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sunnyville36 · 3 years

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Mamihlapinatapai {part 2}

Thank you all so sooo much for the kind feedback on part 1! Part 2 is coming at you now! 💜

Need to catch up? {overview} {part 1}

Pairing: Bang Chan x Female Reader

Themes: royal au, medieval au, court intrigue, arranged marriage, original characters, mutual pining, slow burn

Warnings: injuries, mentions of death/war/murder, emotionally abusive parents

Rating: Mature

Word count: 4.5k

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Mamihlapinatapai - (noun, Yagán origin) a silent acknowledgement and understanding between two people, who are both wishing or thinking the same thing (and are both unwilling to initiate)

A Summer’s Ball | Kingdom of Gu, present day

The next few days were just as tumultuous as the first, Chan and Korenna slowly progressing from treating each other with complete silence, to short-lived bickering, to finally being able to hold a civil conversation for at least a few minutes. You escorted them to more ceremony preparation meetings, then to councils with the foreign affairs ministers, the historians, the priests, each one stressing how this union would be a stepping stone in your two kingdoms’ relations and they should think of it as a huge honor. You couldn’t help but feel sorry for the both of them, being reminded over and over how their lives were simply a means to an end, to be controlled at the whim of their fathers’ aspirations.

A turning point finally came when the three of you visited the city surrounding the palace grounds, the prince refusing to miss his weekly visit to the village market. Chan loved to interact with his people, to support their businesses, to hear their grievances, to show he cared. You followed behind the two of them as you walked through the plaza lined with stalls, Chan waving to each of the merchants, Korenna watching him with a mix of reservation and admiration.

“Your people seem to be thriving. I wish I could say the same about our villages.”

You eyed Chan, knew he was forcing himself to hold back a biting remark, likely about how if Lajor’s people were currently suffering, it was the monarchy’s fault. He finally came up with a question, trying his best to keep the conversation going.

“Have you brought up your concerns to your father?”

“I’ve tried, but he doesn’t want to listen to anything I have to say. All he cares about is what he thinks is right, no matter who suffers for it.”

Chan nodded solemnly, “I can understand that.”

Korenna gave him a somber look and appeared to have something more she wanted to say, but was promptly dragged off by a small child wanting to show her his father’s bakery stall.

You nudged Chan’s arm. “See, she’s not so bad, Your Highness. If you give her a chance.”

He started in the direction of the princess, turning to walk backwards and smile at you with his arms out in a lighthearted shrug, “If you say so.”

***

That evening the king was hosting a ball, to celebrate the engagement of the prince. You’d helped Chan dress, his midnight blue velvet ensemble and dark hair set off against the silver crown he wore making him look more like a deity of the moon than an earthly prince. Then you had gone to assist Korenna. You couldn’t deny how beautiful she looked as you watched her from across the room, her champagne colored gown and perfectly curled blonde hair standing out against the relatively muted colors worn by the other attendees. She was standing away from Chan, talking amongst a group of noblemen’s wives and other high powered ladies, but her eyes never strayed far from his back as he talked with Minho and some other knights around a wooden table in the corner.

“You look quite stunning tonight, Y/n. Purple is definitely your color,” came a deep voice on your left, and you turned to see Prince Felix approaching you, his small frame clothed in a breathtaking deep red suit. The younger brother of Prince Minho, Felix had the sunniest personality of anyone you’d ever met, quite contrasting to his voice but in perfect harmony with the bright smile he flashed as he reached your side. It had been several months since you’d last seen him, his studies as apprentice to your kingdom’s Chief Healer taking him to the academy in the highlands far away from the city.

“Prince Felix!” you exclaimed, arms reaching to pull him into a quick hug. “I could say the same for you; that red suits you perfectly, Your Grace.”

Felix laughed, releasing you from his hold. You and he had been close friends since childhood, ever since, at the age of 5, he’d stepped on the hem of your skirt and you’d pushed him into a mud puddle, causing guards to rush over and attempt to have you arrested. His mother and the queen had stepped in, calming the guards as you remorsefully reached out your hand to help him up only to be pulled down into the mud next to him, the both of you dissolving into fits of laughter.

“I’ve missed the city. And it seems the city has missed me for all the excitement it’s spun up in my absence.” His eyes followed your gaze to where Korenna had made her way over to Chan, and watched as she led him out to the quiet balcony overlooking the gardens. “How are you taking all of this?”

“I’m fine, Your Grace. What reason would I have not to celebrate such a momentous occasion?”

Felix fixed you with a knowing look, but dropped the subject, content to stand with you at the edge of the dance floor.

“Y/n, I thought I told you not to let Christopher and the princess out of your sight,” came King Bang’s voice from behind you. “The last thing we need is for them to get into one of their verbal sparring matches with the whole court present.”

You turned, lowering your head to the king. “Of course, Your Majesty.”

You left Felix next to the king, his expression turned to one of distaste at his new company, and walked quietly out onto the balcony where the couple was talking.

They were standing closer together than you had ever seen them, leaning forward against the railing’s edge. They seemed to be deep in conversation, Korenna actually reaching her hand up to place it on Chan’s back. It didn’t feel right watching them without their knowledge, so you cleared your throat loudly, causing both their heads to snap up. Chan looked slightly embarrassed, his head tilting forward, but Korenna’s expression was almost unreadable. She stood staring at you for a few seconds, then pursed her lips, nodded her head to Chan, and walked back into the main ballroom as you approached him.

“I apologize, Your Highness, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“Trust me, Y/n, you didn’t,” came Chan’s tired reply. You wanted to know if she had upset him, to know how you could comfort him.

“What were you discussing?”

A soft song started to make its way out from the half-open door. Chan looked up at you, completely ignoring your question.

“Dance with me?”

Several seconds went by in silence. He reached out his hand, eyes imploring you to say something, to say yes.

This was dangerous. You couldn’t think of a worse position to be caught in, dancing with a betrothed man far above your stature. But you also couldn’t think of a way to say no to him.

You took his hand and he pulled you flush against him immediately. You tried to resist the urge to place your head on his chest, but the feeling of being in his arms was too much, made you feel so safe. So you laid your cheek there and felt a low hum come up through his chest. It was quiet for a while, the two of you simply swaying back and forth, not doing any particular dance. You felt his head rise from where it had been resting on top of your head.

“I’ve always thought you were beautiful, but you look gorgeous tonight Y/n.”

“You told me that earlier, Your Highness.”

“I know. I wanted to tell you again.”

Then he placed his head back down and you continued to spin in slow circles until the song ended. He brought your movements to a stop, taking your hand and kissing the top of it as he leaned forward in an exaggerated bow, “Thank you for the dance, my lady.”

You looked at him with a small smile. “You’re welcome, Your Highness.”

He returned your smile, turned, and walked back towards the party. You felt your chest tighten, feeling a little too much like your dance had been his way of saying goodbye.

Thinly Veiled Threats | Kingdom of Gu, 6 years ago

“Watch out!”

You turned towards the direction of the voice just in time to see Chan break through the wooden fence in front of you, thrown off his horse by the force of the lance he just took to the chest.

The prince had just turned seventeen, which made him eligible to compete in the annual Four Kingdom Competition, where knights, lords, and even royalty from the continent’s four greatest kingdoms met to determine who among them would be crowned victor in a series of strength tests. His father had of course insisted he enter on his first eligible year, which had led to the activity you were currently engaged in, training a boy who was used to classrooms, libraries, and diplomacy lessons the intricacies of hand to hand combat. The tasks ranged from archery to sword fighting, wrestling to jousting, and while Chan knew his way around a broadsword and shield, it was clear that the latter of those was not going to be Chan’s strong suit.

You walked calmly towards where he sat on the ground, knowing he would only be more embarrassed by any attempts to rush to his aide. He was sitting up, so you could tell he wasn’t badly injured, but his right hand still stretched across his abdomen to clutch at his left side. He’d been hit there at least three times now, and if you had to guess, what was once a bad bruise was more likely a patch of broken skin at this point.

Voices floated around you as you pushed your way through the small crowd that had gathered around him, many asking the prince if he was alright or giving unsolicited advice on how to avoid the outcome he seemed to be cursed with. You picked up on the voice of a squire, one who served the boy who had knocked Chan down most recently, as he nudged the side of the older boy’s arm.

“You could have gone a little easier on him, you know. His mother just died.”

Great. Just what you needed; a physically and emotionally wounded Chan.

“Alright, give him some room everyone. His Highness is fine; go back to your own practicing.” You shooed away the stragglers and knelt so Chan could wrap his free arm around your neck, hoisting him up and slowly making your way to the infirmary tent. Leaning him against the side of a cot, you reached for the clean cloth and distilled vodka; this was going to hurt like a bitch, but Chan could take it.

“You’re pulling back too much and too early, it leaves your side vulnerable,” you said, carefully easing off his ripped tunic so you could tend to his wound.

He stayed silent for a few moments, fingers gripping harshly against your shoulder as you cleaned the cut and wrapped a bandage around his midsection.

“I…,” he trailed off, seeming to struggle to find the words he was looking for. “I’m a coward. I’m a failure and a coward and everyone knew it except me, until just now.”

His words knocked the wind out of you. You knew he was ashamed (entirely unnecessarily) when he couldn’t hold back the tears at his mother’s funeral while his father maintained his perfectly stoic expression (that heartless bastard), knew he was self-conscious about his fighting abilities, but you’d never heard him express that insecurity so directly before.

“Your Highness,” you spoke softly but forcefully, hands cupping his face to make him look you in the eye, “you are one of the bravest men I know. You have one of the hardest burdens a person can bear on your shoulders, have had it since you were born, and you carry it with grace and dignity and compassion. You inspire me and countless others every day with your strength and generosity. You are not a coward.”

He looked back at you, and suddenly you felt yourself being engulfed in his embrace, his legs parting to pull you close to him. He wrapped his arms tightly around your chest, his head pressing into the crook of your neck. Slowly you brought your hands up and began to rub small circles on his bare back. This was the most emotion he’d shown since that night you stood beside his mother’s bed, watching as he held her hand and whispered all the things he wanted to tell her one last time. You were a little overwhelmed, but mostly happy, happy that maybe he was feeling again. Eventually you heard his quiet voice next to your ear, “Thank you, Y/n.”

Then he released you from his hold, donned his shirt, and walked back to the jousting pitch. You watched him go, until a deliberate cough came from behind you, shattering your reverie.

“I suppose he’s lucky to have you.” The words spilled from the king’s mouth, his signature gravelly voice seeming to chase all other sound from the tent.

“My apologies, Your Majesty, I hadn’t noticed you were here,” you spoke, bending into a curtsey.

“It seems it is quite easy for the two of you not to notice others when you think you are alone.”

You blinked, unsure of where the king was going with his remarks. He sidled up to you, close enough you could hear him at a whisper.

“I may have owed your family a debt, but that has been repaid ten-fold. I know my son, know he would never be led astray of his responsibilities unless you gave credence to those thoughts in his head, fed his intimate physical desires. So do not delude yourself into thinking you can take him from me, little servant girl. And if he ever does come to me, asking me to set aside our laws, our traditions, so he can marry you, I’ll know what you have done, and you will never see the light of day again. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Satisfied with your response, he left you there, his words staining your mind like the bloody cloth you clutched in your hands.

The Hunt | Kingdom of Gu, present day

How he managed to get his father to agree to this you had no idea. But Chan always was very convincing when he needed to be.

You were preparing for a day’s long hunt. In all honesty it was an excellent idea; it would give Chan space to be himself after having been shut inside the palace for two weeks, preparing for his impending nuptials. Normally this was one of your favorite activities to do with Chan and the knights; getting to ride, to spend time in the woods, maybe use your bow. But the one condition of the king’s agreement had been that Korenna was going too.

She’d been different with you, with everyone really, since that night on the balcony, avoiding attempts to make small talk and speaking harshly when she made requests. You didn’t want your relationship with her to turn sour, seeing as you’d soon be serving her for the rest of her life (and yours), so you held your tongue and pressed on with your duties.

Chan’s black courser and your chestnut palfrey were saddled, and you were in the midst of preparing a well-tempered white mare for the princess.

“Good morning, Y/n.”

You looked up, seeing the dark head of hair and upside down smirk belonging to Prince Minho smiling down at you as he leaned over your kneeling frame. “Good morning, Your Grace.”

You were not as close to Minho as you were to Felix, but you had always gotten along well, your similar sense of humor and affinity for archery solidifying your friendship.

He offered his hand to pull you up, which you accepted. “I’m glad you will be joining us on this outing, Y/n. I’m not sure I could handle Chan and Korenna on my own, even with 5 other knights to accompany me.”

You hummed in agreement, finishing attaching the bridle around the mare’s head. “I’m not sure you could either, Your Grace.”

Minho let out his signature high pitched laugh as the rest of your party approached, and the two of you maneuvered to the front of the pack as you set off towards the nearby woods. You all rode in silence for a while, riding not typically being an activity that required much talking, until you heard Korenna speak from her position next to Chan in the middle of your group.

“So, who is the best at the strength tasks of the Four Kingdom Competition?”

A strange question to ask so out of the blue, but you supposed it was somewhat relevant to the situation at hand.

“His Highness is an excellent swordsman,” you replied, looking back slightly in their direction.

“Sir Jeongin has given us all a run for our money in the wrestling ring,” you heard a voice from the back say. He must be one of the other knights in your party.

Chan replied next, “Minho is a skilled horseman, beats me in the joust nearly every time.”

Minho’s eyebrows rose up at that, smirking as he rounded out the answers, “And Y/n here is an expert marksman. She’s the best I’ve ever seen with a bow.”

You thanked him mentally, hoping he could read it in the look on your face. You weren’t about to boast about your own talents to the princess, but it was nice to know that she was now aware you weren’t just some lovesick girl who followed the prince around, that you actually took your responsibilities seriously.

“Really? And who taught you about archery, Y/n?” You thought you heard a touch of menace in her normally high pitched voice, but brushed it off.

“I’ve had many teachers, Your Grace, but the first was my father.”

“How very… non-traditional. Where is your father now? I’d love to meet him.”

You saw Chan and Minho tense in their saddles, well aware of what your answer would be.

“He died, Your Grace.”

“Oh,” said Korenna, her voice noticeably softer now, “I apologize for bringing up a sore subject.”

“It’s alright, Your Grace,” you replied. “It was a long time ago. You couldn’t have known.”

An uncomfortable silence fell on the group then, but luckily your first planned stop was not far ahead. A small grove of trees surrounding a clearing was where you usually began the hunt, splitting off in different directions and meeting back there before sundown. But because you had the princess with you today, it was a more laid back affair, and you’d planned to have a picnic of sorts before you continued in earnest.

Everyone set about unpacking the sacks that carried your meal for the day. You uncorked your canteen, taking a sip before heaving an exasperated sigh.

You’d forgotten to bring extra water for the horses.

You called over to Chan, where he stood spreading out a blanket for Korenna to sit on.

“Your Highness, I’m going to the creek to get water for the horses.”

Chan looked up and you could see the smile on his face from where you stood across the grove. “I’ll go with you!” he said happily, only to have his arm tugged back by the princess next to him.

“You are not a servant, Chan. I’m sure Y/n can go by herself.”

Your loud conversation had caught the attention of the rest of the group, who were all looking over at you in interest. You were surprised by her bluntness, but she did have a point. “Her Grace is right, I don’t need you to accompany me, Your Highness. I simply wanted to tell you where I was going.”

Chan gave a side glare at Korenna, but agreed. “Fine, but you shouldn’t go alone. Sir Jeongin - “

A tall boy, clad in the red, black, and gold uniform of your knights, walked over to the prince. He was no more than eighteen, must have only just taken his oath. You remembered his name from the earlier conversation about the strength tests, impressed he was making a name for himself so early.

“ - please accompany Y/n to the stream to fetch water for the horses.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

So the two of you set off, leaving the rest to their meals. You didn’t really need a knight for protection, but your heart warmed at the gesture of Chan not wanting you to go alone. You arrived at the bank of the creek and began filling some extra pouches you had brought with water.

“It’s so much quieter here,” Jeongin commented absentmindedly.

Despite the sound of the water running, you agreed it did seem calmer here than in the grove you came from. As you knelt by the edge of the stream, you noticed large patches of grass surrounding some nearby trees had been pressed down. Curious, you walked over to the area, observing the singed ground and muddy boot prints on the rocks, telltale signs of human presence. You hadn’t run into anyone else on your walk over, but maybe there were some others out riding today. Raising your head, you called to your companion, “Sir Jeongin! Were there any other hunting parties out today?”

“Not that I know of, Miss,” Jeongin replied, his expression revealing he was rather confused by your question.

You looked around again, and that was when you noticed the torn piece of blue fabric latched to a jagged branch on a nearby tree. Your blood ran cold and you grabbed Jeongin’s arm, breaking into a run.

“We need to get back to them. Now.”

You’d made it about half way back to the grove when you heard a scream, you and Jeongin sprinting to reach the clearing. But when you arrived, the scene was entirely not what you expected.

Your mind had immediately gone to the Lajorans when you spotted that piece of cloth on the tree. But here you stood, watching men clad in your own colors raise their swords to clash with the group of knights who’d accompanied you and the royals. Your eyes frantically searched among the chaos, looking for Chan, but before you could spot him you noticed Korenna, hiding alone behind a large rock at the edge of the treeline. You pulled Jeongin back behind a tree, gesturing in her direction.

“Do you see the princess over there? You’re going to grab her, get on a horse, and ride back to the palace now.”

Jeongin was looking at you with wide, scared eyes; his mouth was open, not making a sound.

You shook his shoulder. “Sir Jeongin, do you understand me? Do not look back at us, just take the princess and get her to safety. I need you to do this.”

Your words seemed to finally reach him, and he set his mouth in a straight line. “Yes, I can do that.”

“Good. Go. And don’t look back.”

He left your spot behind the tree and you turned back to the action in the grove, still trying to find the prince. Finally your eyes landed on two men standing back to back, swords flying as they blocked the attack of about 6 different men.

Chan and Minho.

You started towards them, reaching for your own sword, when you spotted someone perched in a tree right outside the circle of men. The attackers started to pull back from around the two princes, and you could see exactly who the archer had in his line of sight.

You screamed his name, sprinting to cross the clearing and threw your body in front of him, arms outstretched.

You felt a sharp pain in your left shoulder as you fell against Chan’s chest, his arms coming up to catch you.

“Y/n! Y/n!”

Trumpets were blaring from the direction of the castle as Minho dragged Chan back, still desperately clutching you in his arms. The attackers were dispersing and you heard the sound of a voice saying “Chris”; it took a moment for you to realize it was your own.

“I’m here, Y/n, I’m here. Just hold on please. You’re going to be okay, just please hold on.”

The last thing you saw were his eyes as your vision went black.

Of Flower Buds and Roots | Kingdom of Gu, 16 years ago

“Mother, when will they be here?”

You were standing in the open-air courtyard at the front of the palace, your mother’s hands on your shoulders. The two of you had moved to the palace a few years ago, when your mother had gotten a job as a servant there after the war ended. Today, you were told, would be the day you were to start your position there, as personal attendant to the young crown prince.

“I’m sure soon darling. Remember we never rush royalty.”

As you waited, your eye was caught by a small boy standing with a large scary looking man. He looked to be about your age and was holding a tiny bouquet of wildflowers in his hand. The man seemed to be trying to take them away, but the boy clutched them to his chest. A woman who you thought you’d seen before approached them, glaring at the man, who backed away from the boy as she took his hand. Then, they started walking towards you.

Your mother tightened her grip on your shoulders, bending into a curtsey and pushing you down with her. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty.”

“The pleasure is ours,” came the queen’s pleasant voice. She knelt down between you and the boy.

“You must be Y/n. This is my son Christopher, the prince. You will serve as his attendant.”

You stared at the boy, his eyes even with yours, hair mussed and shirt covered in dirt.

“He doesn’t look like a prince. He looks like me”

“Y/n!” your mother gasped, the queen chuckling slightly and calming your mother with a hand on her arm.

“You’re right, he might not look like one yet. But it’s going to be your job to help him become one. Do you think you can do that?”

You pondered her question and finally said, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

She smiled and stepped aside, placing her hands on Chan’s back and pushing him forward.

“Hi Y/n!” the boy said excitedly. “My name’s Chris. Or Chan. Either’s fine! I brought you these flowers! I thought they might look pretty in your hair.”

He extended his tiny fist holding the flowers and you took one from the bunch, pulling back your hair and putting the flower behind your ear.

Chan’s face immediately lit up in the brightest smile you’d ever seen, his eyes crinkling cutely. “I was right!”

From that moment on, you decided there was nothing you wouldn’t do to see that smile on his face.

{part 3}

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her-world-on-fire · 3 years

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Your Skin {Jason Todd x Reader}

MASTERLIST

REQUEST HERE

Word Count: 1,080

Warning NSFW indicated by the italics under the cut

I STRETCHED my arm cross the smooth silk sheets. The cool fabric contrasted the warmth coming from my skin. The left side of the bed was empty. My eyes still lidded with sleep, I moved out of bed. My feet touched the cold tiles, and I looked out on the balcony.

There was the slightest breeze coming from the doors. They had been left slightly ajar. As I moved to the door I wrapped my arms around myself. I had went to sleep with just Jason’s shirt. His shirt went to my mid thigh exposing the rest of my body.

As I got closer, I could see a silhouette in the balcony.

Jason didn’t need to say anything. Everything about him showed that he had a bad day. His arms were crossed over his chest, his biceps flexed as he leaned against the railing. He was shirtless, every scar was on display. Normally he would never be shirtless out in public. It’s not easy to hide the autopsy scar. He was constantly reminded of his death every time he looked at himself.

He hadn’t spoken much since he got back. He had arrived from patrol and took a shower. His blood soaked clothes sat on the bathroom floor. He had used the suture kit,he left the iodine packaging inside the bottom of the trash bin hoping to hide it.

I knew better than to press him about it. He was going to talk when he was ready. I gently opened the door and he turned to me. He had a pack of cigarettes inside his hand. He had opened it, but he hadn’t had one yet. He promised he would quit. He didn’t want to break his promise, but the agitation was making withdrawal worse.

He didn’t say anything, holding the box in between his two fingers he held it out to me.

It all seemed so mundane. He had gotten a second chance at life and he wasn’t going to toss it away over a pack of cigarettes. I took the pack and placed it on the seat to my left. We looked at the night sky, enjoying each others presence. His fists were clenched, they were pale white. They were bruised, there were fresh wounds on his knuckles. Old scars from previous fights. His breathing indicated his heart rate was higher than it usually was. He was trying his best to keep it steady, using the tricks Bruce had taught him. He just couldn’t seem to calm himself down. I put my hand over his and gently stroked his thumb.

“I almost lost it today.”

His voice was hoarse, he hadn’t spoken a word since before he left for patrol. It hadn’t been like this before. He must’ve done a substantial amount of yelling for it to sound like that. I continued listening. “I grabbed him by the collar and I threw him against the wall. I just lost it. I hit him once. Then it became twice, and I kept hitting him. I could feel the crack in his bones and I just didn’t care. Tim and Dick had to pull me off.” His voice trembled uneasily as he recounted the events.

I turned toward him and put his hand on his face, “But you stopped. A year ago you wouldn’t be sitting here thinking about what you did.” He sighed, he knew I was right. “And you saved a lot of lives tonight.” He nodded the colors had returned to his fists. He leaned over and kissed my lips gently. My fingers trailed up to his hair. His hands moved to my waist and he pulled me closer to him.

“We should take this inside.”

I opened the door into the bedroom and Jason followed closely behind. I stopped in front on the bed and he hovered over me. I pulled him in and kissed him. I wasted no time. My hands moved down his abdomen then lower, I pulled back the fabric of his sweats. His breath became uneasy. I toyed with his waist band. He pushed his hips forward indicating he wanted more.

I broke the kiss and pulled down his sweats and boxers. I moved slowly onto my knees. His erection sprang up, and I gently leaned down. I gave him open wet kisses on his right thigh. He let out a groan, my hand moved to his length. I took him in my mouth and moved up and down against him. My cheeks were hollowed out, his hands moved to the back of my head. He moved me faster against him. His dick twitched, he was getting close. Before he came he pulled me up and threw me on the bed. He flipped me over so that my ass was up. He pulled up my waist and got in bed behind me.

His hands gripped either side of my waist tightly. He spread my legs with his knees. He pushed inside of me making us both cry out. He gave me no time to adjust, as he slammed back into me. He used his grip on my waist to pull me against him. I arched my back up to him trying to get even closer to him. “Jason.” At the sound of me saying his name he groaned.

His hand reached down and he pulled me against his chest. I leaned back against him. One hand was around my neck, the other trailed down. His hand moved slowly towards my clit. He moved his finger in circles. He started off slow. I cried out, completely overwhelmed. He smiled against my neck, and began to move faster inside me.

Jason was a gentlemen. His first object was to make me finish fist. I gripped his wrist tightly crying out as he continued his relentless pace. I clenched around him. “Fuck.” He moaned against my ear, his hand moved even faster against my clit. He could sense I was close. He let go of my neck and I moved back to the mattress. He now had an even better angle. He used all of his energy and fucked me harder.

I clenched around him again, and my vision blurred. He came soon after, helping me ride out my high. He pulled out gently and laid down next me me. We were both still out of breath. He pulled me against him. He kissed my forehead and put his arm around me.

“I love you.”

#Jason Todd #Jason Peter Todd #jason todd x reader #jason todd smut #red hood #jason todd x you #red hood x reader #jason todd x y/n #jason todd reader insert #jason todd imagine #red hood imagine #red hood reader insert #batboys #batboys smut

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bloodycassian · 3 years

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“research” Rhysand x reader - reader is a Peregryn descendant from Dawn court acting as Emissary. Rhys takes reader to a museum.

Rhys’ approving stare burned into your back as you stood on the balcony, wings flared. Your Peregryn feathers were a lovely contrast to his dark Illyrian like bat wings. He often muttered his envy about them to you, especially after being intimate. He loved to stroke them and admire the softness and his muttered approvals soothed you to sleep.

Maybe his approval was coming from the sight of your naked body in the silver moonlight. You felt a swell of heat rush to your cheeks as he approached, his wings also extended. They flared as he reached the open air on the balcony. The shimmering lights of velaris in the snow far, far below. The magic of the House retained the slight wind that blew through, but warmed it instantly.

“Quite a fancy house for one cruel high lord. I imagine most would think that the Night Court would also be cold.” You remarked, tucking your wings in slightly so he could stand next to you. He tucked in his as well, understanding the sensitivity of such a part being touched.

Rhysand knew how such a simple touch of a wing could be the undoing of many different feelings. From the pain of them being bent wrong, or pleasure of them being toyed with exactly right. Toying - for research he had called it. Figuring out which form of wing was more sensitive.

“Cruel or no, most of us here have spent far too much time in the cold of Illyrian mountains to settle for less. Azriel usually says if he wasn’t aligned with me, he’d move to the Summer court.” He leaned over the railing, taking in a deep breath of the fresh air. Something in his eyes gleamed, and a small smile appeared.

“Seeing the master of Shadows in a place so bright would be quite the contrast.” You grinned, gripping the railing tight. The urge to jump off and fly was nearly overwhelming. Your wings extended, craving the cold bite of the wind. Despite being such a small heritage, your instincts were sometimes overwhelming. You felt the corners of your lips fall, the memories of your few cousins falling to enemies during the War coming back.

Rhys tucked his wings in, turning to you. Something like sadness was there in his eyes, making you nervous. “You may leave when you wish. I only ask that you give me...a warning. So I can have a story ready for my court when you go.” He said too formally, as if he had practiced this. After the months of you visiting as a communication link with Thesan, you knew you would have to leave at some point. But you had yet to hear the order to do so. And you much preferred the scenery of Rhy’s court than the safe harbor home Thesan kept sunny constantly. It was… refreshing. Much like Rhy’s presence.

“Are you telling me to go?” You nudged him slightly, knowing it’d rattle him. His eyes shot to you, and he nudged you back. “Never. I just… wish you could stay.”

He had more to say than that, and you knew it. “Then why ask me if I need to go?”

“Because the longer you stay the less I think I will be willing to let you go.” He wrapped his arms around you, the evidence of claim apparent through his thin cotton pants. “Even if Thesan is one of my closest allies. I may just have to keep you for myself.” His head lowered to your ear as he said it, his lips grazing your skin. You felt your core tense and heat.

“I dont know what you’re talking about. I am merely a communicator between two courts.” You grinned, nipping his ear. His low growl was anything but agreeing. His hands were on you, slowly palming your sensitive areas, lighting your insides on fire. He gave you a lingering kiss before pulling away. He eyed you suspiciously, seeming to deliberate to himself.

Then, he snapped and suddenly you were fully clothed, and he was standing on the balcony railing. The silver light painted his hair and wings in a dull blue hue. “I have a different idea for us tonight… if you can keep up that is.” His wild smile told you all you needed to know. He leapt gracefully, before catching the wind below with a fading laugh. You cursed quietly to yourself, hauling your body up to the pillar and sending yourself soaring.

“Dont tell me this is some kind of Illyrian initiation.” You chided, matching his pace as best you could. It was hard to not outpace him as he glided, his enormous wings gliding on the cool air.

He laughed, banking slightly as you approached the small city below. Nestled into the mountain side along the sea, it didnt seem as harsh as the Illyian camps he had showed you from afar. Your mind flashed to those camps, the tents and the tooth chattering cold. No, this place was much too homey for such a camp.

“This is… a gallery of sorts. Not many come here, but I thought it would also be nice for you to be able to tell Thesan about such a place.” He slowly began descending as he explained, and indeed the location seemed to have many large ancient looking items outside.

As soon as you landed you were taken aback. The sight of an enormous, dark stone that took up the majority of the space outside the carved entrance to the gallery. A path had been worn around it, as if the spot had many visitors. You doubted many but Rhys even knew about the place.

“It’s- it reminds me of you.” You were in awe. The stone glittered in the torchlight, but remained dark where the light wasnt refracted. It was smooth as well, besides the jagged and pointed edges.

Rhysand turned from the mountain entrance “The rock? Darling just wait until you see inside.” He smiled, waving you over. With a wave of his hand, the door opened, pulling back then sliding away. Faelights slowly hummed to life inside the cavernous space. You couldnt see the entire room but the area must have been enormous. No way to see all of the things held inside in one day. Not even multiple days you were willing to bet. “Priestesses are the only others allowed here besides residents of Velaris, but not many of either ever visit. He explained, sending more faelight into the dark cavern.

“There are a few things in particular I wanted to show you.” He took your hand, guiding you to the right down a large archway. The lights bobbed and followed, casting strange shadows along the uneven cave walls.

The sound of water flowing at a trickling pace filled the new, smaller room. The sight of the armor before your took your breath away. Ancient, well kept and utterly deadly looking. You felt a thrill of panic, as well as pride at the sight of it. “How-” You stammered, covering your mouth with a trembling hand.

The white and silver plates were excruciatingly detailed, the sword beside the set a shining silver, as if freshly forged by the sun itself. Thesan had no armor of this quality still available at the Dawn court. The quality, the beauty of such a piece was exquisite. “If Thesan wishes to have this back, please feel free. But let him know that we have only recently acquired it. We have not been hoarding.” Rhys spoke from behind you, his voice soft and patient.

Memories of being a child and playing with wooden swords flashed into your head. Envisioning such perfect armor like before the War fitting you, guilding you, marking you as the highest of warriors among the Dawn court.

“W-who is we?” Was all you could manage as you reached out to touch the solid breastplate. Memories of parades, children cheering and high fae clapping as generals in shining armor marched home from the War. Centuries had passed since such armor was needed, thus they began to disappear.

Rhys took your hand again, rubbing a thumb over yours. “A few high priestesses found it among their… storage. Closer to an abandoned temple but - I had Cassian clean it up for me a few weeks ago.” He chuckled before saying “I almost had to threaten him to get him to give it back to me. He was in awe and wanted to keep it for himself.”

Your lips curve upwards, heart hammering. You pulled him in quickly for a tight hug. “Thank you.” You said deeply, wishing you could put the thoughts you were having directly into his head. Wishing you could tell him how much this meant.

He pulled away from you, his callused hands going to cup your face as he pulled you in for a kiss. “Maybe I wont tell Thesan… and I’ll have to come back more often to take a look at the rest of this place.” You bit his lower lip and grinned at his darkened eyes.

“For research purposes only, surely?” He began kissing down the column of your neck, biting playfully.

“Research, of course.” You sighed as his hands began tracing over your body.

#RHYSXREADER #RHYSAND X READER #READER INSERT ACOTAR #ACOTAR #ACOTAR FIC

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teenyweenynightghost · 3 years

Text

The Fluffiest Alliance Chapter 1

A/n: So, I finally managed to write the first chapter. A round of applause please. I would like to say that I may have possibly ignored certain parts of the form i posted, but that doesn't matter. Enjoy <3

Warnings: None

Word Count: 3.3k

Pairing: Nothing explicit yet but it's fem OCs

Taglist: @fuckim-so-gay @ginny-lily @cheese-toastie-11 @messyhairday-me @wannabemarlenabutiscoraline @simp-per-ethan @maneskinrollercoaster @superchrystaldrug @immrbrightsideeee @shehaddreamstoo @tiaamberxx @victoriadeangeliswifey @bidet-and-legolas @makapaka11 @juststalking @electra-phoebe

Efthalia woke up startled by the continuous knocking on the door, accompanied by muffled chatter. The sun peeked through the curtains, illuminating the room as well as her messy bed. She let out a deep sigh and stretched her arms, before sitting up against the bed frame.

“Come in!” She shouted out, mentally preparing herself for the day.

“Good morning, your highness.” A servant bowed, entering the room with a few other girls carrying food platters and amphoras filled with water. Every morning was the same, she would eat while her hair was being done, followed by clothes and makeup.

Today they had picked out a more elegant gown made out of blue silk. It had a boat neckline, falling down to Efthalia’s waist, where an embedded belt tightly accentuated her figure. It was one of her favorite dresses, as it brought out the few bluish specs in her eyes.

“I would like to know the schedule for today.” She queried Aethra, who nodded slightly before beginning to speak.

“His Royal Highness has decided upon the terms of the alliance with Lesbos, and he wished to announce them to you. Lord Ameinokles has also sent an invite regarding a joint participation to Elusinia.”

Efthalia pursed her lips and exhaled loudly through her nose, thinking about that damned man who wouldn’t leave her alone. Nonetheless, she had to remain calm and poised, so as to not cause any conflicts.

“Please tell the lord that I will be attending the festival, however I wish to respect the presence of Demeter and remain solitary.” She answered, coming up with an excuse.

Aethra nodded slightly before exiting the room, leaving the girl alone with her thoughts.

Heading to the balcony, she grabbed a lyre and began playing.

***

Walking down the empty hallways of the castle was never one of Efthalia’s favourite activities, especially not when she was surrounded by guards. The sun was in the centre of the sky, indicating that lunch was quickly approaching, however her father had called her in to discuss the alliance.

Having reached the entrance to the throne room, two guards dressed from head to toe in armour opened the doors as she made her way inside.

“Ah! My beautiful daughter, there you are.” King Iatragoras exclaimed, gesturing for his generals to exit the room.

“I would like to know about the alliance, father. Was it successful?”

“Not so fast, Αγαπημένος (sweetheart), trust doesn’t build in a day. Which is why-.” He took a deep breath, thinking of how he could formulate his words. “Which is why King Hyllus of Lesbos has required you to move there.”

Her breath caught in her throat, thinking about going to a foreign island which she has only recently had any contact with. Eftalia’s body heated up and mind went blank, as her hands started fiddling with the loose material hanging over her chest.

“I’ll be sending Lord Ame-”

“Don’t you dare say his name. I’m going alone If the only option is going with him.” The girl interrupted, horrified at the prospect of being stuck on an island with that stubborn cow.

He nodded his head slightly before raising from his throne, heading towards her.

“I know it is difficult, περηφάνια και χαρά μου (my pride and joy), and I know I am asking a lot of you, but this alliance will be difficult as it is, and we will all try to make it successful. Besides, I heard there are quite a few monarchs over there who could be considered...προβληματιστές (troublemakers). Who knows, you might get along.” He smiled, his heart breaking at the mere thought of sending his daughter away.

“Everything will go well, I can assure you of that, father.” She murmured, enveloping him in a reassuring hug. The king leaned into her embrace, the memories of the two of them throughout the years filling his mind.

She slowly pulled apart, sending him another smile before leaving the room.

***

The room was filled with an all too knowing voice, light and singsong, as Aethra grabbed a few glass jars from the mirror before her.

“The King told me about the alliance as well.” She informed Efthalia, while grabbing her chin and raising it, the mirror being filled with her soft reflection. The princess admired her own plump features as Aethra applied a reddish liquid to her lips. The scar tainting the lower part was prominent, even after years of having received it. She was a curious child, so, upon finding a shorter tree in the castle's garden, she attempted climbing it and hurt herself after she slipped. It brought back pleasant memories, those of a time when she had no worries, when her mother would cuddle her at every possible occasion.

“I have some news for you.” Aethra's voice brought her back to their world, as she met her gaze in the mirror.

“Oh?” A cunning smile forming on her face, being mirrored by the girl.

“Upon hearing your comment about the Lord may we not say his name,” she mocked, earning a chuckle from her, “the King has requested for me to join you in Lesbos.”

She shot up from the chair, turning to her, more excited than ever before, as she hugged Aethra so tightly she feared she would break.

“Oh gods, I’m so heavenly grateful for that!” Efthalia beamed, finally letting go of the woman to let her breath.

“My sentiments were the same as yours, your highness.” She bowed slightly, making her frown and pull her up by the shoulders.

“Enough with the reverencies. We are now official Travel Cronies, and we will address each other as such.“

The older woman chuckled, shaking her head at her foolishness before speaking again. “As you wish. Though I must say, I would rather be caught dead than be called a travel cronie.”

Efthalia snorted and rolled her eyes, heading towards a rack with a few dresses hanging from it. “We’ll find a name later. Point is, no more your highness or extreme politeness. For all I care, you can gossip about everyone in the castle with me.” She turned around at her words, sending Aethra a devilish smirk.

“Oh you have no idea how much of that I have.” Aethra began, dragging her by the shoulder and sitting her down again.

“Well please do share!” Efthalia inquired, but was shot down by Aethra’s strong glare.

“Once we get on the ship, and away from this island, I’ll tell you everything. But for now, you must act like a royal.”

Efthalia scoffed and rolled her eyes, continuing to look in the mirror.

Five years ago, when she was 13, her mother was struck by a dangerous disease, leaving Efthalia and her father alone. That was when Aethra came into her life. She was working as a servant, even though she was only two years older than her. They chatted a few times, growing more comfortable together each day, until, eventually, they became good friends. Aethra was like a sister to her; despite not looking similar at all. Efthalia was tall and curvy, long brown hair reaching down to her waist and bright green eyes placing their gaze on everything there was to see in this world. Aethra, on the other hand, was short and lean. Her dark skin was contrasted by her numerous scars. Efthalia had never dared ask her where she got them, but she could never help but gape at them. Her knuckles were the most bruised, almost white, and other large bruises on her shoulders. A shiver went through the girl as she imagined where she could have possibly gotten them.

“So, when are we leaving?” Efthalia wondered, breaking the silence.

“Tomorrow.”

“What?!” She screamed, her eyes widening in horror. Aethra stared back at her, amused, and continued braiding her hair.

“You see, the alliance was made one week ago. The fact that your father has only now mustered the courage to tell you is a different thing.”

Efthalia gasped, and sent the other girl a mock offended gaze, earning a smirk from her.

“Gods, Aethra, I did not know you could speak like this.” She laughed, faking a posh gesture.

“Oh you have no idea.”

Both girls kept laughing and chatting, as the sun slowly descended, being replaced by the luminous moon and trillions of stars.

Efthalia let out a melancholic sigh, now alone in her room, and took a seat on the balcony railing.

“Hear me, oh Hermes, the messenger of Zeus, the son of Mea, you that has a powerful heart and are inside all fights, leader of the people, lively, you that has many thoughts, director, killer of Argos with the winged sandals and friend of men and prophet to the people, you that gets joy from struggles and the targeted tricks and holds the snake in your hands, you are the one to explain it all. Hear my prayer, and give us safe passage on the voyage, and guard us once in Lesbos.”

She blew out the candles laying on the floor and shut the blinds before returning to her bed and falling asleep.

***

“Efthalia!” A loud voice shouted from on top of her, startling the poor girl awake.

“Gods! What?!” she shrieked, before seeing Aethra’s familiar face and calming down.

“Time to go, princess. You slept in while everyone got the luggage packed onto the ship, but now you have to get ready.”

Efthalia groaned, rolling her eyes and grumpily getting out of bed. She wasn’t interested in appearances at the moment so she sat down at a table and began devouring some fruits.

“Slower. You might eat me too.” The older girl chuckled, brushing out her hair.

“Shut up.” Eftalia answered, her mouth half full. Aethra braided the girl’s locks into a simple crown and decorated it with golden leaves.

Once she was done eating, she moved on to her makeup, applying some shimmery powder to her eyelids and a red cream to her cheeks and lips.

“Which dress do you want?”

“The lightest.”

Aethra scoffed and headed towards the rack, picking up two, and holding them up for Efthalia to see.

“One is opaque, one is short.” She informed her, raising her eyebrows.

“Short.”

In only a few minutes, Efthalia was fully dressed and prepared to leave. She was nervous, there was no denying. Her hands were shaky, she couldn't help but play with the few loose strands framing her face and her gaze scanned every single bit of her surroundings.

“Hey, It’ll be alright.” Aethra’s soft voice reached her ears, as she placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“I know. You’ll be here with me.”

The two girls smiled at each other as they made their way to the docks, where the king was waiting, along with his generals.

“Father.” “Your majesty” They both spoke at the same time, sending each other a squint.

“Aethra, my daughter.” He responded, bowing his head to them. “I would like to thank you for helping the alliance. I will be sending messengers every week to check on you, and I hope the gods will protect you wherever you may go.” He spoke softly, addressing the two girls who had already become teary-eyed.

With another nod, they turned around and walked up the bridge, entering the ship. It was large and filled with sailors, as well as guards.

A loud sound coming from a horn filled the air, and the vessel rocked before beginning to move, leaving the island behind.

“I’ll bet you twenty gold coins he’s crying.” Aethra whispered in Efthalia’s ear, earning a snort from her.

“He most definitely is.” She answered, before looking out to the sea. It was calm. Peaceful. Perhaps it was the god’s sign that they will be safe.

Each wave passed the boat, replicated by thousands around it, forming a united outlook of the endless blue. Efthalia admired the sea, for hours on end, as the sun’s reflection on them kept changing angles, and occasional sightings of fish and birds reflecting on the surface of the water.

“Hey you.”

“What is it, Efthalia.” Aethra answered the girl.

“Nothing, I’m just bored.”

The older girl snorted and turned to look at her, her muscular arms crossed over her chest.

“Oh is that so, princess. You can sit in silence for hours, and now, when we have barely a quarter of the trip left, you decide to annoy me?”

“Oh. You think this is annoying? Just wait until you s-”

“Enough!” Aethra laughed, pushing the girl’s hands away, interrupting her from whatever attempt she had to mess up her hair.

“Fine. Tell me palace gossip.”

“No.”

Efthalia puffed and grunted, pretending to flip her hair over her shoulder and slumping forward.

“Oh how merciless. You promise me scuttlebutt and then refuse me. I am truly hurt and offended.”

“Oh poor princess. What will you ever do?” She sighed, looking into the horizon. “Efthalia look!” she exclaimed, pointing to the approaching land.

The princess gasped loudly, a hand covering her mouth, as she couldn’t help but light up in excitement. “Oh my gods!”

In front of them was a large island, bigger than theirs, that was for sure. Hundreds of boats were anchored around the shore, tiny specks scattered all around the platform, waving and cheering for them.

“Oh gods. That many people were waiting for us?” Aethra squealed, not yet believing her eyes.

“Oh no. That’s a tad too much socialization for me.” The other girl complained, causing Aethra to shove her slightly.

“Right, right princess. I’m sure that you, who has to be carried away from parties forcefully, will have a lot of trouble chatting with these people.”

“Oh shut up.” She scoffed, rolling her eyes.

A sudden screech accompanied with the boat slowing to a stop interrupted the girls from their banter, bringing their attention to the guards, who were now speaking to them.

“Come with us, please.”

The two girls obeyed, following them down the bridge and on the platform, where they were greeted by a man and a woman; their guess- the king and queen.

“Welcome, your highness, to Lesbos. We have been awaiting your arrival.” The man said, bowing to Efthalia along with his wife.

“It is a pleasure to arrive. Your island is truly a glorious place.” She responded, earning a chuckle from the queen.

“Oh, the sunsets are miraculous. You arrived just in time to catch them. My name is Adeia, I am the queen of Lesbos, and this is my husband, Hyllus.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Efthalia, and this is my most trusted companion, Aethra.”

They continued formal chatter, everyone saluting each other, as they slowly made their way up a hill, entering a temple, which had a large table in the middle, filled with food, drinks and candles.

“Now let us dine!” The king called out, as everyone sat down.

Efthalia couldn’t help but notice that four seats across from her were empty. She wondered if that was where the troublesome monarchs her father had mentioned sat. Her question was soon answered as four people entered the room, laughing loudly and soaking wet.

“Uncle!” One of them called out, a charming smile appearing on his face. He was well built, a facial structure anyone would kill for, and dark brunette curls falling to the middle of his ears.

She saw the King sigh loudly, shaking his head and gesturing for them to come over.

“Damiano. This is Princess Efthalia, and her πιο έμπιστο φίλο (most trusted friend).” He said, gesturing over to the two girls. Damiano made his way around the table, holding Efthalia’s hand as he bowed and kissed it, repeating his actions to Aethra.

“It is my absolute pleasure making your acquaintance, ομορφιές (beauties).” He purred, winking at them both, earning a blush from Efthalia.

“Stop, you dramatic ass, it’s my turn.” A deep, feminine voice came from behind him, and Efthalia couldn’t help but look at the owner of the voice. A gorgeous, blonde girl stood before her. She was short and petite, her piercing blue eyes checking Efthalia out shamelessly.

“My name is Victoria, but you can call me yours.” She winked towards the princess, enveloping her in a hug. If it weren’t for the closeness, Victoria could have seen just how pathetically Efthalia’s knees trembled at her words. When they pulled apart, she was at a loss of words, so she sent her a shy smile.

“Well, that didn’t take long.” Aethra muttered from behind them, a cheeky expression on her face.

“I’m Thomas! It’s lovely to meet you both!” Another boy talked, this time capturing Aethra’s attention. He was tall and slim and had the puppy-est eyes she had ever encountered.

“I’m Aethra. I love the hair.” she complimented, grinning when she saw his shaven cheeks enveloped in a lovely red color.

“Thanks. I like- umm, I like yours too.” He quickly responded before going to sit down at the table, followed by the two other people.

“I must apologize for my friends, your majesties, they are not usually like this.” A tall, brunette man informed them, sending the girls a polite smile and a bow.

“Oh it’s alright. They’re cute anyways.” Aethra answered, making sure Thomas could hear what she said, and taking pride when she saw him fiddle timidly in his chair.

The man let out a short laugh before nodding and heading to the seat himself.

“Now that you’ve met the troublemakers-” The King began speaking but was interrupted by a scoff.

“I’m sorry, your highness, but I truly do not remember a single time in which we caused any form of chaos!” Vic defended herself, proudly shaking her nose.

“Last week you descended from the mountains in a barrel and knocked over the fences to a chicken coup, thus forcing every single guard in town to go around and catch them all.” The Queen deadpanned, making everyone at the table laugh.

The girl’s cheeks heated up slightly before she leaned back down and picked up her half empty glass.

“If my memory serves me right, It was Damiano’s fault.” she stated, lifting her hands to prove her innocence.

“Oh hold up a second. The moment you get blamed for something you instantly turn into a saint, but whenever you’re with us you brag about being the most troublesome??”

“Indeed. Your perception skills have improved, I see. Must have been since that time yo-”

“Don’t.” He interrupted the girl with a stern voice, leaving no space for arguments.

Efthalia couldn’t help but enjoy their playful banter. Every once in a while, her gaze fell upon Victoria’s dress- white silk, she could bet, a fine material, clinging to her body due to the water still dripping out of it.

“Hey princess, my eyes are up here. If you want to undress me that much we can meet up after dinner.” She spoke, making Aethra choke on her drink.

Efthalia, on the other hand, was ready to sink into the chair and let it engulf her alive.

“I didn’t- I me-mean I wasn’t...no, not like thAT I me-” She kept stuttering while everyone stared at her, clearly interested in what she was about to say.

“I suggest you make a decision quickly, because everyone seems to be done with dinner.” Aethra spoke up, elbowing her lightly.

“I suppose she is right. The whole town is to your disposition, but for tonight I’m sure these four little devils would like to give you a tour.” The King said, rising from his chair along with his wife, before leaving the temple, along with the other guests.

The only people left in the room were Efthalia, Aethra, Victoria, Damiano, Ethan and Thomas.

“So, where shall we start?” Damiano asked, grinning towards his friends.

Taglist:

@fuckim-so-gay @ginny-lily @messyhairday-me @cheese-toastie-11 @wannabemarlenabutiscoraline @simp-per-ethan @maneskinrollercoaster @juststalking @superchrystaldrug @immrbrightsideeee @shehaddreamstoo @tiaamberxx @bidet-and-legolas @makapaka11 @electra-phoebe @makeavvish @perfectlyunbiasedobservation

Lol I actually wrote this a long time ago i just forgot to add a tag list

#maneskin fanfiction #maneskin x reader #maneskin fic #maneskin #victoria x reader #victoria de angelis #thomas raggi x reader #thomas raggi #ethan torchio #damiano x reader #damiano david #ethan x reader

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kingandfireheart · 3 years

Text

Starfall

A/N: this one had been sitting in drafts for a while, but it a part of my whole "Sarah robbed of us two months of HAPPY Nessian" thing, so enjoy, I guess!

'Summary: This one is basically all the scenes that could have happened instead of in addition to the Amren apology on Starfall. It's fluffy. It's a lot of the Inner Circle. There's a Mor apology. There's a sweet Az moment. And of course happy established Nessian. Clearly all of these things wouldn't happen in one night. But its fanfiction, so you know. Mostly canon-compliant.

Words: 2274

A few minutes after Amren left her side, Nesta felt two people approach. She didn’t need to turn her head to know exactly who it was.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it” Elain spoke, her voice full of awe.

“It’s beautiful” Nesta rasped, as her sisters came to either side of her.

“Did I ever tell you two about my first Starfall?” Feyre asked.

Nesta shook her head. “It was before I had accepted the bond. Rhys and Mor didn’t tell me what to expect at all, so when some of this,” she gestured to her silver streaked cheek, “landed on my face, I thought I was going to lose an eye.”

“Rhys wouldn’t stop laughing at me and I nearly chucked him over the balcony. But... this view and his laughter made me realize that I wanted to paint again. That after everything that happened under the mountain and with Tamlin, I was ready to accept this life... to live.”

“I think that’s why Starfall is so special, right?” Elain said, “it reminds of the beauty of this life, even if it wasn’t what we originally planned”

“The Priestesses said there are spirits passing through or something, but I like your explanation much better” Nesta said, chuckling softly.

“I know things have been tough between the three of us, and I just wanted to say that I’m sorry. And I’m glad that you’re both doing better and that we're together." Feyre said, laying a hand over her stomach. "All I want for him is to be surrounded by family, and to give him the childhood we never had.”

“He will be very loved,” Elain said, happily.

“By both of his aunts” Nesta added. “We can teach him to read, and dance, and garden.”

“And how to deal with his annoying uncles” Feyre added, looking over Nesta’s shoulder, at where Cassian and Mor were dancing.

Nesta laughed. The idea of Cassian playing with a child was... exciting, adorable... and something she would have to think about later.

“Enjoy yourself” Feyre said, pulling Nesta, and Elain, into a hug.

"I missed this” Elain said quietly. "Come find me if you need anything."

Then both sisters smiled, disappeared into the crowd.

------

Nesta turned back to the view before her, taking it in, appreciating her sisters and Amren, and how far she'd come.

“Five hundred years, and I’ll never get used to the sight” Mor said from behind her, startling her back to reality. "I thought you could use some refreshments" she said.

Nesta laughed, turning to her, and accepting the cup of water he extended to her.

"Thank you." she said,

"I suppose I could have dressed up for the occasion" she shrugged.

“I would have loved to dress you up again, but it’s not like we won’t have more occasions for that” Mor said. "Plus, it doesn't feel right if someone isn't in leathers." She added.

Nesta smiled softly, unsure what to say.

“I wanted to apologize” Mor said suddenly. “For what I said, how I treated you. I thought I was being protective and you deserved better than that. I’m really sorry”.

Nesta shook her head in disbelief, “I judged you before getting to know you, and I’m sorry for that.” She said sincerely.

“I heard you cut the ribbon and completed the blood rite qualifier. That's impressive." She said. "I would have loved to see the look on Devlon's face."

"He didn't seem pleased" Nesta said. Mor was one of the best warriors out there, Nesta assumed this was a part of her training too, "I've seen you in battle...Have you never....?"

"Only as a training exercise, but I never beat it on my own. You need a unit to win something like that. I hear you have a pretty impressive one."

"They're wonderful. I think you'd like them."

"Maybe we can get to know each other better during training?” Mor offered. Nesta saw it for what it was. A peace offering. They would put the past beside them for Cassian and Feyre.

“I’d like that, Mor.” Nesta said, and she would.

Mor squeezed her shoulder, and said, “The dress I got for you should be in your rooms, if you want to wear it later” she said, and then sauntered off. "

---

“Here,” Azriel said, extending the plate to her. “The party will last until sunrise, so you should eat ”

Nesta nodded in thanks as she accepted the plate. Was Azriel... fussing?

"You seem to be enjoying yourself." Azriel said, elbowing her softly, as he moved toward the railing."I prefer this version of you. Real. No masks or disguises."

Nesta added dryly, “And covered in sweat" Azriel laughed at that. "I don't know how Feyre wears the crown, I hated it."

Azriel laughed, mischief in his eyes, "They do say heavy is the head that wears the crown."

"I prefer you without masks too, Az". Nesta said before she could stop herself.

Azriel smiled softly, and gestured to her food. She picked up a few berries and cheese.

When she was finished, he asked, "Would you care to dance?" extending his hand to her, his siphon gleaming in the light.

Nesta took his hand, and let him lead her to the crowd, where the others were dancing.

Even as exhausted as she was from training and the stairs, she enjoyed every moment of dancing with Azriel, as she had done on Solstice. Azriel led her, easily.

"Is it always like this? the party? she asked after a few moments.

"Mostly. We didn't use to have guests from other courts, but since the world knows about Velaris, I think Feyre and Rhys saw it as an opportunity to share."

"I like it. I think you were right about holidays" Nesta said, into Azriel's shoulder.

"I'm glad." Azriel said.

He was right. Feyre was right. This was life, this was living. The music. The view. The friendships. Her family.

She didn't say anything else, comfortable to enjoy the music and Azriel's company as they danced.

---

At some point, Helion had stepped in for Azriel.

"Lady Nesta." Helion greeted her.

"High Lord" Nesta responded.

"Interesting attire for a party" he said.

"Training ran late" Nesta said, shrugging slightly.

"Is that what Cassian is calling it nowadays?" Helion joked. Nesta blushed. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. The General Commander and Lady Death." he mused.

Nesta said nothing in response, just returned his gaze, as if to say your point?

"I didn't quite believe the stories about your dancing, Lady" Helion started.

"What kinds of stories?" Nesta asked.

"I heard you brought Eris to his knees at Solstice." Helion said.

"I may have danced with him." She responded smugly.

"Is that a part of your training? Bringing commanders and high lord to their knees by way of dance? When you aren't too busy wielding Made objects?"

Before she could respond, she felt claws, scrape against her shields. While Rhys's were usually like midnight, Feyre's were different. She lowered her shields enough to hear her sister.

If you would like someone to save you from Helion, say the word. He's rather persistent tonight.

I'll let you know.

Nesta snapped closed her shields before responding, proudly. "I'm actually training with a small group of female warriors."

"Ah yes, your sister mentioned to Vivianne that you're resurrecting the Valkyries" he said as he spun her.

"We're combining Illyrian techniques with Valkyrie ones." she said.

"Impressive" he said. "The Valkyries were formidable. Once you're organized, perhaps you'd enjoy seeing the Day court's female forces. Lady Vivianne has been helpful since the war." He said, looking where Kallias and Vivianne were dancing.

"I'll think about it." She said. Maybe she wasn't ready to face the real world yet, but maybe... in a few months, or years even, she could be ready, and Gwyn and Emerie could be too.

"And if you ever tire of the Cassian"

FEYRE, she practically yelled in her head, throwing open her shields. She knew exactly where this was going.

"or want someone else to join you..."

FEYRE. HELP.

"and your m-"

"I think I'd like to dance with my sister-in-law" Rhysand said smoothly. Before she knew it, Rhysand was sweeping Nesta into the dance, barely a beat missed.

"Think about both my offers" Helion said from behind her.

---

Rhysand laughed, and in this light, with the silver on his face, Nesta could see what her sister described. A light that had been less present the past few months.

"See. Persistent" Rhysand said. "He made a similar offer to Feyre, Azriel, and Mor within an hour of arriving."

"Why doesn't that shock me?" Nesta said. "I'm surprised you cut in."

"Feyre promises. I deliver." he said. "I'm surprised you came tonight" Rhysand responded.

"I live here. I just climbed the stairs" she said dryly, before deciding to make an effort. "Thank you, for rescuing me" she said quietly. Rhysand seemed a bit shocked to hear her.

"Helion is unrelenting." He explained. "I didn't think Cassian would appreciate another male asking me for you hand... And I thought I owed you...After Eris...And threatening you."

"You did, but thank you nonetheless." Rhysand nodded.

They continued dancing for the rest of the song. Nesta didn’t speak, and neither did Rhys, but his eyes had lit up with amusement, as the song came to an end.

"Mor, you owe me 50 gold marks." Rhys said, as he spun Nesta away.

---

Before she understood his meaning, she landed in Cassian’s arms, but not in a position for dancing. Cassian’s arms were around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder, as her back pressed to his chest.

"Hi." he said.

“Enjoying the party?” Nesta asked coyly, as she turned to face him.

“I am now.” Cassian said, placing a kiss to her temple. When he pulled away, his lips were covered in the starfall dust. He guided her away from the dance floor, where Mor had taken her place in dancing with Rhysand.

Nesta smiled and stood up on her tiptoes to kiss him, only pulling away when her legs screamed in pain. She supposed completing the Blood Rite qualifier, climbing down and up 10,000 steps, and dancing would have that effect on her calves.

Cassian wasted no time in picking her up fully, cradling her to his chest. Nesta gasped in surprise, and then looked sheepishly out to the rest of the party.

“They’ve seen us do much worse, Nes” She laughed and Cassian joined her, brushing his lips to hers once more, as if he wanted to taste that smile. She may always be a little embarrassed by what had happened when she scried. But things were different then- they were together now, and the way Cassian was looking at her now... it was, well it was better than any wine she'd consumed in the past year.

“I suppose they have,” she said, hiding her face in his chest. She let herself enjoy the moment, savor how it felt to be held by him.

Cassian laughed, "It should be winding down now, but there is a better view, if you would like to get out of here."

Nesta nodded.

Cassian flew up to the higher balcony that overlooked the Verdana. "Rhys and Feyre usually hide up here, but they are too busy playing hosts tonight" he said, before setting her down on a blanket, only to pull her into his lap moments later.

She reached up to brush some of his hair out of his face. "You look nice," she said, running her other hand over his cheek, where the starfall dust collected.

"And you're beautiful" he replied, smiling. It was not too long ago that Cassian had struggled to compliment Feyre, and now he hardly hesitated before saying such things. Nesta felt her cheeks redden.

"You’ve had an eventful night” Cassian said. “I thought I'd barely get a chance to dance with you”

Nesta snorted. “I prefer this” she said, leaning into him further.

“I’m in awe of you” Cassian whispered, as his fingers pulled her hair from its messy braid. “You’ve come so far. Conquered so much”

“Thank you.” Nesta said. “For doing it all with me.” Nesta turned in his lap to face him fully, her hair now falling over her shoulders.

“Always” Cassian said, before bringing his lips to her first kiss. “I’m yours. And you’re mine. No matter how many pretty males you dance with.”

“You could have stepped in at any point in time.” she said.

"The others placed bets on how long it would take for me to step in... and I wanted you to enjoy tonight, for this to be a good memory for you.”

“It is. I'm happy” she said softly.

“You’re happy?” He whispered, a half question. She kissed him in response.

"I'm happy too." Cassian said.

"And you're prettier than them." she whispered. Running her thumbs over the silver that coated his lips, and likely coated hers as well.

"Really?" Cassian asked, almost incredulously.

"It was always you, Cass" she said, as it wasn't even a question, because it wasn't. Since they met they were two forces on a collision course, nothing she could have done would have stopped it.

"And I always knew it would be you, Nes" he said, before kissing her again.

She didn’t know how long they stayed there, but after the stars had stopped falling, and the sun began to rise, Cassian carried them back to her rooms.

Nesta fell asleep absolutely exhausted by the day she had. Her body ached, but her heart, her soul, was happy. It was one of the best days since she’s become fae, likely before that even.

#nessian #nezriel brotp #nessian fluff #acotar series #kp writes #archeron sisters #rhysand #morrigan #helion spell cleaver #mtp

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nightfrostshadow · 3 years

Text

A Magical Night

Villain tossed and turned in bed as she tried to sleep. Her bed was extremely comfortable no doubt but sleep eluded her. She took a deep breath as she lay and stared at the ceiling deep in thought. Finally, she gave up trying to sleep and slowly lifted herself up.

She swung her legs over to the side of the bed and getting up, she made her way to the window. There was moonlight filtering in through it and a cool breeze was blowing. She felt invigorated as she felt it on her face and looked out, drinking in the sight of the moon shining in the starry sky. It was a lovely night.

Villain decided that if she couldn’t sleep, she might as well go out. The cool breeze and the soft moonlight was tempting her. It was the perfect weather for a fun night-time stroll, run or flight.

She smiled as she made up her mind, reached over to her nightstand and pulled out her hair tie. She smoothed her long dark hair into a high ponytail and tied it up. With a flash of her powers, she was ready to go. She had decided to use her villain’s outfit while going out because it had a mask that covered her face and safeguarded her identity. Besides it was very comfortable and convenient given the fact that she had made it using magic so all it took was her powers to put it on and take it off.

Usually when she would be in the costume, she would braid her hair since it was more convenient to fight in. Now it was different she was just going to enjoy the night so a ponytail worked just fine. As an afterthought she also quickly grabbed a coin and pocketed it.

She walked onto her balcony as she leaned against the rails just relaxing in the lovely breeze.

Without warning she gripped the railing with both her hands and swung herself up onto it with little effort as if she’d done it a hundred times. Which she had. She grinned as she perched herself on the railing and looked at the sky. She felt so free. Being able to fly was pure happiness for her. She never had to fear heights and could just live in the moment.

She stood up and stepped off the rail. The wind rushed against her as she started to drop before she soared above. She spread her hands and enjoyed the freefall for a second before flying over the rooftops just looking at the quiet streets below. The breeze rushing against her face. The thrill of the flight as her heart pounded with adrenaline. She shouted out of pure joy and flew higher occasionally coming lower to see her favourite spots. The park.

Lit by the soft glow of the streetlamps along with the silvery glow of the moonlight beams, it was a tranquil spot. She flew closer to the little bridge that had been built in the park over a little water body that was part of the bigger fountain.

It was always full of people during the day time because it provided a marvellous view of the fountain at the park which was one of the major attractions for children. They would love to throw coins into it while making wishes. Villain smiled as she looked down at the coin in her hand. However, it was a different story at night. She could enjoy the view all by herself. Although, Villain’s expectations failed her. As she started to descend, she spotted a figure.

She froze mid air as she tried to see who the person was. She approached stealthily. It was Hero. She inwardly sighed with relief. It would have been a bit awkward if it had been a civilian who would no doubt recognize her as the villain.

She grinned as she landed gracefully on the bridge next to him. Hero jumped in surprise as he had been gazing at the sky, too engrossed to notice Villain sneaking up behind him. He winced slightly as if the sudden movement had caused him pain.

Hero, unlike Villain, was not in his costume but was dressed normally. She stared at him questioningly. The little wince had not escaped Villain’s sharp eyes. She decided to ask later. “What brings you here? Alone and late at night? Judging from the way you’re dressed this wasn’t something done on an impulse, you clearly planned it.” Villain walked over and placed her hands on the bridge rail as she gazed at the sky and smirked, “Someone broke your heart?”

Hero looked up at the stars as he laughed. “I’ve never given my heart to somebody so that’s out of the question.” He continued looking up at the moon which was a full moon that particular day and it was a yellow white glowing orb in the sky. It looked slightly larger than usual.

Hero smiled sadly, “Though I admit it would be nice to enjoy this view with a special someone. This is such a beautiful sight.”

Villain silently took in Hero’s words as she looked around her. It was true. That night was a particularly beautiful night. It had a magical feeling in the air. She was magical. She should know. This was a different kind of magic. One that had something to do with the beauty of nature. She smiled as she turned to look at Hero. “Well, you aren’t alone now, are you? I guess you could say I’m special because come on. We both know I’m very special.”

Hero stared at her in surprise as he chuckled, “You’re a villain so I guess that’s a special enough identity. Unique and one of a kind. At least in this neighbourhood.”

Villain laughed, “Exactly! That’s me! The friendly neighbourhood villain.” At that they both burst into quiet laughter. Villain stared as she noticed Hero laughing but also the slight tightness around his eyes indicating he was in pain.

She racked her brain to remember whether he had been this hurt in their last fight. Hero noticed her deep in thought and tried snapping her out of her reverie.

“Villain?”

She shook her head as she looked at him and decided to ask, “What’s the matter with you? Why does it seem like you’re in pain but yet I’m sure it isn’t anything major but I can’t for the life of me understand what it is.” Slow realization crossed her face as an idea dawned on her. “Unless…”

Hero laughed slightly, “Its soreness from my recent workouts. I saw how perfect you were and,” he turned away and looked at the fountain as he spoke, the tips of his ears turning red. “I saw how fit you were and I wanted to achieve that level of fitness so I’ve started working out.”

Villain grinned; her hunch had been correct. “How fit I am?”

Hero nodded earnestly. “For example look at your arms Villain. Your costume enhances how fit you are. It compliments you. It makes you looks like a lithe panther.”

Villain looked bewildered as she glanced down at her arms. Her costume was sleeveless and completely black. It did have a kind of coat which was a mix of a coat and a cape but it was the sleeveless kind because she hated anything with full sleeves. That was the benefit when you design your own magic suit. The sky was the limit and she could do exactly what she liked. She knew her arms were sculpted and toned. They were strong. Which Hero no doubt knew because he had been punched quite a few times during their fights.

She looked up at him, he was still facing the fountain and she grinned as she took in the sight of his flushed ears. “I exercise everyday Hero. Its how I became this strong and fit. I know exactly how you feel now. The soreness in the beginning.” She laughed as she remembered a time that was quite a while ago. It had been ages since she had felt it. “It hurts yet it makes you feel accomplished. The only pain I ever liked. The satisfaction that a workout has worked muscles you hadn’t worked before is a lovely feeling.”

Hero slowly turned his head back towards Villain. Oh, his cheeks were flushed too. Was he that embarrassed?

Villain smirked as she said, “If you would like to, we could work out together on Saturdays. Having a workout buddy helps you know.”

Hero flushed even more. Villain almost laughed. Cute.

She couldn’t resist adding more, “If you don’t mind, we could also come here to watch the night sky once a week you know. Since you’re in need of a special someone. I can keep you company till you find that someone.”

Hero opened his mouth to speak but was too shocked to say anything. His heart was pounding and his head was swirling with thoughts. Finally, he managed to piece together a single word, “Absolutely.”

Villain grinned, “Perfect. Then I’ll see you Saturday 6 ‘o’ clock in the morning. Hopefully you’re an early riser.”

Hero stared as he thought to himself. Even if he wasn’t he could become one just for this reason. He smiled with happiness as he watched Villain turn away from him and close her eyes for a moment before she spun the coin in her hand and tossed it into the fountain.

Villain turned around and flashed a brilliant smile at Hero before winking at him and then she took off. Up in the air in a second and she was gone.

Hero looked around as he smiled. Today had been a magical night after all.

They met every Saturday. One day which slowly turned to more days. More nights at the park. Days turned to months and it was only a matter of time before Hero gave her his heart. Villain, devious as she was, took care of it for Hero made her happy. For some unknown reason she felt a little surge of happiness when she thought about him. Her heartbeat quickened. Little did she know that she too had already given him her heart. However, there was no rush. They had time to figure out everything together. Embark on this journey. This new feeling called love.

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apexqueenie · 3 years

Text

The Blood King (Bakugou x Reader, Medieval AU) Ch 3

Synopsis: In fairytales, princesses like you got to marry handsome princes like your best friend Shoto, but you’re not living a fairytale. You find the harsh realities a punch to the face as you and Sho run away outside palace grounds and into the real world. But the harsh brings out the beautiful, and in your case, it took the form of the scarlet covered barbarian king, whose territory you disturbed.

A/N: AAAAAAAHHHHH, I'm so sorry this took so long! It may have a few mistakes cuz I added on to this after I finished homework sooooooooooo I'm usually half asleep by then. This one is sorta long, so yah, enjoy!

Warnings: Swearing, blood, violence

[Ch1]->[Ch2]->[Ch3]->[Ch4]->[Ch5]->[Ch6]

“SHO!!!” You scream, snapping your torso up from the bed you lay on.

Wait...A bed..?

Your brain just tripped over itself as the memories came flooding back to you. The forest, the attackers, the beast, and then...that man.

You clutched your forehead in pain. Where the hell were you?

You place a hand on the furry and weighted blanket that covers you. It was nice. Quite a bit warmer than the blankets you had at home-

You shook your head. If this is how distracted you get now, you must’ve hit it at some point. You look around the room you were in. It was nice and dimly lit due to closed curtains, but plain. All that filled the space were you, the bed, and a small wooden dresser to your left with a tall cup of water on top.

Water. Sweet, sweet water. You chugged it down, throat parched from the previous events. The cool refreshing liquid woke up some of your senses. Slowly, your grogginess was replaced with the soreness of your muscles. You started to regret sitting up so suddenly. The side you were kicked on started to throb more and more.

You look down at the side in pain, seeing that your blazer and dress were replaced with a simple white wrap skirt secured with a knot around your chest. You felt almost naked, cold too. Never have your arms, chest, and legs been as exposed as they are now. Even your long nightdress had sleeves.

But that wasn’t important. You were in this strange place, Sho is nowhere to be found, and your things are gone. You needed to know more. Now, you may have been overreacting a bit, but what’s the harm in coming prepared? You break the glass you drank from earlier, grabbing the biggest piece and tearing some of the fabric you were wearing to wrap around the shard for a handle. You didn’t know what to expect, but at least you had something to defend yourself with.

You held it in the front as you slowly pushed the creaky door open. You thought you were ready for anything, but you weren’t expecting to be atop a balcony overseeing a complex combination of treehouses, bridges, and grounded buildings all surrounded by stone walls, complete with archers in loose armor patrolling the top. It wasn’t like any of the armor your guards wore though. It consisted of metal, like the knights in your father’s army, but they also wore feathers, leather straps, and colorful face paint. If you had to guess, you were nowhere near your own kingdom. They kept watch of the forest while the rest of the citizens of this odd town bustle happily below. Adults traded and conversed with one another while the children played with balls or kites below. All of them wear similar outfits to yours, comfortable and with a closer connection to nature. Some women wore clay beads around their heads like crowns paired with bright, multi-layered dresses made of choppy fabric. Most men wore loose shirts, some went bare chested, all wore slightly baggy pants, usually with multiple belts. A stark contrast to the puffy floor length dresses and tight pants of your people.

So where exactly were you?

“Do you like the view?” a voice said behind you.

It made you jump, and instinctively, you turn to hold out the makeshift knife you temporarily forgot about. The man you pointed the sharp edge at yelped and held both hands up as he rounded the corner.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have sneaked up on ya.” he smiles sheepishly.

He was a red-headed man with spiky hair, a short vest, bandana, and baggy pants. Similar to the people below. From what you could see, no weapons. Still, you keep the blade pointed at his exposed torso. You’ve never killed anyone before, and the thought scares you, the overwhelming fear of being here in strange clothes scared you even more.

You take a step back, trying to distance yourself from the newcomer. “Who are you?”.

“Eijiro Kirishima, right hand man of King Bakugou. I’m glad to see you awake and well.” he says, not moving from his spot. “We’ve met before, your highness.”

“Huh?” You say, dumbfounded. You’ve never seen this man in your life. You would’ve known if you did, his face is...very memorable.

He pointed to the decently sized scar on his face. It traveled from his right corner of his lip and up to the bridge of his nose. It wasn’t bright red, but it still looked like it had only recently healed. A cut like that would’ve taken at least a week for it to stop being inflamed; you wondered how he’d gotten it or why he was pointing to it.

You shook your head, not understanding.

Kirishima chuckles nervously, “Well uh, it might be hard to explain, but uh first things first, I came here to check on you. How’s that rib feeling?”

“My rib? It...hurts a lot” you admit, lowering the glass shard. ‘Hurt’ was an understatement though, it felt like it was on fire. Your side throbbing painfully with each breath you took. Adrenaline could only mask it for so long.

He nods and slowly approaches you again, hands out where you could see them. “Let’s get you back in bed” he says, gently scooping the glass out of your hand and placing it in his back pocket.

Hesitantly, you complied, weary of the shard being in his possession. At least, he seemed like he didn’t want to kill you. You leaned back into bed, muscles screaming from the short encounter. It’s only now you truly realize the extent of your injuries. You hissed as Kirishima readjusted your pillow as best he could, shaking the bed a bit.

“Now that you’re awake, I’ll let Deku take a look at you. He’s our medicine man, or doctor if you like.” And with that, he walks out, closing the door behind him.

But you couldn’t stay still. Even though your ribs hurt, you couldn’t sit back and wait. If you’re being nursed here, Shoto must be nearby. And besides, they don’t want to hurt you, right? After all, as you hauled yourself up and headed to the door once more, you found it still unlocked. You weren’t their prisoner.

You took a peek around the corner that you saw Kirishima come around last time. It led to a free hanging wooden bridge to another tree. The other side of your cabin led to some steps that took a wide curve around a wooden pillar of some sort, but taking a look upwards only showed you that it wasn’t a pillar at all: It was an absolute unit of a tree. Incredibly thick, and at least 500 feet tall, the tree had stairs carved from all over its sides and bridges split off to smaller trees holding up houses. An even more intricate pattern of pathways sat above your head than what you saw the first time when you looked on the balcony.

You clutched the railings, making your way up the stairs and onto the first platform branching off into other paths. Your “room” was just a simple block, fitted halfway into the trunk of the big tree. Woven branches and leaves make a simple flat roof; not much different from any other building here. Guess you’re just gonna have to find someone who knows this place. Preferably not Kirishima. You had a feeling he’d just bring you back to your room.

You hauled yourself up more stairs, opting to take the paths closer to the tree. Traversing mazes was never your strong suit, and this place could get you lost in a few seconds.

The further you went along the stairs, the harder it was for you to breathe. Your injury was draining your energy fast, making your body feel like a thousand pounds. Maybe going back to bed wasn’t a bad idea at all.

Just as you were about to give up and sit down, you came across a wider bridge, one that was definitely a lot more extravagantly built than the last. Thicker, and with decorative railings. It was built between the tree itself and a large mountaintop so tall, you couldn’t see the top. The bridge extended in a T shape, the horizontal bit from the tree built to the length of one wall of the kingdom to another with stairs down to where the guards patrolled. At the smaller section of the T sat a huge double doorway, carved from the wood of the tree you’ve been climbing around for the past 10 minutes. It depicted battles, warriors wielding swords and fighting alongside winged beasts of enormous size...Dragons. Then it clicked. Kinda. You swung at that large beast before, at its snout right when it was right behind you. And Kirishima had a scar along his mouth and nose...

Kirishima = Dragon?

You shook your head, unable to fully convince yourself. It must be your pain fogging your mind a bit. You guess it was the same reason you were walking through those double doors. Big doors were the norm for you, being a princess after all. In your state of confusion, it’s better to go with more familiarity. You pulled it open with a bit of difficulty and slipped in as the doors slowly closed behind you without a sound. Just as you suspected, it was a grand hall for royalty that was almost as big as your father’s. The room was curved, thanks to the tree’s natural design. Flowered vines decorated the plain walls. An empty throne of wood and bones sat in front of what you thought must be the opening to the other side of the tree. You could see the sunshine bathe the throne in its gentle light.

You straightened your composure subconsciously, as you’ve been taught to in throne rooms like these, and walked to the throne. Bones and wood, delicately intertwined with one another to form a beautiful crest along the top of the backrest and pair of armrests. You dragged your fingers along the sanded wood gingerly, admiring the craftsmanship. Swords were stabbed in between, like trophies. Some chipped, others completely broken in half. All went through obvious signs of battle. Losing battles, that is. This was a throne for a King that should be feared. Unlike your father and birth giver’s thrones, which symbolized elegance and formality, this one was fierce, powerful, and dangerous. For some reason, your mind was reminded of the man with the Vermillion eyes. How he strode proudly with bold movements, the same way you’ve seen your father or King Enji act when confronted. Was he the one who owned this throne?

A few feet behind it were steps leading up to a large balcony, open to give an extraordinary view of the kingdom you saw before. You walked up the steps slowly, entranced by the calm sight of the sky and trees. A warm breeze lifted the stray hairs from your face, and you felt calm, your injuries temporarily forgotten. You thought you saw everything from the height you were at when you first woke up, well, you were a couple hundred feet higher now and so much more had been revealed. You could see the exact boundary of walls that protected the civilians, previously hidden by other trees. A huge, open gate on the other side of the kingdom guarded by tiny soldiers both on ground and up on the wall. The complex bridges you saw earlier seemed to build around this area so as to not obstruct the view. You dared not to go straight to the railings though, it felt out of place for you to be watching over someone else’s civilians. So just at the top of the stairs you stayed.

Along the sides of the extended walls where the stairs were built, hung swords of all shapes and sizes, snugly staggered amongst each other like decorations. Each one told a story, from the blade type down to the hilt decorations. You wonder who wielded each magnificent weapon. The man you fought had a sword worn down from no doubt years of battle, more so than any of these blades on the wall.

“I wonder where he is.” you spoke out loud.

“Where who is?” a gruff voice responded.

You froze in place.

Speak of the devil. There he was. He appeared around the left side of the throne, nonchalantly leaning an elbow above his head on it. He wore the same attire as before, cutlass hanging at his side- only this time, tribal beads and threaded teeth hung around his neck. The sunlight coming from the open spaces behind you revealed his hair to be golden, as well as uncovered the many battle scars that previously blended with his skin underneath the pale moonlight. He made your shrink a bit in his presence.

He cocked his head to one side, lifting an eyebrow at your staring. “Well?”

Snapping out of your thoughts, you forced yourself to say something. “Sorry, You, you’re..and then...Uh…” you managed to spit out, ears burning. You couldn’t look at him straight. He only narrowed his eyebrows in response. ‘Great job (y/n), he thinks you’re a moron now.’ you scold yourself.

“Maybe that shitty Deku got it wrong, and you’re the one with the concussion.” he scoffed.

“I have no such thing!” you blurted out. You tried to look him in the eyes again, but the dominance they radiated made you feel like a pup caught disobeying her master. But why? You’re royalty, a future Queen! You shouldn’t let the likes of him intimidate you like this!

So you stood up straight again, taking a deep breath and raising your chin to address the man in front of you properly. Your insides felt like they were being stabbed with a flaming rod, but you refused to succumb to it now. “I lost myself a bit there. I’ve come here for answers.” you say, clasping both hands together. “Where is the leader of this Kingdom?”

Unfazed by your new composure, he stared right back. “You’re lookin at him.”

“And your name?”

“Why does that matter?”

“It matters because I’d like to know to whom I’m speaking with.” you grit your teeth.

“Oh, and what gives you the right, little thief?” he says, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m not a thief,” you growl, “I’m princess (y/n) of the Northern Kingdom, first and rightful heir to the throne. As a fellow royal, I deserve the right to know who you are.”

At your words, his body went rigid. “You deserve it, huh?” He moved from his spot at the throne, up the stairs towards you and towering over your figure. You shuffled backwards in alarm. “You, a Northern pansy with your tea parties, lazing around in your kingdom, not giving a damn about the ecosystem around you. You call that royalty?” He spat, raising his voice. You could feel the heat radiating from his body, physical heat, fueled by his anger. “Destroying more of my home to make room for your stupid roads. Killing my people’s food for sport and leaving the skinless carcass to rot so you could have your stupid exotic rugs- I’ve seen how much you people take for granted. If it weren’t for the size of your army, I would’ve conquered you assholes by now. Why did I even listen to that damn Kirishima, I should’ve left you and your boyfriend in the forest. At least you’d be useful for once-”

“Wait, I think you’re overreacting here, and he’s not-” you tried to reason, stumbling over your feet. You completely lost your composure now, your heart practically beating out of its chest.

“Or your brother, I don’t give a damn who he is, my people are running out of food because of yours- but I don’t think you ever knew, huh? Probably worried over some bullshit like what you’re gonna wear, or if some other pretty boy prince out there thought you were cute.” He continued. You back found the edge of the railing and you latched your hands onto it. Taking a quick glance backwards, you found the height a little terrifying now.

“Well, I’m over here hunting day and night to find meals and what do I get? Two more mouths to feed. Useless, pathetic weights on my back. If you wanna talk about being my fellow royal-”

“Bakugou, stop!” you hear Kirishima’s voice echo.

Kirishima. Oh thank god Kirishima is here.

The newly identified “Bakugou” snaps his head to the side at the voice. You look around Bakugou’s figure to see the redhead entering through the doorway, a stranger with green hair trailing behind him.

“You need to eat, Kachaan.” the stranger says. “We’re not starving, Denki found a whole new area with more game- but you can’t hunt it if you’re the one hungry.”

“Stop telling me what to do, I’ll eat when the provisions are restocked.” he turned to the side to face the pair and glared.

Kirishima in the meantime had already ran across the hall, climbing the stairs up to you two. “It’s been three days, brother, you’re getting aggressive.”

Bakugou took another glance at your shocked figure, and for a moment, you could see a pang of guilt hit him. But it was fleeting. His face returned to and scowl and he scoffed, fully turning around and heading down the steps past his comrade. “Aggression is what’s kept this kingdom prosperous.”

“Well, yelling at her highness isn’t very prosperous.” he shot back, tracking the blonde with his eyes.

The stranger made his way next to you, placing a reassuring hand on your shoulder. Kirishima acknowledged him and rushed off towards the doors with his leader.

“Well they’re always talking about equality for some goddamn reason, why can’t I yell at them like men?” Bakugou threw his hands up in the air.

“That’s not what they’re talking about…” the other man responded.

Their voices grew distant as they left the hall, leaving you and the kind stranger. With Bakugou gone, you released the breath you didn’t realize you were holding and fell to your knees, groaning.

So, that was Bakugou. You didn’t wanna think about what could’ve happened if Kirishima hadn’t stopped him.

“Woah, hey, uh, we should get you back to your room.” he says, cradling your shoulders. “I’m Izuku Midoriya by the way, but you can call me Deku.”

“(Y/n)” you strained. “Nice to... nice to meet you Deku, but I can’t go back yet. I have to make sure Sho is ok…”

Deku brought you back up to your feet, sliding an arm around your waist and a head under your arm. “Sho? Is that your friend?”

“yeah,” you nodded as the two of you began heading to the door yourselves, “my childhood friend. We were...we got lost...”

“Lost? We could send a messenger out to your kingdom and let them know you’re here-” He says.

“No!” You yelled. Deku looked taken aback and gave you a concerned look. A little embarrassed, you cleared your throat. “No. It’s ok, I uh, I’d prefer we don’t make a huge deal about this.”

Deku chuckled, “Oh, of course my lady, but, are you sure you’re ok to go visit him?”

“Please, I was the one who caught him in all of this mess.”

He smiled as he pushed one of the doors open with his foot, and headed down the steps almost as far as where your own room was, only before the last flight of stairs he took a bridge across to another tree where a small cluster of buildings sat. He gently slid out from besides you to open the front door. Sho laid flat on the bed in front, quietly sleeping. He looked much better now. The lump on his face had almost disappeared, wrapped heavily in clean bandages. He was shirtless as well, only more bandages covering his chest and parts of his arm. He had bruises everywhere, but otherwise, he looked taken care of. In addition to the bedside dresser, there was a small wooden table to his right with tools, bandages, and washcloths. He must’ve needed stitches. You teared up at the sight, feeling guilty again for all the trouble you caused.

Deku gently placed a hand on your shoulder again, leading you to a couch on the side of the room. “He’s got a concussion as well as deep cuts here and there, but he’ll make a full recovery in about three weeks. I’m going to have him stay in bed for a week and a half and then go from there.”

“It’s all my fault,” you whispered, voice cracking. At this point, you couldn’t hold back the tears anymore.

“What? No, it’s those people in the forest. Wild people. They like to mess with anyone caught out at night. Except for kach- erm, The King. They’re terrified of him.”

You sniffed, “Bakugou, right?”

“Y-yeah,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “we grew up together, so I’m used to calling him Kacchan. It was just a name and uh, oh, and, I’m sorry for the way he acted, he’s been out scouting food for a while, not eating at all. He thinks the forest is slowly going dry. He’s a good person, I promise, he just has a mean face. He must’ve scared you.”

“It’s ok,” you shook your head. “He was...he was right. About my people.” You wiped the tears from your eyes, staring at the wall in front of you. “My father, he likes money and power. He likes seeing happy and rich citizens. I used to think it was because he cared about them when really, it’s so he could show off to other kingdoms. I could hear them sometimes, talking about expanding towards the forest, cutting down more trees for a new library or something. He liked the pelts too, making me little stuffed rabbits when I was younger. I always thought it was ok though, I never knew people lived here. Now I feel awful.”

Deku gave you a kind smile. “Hey, but it wasn’t you, right? That was your dad. Don’t beat yourself up over his decisions.”

“Yeah” you sighed, “I guess.”

Deku’s smile grew bigger, and he pushed himself off the couch. You watched him walk over to the dresser and opened up one of the drawers to pull out a small blanket.

“Here” he said, unfolding the blanket and handing it to you. “I’m gonna go grab the medicinal tea I brought to your room, it’ll help with the pain. Uh, I’m not quite sure, but I think you may have slightly fractured a rib, so the best thing we could do is let it heal itself for a week. Who knows, it might just be bruised.”

“Thanks.” you say, laying yourself down on the couch in the meantime. After Deku came back with that tea, you passed out fast.

You had a dream. Your father was right in front of you, raising his sword above his head. He was scared of something, but you couldn’t tell what. The background was fuzzy, but you could see it was destroyed. You were raising your arms, protecting someone. Everything was in slow motion, fading slowly to white.

You spasmed awake, inhaling sharply. The image faded fast out of your mind. Shoto was snoring lightly on the bed, arm lazily resting atop his stomach. Good. Sighing, you set aside the blanket and walked out the door for some fresh air. The tea helped you a lot, even now. You didn’t even feel any pain. The moon shone brightly again as the breeze cooled your skin, giving you deja vu of the whole fiasco from before. Except this time, this was peaceful. You weren’t lost. No one was chasing you. And most importantly, you and Shoto were safe. Everything was good for now.

A large shadow fluttered in the corner of your eye, causing you to jump a bit. A red dragon with magnificent wings landed in the clearing by the kingdom gates, which were now closed shut. Its rider, the buttholeish King, yelled at the guards. They notched their arrows, shooting into the forest with expertise. A roar of some sort of animal retreated, rustling trees in its wake. Bakugou slid down from its neck to untie the fresh animal carcasses secured on the dragon’s back. Other soldiers came from the buildings to help carry them. Then, as Bakugou hopped to the ground, the dragon began to shrink back into itself. Wings folded into his backside, neck shortening, and body losing its color to turn into...Kirishima. It blew your mind. So you really did hit him hard back there. You had to apologize.

You rushed down the steps to find them, not really thinking about the fact that you had absolutely no idea where you were going. Nor did you really think about your stamina. Five sets of stairs and you were already panting.

As you leaned against the tree, trying to be careful with your breaths. It still didn’t hurt, but damn did you get tired quick. Just as you were turning to tackle another flight, a head of blonde hair appeared from below, scowling.

“Again? What is it with you and not sitting still?” he grumbled. You could hear the fatigue in the way his voice cracked.

You sat up from the tree, surprised that he climbed so fast. “I, er, wanted to apologize to Kirishima for the wound is all.” you rubbed your arm nervously as he stopped in front of you.

He eyes you with skepticism, probably wondering if you were telling the truth or not. “He’s gonna be taking care of the fresh meat for a while, and probably sleep till late afternoon knowing the lazy idiot.” he grumbles.

“Oh.” you say, still kind of embarrassed.

“And besides, he’s fine. He heals like it’s nothing.”

“Because he’s a dragon…?”

“Heh, something like that.”

“Oh.”

You two sit in silence for a moment after that. The awkwardness was almost unbearable.

“This reminds me, Shitty Hair wanted me to do something. Can you walk up the stairs?” he finally asks.

You shrug, “I’ll get up there eventually.” you respond.

“Well, I don’t have time to wait for ‘eventually’” he says, and lifts you up off the ground with both arms. He hugs you close to his bare chest and climbs the stairs with no problem, not even a slight change in breathing.

You help a bit, holding on to his neck for support. “Where-“

“I have to give you your shit back.” He grunts. “You lived so I don’t get to keep your sword.”

“What an awful mouth you have for a king.” You frown.

He smirks in response, “you haven’t seen the half of it, princess.”

Princess. The way he says “princess” sends shivers down your spine. You don’t know why, but you found yourself staring at his features again. Hair shining almost white again, gently waving in the wind. Piercing eyes, sharp jawline, defined collarbones…

“Oi, quit starin.” He interrupts your thoughts.

“Huh? Why...uh, why would I stare at you?” you say, your voice an octave higher.

He chuckles lightly while you try to look everywhere but him. He passes Shoto’s room and instead keeps heading upwards. Past the throne room too, taking a staircase to a room above it. He pushes it open to a gorgeous bedroom. The amount of oil lamps lining the walls could barely light up the entirety of the room. Giant bed with plush pillows along one wall, a balcony on the other side of the room, a door leading to what you think is a bathroom, and lots and lots of “trophies” hanging up on the wall. Helmets, swords, capes, horns, claws- must be from what he killed. One horn spread the length across the wall from his bed, being almost 10 feet long. You’d be terrified to know what creature that belonged to...or, had belonged to. Still, they were oddly beautiful. Clearly, they were a struggle to take down, judging by the damaged sword Bakugou wielded and the slight deformities in the trophies themselves. A crack down the middle of a knight’s helmet. Multiple tears in a blue and white feathered cape. It was almost surreal to you, that a man that could win all these vicious battles can gently place you on the soft cushions of one of the few couches that occupied his room.

Walking to his bed, he picked up an object propped up against the bed frame. He trunks to you, holding it flat against both hands. Your sword!

He unsheathed it, examining the blade in the dim lamplights with approval. “This is made of Awherian metal, better not lose it.” he says, sheathing it and handing it back to you. You take it gingerly, propping it by your feet.

“Awherian?” You repeated.

“Awherians used to be a tribe up in the North before going extinct a long time ago. Legends say they used to battle giants, cuz they ate their dragons...or some bullshit my old hag likes to talk about.” he crosses his arms.

He took notice of you lowering your head, and sighed, rubbing his neck awkwardly.

“I uh,” he cleared his throat, “I shouldn’t have said all that. Earlier, I mean. Kirishima was right about being hungry, I don’t usually yell at women. Unless they’re trying to kill me, you know.”

“It’s ok,” you lean back into the couch, “you weren’t wrong. I said this to Deku earlier already: I thought my father was doing the right thing because he, well, he’s my father. If I had known there was a whole civilization here...I just...I hope I can help.”

He looked at you for a few seconds, calculating. Were you genuinely being honest? Maybe, he thought. He has his doubts still.

Bakugou was always weary about newcomers, and didn’t take too kindly to them. The only reason these two were brought in was because Kirishima urged him to. The king refused at first, reasoning that this could’ve been a set-up, that the cult that pranced the outskirts of their territory had a plan to send in spies this way. Of course, Kirishima says that there’s no way they would possibly injure their own like this, leaving them one step away from death, but Bakugou has seen their ways. They would eat each other if they wanted to. Eventually, he gave in on the reasoning that they weren’t the smartest of people. You seemed different. He ordered his closest men, including that shitty Deku to keep an eye on you both.

“Maybe you could. Who fuckin knows” He says, “but not when you can’t even climb fucking stairs without wheezing like a granny.” He says, earning a slightly offended whine from you. He smiles lightly, then points to his bed with a thumb. “Go.”

You look at him, perplexed. “In your bed?”

“No shit, it’s the middle of the night.” He narrows his eyes.

“I’m, b-but we’re not married-“ you stuttered.

Bakugou rolls his eyes, “relax princess, you have it to yourself. I just don’t feel like taking you back down to your room, or to that half n half bastard.”

With a grunt, he picks you up off the couch and onto the bed. The plush blankets swallowing you almost immediately.

“Do you like insulting people?” you ask as he throws the blanket over you.

“I dunno, do you like breathing, or is it just something you do?”

“You’re impossible.” You rolled your eyes. “Where are you going to sleep?”

“The couch.” He replies, undoing the buckles on his cape. “Sleep, we’ll have you properly taken care of tomorrow, starting with a bath.” He wrinkled his nose.

“Hey!” you pouted. A bath sounds wonderful though.

“You were supposed to be in bed all day today, but whatever.” he sighs. He folded his cape neatly and placed it on his bedside dresser, then flopped onto a couch on the far side of the room, facing away from you. Eventually, his muscles relaxed and you could hear soft puffs of breaths as he slept.

It was calming in a way. Every night, even as a small child afraid of the dark spaces in your room, you slept alone. You had to overcome that fear alone, your mother definitely didn’t want you bothering her, and your father was far too tired from dealing with the kingdom all day. But knowing someone else was in the room felt, in an odd way, nice. You drifted off again, but this time, without dreams.

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beinmybonnet · 4 years

Text

29th June 1613 - London, England

“Remind me again why we’re doing this?

“He went to the trouble to have a draft carried all the way to Brandenburg for me, the least I can do is attend the opening night.”

Andromache rolls her shoulders into her partlet. “The least you can do maybe. Why am I doing this?”

“Because you missed me. And because you cried when we saw Othello.” Yusuf replies, looking sideways at her. Curbing the inevitable objection, Quynh squeezes Nicolò’s arm and strides forwards to overtake them. He lets himself be dragged after her, taking care not to tread on her skirts.

“I love the theatre. Plus, we’ve spent the last week sleeping in a shack in the Dales. This,” Quynh waves her free arm over the bridge rail, “is a nice change of scenery.”

London Bridge is teeming with people, the warmth of the bustle settling like cinders into his skin. The city writhes in its haste. Against the far bank of the Thames tall buildings strike against the horizon, the old Southwark Priory still reaching high in spent pride. Buildings are painted pale with dark beams striking bold across them. It is beautiful in its own way, Nicolò thinks. Inelegant, but unique.

“It wasn’t that bad. I still think we should have stayed a little longer, at least until-

“Andromache we’ve slept in nicer caves.”

Quynh glances back over her shoulder meaningfully, brow rising. Andromache shrugs. A smile, although few would recognise it. They step down onto the riverbank as one, turning east.

Nicolò nudges his shoulder into Yusuf as they pass the gardens. “You fail to mention you sent that script back with corrections.”

“Revisions. Small ones.” Yusuf’s voice is low, his expression impish. “Barely noticeable.”

“Ah, here we are.” Yusuf waves Andromache forward into their usual first-floor booth and steps back to allow Quynh to pass. Nicolò pauses, peering up the stairwell.

“Full house.”

“First performance. Trust me, this will be one to remember.” Yusuf is bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet, and it makes Nicolò want to tuck his chin over a bobbing shoulder.

“You’d think the city would be a bit more subdued,” Andromache settles herself on the bench tucking thick plum skirts around her calves. She happily accepts a bag of roasted hazelnuts from Yusuf as he passes her to stand at the balcony. “They’ve only just recovered from their last bout of plague.”

“Exactly! This is the power of art.” Yusuf beams, arm sweeping wide. “Look at these people.” All around them the crowd is seething with anticipation, the noise growing as the wait goes on. Children scramble in the lower level of the yard for better vantage points, clawing their way up the beams supporting the lower galleries. People are shouting and laughing and drinking, the sound cocooned tight within the impressive structure. A man swings a laughing boy up over the mass, and a small group of women pressed against the stage begin shouting a suspicious sounding rhyme, pointing across the pit. Before they can finish a man in the gallery beneath them roars his response across the yard.

Nicolò’s brow furrows. “Clot-pole? I don’t…”

“She’s calling him an idiot,” Andromache supplies, “and insulting his hat.”

“It is a bit much.” Quynh’s leaning over the balcony to get a better look. “I think she’s accusing him of, err – short-changing her. Last night.”

Still grinning, Yusuf peers over beside her. “Oh, she’s quite angry. Here we go.” He sounds delighted. What looks like a parsnip sails over the head of the crowd. “A pity, she’ll want those for the third act.”

Quynh’s now bent almost double over the bannister and Andromache reaches to steady her without looking. “Isn’t this sort of thing that made the man move half of the troupe over to Blackfriars?”

Yusuf shakes his head in fond exasperation. “Ah, William has become far too prudish in his success. The engagement of the audience is the nature of theatre.”

“Engagement?” Nicolò smirks as something below meets its mark with a splat and a shout.

“Well, you cannot deny their enthusiasm-”

Quynh reappears with a whoop of triumph clutching her prize; a browning cabbage intercepted in the air. She rotates the rotten vegetable in careful examination. “Excellent.”

Yusuf raises his hand in hopeless protest as Nicolò leans back in his seat, eyeing Quynh. “10 crowns says you can’t hit the stage from here.”

She snorts derisively.

“20 if you can take King Henry off his feet.” Andromache counters, rising slightly to gauge the distance. Done, Quynh agrees happily, settling beside her and tucking her cabbage under the bench. Yusuf mutters an exasperated appeal for help to the heavens and Nicolò quickly tugs him down into the remaining space with a hand over his knee.

The parting of the stage curtain prompts the dropping of remaining projectiles and an enthusiastic cheer from the crowd. The herald clears his throat, steps to the edge of the stage and spreads his arms.

The first and happiest hearers of the town,

I come no more to make you laugh; things now,

That bear a weighty and a serious brow,

Sad, high, and working, full of state and woe,

Such noble scenes as draw the eye to flow,

We now present. Those that can pity, here

May, if they think it well, let fall a tear;

Be sad, as we would make ye

“Oh, so a comedy?” Quynh says brightly and Yusuf shushes her.

The first actors emerge from the wings in their velvets and the tale takes flight.

In all this noble bevy, has brought with her

One care abroad; he would have all as merry

As, first, good company, good wine, good welcome,

Can make good people. O, my lord, you're tardy:

Yusuf is mouthing the words soundlessly, engrossed.

There are many things Nicolò has enjoyed about visiting theatres over the years. He will readily admit this performance is an enjoyable one - the young man playing Buckingham is particularly charismatic, the audience viscerally immersed in his indignation. The actors proudly deliver their lines and their story to an increasingly hypnotised audience.

But the play itself has never been what really draws Nicolò to this place. He glances sideways again and immediately, expectedly, loses the thread of the plot. In this moment the talent on the stage could never hope to hold his interest as he sits beside this man. Yusuf has lost himself entirely to the unfolding tale, gaze flitting from figure to figure calling below. Passion alight in his eyes. The arts do this to him in a way Nicolò has seen nothing else in all their time together. They have walked familiar paths in gallery halls for hours on end, Yusuf’s eyes roving walls of painted expression. They’ve sat in houses of the dying and listened to children bringing comfort with songs of naivety. Literature, dance, poetry, music; in all their changing forms they have always arrested Yusuf in his entirety.

These things give people freedom Nicolò, true freedom, he had once said. Free of limitation and expectation, in art people reveal their true selves. It is beautiful.

For Nicolò, that beauty is reflected blindingly in Yusuf’s own experience. To watch him like this for the rest of his given days would see him depart this earth achingly grateful to his God.

But Yusuf feels his distraction and leans toward him. “You’re missing it,” he murmurs, smile pulling impossibly wider. Unbridled delight is etched at the edges of his eyes, and Nicolò wants to trace his fingertips over the creases. He only realises he has reached out and done so when Yusuf captures and kisses his palm. “Watch the play.”

“It is a story still within living memory, I know how it ends,” Nicolò whispers.

Yusuf will not have it, nodding towards the actors. “Watch them tell it.”

Anne Boleyn is drifting across the stage, hand at her chest and Nicolò turns dutifully back to the performance.

Was he mad, sir?

O, very mad, exceeding mad, in love too:

But he would bite none; just as I do now,

He would kiss you twenty with a breath.

This time it’s Yusuf’s eyes that flicker back towards him and Nicolò hears silent words in the curl of his lip. Twenty kisses in a single breath. A risky venture, no?

Nicolò hums, his thoughts mirrored beside him. We shall see.

Good lord chamberlain,

Go, give 'em welcome; you can speak the French tongue;

And, pray, receive 'em nobly, and conduct 'em

Into our presence, where this heaven of beauty

Shall shine at full upon them. Some attend him.

You have now a broken banquet; but we'll mend it.

A good digestion to you all: and once more

I shower a welcome on ye; welcome all!

King Henry VIII emerges from the curtains with a flourish, the actor clearly taking great pains not to stumble in breeches that billow around his knees. The theatre bursts into applause as a round of trumpets sound, and they shout their approval at the blast of a canon from the rafters. The actors move to their marks to begin the scene in earnest, and Andromache leans forward with interest for the first time.

“See, I told you! With the funding now available, they’ve really spared no expense,” Yusuf is still clapping. Andromache hums noncommittally sitting back, but her eyes are suddenly bright with curiosity.

“Quynh, if you’re going to win your money, I suggest you do it now.”

“Why? I was going to wait until the trial scene,” she replies, confused.

From his place beside her Nicolò can see clearly that Andromache is struggling to suppress a smirk. “Well, there won’t be much left by then.”

“What?” Quynh looks down the bench at him. He shrugs. Andromache sighs around her growing amusement.

Seconds pass before she speaks again.

“They’ve set the roof on fire.”

He doesn’t need long to piece together what’s happened. There’s a thin plume of smoke rising from the inner curve of the roof and within, a flicker of light no bigger than that from a candle waving gently in the rafters. The canon. They wadded the canon, he realises. The little flame wafts higher in the breeze. The crowd is oblivious, too focused on the stage to be looking upwards. He taps Yusuf’s thigh.

It does take a moment. “Oh dear.” Yusuf looks back and forth between the roof and the stage, face falling. “Well maybe-

There’s a loud pop as the flame meets eager fuel. It dances up into the thatch lining the hooped roof and flares wide and greedy. Whip fast, it licks across the reeds consuming them in crunches and cracks that have people now looking skywards and shouting. Those in the highest galleries rear back as the fire completes its rapid circuit of the roof. By the time the actors have abandoned their attempts at continuing and stand dumbstruck on the stage, the theatre is ringed in an ominous halo of flame.

“Yusuf, unless your intention is a repeat of ’54…” Quynh trails off sadly, holding her cabbage.

Clumps of lit thatch are beginning to drift into the standing audience and the pushing and shoving follows in earnest. One man charges through the crowd braying, his breeches alight. Andromache stands looking decidedly more cheerful. “Come on, we’ll help them clear the pit.”

Nicolò follows suit, a hand falling to Yusuf’s shoulder. He has to work to quell an absurd urge to laugh; Yusuf is glaring at the roof with all the stubbornness of a chastised child. He squeezes gently, sympathy winning out. “I’m sorry.”

“Canons, who on earth thought canons in a wooden building was…” Yusuf trails off, glancing up. “Nothing to be done I suppose.” He holds out his other hand. “Shall we?”

Drawing Yusuf up behind him, Nicolò moves out into the stairwell twisting up into the higher galleries where people are starting to pile down in haste. An older man stumbles in the rush and he reaches out to steady him. “Careful, sir. Head out towards the river.”

The man nods and quickly hurries on pressing his handkerchief to his mouth. The next woman through the door snatches her arm up to her chest before he can move to offer any assistance. Dirty papist she spits as she veers away. Yusuf tenses, a hard line pressed at his back. Nicolò just dips his head.

“Please hurry.”

By the time the flow of people has ebbed the flames are beginning to consume the ornate stage pillars. The curtains masking backstage catch like parchment and blaze furiously. “We should make sure the galleries are clear,” he says, “you take the east, I the west?”

Yusuf eyes the roof timbers warily. “Five minutes. No more.”

In the end it only takes Nicolò four minutes to usher the last stubborn gamblers from the gentleman’s room. The fact that the smoke has now crept down to waist level speeds this along nicely, and they hurry to the stairwell hunched and coughing. Nicolò stays low, following them down the last steep flight when his foot catches on something in the darkness, almost putting his hand through the adjacent wall in an attempt to steady himself. There’s a man slouched in the corner, limbs sprawled wide and snoring. An empty bladder clutched to his chest. The strength of the brandy fumes punch through the dense smoke to further sting at his eyes and his irritation almost threatens to outweigh his conscience. Almost.

By the time he staggers out into clear air dragging his oblivious charge Nicolò know he’s been much longer than five minutes. Behind him there’s a crash which sounds very much like the galleries have finally given in and collapsed. Sounds like, because his eyes are clenched shut, burning and watering. Pressing his hands to his knees, he tries not to gag on the tar in his throat.

A hand settles on the back of his neck whilst another cups a palmful of water to his face. Nicolò winces.

“I’m sorry,” he rasps, “He’s heavier than he looks.”

He can hear Yusuf grinding his teeth but his response is surprisingly placid. “Rinse your eyes.”

Yusuf presses a water skin into his hands and moves away. When Nicolò’s vision has cleared he spots him back near the eastern entrance, patiently shepherding two enraptured boys further from the fire as they gape at the sky. Even for one who has seen much, Nicolò must admit, it is quite a sight.

The playhouse’s cylindrical shape has moulded the fire into a twirling steeple of flame inside the structure, now reaching twenty feet clear of the building itself. The Globe resembles an enormous cauldron struggling to hold its roiling contents. It belches clouds of thick black smoke as its rim splinters and cracks under the pressure and heat. What’s left of the thatch continues to feed the furnace, keeping the flames bright and fierce.

Quynh appears, sliding her hand into the crook of his elbow to steer him away. She leads him to a grassy curve of the riverbank where people are congregating in groups and beginning to resettle on the ground. From one muse to another, the audience remain eager spectators, gasping and whooping as the bones of the building begin to break, sending up showers of sparks. Yusuf and Andromache join them just as the walls start to keel inwards.

“You were right, definitely one of his more memorable works,” Andromache announces as they sit. “Perhaps my favourite.”

“Yes, I’m so very glad you enjoyed yourself.” Yusuf’s tone is flat, but his eyes roll indulgently.

Quynh settles herself back against Andromache’s bent knees, facing the playhouse. “We can still make a night of it. We get a bottle of wine, some pastries. Watch the sunset.” Her voices softens slightly and she levels her gaze at them. “You really must go so soon?”

He looks to Yusuf, who nods. “We have passage on a ship to Antwerp. She leaves on the tide tomorrow morning.”

Quynh’s sigh is dejected. “You won’t consider staying just a little longer? We’re moving on to…” she trails off, peering up at Andromache – Devon, she supplies, “We could use your help relocating these women. The trials are becoming barbaric.”

Yusuf shakes his head, surveying the crowd. “I’d prefer not to tempt fate. London is not at its most welcoming for us presently.

Nicolò quirks his lip. “You mean for me.” Ah, he sees now. The woman from earlier is stood just a little further up the bank, clutching at well-dressed man and pointing at them. Yusuf stares back unflinchingly. Nicolò feels him shift to further block her line of sight to him.

Then he turns back to meet Nicolò’s eye and speaks firmly. “For us. If a place does not welcome you, it does not welcome me.”

Quynh has watched the exchange carefully and suddenly sits up. She clears her throat and calls out loudly enough for those nearest to turn. “Thou art a boil, madam, a plague sore!”

Andromache snorts and the woman raises her fan to her face appalled, tugging on her husband’s arm. It has the intended effect on Yusuf though and his grin returns to its proper place. Nicolò feels a familiar rush of affection for Quynh and her unfailing ability to put people at ease.

“King Lear,” Yusuf says proudly. “I didn’t think you were paying attention.”

“Of course she was,” Andromache interjects, “It’s a magnum opus of insults.”

Quynh grins up at her. “Oh, you worsted-stockinged knave.”

The retort is instant. “Brazen-faced varlet.”

“Ancient ruffian.”

Andromache shrugs. “Accurate.”

Their laughter comes in easy unison and Yusuf’s expression is unbearably soft as he watches them. “It won’t be for long,” he promises.

Quynh pulls her eyes from Andromache and nods. “Probably a sensible choice at the moment. You do look violently Venetian Nicolò.

He wrinkles his nose, affronted. “I do not-”

Yusuf is reaching for his face, so he pauses his protest for the gentle pass of a thumb over the bridge of his nose. “It’s your profile my love.” Yusuf’s tongue darts out over the pad of his thumb before it returns to rub more firmly at his nose. “Which currently is very sooty.”

With his hands still upon Nicolò’s face he murmurs. “Oh but what a piece of work is this man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel,” Yusuf blinks, his sincerity blinding, “in apprehension how like a god.”

It’s all Nicolò can do not to rub his flushed cheeks into Yusuf’s palms like an alley cat.

Andromache arches a refined brow at Quynh. “Nicolò gets a Hamletian ode to his soul, and I get ‘ruffian’?”

Quynh rocks onto her elbow in the grass without missing a beat. “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Mayhap a smouldering playhouse, ablaze in righteous flame?

“Likened to a smoking wreckage, how romantic.”

Nicolò would laugh but Yusuf is still holding his gaze and his face, everything else muting around him. He does this; bestows his love in soft declarations that leave Nicolò stunned, and then holds him steady until the words perfuse. Nicolò loves him so much he feels he might combust, with all the ferocity of the fire at his back.

Centuries before, he had allowed his disbelief to ask a question once, and only once. The intensity frightening him. Could a gift such as this truly be his eternal?

Nicolò smiles at his world and whispers.

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and gives life to thee.

held in the embers on ao3 at theexistentialteapot

part one of this series can be found here

#god this one took years off me #but it's done!#thank you bones for the final shove over the finish line #i am so soft for this found family #and they deserve happy memories #yusuf would 1000% have been a theatre kid #the headcanon is lodged #userbones #usermarwan #tusermj #tuserceleste #the old guard fic #the old guard #mine

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legoshi-plz · 4 years

Text

Pretenses Part 3 (Louis x Reader)

Summary: Part 3. Louis is a spoiled prince and you are a clumsy maid. Prince! Louis x Canine!Dog! Reader.

Part One • Part Two

////////////////

You climbed the staircase, your arms and legs buzzing from overuse. Despite the longer than usual nap you had taken thank to Prince Louis, you still had to help cook for the Carnivores and with the knowledge you’d have to leave to attend to the Prince, you tried to cram as much cooking in as you could before you had to leave.

There were only two other Carnivores that helped cook at night and they were both older animals who couldn’t move as fast as yourself. You’d been meaning to begin training someone younger than yourself, as your elders had trained you, but no one had shown interest. Also you were still in your prime and the two older chefs weren’t going anywhere in the imminent future so it was something you hadn’t really felt pressure to make happen. It never occurred to you that you might not do it because something else got in the way. Idiot.

You reached the Prince’s study and rapted lightly on the door three times.

“I already know it’s you, YN, just come in already,” Louis snapped and you entered.

“You’re late,” he huffed, his eyes not leaving whatever it was he was studying on his desk. You couldn’t resist glancing at the clock mounted on his wall. You were five minutes early.

“What is it you wanted to see me about, my lord?”

“I’m not a lord, I’m a Prince, you imbecile,” Louis retorted before finally glancing up at you. If you didn’t know any better you might have thought there was a twinge of guilt in his eyes.

“Have a seat,” and just like that it was gone.

You sat across from him as he continued to go over whatever was spread out on his desk. You noticed he was not wearing his usual royal regalia, opting for a more casual assemble. It was still far finer than any clothes owned by a commoner of course but this was the first time you’d ever seen him dress.... comfortable, as if he could finally breathe in his clothes. Though you were sure he could probably wear a beggars clothes and still look handsome.

The Prince’s attractiveness was obvious to anyone with even slightly functioning eyesight. He was a Red Deer and they were known for their beauty. His father, the King, was also incredibly handsome. You supposed some things were genetic, though that’s about where the similarities ended from what you had seen.

During your time on the dining staff, you couldn’t help but glance from time to time at the King and you noticed he seemed almost the polar opposite of his son. He was of an enormous stature, much larger than Louis, and he possessed a deep, graveling voice, almost like that of a Carnivore. Yet he spoke softly, every time, and with compassion for his fellow royal guests. He had an aura about him that anyone would follow, the aura of a true King.

Much unlike his rude, condescending, egotistical, maniacal, and downright vile offspring.

“Here, read this. If you can, that is,” Louis pushed whatever documents he’d been studying towards you. You picked them up gently as to not ruin them.

You didn’t have the slightest idea what you were looking at. You knew how to read and write, having actually completed your time in school, unlike too many Carnivores you’d come to know, but that education had not been the best, especially for a commoner like yourself. You knew it was something about space from the drawn depiction of of celestial bodies but that’s about where your understanding ended. The text accompanying it was even worse as it was so riddled with scientific jargon, you couldn’t even make out the premise.

“I-uh, I... I can’t...”

“Don’t tell me you can’t read?” Louis asked with raised eyebrows. You felt your face heat up and your fur bristle in embarrassment. He never failed to let you know how much of an idiot he thought you were but attacking your basic education was a new form of humiliation even you weren’t prepared for.

“I can- I can read. I’m... I’m not illiterate, I swear. I just... don’t understand... that,” your ears had flattened against your head and you could feel yourself trembling slightly. Tears were welling in your eyes despite your willing them not too. Earthworms in the ground couldn’t have felt as low as you did.

Louis stood and circled around behind you. He slid the documents back into your hands then placed his own on your shoulders, rubbing them as if you were cold.

“Stop shaking, it’s alright,” he assured you, his fingers squeezing you slightly.

“I...,” Louis hesitated, as if doubting what he was about to say,“I should have worded that differently. It was not my intention to insult your intelligence. My apologies.”

His voice was soft in your ear and for the first time since you’d met him, he sounded genuinely remorseful. You nodded and attempted to swollen the lump in your throat.

One of Louis’ hands left your shoulder to wrap around your hand that held the papers to still them from shaking. He then began to explain what they meant in a low, careful voice. His face was right by your own and you could feel the fur of his face brush against yours. The alluring scent of his cologne flooded your nostrils and you felt a little dizzy. He was way too close, you couldn’t process a word he was saying despite his voice being right there in your ear.

“And so according to the stars alignment, this planet will be in our orbit tonight and visible from the night sky.” Louis finished.

“Okay....” You weren’t sure what it was he wanted from you or even why your presence was required here. Louis seemed to sense your unspoken speculation and released your hand and shoulder.

“Follow me, we won’t be able to see it here,” He said heading towards the door of his study.

You followed behind him silently as he went up staircase after staircase until the two of you finally reached a balcony near the top floor of the castle. You felt a sense of unease at being this high up and with a Prince as vile as Louis, no less! There was nothing and no one to stop him from chucking you over the balcony wall. You began to inch back towards the door.

“What are you doing? Come closer,” Louis said noticing you backing away.

“I- I can’t. I’m afraid of heights, my liege,” you said keeping your hand very firmly on the door handle. Louis approaches you, covering your hand with his own as he drew you away from the door.

“I’m not going to let anything happen to you, Y/N. If I did, then who’d bring me my lunch?” Louis smirked at his own joke. You didn’t laugh.

He brought you to where a rather large telescope was settled. You realized that the balcony had been built to accommodate the gigantic contraption that was placed at its center. Despite how long you’d been working in the palace, you had no idea this place even existed nor that Royals took such an interest in the celestial heavens.

“And now we wait,” Louis said checking his pocket watch. You found a wall behind the telescope and slid down it so you wouldn’t have to look over the railing to the ground below. You took deep breaths to try and calm your heart rate, the cool breeze from outside helping to clear your head.

Louis sat down beside you, his side nearly resting against your own.

“Why am I here, my liege?” You asked wringing your hands in your lap.

“Louis. My name is Louis,” you glanced at the royal besides you but he had an unreadable expression on his face.

“I’m not supposed to address you as such-

“I don’t care. It doesn’t matter anyway.” Louis said and you remained quiet. He was clearly setting a trap for you after all. Such blatant disrespect of a royal would not be tolerated in any capacity and you knew it.

“Why am I here?” You asked again. He remained silent and you thought he was simply not going to answer you.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Louis sighed, looking up at the stars.

“It is?”

“For some odd reason beyond me, I actually find I quite enjoy your presence,” Louis admitted, his eyes never leaving the moonlit sky. “I don’t know what it is about you but I can’t seem to stay away.”

Out of all the possible reasons Louis could have brought you here, this undoubtedly shocked you the most. He couldn’t stay away from you? What kind of sick, twisted game was he playing at?

“I see now.... So you’re not a vile person naturally?”

“That’s still up for debate but for the most part, no I’m not,” Louis chuckled.

“So you just enjoy making my life miserable when the mood strikes?” Louis finally turned his eyes on you to see you were as far from accepting of his little confession as possible.

“You like to keep me around all the time so you have someone to pick on, your highness. Then I guess you feel guilty afterwards which is why you try to be nice again. Or let me take naps in your quarters to try and break even?” You were seething now as you stood from your seat on the ground. Louis followed after you to try and stop you, pinning you to the balcony wall by caging you in both his arms.

“I’m sorry, Y/N,”

“You’re sick is what you are,” you huffed.

“I know,”

“And cruel,”

“I know,”

“And manipulative,”

“I know, I know, I know! You think I don’t see the way you look at me? You think I don’t see the fear in your eyes? Or the disgust? I know you hate me, Y/N. You’d be an idiot not to.” Louis agonized. You refused to even look at him.

“Why can’t you just.... leave me alone? Our paths never had to cross before, they don’t have to ever cross again,” you lamented to the ground. Louis’ hands lowered to cup your face, angling your head upwards to look in his eyes. There was conflict and pain swimming in his amber orbs.

“I think we both know things can’t return to the way they were...” Louis continued to lower himself into you until he was nearly nuzzling the fur of your cheek.

“Then I quit,” you whispered, his hold on your jaw and neck bringing out your more submissive side. It was a leftover genetic predisposition that all dogs felt, some more than others, from their long history of domestication.

“I can’t let you do that either,” Louis purred and you could hear your heart beating in your ears. The crown Prince should not be this close to his maid, or any commoner for that matter. It was indecent to say the least however you knew from the Gazelles in the kitchen that he was no stranger to this indecency.

“Your highness, please. Let go of me, this isn’t right,” your pleas fell on deaf ears as Louis licked a long stripe from the fur of your neck up to your jaw which was still cupped gracefully in his hands. You felt yourself shudder at his touch. Whether Carnivore or Herbivore, such an act was one of intimacy amongst mammals regardless of class.

“Sire stop this ple-”

“Louis,” he growled into your neck. “My name is Louis. I need to hear you say it.”

“Sir-“

“Say it,” he nipped at your sensitive jugular before soothing the spot with his tongue.

“Louis, please,” you gasped, holding his forearm to steady yourself.

“Good girl,” he groaned.

And then he kissed you.

////////////

Louis has never simultaneously felt more elated nor more heinous in his entire life, until tonight that is. He’d also never forced someone to kiss him that didn’t want to be kissed until tonight either.

The second his lips captured yours, it seemed that all protest left your body as you slumped against the wall, allowing the Prince full access. Louis kissed you with a ferocity that surprised even him and you responded with hesitance.

No, not hesitance. Fear. It had to be fear.

Louis knew it was fear because the second he pulled away, you looked as if he’d just hit you. Your eyes were wide, your tail was tucked between your legs, and he could feel you trembling beneath his hands. He let you go immediately.

What on earth had he done?

In his own love-drunk haze he’d forced himself onto you and now you stood before him scared out of your mind. He’d got carried away being so near you that he’d ended up irrevocably ruining whatever frail relationship there was between you two.

He really was a monster....

He couldn’t stand to look into your huge, innocent eyes any longer. He was ashamed of himself in a way he’d never experienced until now.

“Y-you’re dismissed,” he uttered softly, stepping back. Your already shocked eyes turned impossibly larger.

“Sir, I-”

“Didn’t you hear me? Get out of my sight,” Louis bellowed and you hastily scampered back inside the palace, leaving him alone on the balcony with his thoughts.

His hands were shaking and his ears were burning. Despite the uneasy settling of guilt in his gut, he also couldn’t deny the butterflies that resided there as well. He had kissed you. Your lips were even softer than he imagined in his many, many daydreams of you. The way your fur felt beneath his fingertips, so soft and luxurious. Despite the less than ideal circumstances, he couldn’t deny the elation he felt at being near you, getting to actually touch you. It was intoxicating, invigorating, and..... completely inappropriate.

I was unaware I raised such a cruel child...

His father’s words suddenly haunted him. He had to save himself from this insatiable desire for you before it consumed him completely.

You would never be his and he had to accept that.

///////

The next morning you found yourself taking Louis his breakfast with a lump in your throat. You were nervous and overthinking things as usual. You had run through every possible scenario in your head for how things might go when the two of you saw each other again and none of them were pleasant.

Due to the Prince’s torment, you had never actually formed an opinion about him other that outward disdain. You hadn’t even considered a relationship that was more.... complex than that of a simple maid and her employer. Of course he slept around with Gazelles (and probably other species of staff as well) but that was hardly what you would deem scandalous. He was a young Herbivore man, a stag no less. He had needs and it wasn’t surprising he sought to quench said needs with the beautiful, graceful Herbivore staff.

You on the other hand? You were a dog and not one you considered especially pretty. As friendly and generally well liked as dogs were amongst other Carnivore species, that never really cultivated into anything beyond camaraderie. Dogs, especially domesticated dogs, were usually only desired by other domesticated animals. Other animals, especially Carnivores, saw domestication as a form of betrayal to your own kind. In today’s society, it wasn’t as heavily prevalent but the stigma still lingered, especially when it came to the process of mating.

You didn’t see yourself as a very attractive Dog, but you were a hard worker and a great cook. You’d always believed you’d eventually find a mate, even if just for those qualities alone which were ideal for Canine. Eventually you’d come across a willing Canine participant, maybe even one who wasn’t domesticated if you really had to, and settle down, have his pups, and live out your life quietly. Romance or love were factors you never even actually considered, you would have been grateful to just find a mate who wasn’t too rough or abusive. And the thought of even entertaining anything with someone who wasn’t a Carnivore never crossed your mind.

But now Louis was forcing it to cross your mind over and over and over again. Your mind kept going back to how it felt to be in his arms. You’d never been held like that, never been kissed like that. It was so full of passion that your body buzzed in excitement thinking about it even now. Excitement and anxiety that is.

You finally neared Louis’ chambers, knocking and entering precariously. And he wasn’t even there. You thought about using this as an excuse to avoid him but thought better of it. You had a job to do and you needed to do it.

You found him in the place you knew he’d always be if not his chambers: his study. As you entered, he blatantly ignored you until finally you spoke up.

“S-sir where would you like me to set your breakfast?” You squeaked out after the elongated stretch of silence. He waved his hand in annoyance at the end of his huge desk, his eyes never even meeting your own. You set down the food and waited in your normal position by his desk.

“Get out,” he snarled and you left along with any hope for answers about his bizarre behavior the night before.

/////////

Things proceeded in that same fashion for weeks. He would ignore you now as if you were less significant than dirt. He couldn’t even be bothered to berate you as he did before, you simply didn’t exist to him other than to dismiss you. He stopped being in your presence in any capacity: no more naps in his chambers, no more staying to accompany him while he ate, and definitely no more late night sessions in his study or on balconies.

A part of you felt guilt at his sudden austerity. You were a Carnivore after all, what if he believed that you had come on to him, that you had been trying to seduce him in this situation. Thinking back, the events of that night could have easily been spun to look as if the whole thing had been of your own fruition. Maybe it was. Maybe you had crossed a line with the deer that you could have prevented. You allowed yourself to get way too comfortable in the presence of a royal, it had backfired miserably and now you had no one to blame but yourself.

You were in the kitchens, where you’d been spending an almost abnormal amount of time lately due to being iced out by the Prince, about to start on his lunch when one of the Gazelles stopped you.

“There’s no need, Pup. The Royal guests arrived this morning, a whole three days earlier than expected,” She putted. You nodded in understanding and went over to help her mince carrots.

“I hear she’s back, and for good this time,” Another Gazelle quipped. There were groans of disgust from the rest of the station.

“Who’s she?” One of the younger, newer Gazelles asked. She was one of the few kitchen staff that actually arrived after you.

“The Prince’s bethrothed. Some princess from the small Kingdom right to the north of us. She’s a stone cold bitch, no offense Pup.” The same Gazelle from earlier glanced down at you.

“None taken,” you answered, too absorbed in the knowledge you were just given. The Prince has a fiancée? The news should have been less shocking to you, it was natural for Royals to enter arranged marriages but you hadn’t stopped to really contemplate this option for Louis.

“Yeah, last year when she came to stay she-” the conversation stopped altogether when suddenly a Grey Wolf entered the kitchen. He was enormous in every facet. He wore the metal cast of a knight however the crest was clearly from a different Kingdom. The Gazelles all scampered to the other side of the room, their fight or flight instincts kicking in.

“You’re not allowed in here!” One of them shrieked.

“Sorry, I was ordered to come here and I wasn’t sure if I sho-”

“Y/N! Get him out of here NOW!” One of the Gazelles behind you pushed you forward in a panic. Oh so now they suddenly know your name?

“Please, sir, if you’ll follow me, I can get you squared away,” you said offering your arm to him gently. Usually it was customary in such tense scenes for one Canine to grab another Canine’s tail to deescalate the situation however this was a wolf and from a different Kingdom. Even you weren’t that careless.

He took your arm and you led him outside where most Carnivores worked during the day.

“So you’re from the neighboring kingdom?” You asked as the two of you walked.

“Y-Yes! I am the royal guard for the Princess.” To be a guard, he sure had a gentle aura around him. His size and stature was intimidating initially but his voice was a big giveaway. He also hid his fangs and natural growl when speaking, something uncommon for Carnivores who were amongst their own kind. Then again you were a domestic dog, not a wolf. He probably did not consider you to be one of his kind.

“Is this your first time at the palace or have you accompanied the Princess before?”

“First time. Is it that obvious I’m a little new to this?” He grimaced and you noticed his eyes. They were incredibly handsome, his entire face actually. But they weren’t the eyes of a Grey Wolf, much too sharp and precise. You had a feeling there was more to this Wolf that what he was showing.

“Not at all. I’m Y/N, by the way,” You offered with a smile.

“Legoshi.”

#beastars #beastars louis #beastars louis x reader #louis x reader #louis x you #louis

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irishseeeker · 3 years

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rules don’t apply - chapter three

Having a crush on your boss is embarrassing. Inappropriate. Wrong. Especially when your boss is Anthony Bridgerton, the most insufferable man on the planet whom you actively despise.

What does Kate have to say on the matter?

…No comment.

read chapter 1 here or here

read chapter 2 here or here

chapter 3: hold onto your leash

“Kate.”

Kate didn’t know where she was. She was sitting in a chair behind a wooden desk, which was covered with various files, a laptop and multiple picture frames. The frames were blurred and she couldn’t make out the faces. Everything looked familiar, but she felt completely out of place. Something felt..off. Everything looked fuzzy, her vision was slightly blurred and the air slightly darker, as if there was a shadow over her.

She noticed him then, he stood in front of her, glowing like an angel.

She could see him crystal clear.

What was Anthony Bridgerton doing in her office?

He wasn’t wearing his usual work attire. He was wearing the suit he wore at the gala, except his collar was untucked and loose, his tie no longer wrapped around his neck.

His lips were slightly swollen, tints of red smudged across his pink lips.

Her reflection became clear in a small compact mirror open on her desk. More importantly, she could see the bright red lipstick slightly smudged on her lips.

What was going on?

His voice sent shivers down her spine as he said her name, enunciating each letter, his voice low, rough like gravel.

“What do you want, Kate?”

She opened her mouth but she couldn’t speak, nothing would come out. All she could do was gape as he walked towards her, around her desk, slowly coming to a stop as he stood in front of her. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows, exposing his muscular forearms.

He moved closer, she could count the splatter of freckles across his nose as he closed the inches between their lips. One, two, three, four, five-

Kate woke up with a gasp. Newton let out a whine beside her, scowling at being woken up.

“Sorry bud,” She said, her breath hot and heavy as she scratched her corgi’s ears.

She did not just dream of Anthony Bridgerton. He was her worst nightmare.

Kate grabbed her phone, flicking open her google app and tapping impatiently at the screen as she typed her search.

What does it mean when you have a dream about your boss?

She flung her phone away from her, hearing it land on the duvet. What the bloody hell was she doing?

Kate had spent the previous day in bed with her sister, staying off her phone and eating takeaway while they watched movies all day. She needed any distraction from the article published. She even let Edwina convince her to do some yoga on Youtube. When she did pick up her phone last night, she flicked through some of the comments left under the article.

I thought you had to be pretty to be a gold digger?

Her sister is much prettier than she is

who even is she?

She quickly opened another bottle of wine to distract herself from the sinking feeling in her stomach.

How could she ever show her face in work again? What would everybody think? There was absolutely no truth to that article, but the truth had never been something people were concerned about when reading gossip.

Kate was hardly a scandal, she was a nobody. Anthony Bridgerton, on the other hand, was not.

She eventually got out of bed, washing her hair and exfoliating away the anxiety and dread that clung to her skin. She ate breakfast with Newton after getting dressed, opening her balcony doors and leaning against the railing as she looked out at London on a Sunday morning.

The air was bitter but the sun was shining despite it being winter, and Kate needed to clear her head and walk Newton. She texted Edwina, who suggested they grab a coffee and walk in the park. Edwina was a morning person, she had already been up for hours and had been to a pilates class.

Kate, on the other hand, had to set five alarms to get up on time and considered her walk to work sufficient exercise.

Cameras started flashing everywhere. Her eyes stung as the flashes started to blind her, she could barely make out Newton barking at her feet or the swarms of people waving a camera in her face.

“Kate Sheffield!”

“Kate, when did you and Anthony Bridgerton start dating?”

“Is it serious?”

“Will we be hearing wedding bells soon?”

Kate momentarily froze, gaping at the blinding flashes. What the hell was going on? How did they know where she lived?

“This is private property. You need to leave right now.” Her neighbour, a middle aged woman called Agnes Danbury, had appeared at her side. The woman tended to appear out of nowhere, trapping you in a conversation that wouldn’t finish until she was done. Kate actually liked her a lot, the woman just scared her a little. “Go out the back, darling. Through the car park.”

Kate hastily turned around and ran back into the building, down the steps and to the car park. She exited through the back entrance, which led to an empty road. She sprinted down the end of her road, away from the photographers and down the steps to her tube station. She got lost in the swarm of people in the busy station and by the time she turned around, panting, she did not see a camera in sight. She put her sunglasses on, pulled her beanie down lower on her head and cuddled Newton to her chest.

She wasn’t bothered after that, the ride on the tube and arrival at Hyde Park station was uneventful. Kate was shaken and paranoid as she glanced around her, but no one actually cared about her. It was Bridgerton they cared about. Newton was happily toddling along beside her as they entered the park gates. Edwina was on the other side of the park, near the pond, waiting with their coffees.

“Kate?”

The blood in her veins turned cold. She knew that voice anywhere. It was the unfortunate voice that she had become accustomed to hearing five days a week, a voice she did not get paid enough to listen to, a voice she could not get out of her head and now dreams.

Anthony Bridgerton stood behind her, beads of sweat dripping down his forehead as he stood in front of her. He had clearly been running, his flushed cheeks and damp t-shirt clung to his skin.

He looked good.

Why did he have to look good?

This was not the time to get distracted, Kate.

“Are you following me?” Kate managed to speak, flexing her fingers that weren’t holding Newton’s lead.

“What?” She couldn’t read his face. He didn’t look displeased to see her, which he usually did-but he didn’t look happy, either. He looked pensive. If she had seen him first, she would have run in the opposite direction or hid behind a tree.

He, for some reason, had approached her.

“Are you following me?” She repeated, bending down to scratch Newton’s ears. She needed something to do other than blankly stare at him.

“Why would I be following you?”

“Oh, so this is just a coincidence then?”

“I run in this park everyday,” Anthony said, his eyes narrowing as he spoke. “I have lived near it for years. So, yes. This is purely a coincidence.”

“Alright.” That was slightly embarrassing, but Kate was more preoccupied with getting away from him, getting away from this conversation and getting away from the thoughts spiraling in her head.

“Kate, wait.”

“No.”

“What?” He sounded exasperated, letting out a deep sigh as he appeared at her side.

“I am not doing this,” She said, gesturing between them. “We’re in public. Someone could see. I do not have the mental capacity to deal with you right now.”

“I presume you saw the article,” He said, putting his right foot on a bench to tie his shoelace. He looked completely unbothered, as if the events in the last two days hadn’t had any affect on his life whatsoever.

Two could play that game.

She just wouldn’t play it looking directly at him because he was bent over slightly and his shorts were rather right, which gave Kate the perfect view of his rather nice-

Kate, no.

“What article?” Kate simply shrugged her shoulders, her eyes flickering around the park. She didn’t see any photographers or anything unusual, which made it slightly easier to breathe. She needed to find Edwina and get away from him.

“Don’t play stupid, it doesn’t suit you.”

Kate narrowed her eyes. “You really have a way with women, don’t you?”

“My ways have never failed me before,” He replied, smirking smugly at her.

She mimed gagging. “It’s a Sunday. We are not working. I have no obligation whatsoever to talk to you.”

Anthony simply rolled his eyes.

It was incredible how she could be so attracted and annoyed by a man at the same time.

“Could we try to have a civilized, mature conversation? For once?” His voice was almost pleading, he still had his usual stern, arrogant tone but there was a hint of desperation in it.

He might actually feel bad.

“I don’t know, can we?” Kate mimicked him, making a sour face. She may be the problem here. She swiftly changed the subject.

“There were a lot of photographers outside of my flat. How did they figure out where I live?” Kate still hadn’t figured that out and it worried her beyond belief. She might stay at Mary’s for the next few days, Edwina’s flat was too small for anything more than a night.

Anthony’s face fell and he looked as if he felt bad for her. “You would be surprised how quickly the media can work. I’m sorry that happened, I really am.”

She didn’t know what to say, so she said nothing.

“The article doesn’t mean anything, Kate.”

“That is quite easy for you to say. Do you have any idea how this looks for me? You’re my boss. It’s inappropriate. I have to go to work tomorrow and face everyone. It’s mortifying. What everyone is probably thinking-” Kate would usually be embarrassed by such a display of emotions, how high pitched her voice was and the anguish in her face-but she wasn’t even thinking about that.

She was slowly coming to terms with the consequences of the events of this weekend.

The realization hit her and she felt quite faint.

It was that or the sprint to the tube station earlier-she was really unfit.

“I’m going to have to quit and move to Australia.”

“What?” Anthony said, his eyes bulging out his eye sockets as he stared in bewilderment at her. “You’re not quitting-what?”

If he hadn’t thought she was mad before, that ship had definitely sailed. Anthony’s voice had increased a pitch as he spoke and he looked scared.

“I don’t do well in hot climates. I grew up in Somerset, where it rains most of the year, for fuck sake. I’m also not a fan of spiders and snakes.” Kate groaned, covering her eyes with her hands. “They’re the size of Newton over there. My sister still has to remove them from my flat.”

“Would you calm down?”

“Don’t tell me to calm down,” Kate said, shaking her head profusely. “That’s the one thing you don’t say when you want someone to calm down. I have no reason to be calm.”

“You’re not moving to Australia,” Anthony said, trying to give her a reassuring look but it just came across as him looking slightly constipated. “It doesn’t matter what anybody thinks. Our personal relationship has nothing to do with our professional relationship. If anyone in work has anything to say, they can say it directly to me. Then they’ll get fired.”

It was Kate’s turn to roll her eyes and snort. “There’s definitely a human resources issue in there. Oh, well, that makes everything better than. Problem sorted.”

He was rather calm about the whole situation, really. It was infuriating. “Those gossip articles mean nothing, Kate. It will blow over in a few days and everybody will move onto the next story. That’s how it works.”

“That’s just amazing. I’ll just be known as another notch on your bed frame. I’ll have to add that to my CV.”

“I have a lot more experience with this than you,” Anthony said, his mouth forming a flat line. “I have been subjected to this for years-I do know what I’m talking about.”

“Yes, well, I haven’t. I never asked to be. It’s my worst nightmare. There were cameras outside of my flat this morning. They knew where I lived. That is terrifying. The comments online were much kinder to you than they were to me.”

“I know.” He actually sounded sincere and she felt a pang of guilt for being so rude to him. A slight pang of guilt. “I wanted to reach out and apologize. I wasn’t sure if it would make it worse to hear from me, given that we have never exactly seen eye to eye. I was going to speak with you tomorrow at work. I’ll send security to your flat tomorrow for when you go to work.”

Kate scoffed, rolling her eyes. Honestly, rich people. “I don’t need security.”

“Yes you do. They’ll harass you for a few days and then eventually stop. It’s not a discussion, Kate. This is a safety issue.”

“Okay. Fine.” Kate conceded, letting out a deep breath. If he really was concerned, that worried her. She wasn’t used to this type of attention. “Thank you. Send me the bill.”

How much was security? She’d had a shop online last night after a few glasses of wine and had bought clothes she definitely didn’t need, and her bank account had been hit hard.

It was his turn to scoff. “You are not going to pay.”

“I am going to pay-” Kate protested, but Anthony didn’t let her finish.

“Do you argue over everything? Or is this special treatment just reserved for me?”

“You do pay me to argue. Maybe work on your personality and I wouldn’t argue with you so much.” “Thank you, though-but only this time.”

Newton barked loudly. They broke eye contact with each other and stared down at Newton, whose tongue was wagging happily out of his mouth. He circled around Anthony, jumping up and down eagerly.

“He’s a bit overweight.”

Kate’s jaw dropped and she gasped. “You are so rude. He’s a corgi, his rolls keep him warm! He probably heard that!”

“He’s a dog.” Anthony glanced down at Newton, quite unimpressed.

Of course Anthony Bridgerton didn’t like dogs. He probably didn’t like anything that caused any joy.

“Newton,” She said, particularly emphasizing that he had a name and was not just ‘dog’, “-is incredibly intelligent.”

They both simultaneously glanced back at Newton, who was sprinting in a small circle, trying and failing to chase his tail.

Anthony hummed, his eyes bulging slightly that infuriated Kate further. “I’m sure.”

“Please do not project your insecurities onto my dog.”

“My insecurities? I’m quite confident in my body.” His cocky smirk infuriated her more. His tight t-shirt was not helping the situation.

Kate swore she could see the outline of his chest, the faint lines of his abdominal muscles were clinging to the west material of his t-shirt.

“Good for you.” Kate managed to conjugate.

“Do you think there’s something wrong with my body, Kate?”

“I don’t think about your body at all.” Liar, liar.

“We both know that’s not true, Miss Sheffield.”

Newton saved Kate from replying by jumping onto Anthony, his paws resting on the thin material of his shorts covering his thighs.

“Down, dog. Sit.” Anthony pointed at the ground, and to Kate’s surprise, he sat. She usually had to bribe him with some ham to do any tricks.

She needed to make a swift exit. “We have to get going. My sister is waiting for-oh!”

Newton sprinted away from them, jumping from his sitting position and charging off so ferociously he yanked the lead right out of Kate’s grip. Kate landed flat on her face.

She felt Anthony’s hands on her waist, easily pulling her off the grand. Kate spat out a mouthful of grass, ignoring the tingling feeling his fingertips left as she stood up, immediately taking off after her dog.

“Newton, no! Come back!”

“Can’t you call him back?” Anthony said, easily catching up with her as they sprinted after the dog. They had gathered a few people’s attention, it was an interesting sight-two people running after a manic dog.

“Thank god you’re here. I never would have thought of that one on my own.” Kate cast a disgruntled glare at him before squinting her eyes to make out Newton’s little figure, a good bit ahead of them.

“Newton!” She roared after him, but the runaway corgi paid them little attention.

Kate felt like she was going to vomit. She had to stop, coming to an abrupt halt to bend over. She was panting heavily, resting her hands on her knees. She may have been dressed in running gear, a jumper and leggings-but she had never actually ran in them.

“I think I’m going to get sick,” Kate said, half-panting, half heaving. Her stomach was not feeling good.

Anthony, who stopped a few meters ahead of her, glanced back at her unimpressed. He wasn’t even sweating. “We’ve ran about fifty meters.”

“I’m failing to see your point,” Kate said, biting her bottom lip hard before mustering the strength to take off again. She needed to find Newton-she wasn’t worried he would run off, he had severe attachment issues, as did Kate-but he would make it difficult for her in the meantime.

“Don’t you exercise?” He asked, easily jogging beside her. He still hadn’t broken a sweat and Kate couldn’t stop, the beads of sweat trailing down her forehead.

“I don’t have the time.” She wasn’t willing to try to find the time. She worked, she spent time with her family and Newton and she slept. An exciting life, truly.

Anthony, rather judgmentally, snorted. “We have a free gym in the building at work. It’s about making time, Kate. I exercise everyday.”

“Would you like a medal?” Kate tried to sound unimpressed, her tone flat and dull. It wasn’t news to her, he had raised a lot of money last year for the marathon and it had been advertised all around the building.

Kate had been treated to Anthony Bridgerton’s face everywhere for a whole month before the marathon. She not only had to see his smug face in person daily but she had been subjected to it on newsletters, in emails, on badges and on bloody biscuits.

“I have plenty, thanks,” He said swiftly, his usual arrogant tone alive and well. It was the voice he used in meetings at work when they were arguing over something and he was trying to irritate her-it usually worked. “I was captain of the rugby team at school and at Oxford. I also ran the London Marathon last year.”

“You’re so modest.” Kate laughed as he scowled at her sarcastic tone. His achievements were quite impressive, she had donated to his fundraiser last year-she just wasn't going to inflate his ego any further. “I pass the gym everyday and I swear I’ll go tomorrow. The thing is, I really couldn’t be arsed.”

Kate fell off a treadmill last year and still hadn’t emotionally recovered. It would be a cold day in hell before she stepped foot in a gym again.

“You should. It’s a good stress reliever. You always look so disgruntled every time I see you.”

Charming.

“That’s because I have to see you everyday.” Kate chimed back, shooting him a short smile before coming to a stop, beginning to walk towards Newton. They were getting closer and closer to Newton, who had been trotting around the same area of grass in the distance.

“Get him,” Anthony loudly whispered, interrupting their back and forth as he pointed towards Newton who was now rolling in a patch of dirt.

“I'm trying!" Kate shouted back, trying to keep her voice low as she reached out her hands. Her plan to pounce and grab Newton carefully before he could sprint away. "Stop distracting me. I need to get my dog. My dog, who now needs a bath and ran away, which are both completely your fault.” She was so close Newton, who still hadn’t noticed them.

Anthony was walking in front of Newton, trying to stay out of his eyeline by approaching from the side. It wasn't too difficult-Newton was quite oblivious.

“How is any of this my fault?” Anthony snapped, glaring at her from across the flowerbed as he creeped around it. “I am spending my Sunday helping you catch your beast-”

“Watch your mouth, Newton is an angel. I didn’t ask you to! I’m here because I came out to clear my head because of what you’ve done-” Kate argued, it seemed they could last a minute until they resumed bickering.

“What I’ve done?” He gaped at her, his mouth opening and closing. It was worrying how good it made her feel to make Anthony Bridgerton speechless.

“What have you done?” She was focusing on steadying her breath and controlling her panting, creeping closer and closer to Newton. She was seriously unfit. “Exist, specifically. I ended up in Lady Whistledown because of you! All because you enticed me into your fancy cars with snacks-”

“Enticed you?” It was more of an accusation than a question. “I was being nice. I can't help what the media write about me I was offering you a lift home. I won’t make that mistake again.”

“That’s fine by me!”

“Excellent”

“Great!”

“Fantastic.”

“Superb.”

Kate was going to run out of adjectives soon.

Anthony ran a hand through his hair, stopping in the middle of the flowerbed, glaring at her. "You...you are an absolute menace, do you know that? I have never in my life encountered such a frustrating-”

“A menace?” Kate snorted at the insult. “Do you always talk as if you’re from the 1800s?”

Newton spotted Kate and Anthony, narrowly avoiding Kate’s leap towards her. “Shit! Newton, come back here right now!”

Kate’s stomach dropped as she saw exactly what Newton had spotted and was now running towards.

The pond.

“Newton, no!”

“Isn’t he trained? Tell him to stop! Stop, dog!” Anthony shouted at her, his jaw clenched so tightly he looked like he was in pain.

“Yes,” Her voice wavered slightly, glaring right back at him. “He’s a dog. He’s having fun!” Truthfully, Newton had been asked to leave the three training courses Kate had signed them up for. Anthony was not going to know that.

“Kate!” Edwina waved her hand in the air. She was standing in front of the pond, a circle of ducks crowded in front of her. She appeared to be feeding them crumbs, a bagel waving in her hand.

She had completely forgotten about meeting her sister.

“Edwina.” Kate was roaring at her sister, waving her arms frantically. Edwina didn’t seem phased by her sister’s frazzled state at all. Kate wasn’t usually this dramatic, was she? “Move! He’s going to go for the bagel!”

Anthony had joined in on her shouting, but it was too late.

Newton launched himself at Edwina, specifically at the baked good in her hand-pushing her straight into the unbarricaded pond.

#bridgerton #anthony bridgerton #kate sharma #kate sheffield #bridgerton fanfiction #ao3 #my fics #modern AU #so sorry for the delay on this one #newton is the main character that is all #kate x anthony

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marveling-chrisevans · 4 years

Text

Quarantine || Chris Evans x Reader

Pairings: Chris Evans x Reader / Chris Evans x You

Warnings: Smut and a little cute fluffy - also could be triggering for current situations.. also kinda long

Words Count: 2045

Summary: Chris quarantine alone so is his neighbor (y/n) too. So they talk all day across the balcony because of the distancing, and the sexual tension becomes to much and Chris jumps the railing and they screw right then

Tag-List: @patzammit @torntaltos @smoothdogsgirl (tag list is also open so if you want to be tagged let me know, you can reply to this or send an ask)

A/N: Sometimes smut is hard to write. So there is that before you read this. I try my best with it, not the actual best writer of smut but ill work on it -- sorry it took a few days to post I had to one finish it and its almost finals so ive been a bit distracted

Living so far from your family during this time was hard when you couldn’t even walk the streets. You knew the man next door to you though passing but you had never actually sat down and talked to him. One week into being alone you saw him sitting outside reading a book, so you open your sliding glass door and walked over to the edge and lean over to read the title “so is it any good?” You wondered with a slight smile on your face looking at him. He closed his book and looked over at you “yeah its pretty good, fancy seeing you out here” he teased back “feeling lonely?” He wondered as he leaned forward in the chair he was sitting “i guess this whole being stuck inside and not being able to do anything is really putting a damper on my social life I'm left talking to you” You teased back “I'm y/n” you introduced yourself incase you never have “Chris, you know we have lived next door to each other for like a year now and never done that..” He smiled back at you. “you should be more friendly”

“Says the guy who always looks like he is running late or the world is going to end” your laugh slightly “seriously every time I see you in the lobby or the hall you are like sprinting out the door, do you need a watch or something?” You wondered with a cocky smirk on your face “If you must know I just like to be perfectly on time.” He snarked back “and its not usually me its the driver they send every morning, he gets here so late and I have to run to him so we can make it on time” he defended himself “oh driver, what do you do for a living, you live in this nice apartment int he middle of the city and have a driver” She wondered as she took a seat herself on her patio furniture

“nothing really special I act in a couple of things, right now I'm staring in a show on broadway called Lobby hero” he said back to her “otherwise I don’t spend much time in the city” “oh so your can actor, no wonder your always late. Have you been in anything I would have seen, note I don’t watch many movies only the ones I'm dragged to” You asked him crossing your legs facing him “uh I'm not sure then I did a few romcoms back in the day, currently I'm playing captain America” he said thinking “have you seen the old school fantastic four?” He asked looking back at you taking a drink of his water “you mean the one with uh Jessica Alba? I mean of course” You replied back “oh my god Jonny storm.. aka human douche” you smirked “thats what my friends called you in that movie”

He couldn’t help but laugh as he clutched his chest with his hand “oh my god thats a good one, he was kinda an asshole in that movie” He smiled. That is how your days went. You two talked, and talked and talked till it got so personal Spending time with each other has been the staple of your day,

Most days you got our coffee and then headed out to the balcony with a book and waited for Chris to get up and get ready. Some days it was about an hour as you had always been an early riser. You most mornings did a home work out, weather it was yoga or like a dance video

Walking out this morning you were just in your yoga pants and a tank-top, thank god the weather had been improving from winter and was actually warmer.

This morning you were reading the book you met Chris reading, he had finished it and lended it to you. As you enjoyed your cup of coffee as he walked out and looked over at you “so you're enjoying it then?” He wondered as he sat down with his puppy outside You carefully close the book to not lose your page “yes I am sucked in. Its really eye opening and like life changing” you smiled across the balcony at him “good morning dodger, your cutest than your owner did you know that?” You said leaning forward and petting him since he was on the railing

“oh is that what you really think?” Chris wondered walking up next to dodger looking at you locking eye contact, you couldn’t help but just freeze where you were, locking the stare of his piercing blue eyes. “no?” You questioned yourself “i mean you are decent looking” you said biting the inside of your lip as you pull the stare you to hard, which had quite honestly created the most sexual tension the two of you have had yet “so what are you plans today?” You wondered “you know, talking to you, and maybe making some food” he said with a shrug “but here is the thing not go anywhere.” He smirked over at you. He found you attractive. He just looked at you as he leaned against the railing, “what about yourself” “well I was thinking about kidnapping that adorable dog, and reading this book. And I guess talking to you” you teased him slightly as you had nothing else to do ‘and order food because I'm out, lets be honest” you shrugged “i need to venture out one day but for now ill just do take out” Chris shook his head “yeah I wouldn’t they make a thing called this grocery delivery thing.” He said simply. He said taking off his jacket which relived his white t-shirt, which just outlined his muscles completely, you couldn’t help but stare at them. “right yeah right yep I should look into that” You said still looking at him. Chris couldn’t help but watch you look at him. He to be quite honest he found it even more fantasying to you. He took his moment. He opened the door for dodger to go back in as he jumped over the rail, the gap between your two balcony was about a foot, it wasn’t that much that he was going to hurt himself being on a higher floor. He had the urge to actually be connected to her, he couldn’t stand it any longer. You were so confused watching him jump over the railing “what are you doing? Are you crazy you could hurt yourself!” You said as you took a step back so he had room to land as he jumped over “oh my god you just about gave me a heart attack why would you do that!”

Chris didn’t respond he just put his hand on your hip and pulled you closer to him and crashed his lips. You responded by kissing him back and putting your arms around his neck pulling away “what are you?” You tried to ask him before he cut you off with another kiss. You ran your hands down his shirt till it was in hem and started to tug at it, as they long enough to pull his shirt off and then he pulled your shirt off. He picked you up and set you on your patio table. You didn’t question any of it. You took a second with your hands on his abs as you pulled away from a breath “god damn what are you made out of stone” you wondered looking at him. He smiled and looked at her “no just a lot of working out, you wanna do this?” He wondered just to confirm cause concert “I've wanted this the last few weeks, but I'm not daring enough to jump over the rail, though you could have used the door” you teased him again with a smirk “thats it” he said picking you up and took off your pants as he pulled you to the front of the table as you worked on undoing his belt. You stared to push them down to his ankles.

He picked you up again well kissing you very passionately and intently. Bringing you into your apartment, your neighbors didn’t need a show but he didn’t care at that point, He laid you down on the couch kicking off his own pants and grinding himself against you. You couldn’t help but letting a moan escape your lips, into his mouth, you could feel the edges of his lips smile knowing that you enjoyed that. He bite your lip as he pulled off your panties and you his boxers, you ran your hand down his body to meet his member, using your hand getting to run the length, guiding him to the entrance. After making him put on a condom. He could feel the wetness running off your clit as he slide into you. You gasps as he entered you, you knew how big it was, but feeling it inside of you was a whole different story. Being who he was he pulled away from your kiss “are you okay is that okay?” He wondered. You without words nodded as he started to pump his hips into yours. You lifted your legs wrapping them around his waist. Rounding your hips into his.

He cupped your breast giving it a tight squeeze which made another moan escape you're lips “Chris, harder” you said breathless and he obeyed doing exactly what you said.

As you closed your eyes feeling every kind of euphoric sensation you reached up and ran your hands though his He could feel when you were getting close he ran his hand down your lower body as he found your clit and started to play with it. This sent you over the edge, you could feel the pit in the lower part of your stomach tighten, and your walls around his penis. He could tell you were getting close, he shifted and started to thrust into you harder feeling you cum around him. He finished at the same time you did, the two of you road out the high of the climax before he pulled out. He lowered his head breathless as they hung over your breasts, and you shifted so he could lay next to you on the couch. You laughed slightly looking at him “did that really just happen?” You asked out loud as he joined you on the couch. “it did yes, id say it was a long time coming” He smiled and kissed you again “from the first day we met outside” You couldn’t help but smile and bite your lip “I have a question, what does the mean?” You wondered as your finger ran over the tattoo he had on his collarbone, letting it linger on his body “it is Buddhism for When you lose touch with inner stillness, you lose touch with yourself. When you lose touch with yourself, you lose yourself in the world.” He said back to you with a small smile “interesting” you said and kissed him again and got up “I'm hungry now” you said as you grabbed his shirt from outside and slide it over your head and walked into the kitchen.

He got up and slide on his boxers and followed you. “right I haven’t gotten food” you said as you look in the fridge that is basically empty at this point “come on” he said as he handed you your panties and you slide them on. He took you over to his apartment and made you some food. “also if you keep wearing that shirt we might end up in round two sooner than you think” he said back to you “okay then ill keep wearing it” you said after walking into his apartment and walked over to his puppy and sat on the floor next to him “oh your such a good boy dodger, oh okay” you laughed as dodger knocked you over and attacked you with kisses Chris Smiled as he looked over at the both of you knowing that he could see a future between the two of you, and to think if you weren’t locked in the house you two may of never met.

#Chris Evans #Chris Evans smut #chris Evans fluff #Chris Evans x Reader #Chris Evans x you #Chris Evans x y/n #Chris Evans fandom #Chris Evans Story #chris evans fanfic #chris evans fanfiction #Defending Jacob #andy barber #Lobby hero #Captian america #Steve rodgers #ari levinson

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deepperplexity · 4 years

Text

Title: A Bludger To The Heart [pt.2]

A/N: Part 2 of A Bludger To The Heart as requested by @prinlee - hope you will enjoy this one :D

Imagine prompt by: @boodalinski-gifs

“Imagine Severus meeting his future s/o when they (being a younger Malfoy relative) accompany Lucius to see Draco’s quidditch match.” Find the post here.

Pairing: Snape x Female!Malfoy!OC

Setting: Malfoy Manor, New Year’s Eve celebration

POV: Third limited, Snape tilt.

Word Count: 2583

Warnings: None

Masterlist page // Masterlist post

Severus arrived half an hour late. His strides were as long as usual and his black cloak billowed around him as he moved through the entrance, towards the massive staircase leading to the upper levels of Malfoy Manor. It had been nearly three months since he met anyone, apart from Draco, from the Malfoy family and usually, he would have preferred it that way.

Not now. Not anymore.

He arrived at the ballroom filled with voices and music of the classical type with a dark twist. His eyes scanned the room, scanned the faces and his heart sunk. He crashed and burned yet all that revealed his disappointment outwards was a slight slump to his shoulders. Barely noticeable.

"Ah, Severus," Lucius strode over; a few men dressed in varying darkly coloured suits left behind to finish the conversation. Severus gave a curt nod as Lucius grabbed a glass of red wine from a passing house elf in despicable rags.

"You're late," he said in that high tone of his, "trouble?" Severus nearly gave him a tight smile that screamed none of your business. He was not about to spill the fact that he had pondered arriving at all the last five hours; just to eventually arriving at the conclusion that he wanted to see her once more. If only for a second. If only to bury the restlessness; the foolish thoughts.

"I am merely late, Lucius," he drawled, "I have other things that require my attention. As you know," he continued and Lucius seemed to want to question further about the reason of Severus late arrival but the cold glare of Severus harsh eyes seemed enough to discourage him. "Well come, enjoy yourself," Lucius said and gave a slow nod before returning to the men in dark coloured suits a few steps away.

Severus swept with his eyes around the room again, he took a crystal tumbler of whiskey infused with oakwood smoke from a passing house elf and swirled the content softly before sniffing it and then took a gulp. The liquid burned its way down his throat and it felt good. He stepped away from the entrance, headed towards the bar and balcony doors at the other end of the giant room.

She's not here, not here after all. The thought was harsh yet felt like the final thing. Like an end and perhaps a beginning fo something. He raised his second tumbler of whiskey, this one with a hint of ash and cherry, to his mouth for another swallow. He nearly choked on the liquid.

The doors had opened and she had stepped in; accompanied by some young brute with blond hair wearing a moss green suit. But he did not spare him more than a glance as she was commanding his attention so intensely. Her simple black dress hugged her curves, her hair was half up, half down. Blood red rubies hung from her earlobes and around her neck. They shimmered against her pale skin and he was mesmerized once again.

She, Arabella Malfoy, was truly the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on. His blood heated, something slithered and fluttered in him as his eyes wandered from the top of her platinum blond her all the way down to the black, studded heels. Her long, naked legs were never-ending and her hips swayed heavenly, or in a hellish way, as she walked into the room.

The man that accompanied her gave a swift kiss to her cheek before he left her in the care of Lucius. Something heated and burned in him at the sight. He had to clench the tumbler so as to not reach for his wand and end the miserable life form right then and there for touching her flawless skin with his filthy mouth.

Yes, he knew him now that he spared him more than a single glance in bypass. Rovius Dox, keep your filthy existence away from her. You slithering beast. Images of crying women, a wicked smile with bloodstained lips and eyes without empathy or remorse invaded Severus's mind as Rovius Dox walked around the room; greetings were given and taken here and there. But Severus never greeted the man. Severus found him, well, intolerable and despicable.

He was as mad as Bellatrix, as well breed as they came and as wicked as the Bloody Baron had been in his life - perhaps even worse than the murdering man of love. Rovius Dox was quite frankly a man not to deal lightly with, not that Severus feared the man - he was still just a youngling, but any woman he fancied usually ended up crawling away in tattered clothes with bruised and battered skin.

The thought of those filthy hands and lips touching Arabella made his blood roar with fury. It boiled and burned in his body as his hands wanted to snake against his wand to end the man. Yet he did not. He stood still and watched. Watched her. Constantly.

Time went by. She danced with varying men, chatted with different women, played with a cat, drank some wine, laughed with Narcissa, smiled at Rovius. Severus kept his mouth shut, not even the tumbler of whiskey reached his mouth as the hours passed and he remained in the shadows at the outskirts of the room. Nearly hidden away from all the people in the room.

He studied her. Well, looked at her intently was probably a more correct way of saying it. It took all his strength not o go up to her, grab her, haul her away from all others. He kept his feet rooted and his back stiff, as to not give in tot he temptation. After all, I merely wanted to see her again. His thought felt dark and lonely and he finally drained the remains of the damn whiskey.

When he lowered the tumbler from his lips his heart skipped a beat. She had spotted him as the crystal had gleamed in the candlelight from a candelabra not far away from his comforting shadows. He stood frozen, absolutely still as she gazed at him with unflinching eyes. After a moment he nodded; ever so slowly and a smile spread out across her lush lips that were painted crimson red with lipstick.

His eyes did not leave the sight of her as she folded away her own gaze. She walked slowly through the room as he counted each step as a heartbeat. She passed over the dancing floor, passed men and women, swiftly avoided conversations and offers of dances. Her eyes did not meet his again; she simply opened the balcony doors and he followed. As silent and swift as a lurking shadow.

She bathed in moonlight. It made her pale skin shine, the black velvet of her dress shimmered and the red rubies glistened. She stood by the railing of stone, her hands folded one above the other as they rested there as still as fallen snow on chilled ground. He closed the doors behind them and silence fell. Heavy and think.

His heart pounded and he felt foolish, silly even. But had he not waited for nearly three months to lay eyes upon her again? Had he not writhed in agony for not seeing that pale skin up close again? And, had he not, dreamt of those grey eyes every other night as they peered through him as if he were made of glass? He had. There was no denying it.

"Don't play coy, Mr Snape," she said in that singsong voice of her's as she turned her head halfway so he could see her profile. He stiffened. Swallowed; ever so slowly. Something twisted in him as her lips perked up in a smile. Told him she knew the effect she had on him. "My apologies," he said with a gruff voice as he took two steps closer to her. But he dared not take a third. He dared not be within reaching of her. Dared not be close enough to stroke her bare arm or push down the spaghetti straps that held the tight fabric up.

"You were hiding?" Her voice was low yet clear and he averted his gaze for a moment as she looked forward again. He wanted to reach out and stroke that soft hair that swayed in the breeze. "No," he said darkly, "merely observing," he continued. She chuckled and it vibrated through him like thunder. Made his blood boil and heat spread in the most indecent areas of his body. "Liar," she said in a harsh tone that still felt as if she caressed his ears with tenderness.

"I am not one to socialize," he said and allowed his gaze to land upon her yet again. She turned towards him, standing in profile yet her face fully towards him. She was framed by moonlight and the wide landscaped garden behind her that gave way to forests and hills. "I'm aware, there's been so many damn parties, so many gatherings and boring dinners that I've lost track. You never came," her voice went from singsong light to softly cold. But her gaze held his and he could not for the life of him avert his eyes as she spellbound him in a non-magical sense.

Severus tilted his head slightly as she bit her bottom lip; as if she held back words that were on the tip of her, no doubt, delicate tongue. Had she, perhaps, wanted to see him again too? Was that even a possibility? He did not know and dared not dwell on the dark thought for too long.

"I waited you know," she continued after letting her lip spring free, "I waited and hoped. You never came," she breathed out, he took that third step towards her without thinking. His body moved of its own accord to be closer to that beautiful creature that captivated his cold heart with a raging fire. "Your reason?" His voice was a low growl as uncertainty travelled through his stiff body.

She raised her brows in surprise and then her face softened. "Why, you ask?" He nodded. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. Had anybody else done that he would have snarled at them but not when she did it. "I thought that was obvious? What we felt. Oh don't look so shocked, I know you felt it too!" She took a step towards him and he stood so still, so so very still. She leaned towards him, close to his hight in those ridiculously high heels that he could not resist thinking about; along with her legs wrapped around him.

"I know you felt it," she hissed as her cheeks glowed red, "I know you did. Don't lie about it. Don't hide it," she kept going as he looked at her. Saw her skin take on a rosy tinge and it occurred to him, her skin had not varied in shade all through the evening. Not when complemented. Not when dancing with handsome and not so handsome men. Not when women praised her figure, her hair or dress. Not once had she blushed. Not once had she done anything other than simply smile.

"You are blushing, Arabella," Severus said in that hoarsely rough voice he never used. He ha used her given name without thinking as he had done so many times in his mind the past month. Her eyes widened and she leaned back as she looked away to the side. Her hands fisted by her sides.

"Well I'm so damn sorry for what you do to me then," she snarled and it made his lips tug upwards in a small smile. Why? He had no idea but something satisfied him about her behaviour at that moment. Perhaps it was simply the fact that she behaved differently from how she had been the past hours in the ballroom.

"You never blush," he continued and she softened with a sigh. As if she realized that he had indeed been watching her ever so carefully. "No, I don't," she whispered, "only, only for you..." The words made him shiver and his knees grew a tad weak. But he kept still, rooted tot eh spot as he grappled after any strength he could find to keep his hands at bay by his sides so as to not reach out and touch her. But it made no difference as he craved to feel her desperately. Like a burning man craved water, a drowning man crave air, a freezing man craved heat.

"I do not socialize, or celebrate trivial things like a new year," Severus said hoarsely as he reached out his hand towards her chin to still that raging need to feel her in some way, "but I came here, for you." He turned her face towards his own. His cold fingers against her warm chin. Their eyes met and he could not help but burn for her. Burn, freeze, drown - all for her. "For, me?" He nodded and she blushed deeper. The wind tossed her hair about and goosebumps covered her fair skin. It made him uncomfortable to see her so unprotected.

"Are you cold?" She shrugged her shoulders slightly and he sighed. "Here," he said as he shed his large cloak and swung it around her like a black cloud. It swallowed her up like night swallows day. She hugged the fabric to her and he noticed her smelling the shoulder of it. It made him stiffen, worried. "Smells like you," she whispered softly, so soft was her voice that he barely heard her. "Apologies," he muttered and she chuckled. "Don't, it's the greatest smell... I want to curl up in it," she mused and stroked the fabric that buried her little arms as she closed her eyes on a sigh. If he could have sprouted wings he would have taken to the skies to quench the tremors in him from her loving words.

Something pushed him, pressed him, poked at him and shoved. He was itching to grab her, to hold her. Feel her close, oh so close. "Arabella," she looked up, "may, may I hold you?" The question was packed with insecurity and fear. His voice was not that of his own and he hated it. But with her all things were different. And that, he loved. She smiled sweetly and nodded slowly. His chest heaved and in the next moment, he cradled her to him. Felt how something exploded, something else imploded and something else went utterly still. It was a raging storm of emotions, feelings and sensations that nearly made him physically sway from the impact.

He leaned his head against the side of her's as his arms wrapped tightly around her lush body. She shivered and he sighed. So this is what you feel like, to hold... "Severus?" His breath caught as that was the first time she had uttered his given name; like fuel to the raging storm inside him, it made him tremble ever so slightly. It sounded otherworldly as it came from her. "Yes?" "Don't let go," she hummed and he hugged her tighter. Held her closer. Pressed her to himself as if life depended on it while that storm raged in his chest; a storm of thunder and lightning as burning as dragonfire. As he struggled to stay in reality and not cave to the fantasy that allowed him to be with her like this to the end of time.

I hope you enjoyed the second part of this little fic :D I find it quite fun to write actually and it's nice to change from the Reader POV as well from time to time - to write with more fixed lines so to say ^^

I must admit that I considered a very different ending for this second part as I was wondering if I should do a third part as well since I actually have a very dramatic idea in mind for how this could end but I don't know - do you guys like this end as it is or do you want more? ^^

Please, heart, share and feel free to comment as much as you want! I LOVE COMMENTS - to hear what my readers think is amazing and spurs me to write more! :D Thank you for your time <3

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TAGS: @lizlil

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echoes-of-the-clockwork · 3 years

Text

Book One: Gold (Prompto x Reader) Chapter XV

Their trek into the ruins began. The heels of their shoes clacked against the stone as they descended down a long stairwell. Noctis, as per usual, was in the lead. He kept from running headfirst into the ruins and possibly running into a horde of daemons. With careful footsteps, he and the others took their time descending the stairwell. Halfway down, Prompto glanced over at Aranea. "Those guys your friends or something?" He asked, referring to the two men who were by her side earlier.

"You appeared to be on good terms," Ignis commented.

"Who-Biggs and Wedge?" Aranea questioned. "They're more "subordinates" than they are "friends," but I trust 'em all the same."

"At least you have someone you trust within the ranks of the imperial army," (Y/n) stated.

"It's hard to trust anyone within the empire, even if you are on their payroll."

After a lengthy trek down the stone staircase, they finally reached the bottom. Prompto was more than ecstatic to finally step off the stairwell. "Finally... I thought it'd never end. The people here, they must have been fit." Looking around the room, he noticed the faint glow of the crystal shards hanging on the walls. "Huh? Er...who left the lights on? Maybe the owners are still home?"

"No," Noctis answered.

"We never get warm welcomes," (Y/n) added.

"I doubt we can expect one here," Aranea said.

"Indeed. Stay sharp," Ignis advised.

Checking the area, they headed to the small hallway to their right. At the end, they only found a dead end. Returning back to the previous room, they headed down the left hallway. In the adjacent room, more smaller hallways branched off in different directions. Noctis checked one of the rooms and was nearly crushed by the ceiling caving in. Luckily, (Y/n) had grabbed his jacket and yanked him backwards just before he could be buried alive under the rubble. He thanked her and the two left the room.

Next, they headed down the hallway located across the way from the room with the collapsed ceiling. "Man, all these rooms," Prompto said as he walked ahead of them and towards the next hallway.

"Hey, don't wander off," Noctis scolded the sharpshooter.

"You might end up walking into a horde of daemons or being crushed by debris almost like Noctis was," (Y/n) stated as she sprinted after him.

She tackled him out of harm's way when a small portion of the ceiling collapsed and skeleton daemons fell through the hole. They landed near the couple and were ready to pounce, but the spirit manifested fiery throwing knives and tossed them with precision. Each one hit their mark and caused the skeletons to stumble backwards. Noctis, Ignis, and Aranea disposed of the weakened daemons while (Y/n) helped Prompto off the ground. She flicked him on the forehead once he was back on his feet. "Ow!" He whined.

"Try to think before wandering off," she sighed.

Prompto rubbed his forehead with a pout. "Yes, ma'am..."

Aranea noticed their interaction with a curious glint in her eyes. "Are those two...?"

"Yeah," Noctis replied.

"Firefly and blondie. Who would've thought."

Because of the pile of debris, the group could only proceed left down the hallway. Entering another open room, they were ambushed by skeletons and a reaper. Aranea was the first to act. She swung her lance, targeting the reaper as it stalked towards them. While she dealt with the scythe-wielding daemon, the others focused on the skeletons.

Noctis performed a warp-strike on the last remaining skeleton, killing it. With all the daemons dead, they moved forward and entered the large, open central area of Steyliff Grove. The sight that greeted them caused their jaws to drop.

"Beautiful beyond words..." Ignis gaped in awe.

"That is pretty neat," Aranea said just above a whisper.

Prompto's eyes drifted towards the ceiling of the central chamber when he spotted a strange shimmering. He gasped in shock at the sight of what seemed to be a lake suspended in the air. "Look up!"

Everyone did as the blonde shouted and looked up. Their eyes widen in shock and astonishment at the shimmering water above. (Y/n) took a step closer to the railing and leaned over it to get a better view. "Is that...a lake?"

Aranea also expressed her surprise. "Whoa-If that's the water's surface..."

Prompto, who'd taken his camera out to take a few pictures, blinked in bewilderment. "Wait, what? Does this mean we're underwater?" Taking a closer look, he saw fish swimming through the water. "Whoa. There's even fish."

"The hell is this place?" Noctis muttered.

"Can we truly be submerged?" Ignis mumbled.

"It does seem harder to breathe," Prompto gasped, lowering his camera.

"I don't think that has to do with the lake," (Y/n) stated.

Noctis' azure gaze remained locked on the suspended body of water. "Like seeing a dream."

"Gladio is seriously missing out," the marksman retorted.

"Probably not his thing."

"Now, now, you can never tell," Ignis said.

"As much as I would love to admire the view for hours upon hours, we've got mythril to find," the spirit chimed in.

Aranea nodded in agreement. "Firefly's right. Let's get moving."

Walking a little ways down, they came across a balcony that overlooked the central area. When they went to check it out to see if it could help them gain their bearings, a pack of skeletons and crème brûlées ambushed them. Like the previous battles, the daemons proved to be nothing but an annoyance than a challenge. The group was able to annihilate them all without any issues.

Moving away from the balcony, they arrived at a portion of the pathway that had crumbled. As they stood at the edge and searched for a way across, Prompto couldn't help but express a strange feeling that overcame him. "Huh. Something bothers me about this spot."

"What is it?" Noctis asked, curious as to what the blonde was bothered about.

"Have we been this way?"

"I don't think so," (Y/n) answered.

"Something overlooked?" Ignis asked.

"Not a hundred percent sure..." Prompto mumbled, peering down at the level below.

After looking around, Noctis saw a narrow ledge they could cross to reach the other side. He offered to go first and didn't hesitate to cross. Prompto nervously watched the prince as memories from greyshire glacial grotto filled his mind. He swallowed nervously and tried to ask, "Can I just-?"

"It'll hold you," Noctis interrupted, already knowing what he was going to ask.

"Famous last words," Ignis remarked.

Once Noctis, Aranea, and Ignis crossed, (Y/n) nudged her boyfriend towards the ledge. "C'mon, Prom. It's your turn."

"Right..." Prompto hesitantly approached the narrow ledge. He crossed with slightly shaky legs, but made it safely across nonetheless.

(Y/n) was right behind him and also had no issues crossing. She patted the photographer's back with a minuscule smirk. "Good job, Prom." Said boy pouted with a groan before following after Noctis.

When the path abruptly ended, they backtracked a little ways and entered the stairwell. As they made their way down the steps, Aranea groaned, "Daemons. 'Til death do us part."

"Practicing your vows?" Ignis asked.

"The army swore their oaths a long time ago."

"What does the empire seek here?"

"Specimens-and we're stuck harvesting them," the ex-mercenary answered.

"Specimens?" Prompto parroted.

"Daemons."

Emerging from the stairwell, they walked to the opposite end of the current level they were on. While crossing another extended part of the pathway, more skeletons and crème brûlées manifested.

"These things are getting annoying," (Y/n) huffed, burning a single crème brûlée and exterminating it.

"Couldn't agree more, firefly," Aranea responded, slicing through a skeleton.

Following the successful battle with the daemons, they headed down the path and found another stairwell. Prompto, remembering what the ex-mercenary said earlier, asked her a question. "So what's all this about the army and daemons?"

"What do you think it is?" Aranea scoffed.

"Nice! I love guessing games!" He sarcastically remarked.

"You never were good at them," (Y/n) chimed in.

"I'll say," Noctis commented.

Aranea was slightly amused at the party's banter, but she decided to explain why the empire needs daemons as they exited the stairwell and made their way across the next level. "Turns out the empire makes weapons out of them."

""Weapons"?" The marksman reiterated.

"Yeah. I'm sure you've seen your share by now. Something not quite right with the empire lately."

"It's not just lately," Noctis remarked.

"True. Maybe it's time I left."

"Really?" Prompto inquired. "What would you do if you left the army?"

"Whatever I want. I was a mercenary once. Maybe I'll round up my men and hunt daemons for cash?" She pondered.

"That's a...heck of a plan."

Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by another horde of daemons. (Y/n) clicked her tongue in annoyance, creating a large fire vortex and sending it towards the enemies before the others could summon their weapons. Her powerful spell burnt some daemons to a crisp while others were tossed over the railing and fell to their death. She lowered her hand as the flames consuming it extinguished.

Aranea was impressed by the girl's powerful spell and huffed out a chuckle. "You spirits really are a force to be reckoned with."

"Sorry, I'm still a little mad from my short chat with Callyx earlier," she confessed.

"You were being too generous with his eye. Next time, take one of the bastard's arms off."

The guardian smirked in merriment. "Maybe I will."

Continuing their trek, Ignis asked the one question that was brewing inside his head as they located a strange door. "What about the empire strikes you as "not quite right"?"

"The emperor and new high commander, for starters. Then there's that charmer of a chancellor and that asshole of a guardian he has. I really can't stand those guys," Aranea replied.

Entering the room located in the other side of the engraved door, they were greeted by a large room with branching paths. There were bridges spanning across the vast room with a lower level beneath. Noctis approached one of the bridges with caution, but was stopped when hearing Prompto ask, "Is it safe?"

"Not everything's gonna-" Noctis' voice trailed off when he took a single step forward to cross one of the bridges, but a section of it collapses. "Whoa..."

Prompto had been looking at another bridge when he heard the crumbling noise. "What?! Did something collapse?!"

"Calm down, Prom." (Y/n) approached the edge of the collapsed bridge and glanced down at the floor below. She noticed an entrance to another hallway. "Falling to the lower floor might not be a bad idea."

"Guess it couldn't hurt," Noctis replied.

Carefully, the group hopped down to the lower level. They walked through the doorway the guardian had located from the upper floor and down the lengthy hallway. As they cautiously proceeded, Prompto shattered the silence hanging over them. "You smell that?"

"Smell what?" The prince inquired.

"Treasure. The nose knows, dude."

"Now that you mention it..."

"Let's not forget our purpose here," Ignis chimed in.

"Well, aren't we technically here for a specific treasure?" (Y/n) questioned, glancing over at the tactician.

The bespectacled man thought for a few seconds and adjusted his glasses before replying. "I stand corrected."

After traveling through another room, defeating another horde of daemons, and locating a stairwell, they were back on the upper level. They gained access to the adjoining room that had almost the same convoluted layout as the previous. Now they were presented even more paths to choose from. They could either remain on the current floor or venture to the two below.

Everyone left the decision up to Noctis. He decided to test the left path. Just as they were about to cross the bridge, an iron giant suddenly manifests.

"Saw that comin'!" Prompto shrieked.

"To arms!" Aranea shouted, summoning her lance.

Before any of them could attack, the iron giant smashes its fist into the bridge. It crumbled and sent Noctis and the others to the level below. Everyone stumbles slightly from the fall but quickly recovers as the iron giant from above jumps down and more daemons spawn.

"Here comes the big one!" Prompto bellowed.

"Right on cue," Ignis remarked as his daggers were consumed by flames.

"And it's got friends!" The blonde yelled as he shot one of the crème brûlées.

"Livelier by the second. C'mon then!" Aranea leapt into action and targeted the iron giant. Noctis disappeared and reappeared randomly, performing warp-strike after warp-strike on any daemon that crossed his path. (Y/n) favored her fiery throwing knives and helped Aranea fight the iron giant. Ignis and Prompto focused on the crème brûlées.

Once defeating the pack of daemons, the stonework of the shattered bridge floats into the air and seemingly begins putting itself back together. Noctis gaped in shock at the sight. "Huh? What the-?"

"Did that bridge just repair itself?" (Y/n) asked.

"It sure looks that way," Prompto said.

Looking for a way back up, they found a stairwell leading up to the upper floor. The marksman, after traveling up and down stairs for hours now, was becoming slightly loopy. "Never too many stairs! I got a bad feeling about this." He then begins signing to himself. "Stairs they go on, forever they go on, on and on and on..."

"He's gone," Noctis muttered, listening to his best friend sink into a shallow pit of insanity.

"I think we lost him a while ago," the guardian stated.

Back in the upper level, they cross the bridge that repaired itself. From there, they traversed through a hallway and wound up in a room with reapers and crème brûlées. (Y/n), who'd been focusing on one reaper, failed to detect the second one stalking towards her from behind. She disposed of the reaper just in time to turn around and be batted away by the scythe of the other reaper. She grunted when her body slammed against the ground, her eyes narrowing as she glared at the daemon. In the blink of an eye, she transformed and pounced on the enemy.

Using her sharp fangs, she tore it from limb to limb. Her tails flared outwards as she killed the reaper. When its remains vanished, the anger from her body vanished and she relaxed. Her tails that once protruded into the air were now limply laying against the floor.

Being the only one comfortable enough to approach the fox, Prompto strolled over and placed a hand on the side of her neck. He stroked the black fur and noted how her ears twitched. "You kinda went overboard there. Everything good, (Y/n)?"

The spirit turned her head, gold-slitted eyes boring into Prompto's. She reverted back to her human form once his hand fell from her neck. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Still thinking about Callyx, huh?" Aranea asked. "Bastard must've really gotten under your skin."

The (h/c)-haired girl stared down at the floor. "You've no idea..."

Walking down another flight of stairs, the group was back in the central chamber of Steyliff Grove. They found a bridge spanning across the way, leading to the other side. As they were crossing, a pack of daemons manifested in the middle of the bridge. They blocked the group's path and they had no choice but to fight.

The quintet wasn't overwhelmed by the daemons and easily pushed them back before defeating them. Safely on the other side, they follow the walkway until they enter a circular room. From there, they proceeded down a windy hallway with small rooms attached to it. The many rooms and smaller hallways were slightly confusing to the group.

"It's a crossroads," Prompto said, glancing down the hallway before looking into the small room down another hallway.

"Which way?" Aranea asked.

"Whichever way leads to the treasure," Noctis stated, trying to decide which way to go.

"If only we knew that..." Ignis mumbled.

"Welp, guess we bumble on," the marksman responded.

"Keep the bumbling to a minimum."

"How about we stick to the main hallway then?" (Y/n) suggested.

"May as well," the prince replied.

Deciding not to venture into the small rooms, Noctis followed the girl's suggestion and stuck to the main hallway. They were forced to fight against daemons as the hallway would be blocked by metal bars whenever they walked into an ambush.

Another hour passed before the group reached the end of the prolonged corridor. They were finally at the bottom level of the central chamber. Seeing how vast and open the area was, Prompto spoke up. "Ooh, spacious. There's sooo gonna be a big nasty here."

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall," Aranea said.

Walking into the large chamber, they only made it a few feet forward before a quetzalcoatl noticed them. It stood on a bridge above and analyzed them for a few seconds. Once deeming them a threat, it swoops down and begins attacking. Noctis, Prompto, Ignis, and Aranea conjured their weapons while (Y/n) transformed.

The guardian acted quickly and dodged the quetzalcoatl's lighting attack. She leapt up into the air and landed a little ways from the beast. Using her tails, she manifested a large fireball. Tossing it, she nailed the quetzalcoatl in the side. Her attack did some damage, but not much.

The quetzalcoatl targeted the fox. It ignored the others completely as they attacked it. The beast flew up into the air and shot another lightning spell towards (Y/n). She dodged it and jumped as high as she could and sunk her fangs into its left hind leg. Using her weight, she dragged it down to the ground. The quetzalcoatl tried to shake her off, but she didn't budge. Next, it tried another lightning spell. She was unable to dodge in time and took the brunt of the attack. This forced her to unlatch her jaw from around the creature's leg and stumble backwards with a painful cry.

As she went to back away further, its tail slammed into her side and sent her flying. Her body collided against the wall before falling to the ground, causing her even more pain. She could feel the internal wounds and the external ones. Her body laid limp on the ground, the sound of her blood rushing filling her ears.

Prompto had watched the entire thing with a horrified expression. He shouted her name and lowered his pistol, running to her side with a potion in hand. Noctis, Ignis, and Aranea kept the quetzalcoatl busy while the marksman assisted the injured fox. He fell to his knees beside her, shattering the curative over her. He gently placed a hand on her side as he watched her wounds heal. When her breathing went from shallow to deep, he knew she was okay. Sighing in relief, he got to his feet just as she did. His cerulean eyes remained glued to her, his hand bunching up in her velvety fur.

(Y/n) turned her head and nudged her nose against Prompto's cheek to reassure him before reentering the battle. The boy watched her join the others, gripping his pistol tightly. He also rejoined the fray and shot a few rounds at the quetzalcoatl.

In the midst of the battle, Noctis and Ignis were struck down by the beast. Aranea, (Y/n), and Prompto covered the two while they both used phoenix downs to recover.

Aranea leapt into the air with her lance and dove towards the quetzalcoatl with the sharp tip pointed at its spine. When her attack landed, she dealt some heavy damage and caused the beast to stumble over. It fell on its side and became vulnerable.

With a combined attack from everyone, they were able to defeat the quetzalcoatl. Its body fell limp as everyone stepped away from its corpse. (Y/n) returned back to being human as Noctis wandered deeper into the central chamber. He located the mythril they'd been searching for and put it in his pocket.

Seeing the prince had claimed the mythril, Ignis adjusted his glasses. "That concludes our business here."

Prompto glanced over at the ex-mercenary. "Say, Commodore."

"Aranea," the older woman corrected him.

"You said the empire uses daemons to make "weapons"?"

"Listen-you've seen magitek troopers, right?"

"MTs..." Noctis muttered.

"They're born from daemons, in a lab," Aranea explained.

The marksman rubbed at his barcoded wrist. ""Born from daemons"..."

(Y/n) looked towards the blonde and noticed his strange behavior. Her expression remained stoic, hiding her true emotions. She wondered if he had managed to learn the truth about his existence or was simply just scratching his wrist. Her fists clenched and unclenched, worried about him. Her attention was drawn back to Aranea when she spoke, her jade eyes focused on Noctis. "Darkness is coming. If I were you, I'd watch my princely ass. Uh-"kingly" ass."

"Will do," Noctis replied.

With that, the group left Steyliff Grove.

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#ffxv #ffxv x reader #final fantasy xv #final fantasy xv x reader #prompto argentum #prompto x reader #prompto argentum x reader

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bangtan-madi · 3 years

Text

546 Days Without You — Eleven: Day 412

Pairing — Seokjin x Reader

Tags — boyfriend!Seokjin, older brother!Yoongi, producer/songwriter!MC, military au (ish), idol au (ish)

Genre — fluff, angst

Word Count — 3.1k

Summary — Kim Seokjin is your entire world, and that world falls apart the moment he and your older brother Yoongi are conscripted into the South Korean military.

Part — 11 / 15

Warnings — minor language

Previous — Next

Days turn into weeks, and weeks turn into months. Time flies by as you travel from Korea to Europe, then to the Americas, then to Australia. In the four months that have passed, the amount of concerts has crossed over two-dozen. You've crossed into at least half as many countries across six continents, and this is only the half-way point.

Shortly after the new year, the group finds itself emptying out of the plane. Having landed in Nagoya minutes before, at an ungodly hour of the morning, you struggle to keep yourself awake. Gravity pulls your body towards the earth. The soft rain falls, creating a lullaby for the weary souls trekking towards the ride to the hotel. You'd like nothing more than to let the ground swallow you whole.

Tour has left most of the members worse for the wear, despite the joy and fulfillment that it brings on an almost daily basis. You considered it a gift from the gods that you had a whole 36 hours before the show. Everyone needed a good shower, a proper meal, and a long night's sleep after leaving Melbourne after the last show. If the next concert was going to be a success, the boys and you needed it desperately.

Along with some cheering up. It isn't lost on you that this is the last show for the next month. After Nagoya, you'll all be heading back to Seoul, where Hoseok and Namjoon will begin final preparations for enlistment. Their date is just under a month away; once mid-February arrives, you'll be saying goodbye to two more members.

It's the thought that's consumed your mind as of late. A lot has happened since Seokjin and Yoongi were conscripted; over a year has passed. Both the time and space have allowed you to reevaluate your stance on conscription.

A soft hand shakes your shoulder, bringing you out of your quasi-dream state and back to the moment. Jimin offers you a hand, assisting you in stepping from the car. The hotel is dimly lit against the Nagoya sky, and the famous castle stands high against the horizon. Any other night you might stay and admire for longer, as this city was one of Seokjin's favorites, but you willfully allow your closest friend to tug you into the building.

As Sejin checks the group in for the next few nights, you throw your arms around Hoseok's neck, mumbling, "Up, up."

The brunet bends down, scooping you up and cradling you against his back. Hands under your thighs, arms around his shoulders, head lulling against the crook of his neck, you welcome his comfort — quite literally with open arms. The youngest member kindly grabs your suitcase. Breathing deeply, your eyes flutter shut once again.

"Jungkookie's right," you slur on the short elevator ride to the upper floor. "You do smell nice."

Hoseok's laugh reverberates through his body, one of the greatest sounds turned to one of the greatest feelings. It's joy taken physical form.

"You're so cute when you're delirious," he chuckles.

"Don't make me out-rap you next time we perform. I have no problem taking my brother's place in 'UGH.'"

Hoseok slides the key to one of the rooms. "Oooh? Threatening me now, are we?"

Nodding against his shoulder, you tighten your arms when he tries to put you down. "M'comfy."

"[Y/n]-ahhh."

"Fiiine."

You drop your clingy arms from around his neck, and Hoseok settles you onto the queen bed in the center of the room. Jungkook drops off your suitcase, giving a small wave before departing for his suite across the hall.

A sudden vibration originating from your jacket pocket causes you to stir. A soft, quiet chorus from Seokjin's last song plays. Your exhaustion suddenly fading, you tug the phone from your pocket. Your boyfriend's face glows on the screen, giving you the option to accept or decline a face-to-face.

A grin spreads across your face, and you accept without hesitation. The call connects, and suddenly you're able to see him. He's already dressed in uniform, the patches on his collar revealing yet another promotion that happened over the new year. This status gives him even more freedom than before, and he can pretty much call you whenever he wants. Yoongi has reached the same status, although he tends to send you more voice memos than actual calls. Just like the two of you used to do.

Seokjin laughs, eyes crinkling up at the corners, at the sight of you on your side. Cheeks mushed up against the pillow, eyes barely open, curled up into a fetal position, you must be a sight for sore eyes.

"Just landed, I see?"

"Shut up," you murmur.

"You look exhausted, Jagi."

"That's because she is, hyung," Hoseok interrupts from across the room. He's finished dragging his suitcase into the room, then opens the door that leads to the other bedroom in the other suite. "Can't you call some other time? We're about to crash."

You roll your eyes and snicker. "Someone's getting cranky."

"He's right,"

Seokjin chuckles, bringing your attention back to his face.

"I just got up, and I wanted to check in, make sure you got to Nagoya safely. That's all. Don't want to keep you up."

Giving a thumbs-up, you force a smile and pull yourself into a sitting position. "Never better! Slept the whole way. How the hell are you up so early?"

"You know me: I'm always the early bird!"

"Yeah, except the earlier you get up, the more chaotic you are. Remember the punching bag and yoga mat incident?"

"Well—"

"—Or the time you about choked on mangos, after calling yourself elegant?"

"Aish! I get it! At least I don't snore when we stay at any—no, every hotel."

Hoseok returns to the doorway, toothbrush shoved into his mouth and an unamused expression on his face. He gestures with a flourish of his hand. "Wrap it up with loudmouth. I'm dead. We can admire your bickering tomorrow when we're human again."

Giving the older member a nod of assurance, you watch in mild amusement as he leaves for the washroom once again. Turning your eyes back to the phone, you find Seokjin mirroring your playful, mischievous expression.

"We're the worst, aren't we?"

"Oh, definitely."

Seokjin sighs, then straightens his posture.

"Do me a quick favor before I hand up?"

"For you, anything."

"Wooow, cheesy, [Y/n.]"

"Be quiet or I might change my mind!"

"Can you show me the Castle? In the center of Nagoya? I'm sure your hotel can see it. You can see it from anywhere, pretty much."

Your smile softens at his request. Swinging your legs over the side of the bed, you step towards the balcony door. Even through the window, Nagoya Castle is stunning. Once the door is opened and you step out into the crisp air, you flip the view around so Seokjin can see what you do. The lights around the castle case brilliant golden light across the white and green structure.

"Wooow,"

he breathes, causing you to smile at the screen.

"That's just like how I remember."

"Wish you were here to see it in person."

"You know I would be if I could."

Flipping the screen around so that he can see you once again, you ask, "When can you use the time off you've built up? I didn't think there was anything you had to wait for after your first year."

"Not on paper there isn't," he nods, running a hand over his shortened black hair. "But you haven't been back in Korea since before then—way before then—and I can't leave the country while on leave, so..."

"You can take a day off without us being there, you know."

Seokjin shakes his head stubbornly.

"Not vacation time. Nope, I'm saving all that for when you come back."

"We'll be back for a few days when Joon and Hobi enlist, their ceremony and such," you mention.

"I know..."

His sentence trails off, awkward and hanging in the air. Your boyfriend's eyes avert yours, and something in his voice cues you to pry further.

Tilting your head slightly, you lean against the railing of the balcony. "Why the hesitation?"

"I'm not hesitating, it's nothing."

You cock an eyebrow and smirk. "You're a liar, Kim Seokjin. Fess up."

His lips pull into a smile, and his eyes flutter shut. Not out of exhaustion, as your own so desperately crave, but out of near-annoyance.

"I was going to surprise you, fool! I was going to take off those days and show up at the dorms without telling you...but I guess you read right through me."

To say your jaw dropped in surprise would be a huge understatement. Eyes gaping and breath caught in your throat, you gawk at your boyfriend as he bursts into laughter.

"Surprised, Jagi?"

"Um...yes! You—wait, how? What?"

"Korean, [Y/n]. You can rap for god's sake."

You shake your stun away, forcing watery eyes to remain held together. "You're serious? I'm really gonna see you in less than a month?"

Seokjin's laughter fades, but his eyes are still sparkling.

"Very serious. I've already gotten the time approved."

Tears prick your eyes, and you lower your head into your sweater sleeve to hide from his gaze. This only amuses Seokjin.

"Getting all soft on me again? Your cool exterior is crumbling."

"I hope you know that this is all your fault, you ass. I never used to be this close to crying all the damn time."

"It's cause you've been without me for so long, isn't it? I'm your cure."

The balcony door slides open, revealing a sleepy, disheveled, and unhappy Hoseok. He doesn't say a word, only glowers at you—whites of his eyes hardly visible as he squints—until you sigh, "Fine, I know, I know. Time's up." After which he nods once and disappears back into the hotel.

"I'll go,"

Seokjin agrees, voice lighter than when he first called.

"Gotta do some work sometime today."

You blow a kiss to the camera, one that he pretends to catch and hold against his chest, over his heart. "Love you, miss you, but you know all that."

"I do,"

he teases.

"Love you, miss you, even more."

The next morning, you're awake after most of the other members. The sound of Hoseok drying his hair brings you out of peaceful slumber, much to your grumpy chagrin.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!" he cheers, already fully awake even before coffee.

You give him the universal sign of love and affection, otherwise known as the bird, and stumble towards the other bathroom. Hoseok giggles at your less-than-pleasant attitude and goes about his business as you struggle to get ready.

After stepping from the hotel room, refreshed and ready for the unplanned day, Jimin appears with a cup of coffee extended towards you. "Fuel for m'lady," he greets.

Grateful for the favor, you give him a swift hug and walk at his side towards the recreational area on your floor. Suited with a pool table, miniature bar, breakfast nook, dining and sitting area, it's a perfect place for the whole group to spread out and hang in the free time. Since the members and staff take up most of the rooms on this floor, you basically have it all to yourselves.

"So, what's the plan for the day?" you announce as you enter.

Taehyung looks up from his platter of local tamagoyaki; beside him, Namjoon continues to read the book in hand. "I don't think we've decided," the former states.

"The show isn't until tomorrow night, so we have time to kill," Jungkook states from the breakfast bar. He's piling every kind of Japanese breakfast cuisine he can find onto his plate. "Sejin says we can kill time here if we want."

"Or we can go out and explore with the managers," Hoseok adds as he enters the room. "I don't know about you, but I'm starting to feel claustrophobic."

"Agreed," you mutter. Taking a long sip from your coffee cup, you walk towards the breakfast bar and snag onigiri. Looking around, you make sure that the members are the only ones present. No managers, no staff, no cameras. "I have an idea."

At your lowered voice, you catch the youngest's attention first. Jimin grins in your direction, and you flash them both a mischievous wink. "Aigoo," Namjoon breathes.

"I think we all need to get out of here, and I don't know about the rest of you, but I kinda wanna explore Nagoya like a local. No security, no managers, no babysitters. Think about it--when's the last time we did that?"

"Went out without Sejin or security, and outside of Korea?" Taehyung asks, and you nod. He takes a moment to contemplate, eyes flitting upwards as he thinks. "Honestly, I can't remember."

Hoseok pipes up. "Since before Wings, probably. We're never really alone anymore."

Sensing trepidation from the members, you hop up onto the back of the sofa, perched with legs crossed. You press the tips of your fingers against the opposite hand's, creating a mirror image of mischief in front of your wicked grin.

"Here's my proposal. I've been to Nagoya a couple of times with Seokjin. It's one of his favorite cities, so I know all the best spots for fun. I also know how to avoid staff for the same reason."

"Yeah, you're an expert," Namjoon scoffs.

You hold up a hand in his direction. "Be quiet, Bonsai Boy. The Queen is speaking."

"She's spent too much time with Jin-hyung," Jungkook murmurs under his breath, and you choose to ignore him for now.

"So...who's going to take a leap of faith and trust me?"

Jimin mirrors your folded-hands, then slowly moves to rub them together with a slightly evil chuckle. "I'm in."

"Of course you are."

Jimin grabs the Taehyung and Jungkook by the arm, dragging them closer to you. "They are, too."

Seeing neither Maknae put up an argument to the contrary, you turn your hooded gaze to the eldest members present. "What say ye, Jung Hoseok and Kim Namjoon?"

Hoseok begins bouncing on his toes, clapping his hands together as he turns towards the leader. His smile is bright and wide, earning a sigh and shake of the head from Namjoon.

He gestures towards you with a defeated smile, dimples showing at the corners of his mouth. "Lead the way, Ms. Queen."

Having the agreement from each member, you clap your hands once and announce, "All right! Everyone go grab what they want for an afternoon and evening out. Make sure to grab a cap or beanie and glasses so we can blend in. I'll text the managers and tell them we're going to be hanging out in my room and that we want some alone time. Done it before, and they've never bothered me so I think it'll work. Meet back here in two minutes."

"How do you expect to get out of the hotel without being seen?" Jungkook inquires as he removes his arm from Jimin's grasp.

You reach up and pat the younger boy on the head. "Don't worry. I'm magic."

As everyone scurries back to their rooms, you text Sejin along the way; you give the listed excuse, and then grab a jacket and shoulder bag. Hoseok tosses you one of his beanies, and you pair it with your sunglasses.

Once reconvened, you nod for the boys to follow you. Pressing a finger to your lips, you tip-toe down the hall. The members follow suit, equally as quiet and sneaky, like a series of ducklings behind the mother goose. Instead of going towards the elevator, you lead them to the opposite end of the hallway. The staircase is unmarked and unguarded, but you've stayed at this hotel before on a previous trip and remembered it from then.

Opening the door, you usher each of the boys inside. "Go to the second floor. There's a fire escape we can take from there that will put us outside the building without having to run into everyone waiting in the lobby or the fans outside."

"You're eerily good at sneaking around," Taehyung repeats the sentiment from earlier, though he's smiling instead of shaking his head.

Your grin widens. "Did I ever tell you that my first date with Seokjin involved us sneaking into a theater to hear the live orchestra perform?"

"That makes a lot of sense," Namjoon chides in his usual passive-aggressive tone.

Once outside the hotel, around the corner from the entrance where most of the fanatic fans and insistent reporters pool together, you turn to the boys with two thumbs-ups. "Free at last! So, where do we wanna go? I know the best miso katsu place you'll ever visit. Or maybe we do something outside...or maybe a bit of both! What are we feeling?"

"We just ate," Jimin states, patting his stomach to show he doesn't have any room for more food at the moment.

Tapping your chin, you think back across all of the times Seokjin had taken you on various tours of Nagoya over the years. It's at least half-a-dozen times at this point, and on those days, you'd had a variety of adventures. Food, art, thrills, history: he'd shown you them all. You've explored the Castle and various other historical shrines and temples, and you've been to just about every food market and restaurant in the Showa-ku and Kita-ku wards. Museums and galleries have been ventured, as have tours of local wildlife and expansive parks. There have been many a shopping excursion, and you're an idiot if you think that Seokjin hadn't taken you to an amusement park or arcade at least a couple times. Holiday festivals, cosplay summits, local music--you've done it all.

But there's one adventure you had two years ago that's stuck in your mind ever since, the one day you both had more fun acting like children than any other date prior. A massive grin spreads across your face, and you grab the two oldest members' hands, dragging them towards the nearest subway station.

"Woah! Where are we going?"

"The Meijo Line!"

Taglist — @joyful-jimin, @gracehiii, @live-2-fangirl, @rjsmochii, @btsnatalena

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