

Another laugh followed that, but then you felt a guard touching your shoulder. Being a frequent visitor ar Arkham, you knew what did that mean

So you put your hand on the glass without fading away your smile

"It was great to see you, uncle Kirk"

The man returned the gesture and placed his hand, smiling gently

"You too, Y/N. Merry Christmas"

With a nod, you placed the telephone back on its place as a guard escorted you outside safely. The man had somehow managed to be in this asylum for almost a year now and he hadn't changed or at least gotten worse since his last incident as "Man-bat"

You visited him as often as possible, and how easy was to engage in conversation with you seemed to help the man

Upon walking out the main gate, you sighed. As much as you tried to keep him company, the holidays without your uncle would certainly feel... different, especially when your parents lived in another continent

You took out some earphones and set some music to accompany your journey back home, it worked on getting you cheered up all the way to the bus, sitting next to a window so you could see the snowy place that had become Gotham

In the middle of a song, however, a voice announced that you had a call from someone that, while unexpected, brought a smile to your face. Pausing the song, you chose to accept the call

"Hey, Babs, what's up?"

"Hey Y/N. You busy?"

"No, what's up?"

"Well, you left school so fast I didn't even got to say goodbye to you"

You facepalmed when you heard that. It was true, you left in such a hurry just to get to Arkham in time, but completely forgot to say goodbye to your friends for the holidays

"My bad, sorry about that"

"Don't worry, but that's not the only thing I wanted to talk about"

"Shoot"

"Well, I-"

"Did you tell them?"

Another voice interrupted Barbara, who gave a muffled answer. By the looks of it, she was with someone else

"Sorry about that. So I wanted to tell-"

"Y/N, get your ass here!"

"Yeah, we need our friend!"

This time, there were two other voices. This was unusual for sure, but oddly amusing

Laughter was inevitable from you, especially since you knew perfectly who the voices belonged to

"Alright, where to?" You heard a sigh before being given an answer

"Naomi's house" This time, it was Barbara who finally replied

"Alright, I'm on my way"

You ended the call to spare Babs from having her call highjacked again, making you chuckle once again

Before, you didn't really have any plans for the day, but your friends thought otherwise. Fortunately, Naomi's house was about three stops from your current location

During your stay at the Academy (which is still going), you have made quite the circle of friends. From jocks to chess champions, you are just about the most diverse group of friends in the school, and it made for some unique adventures as well

Stepping out of the bus and into the front yard, you rang the doorbell. A couple seconds passed before it was opened to reveal a smiling redhead with glasses

"Y/N, you're here!"

This girl approached you to give you a hug. This was Barbara herself

"You're just in time!" She said, dragging you inside as she held your hand

As soon as you stepped inside, everyone stopped whatever they were doing and cheered your name in unison. Inside the house were your friends, both close and casual, but they were all glad to see you

"Ahem!"

A female voice called for everyone's silence. From the crowd, a brunette walked through and stopped next to you, wrapping her arm around your shoulders, this was Naomi herself

"I heard you were going to Grinch out and spend Christmas alone, Y/N"

"I...I don't know, maybe?"

The crowd booed in a joking response, Naomi motioned them to stop

"That's why I called EVERYONE here, so we can light up your day!"

"Yeah, you're our friend, Y/N!" Someone else joined from across the room

Naomi then looked back at you, giving you somewhat of a more serious look

"We are here for you, but whether you want to stay with us or go out on your own it's your choice. We'll respect it"

You thought about it for a moment. Not about your choice, but wondering just how did your friend managed to gather everyone in one place without you knowing it and still invite you in the end

Someone told Naomi you didn't have any plans. Gossip's not that bad, but the fact that she actually chose to act on it?

It was... just so kind of her, of them

You took a drink near you and raised it to the air, looking at the crowd with a smile

"I guess I'm spending Christmas with my friends"

They cheered in approval of this and soon enough the party continued. You were soon offered a drink and the party continued as it was before, even some people asked you to join a tournament of air hockey they had going on.

As you took a moment to think about how any of this was even possible, you came to the conclusion that only one person could have known about this and started this event, and she was talking to somebody else at the moment

Choosing to be sneaky, you walked up behind her and held her hand, intertwining it with yours. She was taken off-guard by this gesture but then turned around to face you with an intrigued look in her eyes

"Thank you, Babs" You said with a smile of your own

The redhead then gave you a smile and tightened the bond between your hands

"That's the thing, Y/N"

She whispered while placing her hands above your chest to peck your lips, much to everyone's amusement

"You'll never have to be alone"

Kendra Saunders/ Hawkgirl

Christmas trees were often the strongest symbols of the festivity, and for a good reason, but never had you been assigned the task of decorating one so...big

You were in the Watchtower, the real home of the Justice League and where most of the members spent the time, when not dealing with an individual crisis, of course

As Kendra's partner and an actual ally of the league, you were welcomed aboard and now, you and a couple of other heroes were decorating the massive Christmas tree that was in one of their main rooms

Something with such a size seemed a bit too much, but when you take a look at the size of the space station you were in, it fitted just fine

Concentration was key in this task, but the moment a branch you were using for support gave in, you were suddenly thrown down

As a pilot and soldier, you weren't nearly as terrified of this as you could have, but there was a bigger reason for your lack of fear

The exact same reason that had just caught you in her arms, smirking

Taking a good look at her, you moved her hair out of the way as you cupped her cheek with a smile

"Thanks, angel"

This earned a warm smile from her. She wasn't too sure of the nickname, but she was getting used to it

"Now you see why I told you to use the platform?" She said putting you down safely

"You know I like the thrill"

She couldn't help but chuckle at your attitude and decided to go with it

"Don't dwell too much on it, maybe I'll decide not to catch you one of these days"

After successfully decorating the tree (using the suggested platform this time), there was an event, dinner, dance, and everything. It was mind-blowing, to be honest, but it also served as a reminder that those people were human beings

Well, human where it matters anyway

Kendra, however, wasn't much of a dancer. You knew this first hand, and that's why you grabbed two drinks and headed towards one of the halls

There she was, in all her beauty without her uniform and with something lightly formal but as stunning as she was, her gaze was so distant

She was staring at the window, looking at what would normally be a breathtakingly good view of Earth, but something wasn't right

Taking advantage of this and attempting to ease things off for her, you approached her gently and kissed your partner's cheek

"What are you doing out here all alone? I know you don't like dances, but I don't think it's that bad"

She laughed at your comment, turning around to face you and grab the drink that was supposed to be hers, taking a sip

"Something on your mind?"

She nodded, returning her gaze to the window

"It's just that... As a member of the league, you get to save the planet (and sometimes the universe) so often, but this whole celebration thing, it just feels..."

"Weird?"

"Exactly. I mean, I want to enjoy it, but I don't know if I should"

Leaning on a handrail nearby, she sighed in defeat, or at least until she felt your hand on her shoulder

"I know the feeling, like you should be out there on patrol, regardless of the day"

Her eyes might not have changed direction, but Kendra was listening to you

"But that's the thing about days like this, you get to enjoy some of what you are fighting for, it serves as a reminder that in the end...

Now it was you who was looking out the window

"...it's all worth it"

The girl leaned closer to you, placing her head on your shoulder, and your head gently over hers

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to enjoy it if anything you deserve this more than anyone"

You took a step back and raised your drink, with the attitude of a host accompanying the gesture

"Here's to Kendra Saunders. Leaguer, a savior of the planet and one hell of a girlfriend"

You could tell she was surprised by this gesture, but she soon joined you by raising her glass

"And here's to Y/N L/N. Pilot, soldier and the best partner I could ask for"

She made the drinks clink as the custom indicates and without further due, you drank together

Once that was over, she was the one to cup your face, looking at you in the eye and filled with gratitude

"Thank you, Y/N. I needed that"

Helena Bertinelli/ Huntress

The Mafia might be questionable in and of itself, but they were not monsters

...not all of them at least

That's what this party was for: both a peace offering and an opportunity to enjoy something without the fear of getting murdered

Oh, and also to enjoy the holidays

It's not necessary that you take a partner to this kind of events, but this year you wanted to take someone who quickly became important to you. She was currently next to you in the inside of the vehicle

There she was, with her black hair loose in contrast with her purple dress and of course, her beautiful blue eyes to top it all off

"I still don't know how to feel about this"

She was still trying to get comfortable in her dress. This was more of an act of nervousness since the clothes fit her perfectly

Although you had to admit, watching the fierce vigilante be so uneasy was... intriguing, to say the least

"And why is that?"

She sighed in defeat before finally looking at you with a hint of shame

"Wanna hear a secret?"

You nodded and asked her to continue, which she reluctantly agreed

"It's been years since I've been to a dance, I don't even remember how to do it"

It seemed so simple, you couldn't help but chuckle before giving her a reassuring smile

"Don't you worry, I'll guide you through"

She was taken off-guard by the calm in which you said that

"How can you be so sure about it?

You took a sip before answering her, not losing the smile

"You'll find out when the time comes. Have some faith in me"

Nothing more was said after that. Truth to be told, you had taught a few people how to dance before, the first of them being your sister when she was fifteen and a couple lovers too, so you had some experience

After a couple of minutes, you arrived at the place where the event would take place. The door was opened and you stepped out of the vehicle, lending Helena a hand so she could do the same and with her arm wrapped around yours, you made your way inside

Multiple families were attending the party. Mostly adults, but there were also children, lovers, and friends in there

You were invited to give the opening speech as a way to officially begin the event. It wasn't much of a surprise since you were one of the main backers of the party, seeing as a much-needed break from the usual violence

And so, you walked up to the main stage, with a glass in hand

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to be the one who welcomes all of you to this event that serves as a reminder that we might be from different families, backgrounds, and whatnot"

You looked around to confirm this. These people came from all around the world, yet they were under the same roof for the night

"And while it is so easy to hate each other over that, the only reason not to do so is because we are human"

With confidence in your words, you raised the glass you were holding

"And tonight we are here to celebrate that, in this peaceful night without any bloodshed, I sincerely wish you all to have a wonderful time"

A round of applause took place as the guests raised their drinks as well and you all shared a drink together, even Helena joined the act. Once you were done talking, the band began playing their wonderful ambiance music

The party had officially begun

Walking back to your table, you found Helena herself, smirking at you

"Hell of a speech you gave. You sure you wouldn't be better as a politician?"

You couldn't help but laugh at the statement, picking up another drink you were offered

"Tempting, but we both know that this line of work is much more honest"

"Ironically, yeah"

You sat down and enjoyed the drinks, soon enough the main dishes were served and the event had managed to continue uninterrupted so far. Seems like that vigilante you paid to keep the event clean was really doing a good job

After a couple of hours deep into the party, the bands began playing music that had a different feeling to it, as if it was an invitation to dance. Realizing this, you looked back at your partner with possibly the biggest grin she'd ever seen before

"No" She said sternly

"Come on, you'll learn as we go"

You stood up and offered a hand, showing that same confidence that she loved so much (and hated to admit it)

"...Fine, but I'm not responsible if I step on your toes during the whole thing"

She finally took your hand and allowed you to guide her to the dance floor, where many of the couples were already dancing, even some of your employees were allowed to have some fun

"So, how do we do this?"

You walked in front of her before instructing her

"First, I'll place my right hand on your back to help us move"

With your free hand, you guided her left to rest on your right shoulder, this getting you closer to her

"And then, the other two hands are clasped together like this"

You made your hands meet around the shoulder height. You could tell she was nervous, but with your guidance, there was also a desire to put the fears aside

"Now what?"

That's when your smirk reappeared, you leaned close to her and whispered:

"And now, we dance"

Without further due, you began to move around the place. Normally, you would ask your partner to be careful with their feet, but with Helena, this wasn't necessary

In fact, you were able to go even further and twirl her around, much to her enjoyment

She laughed and once she was face to face with you again, she smiled

"I think I'm getting the hang of it"

"I knew you would"

Without losing her smile, she gave you a bit of an intrigued look"

"How did you?"

"Because, Helena, fighting and dancing are not so different. The purpose and the actions are different, yes, but when done correctly, they can be both incredibly deadly AND graceful at the same time

"You know, just like you"

#huntress #hawkgirl #cassandra cain #barbara gordon #batgirl #orphan #kendra saunders #helena bertinelli #reader #x reader #dc comics #christmas

[the-insomniac-emporium]

Hello there may I request the Dimitrescu daughters celebrating their s/o birthday, it’s my birthday today☺️

Happy belated birthday, anon!!! Wishing you many more happy (and hopefully less chaotic) years to come! Under read more for length.

Bela + Birthday

On one hand, she wants to be the first thing you see when you wake up. On the other hand, she’s got a million things planned, and no matter how much help she enlists, she’s bound to end up running late. So maybe she’s not the first thing you see, but she’s crawling into your bed before you have a chance to fully wake up. Wrapping her arms around you, murmuring ‘good morning’ and ‘I love you’ into your ears. Sleepy kisses all around<3

Will stay with you for as long as you want, but will ‘subtly’ encourage you to get up eventually, after all she’s spent the past month planning this day. It’s possible that she’ll end up slowly sliding out of bed, an inch a minute, saying ‘no more kisses until you get up’.

Once you’re out of bed, it’s time for a decadent breakfast. A whole buffet table filled with your favorites (the ones appropriate for this time of day, at least), with any servants you’re friends with being allowed to join in. If you’re not from Romania, Bela will go out of her way to have the cooks learn recipes from whatever country you grew up in. Might throw in a few non-breakfast items too. Mmmm, thinking about my family’s krumkake recipe now, so good<3

What happens next depends a lot on your specific personality. If you enjoy parties and social gatherings, there will be festivities in one of the castle’s larger rooms, again with any of your friends being allowed to join (even visitors from the village, should you wish to invite them). A large cake will be served, likely baked by none other than Ava Caldwell (please excuse my shameless OC mention).

If you’re more introverted, or shy, Bela will keep the gathering very small, likely just her family and you. There will be music, a few gifts from the family, similar but smaller treats. Less energetic, more casual and comfy family time.

Come lunch time, the two of you will have some private time again. Depending on weather/season, she’ll either take you for a picnic in the garden, or a quiet meal in the observatory. Think candles, lots of strategically placed flowers, warm blankets… all that cheesy stuff. Afterwards, she’ll let you take the reins for a bit. Essentially, you’ll spend some quality time doing your favorite hobbies together. Feel free to info dump/rant all you want, Bela will stare at you with love in her eyes regardless of the subject.

Once you’ve had your fun together, it’ll be time for dinner, which will once more be with her family. Everyone will be on their best behavior (under threat of blackmail, except for Alcina, who’s just, you know, a good mother who wants her daughter to be happy). Again the cooks will go all out for the meal, making whatever dishes weren’t appropriate for breakfast. There will probably be leftovers- unless, of course, you decide to let the other servants enjoy what you cannot finish.

Finally, before bed, Bela will let you open the gifts from her. The two of you will be in either her room or her private study, away from everyone else. She’ll have prepared 3 gifts for you. One will relate to your personal interests (a hobby, a movie/book series you love, etc), one will be something the two of you can do together, and the last will be something you can wear/keep on you to remind you of her (not that you could ever forget, really).

I’ll leave the detail of what happens that night to your imagination, dear reader, so as to not assume anything about *ahem* attractions, gender, or any possible… deviances (kinks, if that wasn’t clear). Regardless, there is cuddling<3

Cassandra + Birthday

Wakes you up, first thing in the morning, with kisses. Just crawls into bed with you and smothers you in somewhat sleepy affection. Do you know how hard it was for her to get up at this hour? Relatively! Which is why you’re not allowed to get up get up, at least not for a while. Mandatory girlfriend snuggles. No escape. If the two of you are, ya know, of the persuasion to do certain things… without clothing… then yeah, that’s probably also happening. Please don’t judge me, I’m tired (and asexual) and am trying to avoid this being unnecessarily ns/fw.

Doesn’t really want to share you at all, even on your birthday, but will let you mingle with friends/have a nice group breakfast if that’s what you want. Just expect to be sitting in her lap for as long as she can get you to, alright? Might tone it down if her family is around (okay, well, if her mother is around). Will pretend to judge people for whatever gifts they get you unless you specifically ask her to stop. Repeatedly whispers things in your ears to distract you, ranging from the audaciously inappropriate to “my gift is going to be so much better than that” to very sweet “I love you”s.

Lets you plan as much or as little as you want for your special day, though won’t hesitate to suggest things if you struggle to come up with stuff/can’t decide. Again, she’d prefer to spend as much of the day with you as possible, and would prefer your gatherings be very small. Like, maybe just the two of you. Going on a hike to your favorite spot, or painting together (even if you don’t know what you’re doing, because she’ll get nice and close to help ;) ), or just curling up with her somewhere cozy.

Whatever you end up doing for the day, she’ll probably have a servant pack you guys some lunches, so you don’t have to interrupt whatever you’re doing.

Dinner will be… a surprise. Planning is not her area of expertise, so Cassandra will enlist the help of her older sister, resulting in a romantic meal that, well, at least has hints of your girlfriend’s personality in it. Yes, she picked out the color of the napkins. Yes, the flowers she had asked for turned out to be poisonous, so yes they did have to swap them out last minute. Oops, you darn humans and your ‘mortal weaknesses’. Honestly, the display is very touching. She asked for help to do something nice for you<3

At the end of the night, she’ll take you to her art studio, where there’s a big painting that’s been covered up for a few days or so. She’ll pull the sheet off, oddly shy, and you’ll see it’s a lovely portrait of the two of you… except you’ll be wearing a necklace that you’ve never seen before. Which Cassandra will quickly pull out of her pocket, to give you as the second part of your gift :D

Cue a night of cuddling (and possibly other activities… such as sleeping).

Daniela + Birthday

Might as well bodyslam you first thing in the morning, honestly. She’s very excited, and loves you very much, and just wants to have some nice morning cuddling (and kissing). Solution? Make sure that she spends the previous night in the same bed as you. Seriously, it’ll save you a fair amount of pain.

Has the least planned of the three, despite having the most ideas, mostly because she struggles to actually organize things. Expect to spend however long you want in bed, just relaxing, probably still with lots of kisses and cheesy dialogue about how much she loves you. When you get up, however, the two of you will be surprised to see that Daniela’s family decided to help her get shit together.

There will be a nice breakfast, with your friends present, and Bela might even delay her own meal just to play some music for you. Afterwards, the family will give you their gifts. They won’t make you open them yet if you decide to save it for later, though, so no worries.

Then, you and Daniela will be encouraged to go out and have some fun. Which means a nice almost-picnic in the gardens, with less of a meal, more of some sweets/snackies. Cue more cuddling, and dorky poetry reading. The poetry will always start out serious… but by the end you’ll both be trying to find the lamest, cheesiest poems you can get, reading them to each other in increasingly ridiculous voices. Somehow you’ll end up reciting dirty limericks. Eventually you realize that Daniela isn’t even going through her books to find them, and is actually making them up as she goes. You’re not sure you want to know how she gained this skill.

Eventually you’ll head back inside, for lunch. At this point, there will be more music, some optional dancing, with a surprising amount of servants being allowed to just enjoy themselves. If parties aren’t your thing, Daniela will be more than willing to sneak you off somewhere more… private. For various reasons, you know. Doesn’t have to be anything more than cuddling. But this is Daniela we’re talking about, so…

The evening will mostly be up to you, with Daniela wanting to do whatever you want to do, even if it’s not something she’d normally enjoy. She just wants you to be happy<3

Dinner will be romantic, like with Cassandra, if admittedly far more chaotic. Still, it’s very lovely, and she’ll probably get adorably flustered as she tries to make things perfect for you. Expect her to get you multiple smaller gifts, and repeatedly mention that she wasn’t sure what to get you, so she kinda just… got everything. It might be best to reassure her that you mostly care about spending time with her. But, you know, also tell her you enjoy the gifts because she really did panic about them.

#bela dimitrescu x reader #cassandra x reader #cassandra dimitrescu x reader #daniela dimitrescu x reader #bela dimitrescu #daniela dimitrescu #cassandra dimitrescu

[shadowhuntertrash]

High Notes

Chapter Six

Characters belong to Cassandra Clare

The day went by quickly and Thomas didn’t have much time to ponder the almost kiss he had with Alastair or the girl's from the coffee shop’s words until dinner that night. Lucie and Cordelia had gone and had an early dinner with Alastair and the other boys had decided to have a late dinner and go ahead and knock the rest of their rehearsal out. 

   James and Christopher were in a deep discussion about dress rehearsal they had tomorrow and Thomas found himself, once again, under the scrutinizing gaze of Matthew. Thomas moved the fry around on his plate, his hamburger long forgotten. He was too anxious to eat anyway. “Who started it?” Matthew asked in a quiet voice. Thomas raised an eyebrow, “Math I have no earthly idea what you’re talking about.” He said innocently shrugging, Matthew just glared.

   “Stop it, we both know you do.” They held eye contact for a minute and Thomas was reminded vaguely of a dominance match between dogs. Thomas gave up with a huff and looked back down at his fries again. “I honestly don’t know. I had a panic attack and then we were just walking and then it just kind of… happened. Lord, that sounds dull.” Matthew smirked at him and Thomas groans, burying his head in his hands. Matthew laughs softly and James looks over at them. “What are we talking about?” James asked, propping his chin on Matthew’s shoulder so he could see Thomas. 

   Thomas had sat in this booth first, Matthew had sat next to Thomas and then James, the social anxiety impersonation he is, sat next to Matthew instead of sitting in the booth with Christopher. Which led to Thomas, Matthew, and James being squished together and Christopher propping his legs up in his practically empty booth.

   They had to sit in the back because most places they go they get noticed by fans and won’t get any peace. It was a habit now (for their band and Alastair and the girls) to ask for a spot in the back or off in a corner somewhere when they went out to eat.

   “We’re talking about Thomas and Alastair almost kissing.” Matthew said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Christopher choked on his drink and James looked at Thomas with wide eyes. “When did that happen!” Christopher said when he had stopped choking. Thomas was sure he resembled a tomato at this point.

   He hit Matthew, who was still laughing hysterically, in the arm and slumped further in his seat, hating his height more than anything at the moment. “When we found them, they were about to kiss and then we stumbled upon them and they didn’t.” Matthew frowned and slumped against James. “What a bunch of cock blocks we are.” Matthew said as if it were him that didn’t get to kiss someone he wanted to. 

   Thomas found himself laughing at Matthew’s forlorn expression and James’s still too wide eyes. “Nothing really happened. We were just walking and talking. We were actually trying to find you guys because I told Matthew twenty minutes and then I realized I was late because I didn’t have my phone on. Sorry about that Math, I know you worry. So I was trying to-”

   Matthew cut him off with a raised hand. “Stop rambling it’s okay. I was just picking and James was just a little shocked.” Matthew finished with a shape jab to James’ ribs which seemed to snap James out of his daze. James nodded enthusiastically before looking at Matthew with a wide smile. “Oh my god otp Matthew OTP!” Matthew and Christopher burst out laughing and Thomas slumped impossibly further in his chair. Why did they always have to pick on him?

   Matthew dropped his hand on Thoams’ shoulder and Thomas looked at him. Matthew was looking at him with a look that was strictly reserved for James, Thomas, and Christopher. A soft look that was often off-putting since he was constantly annoyed or making a joke out of everything and anything.

   “You know Tommy we only pick on you because it’s easy with how embarrassed you get. We love you and as much as I dislike Alastair I think you two would be good for each other. Plus,” He added a wink that made Thomas blush before he even heard the next part. “I think you could teach him some well-needed manners.” Thomas laughed softly and gave Mattew a pointed look. 

   “You really shouldn’t make fun of my pining, saying as it is not nearly as bad as yours was.” Matthew put his hand to his chest in mock hurt. “You wound me, Thomas. Anyhow even if that was accurate,” He turned to James and stuck his tongue out boyishly. “Which it wasn’t,” He turned back to Thomas who was smiling at his friends. “It isn’t my fault you’re too nice and didn’t pick on me when you had the chance.” Thomas rolled his eyes.

   It was common knowledge that Thomas was nice, it was why the fans had dubbed him the ‘Kind One’ or ‘Gentle Giant’ as some others called him. He hated that one thought, gentle giant, made him sound dull. They had dubbed Matthew as the ‘Sexy One’, James the ‘Mysterious One’, and Christopher, well Christopher was his own category.

   Thomas pushed Matthew playfully and Matthew fell back dramatically accidentally falling on James, causing him to fall out of the seat. “Jesus Math, be careful,” James said taking Matthew’s outstretched hand and getting back to his feet, Matthew was too busy laughing to listen to him.

   Thomas sat back watching them, his brothers by all means but blood, and smiled. How did he get so lucky?

   When it was time to go back to the hotel rooms, which they were staying in when they weren’t on the road, they all split ways smiling and wishing each other goodnight. Thomas followed Christopher to their room. There were two beds so Thomas knew he could stand staying with Christopher.

   Thomas showered as soon as they got to the hotel. Some people thought it was weird but Thomas showered twice a day and washed his hair at least once a day. Matthew always picked on it but Thomas just shrugged it off he didn’t feel clean if he didn’t wash his hair.

   Thomas took his time feeling the hot water wash off the stress of the day. As soon as he had got to the quiet hotel room the fans from the diner’s words came back to him. He knew he would spend too much time thinking about this.

   He got out of the shower about 40 minutes later and ran his towel through his hair shaking it out. He flopped gracelessly on the bed and groaned. Christopher was fast asleep on the bed next to him, the sound he was making strongly reminded Thomas of a lawnmower.

   Thomas grabbed his phone, turned the brightness down, as he began feeling the beginning of a headache, and read the texts he had received. 

Matthew Unfairchild:

Sleep well dream of your knight in shining armor <3

   Thomas scoffed and replied,

Tommy:

We all know I’m more into Prince Charming. <3

   He opened a text from Lucie and smiled at her picture. It was a picture from the first time they went to Disney World. No one else would go with her, Cordelia didn’t like it because she couldn’t stand the lines and decided it was no more magical than Six Flags. James and Matthew had claimed too manly (however it turned out they went two months before without telling anyone), and Christopher, bless his soul, wouldn’t stop going on and on about the mechanisms in the rides and that just made everyone untrustworthy of the shaky rides.

   So Thomas had gone with her and they had stayed for two days, riding rides and meeting characters. The picture that made her profile was of her in front of Cinderella’s castle with a bunch of fireworks going off in the background. She was mid-jump and a look of pure happiness plastered on her face, she had an ice cream cone in her hand however the ice cream was mid-fall.

   It was Thomas’s all-time favorite picture of her and he was quietly proud of his photography skills. Lucie’s parents, Tessa and Will had taken one look at the picture and demanded it be framed and hung on the wall of their house. Thomas was proud of that too.

   

Luce <33:

Matthew told me what happened. I'm so mad at myself. You two were finally gonna kiss and I messed it up I’m so sorry Tommy.

   Thomas laughed and shook his head. It seemed everyone was rooting for them and Thomas was quietly pleased. Thomas just hoped he wasn’t going off of false hope.

Tommy:

It’s fine sweetie don’t worry about it. I wasn’t thinking anyway.

   Thomas checked his other text to find pictures of Barbara’s engagement ring and a video of her telling our parents about her engagement. Thomas smiled slightly and watched the video with the volume on low knowing exactly how his mom would react. He did however have to turn it up when he couldn’t hear the video over Christopher’s snoring.

   He watched as Barbara casually, without words, held up her engagement ring for them to see. Sophie’s hands automatically came up to cover her mouth as her eyes started watering dangerously. Gideon however stared at it not comprehending yet. “He did not!” Sophie all but screamed. He listened as Barbara and Oliver started laughing. 

   Gideon’s mouth fell open slightly, understanding brightening his eyes. He walked over quickly and hugged her, Sophie joining quickly. The video ended then and Thomas sent his sister a text.

Tommy:

Aww! They’re so proud! I’m proud of you. It was about time Oliver took the next step! Love you tons miss you more!

   Thomas opened the last unread message and furrowed his eyebrows, it was an unknown number. Thomas opened it and felt a smile stretching across his face. 

Unknown Number:

Hey I asked Lucie for your number hope you don’t mind.

Unknown Number:

It’s Alastair btw lol

   Thomas let out a happy sound that immediately made him blush even though Christopher wasn’t awake to hear it. Thomas took a few calming breaths cursing himself for acting like a little girl with a crush.

Tommy:

Oh hey I don’t mind sorry for responding late

   Thomas stared down at the message, that was cool, right? Not too eager, not too pushy. Thomas sighed roughly and put his phone on the nightstand by their beds. Thomas closed his eyes and replayed the events of the day, the practicing, the boys trying to convince him to sing at a concert, the girl's words which were still ringing in his ears much to his dismay, and Alastair. 

   Daring Alastair with his stupid dyed hair and his face that lights up constantly. Thomas shook his head as if he could physically fling the thoughts from his head. He got up knowing he wasn’t going to be able to sleep yet. Christopher was making sure of that. Thomas knew in the back of his mind that he was probably going to end up in James and Matthew’s room.

   Thomas got up and picked up his guitar. It had been a long day and he had written a song but he didn’t want to play it for anyone yet. It was deeper than his normal ones, it was more just words he needed out of his head. Thomas huffs loudly the girls' words playing on repeat in his head, he could tell he was getting a migraine but he bit back the pain and started strumming.

I don't know why I just feel I'm better off

Stayin' in the same room I was born in

I look outside and see a whole world better off

Without me in it tryin' to transform it

You are out of my mind, oh

You aren't seein' my side, oh

You waste all this time tryin' to get to me

But you are out of my mind, yeah

Listen, I know

This one's a contradiction because of how happy it sounds

But the lyrics are so down

It's okay though

Because it represents, wait, better yet it is

Who I feel I am right now

You are out of my mind, oh

You aren't seein' my side, oh

You waste all this time tryin' to get to me

But you are out of my mind

Heard you say, "Not today"

Tore the curtains down, windows open, now make a sound

Heard your voice, "there's no choice"

Tore the curtains down, windows open, now make a noise

Oh, don't you test me, no

Just because I play the piano

Doesn't mean I, I'm not willin' to take you down

I'm sorry

I'm, I'm out of my mind, oh

I'm not seein' things right, oh

I waste all this time tryin' to run from you

But I'm, I'm out of my mind

Heard you say, "Not today"

Tore the curtains down, windows open, now make a sound

Heard your voice, "there's no choice"

Tore the curtains down, windows open, now make a noise

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, yeah, oh

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, yeah, oh

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

You are out of my mind

You aren't seein' my side

You waste all this time tryin' to get to me

But you are out of my mind

Heard you say, "Not today"

Tore the curtains down, windows open, now make a sound

Heard your voice, "there's no choice"

Tore the curtains down, windows open, now make a noise

Buh buh bah, buh buh bah

Bah bah bah bah bah, bah bah bah bah bah

Buh buh bah, buh buh bah

Bah bah bah bah bah, bah bah bah bah bah

Buh buh bah, buh buh bah (Not today)

Bah bah bah bah bah (Not today), bah bah bah bah bah (Not today)

Buh buh bah (No, not today), buh buh bah (Not today)

(Oh nah nah no) Bah bah bah bah bah, bah bah bah bah (No) bah (No)

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

   Thomas sighed and sat his guitar down rubbing his forehead with one hand. He got migraines when he had stressful days, which in all honesty were more often than not. Maybe he could ask Matthew for migraine medicine, he was sure to have some.

   Thomas got up and jot down a message telling Christopher where he went in case he woke up, which wasn’t likely but he didn’t want to risk it. He put some sunglasses on because the yellow lighting in the halls made his head worse and walked down to James and Matthew’s room which was only three doors down.

   Everyone knew where the others were sleeping in case of emergency or if they just wanted to hang out. 

   Thomas was about to knock when he heard some noises coming from inside. He furrowed his eyebrows wondering the hell they could be doing to make that racket. He could hear the bed hitting the wall and realization dawned on him. Crap.

   Thomas whined softly knowing that he couldn’t get Matthew’s medicine now. He blushed furiously and walked away from their door quickly trying to erase the noises he had just heard. He sighed and shook his head stopping for a moment when a sharp wave of pain hit him and he stumbled slightly.

   Thomas put his hand on the wall and walked slowly to Lucie and Cordelia’s room slowly, waiting for the room to stop spinning. He cursed when he stood in front of the door. He knocked sharply not wanting to be too loud in case they were asleep. He stood there for a few minutes before he turned to head back to his room deciding to wait it out.

   The door opened as Thomas took his second step. Thomas let out a noise of relief. “Lucie-” He started softly before realizing that it wasn’t Lucie standing there, it wasn’t Cordelia either. It was Alastair.

   Thomas looked at him for a while trying to wrap his head around why Alastair was there before slowly realizing that this wasn’t the girls' room it was Alastair’s. Thomas groaned loudly and stumbled slightly. Alastair’s eyes, normally playful and joyous, were now darkening; he was practically scowling and Thomas shrunk away.

   “Lightwood please don’t tell me you’re wasted.” Alastair said glaring Thomas shook his head and promptly sat down when the room spun too fast. Thomas let out an exasperated laugh. Alastair was now looking at him with concern, all annoyance gone. “Lightwood what’s wrong with you?” He said squatting down so he was eye level with Thomas.

   Thomas looked at him in confusion before shrugging trying to ignore the pounding in his head. He hadn’t meant to be here and it was quite embarrassing to be a stumbling, collapsing mess in front of someone he cared so much to impress or at least not embarrass himself in front of. Alastair’s eyes narrowed, not a glare, but a look that said stop lying.

  “Thomas you all but collapsed in front of me and you’re saying there’s nothing wrong?” Thomas let out a small noise. “James and Matthew are shagging.” Alastair’s eyebrows shot up. That was obviously not what he was expecting, Thomas laughed. “And this affects you and I how?” Thomas closed his eyes, the pain radiating and pulsing in his head. 

   “I needed his medicine.” Thomas explained quietly trying to show him he needed to be quiet. He seemed to take the message because the next time he spoke it was significantly quieter. “Thomas, what medicine?” Thomas furrowed his brows trying to think of the name but giving up quickly when that just made the pain in his head worse. He really really hated migraines.

   “Thomas,” Alastair said, now kneeling in front of Thomas. He looked slightly desperate and Thomas took a moment to appreciate that he had never seen Alastair look like that before. “Thomas come on what medicine.” I pat his shoulder and stand up shakily. “It’s alright I actually meant to go to Lucie’s room.” 

   Alastair gave him a serious look and took his hand gently leading him inside the cold hotel room. “Thomas just come here. What medicine do you need?” Thomas didn’t even try to fight him, knowing Alastair was too stubborn to let him go easily. He was attempting to ignore the fact that his head was steadily getting worse and how his stomach was flipping dangerously. “Migraine,” Thomas said simply, answering Alastair’s question as best he could. Alastair looked at him wearily. 

   “Is that what’s going on? You have a migraine?” Thomas nodded and that was all it took to push him overboard. Thomas gasped and stood up quickly stumbling to the bathroom and barely making it in time to empty his stomach in the toilet. He felt a hand on his back and soothing words but the burn in his throat and throbbing in his head was all he could think about.

   “Thomas, I’m going to go get some medicine okay? Do you want me to stay or are you going to be okay for a minute?” Thomas just groaned in response and continued emptying his stomach contents. He honestly didn’t believe he had much in his stomach because he hadn’t eaten much that day but he was being proven wrong.

   He felt the hand leave his back and he threw up a little more before sitting back and resting his back on the bathtub. Thomas groaned in embarrassment when he realized that not only had he accidentally come to Alastair’s room, collapsed in front of him, and was dragged into his room, but he had also thrown up in front of him.

   Thomas didn’t get much time to ponder that thought because Alastair came back with pills and water. His face was calm but his eyes were slightly panicked. Thomas wondered if he was the only one who could see it or if Alastair just showed it obviously.

   Thomas took the water gratefully and drank it quickly, only stopping when Alastair put a hand on his and carefully lowered it, taking the glass with it. “I brought you some medicine too. It’s not migraine medicine but it should help a little.” Thomas nodded, head still throbbing, and took the small pills Alastair had offered him. He threw them back easily and swallowed them dry, taking the drink back from Alastair’s frozen hand.

   Alastair was watching him with a dark look in his eyes, something Thomas couldn’t place but he knew it wasn’t bad. Not the kind of look Alastair had when he thought Thomas was drunk. Thomas shuddered and finished the water. Alastair helped him up and put his arm around Thomas’s waist to keep him steady.

   Thomas flopped on the bed, not unlike he had earlier that night and sighed. His stomach didn’t feel as bad but his head was still pounding. Alastair sighed and sat up against the headboard, holding his arm out, inviting Thomas closer. 

   Thomas didn’t have to be told twice. He all but collapsed on Alastair’s lap. Thomas hummed contentedly as Alastair ran his fingers through his hair. Thomas grunted when he couldn’t find a comfortable position with his sunglasses off. Alastair gently tugged his glasses off and Thomas groaned as a new wave of pain hit him when his eyes saw the light. Alastair quickly blocked the light with his hand and leaned over to turn off the lamp.

The room was plunged into darkness and Thomas just cuddled deeper into Alastair’s lap. He could vaguely remember that this wasn’t his room and he shouldn’t be doing this but need to sleep, most likely due to the pills, was overwaying his ability to freak out properly. When Alastair started humming he couldn’t keep himself aware of much anymore. 

   One thing Thomas was aware of was the fact that Alastair’s fingers felt good in his hair. Thomas wondered what it felt like to run his fingers through Alastair’s hair. To bring his face closer. To kiss him. 

   There were so many things he wanted to do and a massive inability to do any of it. Thomas was decidedly ready to tell Alastair how he felt. If he were any more awake he might have even done it right then, but he knew he was far too gone to do it.

   Thomas listened to Alastair’s quiet humming and decided that he would tell him over a song. Thomas shifted slightly so his head was resting more on Alastair’s thigh and smiled tiredly. “Alastair?” The man in question made a noise in place of an answer. “I’m going to sing my song.” He realized too late that that probably made no sense whatsoever but it seemed Alastair understood because he beamed at Thomas and ruffled his hair slightly. “I’m glad. I love hearing you sing. I’m proud of you for deciding to do it.” 

   Thomas hummed non-committedly. “Only for you.” He mumbled before his eyes slipped closed against his will and his mind gave way to dreams. He could have sworn right before he fell asleep that he felt someone kiss his head, but he chalked it up to sleep and want.

#high notes #high notes: chapter six #thomastair #thomas lightwood #alastair carstairs #merry thieves #cordelia carstairs #lucie herondale

[ellana-ravenwood]

Batfam moments I think about a lot and wish we'd have more stories of...

1. Bruce Wayne learning how to "dad" and making SO MANY MISTAKES. But we see him evolve over the years, and slowly getting used to it. He will always have communication problems, and have moments when he's a total jerk. Let's not forget he's only human, and we all have bad moments. Buuuuut, he’s the kind of father to go make a detour to buy his kids their favorite dinner (and yes, all of them, like before he comes home to Wayne Manor, I can see him go to différent take aways and bring back their favorite food haha). 

Or like, remembering exactly what they’re into lately and looking stuffs up on the internet to get up to date. I bet sometimes they’d talk about a band or video games and Bruce would be like : “Oh yes, I particularly like the battle mode of this blahblahblah” and they’d all be stunned haha.  I think he has a special way of loving. It’s not always obvious, out there right in your face, but it’s most definitely there. 

His children are his strength (as shown in many stories... In more stories in fact, that the ones that exists where he's a total dick to them). And he cares for them in his own way, which can sometimes appear cold and such, while it's just that he doesn't always know how to react. Like. We have to remember his background, it's not really surprising he has communication problems and such things. But he cares... So much. 

He's thé kind of dad that goes out of his way to please his kids, even if said kids don't even notice the small things he does for them because ya know, hé just does it and they're used to it and it's only as they grow up they truly realize how out of his way he went for them etc etc. À discreet , pure and différent way of loving. He knows them, hé truly does. “You don’t even know me !” one of them would say after a fight, out of anger, and he would answer : “I do.” confidently, and they’d be like : “PROVE IT THEN !” and Bruce would enumerates everything he can think of about them. Favorite color, favorite meal, favorite book, favorite tv show, hobbies, crushes, fears etc etc...Anyway. Yes. 

I just want scenes of him slowly learning how to be a father, and not being the best about it all the time, yet trying his best and it’s obvious he does. We forget sometimes what he went through, and what it truly means for him to adopt and take care of those kids. We forget often that he became Batman, mainly because he does not want any other kid to experience what he went through. Bruce as à father is far from perfect, and hé makes shit tons of mistakes, but he tries, and hé loves them deeply. I think that's why I really hate canon lately, they turned him into à mindless brute who genuinely abusés his kids. It's so, so, so bad, and goes against decades of stories. It's written by people that think "edgy" is à personality trait and what people nowadays love (which is totally false). I'm pretty sûre that for all the canon examples of him being à jerk to the Batkids, I can pull out about ten times more examples of him being à good dad. Again. He's flawed because he's human, and he's difficult to understand at times... But no one will ever make me believe he doesn't love his children with all his heart.

2. Young Jason being super surprised that Bruce is actually a very good cook because he always pictured filthy rich people never doing anything themselves...and Bruce being like : “You know, I was mostly raised by Alfred. Of course he would teach me basic house skills.” while flipping expertly the food in the pan. Alfred one day telling the kids something like : “Everyone always think Master Wayne is a bubbly idiot who cannot work his way around a house, but this is very wrong. He has been changing his own sheets ever since he was 7, and his parents already made sure that he would know what house work is, so he could treat the servants right by seeing how difficult it can be. When his parents died, I took care of him, and there was a long moment he would follow me around everywhere, maybe in fear that I would go, too...During those moments, I taught him a lot.” And then just Bruce showing à few things to his own kids, as à parallèlism to how him and Alfred were (and still are) ❤️.

3. A direct follow up of the one above, Bruce teaching his kids all kind of stuffs. How to play piano, how to fall without hurting yourself, how to cook, how to fight, how to ride a bike for those who didn’t know etc etc...A perfect mix of totally normal domestic stuffs, and of night vigilante stuffs. I bet he’d make up “escape games” for his kids on boring Sunday afternoons, because it’d develop a lot of their skills needed to be Robins (or whoever) AND is fun. I think the reverse totally works too, the kids teaching him things. Like, how to play that video game, how to use slang without sounding like an old man, how to paint his nails, blahblahblah. Just moments together, because they spend so much time with each others like, come on. They have hobbies too. And care about each others enough to want to know about it, and share stuffs etc etc. Growing together, ya know ?

4. More crossover moments with the entire family, not just one or two character : John Constantine being there to ask help for a thing (or not asking help but Bruce wouldn’t let anyone “tamper” with Gotham without him being there so...haha). Zatanna coming around to teach the kids some magic (just like her dad did with Bruce...not “real” magic but like, escape magic and all), or something. Green Arrow making à courtesy visit with his wife, son, and sidekicks. The Superfam and their strong bonds with the Batfam being shown more, and not always in that “rival” way. And like, all of them, not just one or two characters at a time. Sunday lunches at the Kent farm, gaming nights (to which Bruce is dragged to), friendly compétitions, blahblahblah.

5. “Baby” Dick having nightmares in the middle of the night of his parents’ death, and Bruce always being there. How Bruce understands and is always around for him. And reassures him. And on that note : I’m sure most of the kids have nightmares during the night, and Bruce becomes better and better over the years at soothing them. Oh also, if Dick, after he goes and lives in Bludhaven comes to sleep at Wayne Manor for any reasons and has a nightmare, Bruce will just automatically go to him...awkward and cute scene ensues haha.

6. Cass’ first words to Bruce. A very emotional scenes because...it’s the first time she speaks. And it’s clumsy and she’s not sure of herself, and her voice trembles a little. But she’s talking. I’m not sure what her first words would truly be, but most definitely something that touches Bruce. That move him. That make him realize how much he loves that kid.

7. Bruce taking Jason to a baseball game (pre-death Jason) for his birthday because that’s what the kid wanted as à gift. And then later, them going to a game once again after their reconciliation. A very big parallel between the two scènes ya know, as Bruce reminisces. Both end up with Jason hugging Bruce because his favorite team won. In the first scene it’s little 8/9 years old Jay excited and is all cute. In the post-death scene, it’s a grown up Jason who had been angry at Bruce for so long and finally forgave him, and who hugs Bruce without even realizing he does it, because he’s just happy...And it ends on Bruce’s face smiling like, he finally got his boy back.

8. Tim and Damian bonding. I hate it when they're only represented as hating each others 24/7. They had à rough start, sure. But they grew à lot... I just wish we could see them more actually learning to be brothers, accepting each others etc etc. Now of course they'd bicker. Like any siblings. But I bet they'd have à lot of common intérests and such. That they'd like to tease each others, but would genuinely like hanging out and all. 

Also Tim is à very understanding sweet person, hé might be annoyed with Damian at first... But he would be amongst those who get it, ya know ? Who gives him time/à chance ? Like Bruce at first did everything wrong with Damian. He was harsh and violent and used intimidation (things Damian was too used to...) thinking he needed that to get Damian to lose his old ways (until he realized how wrong he was and apologzed and took à gentler way...ah that was good shit right there, Bruce acknowledging it all and trying to be better... Not like this current canon Bruce who's an asshole and never suffers any conséquences of it...). Well I think Tim would be more understanding and realize... Damian is just à kid. And Tim is à big brother now ? His older siblings were there for him, it's time for him to be there too. Know what I mean ? So yeah. I wish we'd have more of them actually being brothers and bonding.

 Same for Dick and Jason. I wish we had more of them together before Jason's death, and after too... They've been brothers for à long time, their relationship from start to Jay's death to him coming back... Is so interesting. Also, same goes for Cassandra and any of them.

9. Tim getting genuinely interested about Wayne Enterprise, and going to work with Bruce. Asking à million questions and mimicking à lot of B's mannerisms. Dick never showed much intérest in the company, and Jason could've been à great "heir " to it all had he not die and all... I don't think neither Damian nor Cass would care much. But Tim ? First canonically he is interested. But even so, he's just that "type" of kid ya know ? I bet he'd be very excited about the charity side of it all, and find novel ways to to make the world a better place. After all Tim is thé only one of the Robins to not have à tragic background (at least at first, after je was also hit with loss and pain... ) when he first became Robin, and who helped Batman and all completely selflessly. Because it was the right thing to do, and for no other tragic reasons.

10. Damian learning/enjoying really normal basic things gives me life ? Like the boy grew up in such à specific environment, there's so many things he must've missed...Disney movies marathon, vidéo games, just having fun without any other purpose than to have fun (no training), knowing what it is to feel safe and warm... You know. I wish we'd just see Damian understanding and learning things he was just never given, that are just... Nice. Of course being Batman's son means his life can never be completely normal (and I'm not sure he could fully adapt to à normal life... People always seem to forgét the deep traumas he went through during his childhood, which is why he was how Hé was at first...aaaah Damian came à long way), but you know, hé can still expérience so many new things, with his siblings and all ? With his father who tries really hard ? With Alfred ? Just. Seeing truly Damian have that character development without backtracking on it all the time (you know how in canon stories he's à total brat, then gets better, then back to à friendless brat who hates everyone and so on and s forth :/). Seeing him wanting to become better, and actually having à nice évolution.

_____________________

When I'm sad, I like to headcanon scènes about the Batfam, stuffs I wish we could see etc etc haha. Here's just à few I thought about today. I just.. Love them so much, love to share my love for them, and néed to escape current canon a lot haha. Anyway. Here we are.

PS : Sorry for any typo, I wrote this on my phone, and since I'm French, the autoccorect is changing almost every English words to French ones and I might've missed à few mistakes it made ( which drives me crazy haha. And is why I only put 10 "scènes" and not more... Ah, for another post ?).

#Bruce Wayne #Jason Todd #Tim Drake #Cassandra Cain #Richard Grayson #Damian Wayne #Batfamily #Batman #Nightwing #Robin #Red Hood #Red Robin #DC headcanon #Batfam #DC comics #Hiding in my headcanons #And ignoring canons haha #Terrible terrible current canon #This neanderthal Bruce and his abuse #...not our Batman ! #Awfuuuuul anyway here haha #Alfred Pennyworth #Batdad #Batkids

[the-omni-princess]

Fleece Navidad

Author: @the-omni-princess​

Summary: Your residential frequent flyer has a good reason for wanting to stop by to see you – again.

Prompt: Doctor AU

Word Count: 1.2K

Pairing: Doctor!Latina!Reader x Biker!Bucky

Warnings: Mentions of ER emergencies (including: Stomach related sicknesses, stabbings, broken bones, small cuts, and injuries), cursing

A/N:

This was for @mypassionsarenysins​​ ‘s 1k challenge! Congrats!!! Prompt was Doctor AU #mypassionsarenysins1k

Merry Christmas, Happy First Night of Hanukah, and Happy Holidays!!!

I also have a Stucky fic posting on Christmas (I hope), and another fic posting before the years ended! Hopefully will have started that Blood Bound chapter as well! Have a great holiday guys! <3

-

[Masterlist]

It was yet another long night with little to no sleep. At the very least, the ER seemed to be mostly empty. A few kids that ate stuff they weren’t supposed to, an accidental hand stabbing in Room 3, and a broken ankle in Room 5. For an ER in Brooklyn at night, it could have been much worse, but it seemed with the oncoming snowstorm, fewer people seemed to be out. Fewer people, fewer emergencies, and a slow night.

It was almost midnight Christmas night, and you sipped on your gingerbread coffee, counting down the minutes until your shift was over and you could spend the next few days on break from work. The nurses on duty had most of the patients covered, while you, the main doctor on duty for another hour, just watched over the few people still here. For once, it was peaceful. That was until your residential frequent flyer strolled in.

James “Bucky” Barnes, the president of the Avengers Motorcycle Club, sauntered in, clutching his arm. His number two and three, Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson, by his side, both looking equally bored. “Mr. Barnes,” you sighed softly, letting one of the nurses handle the sick child with food poisoning in Room 2. “To what do I owe the absolute pleasure?” sarcasm dripped like venom in your voice. Overall, the Avengers were a band of Do-gooders, intimidating bikers that protected the people who needed it around town; but lately, their president seemed to have a permanent bed in your ER.

“Aw, doll, it’s good to see you too,” Bucky teased back, grinning as he followed you to Room 4, sitting on the bed. “See it’s not too bad today, just some bruises and cuts, making sure I didn’t break anything is all.” He held out his arm, and sure enough, his wrist was bruised up, swollen, with a bit of blood.

You glanced towards his cohorts, “Do you just let him run into walls like a Roomba?” you looked more annoyed than anything. Sure, this biker was cute – okay fine, hot as fuck – but he tended to just take up space in your ER. Granted, he only seemed to show up when you were on duty and when the ER was slow, but still.

“Aw, doll, you’re no fun. It’s Christmas and you're stuck here,” he pouted as you began to clean and bandage his wrist, quickly figuring out it wasn’t broken and didn’t need stitches. Both of his friends looked at him with a pointed expression when you turned around.

“I’m here because I want to, Barnes. It’s my job.” You finished bandaging him before sitting beside him. “Rogers, Wilson, out. You two can wait in the waiting room.” Both men rushed out the curtain, moving down the hallway quickly. You turned on the biker, your face scrunched up, “How many times do I have to tell you, Bucky? Stay out of my ER! Just because we went on a few dates and have one tomorrow doesn’t mean you can take up space when others might need it.”

Bucky had the decency to look away bashfully, “I didn’t want you to be alone on Christmas, baby doll,” he murmured softly, making you melt.

“Babe, I celebrated Christmas yesterday. Had my sisters over, that’s why I didn’t go out to lunch with you. I’m Latina, I’ve always celebrated Christmas the night before.” You said gently, smiling faintly as he went red.

“Oh-Oh! Fuck, I’m sorry, Sweetheart, I wasn’t thinking-“

“You’re right, you weren’t, but I forgive you,” you teased, kissing his cheek before checking your watch. “I’m off in twenty minutes, think you can have enough patience to wait for me in the waiting room with the boys?”

He nodded quickly, grinning, “Poor guys think I’m a love-sick puppy, following you around.”

“That’s because you are, babe,” you teased, smiling up at him. “You get out of here and tell them either about us or some excuse, I’ll be there when I clock out.”

He stood back up, smiling as he pulled you into his arms. “Promise?”

“Promise,” you kissed his nose, “Now go.”

He reluctantly walked off towards your waiting room while you checked on the last few patients of yours. You quickly said goodbye a few minutes later to your nurses and the doctor rotating onto duty while you clocked out.

When you made your way to the waiting room, Bucky, Steve, and Sam stood there, the latter two with shit-eating grins on their faces. “Should I ask whats got you two so excited?” You teased, unable to stop the smile from your face as Bucky led you out the door and into the chilly weather. No snow this Christmas but still decently cold, which had you shivering in your scrubs. The current fleece sweater you were wearing with the words ‘Fleece Navidad’ and a little sheep wasn’t giving you much warmth as the temperature dropped.

Bucky placed his leather jacket around your shoulders, using the little shuffle you did into the warmth of the leather – the scent of smoky cologne filling your senses – to pull you into his embrace. “I might have told them about us,” he said in a soft voice, tilting your chin up gently.

“Oh, did you now?” You grinned, “Did you also mention that you’re a secret teddy bear that didn’t want his girlfriend to feel lonely on Christmas, so you slammed your hand into a wall?”

Sam snickered behind you, and Bucky shot him a dirty look before softening as he looked back down towards you. “I might have skipped that part. Let me give you a ride home, sweetheart. My ma would kill me if she found out I let you take the subway home this late at night in this weather.” He gently pushed a stray baby hair out of your face, your usual work hairdo messy from the long and hectic shift.

“Only if you can promise me hot cocoa and dancing to Christmas Frank Sinatra record.”

“Deal,” he pulled you closer, making a shooing motion towards his friends as he finally closed the distance and kissed you softly. Slow movements underneath the spell of each other, gentle caresses, not caring about the intruders to your little moment.

“Not to make this even cuter, but you guys are even under the mistletoe!” Steve teased, Sam and him chuckling as the leaned on the wall near their bikes.

You looked up, and sure enough, one of your coworkers had taped a small bundle of mistletoe above your heads. Bucky couldn’t help but chuckle, tugging you impossibly closer. “Perfect,” he kissed your nose, absentmindedly noticing it was growing cold, making you melt with his charming and goofy smile. “Merry Christmas, baby girl.”

“Merry Christmas, Bucky.” Surrounded by the lights of a distance ambulance leaving the lot and the bright white lights of the inside of the ER, you couldn’t help but compare it to the holiday lights strung around the rest of the city, bathing you and Bucky with holiday warmth as Carol of the Bells begun to play in some café down the street. This right here, with the man you were slowly but quickly falling in love with, was the most perfect end to your holiday than you could have dreamt of.

---

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