#but somehow we’re supposed to believe he’s so great at avoiding temptation

[gch1995]

Imo yoda has got to be one of the worst if not THE worst council member. Although I can understand the hate obi wan gets I can appreciate his character and think he can be redeemed to an extent. He shows sympathy and understanding at times and you can see he does care for anakin, but the cult he was in fucked him up; including his ability to empathise and understand others. Although he follows the council extensively he tries his best to make exceptions for those he cares about. (knowing about anakin and padme but choosing to ignore it because he knows anakin is happy like that, training anakin despite the council not wanting him to, yes I know it was qui gons dying wish but that is apart of it to an extent) the thing is being raised in the order took a massive toll on him and he seeks too much approval from them and doesn’t ever question their ways. He is a heavily flawed character but he does have redeeming qualities. Yoda on the other hand? None. Zero. Absolutely nothing. Nothing, not one thing about his character is redeemable. (Bit of a rant) This little green cunt is happily shown training a group of kids with lethal weapons in his fucked up cult. He is 500 fucking years old but never bothered to even attempt at learning how to speak normally, including when ordering the slave army he controlled. This fucker spent all his life supporting and feeding into the fuckery of the order whilst constantly telling himself it was the right thing. Arrogantly sitting in his little chair allowing slavery, making child soldiers and allowing god knows how much abuse to happen to others. This shit is responsible for approximately 700 years worth of abuse towards god knows how many others. This fucker straight up denies his responsibility for everything he’s done. And it’s not just the abuse. He’s caused billions to suffer because of his arrogance. The thing is, while I can find myself looking at a character like obi wan and thinking

“wow, this character is heavily flawed but has a lot of interesting aspects and I can sympathise with him at times. I like his character and the evolution of how he reacts and responds to situations although it’s sad considering his past and how those actions devolve into something horrific and unhealthy to the point where he becomes the abuser and carries on that line which is sad. Even though there are many things that he is responsible for there are times when it’s not his fault and I can empathise with that without excusing the ones he was responsible for even if they were heavily affected by the things he went through”

But when I look at yoda?

“I hope this cunt burns in hell for eternity for the things he’s done”

Legitimately cannot put into words just how much I hate him. He’s the one who’s heavily responsible for the way obi wan turned out and most of all:

He’s the one who tried to manipulate, gaslight and force Luke to kill his own mess of a father that he created.

I genuinely think he cannot be redeemed (for me, at least. I’ll never forgive that little shit) for everything thing he’s done. (Sorry for the long ask)

Definitely, agree with you! Within a Star Wars canon-divergent AU narrative that actually framed Obi-Wan’s bad choices and flaws as seriously bad ones in the story with stakes that he either learned from and self-improved upon before it was too late and/or didn’t learn from and suffered negative consequences for as a result. Yeah, he loses people he cares about, and, at least in regards to Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano, that is partially his own fault. However, while I do feel some sympathy for him and realize that he’s flawed, it’s difficult for me to get on board with his character in canon as he is written because he never actually learns from his mistakes on screen, nor are there any real stakes in him making seriously bad choices and not learning in comparison to Anakin and Luke. I don’t hate him, but it’s hard for me to get invested in a character who can always magically get the upper hand in his duels with his enemies or opponents suddenly getting baited, provoked, pushed into a corner, or dumbed down for him to be able to effortlessly defeat them. He also repeatedly gets away with being an asshole in many of the same ways that Luke and Anakin get framed as wrong for and/or suffer consequences for in the OT and PT movies when they don’t learn to be better. Yeah, Obi-Wan loses people he cares about, and at least in regards to Anakin and Ahsoka, that is partially his own fault, but there is no sort of humbling or meaningful development in canon for him.

Still, because, as you said, Obi-Wan also was a victim of Yoda’s cult who did genuinely grow to care for Qui Gonn, Anakin, and Ahsoka, in spite of being really bad at it, he does have a lot of potential to be a better character in canon-divergent/AU material that actually has him facing real stakes and learning to take real self-accountability for his bad choices before getting to earn the hero treatment in the narrative. Within canon and especially his fandom of diehard Kenobist fans, though, Obi-Wan is such a grossly overrated Gary Stu that I’ve genuinely began to find his character more annoying and boring than he was before.

Yoda, on the other hand, really doesn’t seem to have any sort of real conscience or significant guilt for being an asshole. Nor does he really feel like a person at all because the only things he cares about are avoiding the dark side and staying in power. He also has no real backstory, so I don’t understand why he’s become an unapologetically apathetic asshole, learned nothing throughout his life, and remained willfully in-denial for the past several centuries. I don’t understand why he was allowed to be in charge for so long. I don’t understand why he is the disaster of a person he is in the series because there is no development for his character. With Anakin, Obi-Wan, Padme, the rest Republic senate, and the other Jedi they may not be wholly innocent, but I can understand why.

#anti yoda #i agree that besides Palpatine Yoda is the worst #Yoda is the worst Star Wars character #yeah technically Palpatine is more evil but at least he is framed as a bad guy #yeah Anakin Obi-Wan Padme and many of the other members of the fallen Jedi and Republic have committed inexcusable atrocities too #but at least I can understand why they became terrible people in their fear of the unknown when operating under compromised agency #at least we know they were actually victims who were products of broken systems and there is genuine humanity beneath their asshole side #i really don’t like canon!obi-wan kenobi #because he’s a Gary Stu #it annoys me because in contrast Anakin and Luke are constantly hit with warnings and negative consequences when they’re assholes #and it shouldn’t be that easy for obi wan to not feel the temptation of going too far dark at all #because in many ways he has many of the same flaws that Anakin and Luke display and/or develop #but somehow we’re supposed to believe he’s so great at avoiding temptation #in spite of also having a hair trigger temper being vindictive towards enemies and fighting dirty all the time #Kenobi has potential in stories that give him more conflict and stakes for being an assholr #or have him actually grow #but within canon and especially his diehard fandom obi-WAN’s character annoys me #I’m critical of obi-wan for how he’s treated in the canon narrative and his fan base but he does have potential #he did care about the skywalker boys in spite of often treating them both badly particularly Anakin #and he does have occasional moments when he questions Yoda’s and the council’s bullshit #so in a canon-divergent/au or a story from his pov that doesn’t completely let him off the hook for being an asshole #and refuses to let him actually be a hero until he actually can admit he fucked up I could see potential

[neutron-stars-collision]

The Art of Inversion

Neil x Reader

Chapter 10 - Enjoy the Silence

Masterlist ; Chapter 9

Summary: You finally get to have that conversation with Neil. Only he is desperate to make your life harder in every way. At the same time, operation in Kiev is about to begin, setting the pieces into motion...

Warnings: Cursing.

Author’s Notes: Okay, I’m genuinely sorry for how long this is but it’s clear I’ve got no self-control (and neither does Neil). Hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think! 

PS. From next chapter we’re entering the main movie plot... but with necessary changes. Can’t wait!

You have not realised how late it got until Neil lead you through the reception area on your way to the designated ‘talking’ place. For a moment, you had the strongest desire to tell him that you are busy and lock yourself in your room for the remainder of the evening. But the more reasonable part of your brain knew that the conversation was needed to stop the further agony of what-ifs. And so, without further questions or complaints, you let Neil lead you through building. One could suppose that was one of your fatal flaws – letting Neil do whatever the hell he wanted to you.

The moment you realised he had led you to his own quarters in the building, you had to make sure you were on the same page with this. Because that did not look good…

“Um… are you sure that’s the best place to talk after everything?” you eyed him warily before letting yourself scan the room.

His quarters were certainly bigger than what recruits like you have gotten. He had a large bedroom with a bathroom and a smaller living room area with a sofa and coffee table. It was all rather impersonal in the details and made you wonder if he had an apartment somewhere in London. But that was a question to ask another time.

“Why not?” Neil smiled at you innocently “It’s private and cosy. What more could you want?”

As you watched, he took off the burgundy tie and undid the first two buttons of his shirt, all the while looking at you with playful sparks in his eyes. Right… so he’s not going to make this easy.

“Neutrality?” you arched your eyebrow, trying not to give in this time.

“If you’re worried that I’ll jump you right here and now, then don’t. That’s not what I want from this” he met your gaze coolly, as though trying to challenge you.

As usual, you were grateful for the distance you have managed to maintain so far. His words have set off the tension you have felt since Paris. It only got worse after your little corridor accident.

“Could’ve fooled me”

You won the staring contest as Neil backed off after thirty seconds and awkwardly cleared his throat. Great start to the potentially disastrous conversation, you mused while observing his somewhat chaotic movements around the room. Finally, he must have found what he wanted because he turned back to you.

“Right, how about we settle on the sofa with some wine and go from there?” you could tell he was nervous from the look in his eyes and fidgeting hands.

It was somewhat more encouraging to see him like that. Especially with the restlessness that you were feeling.

“Sounds good” you have mustered a small smile and sat down on one end of the settee.

He must have understood your concerns as he took the seat on the opposite end and set two wine glasses on the table. Then, with a small smirk, he stretched his long legs on the sofa, nearly making his feet land in your lap. So much for distance. You glared at him but then decided to play along, entangling your legs with his so that you were both facing each other. As long as you could ignore the occasional brush of his foot against your thigh, it was not such a bad position to be in. You both sipped wine in silence as though trying to gather up the courage to speak. Finally, after two minutes, Neil set down his glass and focused all his attention on you:

“What did Jasper tell you about me?”

Straight to the point. 

“Why does it matter?” you shifted, trying to get rid of the rising nervousness.

“Because I need to explain how it’s complete bullshit” the intensity of his blue eyes was doing nothing to help ease the tension.

You knew that repeating the cruel words will be like opening a fresh wound. But there was no other choice. You let out a breath you did not know you were holding and started blurting out:

“He said that I’m just another woman you flirt with. That I’m no different from the rest. That you don’t care about me or anyone else” you looked down at your lap, feeling a rush of feelings once again.

Now that he knew what was bothering you, it would be harder to pretend you did not care. But then, after what happened earlier, it was all probably quite clear to him… It’s not like you were unresponsive to his persuasions. And he knew that all too well.

“He’s wrong” Neil’s voice brought you back to the present moment “That kiss, well, all three of them” you looked up to see him grin smugly at the choice of words “I wanted that”

Okay, that was something. But you knew he could tell that you were not convinced as he quickly added:

“I admit I flirt with everyone, but only with you I actually mean it”

But still…

“Why?” you could not formulate all the questions, so you hoped that would do.

You watched his face light up charmingly. You were so gone.

“Because you’re you” he shrugged as though that explained everything.

“What does that mean?” you risked meeting his gaze and soon regretted it.

He was staring at you with the same adoration you have seen before. Only this time, it was somehow worse as he also placed his hand on your knee and left it there. You could tell he knew exactly what he was doing.

“You’re fascinating, interesting…” you felt your face heat up as his eyes roamed across your face slowly “Beautiful” he smirked and slid his hand down to your calf “And so much fun to be around”.

Your eyes widened. That was not what you expected from the conversation. The way he looked at you made you want to believe him.

“I guess what I want to say is that for me none of this was meaningless” his eyes searched yours, looking for a sign that you understood “I’m aware that we barely know each other, but I want to change that”

“Okay…” you exhaled before gathering strength to take over the conversation.

His fingers lightly brushing over your exposed skin on the ankle were not helping. When you glared at him, he stopped the movement but still kept his hand there, with a little smirk. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath before saying:

“I really like you” it felt both exhilarating and terrifying to admit out loud. You opened your eyes to see Neil with that shit-eating grin on his face.

Asshole.

You kicked him in the shin rather forcefully and enjoyed the affronted face he made.

“What was that for?” he rubbed the spot with a frown.

“Being a smug bastard” you shrugged and took a large gulp of wine.

“Fair enough” he nodded and smiled at you with encouragement.

Okay… let’s try again. You still were not sure what to tell him, but one thing was clear. You wanted to know him better before getting involved too fast and too strongly. The worry about the upcoming operations was occupying your mind as well. You could only hope he would understand. And cooperate.

“I like you. And I... think it’s kind of crazy that I know exactly the sound you’d make if I tugged on your hair mid-kiss but don’t know what your favourite colour is” when the last word left your mouth, you met his gaze warily.

He eyed you curiously before grinning widely. His hand was back on your ankle, long fingers brushing against the skin thoughtfully.

“Olive green”

“...point still stands” you glared at him, trying to hide the shivers caused by his touch.

The conversation was far from done, and you desperately tried to focus. Some things still had to be said. You exhaled and straightened your back. Any help was welcomed at this point.

“As much as I enjoyed ‘this’” you knew he understood from the way his eyes lit up “What I need right now is a friend... I don’t want to get involved just as things are about to get worse. So can we try that? Just being friends?” once you finished the thought, you searched his face for a reaction.

He did not look too surprised. Instead, he smirked mischievously, and you groaned. Fuck.

“Whatever you want, love” he leaned over your entangled legs, letting his hand travel upwards and then wrapped it around your thigh “But I won’t always promise to behave”

He met your gaze with wicked sparks in his eyes and brushed his thumb over the inside of your thigh. Your mind went blank. Neil must have noticed that as he bit his lip and started tracing small circles there. Despite the layer of jeans, you tensed at the touch. But then, that one last particle of reason in your brain woke up. Thankfully so.

“Have you got no self-control?” you swatted his hand away and hugged your legs to your chest to avoid the temptation.

“With you? Barely” he shrugged apologetically.

But the look in his eyes was far from remorseful. You noticed a change in his eye colour again. The blue got darker, and you wondered how on earth you got yourself into the situation. And why was he so hard to say no to. But instead, you chose to point out the obvious:

“Pretty sure you just said you wouldn’t jump me” warily, you scooted further away from him.

That did not do much as his darkened eyes roaming over your body were as bad as his touch.

“I’m not. This is seduction” he undid another button on his shirt to prove the point.

“God I hate you” you shot daggers in his direction.

“Mhmmm, I beg to differ with that” he smiled way too smugly and reached out to squeeze your shoulder.

You nearly jumped at the touch, which only made his grin wider.

“This what I meant when I said that you’re fun” you relaxed into his touch and risked a look at him.

This time it seemed like he got over whatever possessed him a minute earlier. You looked at him pleadingly, wishing the conversation somehow went back on track. He understood, as he always did.

“If that’s what you want then, of course, we can try being friends. For a while, to see how things go” he smiled at you softly and squeezed your hand reassuringly.

Now that he said it, you no longer knew if that was the best idea. But it had to be, right?

“That’s what I meant. I want time to figure things out” you finally found your voice again and interlocked your fingers with his on reflex.

Maybe that was sending mixed signals, but who were you to know. Especially after the mess that your relationship was so far.

“And you never know, maybe after all this is over, you’ll realise Anna is the love of your life” you added to light up the atmosphere.

You had to ignore the hollow feeling that thought left in your heart. Neil just smiled and took a sip from the wine glass. The silence that fell then was strange, not awkward but not entirely comfortable either. But maybe that was just your tendency to overthink. Before you could get lost in that dark corner of your thoughts, he asked:

“So how have you been?” you both glanced at your joined hands.

It seemed that you decided it was okay at the same time. Neil moved closer to you, his shoulder brushing against yours, as you thought about the answer to the question.

“Apart from wanting to kill Jasper every day for three weeks and being worried about what’s ahead, I’m alright, I think” you shrugged “I became friends with Ives, and we train together daily”

“You like him?”

“Yeah, he’s a welcomed distraction” you laughed “And his straightforward attitude can be very helpful” you admitted with a smile.

“I’ll have to come to see your sparring session then. Check if you got any better” he lightly bumped his shoulder against yours.

“Oh c’mon” you returned the gesture, “Ives says there’s progress, so I believe him”

“Of course”

After another thoughtful pause, you decided to bring up another topic that has been on your mind for a while.

“How’s your wound?” you eyed him warily.

“It’s pretty much healed” he smiled “Just a little scar left. Can show you if you’d like” the smirk was back.

“No, please don’t. I’ve seen enough already” you showed him your horrified facial expression and enjoyed the laugh it prompted.

“Another day then” he winked, and it was your time to snicker.

“Ives told me you were in India” you spoke when you calmed down “But there’s no point in asking why is there?”

“Unfortunately not, sorry. But if that’s any consolation, I was probably even more bored than you were in Paris” he sighed.

“Doubt that” you scoffed “Heard you were there with Wheeler and others. Surely they kept you company”

“Well, yes… but that company lacked a certain spark” he tightened his hold on your hand, and you blushed.

Maybe all the jealousy was, in fact, for nothing? You glanced at the watch. It was late in the evening.

“I’ve got an early meeting with Ives, so I should probably get going soon” you finished the wine and glanced at Neil.

It was good to have him back. You enjoyed the way the dim light made his hair look almost golden. And how his blue eyes always showed so much emotion. Now they were soft and full of fondness.

“Of course, wouldn’t want you late for that” with a small hesitation you let go of his hand.

There was just one more question you had to ask.

“Are we alright?” you bit your lip nervously and chose to stare at the carpet.

“Of course we are” he tipped your chin to look into your eyes “I’ll see you around tomorrow”

“Yeah, sure” you smiled and moved to stand up.

Before you could go that far, Neil leaned in and kissed you on the cheek. It was one of those kisses that lasted too long to be strictly platonic. In response, you could only let out a shaky breath.

“Good night, love” he smiled upon seeing your startled face “Sleep well”.

“Good night” you squeezed his hand and left the room.

*** The next day, after you surprisingly made it to the gym on time, Ives welcomed you with a somewhat knowing smile on his face. You could only pray that Anna was too traumatised to tell anyone what she saw.

“Morning” he smiled at you and gave you a traditional half hug.

“Hi” you yawned and cursed your own tiredness.

Last night it was somewhat hard to fall asleep after everything that happened. So you stared at the ceiling for hours, desperately trying not to overthink the moment in the corridor or the conversation after. It was difficult to tell if you have made the right choices. But only time could determine that. But now there were other things to focus on. You smiled at Ives, who was eyeing you curiously.

“So now that Neil’s back... did you kiss and make up?” that smile was way too cheeky.

Your eyes widened, and you ignored the strong desire to slap him. Instead, you huffed and sent him a murderous glare.

“We talked.”

“If that’s what you want to call it”

That was enough, you stepped closer and punched him in the shoulder. But, of course, he blocked it with ease, grinning even wider.

“How do you even know that he’s back?”

“He came to see me straight from the airport and asked if I know where he can find you”

Oh…

“After that, I’ve not seen him or you around, so I can only assume he succeeded” Ives shrugged, and you tried hard to maintain a neutral face.

Somehow you assumed that Neil took time to rest before you seeking you out. But maybe he actually missed you as much as he wanted you to believe… You sighed and decided to think about all this later.

“Ready?” Ives took his position on the mat.

“Sure” you mirrored his stance and put up your guard.

You only got as far as few punches in before you heard the door creak and then a sound of someone clearing their throat.

“Sorry to interrupt the fun you’re undoubtedly having” you turned at the sound of Neil’s voice.

He was standing in the doorway with a small smile on his face. When your eyes met, his lips curled into a smirk, and he winked. You rolled your eyes in response but took the time to eye him up quickly. The relaxed, tie-less look with rolled-up sleeves was certainly growing on you.

“Good morning, mate” Ives was the first one to cross the room and give Neil a shoulder squeeze “What’s up?”

“TP called. He wants us to have a video chat with him in twenty minutes” you approached them both “Morning, love” Neil beamed at you.

“Hey” you were conscious of Ives’ attentive stare on you both “Who does he mean by ‘us’?”

“Me and you” Neil replied, never taking his eyes off you “Ives, you’ll have a call with him afterward” only then he briefly looked at his colleague.

“Sure” Ives gave you both a pat on the back “Good luck, lovebirds”

What even… You glared at him and mouthed a few curses. But he was clearly enjoying himself too much. He grinned at your horrified expression and turned his back on you both. Neil was suspiciously quiet. You followed him out into the corridor and asked:

“Everything alright?” you reached out and placed your hand on his forearm. He looked down at you with a small smile.

“Of course” he searched your eyes “Don’t mind Ives, he’s just like that”

You just nodded. Neil patiently waited for you in your room as you got changed before you both went into the conference room. You sat down at the table while Neil called TP. Once the connection was reached, you saw the boss’s face on the large projector screen in front.

“It’s good to see you both” TP smiled as Neil took his seat in front of you.

“You too” you grinned “So let me guess, this is about Kiev?”

“Great guess” TP laughed but then quickly sobered up “It’s happening on the 14th of April, so…” he trailed off, and you both looked at your phones simultaneously.

It was the 9th of April. You looked up to see Neil staring at you thoughtfully. You met his gaze before you both remembered about the ongoing call and turned towards the screen. TP was looking at you with a small smile on his face, and you remembered all that he said about you and Neil. If he really came from the future, you could see why he had the conclusions that he did. 

“In five days, there will be a siege of the Kiev Opera. The original aim of the operation, the reasons why it’s being stormed, are of no importance here. What matters to you is that my younger self will be there in the opera house as a part of the rescue mission” when TP stopped speaking, you finally remembered to inhale.

So it was true then…

“What’s the task?” Neil was back in the full professional mode you have seen him take on during missions and briefings.

“You’ll have to get into the opera house and be on hand in case I… well, he needed help. The main goal is to make sure he makes it out alive. The rest is not up to you” TP looked at Neil, and you had the feeling there was another conversation going on.

You let them exchange a few meaningful looks before asking:

“Am I correct to assume that only Neil is needed for this one?”

“Yes” TP smiled apologetically, “But I wanted you to know everything because it will help you understand better what will happen next”

“Okay… so do I have to do anything for this mission?”

“I was informed by your teachers that you’ve got excellent planning and logistics skills” your eyes widened at the unexpected compliment “So you’ll help Neil with preparation using the documents I’ll send over”

“Thanks” you blushed while still recovering from the praise.

“So, just to make sure I got it right… I have to enter the opera, stay away from trouble, and watch over past you to make sure you make it out alive?” Neil summarised the information.

“Yep. But you can’t engage with me in any way. That’s very important” TP leaned forward, staring at Neil with a serious gaze.

“Darkened visor on the gas mask?” Neil smirked knowingly.

“Exactly” they both grinned.

“I’ve got a question… how do you know it has to be Neil?” you frowned, trying to wrap your head around the facts.

“Spoilers”

“Of course” you sighed dejectedly and chose to stare at the table.

You felt Neil touch your shoulder reassuringly and glanced up to meet his sparkling blue eyes. You just nodded at the unspoken question and focused back on the mission.

“What’s next then?” you asked.

“After Kiev, others will have their parts to play. Neil, you will be needed in Mumbai, but we’ll talk about that later. Then, you’ll both have your roles determined by what happens” seeing your uncertain expression, he added, “Wish I could be more specific but trust me, once it begins, you’ll know what to do”

“Okay… Final question, if I can” you felt stupid with how much you did not understand.

But both men were looking at you with encouraging smiles.

“How will you know who to protect in the opera?” you looked at Neil “Because I assume everyone will be in tactical gear”

“After so many years of working together, it’s not hard to recognize partner in the field” Neil and TP traded another knowing smile.

“Fair enough”

Fuck knows why you were jealous. You took a deep breath, trying to ignore the ridiculous emotions, and suddenly wished for the meeting to be over. Nothing seemed to get past Neil’s attentive gaze, and soon you felt him lightly nudge your knee with his underneath the table.

“You okay?” it was worrying how quickly he managed to learn you so well.

“Yeah” the lie rolled off your tongue easily.

But Neil did not buy it, judging by how he narrowed his eyes and tried to read your mind. You turned back to look at TP and asked:

“Should I stay here for now?”

“Yeah, I’ll let you both know when you’re needed in the HQs or elsewhere” then he scanned your expressions thoughtfully and added, “Think this is all for today. I’ll send over the documents”

“When is my plane to Kiev?” only now Neil stopped his scrupulous study of your face.

“In two days, so you’ll have time to do some on-field research. Good luck, and you know how to reach me if the situation goes south”

“Thanks”

“Y/N” you turned towards the screen at the mention of your name “Good luck to you too for dealing with this idiot” he grinned at Neil’s protests “I’m here if you ever need therapy” with that, he ended the call.

You laughed at Neil’s affronted face.

*** Planning the mission with Neil went well. Or almost well, if one chose not to ignore the few times you wanted to throw a mug full of hot coffee at him just to shut him up. The plan seemed rather easy. All he had to do was perform some on-field research around the opera house in Kiev, enter the building on the 14th of April unnoticed and make sure TP leaves it alive. In total, you estimated that he would be back in four days. Your job was to stay in touch with him, monitor any suspicious activity around the opera, and notify him of potential issues. It seemed easy enough to do. Or so you hoped.

On the evening before his flight, Neil appeared on your doorstep with the ever-charming smile:

“What do you want?” you refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing how pleasantly surprised you were.

“Thought we could have a little chat in the common room with drinks” he looked at you earnestly.

You already knew you would say yes. But, to keep up the appearances, you pretended to think before asking:

“Just me and you?”

“Ives will be there too if that’s any encouragement” Neil leaned on the doorframe and peeked into your room curiously.

“Yes, actually” you enjoyed the slightly taken aback face he made “I’ll join, just give me a sec” opening the door wider for him, you disappeared into the bathroom.

Aware of Neil, observing you, you brushed your hair and fixed make-up. You could see him watching your every move in the mirror.

“Who’s all that for?” he asked, once you’ve given yourself a quick once-over.

“Ives, naturally” you turned around to see his shocked expression.

Finally, a win.

“Are you ready?” feigning impatience, you sighed exasperatedly.

“I can see what you’re doing” he narrowed his eyes as he opened the door for you “Trying to appear all disinterested”

You started walking down the corridor, side by side, hands brushing every few steps.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about” you hummed nonchalantly, enjoying the brief moment of absolute control.

For once, Neil did not argue. Instead, he grabbed your hand and interlocked fingers. So much for trying to stay away.

“Why did you only agree when I mentioned Ives?”

Was that jealousy? You side-eyed him before responding.

“Maybe then you’ll behave” you pulled your hand away and entered the common room without waiting for him.

You made a promise to yourself to genuinely try and be friends. And you were not going to give in so soon.

You quickly spotted Ives, who grinned seeing you approach.

“Was hoping you’d come as I didn’t want to spend the whole evening with moping Neil missing his crush” as soon as he spoke, you slapped him on the shoulder.

“Shut up” luckily, Neil was still loitering in the doorway, speaking to someone you did not recognize “Or I’ll change my mind”

The threat worked as Ives put up his hands in defence and laughed.

“It’s okay, love” then he smirked “But it’s true and you know it”

You glared, seeing Neil make his way towards your corner. He sat down on the empty armchair and raised his eyebrows.

“Have I missed anything?”

“Nope” you shot a final warning glance at Ives before diving straight for the vodka on the table.

One small drink wouldn’t hurt.

Once you all were equipped with drinks, Ives broke the silence:

“How’s the Kiev action looking?”

“Should be a piece of cake” Neil shrugged “I’m more concerned about everything beyond that since we barely have any information”

“Thought it’s just me who’s kept in the dark by the TP” Ives glanced at you both.

“I only know that I’ll be ‘needed’ for Kiev and then after” you replied while shrugging dejectedly “But what for…” you trailed off and took a swig from the glass.

“To be fair, with those shooting and planning skills, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were the one who will keep this whole thing together” you looked up at Neil at his words.

“Is that supposed to be a compliment?” you met his gaze curiously.

That was a mistake, as once again, you felt yourself get lost in the feelings you saw there.

“Take it whatever way you want to” he winked at you.

You stared back, trying to convey the annoyance through your glare. After gazing at each other for close to a minute, you heard Ives groan loudly:

“If you two are gonna just keep on staring at each other longingly, can you spare me a warning beforehand?”

Jesus, no… You felt your face grow warm and the desperate need to run away returned. Neil rolled his eyes at his colleague.

“Right…” he coughed awkwardly “How about we tell Y/N about that action in Tokyo two years ago?” he looked at you apologetically “Think you’d enjoy the story” his hand twitched as though he wanted to reach out to you.

You were torn between wanting to leave and to hold his hand. But for now, you had to settle for another sip of the drink and wringing your own hands nervously. Ives was still watching you attentively before he sighed and gave in, starting the tale mentioned by Neil. Hearing them share the stories from past missions made the awkwardness go away for the rest of the evening. You enjoyed the dynamic of the two, especially how they teased each other and made you laugh as a result. You liked how Neil always explained the inside jokes so you would not feel lost within the narrative. Only once you all finished the second round of drinks and realised that the common room was empty, you remembered about the passage of time. Neil cursed while looking at his watch.

“Worried you’ll miss the plane?” Ives grinned at his distressed face.

“Maybe…” he sighed “Guess I just have to accept eternal sleep deprivation”

“Good luck mate” Ives gave him another pat on the back and the turned to you “I want to talk to you for a sec… but first I’ll leave you two to do your thing”

You did not like the knowing smirk Ives left with. But you could only turn to Neil, who was staring at you with a rather dazed expression. Suddenly you felt awkward again.

“I’ll probably start early so I won’t wake you up” Neil was nervous too, for some reason.

“This is goodbye then?” you shifted, trying to somehow make the situation more bearable.

“Yeah… It’s just four days though” he smile half-heartedly, and you mirrored him unconsciously.

You watched as he slightly shook his head and took a few steps closer to you. Then he smiled gently:

“For friends, a handshake would be enough, but that’s not us, is it?” he took your hands in his and met your gaze.

“I-“ as usual, you were speechless.

Neil grinned, seeing your absolute confusion, and placed his hands on your shoulders.

“Oh, come here” he laughed and pulled you into a hug.

Instantly you embraced him tightly and relaxed into his chest, with your head resting in the crook of his neck. You inhaled the scent you came to associate with him and felt the nervousness dissolve. It was an undeniable fact that he felt like home and safety to you. And that was something to deal with in the quiet of your own mind. 

“We should hug more often. It’s nice” he kissed the top of your head while rubbing soothing patterns into the skin of your back.

Right…

“Are you drunk?” that seemed like the only plausible explanation.

“No, just happy” you could practically hear the grin in his voice.

His words made you realise that the peace you felt was probably the closest to bliss in a while. Using the bout of courage, you pressed a small kiss to his neck, just above the shirt collar. He gasped at the contact and tightened his grip. After what felt like five minutes, you decided to take a step back and took a look at him. You smoothed his ruffled hair and smiled.

“Be safe out there” you took his hand in yours and squeezed it.

“Always” he grinned, looking at you with happy sparks in his eyes “And you better pick up my calls this time”

“Wouldn’t dare not to”

Before you could react, Neil leaned in and kissed you on the forehead gently. Then he searched your eyes one last time, as though making sure you noticed all the affection he held in his gaze.

“Good night” he waved at you.

“Night-night, Neil” you beamed at him, watched him disappear with a weary smile on your face.

What a mess, you mused and walked back to the entrance, with the intent to catch Ives. But he beat you to it and was already standing in the doorway with a confused expression on his face.

“What’s wrong?” you asked, looking around for any sign of trouble.

“Anna popped into the common room while you and Neil were… having your little moment” he glanced at you “Then, just as quickly, she walked out with the worst scowl on her face I’ve ever seen”

You could only face plant into the nearby wall and close your eyes.

“Bloody hell give me a break” you mumbled, as though the wall held all the answers.

“What have I missed?” Ives’ clueless question was almost adorable. Almost.

#tenet #neil tenet #neil tenet x reader #neil x reader #neil tenet imagine #neil tenet fanfic #tenet fanfic #robert pattinson #the art of inversion #gifs not mine

[pandoraborn]

14 - IS SOMETHING BURNING? || branding. ||

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

It takes a day of planning. It takes a day of Henrik slowly working on Jackie in the lab, while Marvin gathers whatever supplies he needs with Amon’s help, the pair of them portaling around for herbs, crystals, and anything else that might be instrumental in opening a gateway to a fairy realm. It takes another few hours of rest, and it’s also awkward, because Amon is still avoiding Marvin whenever possible.

However, after sleep and food, Marvin can brush it off. Henrik had just announced that Jackie was still comatose, but finally reaching stable condition. The doctor had been down there for hours, so Marvin can only imagine what kind of stress and relief Henrik is feeling right now.

He pushes the temptation of rushing to Jackie’s side as he sets up the pentagram, with Chase’s help. He’s prepared for him and Amon to leave, but Amon holds up a hand, lifting his gaze to stare at Chase.

“I want Chase to come with me. Right now I trust him the most, and I know with a weapon on him, he can provide actual backup for me.”

“I don’t have my gun, Ames.” Chase looks uncomfortable. “Wouldn’t you do better with Jameson or Marvin?”

“I picked up a gun from Marvin’s apartment earlier,” Amon says. “You’ll have a temporary gun, and no, Marvin needs to keep the portal open, and Jameson needs to stay with Henrik. So you’re it. We’re going to find the hostages and get out as quickly and quietly as possible, the gun is a last resort.” 

Chase sighs heavily. “Amon…”

“Chase, I am making a call, because someone else who’s supposed to be ‘leader’ isn’t doing a great job of it right now. Grab the gun from the kitchen table, and follow me. Marvin, open the god damned portal.”

Marvin doesn’t question it. He had been fine, but now he’s doubting himself all over again. He hates being so flustered and useless. Amon’s lack of faith is really taking a toll on him in ways it shouldn’t, but he doesn’t know how to stand up against Amon right now. If he were in the entity’s shoes, Marvin wonders how mad he’d be, too. He doesn’t say anything, he merely steps into the pentagram and starts chanting in an odd mix of Latin and Irish, feeling magic course through him almost painfully. He’s never had to properly open a portal to an entirely different realm before, and opening one to Tír na nÓg is taking a huge toll on his powers and energy supplies already.

He doesn’t know how long he’s chanting for, it feels like forever, but the magic flowing through him finally bursts forth, creating a flaming oval in front of him, revealing a darkened forest just on the other side. With the portal solidly in place, Marvin can let himself relax, only slightly. He still has to remain in place to keep the connection up; keep the magic flowing.

Which, thankfully, Jameson is there to help provide some of that. He’d gotten some shots of adrenaline. Which, while not ideal for Marvin, is better than nothing. There will always be plenty of time to rest after this is over.

“Alright.” Amon rubs his hands together. “Chase and I are going in to find the kids or Vin, whichever comes first. We’ll try to be fast so we don’t waste Marvin’s energy, but the portal has to stay open the whole time. Without it, we can’t get back easily. My own powers won’t kick in for a while yet.”

Chase notes mutely, clutching his borrowed pistol in his hands. He’s not really looking forward to being the chosen partner in this, but he’ll go along with Amon, because at least Amon has experience with otherworldly beings, being one himself. He moves closer to Amon, swallowing down whatever nervousness he can. In and out, quickly as possible. They should be fine, hopefully.

“Right.” Amon takes Chase’s hand and gives him a smile. “C’mon, after this is over, you can make me a sandwich.” It’s such a dumb statement, but Chase grins in spite of himself. It does work to cheer him up, slightly. 

They say nothing more as they step through the portal. They can’t keep wasting Marvin’s time, because he has his limits. The pair are already in a forest, stopping next to what looks like a dirt path to Chase.

“It’s a road,” Amon says quietly. He crouches down and traces a finger along the dirt, pointing out grooves to Chase. “This is a carriage, and those look like hoof prints.” 

“Hoof?” 

“Like from a horse, Chase. Horse drawn carriages, keep up.” Amon straightens up and looks down one way, then turns to stare down the opposite direction. “The question is, which direction did they go?”

“Horses have weird shaped hooves,” Chase points out. “The U-shape. So, we look at the prints, right?”

“I knew that.” Amon makes a face as he crouches down again. “I don’t know animals.”

“Yet you know enough to know that horse drawn carriages are a thing. You really need to educate yourself on animals and anything Earth-related.” He rolls his eyes. “Sometimes I think you know a lot more than you want us ‘ta believe, and your idiocy is an act.”

“Which side of the hooves are we looking for? Is it the pointy ends we want to follow or the curved ends?” He glances up at Chase, finger circling around one such imprint. Chase stares at him for a whole minute before tilting his head to the side. 

“The curved end, Ames. We wanna follow the curved end.” 

“Then we go that way.” Amon points toward the left. “Because the carriage leads that way.” He grins, as if he’d just solved some great mystery. Chase pats him on the shoulder.

“Good job buddy, I’m proud of you.” He pulls his hand back and starts walking. “Think we’ll encounter anything ahead?”

“Probably not. It wouldn’t be like creatures to randomly appear in the middle of a road. We’d have to go into the forest for us to actually meet anyone.” Right as Amon says that, Chase can hear the faint sound of singing. He automatically turns his head left and right, trying to find where it’s coming from, but Amon grabs at him, tugging him along. 

“No, don’t pay attention to it. Don’t pay attention to any sounds you hear, no matter how close they are. We’re in their land, we’re intruders. Just focus on finding where the tracks lead and nothing else, got it?”

Chase nods, lowering his head to stare at the dirt road instead. He wishes he had a pair of headphones to block out the melodic singing in the background, giving him thoughts of sirens luring pirates to their deaths. They’re not at sea, they’re not in a ship, but Chase has no doubt the fae would use whatever tricks they could to ensnare any intruder, and it’s increasingly harder to shut the sounds out.

They walk for what feels like hours. He feels heavier, like he needs to stop for a rest and sleep, but he wonders how much of it is adrenaline wearing off, or some enchantment he needs to fight. When he starts lagging, Amon grabs him again, urging him forward.

“Chase, look. There’s a small village up ahead.”

Chase blinks as he lifts his gaze, trying to focus in the sudden darkness. When had the sun gone down? Does the sun actually set in this realm? He’s starting to feel panicked as he leans against Amon for comfort, trying to ignore the doubt in his mind, telling him he should have stayed with Jackie.

“A village doesn’t-”

“It means everything. The carriage could have stopped here,” Amon points out. “We could have gotten lucky and found who we’re looking for immediately.” “My money’s on the kids,” Chase points out. “I highly doubt Cian can keep Vin locked up anywhere for long.”

Amon brushes that off as he continues. “We did use Marvin for the portal, and it could be that his love for the kids led us straight to them, or however his magic works. If it works properly.”

“You’ve got to stop sniping at him,” Chase grumbles. “It’s pretty obvious you’re mad at him.” 

“Let’s see if we can’t find the kids. Bet Cian never would’ve expected either of us.” Amon starts jogging, excitement evident on his face. He says nothing more, and Chase doesn’t miss the abrupt subject change either. He narrows his eyes, but he’s glad for the distraction from the music anyway. Already he can feel energy returning to him as he starts jogging after Amon. 

They stop in front of one such building. There’s no one in sight, and the carriage tracks seem to lead away from this particular building. It’s made of stone and wood, standing a little taller than the surrounding buildings. Clearly it has some significance.

The pair push open the door. It’s made of iron, and it creaks loudly when opened, causing Chase to cringe. He hopes no one’s around to hear that. But what he sees is...odd.

It’s a darkened room, no lights. There’s a weird mix of furniture that screams timeless to him. Candles as lights, filing cabinets, what looks like a front desk, complete with an office chair, only for there to be no electronics in sight. He definitely is not at home anymore.

“This is weird,” Chase whispers. “Why would this realm have modern things if they’re fae?”

“You know what, I don’t know. Maybe they’re trying to account for all times?” Amon shrugs. “I don’t know Chase, I just want to find Neb and the other two. Maybe they’re in here for all we know.”

“For all we know.” Chase huffs, smacking Amon upside the head. “Real genius plan you’ve got here, we’re in fae-land, about to be food, and you don’t even know what we’re doing! I’m taking charge now. We’re going ‘ta sweep the building, then get out and then backtrack. We’re not wastin’ a lot of time here when we’ve got Marvin at the helm. Don’t abuse his power because you’ve got beef.”

Amon lets out a sigh. “Sorry. Okay, when you say sweep the building-”

“I don’t literally mean sweep, I mean one lap around ‘ta check for anythin’ off.” Chase doesn’t bother sticking around for a reply. His concern is focused on Marvin now; he wants to get in and out as fast as possible before Marvin somehow collapses and they get stuck here for days more. He doesn’t want to be here at all.

He heads down one hallway, trusting Amon to follow him. It looks like a bunch of cells, which tells Chase this is probably the village’s prison. There’s still no one in sight, which means either an ambush, or-

“The doors are made of iron,” Amon whispers. “Fae probably don’t need guards when they’re trapped in iron boxes.”

“That doesn’t mean we’re still alone,” Chase hisses back. “Anyway, let’s go.”

“Hello?”

Chase freezes in place when he hears that voice. It’s female, it’s muffled, and it’s coming from behind one of the iron doors. He looks from door to door, feeling a cold sweat starting to bead on his forehead.

“Hello? We’re just hungry. Can we get food? Or a blanket?”

“Neb?” Amon calls back, keeping his voice low. “Neb is that you?”

There’s a long pause. “Amon?” Even muffled, her voice sounds like it’s trembling. The pair can hear a knocking sound that seems to reverberate around them, causing them to wince. “Amon we’re in here!” 

“All three of you?” Amon approaches one of the doors, knocking in return. 

“Yeah!” 

“Alright, stand back from the door,” Amon says. He sharpens his nails into claws again, and even in the darkness, Chase can see his eyes shift to black. He’s glitching again, so Chase backs up as well. He watches as Amon sinks his claws into the door and yanks back, clearly struggling with the weight. A loud groaning sounds out; probably the door being pulled off the hinges. It’s too loud, too ear-splitting, and Chase has to swallow down a rush of irritation, directed toward Amon. Something in him wants to point the gun toward the entity to shut him up, to stop him from making a racket, and he gets as far as pressing his hand to the gun before he stops.

This isn’t normal.

He forces himself to let go of the gun right as the door is pulled free. Amon is sweating and panting as he retracts his claws, but Neb, Alphie and Erin are standing there, looking surprised, confused, with traces of anger in their expressions as well.

“Cian’s here,” Chase says rapidly. “We gotta go before we start tearin’ each other apart.”

“Wait, is that-” Erin starts to ask, but Amon just picks him up and starts bolting toward the exit. The other three are right on his tail, as they rush out of the prison, back down the dirt road until they feel the anger fading.

“We gotta get back, Jackie needs me,” Chase pants, doubling over. “Where’s the portal?” 

“Is that a portal over there?” Neb points, looking ready to collapse herself. “I see something glowing.”

“Yeah,” Amon nods. “Yeah, we gotta go. We can’t stay anymore.”

The anger is starting to rise again, along with fear and panic. So Chase does what he does best in these situations: he grabs anyone he can and bolts forth, pushing them through the portal first. He pushes everyone through before they can react, leaving him as the last one in place. Not too far away, he can see the silhouette of what is unmistakably Cian approaching, so Chase fires his gun in that direction before diving through, landing on the living room floor. 

“Close it, close it!” He rolls into Marvin to break the connection with his magic. The portal disappears too slowly, and a hand reaches through as if to grab someone. 

Luckily, barely in time, the portal closes, and an arm, severed cleanly from the body, falls limply to the floor in the middle of the pentagram.

----------

TAG LIST

 @caori-azarath @inspiredrawaw @shadowtigress2 @burnt-toast-life @lilsprout-exe @randowaffle @oasisofgalaxies @sibling-ursidae @reboosh @scarletender @alphaqwerty7 @imma-gummibear @writingandwhump @dmnfox @thebluejaysworld @immcgill @scubacatwoman @zel-lk @definitely-asexual-volcano @kami-theawkwardmess @n-anon @sleightofsight @imabinerd @elycia1805 @gutter-sun-fun @spiccykels

#whumptober2020 #no.14 #branded #jse community #fic prompt #severed limbs tw #long post #miishae writes

[thatfanficstuff]

Bound - 10

Pairing: Niklaus Mikaelson x OC

Warning: nope

***

I spun in my seat prepared to strike out only to breathe a sigh of relief when I realized it was Elijah that had opened the door. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and tried to calm my racing heart. “That was not funny.”

“I wasn’t attempting to be,” he assured me, though his lips twitched in amusement. “Niklaus wishes for you to join us.”

I climbed out of the car and let Elijah take my hand to lead me into the house. The closer we came to the massive building, the more power swamped me. If I could access my own magic, there would be a lot of temptation here to draw more power than I was capable of using safely. I wondered briefly if this was where Bonnie got the excess power she’d been hoarding before I took it from her. Not that it really mattered.

As we stepped inside, I stopped in the entry way and sucked in a breath. Whispers buzzed around me and I closed my eyes in an attempt to filter through them. Why are they here? Make them leave. Take the still ones with them.

I frowned. There were a lot of voices here and they were unhappy. “We mean you no harm. We have not come to disturb you, only to reclaim that which was taken from us.”

Take it then and leave. No. No. No. She can stay but they must leave.

“Cassie?”

I opened my eyes to find Elijah studying me.

“Are you all right?” he asked with a frown.

I nodded once. “Yeah, there are a lot of unhappy witches here. Wasn’t Maddox affected?”

“Not that he mentioned. Come.” He grasped my hand more tightly in his and led me through the house, carefully avoiding areas that might trip me up. I was so busy watching my feet that I didn’t realize we’d found the others until Nik called my name.

I glanced up quickly to find him smiling at me as he stood beside a pair of coffins. Elijah released my hand and I went to stand beside the hybrid immediately wrapping my arm around his waist and pressing myself against his side. The whispers started again in earnest and I cringed. My eyes found Maddox. “Can’t you hear them?”

His eyebrows shot up into his hairline. “Hear who? I can feel the power and the agitation, but I don’t hear anyone.”

My gaze shifted to Nik. “We need to get out of here. They aren’t happy that you’re here.”

He didn’t ask any questions. Instead he simply nodded and pulled out his phone to issue instructions. When he’d finished, he turned his full attention on me. “One of the coffins is missing. Do you think you could help Maddox locate it?”

“I can certainly help him find a spell, but I can tell you right now that it depends a great deal on the witches that died here and whether they wish you to find it or not. Right now, I’m leaning toward not.”

Nik growled in irritation and my eyes darted between the two coffins. “Who’s in the third coffin?”

“What, love?”

“The third coffin. Rebekah is undaggered and at the boarding house with Stefan. Elijah is here. That leaves Finn and Kol. So, who’s in the third coffin?”

“I’m ashamed to say that didn’t even occur to me,” Elijah said. And now there were two of us scowling at the hybrid waiting for answers.

Nik shook his head once. “Not here. Too many ears, even if they are dead. Come.”

***

It didn’t take us long to find our way back to the car. Nik refused to speak while we were still on the property and he wouldn’t leave until his hybrids arrived with the truck. We sat in silence and watched as they loaded the other two brothers onto the truck. Once Maddox joined them in the cab, they pulled away. Elijah started the car and followed them off the property before pulling over on the side of the road before we’d even gone half a mile.

“Talk, brother,” Elijah demanded and my eyes focused on Nik.

A muscle twitched in his jaw as he clenched his teeth. Whatever he was about to say, I was fairly certain I wasn’t going to like it. “It’s Esther.”

Pure fear shot through me. “What do you mean, it’s Esther, Nik?” My voice trembled.

He turned in his seat and reached back to place a hand on my knee. “To be fair, when I placed her in the coffin, I wasn’t aware of the full extent of her treachery. I was still grieving and living with the guilt of having killed her.”

“So, you kept her corpse? To what purpose, Niklaus?”

“I suppose at the time, I thought perhaps I could bring her back one day. That I could beg for her forgiveness.” He sighed. “And while she is dead, I wouldn’t necessarily call her a corpse. She’s been maintained by a stasis spell.”

“Is there anything else we should know?” I asked, sounding slightly manic. “Was she breathing when you stuck her in there? Are you sure she was ever dead to start with?”

His hand squeezed my knee. “Breathe, Cassie. I assure you that Esther was dead. Her heart was missing last I saw of her. And a locking spell was placed on the coffin to insure no one could enter without my permission.”

That eased my worry somewhat but not enough to put me completely at ease. “If she comes back somehow, it is important for you to remember that no one is supposed to remember anything that happens on the other side. Not when you enter it like I did. She said things to me…” I trailed off then took a deep breath. “If she even suspects I remember anything, she will kill me.”

“We will remember, Cassie, but I find it unlikely that my mother will pick now to return from the grave.” Elijah did his best to reassure me, but it didn’t help much.

“Why wouldn’t she, Elijah? Your father is dead. Up until now he was here tormenting you on her behalf. Hunting Nik. If anyone can find a way to return from the Otherside it would be her.”

The brothers exchanged a look and I turned to gaze out the window beside me. After a moment, Elijah restarted the car and pulled onto the road. As we neared home, I broke the silence. “Nik?”

“Yes, love?”

“When we get that coffin back, we’re burning it, the Original witch bitch included.”

“Wouldn’t dream of doing otherwise, sweetheart.”

***

It was the next day before I convinced Damon to meet me at the grill. He was convinced it was some sort of trap, and I suppose I could have made it one, but I didn’t see the point. I just wanted to end this. All of it. I also wasn’t stupid enough to meet him on my own but Stefan provided a nice compromise. Damon was still pissed at little brother for saving Nik but he trusted Stefan not to kill him.

“I’m surprised Klaus is letting you do this,” Stefan said as we sat in a booth together waiting for Damon.

I shrugged and gave him a small smile.

Stefan’s eyes went wide. “You didn’t tell him. Are you nuts?”

“You know as well as I do that Damon wouldn’t have come if Elijah or Nik was here instead of you. You also know neither of them would have let me come without them. I just want this to be over. It’s exhausting.”

Stefan nodded. “It is.” He tapped on the table with one finger while he thought. “Just don’t get hurt, huh? I kind of like my heart where it is.”

I huffed a laugh. “You’ll be just fine, Stefan.” Damon walked through the door just as I finished speaking and I raised a hand to signal him.

He slid onto the bench next to Stefan and I pushed a glass of bourbon in his direction. “Cassidy. Baby brother. To what do I owe the invitation.”

He flashed that smirk and I had to remind myself that I no longer had my magic so smacking it off his face would be a bad idea.

“This needs to end, Damon.”

He sipped his drink then sat the glass down with a thud. “To what exactly are you referring?”

Stefan rolled his eyes.

“All of it. This thing between you and the Scooby gang and Klaus. Someone’s going to get killed and it won’t be on my side.”

He narrowed his gaze and looked between me and his brother. “And that doesn’t bother you? That your so-called friends would kill one of us?”

“Of course, it bothers me, Damon. That’s why I called you. You’ve reached your limit. You do anything else and they will kill you.” I kept my eyes locked on his hoping he would see the sincerity there.

His gaze darted around the grill, the eye contact making him uncomfortable. “He got his coffins back, what else does he want?”

“One of the coffins was missing. He wants it back.”

The look of shock on Damon’s face couldn’t be faked. “That wasn’t me. You’ve got to believe me. I left all three in that house.”

This wasn’t good. I believed the elder Salvatore but who knew if Nik would.

“Who else knew they were there?” Stefan asked.

Damon shook his head and I could see the moment realization dawned on him. He licked his lips. “Bonnie. She helped me hide them. It had to be her.”

I sighed. “Yeah, that makes sense unfortunately. She’s been edgy since I stripped her of that excess magic. I’m assuming she sees my lack of powers as an opportunity too good to pass up.”

“Look, Cass, Elena and I didn’t mean anything by all of this. She just wanted Stefan back and I was worried about you. About both of you. We just wanted to make sure that both of you were okay.” His words came quickly and I wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince me or himself.

“Well, in the future I suggest you learn a new word when it comes to Elena. No. She can’t do a lot without your help so just don’t give it to her.”

He nodded but looked uncertain.

I reached out and laid a hand over his. “The only reason you are still alive is because of me. You do realize that, right?”

He studied me for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, I know. I didn’t want to admit it at first, but I know.”

Pulling my hand away, I leaned back in my seat. “I think you and Elena need to leave town for a while. Stefan will let you know when it’s safe to come back. You don’t want to be caught in this shit. Let the blame fall where it belongs.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Cassidy.”

With that, he was gone and Stefan and I just sat staring at each other for a while. “Do you really think Klaus will let them go?”

“Yeah. He may not trust them, but he trusts me. You better take me home so I can talk to him before he goes after them.”

***

Bound:  @deadmanwalked @the-doctor-9-10 @kawaiirepublic @xlosttdreamss @tkdgirl2012 @cacti-succulents-andlesbians @killerheelsanddullknives @readeity @kayla-03-blog @star-incandescent  @bookwormstrawberry @lostinwonderland314 @zillahvathek

#niklaus Mikaelson x oc #series #bound #the hybrid's witch #vampire diaries #vampire diaries fanfiction #Klaus Mikaelson fanfiction #Klaus Mikaelson x oc

[vividjin]

Sweet Dreams [Kirishima Eijiro X Reader]

Sweet Dreams [Kirishima Eijiro X Reader]

Genre: Fluff

Warning: Slight NSFW at the beginning of the story.

~

You don’t even remember why you ended up sleeping in the same bed as Kirishima. You somehow remember that the whole class A went to this yakiniku place and drank a few bottles of alcohol, but after that, everything else is foggy in your memory.

“Y/n...” the way that Kirishima whispered your name in your ears was so soft and gentle. Gentle enough to turn you on and make your nipples hard, asking for attention.

You felt his fingertips running in an andante pace inside your shirt, the friction made between your skin and his fingers electrified your whole body giving you goose bumps.

“K-Kirishima, wait. We’re underage for this.” You managed to say those words at least, before you give in to this sweet temptation.

“Call me Eijiro, Y/n.” Kirishima pulled you closer to him. You felt your cheeks burn when you felt something hard poking your legs. You are positive that it was hard even without him activating his quirk.

“Eijiro-“

You woke up to the blaring sound of your alarm and you thought that you must have peed your pants from your wet dream but you are wet in a completely different way.

“Shit.” you cursed. “What in the fucking hell was that?”

You don’t have the hots for Kirishima. You are close friends with him, bros... but that? Not even your subconscious or unconscious mind would think of such things towards him.

And so, you tried to erase such dirty thoughts and went to class as usual. It would be hard to avoid him anyway. Pretending that you’re sick so that you can skip class won't do since you are all living in the same dorm. However, you still can’t look at Kirishima straight in the eyes and you are obviously avoiding him by keeping a great distance.

“And yeah, I heard Mineta talking about pervy things again.” Mina said. “I overheard him talking with the boys. He said that if you put a picture of your crush under your pillow and say some kind of chant, your crush will dream of you that night. And of course, knowing that it was Mineta, it was that-kind-of-dream.”

You tried not to look too palpable that you are surprised by hearing this but your blushing face failed you.

“Y/n-chan, are you all right?” Uraraka asked you, her expression is completely worried.

“Yes- uhm no? Uhm, just a little bit fatigued?” It’s all because someone just happened to put my picture under his pillow and I dreamt of him in a sexual way. Not that it’s a big deal... BUT IT IS.

Uraraka helped you stand up, “Let’s head to Recovery Girl, I’ll come-“

“I’ll go with Y/n” Kirishima suddenly said. “I’m on my way to Recovery Girl anyway to get some meds she made for me.”

At this point, you are internally screaming for help. You immediately gave a ‘help me’ look at Uraraka but she failed to understand you.

Kirishima held out his hand, waiting for you to hold onto it, “Uhm, I can walk. I can walk just fine.” you said.

But Kirishima still pulled your hand anyway and said, “It’s unmanly not to escort someone sick. Do you want me to carry you in my back instead?” But I’m not sick in the first place.

“Holding my hand is fine!” Your friends are now oohing and ahhing so you threw them a glare to quiet them down, “Let’s go.”

Time seemed to pass by slowly as the two of you walked your way to the clinic. You stared at Kirishima’s hand that was currently tightly holding yours. It was big and warm, a hand of a strong person, a hand of a hero.

It struck to you that this is the perfect time to make him confess if he made a sin by putting your picture underneath his pillow.

“Y/n” “Kirishima”

You called each other at the same time, the timing was so synchronized that you find it hard to believe. You gently pulled your hand and sighed, “You can say it first, Kirishima.”

“Ladies first is one of my principles since it’s manly, so you go on first.”

Gosh, he's so stubborn. Alright, I give in. You can do this Y/n, you’re just going to ask him if he really had a crush on you and it’s done. Then you can go back to being friends again.

“About last night-“ you haven’t even finished your sentence but he suddenly bowed 70 degrees.

“I’M REALLY SORRY! IT WAS MY FAULT FOR NOT NOTICING THAT MINETA SNUCK INTO MY ROOM AND HE PUT YOUR PICTURE UNDER MY PILLOW! I’M SORRY!”

Ah so that was it...

“That’s... that’s great. What a relief... I’ll go back to the classroom, I’m just fine after all.” You don’t even believe how disappointed you sounded.

You turned on your heels without even looking back at Kirishima. You hate this feeling in your chest but not that you can just shrug it off anyway. You weren’t supposed to feel this way at all.

I think revenge would work to get this feeling off my chest.

At night, you made sure to place a picture of Kirishima underneath your pillow and to recite the weird chant you searched in the net and you slept peacefully that whole night.

You were in high spirits when you came to class to check on Kirishima and his expressions today were exactly your expression and gestures yesterday. It was clear that he’s avoiding you and he’s maintaining a good distance from you.

It worked!

It was during your lunch break that Kirishima decided to talk to you about it.

“Why did you do it?” His expression was dark and his voice sounded low and cold. He could go Red Riot any moment now. You didn’t think it would piss him off real good.

“Well, sorry. It’s just unfair that I’m the only one feeling-“ You immediately stopped when you realized what you're saying. Wait what am I saying?

“Feeling what?” His ruby eyes stared sharply at you. You didn’t want him to look at you in such a way. You felt yet again a tightening pain in your chest.

“Feeling...” Your voice trembled as your eyes feel warm. “I-I’m sorry...”

Kirishima’s expression quickly changed into a worried one, “H-Hey, why are you crying?!”

“It’s because you’re scaring me!”

“Sorry. It’s just that I thought that you wouldn’t do it too.” He scratched the back of his head and continued, “It’s actually my fault. I told Mineta that I liked you so he said that he’d help me. It’s just that he had to do that unmanly thing to help me.” You felt so relieved that he felt the same way towards you.

The same way? I mean I like him before because he’s strong and manly but- well, whatever. Yes I like him.

“I... I actually like you too so I hated to be the only one feeling uncomfortable. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to make a pitcher of grape juice out of that Mineta. But how was the dream?” Kirishima avoided your gaze and you pulled his necktie to pull his face closer to you, “Was I being rough to you like this?”

Kirishima placed his hands on your hip and pulled you real close to him. You were supposed to be the one teasing him but you are clearly outplayed in this game since you are the blushing mess instead, “It was I.”

He leaned closer to you for a kiss but he stopped midway when you heard someone clap his hands.

You looked around only to find Mineta, “Hey! I’m making a grape juice, Mineta-kun. How about you help me with it?”

“Aw come on! You two should be thanking me, right? I just helped! So-“ Mineta started running when you and Kirishima activated your quirks.

You let him off the hook and just laughed it off.

Certainly, the next time you might do something like that, it won’t be a dream anymore.

~

Requests are open on my AO3 account. The link to this story is here at: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18653830/chapters/44237497

#my hero academia #kirishima eijirou #kirishima #bnha kirishima #mha kirishima #boku no hero academia #kirishima x reader #fluff #bnha #mha

[theavengerfairy]

One Step Closer - Chapter 1

Previously known as “Gravity”

Callum had been right. Rayla would never tell him that, but he had been right. Apparently one does not simply walk into Xadia, at least not near the part of the border where Sol Regem dwelled in order to guard the Moonstone Path. Stupid dragons; they thought of everything.

Despite the abundance of monstrous oaks and pines guarding the private alcove she had discovered about an hour before, a cool breeze still managed to caress her skin and ruffle her hair as she sat cross-legged amongst the untamed grass, absentmindedly flicking one of her swords open and closed over and over again as she struggled to produce a feasible solution to her current predicament. Aside from the Moonstone Path, all other ground entrances into Xadia would be heavily guarded on both sides of the border, and crossing over by sea was not an option for more reasons than just her personal phobia. Yep, they were definitely stuck.

"Runaan would know what to do. He always knew what to do."

Rayla's heart clenched painfully in her chest, rousing her guilt from its sound hibernation and sending it scrambling back to its good work of turning her stomach into a hot, nauseous whirlpool. Runaan. Sure, his name had briefly passed through her mind on occasion over the past few weeks, but she had never actually taken a moment to pause and truly think about him ever since her mission to return the Dragon Prince and hopefully stop the war between humans and Xadians began. What had happened to her mentor and the rest of their party that night? Yes, she had seen his shadowhawk arrow sailing through the air and one of her wrist bindings had fallen off, indicating that the king had been successfully assassinated, but that only told her so much. Were they alright? Had they been captured? Had they perished as well?

"You let him live but you've killed us all!"

Rayla sharply shook her head to clear away those jarring words. They had to be okay. It didn't matter if it was impossible; Runaan wouldn't have let anything happen to them. They were probably on their way back to Xadia right now.

"And they are all probably permanently disabled because of you."

No, she couldn't think about that. Optimism may seem just as trivial as fear to her, but at the moment it was all she had. Besides, she didn't have time to dwindle on her comrades' fates; she had her own mission to focus on, which brought her back to her original dilemma. How in the name of Thunder was she going to get her, Callum, and Zym into Xadia undetected?

A wistful sigh escaped Rayla's lips as she returned her blades to her belt and rested her cheek in the palm of her hand while absently staring at the patch of dirt and grass directly in front of her, "I know you would probably still be mad at me, but I really wish you were here, Runaan. I'm out of my element and out of ideas, and the pressure of knowing that I'm in charge of protecting and delivering the one thing that could potentially end the war between humans and Xadia ain't exactly helping me get a creative spark. You would be way more qualified for something like this, and yet this responsibility fell to me....I just don't know how I'm gonna do this...."

"Gah! Rayla!"

Rayla nearly jumped out of her skin and instinctively went for her knives before quickly stopping when she remembered who that voice belonged to.

"Ugh, don't startle me like that! I just about attacked you!" she snapped angrily at Callum, though she was surprised and secretly somewhat impressed that he had managed to sneak up on her without the brush giving him away.

"Well, thank you for not attacking me," Callum answered rather awkwardly, his posture unusually rigid as he anxiously scratched the back of his neck, "So, who were you talking to?"

Hot embarrassment rushed into Rayla's cheeks, dyeing her fair skin the color of ripe moonberries, and she instinctively averted her eyes from Callum as if that would somehow hide her shame.

"Nobody," she mumbled, "I was just thinking out loud is all."

Callum's brow crinkled with concern, his hand falling back to his side as he took a few steps towards her, "Are you okay? You seem upset."

"I'm fine. I'm just...irritated because I can't think of any other way to get us into Xadia."

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself; I know you'll figure something out." Callum purred gently as he deposited himself down beside her and comfortingly grasped her shoulder, his mouth curving upwards in an encouraging grin. However, Rayla's grim expression did not change.

"I wish Runaan were here," she sighed again.

"Runaan? Wait, he was the archer you fought with on the castle wall, right? Is he your brother or something?"

Rayla's face contorted into a look of pure offense. "What? No! How old do you think I am?!"

A larger-than-average bead of sweat slithered down Callum temple, "I'm not going to answer that. Who is he though? You two seemed like you knew each other a little better than just fellow assassins."

"Runaan is my mentor. He taught me everything I know."

"Oh."

Rayla sighed again. "He should be the one leading you into Xadia not me. He has way more experience and training and knowledge than I do, and yet, you got stuck with me instead."

"Well, I'm glad to have gotten stuck with you, Rayla," Callum retorted gently before quickly adding, "and not just because your mentor probably would've killed me by now and taken Zym back to Xadia by himself."

The quiet, undignified snort that echoed from Rayla as her mouth curved into a smirk made Callum's chest swell with a little pride and brought a smile to his face.

"Thanks," she answered, her posture relaxing slightly. However, her muscles went stiff again only a moment later and her eyes grew wider than full moons as she stared at Callum like she had never seen him before, "Wait, Callum, what are you doing here?! Why aren't you watching Zym?!"

Callum's skin turned paler than porcelain as he nervously wrung his hands, his eyes darting to look at anything and everything in the clearing other than Rayla, "Heh, funny you should mention that...."

All of the previous delight and warmth had now vanished from Rayla's face, and in its place lurked an icy shadow that sent shivers down Callum's spine.

"Callum, what's going on?"

"Well, you see...."

———————

"I can't believe you lost the future King of the Dragons! What were you thinking?!"

"He seemed bored, and I remembered Ezran saying he really liked hide and seek!"

"And you thought that was a good idea for a game?! You know, there's this thing inside your head called a brain; you should try using it."

"...You're really mean sometimes, you know that? Besides, it's not like babysitting a dragon is easy!"

"Ezran managed to do it!"

"Well, that's because he had his special gift! I don't speak animal!" Callum grumbled before quickly ducking to avoid being hit in the face by a branch.

The temptation to continue to berate Callum was strong, but after rolling of her eyes in annoyance, Rayla managed to swallow the urge and instead focus her attention on the task at hand, "Just keep looking. He has to have left some kind of trail."

"Unless he flew..." Callum began to argue but his voice broke off when he noticed Rayla glaring at him, "Sorry."

Clenching her jaw, Rayla pushed past a cluster of brush and entered another clearing, and to her frustration, there was still no sign of the baby dragon.

"If you know any kind up special, Sky magic tracking spell, now would be a great time to whip it out," she grunted as she brought her fingers to massage the bridge of her nose in an effort to fend off her impending headache.

One of Callum's eyebrows rose in a skeptical arch, "Was that supposed to be sarcasm or a genuine suggestion? I couldn't really tell."

Exasperation was his answer as Rayla flung her arms up in defeat.

"Who are we kidding? We're screwed!" she cried dramatically as her hands fell back to her sides, her shoulders slumping forward as though heavy weights had been tied to her wrists, "There's no way we're going to find one tiny dragon in this massive forest-"

An ear-piercing screech drowned out of the last of Rayla's words and sent her and Callum both springing into the air. Immediately, their eyes snapped to look at one another, their faces both conveying the exact same fear, and so much as a single second of further hesitation, they darted in the direction from which the voice had come. They ran as fast as they could, Rayla easily taking the lead ahead of Callum as he struggled to keep up, but with every step they took, the forest seemed to throw some stumbling block into their path, whether it be a fallen tree, a gnarled tangle of roots, or a tightly woven thicket of thorns, to slow them down. Still, they pressed onwards, barely aware the sting of branches slapping their arms and faces or the ache of their feet as they stumbled on the uneven forest floor as they raced at a pace that never dipped below a steady sprint. Each of them silently hoped that their shared hunch was wrong but knew full well that the likelihood of such a blessing was slim, and as they rounded a sharp outcropping of rock, the gurgling of water tickling their ears, their hearts and stomachs somersaulted over one another as their eyes beheld exactly what they had feared.

Several yards ahead of them sat a human girl who looked as though she was probably a few years older than Ezran, the sunlight catching on her fiery twin braids as she tranquility lounged with her legs dangling in the cool water of a lazy, crystal clear stream, entirely oblivious of the little imp of a dragon slowly creeping up on her through the grass, tail flicking slowly back and forth as he hunkered down and prepared to pounce. The air caught in Rayla's and Callum's throats as they silently pleaded that Zym would miraculously decide to back down and scamper off before he was noticed, but with a final cocky trill, the baby dragon flung himself into the air and hurdled towards the human.

Rayla nearly screamed, not because of Zym but rather what happened next. When the baby dragon was a mere arm's length arm, the human girl suddenly whipped around and caught him with a speed and ease that startled Callum and Rayla both as they watched, their stomachs sinking further into the sandy pit of horror that had manifested inside each of them. A wicked grin stretched across the redhead's face as she raised Zym high above her head, the dragon squirming and squeaking in protest while his wide, innocent eyes peered down at her. A disorienting lightness filled Rayla's head, leading her to grab onto Callum's scarf to steady herself as she struggled not to faint, and Callum consequently reached out to steady her partially out of concern and partially to stop her from choking him.

"This is bad. This is really, really bad," Rayla moaned woefully.

"Hey, we can't automatically jump to the worst conclusion." Callum peered scrutinizingly at the girl before continued, "She doesn't look scared. Maybe she thinks Zym is just a giant lizard."

"Callum, he has wings! What other reptile do you know of that has wings?!"

"...Yeah, you're right. This is bad."

The ginger had since lowered Zym down to where he was now eye to eye with her, and after an uncomfortable period of silence that left Rayla's skin crawling, the baby dragon gave a giddy chirp and began to playfully lick the girl's freckled cheeks, causing her to giggle.

"You're going to have to do better than that if you want to sneak up on me." she taunted buoyantly, her warm chocolate eyes gleaming as her nose brushed lightly against Zym's, "You're much too noisy and your static made the hairs on my neck and arms stand straight up as soon as you got close. You definitely need to work on that."

Zym merely sang another adorable coo and then resumed licking her face, the girl hardly even flinching as energy sparkled across his tongue and zapped her skin, not that the shocks were even remotely painful to begin with. The tension released from Callum's shoulders as her laughter danced in his ears, but Rayla remained completely rigid, her eyes fixed on the girl in a cold, merciless stare.

"She seems pretty nice. Maybe she won't give us any trouble." the former remarked optimistically, much to the aghast of the latter.

"How could you possibly know whether or not she's nice just by looking at her, Callum?! Didn't Lujanne lecture you that moon magic revolves around the difference between perception and reality?! For all we know, that seemingly innocent human girl could be the acolyte of a dark mage who is merely keeping Zym occupied while she awaits her master's return."

"Or, she could really be just a normal human girl with no dark motives or ill intentions. You can't always just assume the worst about people, Rayla."

"You can't afford to always think the best of them either, especially not in a war."

"Well, what do you suggest we do then? She's already seen Zym; there's not much we can do about that."

Rayla's expression darkened, "We've only got a few options, and you're not going to like any of them."

"Why would you tell me that?! I mean, if you already know I won't like them in the first place then what is the point of telling me about the options at all-Rayla?"

Callum's throat tightened when he realized his friend was no longer beside him. Normally, he found her stealth and skill admirable and rather fascinating, but at the moment, he was more irked and frightened by it.

"Rayla? Rayla?! Rayla!"

"Stay where you are!"

Callum immediately froze where he stood before slowly sneaking a glance over his shoulder to see the redheaded girl standing behind him, her once gleeful face now warped into a suspicious scowl as she pointed her hand at him. At first, the prince was confused, but he soon noticed with a sinking feeling that the girl had some kind of contraption strapped to her wrist. The device closely resembled the crossbows he had seen used by many of the palace guards but on a much smaller scale, and one sweeping, inquisitive glance indicated to him that it was likely rigged to fire when girl clenched her hand into a fist. Okay, maybe Rayla had been right about the girl not being as innocent and sweet as she seemed.

Swallowing thickly to clear away the glow toad-sized lump in his throat, Callum timidly twirled around to face the ginger, hands raised high in the air, and offered her a nervous smile, "Uh, hi?"

At the sound of Callum's voice, Zym's head perked up, and with a happy trill, he popped out from behind the girl and scampered toward the prince, his little mouth stretched into as wide of a grin as he could manage while his tongue stuck goofily out to one side. Momentarily forgetting his terror, Callum dropped down onto his knees and seized Zym into a tight hug as soon as he was within reach, remaining completely oblivious to the incredulous look the redhead was giving him as he cradled the dragonling close.

"Zym! You scared me! No more hide and seek for you, you hear? From now on, we're only playing games that include my eyes being on you at all times!"

The baby dragon whimpered in protest, his head drooping guiltily between his shoulders, but after a moment, he yipped softly in what one could assume was understanding and snuggled himself deeper into Callum's embrace.

"So he isn't alone out here. I guess that should be a relief."

Callum's heart staggered in its beat for a moment, sending a cold shock along every nerve in his body. He had nearly forgotten that he and Zym had an audience.

"Y-Yep, the little goofball is with me! I turned my back on him for a second and he decided to go and explore. T-Thank you for looking after him, Miss....?"

"Madeleine," The girl answered, a small smile forming on her lips as she lowered her weapon. However, her eyes did not lose their inquisitive sparkle, and the look made Callum's insides churn.

"Well, thanks again, but we really should be going now-"

"You haven't told me your name though."

"Oh....uh....it's Callum."

"Callum," the girl purred, testing the way the name rolled on her tongue, "That isn't a very common name, is it?"

"Uh, I guess?"

"I like it. So Callum, what's a baby dragon doing on this side of the border?"

Although the question was asked in the most innocent of tones, it sent the prince's mind scrambling in a wild panic, and before he could regain enough sense to stop himself, he blurted out what possibly had to be one of the stupidest and most unconvincing lies he had ever told.

"Dragon? You mean Zym? Pfft, Zym isn't a dragon!"

"He isn't?"

"No!"

"Oh....what is he then?"

"Well that totally just backfired." the prince mentally chastised himself, "Come on, Callum! Think!"

"He's uh....a draconis....imitatius!"

Madeleine's brow scrunched into a row of wrinkles, "A what?"

"A draconis imitatius! They're called draconims for short!"

"I've never heard of them."

"They're really rare and most people confuse them for dragonlings like you did, so they aren't very well known."

"I guess that makes sense...."

"It totally makes sense!"

"What's the difference between a draconim and an actual dragon, though?"

By now, a thick coating of sweat had totally soaked the hairs on the back of Callum's neck. "You ask of a lot of questions, don't you?"

The girl's cheeks ignited in a rosy blush that rivaled the radiance of her hair, sparking instant regret in Callum that he yearned to snuff out by doing some kind self-inflicted sacrament like slapping himself across the face.

"Sorry, I can get a little nosy sometimes. I should really learn when to shut my mouth."

"No no, it's okay! It's totally normal to be curious about something rare and unique. You didn't do anything wrong!" Callum hurriedly tried to reassure her.

"You look kind of uncomfortable though."

"I do? I guess I'm still coming off the adrenaline rush Zym gave me. I'm so glad he's alright."

"Ah, got it. So back to my original question, what makes a draconim different from a dragon."

"Well...they stay small like this and....they can't actually fly even though they have wings."

"Really?"

"Y-Yep. Kinda sad, isn't it? He has those big wings and he can't even use them..."

It was at that moment that the largest butterfly Callum had ever seen just had to flit past, catching not only his eye but the eye of Zym as well. With an excited shriek, he unfurled his wings and soared after it with a mighty flap, missing it by mere centimeters before sailing back down to the ground with surprising grace. Madeleine's jaw fell agape while Callum's throat swelled shut.

"Did he just-?"

"T-That wasn't flying! That was...gliding! There's a big difference."

Callum could practically see the gears turning in Madeleine's head as she stared scrutinizingly at Zym, but before she could say another word, a dark shadow suddenly passed over them. A collective shriek of surprise from Callum, Zym, and Madeleine cut across the clearing as Rayla appeared seemingly out of thin air and tackled the girl to the ground, her blades already scraping against the skin of Madeleine's throat as she pinned her arms down with her knees.

"Rayla, what are you doing?! Where did you even go?!" Callum exclaimed in horror, his eyes bouncing frantically back and forth between the obviously irritated elf and the frightened human innocent underneath her.

"I was trying to find a good angle from which I could catch her by surprise and knock her out, but then just had to get in the way!" Rayla spat back sourly, "And as if our situation wasn't already bad enough, you just had to go and make it worse with your babbling! Why couldn't you just keep your mouth shut?!"

"I was nervous and you had totally disappeared! What was I supposed to do?! Knock her out with a wind spell?!"

"Yes! That's exactly what you should have done!"

"Well, why didn't you jump in earlier and stop me?!"

"Then the other human would've known I was here!"

"You...You're a Moonshadow elf..." Madeleine muttered in disbelief.

"Well, she knows now!" Callum griped, "What do we do-No wait, you said I wouldn't like the options!"

"Callum, would you quit being so dramatic for a second!"

"I'm not being dramatic; I'm panicking! There's a very big difference! What do we do?!"

"Could you please just shut up for a second so I can think?!"

"Madeleine!"

The new voice caught both Rayla and Callum by surprise, but before they could scan for the one to whom it belonged, a ear-piercing, bloodcurdling scream tore through the air and ripped into their heads, threatening to tear their minds into unsalvageable shreds.

#tdp #THE DRAGON PRINCE #tdp oc #tdp fanfic #tdp fanfiction #tdp runaan #runaan #runaan x oc #tdp rayla #tdp callum #tdp zym #Runaan

[beaglelinefics]

First Dates and Hospital Trips

NCT X Platonic Reader (Gender Neutral), Jaehyun X Reader

Writer: Jaime

Previous Parts: Netflix and Chill, Blanket Burrito, Stormy Weather, Alternate Coffee Universe, The Unpleasantly Pleasant

Masterlist

            “Mork!”

            The poor boy flailed as you ran up to him and slung an arm over his shoulder. He had been leaving his class when you saw him across the quad, and you needed him for something. Something very important.

            “Uh, hey, Y/N. What’s up?”

            “So you’re friends with Donghyuck, right?”

            “Yeah…”

            “And he’s friends with Jaehyun, right?”

            “Oh my god, Y/N, I’m not putting in a good word for you.”

            “Oh come on! I trust you so much more than Ten!”

            “Y/N, I love you, but I’m not getting involved. Setting people up makes me uncomfortable,” he whined. “I think it’s trauma from when Jaemin almost got killed.”

            “See, I think that’s the reason Yuta doesn’t talk to me anymore.”

            “You know he’s also friends with Jaehyun, right?”

            “Are you serious? Great! Now my chances with him went down again!”

            “Wait, you had a chance with him?”

            “How dare—yes I did!” You took out your phone and proudly showed him the contact for Jaehyun. “He said he liked me too! And gave me his number!”

            “Oh, wow, look at that.” He leaned closer to properly look at it. “Hey, do you mind if I just,” he snatched the phone from your hand and sprinted away from you, “borrow this! I’ll see you later!”

            “Wait just a—Mark! Mark Lee! You get back here!” The entire quad turned to look at you two as you gave chase, breathing heavily as you attempted to catch up. “I knew it! I knew you were working for Ten! Your innocence is a façade!”

            “I’m sorry, Y/N! He promised me ten bucks!”

            “You cheap hoe!”

            “A man’s gotta pay for pizza somehow!”

            “You, sir, are no man!” You skidded to a halt and leaned against a tree to give your screaming legs a rest and try to catch your breath. “I can’t believe you would betray me like this, Mork! I thought we were bros!”

            “Dominos before bros!” he called over his shoulder before rounding the corner.

            That bitch was disowned.

            “Taeil!”

            “Oh boy.”

            “Oh boy is correct, sir.” You slammed your hand on the table and glared at him. “What do you know?”

            “Me? I don’t know anything,” he insisted as he tried to maintain an innocent expression. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

            “Bullshit.” You smiled at the boy sitting beside your friend. “Hello, Taeyong, you look lovely today. I’m sorry you have to bear witness to this mess.”

            “Uh, yeah, no, it’s cool.”

            “Now, Taeil, spill. I know Ten put you up to something. If he put Mark up to something, he most definitely put you up to something. I want to know what.”

            “Y/N, I’m telling you, Ten didn’t put me up to something. I mean, you know what happened last time! I don’t want one of the little ones to almost die!”

            You narrowed your eyes at him and motioned that you were watching him. You slowly took out a chair and lowered yourself onto it. “You listen here, sir, I’m watching you. I am going to be stuck to you like a nasty ass piece of chewed gum on Doyoung’s shoe. You can’t do anything, got it?”

            “Right, okay. Just stay here and waste your time.” He rolled his eyes and focused on his book once more. “Have fun watching me study.”

            “You know what? I will.” You took out your own textbook and notebook and set them out on the table in front of you. “Taeyong, if you see anything suspicious, tell me. He’s up to something. I know he is.”

            “Um… pretty sure he’s here to study with me, but I’ll keep that in mind.”

            “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

            Taeil smirked at you over his book as you turned to start taking notes on your reading. It looked as though the plan was working perfectly.

            “No, Doyoung, I can’t get ice cream with you because I’m too busy keeping an eye on Taeil,” you snapped into Taeyong’s phone. “Mork stole my phone for Ten, and I’m positive Taeil is in on this as well.”

            You could hear your friend’s heavy sigh. “Y/N, I have a coupon for free ice cream. Are you seriously telling me that you’re going to turn this down?”

            “…I… ugh, as much as it pains me, yes. I am. I am not letting Ten go through with this plan of his, not again. Do you know how much I cried when I had to sit there waiting for Jaemin’s arm to be reset? A lot. I love that child. I don’t want any of the other little ones to suffer that same fate.”

            “I respect and admire that, I really do, but I feel like if Taeil was in on it, he wouldn’t be able to hide it from you. He has all those weird facial features, you know?”

            “You make a good point there.” You studied Taeil’s face for any suspicious activity, but couldn’t find any other than his usual suspicious expression. “Okay, fine, I’ll meet you there. I need to stop by the apartment and change. I think I sweat a lot when I chase Mark.”

            “Solid. I’ll see if I can get your phone back from Mark and Ten.”

            “Doyoung, I freaking love you. I’ll see you later for some free ice cream, alright?”

            “Yessss!”

            You hung up and handed the phone back to Taeyong, giving him a grateful smile. “Thanks for letting me use your phone.”

            “Yeah, no problem. Sorry it got stolen.”

            “Yeah… the child has been disowned.”

            “Pfft, there’s no way you could possibly disown that boy,” Taeil snorted. “You love Mark.”

            “That was before he betrayed me in this way. Ten dollars. That’s how little it took for him to turn against me.” You looked off in the distance as Mark’s last words haunted you. Dominos before bros… was that really what your love had come to? “Anyways, I gotta go. Free ice cream is calling my name.”

            “Yeah, have fun with the bunny.”

            “I will, thank you. Have fun studying.”

            You guys bumped fists and waved before you were heading off to your apartment to change. Taeil turned to grin at Taeyong.

            “Honestly this is thirty bucks well earned,” he told his friend.

            “You’re still taking me out to eat, right? I don’t like lying to Y/N. We have history.”

            “Right, the history of you two bonding over the mutual embarrassment of you roommates?”

            “Yeah. We’re kindred souls.”

            “Yeah, Taeyong, I’m still taking you out to eat.”

            “Good. Then I don’t really feel guilty about lying.”

            “Oh, look, it’s Satan,” you announce in distaste when you see Ten lounging on your couch. “What are you up to, demon?”

            “Me? Just chillin’. Mark’s gone to get some pizza.”

            “You should be ashamed of yourself. Using a child like that for your own gain.”

            “Maybe I should, but I don’t.” He tossed you your phone and grinned. “I had a great time scrolling through your messages. Who knew someone as bitter as you could seem sweet when texting Jaehyun?”

            “Learned from the best. Anyways, I’m meeting Doyoung for free ice cream.”

            “Sounds fun.”

            “Yeah, it would be, if I didn’t have to change. My shirt is still damp from when I ran after Mark because he stole my phone under your influence.” You sniffed and walked past him with your head turned firmly in the other direction. “It really is the sweet ones who are most at risk from the temptation of the devil.”

            “Um, rude.”

            “You totally deserved it,” you muttered before shutting the door to your room. “Now let’s see what your slimy hands did with my phone.”

            You frantically scrolled through all your texts and social media to see if he had written anything odd or embarrassing, but it seemed clean. Too clean. You knew he was up to something. Ten was never satisfied by simply reading messages. He was a monster of chaos. He had to have done something. WHAT HAD THAT DEMON DONE? Your panic was rising as you still couldn’t find anything wrong, but you didn’t have time for this! Doyoung texted you the details and sent you a picture showing how he was not up for you being late. That kid… so impatient. So you quickly changed to look more presentable and ran back out, landing a satisfying smack on the back of Ten’s head.

            “I’m going to find out what you did,” you told him confidently.

            “Oh, I have no doubt,” he replied with a smirk. “Good luck to you, sweetheart.”

            “Gross.”

            “Oh hell no.”

            You had arrived at the ice cream place to see no sign of Doyoung. You immediately knew something was up. He would never stand you up like this if free ice cream was involved, so what was really going on here? You got your answer when you saw Jaehyun crossing the street to enter the same ice cream parlor you were currently fuming inside. Those dicks! They were all in on it! All of them! Including sweet Taeyong. You’d trusted him. You’d trusted him, and this was how he repaid that trust.

            “Hey, Y/N,” Jaehyun greeted with a warm smile. “I’m glad you texted me. I was actually getting kind of worried considering I hadn’t heard from you for a few days. I was afraid you’d gone back to avoiding me.”

            “Haha, right. I texted you. I texted you to invite you for ice cream?”

            “You don’t sound… um, are you okay?”

            “Yeah, totally!” You grabbed his hand and started dragging him to where you ordered. “Let’s get some ice cream! This place is really good!”

            While he pondered over the flavors, you were inwardly freaking out. What was going on? What had happened? What were you supposed to do here? Why had your friends betrayed you like this? You were totally out of your element. The last time you’d been on a date was with Yuta, and that ended with a broken arm and hospital trip. You looked around wildly for any sign of the little ones, but thankfully it seemed like none of them were there. So the good news was that they weren’t in any harm near you, but you had no idea if Ten was going to have them pop up later.

            “Hey, you sure you’re okay?”

            “Hm? Oh, yeah, no totally great! I’ll have uhhh…” You squinted at the flavors and ordered your favorite amongst them. “I’ll pay.”

            “What? No way! I’ve got this, don’t worry.”

            “Jaehyun, I invited you here so I’ll pay.”

            “Alright, if you insist.” He watched as you handed the cashier the money and smiled. “I’m paying next time, though.”

            Next time? You followed him outside to a bench in shocked silence. Next time? He had said next time! Meaning he wanted to do this with you again! Don’t die, don’t die, do not die! You’ve got this. You can do this. Calm down and eat your ice cream. Everything it totally chill. Nothing to worry about here. You’ve got it all under control.

            “You didn’t send that text, did you.”

            You looked up at your date with wide eyes. “Um… yeah, no. I didn’t. Mark stole my phone, and I’m betting Ten texted you. Taeil and Taeyong kept me busy while Doyoung invited me for free ice cream. I have no idea what Johnny’s part is in all of this, but I know he’s involved.”

            “Wow… your friends are dedicated.” He laughed and shook his head. “They even got Taeyong involved.”

            “You’re not… mad, are you?”

            “You kidding? Whether or not you sent the text, I still got a date with you. I’d say this is a win for me. What about you? You upset?”

            “I’m upset they did this without telling me,” you grumbled. “But… I’m glad I’m here with you. I just hope this is the end of their meddling.”

            “Why?”

            “Let’s just say they do not have the best track record.”

            “I’d say they’ve learned from it. I mean, this turned out pretty great, right?”

            “Yeah… yeah it did.”

            You both smiled at each other, and your heart raced as you saw those damned dimples. How could one person be this perfect? He leaned in closer, and you felt your eyes start to flutter shut in preparation for what was about to happen. Your lips were almost touching when you heard the crash. Your eyes snapped open, and you looked around for the source of the noise. Please don’t be one of the guys! You zeroed in on the bicycle rider sprawled out on the sidewalk, cradling their arm.

            “Na Jaemin!” you shrieked before running over. “Jaehyun, I’m so sorry, but I’ve got to go. My idiot friends have screwed up yet again.”

            “Do you need any help?” Jaehyun asked worriedly as he saw the angle the kid’s arm was at. “Oh, shit, that’s looks bad.”

            “Just, uh, call Mark and tell him to get everyone to the hospital. I’ve got to get him there now.” You gave him an apologetic look. “I’m really sorry about this.”

            “Hey, don’t worry about it. Just, uh, tell me if he’s okay, and I’ll call you later?”

            “Yeah, absolutely.” You helped Jaemin up and gave him a very disapproving look as you dusted him off. “Jaemin, I thought we agreed you would just say no whenever Ten asked you to do something.”

            “But I wanted to help!” he complained through his tears. “He said riding the bike was much safer than the float!”

            “Oh my god I’m going to kill him.”

            “Johnny Seo!”

            The tall figure winced when he heard the shrill tone of your voice. All the guys winced as they followed him into the hospital waiting room. You looked furious.

            “What did I say?” you asked them as they came to a stop in front of you. “What did I say? Hm?”

            “To not set you up,” Ten mumbled.

            “Wow, look at that! You remembered! So tell me, why did you do it? If you remembered what I said, why did you do it?”

            “We just wanted to help,” Mark said softly.

            “I know…” You took a deep breath and rubbed at the crease between your eyebrows. “I know that, okay? And I appreciate it. But I told you not to get involved because I knew something like this would happen!”

            “I honestly thought he’d be okay riding the bike,” Ten offered.

            “Well obviously he wasn’t!” you snapped. “He broke his arm again, and now Jaehyun is going to pull a Yuta and never want to go on a date with me again. So thanks.”

            “I wouldn’t say that,” Taeil told you.

            “Oh really? You wouldn’t?”

            “He actually said he was afraid you wouldn’t want to go on another date because of what happened with Jaemin.”

            “Well if you pull this again, maybe I don’t!”

            “Look, we’re sorry, okay?”

            “No, Johnny, not okay!” You stepped forward to smack his chest angrily. “Jaemin is in the hospital again with a broken arm again because you guys got involved again.”

            “We won’t do it again, Y/N,” he promised. “We’ll stay out of the way. And Ten will never plan for Jaemin on a vehicle ever again, isn’t that right?”

            “…Yeah. That was my bad.”

            “You guys are idiots,” you muttered. “But… damn it, you’re my only friends so I can’t stay mad at you forever.”

            “That’s the spirit!”

            After a nice group hug, you all were finally allowed to see Jaemin, and that boy was still smiling. How did he do that? You rushed forward to wrap your arms around the child and squeezed as tight as you could without hurting him even more.

            “You are so stupid! So stupid!” you scolded him. “Never, ever do that again!”

            “Hey, I just wanted to help!” He looked at the others with bright eyes. “Did it work?”

            “Totally worked,” Ten assured him. “Although your crash broke up their kiss.”

            “How the hell—okay, you know what? It doesn’t even surprise me anymore that you guys stalked my date.” You shook your head before pressing a kiss into Jaemin’s hair. “You’ve really got to stop doing stupid stuff, bro. How am I going to explain to Mom and Dad that you broke your arm again?”

            “Um… Jeno dared me to do a wheelie?”

            “..That’ll have to do.”

            He grinned up at you before high-fiving the other guys. Seriously, your little brother was an idiot, but at least he wasn’t dead. The bike really was safer than the float considering he didn’t almost get run over again. Why were you friends with this group of idiots again? Oh, that’s right, they were the only friends you had. Mark better buy you some pizza, and Doyoung better take you for actual free ice cream, or you would actually disown them. Idiots…

#nct #nct 127 #nct u #nct dream #nct x reader #nct scenario #nct scenarios #nct johnny #johnny seo #nct ten #nct doyoung #kim doyoung #nct taeil #moon taeil #nct mark #mark lee #nct jaehyun #jung jaehyun #nct taeyong #lee taeyong #nct jaemin #na jaemin #mod jaime

[ereminmonth]

Submission for Day 20

Hello! I’m submitting my OS for the “Pillowtalk” theme. I’m French so sorry if my English isn’t that great! I was inspired by this pic: https://d.wattpad.com/story_parts/84099372/images/13aa63a57decb812.jpg

Eren couldn’t sleep. His eyes had grown completely used to the darkness by now. He wasn’t particularly tired, but he needed to sleep, more than he wanted to. « Tomorrow, I won’t get any rest », he thought. Another day of intensive training was coming. He wasn’t living the life he had been dreaming of just yet, but…

He stole a glance at Armin, who was lying in bed next to him. He was always smiling whenever he looked at him. It happened all the time, but sometimes he didn’t notice it right away. And Armin would always tilt his head, blink, and ask him curiously : « Why are you smiling ? ». He knew why. « Because I want to ». « Because you’re here ». « Because you make me happy ». He would tell him, eventually. It was the unspoken promise he had made to him.

When Eren couldn’t sleep, he often looked at Armin. The sight of him was usually enough to appease him, but this time, his mind couldn’t drive away from him. He observed the curves of his back, of his shoulders. He wanted to get closer, so he could hear the sound of his breath. After a while, he looked at the ceiling to try and gather his thoughts.

He needed something. A voice. A warmth that would remind him of good days, that would feel like home. A soft, comfortable presence… Armin.

- Hey, Armin ?

- Hm ?

Armin was still awake, but only barely. It was pretty late, after all. Eren was still staring at the ceiling, unsure of how to express what he had in mind.

- Let’s have sex.

***

- Hey, Armin… Do you think we have a fate ?

Eren brought up the subject at dinner once. Everybody was being noisy around them, but when he was with Armin, it felt like the rest of the world no longer existed.

- I don’t have all the answers, Eren.

Eren and Armin often went near the river together, back when they still lived in the Shiganshina District. It was a place they felt they could call their own. They read books together and talked about all that they wished to do in the future. There was a world outside these walls they had yet to explore. And back then, Eren was convinced Armin did have all the answers. Even now, he still suspected it was the case.

- I know, but… Surely you have an opinion, right ?

« I’ll believe whatever you say », he wanted to add. In the end, he chose to keep it to himself. Armin seemed to be thinking very deeply for a while.

- Well, maybe there are things that are meant to be, and things we can’t avoid. But to think that every single moment of our lives is nothing but a twist of fate, that we have absolutely no power over the outcomes of our actions, and even over our actions in the first place… I find it hard to believe. But even if we do have a fate, it’s not what defines us. What’s important is what we do with it. Do we accept it blindly, or with resignation ? How far do we go to fight it ? Even if it’s all we can do, it’s something at least.

Eren pondered for a moment.

- Say… Would you forget about me if I died ?

Armin almost choked while eating. He looked at Eren and frowned, confused.

- What ? Eren, what’s with the morbid questions ?

Eren sighed. He decided not to press the issue. Making Armin worried was the last thing he wanted.

- Nevermind.

But there was no dodging the question. Armin was already worried. He was constantly worried about Eren, in fact. And really, he never gave him any reason not to be. He didn’t care enough about himself and refused to be taken care of. But it wasn’t like Armin could be of much help. There, the thought was coming back. Would it ever go away ?

- What about you ? he asked in a small voice. Would you forget about me if I died ?

- Don’t be ridiculous.

- Then… Why do you assume I wouldn’t feel the same way about you ?

Eren remained silent to avoid saying something he might have regretted. Anger was eating away at his insides. It was nobody’s fault but his own, but Armin was definitely going to blame himself if he found out. Of course, he failed at hiding it, and was soon given an apologetic smile.

- I know you care about me, Eren. Really. I’m sorry if I make it sound like I’m doubting you, sometimes.

« No », Eren thought to himself. « You have no idea how strongly I feel about you. You’d be terrified if you knew. »

***

- You can’t just ask something like that so bluntly, out of nowhere, at this hour of the night ! That’s not how it works !

Armin was whispering as loudly as he could to express how upset he was by this whole situation, without waking up the entire building in the process. They were both sitting on the bed next to each other, Eren with a weary look on his face, and Armin with his arms crossed, as if he was scolding a child, obviously offended.

- Then how does it work ?

- I-I don’t know ! he replied, pouting. How am I supposed to know ? But not like this, that’s for sure ! I-It may not mean anything to you, but… Don’t you understand that it’s a pretty big deal for normal people ?

He was wrong. It did mean a lot to him. That’s precisely why he’d asked Armin, of all people. But Eren chose to save himself the embarrassement of saying it and simply shrugged his shoulders.

- Fine, I get it.

- Plus, we’re not alone here. People might hear !

- I don’t care about « people ». I care about–

« You », he was going to say. But Armin didn’t let him finish.

- Well, you should ! Living in community means we have to–

- Hey, don’t worry. I didn’t speak loudly at all. I’m sure nobody’s heard.

- I-I… I wasn’t talking about that… I meant… if we… then I’d…

Armin’s face was now crimson red. What was he trying to say ? Eren raised an eyebrow at him, but he just shook his head and covered his face, clearly desperate.

- Really, Eren… Being so dense, even though you’re the one who asked such a thing… Do you even know what you’re talking about ?

- Geez, fine, whatever then. No need to talk about it all night, let’s just go back to bed.

He was about to roll himself in his blankets and move on, but Armin hurriedly grasped his sleeve and did his best not to look away as he spoke with an obvious discomfort.

- W-Wait, Eren ! I… didn’t say no either, did I ?

Eren’s eyes widened. Was he being serious ? What need was there to make such a fuss if he was just going to say yes anyway ? He couldn’t help but smile. It was pretty cute, actually. And the way his hand trembled, the way he bit his lip, the hopeful gleam in his eyes, it was all slowly starting to drive him crazy. « He better not be playing with me », he thought. He wasn’t quite sure he would be strong enough to resist the temptation. Not against Armin. Mistakes could easily be made in a situation like this.

- What about the others ? Didn’t you say somebody might hear us ?

Armin seemed relieved not to have been outright refused. He was constantly afraid Eren might get annoyed with him. But his worries always proved to be unjustified.

- Well… I guess we’ll have to be very quiet, then.

He pulled Eren towards him and gave him a mischevious, seductive smile. He probably wasn’t even aware of how indecent he looked. Eren felt his cheeks burning up.

- God, Armin… You’re so…

- Hm ? I’m what ?

And just like that, his smile was back to an innocent one. His eyes suddenly lost the dark spark they had just a second ago. His voice was no longer heavy with desire. Eren loved it all the same, though. He liked every side of him.

- You’re turning me on.

Armin was now completely back to his usual self. He blushed furiously and gritted his teeth, trying to hold back a startled gasp.

- E-Eren ! W-What did I tell you ? You can’t say things like that so casually !

- Sorry, I just can’t help it. I want to be completely honest with you. I need to make sure you know how I feel about you. Or else you’re going to worry all the time, right ?

Armin somehow found the strength to look him in the eyes again, but his cheeks were still slightly red. Yes, he was right. All he could do was nod, though. If he tried to speak, he had a feeling his voice would break.

- I love you, you know ?

His heart skipped a beat.

- I really love you.

There was no way he could have misheard it twice, right ?

- I… I love you too…

In the euphoria of the moment, Armin spoke without thinking. He didn’t fully understand what was happening. He couldn’t quite measure the importance of what he had just said. For him, for Eren. For the two of them. Eren didn’t give him any time to come back to his senses. He held him tight and drowned him in a kiss. It was an odd sensation. Like they both had a fire in their guts, a raging blaze which sought to reach their hearts. Fingers running on bare skins. A taste. Armin’s lips tasted like home. Eren took his hand in his. He deepened the kiss, more, and more. Let me taste more of you. Let me drink your very soul. Let me hear your voice. Then, a sound. A moan of pleasure, of insatiable lust. Breathing soon became impossible, and frankly negligible. I love you. I love you. He repeated it between each kiss. It wasn’t something he could say too many times.

- Hey… E-Eren…

Eren’s lips moved to his neck, allowing him to talk. He kept showering him with kisses, happy to see he’d managed to provoke such a strong reaction from him. His breath had gotten much faster ; it was surprising he was even able to speak at all. Eren felt a hand going through his hair, then softly stroking his nape.

- You… You’re not going to leave me, are you ? Not ever ?

Armin hated himself for asking this. It was a silly question. A waste of breath. But he had to ask. No matter how much it hurt. Eren looked up and smiled.

- Leave you ? he repeated as if he didn’t understand what language Armin was speaking. To go where ?

Armin let out a small laugh. What a silly answer to a silly question. But this silly answer somehow reassured him more than any promise he could have made. Eren knew Armin too well. He knew he no longer believed in promises. Not while they lived in such a world. It was fine, though. They would keep trying to change it. Even though it might never change.

***

#eremin month #awesome :) #eremin #I love this #submission