#ch: liana

[silencedrage]

The only thought in her mind is that she can't stand the way Liana is looking at her. It's too soft for what they are. There's too much emotional in her eyes. Eleanor, though, can't bring herself to bring the words from the tip of her tongue. It would be so easy to just leave it alone, break Liana all over again - she'd had so much practice when they were younger and this wasn't new.

Instead, without a word, she grabs the back of Liana's neck and pulls her in close. Their lips crash together, and Eleanor screws her eyes closed. It's a brutal kiss, nothing like the ones they'd been sharing before this. Nothing like the soft touches shared in the dead of night where they could pretend like they were each someone else.

At least, Eleanor was so sure Liana did. There was nothing about her that could attract Liana - certainly not her body, and certainly not the way she continuously did her best to push her back over and over again.

This kiss was supposed to be the end of it, to prove to herself that this was nothing more than scratching an itch for the both of them. But she can feel herself softening it. She can feel herself pressing further into Liana, as if she's some sort of lifeline and letting go means more than the end.

When it breaks, Eleanor pushes Liana back roughly, wipes her mouth, and brings her hands to her head, tugging at her hair - as if the pain would make these pesky feelings go away.

"Why are you even here? Why are you always fucking here?" // @ofvalor (continued from xx)

Eleanor's re-entry into her life had to be some kind of cosmic joke. She had spent the last several years remaking herself into the version that she needed, that she wanted, but one look at a girl from high school, and Liana feels like she's fifteen years old again with her very first crush. It doesn't make sense and Liana knows that, but when does anything ever make sense in this fucked up world? All she knows is that when Eleanor is near, even when she's hurling insults that still manage to cut to the core of Liana's insecurities, she feels different.

It's a little pathetic and Liana had resigned herself to that fact when she was still in high school, but never in a million years did she think that they would actually ever be like this. It's selfish and greedy, and maybe Liana is pushing too hard for something that Eleanor never wanted to give to her. The rejection, though familiar by now, is no less searing, and Liana lets Eleanor dictate the pace. She kisses her, and then she shoves her away, and Liana still waits because she is a sucker with nowhere else to go.

The pain on display in front of her is profound and she figures that's part of why Eleanor hates her so much. Not just because it's her but because she's a witness. It would be so simple to use that as an excuse to throw back some of the abuse that she had endured at Eleanor's hands in high school, but Liana doesn't want to do that at all. Bickering and bantering will always be the backbone of their relationship, but she doesn't want to hurt Eleanor.

She steps forward cautiously, hands reaching to gently pull away her fingers from her hair, to stop the pain. "Do you want me to leave?" she asks quietly, her tone serious in a way that she rarely is. She hopes she says no, but will respect whatever answer Eleanor wants to give.

#[ ch: liana tate. ] #[ ic. liana tate. ] #[ eleanor miyata / ofvalor. ] #ofvalor

[hellfire--cult]

Baring Teeth {Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader} - Ch. 11

Edit of Eddie: pitifulbaby

Chapters: Masterlist (Go here to see list of chapters, plotline and general warnings.)

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Non-Traditional Omegaverse, Slow burn, Modern!AU, Mechanic!Eddie

⚠️This chapter contains: Angst, traumatic past briefly, mentions of cancer, anxiety and nervousness

wc: 7.8k

A/N: It's starting to look brighter, isn't it? 🥰 I'm so sorry for taking so long to update this!

Anyways, Enjoy! ❤️ And don't forget to always support me by hitting the reblog button or leave a comment!

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CHAPTER 11

“I made her cry.”

That was Eddie’s excuse. One that almost got him to get kicked out from Nancy’s party, and he was going to leave, all for the sake of not telling anyone about your past. You defended him by saying that he let you hit him, and everyone was confused at that, but by the look on your face and your reddened eyes, no one pressed on the subject.

You told everything to Robin the next day.

“I can’t believe you went through all of that… I promise, I won’t hurt you like that, I don’t want to see you hurt like that.” Those were Robin’s words as she hugged you, tears running down her face as you sobbed onto her shoulder, staining her white blouse with your running mascara. It was going to be hard, trusting someone like you had trusted Camila or Henry in your past, but Robin was already there, and all that was left was this small step of telling her everything. 

She was also angry that Eddie got to know about it first, but you explained to her that he made you snap and it just slipped out of your mouth. You simply exploded, and deep in your heart you kind of thanked him for that. A small part of your heart of course. Robin now understood why you hit him, and her respect for Eddie stood like always thanks to that, because Eddie never let anyone hit him again, not after what he went through in high school. 

Because of everything that happened, you still didn’t break the news of your new relationship to the group. You weren’t going to steal Nancy’s spotlight on her birthday, and then you were just too broken, with wounds wide open through the week. Billy came by to take care of you, almost everyday, not even knowing about what was going on with you, but simply staying next to you, cuddling you, pampering you, giving soft kisses on your forehead until you felt like getting back onto your two feet again. 

“Whatever happened, I’m here for you baby, okay?” He whispered over and over to you, and the warmth you felt for him was growing each day. You never thought he would be an attentive boyfriend, yet, he has been proving you wrong for weeks, and this week in particular just made you more and more vulnerable to him. You were letting down your walls, slowly, and maybe you can tell him about this past of yours, but now, it wasn’t the time, not when it was this fresh.

“Liana wants to see you in her office.” Your thoughts were completely cut off as you looked up from your cut ups and small paragraphs as you arranged a page for the magazine. Robin was looking at you with a confused look on her face, and she simply shrugged at you, not knowing what your boss wanted. You slowly stood up from your chair, your heart increasing its pace because she was still your boss, despite the friendly conversations you might have with her, she was still your superior.

“What could possibly be the issue? I gave all the final reviews in time.” You say to Robin as she walks with you towards the elevator. Your thoughts were processed quickly, trying to think if you missed something, a picture in a page maybe, but no, you checked many times before handing in the final project. Maybe it isn’t even something bad and you’re just going crazy in your head.

“I really have no idea, she just told me to call you after leaving her the word samples.” You bit your lip nervously, as you pressed the button to call the elevator. You looked at Robin in a panicked mood and she rubbed your shoulder with a small smile to her face. What Robin didn’t tell you was that Liana looked angry of some sort, or simply in a bad mood altogether. The metal doors opened and you stepped in, waving at Robin and pressing the button to the second floor. 

You had no idea what’s going on, Liana didn’t call you to her office unless something happened, an emergency or something was catching on fire basically. You were hoping it had nothing to do with your projects, because you were completely sure you gave them in even before the deadline and you rechecked everything like three times. The elevator dinged and the doors opened, making you take a deep breath in and step out. You greeted Carol, the receptionist that was just chewing gum while filing her nails. She gave you a nod to go to Liana’s office and you felt your feet just sweating as you opened the door and closed it behind you.

“Liana, you called for me?” You say to her figure that was deep into a folder that was on her desk. She looked up at you from her glasses and she motioned for you to come over and sit down. You gulped because she always greeted you with a smile, and this was not one of those times. You walked over to the chairs across from the desk, sitting on one, crossing your legs and waiting to hear what she had to say. She sighed and pushed her glasses down, leaving them on the desk to look at you.

“I did call for you…” She tapped on the folder that was on her desk once and it sent a chill down your spine. “I really care for you. You know that. I am not here to be a villain, I really am not…”

“I am… not really understanding.” You mumble to her and she sighs, pushing the folder towards you. You frown as you hold onto it, flipping it open for your eyes to widen slightly, your heart in your throat as you look at the contents.

“You know it is against company policy to date clients, don’t you?”

You were starting to breathe heavily as you stared at the picture of you and Billy at a restaurant, evidently taken by a paparazzi. You sometimes forget he is a famous model, and his popularity is rising, a fanbase is being created, and the paparazzis are driven by greed and selfishness. You gulped heavily again as you raised your head to look at your boss again.

“I can explain–”

“No need. Ralph already bought those pictures so they won’t be published. I also know from Ralph that you are officially dating Mr. Hargrove.” Fuck, goddamnit Billy. You closed your eyes as you felt your career falling into pieces at all of this.

“Liana, I– it happened so suddenly, I swear I had no intention of this happening, or even searched for it myself… We just– talked a lot.” You tried to talk but you knew that your throat was beginning to close up on you, your guts turning wildly with nervousness and anxiety.

“I won’t meddle in matters of the heart. But you know about this policy, yet you still dated a client.” You licked your lips, looking down at the picture of Billy and you, just smiling at one another, and you felt your tears coming towards your eyes. Your mind started racing because everything was fresh and you could just cut everything off right now because you didn’t love Billy, not yet, and you didn’t want to risk your years of college and your experience in this job and the position you’re in for a fling that only started almost two months ago.

Yet it still hurts you, deeply.

“I– I can break it off, I mean, I don’t want to lose my job, and we haven’t been together for long, so–- so–” You covered your mouth as a sob ripped from your chest and Liana immediately got up from her chair, rushing towards you, her hands gripping your shoulders and rubbing them up and down with shushing sound to calm you down as your chest felt like it was exploding.

“I would never ask that from you. I don’t want you to break up with him darling. I was never asking for that, and I am not firing you for this.” You blinked at her words, a sniffle heard from your nose as you turned to look at her with a frown to your face. She sighed and sat on the chair next to you, pressing her hand on your knee.

“What?”

“I was just going to tell you what Ralph told Billy. Keep the public spaces to a minimum. There is going to be a point where Billy is not going to be our client any longer, and then you will have free roam with each other.”

You blinked wildly at her, not believing what was going on. You broke the company’s policy, you literally broke it and she wasn’t firing you. Was this really happening? Was she sparing you? Is this even possible to happen? Your mind was reeling over and over again, not understanding how she was actually allowing your relationship to happen.

“I– I– You’re not firing me?” Liana’s eyes widened and she shook her head wildly at you.

“No! You’re one of my best editors here! Losing you is like letting a diamond slip out of my hands for fuck sake.” You knew that when Liana cursed in front of you, it showed how much trust she had in you, and you felt your shoulders relax as your chest finally warmed up again at her praise. 

“Pretty sure there’s a lot of talent out there though.” You say with a flushness to your cheeks. She smiled and walked back towards her chair, sitting down in front of you.

“But none of them is you.” You felt your ears burn and you nodded with a smile to your face. Liana really resembled your mother, always caring, always giving a hand, and there are moments like these where you miss your mother’s hugs, or her reassurances, or her opinions, or her soft touches to your hair telling you that everything is going to be okay.

“S-So… I can… Keep dating Billy?” You ask her and she gives you a nod to then scoot over, her elbows propped on the table as her hands went under her chin, curiosity prickling her eyes.

“How did you snatch that man? He is really handsome, and from your smile it looks like he treats you right.” Liana says with excitement in her tone and you feel your cheeks heat up at that. You really had no idea how it happened or why it happened either. You never thought a man like Billy Hargrove would look your way, but the moment he did, your confidence was boosted. 

“I– I really don’t know… Meetings here, then calls and well… It just happened. And he really does treat me right, despite him being known and all that.” You say with a smile at the thought of him. He really had you in the palm of his hand, and your belly always reminded you of it, making it burst with butterflies the moment his smile popped up in your head.

“Well, I hope he keeps it that way. Don’t want to see you hurt… And–” You saw Liana stutter for a minute, and look to the side. She licked her lips and you frowned slightly at her change of mood. “If he does hurt you, tell me. I excel at planning revenge.” She smirked at you and you couldn’t help but giggle and shake your head.

“Don’t worry, I don’t really think it will be necessary.” You say to her but Liana only frowns a bit, making your smile falter.

“It’s still soon… You still have to get to know each other, know your plans for now, the future… Just, be careful, okay?” You blinked at her words, slightly confused. She was right, of course, you and Billy don’t know each other entirely. There are past memories that you both didn’t share with one another yet, there are no future plans, there is probably so much more to learn from him, and you know that. 

Because deep inside there is still that bug that doesn’t quite die. That bug doesn’t let you trust freely. That bug that nestled inside your body after what happened with Camila and Henry. You weren’t going to fall headfirst for Billy, you aren’t that naive anymore, and you know better now.

“I know… Thank you.” You smile at your boss and she gives you a warm smile back with a nod towards the door.

“Good. Remember, privacy from now on.” You gave her a nod and stood up from the chair to give her a small wave as you walked out of the office. You finally let the air from your lungs leave your body as you stepped into the elevator and went down to your floor again. You really thought you had lost your job right then and there. You felt like you were going to faint when seeing those pictures.

“Did you get fired!?” The doors didn’t even fully open and Robin was already yelling from the other side, completely startling you, making you jump. 

“Jesus fucking christ Robin!” You put your hand over your chest as you feel your heart beating fast inside your chest thanks to the scare. You were cursing at her in your mind as you stepped out of the elevator. “No, I didn’t get fired.” 

“Oh, then what happened?” She asks and you turn to her, seeing her puppy dog eyes for you to tell her what went down at the office. A pang of guilt filled your chest as you looked at her and you grabbed her hand to drag her towards your own office, Robin asking what was going on as you passed other coworkers. 

“Seriously, you’re fucking scaring me.” You closed the door after she stepped in and turned to her, whispers coming out of your lips.

“Alright, uh… She knows.” At that, Robin raised an eyebrow in complete confusion, not understanding why you were talking like that at all.

“She knows… What?” You took a deep breath in and you put your finger on your lips for her to keep her voice low. Robin rolled her eyes and pressed her lips together, pulling them inwards to emphasize that she will remain quiet.

“That I’m with Billy.” You whispered and her eyes widened but her mouth never opened as she yelled inwardly, her hands running through her hair as she stepped back in a panic, about to start pacing, but then she stopped and looked at you again, her mouth opening to whisper.

“And she didn’t fire you?” She asks and your nervousness takes over you, looking down at your hands as you play with your fingers.

“I– No… She didn’t fire me… And she didn’t want me to break up with him either.” At that Robin just simply stands there, still with the confused look on her face and you almost roll your eyes at how dense she could be sometimes. You really loved her, you truly do, but damn you had to have patience with her.

“Break up? You are just fucki—” You could almost hear the ‘Ding Ding Ding’ bell sound in Robin’s head as if she just got the answer right on some show. You licked your lips nervously as you made a shushing sound as you walked towards her.

“I– I am sorry for not telling you sooner, I just wasn’t ready, but… I am dating Billy, we’re official.” Robin was still stunned, looking at you with wide eyes and you raised your eyebrows at her in worry as she was unresponsive. Was she mad? Was she sad? Was she confused? She just generally looks shocked. Suddenly she pulls her lips into her mouth again as she gives a muffled scream while staring at you, and then you could see the smile spreading with her lips still tucked inside which made her look devilish. She grabbed your hands and started doing happy jumps in excitement and you giggled and followed her.

Two grown ups jumping like teenagers in a corporate office. What a sight.

She stopped after a second and she let out the breath she was holding in. Robin was smiling at you as she squealed again, shaking your hands in excitement and you couldn’t help but giggle at her reaction, looking towards your door to check if anyone was listening to you both at all. 

“Holy shit!” Robin whispered to you and you smiled at her as your cheeks began to flush, warmth spreading all over your face.

“I know… He was the one to ask actually.” You bit your lip as you kept whispering to Robin and she immediately pulled you into a hug. After knowing what had happened to you, she also understood why you went to all those dates, and she must imagine how hard it must be to trust someone again in your life the way you are doing with Billy. You wrapped your arms around her, laying your head on her shoulder, appreciating the kind gesture.

“Who would've thought? You made Billy Hargrove fucking settle…” She pulled away from you with a smirk to her face. “Are you like a goddess at sex?” You rolled your eyes at that with a smile on your lips and you shook your head at her.

“No, we just got to know each other, and well… I really like him Robs.” You bite your lip again as you feel embarrassed to even say something like that. Your best friend simply giggles at your reaction and then she gasps, making you look up at her in surprise.

“Wait, so, what did Liana say to you?” She asked and you made an ‘oh’ sound, completely forgetting to tell her that important part.

“Okay so, she found out because a picture was taken of us by a paparazzi. Billy’s manager bought the rights of the picture before it went public so… now we just have to meet privately, no more public places.” You sigh at that because you really liked going out with Billy, he would always hold your hand over the table and you would play footsies with him underneath it, stirring him up in a public space. You heard Robin sigh and nod at your words.

“I mean, he will stop being your client at some point. I guess that’s when you could go public?” You nod at that and Robin hums at your agreement. A smirk started spreading on your friend’s lips and you gulped when she put an arm around your shoulders. “So… No one knows but me?” 

“No Robin.” You say to her and she giggles at that, the smirk still on her lips as you look at her with worried eyes.

“Well… You do remember tonight we’re going to Jonathan’s, right?”

“WHAT?!” Everyone that was in the room of Jonathan’s apartment yelled loudly as you pinched your eyes together at the shriek of voices. The only one who didn’t yell was Robin, who was sitting back on the couch, drinking a can of beer with a smile to her face.

“When did it happen!?” You heard Nancy yell and you sighed, looking at her.

“Your birthday.” Her mouth hung open at the revelation as she looked at Steve who was still struck by the information. 

“You are dating Billy Hargrove, not just sleeping with him… Did I hear that right?” He asks and you gulp, looking at your friend. To be honest, Steve was the one you were scared to tell this to the most. He was like a worried mother all of the time, and you remember vividly how against the idea of you sleeping with a model he was. 

“Babe…” Jonathan called to him and Steve put a finger up at him to shut his mouth. His boyfriend rolled his eyes and looked at you with pity from what Steve could say right now.

“Yes Steve, I am dating Billy, officially.” At that Steve scrunches up his nose, almost in disapproval and your patience and anger are slowly rising up. You cross your arms over your chest and you wait for him to talk.

“Does he treat you right?”

“Very.” That was your short response and Steve’s eyebrows were slightly pinched down, with a feeling he couldn’t quite point out, but it wasn’t a happy one. Yet, he looked back at you, and your face was firm, hard yet you were looking at your friend with hopeful eyes to be happy for you and not judge you. Steve sighed and put his hands on his hips, pointing at you.

“I’ll be the judge of that when we meet him.” You rolled your eyes at him, yet a giggle was heard from you, making Steve smile. He might not be entirely sure about the whole dating a famous person thing, but if you look happy then that’s enough. 

“Señorita, good job on nailing that dude. So that means your anniversary is the same day as Nancy’s birthday?” Argyle asks with a hand to your shoulder. You blink at not having realized that fact and you quickly turned your head to Nancy who simply shrugged at the news, not caring for it. You turned to Argyle again and giggled at him.

“Yeah, it seems so.” 

“Awesome. This calls for a toast then muchachos!” He raised his beer bottle up as everyone else lifted their respective glasses and bottles and then the sound of the door clicking caught everyone’s ears, turning their heads to the new person entering.

“Seriously, lock the door– What are you guys doing?” Eddie asks as his face turns from anger to confusion in a split second, seeing everyone raising their drink of choice up in the air. 

“We’re having a toast, join in.” Jonathan says and Eddie blinks as he gets a bottle of beer out of the bag he brought, and walks towards the group, opening the cap with his teeth in a single move, making your eyes widen at him.

You haven’t talked to Eddie since that night, and you really don’t know where your relationship stands now. You aren’t his friend, yet he is no longer a sore enemy. At Nancy’s party he didn’t talk to you at all, except if you needed a smoke or if you were near the fridge while he was getting something, he would ask you if you wanted anything. 

“Okay, what am I toasting for?” Eddie asks, looking at everyone in the circle and you suddenly feel anxious at him knowing. He will probably make fun of you, or tell you all the possible bad scenarios that might happen with this relationship, because you just knew Eddie. You know how this will end. You were about to talk, to give another excuse, to lie, but Nancy smiled at him and talked, calling out your name.

“She is finally officially dating Billy.” She blurts and Eddie blinks at the news, looking at you with eyes that you really didn’t know what were transmitting to you. Here it comes, the banter, the yelling, the sarcastic comment.

“Well shit, congratulations Peach.”

What? 

You were stunned, paralyzed at the change, and you got out of the trance when you heard the clinking of everyone’s glasses hitting yours. Everyone is smiling at you, wishing you good luck in this new step in your life, in this new flipping of a page in your book. But your eyes were glued to one person in particular, who was also smiling at you. Did the relationship really change that night? Did the doors close behind you and really left what you and Eddie were before in there to never be seen again? Can you become friends with him?

For all you know, he might be faking the congratulations, so you better not think too much about it. Not right now. You took a sip out of your beer and you felt Argyle talking to you again, making your head snap at him, not realizing you were looking at Eddie while he was talking to Nancy.

“So, um… He does treat you right… right?” Your heart softened at his words and care, making you smile softly at him. You know your friends are worried that because you are dating a model, someone who is going to probably become more famous as time goes by, he will hurt you, or leave you, or simply do what most celebrities do with their partners. Mostly cheating.

“He does… I wouldn’t have said yes to him if I didn’t feel he was honest with me.” Argyle gave you a nod with a smile and then his eyebrows pinched slightly together again in worry and leaned forward to you.

“Alright, but he does hurt you and we’ll just murder him. You just have to say the words.” He says to you and you giggle, pushing him away by his shoulder, causing him to let out a chuckle of his own. 

“Couldn’t help but listen, but Argyle is right.” That voice made you jump as well as Argyle, turning your heads to see Jonathan with widened eyes at your reaction. 

“Muchacho give a fucking warning!” He was holding his chest from the fright and you just huffed with a giggle, looking at Jonathan with a smirk to your face.

“Aw, I thought you would be jealous, Johnny.” You say in a teasing tone and he rolls his eyes at you, followed by a chuckle and he wraps an arm around your shoulders, pulling you into a side hug. 

“Oh yeah, terribly jealous.” You could feel him starting to do a choking move on your neck, making you laugh as you tried to wiggle away from his hold and he was just laughing now because of how much he was messing with you. He let you go and you fixed your hair, slapping his shoulder afterwards causing him to wince and hold the place where you hit him.

“You almost made me drop my beer, you ass.” You giggle again and you walk towards the balcony, finally letting the nerves of telling everyone disappear from your shoulders. You were afraid, really afraid of saying anything because last time you trusted people with something as important as this, you were stabbed in the back. But these friends, these people wouldn’t do that to you, they really wouldn’t, and what Argyle said stuck in your head.

They would fight for you.

You smile as you step out into the chill breeze blowing in the balcony, taking out your pack of cigarettes from your jacket and popping one in your mouth. You look for your lighter and you whine when you remember that you left it in your other coat. You groaned, ready to go back inside to get some matches but a lighter suddenly is in front of your face, a red one. You frown at it and look to your side, and your eyes almost bulge out of your skull as you see Eddie already standing right next to you.

“Jesus, don’t look at me like I’m about to murder you or something.” He is talking to you. Normally. He squints at how doubtful you look and he flicks the lighter in your face, lighting it, causing you to jump and snap your head towards it again. You blinked a few times and you put the cigarette in your mouth, leaning towards the flame and finally taking the first breath of smoke into your lungs. He pulled away from you and he put his own cigarette in his mouth, lighting his own. You pinched the filter with two of your fingers, letting the smoke out of your mouth.

“Thanks.” You say almost in a whisper as you look out towards the buildings and streets. You hear him hum in response and then his breath as he probably gets the smoke out of his lungs. 

“So Hargrove huh.” And shit, there it is. Your heart started racing already as your belly turned at the anticipation of what could happen, of the fight that might happen tonight.

“What about it?” You ask defensively and honestly, Eddie knew you were going to act this way towards him, but yet he sighed as he leaned forward, his forearms resting on the rail of the balcony as he looked forward.

“Just congratulations. I know it must be–” He shut his lips at what he was going to say. He knew he wasn’t on the friendship level to actually tell you that he finds you strong to finally trust someone in that way back into your life. You frowned when he stopped talking, and slowly your mind put the puzzle together. He must remember what you told him in the elevator.

“O-Oh… Yeah.” You didn’t know what to say. You didn’t know how your relationship is going to be, and you didn’t know if you would like or not the outcome of it. Before, the bantering was easy, nerve wrecking, but it was your daily… Now, it’s starting fresh, and you don’t know the Eddie that your other friends know, so you don’t know how to interact with him.

“Hmm…” He licked his lips, trying to think of his following words, because when the elevator had opened the doors for the both of you, he knew there were a lot of unsaid things he would have liked to say to you. “I want you to know that… I respect you. And I am really sorry for the way I’ve been treating you the past year. I hope you know that I really do mean that.” 

Your eyes widened again. He was apologizing. Again. So the relationship will really change from here on out because now you know that he won’t ever bother you with anything again. He won’t get in your nerves or under your skin. And you? You wouldn’t do that either because it is not fair. He probably would just accept every word you throw at him, and he wouldn’t respond. You looked out into the sky and you gave a small nod despite your confusion.

“I know.” Was your simple answer, and that was enough for Eddie. He lets out a sigh of relief as he takes a sip out of his beer at the same time you did, trying to fill in the silence, which was new to the both of you. He needed to lose the tension that was slowly building between the both of you, so he opened his mouth again.

“Also, I heard Argyle, and I have this hydraulic press in my shop…” He turned his head towards you, and you were frowning in confusion at his words, tilting your head to look at him.

“What is that?” You ask him, not really knowing what he was talking about.

“Well, in short words, it’s a machine that simply crushes stuff.” You were still confused at that until a smirk was drawn to his lips. “Even rocks, diamonds, metal… Skulls.” And at that you actually laughed, and you couldn’t believe he actually made that sound come out of your lips. It had always been sarcastic laughing, or a huff, or a scoff.

“So, you would commit murder for my sake.” You say as you take another swig of your nicotine stick, looking at him as he looks forward again into the sky.

“If he hurts you after what you went through? I think Robin would be my alibi.” You couldn’t help but feel mixed emotions at what he implied. First, you were happy that someone who hated you would now protect you that way, the other though…

“Eddie, I don’t want your pity. I really don’t need it.” You say to him with no venom or bitterness in your tongue, just a frown on your eyebrows which made him look at you as he shook his head wildly.

“No, it’s not pity. Like I said, I respect you, and I–” He didn’t want to tell you that he feels the need to protect you now. It happens with his friends, all the time, but you weren’t one, not yet. The need to protect people that are in his circle is unavoidable to him. “I want you to know that I don’t hate you.”

“So you would commit murder for me to prove that point.” You say, now in a joking manner which caught him by surprise, looking at you with a squint of his eyes.

“Who says I didn’t prove points that way before?” He says to you and your eyes widen at that, making his smirk turn into a soft smile that you couldn’t help but stare and your heart felt happy at seeing that. That smile that was always towards your friends, but never to you. 

“Why am I not surprised?” This bantering between the two of you was without spite, without anger, without the need of one upping one another. It was pure and fun.

“Do I look like a murderer, like in the daily?” He asks feigning curiosity as he takes a puff out of his cigarette while you take a sip of your beer with a shrug.

“I think it’s the frown that’s always in the middle of your forehead, which by the way, you will get wrinkles.” You reply and he lets out a chuckle at your response, shaking his head at you. 

“Good to know, I guess now I know why people stay away from me.” You were amazed by this interaction and also a bit scared because it was too natural. It was way too fucking natural. You were about to talk when the sound of a message rang on his phone, making him frown, walking towards a small table that was in the balcony and setting the beer down to take his phone out with his free hand. You tilted your head as he chuckled at his screen, shaking his head and returning next to you. 

You now realize just how large his hands are. He could grab his phone with just one and write with his thumb. You have to hold it with both hands and use both your thumbs to write properly. He was smiling down at his phone and then you see him taking a picture out to the city, making you frown in confusion.

“Why are you taking a picture?” You ask out of curiosity and you feel your cheeks flush at how invasive that question actually is. Why would you need to meddle on his conversation? 

“Oh, it’s for my uncle.” He replies to you and you stare at him for a second, noticing that when he clicked send and put his phone back in his pocket, his smile turned somber, almost sad as he retrieved his beer to stand next to you again, taking a long breath out of his cigarette finally finishing it, which reminded you of taking the last puff too, throwing it out towards the street.

For some reason, you didn’t want the conversation to be over, but the finishing of your nicotine sticks was the clock ticking for the both of you. The cigarettes are done, so the need to be on the balcony is no longer necessary, meaning you have to go back inside. You licked your lips and you took a sip of your beer before taking out another cigarette out of your pack. Eddie noticed and he couldn’t help the small smile that appeared on his lips as he too took another one and in a short minute, you were both puffing smoke into the air again. 

“Your uncle?” You ask and he finds it reasonable to share his story just like you did for him. It was just the fair thing to do.

“My uncle is the person who raised me, basically my father. My parents didn’t want me, all that shit, he took me in.” Your heart broke at that, and you couldn’t help but remember all the responses you did to him in the past. 

‘Did Mommy and Daddy not give you enough love as a child Munson? Is that why you’re such a douchebag?’

You remember saying that to him when the group went out to a club and he had gotten into a fight, for god knows what, and you all had to call it quits for the night and go home. So of course you were pissed, and outside the club you started yelling at him for being careless and ruining the night for everyone, but he had, yet again, say that you needed to have an actual orgasm once in a while. So you snapped at him.

“Shit, Eddie–”

“Don’t, it’s fine really. It’s in the past.” It was as if he could read your mind, and that made you realize that it was something that he probably thought about when he went home that night, or maybe he thought about it many times after, not helping with the guilt and the hole that was forming in your chest. “I send him these pictures because he cannot go out that much lately, so I always try to send him pictures of the sky, or the city.”

“Why hasn’t he gone out lately?” You ask, once again being too intrusive with your question which made you cringe and shake your head. “You don’t have to answer that– I’m intruding way too mu–”

“He was diagnosed with cancer almost a year ago… Lung cancer.” He shortly replies to you and you feel your blood go cold at the news. That meant that Eddie might lose him at any moment… You couldn’t help it and looked away from him so he wouldn’t see the burning in your eyes at that. You felt shitty, you felt so fucking shitty. You were both hurting inside and you just snapped at one another as if it were a competition. 

“I’m… so sorry.” And you meant that in so many ways. You also had to apologize to him, because it was not fair if you didn’t. You had treated him like shit as equally as he did to you, and you were just now seeing it, but because you now know about him. It feels so stupid, hating one another when you probably could have been friends that could talk about all of this, and probably be there for one another instead of against.

“It’s okay Peach. Really.” It wasn’t okay, it wasn’t okay at all, but he wasn’t going to break down about it right now. He knew his hand was trembling when he took a puff out of his cigarette, and he took a deep one to calm himself down again. You took one too, as long as he did and finally turned back to face him once you felt your eyes not burning anymore. 

“Why aren’t you there with him? Is he in Hawkins?” He nods at that, taking a sip out of his beer.

“Because opening a shop there wouldn’t have given me money. I saved up, bought the shop here as soon as we arrived with everyone else, and not even a month later he was diagnosed… I stay here to get as much money as I can to pay for his medical bills and shit.” It was for a split of a moment, but there was a slight break in his voice. You couldn’t help but feel the hole in your stomach dig deeper and deeper, flashes of how badly you had treated him, and it might have happened at a night where he talked to his uncle, or a day where he had sent the money for the bills.

“And do you visit him?” You ask him because you know that Hawkins is just a few hours away and he nods just once at you to then take another swig out of his beer.

“I do, whenever I have time. He has a caretaker at home, so that’s good.” You give him a nod to take another puff out of your cigarette, not really knowing where to go with this conversation, but there was a feeling inside of you that you felt like he had to know.

“Thank you… for confiding this with me.” He shrugged at you, trying to push the negative feelings out of his head as he turned to you with a soft smile on his face.

“We are just finally getting to know each other.” You were stunned at his words and the cigarettes were gone again. You both threw them towards the street again, and you looked down to the floor and then back at him, pressing your hip against the rail to fully face him, taking a sip of your beer to then cross your arms over your chest.

“Normally you ask about favorite things or music, or movies, not telling each other traumatic pasts or stories in the first conversation.” His eyes widened at that and he finally let out a laugh at your words, copying your stance to face you, crossing his arms over his chest as well. 

“You may have a point, so let’s be normal. Favorite color.” He asks and you squint your eyes at him.

“Guess.” He widens his eyes at that, making you giggle softly.

“Oh so it’s like that… Okay. Pink.” You shake your head at him and he frowns at that. “Oh come on, Peach’s dress is pink.” 

“Just because I choose Princess Peach in Mario Kart doesn’t mean I like pink, Munson.” You reply to him and he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Back to surname basis…” He looked at you, and you raised an eyebrow up at him as you saw his eyes roaming your body, to then scoff and look up at your face again. “Lilac.” Your eyes widened at that, completely surprised.

“How did you know?” 

“Your smart watch has that color on its bands.” You were amazed by how perceptive he was being. “Your turn.” 

“Black.” He rolled his eyes at that and it made you smile with triumph.

“Easy one.” He made a gesture towards his whole body. Black shirt, opaque black pants, a leather jacket. You nodded with a giggle, taking a sip out of your beer.

“Okay… Favorite band…” You squint your eyes at him and he raised an eyebrow up at you. You know he listens to metal, and your expertise in that area was very slim, but it must be one of the main bands. “Black Sabbath.” He winces at that and then shakes his head.

“No darling. Not that one. Try again.” You blinked at that, your brain trying to look for more bands and you saw him move his hand, three fingers going up. The index, middle and ring finger. He then pointed them down, forming the letter M. You gasped and you snapped a finger at him.

“Metallica!” He threw his head back at your reaction, a laugh escaping his lips to then come back to face you and nodding his head.

“Yeah, that’s it.” You raised an eyebrow towards him, waiting for his guess now. “Mmm… Do you even have a favorite band? Or is it a solo person?” 

“You caught me there. It’s a solo person.” 

And that’s how the night was filled now. The both of you in the balcony, getting to know one another, your favorite foods, your favorite places, your favorite holiday, your favorite desserts, your favorite movie, your favorite tv series. You also found out about what you both hate. You dislike Hot Dogs. Eddie hates pineapple pizza, despite Robin always ordering it. You hate broccoli with your life. Eddie hates spinach. You hate olives. He loves olives. 

Your friends were all looking at the both of you, who had disappeared for over an hour, and they couldn’t believe their eyes when you two were laughing with eachother instead of trying to murder or take one’s head off. They looked at each other, wondering if they should interrupt to check if everything was okay, but it did seem like it, so they didn’t bother you both, even if the new relationship was shocking to them.

“You think they will become friends?” Robin asks Nancy, making the other girl jump slightly as a blush spreads around her cheeks from how close Robin was on her ear.

“M-Maybe, hard to guess.” She replied to her, which only made Robin hum at that. Of course, she did notice how her friend’s ears blushed slightly, which made Robin smirk. She could continue the conversation a little longer.

Outside on the balcony again, Eddie was telling you about one time that Steve had smoked a joint with him, one of his first times, and it was making you double over in laughter. He pulled his phone out to show you the video which was saved to his story highlights on Instagram.

“It’s just Marijuana dad!” You heard Steve say as Eddie chuckled behind the camera. Steve was sprawled over the floor as Eddie tried to get him up, but the brown haired boy was still spouting nonsense out of his mouth. 

“He never smoked a joint again.” He finishes saying and your giggle slowly dies out as you stare at his phone. Maybe you could ask? Maybe it wouldn’t be too weird? Maybe now it might be a good time to do so? You were about to talk when you both heard some commotion back inside the room, making your heads snap towards the sliding door. You both rushed towards it to see what happened and you saw Nancy on the floor, with a red face, and a smirk on Robin’s as she tried to help Nancy back up. 

“Robin, what did you do to Nancy, jesus christ.” You hear Eddie curse and you couldn’t help but giggle as he stepped back inside to check on Nancy. You walked in too, looking at Steve who was trying to hold his laughter in.

“Did Robin flirt with her?” At that Steve nodded wildly, finally letting out a laugh. You giggled as you saw Eddie steading Nancy back on her feet, but deep inside you, you felt happy that Robin was finally moving on from Vickie. You saw Eddie walk towards the hallway, probably heading to the bathroom.

A ping on your phone caught your attention after a minute, and you grabbed it out of your pocket to look down at the screen. There was a feeling inside of you, like a sense of resolution, of closure, of warmth as a smile spread on your cheeks, almost painfully.

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A/N: We're on the friends area of their relationship! Woo!

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[lunarsands]

ESMP Fanfic: A Garden's Path - Ch 3

Characters: Mythical Sausage, Scott Smajor, Bubbles the Dog, Sir Carlos, appearances by the rest of the cast of Empires SMP S1, featuring blaze-hybrid emperor TangoTek, and introducing: The Children of Mythland (specific characters to be tagged when they appear in each chapter)

Relationships: MythicalSausage/Scott Smajor, LDShadowlady/Smallishbeans, Shubble/Katherine Elizabeth, TangoTek & SolidarityGaming, Joey Graceffa/Xornoth

Tags: Empires SMP S1 AU, scosage, adoption, fluff, wholesome, so much wholesome fluff you would not believe, a bit of angst here and there, Sausage has a few nightmares for Plot reasons, acknowledgement of amputation (not sure how else to tag that but just in case)

WARNINGS: fantasy racism (human v elf), loss of parent (with adoption inevitably comes orphans), minor character death in a later chapter

Chapter Summary: Sausage and Scott set out to add to their family and find quite the boisterous little elven girl to take up that place. Meet the adorable, unstoppable force that is Liana of Mythland.

(Also available on Ao3!)

[ Prologue ] [ Chapter One ] [ Chapter Two ]

[A/N: This character sprung fully formed from my head like Athena from Zeus. She was the first to get an official name due to a small one-off scene that eventually led to this whole story.] [To CallMeSausage on Ao3: I see your comment on Chapter Two, and I acknowledge it. XD ]

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Chapter Three – The First Princess

The orphanage looked somewhat similar to the one they had previously visited, if not smaller and with a yellow thatched roof. As before, Scott made introductions in Elvish, and also as before some of the children shied away from Sausage. He took it in stride, and quietly walked around looking at some drawings that had been placed on the walls, hoping to acclimate the children to his presence and show he was harmless. He could hear Scott chatting with someone young but avoided the temptation to glance over, hoping he wouldn’t interrupt a possible candidate. He heard a negative response and tried not to worry. It might be too much to hope for another scenario where a child was more curious than put off by him being a human.

Yet instead, what Sausage heard next was a somewhat brash little voice calling up at him, “I’m having a tea party but no one wants to play tea party with me! You’re not playing with anyone, so do you want to come to my tea party?”

He looked down to see an indigo-eyed girl of perhaps somewhere around six or seven years old, with long, sapphire-colored hair that looped down one side of her pinkish-hued face. She tucked the loop behind her ear as she looked back at him. Sausage smiled gently. Well, maybe this was a good sign. “Yes, I’d love to.”

“Okay.” Without a second’s hesitation she grabbed his right hand and pulled him toward a small table. There were some small chairs already occupied by a few dolls arranged around it, but after she let go of him, she started moving them to make more space. “You’re too big – they always tell the bigger kids not to sit on these chairs or else they’ll break them! So, the dollies go here. You can sit in this spot, an’ I’ll sit over there an’ pour the tea. An’ then we talk about our fav’rite things ‘cause that’s what the growed-ups always do when they come here. Oh, an’ I’m Liana. I’m six an’ a half. We’re s’posed to tell our names an’ how old we are even when we’re just playing.” She gave a big sigh. “They don’t always play tea party, either. Okay, let me get you a cup.”

As he knelt in the indicated spot, Sausage couldn’t help finding her to be quite endearing. “I can get you another guest if you’d like.”

“Okay! I can take a cup from a dollie. They don’t act’lly use them, you know.”

Sausage turned and waved to get Scott’s attention. “Scott! Come have tea with us!” The elf raised an eyebrow, intrigued by where Sausage had ended up, but smiled as he walked over. “Scott, this is our hostess, Liana. Liana, this is my husband, Scott.”

“Hi. You didn’t say your name, you know. Let me move another dollie.” The little girl briefly wrestled one of the chairs to make room for Scott.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot my manners. My name is Sausage.”

She stopped and giggled. “That’s a silly name! But I had a friend named Buttercup, which is also silly, ‘cause a whole cup of butter is a lot! But she was nice, so it wasn’t a bad name. Just kind of silly. She went home last year. Okay, tea time, everybody sit.” Liana bustled back over to her hostess spot.

Scott nudged the chair the rest of the way over so he could kneel, then he sat back. He watched her pick up a small, unglazed clay tea pot that had been roughly painted by obviously childish hands. And was obviously empty. “That’s a nice tea pot, Liana. Did you paint it yourself?”

“No, I gots it from Melne when she went home. She gots it from somebody else, an’ they gots it from somebody else. I’m gonna give it to somebody when I go home so they can play tea party, too.” She poured the pretend-tea into the equally unglazed cups. “It’s hot so be careful!” She poured her own cup then sat and leaned over to blow on the cup. “Okay, now it’s colder.”

Scott and Sausage obliged by picking up their cups and pretending to take sips. Sausage snuck an amused smile over at Scott, then said, “This is very good tea. Thank you, Liana.”

“Yup! Okay, now you tell me some of your fav’rite things, then I’ll tell you more of mine.” She took a dainty pretend-sip from her cup then looked over at them expectantly.

Sausage decided to go ahead and talk about Bubbles, while Scott mentioned magic and cut to the chase by conjuring a small snow flurry over the table. Liana said she thought it was neat, then listed off her favorite dolls from around the table, but especially her bunny plushie that had always been with her and not a hand-me-down from the older kids and that one was on her bed because bunny needed a nap today. Then she asked, “Do you gots any other kids? Sometimes the growed-ups talk about their other kids an’ aren’t act’lly sure they want more.”

“We have two boys,” Sausage replied tentatively. “They’re at home, but we asked them if they would like to have a sister and they said yes.”

“Boys, huh?” Liana looked like she was considering the matter very seriously. “Well, boys don’t always like to play tea party, but that’s okay. ‘Scuse me.” She abruptly stood up and ran over to the caretaker across the room. “Hi, can I has cookies, please? I want to serve my guests. They need cookies with their tea!”

A giggle escaped Sausage. “Oh, she is precious. She doesn’t seem bothered about my arm or the… other thing.” He briefly reached up to touch his ear. “What do you think?”

“I think we have a match” Scott said, watching Liana skip back over clutching a container. She carefully set it down, then fished out one cookie at a time to place on the plates in front of them.

“Okay, wait for me to get back, then we can eat.” She carefully put the cover back on the container then returned it to the caretaker. “I only took one each, so’s not gonna spoil their dinner!” Once she returned, she dunked her cookie into her pretend tea and started munching on it. She then giggled and leaned toward them to whisper conspiratorially, “Sometimes I play tea party so’s I can gets extra cookies.” She giggled again, pleased to have shared her secret, then sat back to finish eating.

Sausage muffled another laugh, covering it up by hastily biting into his cookie. Scott ate his with a little more grace, then said, “We would be happy to get you your own tea set – and cookies – if you’d like to come live with us.”

“Can I gets one with bunnies on it?”

“You could even get one that you can paint yourself and put anything you want on it,” Scott replied. He reckoned they could probably request a specially decorated one from the potter, though.

“Okay. Can I bring my bunny, or do I has to hands-me-down it first?” She looked a little consternated by the choice.

Sausage could see the indecision in her eyes and felt he should encourage her in some way, as the tradition seemed important to her. “You can bring everything that is yours. But we can get you some new things, if you’d like to leave anything as a gift to someone else, like this tea set.”

“I really like my bunny… But I have a dress that Silvilana said she liked. She’s smaller than me but she can wear it when she gets bigger!”

“That’s very nice of you,” Scott said. “Thank you for the tea. We need to talk with the other grown-ups but we’ll see you in a little while.”

“Okay. Thanks for coming to my tea party. You were nice guests. Time to clean up!” Liana stacked the plates and hurriedly began to bring the assortment of items to a set of wooden cubby holes along the wall. She was trying to line up the dolls on top of them – not quite tall enough to reach – when another little girl came over to her. As Scott and Sausage walked toward the caretaker, they heard her call out, “Silvilana! I might gets two daddies! One of ‘em gots a metal arm!”

Scott was now the one to suppress a laugh. “Oh, my gods. She’s perfect. She’s just like you.”

“I don’t remember if I was like that at that age.”

“No, I’m talking about now.”

Sausage gave him a look questioning that observation. Scott gave him a frank look in return. Sausage bobbed his head for a moment as if in debate, then held his hands out in a gesture admitting the elf was right.

Soon paperwork was finalized and once again the royal stamp was eyed by the caretaker. “You’re… absolutely sure about her?” they asked, attempting to be tactful. “She’s not quite, well, princess material.”

Sausage deftly snapped the stamp up into his hand then whisked it away into his pocket. “We’re not looking for a princess. We’re looking for a daughter.” He smiled pleasantly and turned to go help with Liana’s bag, with Scott not far behind.

The little girl sat in a chair near the main door, humming and swinging her feet. She hopped up as they approached. She hugged her bunny plush tightly. “Time to go home! Do we have to go far?”

“It’s a little far,” Sausage admitted. “But we’ll get there before it’s dark out.” He then gave pause and lowered himself to one knee to be closer to her level. “I just want to ask you one thing before we go. You’ve been very nice about my arm. It does come off so it can be fixed, so you’ll see me without it. Is that okay?”

She looked over at his prosthetic thoughtfully, then placed her hand on the transparent crystal in the middle of his forearm. “A dollie’s arm gots pulled off one time but gots sewed back on. I could still play with her without it.”

“I also can’t sleep with it on, so it isn’t just when it needs to be fixed.”

“Well, yeah! Metal can’t be comfy to sleep on!”

Sausage smiled broadly at her. He felt Scott’s hand on his shoulder. “You have a very good point. Are you all ready to go?” He stood up and gave Scott a weaker smile. The elf patted his shoulder in response.

“Umm…” She turned to the door, then looked back toward the playroom. “I put away all the toys like I’m s’posed to. I put all my clothes in there. I have my bunny. I think I’m okay to go now.” She hugged the doll again, then reached up for Sausage’s hand while holding the bunny close with the other. “Let’s go home, um… Sau-sage an’, um…” When she sounded out his name it was the first time she seemed uncertain.

“You can call me Papa,” he offered.

Scott moved to get the door for them. “I’m called ‘Dad’.” Remembering what she had said to the other girl, he added, “Daddy is fine, too.”

“Papa, and Daddy. Okay.” Liana nodded, then quietly walked along out to the carriage. She wasn’t as enamored with it as the boys had been, instead only keeping a tight hold on her bunny as she watched Scott climb in. He took her bag from Sausage then held out his arms to help her in when Sausage lifted her up to reach the step more easily. She sat between them and once the carriage set off, she began humming again.

Scott let a few minutes pass before striking up conversation. “Liana, can I ask what you think about princesses?” Sausage shot him a bit of a worried glance; he had thought they would bring that up closer to home.

“They live in big castles an’ have pretty dresses an’ have pet horsies. They don’t ride the horsies too much, they just sit on them an’ look pretty, an’ a prince walks the horsie around so she doesn’t have to walk after he gives her a special shoe.”

There was clearly a very specific picture book that she associated the word princess with.

“Princesses can actually do all sorts of different things, including ride a horse around,” Scott said. “The big castle part is true, though.”

“Are we going to see a big castle? An’ meet a princess? That would be neat.” Her face fell a little bit. “I don’t gots a dress pretty enough to meet a princess. Everybody looks really pretty when they gets to meet a prince or princess.”

Sausage commented with a smile, “You’ll soon get to meet two princes, and they won’t mind if you have a fancy dress or not. But we can get you one.”

She perked up. “Can it be purple? I like purple. Melne had a purple dress, not as pretty as a princess’, but it was nice.”

“It can definitely be purple,” Scott replied. “If we get back home with enough time, we might be able to find one and you could wear it when you see the princes.”

“Are they your princes?” Liana asked with all the curiosity of the world in her voice, while leaving them stunned that she managed to make such a guess. “You said you gots two boys. So, two princes!”

“Ah, ehm,” Scott stammered. “How did you get that idea?”

She pointed at Sausage. “You’re tall like a king.”

“Me?” Sausage tried to sound innocent. “But he’s taller! I didn’t know height was a requirement for kings.”

“No, it’s ‘cause you’re like this.” Liana stood up and carefully walked toward the other seats, mindful of the motion of the carriage. She squared her shoulders and then sat, poised confidently with her back straight and head held high – a complete change from her own subconscious slouch when she had been sitting between them.

“I – I am??” Sausage asked in confusion, unaware of his apparently ingrained royal posture.

“When you sat at the tea party!” she insisted. “’Cause you were being serious! You were serious about playing pretend!” A grin spread across her face.

Scot failed to not share that grin as he turned to his husband. “She has you, there. Well, Liana, you have us figured out. We’re the rulers of Mythland. We wanted to keep it a secret so no one would think we were super-special.”

Liana’s face scrunched up into an exaggerated ‘thinking mode’. “Hmm. Kings pretending to be reg’lar people but are from a land of myths…” She peered over at them. “Are you also heroes who saved the world from a BIG monster that would’ve eated everything if somebody wasn’t brave enough to stop it?”

Sausage hastily hugged Scott to cover up their mutually shocked reactions, lamenting, “Scott, we have to keep her now! She knows our secret! We have no choice but to make her a princess who will be destined to save the kingdom from an even scarier monster in the future! Thank goodness we found her in time!”

Liana giggled. “No, that’s just pretend! I can be a reg’lar princess just having tea parties! An’ maybe ride a horsie.”

~*~

When the report came from the watchtower that a carriage was approaching, Bubbles and the boys ran out toward the stable yard – with Sir Carlos flapping in their wake, admonishing them to slow down in case one of them tripped.

Due to this, they all arrived after the carriage had parked, although they witnessed Sausage lifting an elven girl who was clutching a plush bunny doll down off the carriage steps. She spotted the boys and dashed over while Sausage was busy taking her bag from Scott. “Hi! You must be the princes! I didn’t have a dress for meeting princes an’ we didn’t have time to stop an’ look for one like Daddy said ‘cause we didn’t want to be late to dinner, so I’ll get one later. I’m Liana, an’ I’m six an’ a half!”

“Hi, Liana. I’m Azahar. I turned twelve last month, but… you don’t have to keep telling everyone your age now that you have a family.”

“Oh.” She looked up at him, baffled. “That’s what I was told I was s’posed to do when I meet new people. You’re my brothers ‘cause you’re Papa and Daddy’s sons, but you’re still new to me!” She then pivoted toward Elowen. “Hi!”

Her gregariousness seemed a bit much for the other boy, who stammered, “H-Hi, Liana. I’m Elowen. It – It’s nice to meet you.”

“Yeah! And this doggy is Bubbles, right? Hi, Bubbles! And this is—” Liana paused and peered down at Sir Carlos. “Nobody told me about a pet chicken! ‘Specially a chicken with armor! Papa!” She turned her head to look for Sausage. “Are you a king who has all sorts of knights, too? ‘Cause this chicken looks like a knight!”

Sir Carlos clucked – almost sounding more like a chuckle. “Young mistress Liana, I am Sir Carlos. I am, indeed, a knight.”

The little girl spun back to face him with her eyes wide. “You’re a talking chicken?! This place is like a fairytale story! Bubbles, are you magical, too??”

Elowen tugged on Azahar’s sleeve as the older boy stood stunned by the sheer amount of vivacious energy coming off the girl. Elowen whispered, “And I thought I got excited about cool things. Wait until she hears about the dragon…”

“There’s a pet DRAGON, too?!” Liana exclaimed.

Azahar now turned an amused smile toward his parents. Sausage hefted Liana’s bag over his shoulder and strolled past the children up the steps, trying to give off a casual air. “You, Liana, seem to have exceptional hearing. The story about the dragon will have to wait – I think I can smell dinner from here! Let’s rest up from all that travel and we can all talk more inside.”

“Okay!” Liana followed at his heels. “Is there a special princess chair? I’ve seen pictures of princesses sitting on big, fancy pillows. I don’t need a fancy pillow, but sometimes I need one to reach a table.”

Azahar and Elowen remained where they stood for half a minute longer, just staring after them and listening to their new sister’s voice echo off the stone as she continued to ramble. The older boy looked at Scott as he stepped between them to put a hand behind each’s shoulder, as if to nudge them out of their flummoxed states and start walking. “How—” Azahar flicked a pointing finger between Scott and the direction of Sausage’s back. “How did you—? She’s—??”

“…Just like Papa?” Scott finished for him with a smile. “There is a lot of magic in the world, and maybe fate does happen to be one of them.”

~*~

Liana gazed around as she continued to follow Sausage toward the staircase that led to the upper floors, where he intended to quickly stash her bag and maybe see if she would part with her bunny plush so she could go to dinner unhindered. “Papa, this castle is huge! It’s gonna take weeks an’ weeks to see all of it! How come you only gots two kids? You could fit elebenty hundred in here!”

Sausage laughed. “Well, we only decided we wanted kids last year. It would take a while to find that many! And there aren’t as many bedrooms as it looks like.  We would probably run out of space after the first elebenty, er, eleven. Azahar and Elowen share a room right now, but they might decide they each want their own later.”

“Who do I have a room with?” Liana asked curiously.

“Um… your bunny! But your room is right across from the boys if you need anything, and Dad and I are right down the hall.”

“What about these rooms?” She glanced left and right at the other doors they were passing.

“Those are guest rooms! Well, a few have some junk stored in them because I, uh, collect things. But when you or the boys make some friends, they’ll be able to stay over and sleep in one of them! Okay, here we are! See, there’s their room.” Sausage pointed with his foot to the open doorway on the left before finagling with the door across from it.

Liana wandered over to glance inside; she saw the two neatly made beds with Elowen’s teddy bear on the one farthest from the door, then she spotted the books and crowns sitting on the dresser. Her eyes widened with glee, but she kept the feeling reined in to just a broad smile as she turned and walked back over to survey her room. Two new beds and other furniture had been placed in it after the existing items had been moved to accommodate Elowen’s request to share.

Liana scurried over to the second bed and climbed up to lay her bunny against the pillows. “You’re right! Bunny gets a bed, too!” She hopped back to the floor and took a serious look around. “Hmm. I need to gets books. An’… An’ a crown. ‘Cause that’s what’s in Azahar and Elowen’s room.”

Sausage kept quiet for a moment, realizing for the first time as he put her clothes away in the dresser how few possessions Liana had been able to put in her bag… or, what had actually been put in it for her. The clothing seemed threadbare and was, perhaps, reserved for sending off with a child when it could no longer be handed down to another child who wore that size. He made a mental note to send a subsidy to that particular orphanage, and have a talk with Xornoth about checking fund distributions; he then added a note for himself to do the same there in Mythland.

He turned a bright smile toward Liana. “You can put whatever you want in here! It doesn’t have to be just books! Flowers, dollies, a pretty tea pot – even other bunny plushies!” She looked distressed for a second, so he added, “Bunnies that are friends for your bunny! That way yours can have company when you’re busy doing princess things!”

She seemed to think about it, then she nodded enthusiastically and carefully enunciated, “Thank you, Papa, I would like that.”

Sausage chuckled then scooped her up with his left arm, holding her on his hip with support from his right hand. “You’re welcome! Let’s go downstairs to dinner, and we can think about getting dollies and dresses tomorrow. In fact… We’re going to be late for dinner! I just noticed Dad and the boys didn’t follow us! They might eat everything before we get there! Hold on to me!”

Liana giggled and hugged his neck as he ran out of the room and tore down the hall, laughing with her until they reached the staircase, which he navigated more carefully until he neared the bottom. He bunny-hopped down the last few steps, making Liana giggle again. As they neared the dining room, she put her nose up into the air and crinkled it. “I can smell dinner now, too! Dinnertime! Dinnertime! Dinner with my new daddies an’ brothers!”

Sausage entered the room to see heartfelt looks on the faces of Scott and the boys due to having heard Liana’s joyful declaration. They had been making changes to how the table was arranged, with Scott and Elowen seated to the left of the head of the table and an extra chair added on the right next to Azahar that put Liana between him and Sausage. An additional purple cushion had been placed on this chair. Liana uttered a big, delighted gasp when she saw it as Sausage set her down on it. She wiggled a little, then whispered, “So there was a special princess chair…”

Elowen suppressed a giggle, while Azahar smiled gently at Liana. “You said you might need a pillow to reach the table, so we found one for you. Dad said you like purple.”

“I do! Thank you!” Liana crowed. She calmed down and said matter-of-factly, “I only need it for right now, though. I’m gonna grow up to be really tall, then I can reach all the fancy tables!”

Elowen fidgeted as the kitchen staff began to set out bowls of soup and small, individual baskets of warm bread rolls. He appeared as if he wanted to say something to Liana, but he waited while she thanked each person that walked past. After the staff withdrew, he blurted, “D-Do you think you’ll be really tall because your mom or your dad were tall?”

Liana had started munching on a bread roll and calmly spoke around the bite, “I don’t know my mommy or daddy. When I gots old enough an’ asked, the growed-ups told me I was a ‘doorstep baby’, an’ all I had with me was my bunny! So, they didn’t know about them to tell me.”

Azahar, Scott, and Sausage were startled by her candor. Azahar reached over to lightly pat Liana’s arm. “You and I have something in common, then.”

Liana’s eyes widened. “You gots left with just your bunny, too? But I didn’t see one in your room!”

Azahar laughed. “No, I think it was a handspun yarn blanket, and when I outgrew it, it was used for another baby, which I didn’t mind.”

“Oh, that’s a nice hands-me-down,” Liana said, nodding sagely as she took another bite of the roll. She chewed, then announced, “This is yummy bread!” She hummed happily until she finished eating the roll, then she looked across the table. “Elowen, did you hands-me-down anything? Was that your teddy bear I saw? It could be friends with my bunny!”

Elowen smiled weakly, having been poking his spoon at the vegetables in his soup. “I didn’t have anything like that. I got my teddy bear later.”

“Oh, okay,” Liana replied, oblivious to his dulled tone. “That’s a good reason to not hands-me-down! Daddy, Papa, do you have bunnies or teddy bears from when you was kids?”

With a mischievous look – and hoping to lighten Elowen’s mood – Sausage answered, “I only have Bubbles from when I was a kid!”

Liana shook her spoon at him. “Papa, Bubbles is a real doggy! You can’t pretend a real aminal is a toy!” She took a very serious first sip of her soup, as if she was the parent scolding the child, then her eyes lit up and she looked down at the bowl in wonder. “This is really good soup!” She ate two more quick spoonfuls before coughing when she started on a third.

“Slowly, Liana,” Scott gently chided. “It will still taste good if you eat slower. And to answer your question, I had a blue fawn plushie when I was little, although it ended up with the spots turned red because my brother tried to dye it with berry juice. We were never able to wash the stain out. But it was still my favorite.”

Liana gave an angry pout. “Your brother sounds mean! What if you gots another brother or sister after you, an’ you were gonna hands-me-down it to them, but they didn’t like red, an’ it made them cry! An’… An’ if he’s your brother, that makes him my uncle!” Her face fell into a sadder pout. “I don’t want a mean uncle.”

Scott chuckled. “Don’t worry, he wasn’t trying to be mean. He just wanted to do something silly. He thought it would wash out, too.”

Liana stood up on her chair and now shook her spoon at Scott, sending a few droplets of broth flying. “But no one should mess with someone’s fav’rite toy! It’s not nice! He shoulda tried it on his own toy first, so’s he would know how it feels!”

Sausage reached over to pinch the handle of her spoon between two fingers, creating a metallic tink sound. Putting some focus on his magic frequency, he sent a brief surge of energy through his prosthetic to make the gemstone at the wrist twinkle. The shine of this light through the translucent green cover atop his forearm  distracted her from her tiny outrage and she watched with fascination, although all he did was gently lower her hand.

Meanwhile, Azahar and Elowen traded looks across the table. The latter stammered, “Y-You’re very energetic, Liana. We were really nervous about becoming princes and were, um, very polite our first days here.”

Liana blinked at him. To Sausage’s relief, she put her spoon down altogether instead of gesturing with it again, so he withdrew his hand. “But it’s just dinnertime,” she replied. “It’s not a big ball with lotsa candles an’ people dancing in a big room with fancy dresses. We’re just being us, aren’t we?”

Sausage began to laugh. “She’s right! We’re just us right now. But you still shouldn’t stand on your chair, Liana, or wave utensils around at the same time – you might fall over into your soup!”

“Oh. Yeah, you’re right – it won’t taste good if I do that,” she agreed. She sat back down on the pillow and ate her soup with perfect manners, although after a point she grabbed another roll and proceeded to gobble it down while again proclaiming how yummy it was.

~*~

After a short lantern-lit tour to try to give Liana a sense of direction if she happened to get up during the night or possibly woke up early and decided to explore on her own – which, honestly, Sausage and Scott wouldn’t put past her but did request that she not do – everyone started getting ready for bed. Sausage tucked her in and asked if she would be alright in a room by herself, and assured her it was fine if she wasn’t, and asked if she would feel better if one of her brothers stayed in the room with her until she got used to it because this place was new to her and it was fine to be nervous, and—

Liana merely hugged her bunny and said she was okay, a big girl princess wouldn’t be scared of a castle and she had bunny to share the room with her, after all, and Azahar and Elowen seemed to like having a room together, so maybe that also meant one of them was scared to be alone at night, so she would be brave so that neither of them would have to be alone, and—

Scott broke up the mutual rambling session, gently pulling Sausage away from the doorway before wishing Liana a goodnight in Elvish to try to make it sound like a finality that everyone would go to sleep now. He elbowed Sausage, who hastily repeated the phrase while still looking worried about this first night in the castle. Yet, this only caused Liana to giggle, because Scott then corrected Sausage’s accent, telling his husband he had just told Liana to ‘have a good sneeze’.

Liana loudly repeated the misspoken phrase with another giggle, drawing laughs from across the hall. Sausage uttered a good-natured grumble about still working on his accent, then wished everyone goodnight again in Common.

The little girl laid down, bunny in her arms, and gazed at the ceiling while processing some of the sounds she was noticing; she was silently glad for the lanternlight coming in from the hallway, since the door had been left open in case she did happen to call for something.

It was only a few minutes later that Azahar came in to check on her. He sat down on the other bed as she sat up to tell him, “I told Papa I was okay. You can sleep in your room.”

“I just wanted to make sure,” Azahar said warmly. “I always tried to help new kids feel welcome in the place where Elowen and I used to live. I thought I could still do the same now.”

“But Daddy an’ Papa took me home! That means I am welcome!”

“Oh, well, yes. Of course it does. But if you have anything you’re, like, worried about or scared of, I can talk with you about it. Elowen was nervous about how big the castle was when we first got here, and we wondered if there might be ghosts.”

“Castles are s’posed to be big! An’… An’ ghosts aren’t scary!” Liana insisted, although she clutched her bunny plushie tightly. “Papa would have said something if there were ghosts!”

From out in the hallway came a high-pitched “OoOoOo~” noise, then Elowen leaned his head into the room. “Maybe Papa doesn’t know there are ghosts. Maybe they only show themselves to certain people. Like little children…”

Azahar shot him a look of warning; Elowen gave a mischievous grin. Liana, meanwhile, protested, “Stop tryin’a scare me! You’re being mean brothers!”

“Shhh,” Azahar tried to quiet her, holding his hands up to calm the situation. “Let’s not worry Dad or Papa. They need to rest from traveling, too. Elowen, that wasn’t nice. We should teach her how to chase away the ghosts first.” He snuck a grin at the other boy.

Liana scowled. “I don’t believe you! There aren’t any ghosts! Kingdoms that have talking chickens an’ dragons don’t have stupid scary things like ghosts! There would be REAL monsters! Now get outta my room, I wanna go to sleep!” She glared mightily at them.

Elowen stood straight upright, incidentally hopping into the middle of the doorway. “Oh, I see – you’re scarier than ghosts would be! Oh, time to run away! I’m gonna hide under my blanket from a scary little sister!” He turned tail to run to the other room.

Azahar stared after him. “This is… not how I meant this to go…”

“Hmph!” Liana put her chin in the air. “That’s what you get for tryin’a scare me! Now go away!” She emphatically turned and pulled the blanket up over herself.

“Okay, well… Um, sorry, Liana. I really do want to help. That was just some silly fun to make your first night here less scary—”

“I don’t care! Time for sleep! Say sorry at breakfast, an’ maybe I won’t be as mad at you!”

“Heh, okay.” Azahar wished her goodnight in Elvish, then left.

Liana hugged her bunny under the covers. “Mean… There’s no ghosts. There can’t be ghosts. My new daddies are secret heroes… Ghosts don’t haunt heroes. Unless they’re good ghosts… I don’t wanna see a ghost floatin’ through the wall, but maybe they’re helpful ghosts… An’… An’ they don’t try to scare little girls who’re tryin’a be brave even though they’re in a big, giant castle for the first time, an’ just met everyone…”

She heard a brief scraping sound; she let out an involuntary whimper, clutching her bunny tighter. Something jumped onto the bed, and then a wet nose came sniffing around the edge of the blanket. There was a very soft, “Arf?” then a weight settled down beside her.

Liana put her hand out and ended up grasping a fistful of short fur. She lightened her grip, then surreptitiously began to pet the furry creature. She whispered, “It’s time for sleep, Bubbles. You can stay in my room, though. You’re a big, brave doggie. Goodnight.”

~*~

Sausage was the first awake the next morning, and he didn’t even wait for Scott to be up to help him don his prosthetic before he padded out of the room without it so he could check on Liana. Things were a little different from Azahar’s and Elowen’s first night in Mythland; they were older, for starters, and had the familiarity of each other for company. Sausage had heard some of the kerfuffle among the three children at bedtime, but it hadn’t seemed too alarming, and everyone quieted down soon after.

He glanced into the boys’ room just to see if Liana had gone to them – either from reassurance during the night, or if she had already woken up and was there to chat. Instead, he saw both boys still in bed, although they were awake. Azahar was doing some arm stretches while Elowen yawned loudly – but he used a quiet tone when he spotted Sausage and said, “Good morning, Papa.”

“Good morning,” Sausage replied, also keeping his voice down. “I’m just checking up on everything. I’ll see you at breakfast in a bit.” He gave a little wave, then crossed to the other side of the hall.

Liana was sleeping soundly, lying on her back with her bunny in range of her right hand, while her left hand rested beside a furry black and tan lump that was curled up next to her. Sausage smiled and whispered, “Good girl, Bubbles.”

The interdimensional Yorkie lifted her head and turned it to peer at him. She wagged her tail and made a silent bark. Then she jumped up, did a one-eighty turn in the air, and licked Liana’s hand. The little girl stirred, mumbling, “Bubbles… stop tryin’a eat me… You’re s’posed to eat the scary ghosts…”

“Bubbles,” Sausage called in an exaggerated whisper, “I thought we chased off the ghosts. Did you find one more and tell our new daughter about it?”

Liana abruptly sat bolt upright, causing Bubbles to jump off the bed and run past Sausage out of the room. He smiled after her, turning so that the cuff covering his stump was visible – due to his nightshirt lacking a sleeve on that side. Liana declared, “I knew there wouldn’t be any real ghosts! Azahar an’ Elowen tried to scare me, but I didn’t believe them! Bubbles was just sleepin’ here ‘cause she wanted company! I wasn’t scared!” She then blinked and stared at Sausage’s right side. “Oh. That’s not like the dollie’s arm. Her whole arm came off.”

Sausage smiled gently and cupped the end of his stump with his left hand as he entered the room. “Yeah, the dragon only ate part of it. I usually put on my metal arm when I get up in the morning, but I really wanted to make sure you slept alright last night. So, the boys tried to scare you, huh?”

Liana’s eyes went wide and, aghast, she yelled, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE DRAGON ATE IT?! I thought it was a pet dragon, or knight dragon, like the chicken!!”

Sausage winced at her volume. “Oh, ha, we didn’t tell you the whole story yesterday.” He sat down on the side of the bed with his left arm toward her, but she crawled over to sit on his right, so he turned, leaving them both sat on the end facing the doorway. “Dad and I, along with our friends – your new Uncle fWhip and Aunt Gem – fought an angry dragon – or, a dragon-like creature.” Sausage’s own eyes brightened with merriment as he thought of a way to embellish the story, because Liana was hanging onto his every word. “We didn’t know what it really was, but it was fierce, and it was hungry! I attacked it with my sword – whap-pow! – but it just opened its big mouth and bit down on not only my sword, but most of my arm! Dad used his magic to freeze it, then rescued me, and Auntie Gem healed me. She did a good job, but the beast had already finished its meal and we couldn’t get it back to stick it back on, so Uncle fWhip made me a new arm!”

Liana fairly vibrated from excitement. “So, you did stop a monster that would have eated everything!”

Sausage uttered a slightly nervous laugh. “Well, sort of. It seemed like it was happy to eat only my arm. But we put a stop to it, just in case.”

Liana went quiet, looking as if she was pondering a very serious matter, then said, “Papa, do you think the dragon-creature’s ghost would haunt the castle?”

“Nope! I think you already know what would happen – Bubbles would eat it!”

“That’s true,” Liana replied in an upbeat tone. She then tilted her head. “Can I see it? Y-Your arm? Um, the part the dragon didn’t eat?” She gestured to the buttoned cuff, her expression the epitome of childlike curiosity. “Oh, wait, ummm… Is it okay to ask that?”

“Sure! I don’t mind! It’s not scary, it just has a scar like my face.” Sausage began to undo the buttons on the side of the cuff.

“Did the monster scratch your face, too??”

“No, that was from an… accident. With a Blood Sheep. You don’t want to mess with the Blood Sheep. They’re powerful, like Bubbles! But as long as they have plenty of grass to graze, they won’t try to eat little girls.”

“What’s a Blood Sheep? There were sheep near where I lived, but no one ever said they were dangerous!”

“Umm… I’ll show you after breakfast!” He rolled the cuff upward and held the remainder of his arm up for Liana to examine. She noted the wide line of scar tissue on the end and began to reach to touch it, but pulled her hand back, murmuring to herself, “Nope, that might be rude, too. You gots to ask first.” She screwed up her face in thought, then pulled up the sleeves of her nightgown and – after a moment of deliberating – held her left arm up next to his stump to give herself an idea of where it might match up.

Sausage smiled, amused by her train of thought. He then caught movement by the door from the corner of his eye. Scott was there with a look of consternation, one of his braids coming loose as if he hadn’t had time to complete it, and he held the prosthetic in his hands. Sausage gave him a little nod, then raised a finger in a ‘one minute’ gesture. Scott shook his head and pointed down at the prosthetic, then off to the side, indicating that Sausage should get moving. “Well, Liana, if you have any more questions about it, I can answer them later. We should get going and have breakfast!”

Scott gestured more insistently. Sausage hopped up and hurried over to ask about the rush, but Scott immediately ushered him back to their room. “There’s a raven waiting for you. It came from the western border. You need to go over there right away.” The raven in question was sitting on the windowsill, an open scroll under one foot.

Sausage quickly pulled off his nightshirt to allow Scott to help him attach the prosthetic. “But we were going to go shopping for Liana after breakfast.” His mouth fell into a little pout.

“It’s urgent. I’ll take her and the boys out, don’t worry.” Not waiting for Sausage to move faster, Scott started dressing his husband shirt-first.

Sausage, meanwhile, gave him a sad-eyed look, his pout intensifying. He did, however, cooperate with getting dressed for travel.

Scott chuckled softly. “I know, I know. You were looking forward to it. You’ve become very fond of her rather quickly.”

“I can’t help it! She’s so charming and… and… we didn’t have a chance to stop yesterday to get her the dress she wanted…” Sausage continued to pout, then tapped the tips of his index fingers against each other while looking aside as he mumbled, “But I guess she can spend time with her new dad, too…”

“Sau-sage,” Scott said, “They think there’s a Warden loose in the caves near the town. If it weren’t for Liana, I would go, too, but I don’t want to leave her on her first day here. And it’s better if you’re the one to meet with the townsfolk, especially if you need to get Tango’s help for Warden wrangling.”

Sausage’s expression changed instantly. He rushed to get his boots on, then grabbed his customized elytra from the armor stand in the corner. He shrugged it on, then went to the window to read the scroll for himself, checking the name of the town. Then he climbed into the window. The raven croaked and flew off ahead of him to let the distressed townsfolk know their king was on his way. “I’ll find breakfast on the way. Tell the kids I love them and I’ll be back soon!”

“Good luck!” Scott called after him as Sausage launched himself out of the window frame. Scott then finished getting himself sorted for the day and went to tell the children of the change in plans. He caught up to the boys as they were heading out of their room, and asked them to wait while he checked if Liana was ready to go downstairs.

He found her fully dressed in one of the patched outfits she had brought home with her, the leggings in decent shape – but no shoes yet, since she was jumping on the second bed trying to look out the high, narrow window. Scott was about to question her but she turned and exclaimed, “I heard a loud bird! An’ I looked up an’ saw Papa flying by the window! He doesn’t have bird wings like elves!” She leapt down from the bed and ran over to Scott, demanding, “Why is he flying? How is he flying?!”

Perhaps startled by her announcement, Azahar and Elowen ran over to the doorway. Scott looked around at the three children, silently wishing Sausage had chosen a different direction to go. “I was just coming to tell all of you: Papa had a sudden, important request for help from a town, and it’s his job as king to go in person, especially because he might need some extra help.” Scott then realized what Sausage’s choice of direction meant. “It sounds like he was going to get that help, actually, because Tango the Blaze Emperor – boys, you might remember him from your gala – is a specialist at wrangling the creature that the townsfolk are having a problem with, and the best place to find him is our neighbor, the Cod Empire.”

Azahar was about to make a humorous comment about Tango being rather memorable for appearing to be on fire, but Liana cut him off. “Our neighbors are fish?! How do fish have an empire?? Don’t fish just swim around in the water all day? Isn’t a blaze like a fire? Wouldn’t that boil the water? Oh! Is he really good at cooking fish?”

Elowen giggled. Scott was once again struck by how similar Liana and Sausage were. As he stifled a laugh of his own, Azahar explained, “There are people who can breathe underwater and have the appearance of different types of sea life. The Cod Empire is ruled by Jimmy, who is a fish-like man. His sister, Lizzie, rules the Ocean Empire, and looks like a giant blue axolotl. Tango, however, is a blazeman-hybrid. He does have a kingdom of his own underground, a little far away from here, but he is good friends with Jimmy, who is teaching him about life on the surface – teaching him about people like us, who are different from what he’s used to.”

Liana seemed to be listening with fascination. “So, there’s lotsa other kingdoms besides Rivendell an’ this land of myths? But those people all sound like they’re myths!”

Scott now openly chuckled. “Our kingdom is literally named Mythland. Sir Carlos can explain the history better than I can, but it has its roots in an even older kingdom with a great – if lost – legacy. You’ll learn all about these things when we have school lessons later. We’ll figure out what type of lessons you need another day, though. After breakfast we’re going to do some shopping in town and find that dress you wanted, and you can show it to Papa when he gets home.”

Liana looked disappointed for a second as she stepped back. She glanced toward the window. Then she gave a decisive nod and ran to the dresser to take out a pair of socks. She sat down on the floor to pull them on. “Okay, Daddy. We’ll… surprise Papa by finding a really pretty one! An’… he’ll see… he’ll see that we could find one, even if not all of us was there to look at ev’rything.” She scooted over to her shoes to put them on next. Afterward, she lifted her chin proudly to show she was being a big girl and not upset that her new papa wasn’t also going with them.

Scott, of course, noticed her lip tremble. “He’ll be with us in spirit. He really wanted you to get that purple dress, and since we don’t know how long it would take to help the townsfolk, I said I would take you out to get one.” Thinking he had cottoned on to the problem, he said, “You know, this can also be a way for you to impress him by telling him about all the things you saw in town! It will be like your own adventure in your new home.”

Elowen piped up, “Y-Yeah, Liana, and we can show you some of the cool things we’ve discovered when we’ve gone out around town.” He gestured to himself and Azahar. “We can show you where the winter market was, and where the regular shops are that sell fun stuff!”

“No,” Liana said in a firm, yet calm, tone. “When Daddy an’ Papa came to my old home, they both played with me. So, they should both be there for other fun!” As if that should settle the matter, she walked past Scott and went between the boys, grabbing Azahar and Elowen by the hand. “Okay, breakfast time! You gots to eat a good breakfast before you go out!”

~*~

“Jimmy!! Tango!!” Sausage’s voice rang out over the sea-facing border of the Cod Empire as he flew over, hoping to get the attention of one of them. “I need help with a Warden problem!!”

The door of the fishing shack flew open – presumably from the force of Tango’s kick, seeing as he came out with one upraised foot leading. “Warden?? Where?! Oh, hi! Hi, neighboring Sausage-king-person.” Tango looked eager for details, but waited for Sausage to circle around to make a non-watery landing.

Jimmy wandered out of the shack a moment later, yawning and rubbing one eye. “Sausage, it’s too early for monster wrangling…”

The King of Mythland didn’t bother closing his elytra. “Not when they wander up to the surface overnight! I’ve got a small town in need, and I don’t have a lot of time today, so I thought I’d call on the expert to get it done faster. Oh, and you can help, too, Jimmy.”

The Codfather gave him a disgruntled look, while Tango straightened up proudly. “Of course! Professional wranglers here, at your service.”

“Great,” Sausage said. “Now grab some elytra and follow me! I need to get back a-sap!”

“I’ll get them!” Tango chirped. “I haven’t flown around much. Some practice will be great! fWhip even made me some fireproof ones.” He scurried back inside the shack.

Jimmy waited outside, taking note of Sausage’s clearly bright mood despite the apparent threat. “You’re in quite the hurry. What is going on that you need to rush back? Do you have something nice planned with the princes?”

“Jimmy…” Sausage clapped his left hand onto the Codfather’s shoulder and feigned a somber attitude, then overrode it with a wide grin. “Scott and I just became the proud fathers of a little girl! We brought her home last night! This is our first full day with her, and I have to go deal with some stupid Warden that couldn’t stay in the Deep Dark.” As he spoke, his fingers tightened, digging into Jimmy’s shoulder; Sausage’s grin turned into a clenched-tooth grimace of aggravation.

Jimmy endured it, then pried Sausage’s hand off. “Well, uh, congratulations, and I’m sorry you have a rogue Warden to deal with, today of all days. What’s her name? What’s she like? Hey, it’s actually kind of nice to find out ahead of time instead of a gala invite out of the blue.”

“Oh, Jimmy, she’s the sweetest little elf. Her name is Liana, she’s six and a half years old – she seems to like insisting on the ‘and a half’ part – she loves to talk and ask things and have tea parties, and I can’t wait to see her running around with Bubbles and the boys and having fun together—!!” Sausage pressed the palms of his hands against his cheeks and all but squeed with joy.

“Oh my gosh, Sausage.” Jimmy’s mouth crinkled up in amusement. “She’s got you wrapped around her finger, and it hasn’t even been a whole day! That’s so sweet, man. I’ll look forward to meeting her. Y’know, before or at her debut gala.” He grinned teasingly.

Tango returned before Sausage could comment. He handed Jimmy his elytra, then shrugged his own on. “Alright, now to take care of this little Warden issue. Lead on, Your Highness!” Tango glanced over to see Sausage still in jubilant father mode. “Uh…what’s with him?” he asked Jimmy.

“He has discovered the joy of having a daughter. Give him a second, then you can try using your Warden roar to snap him out of it.”

~*~

The shopping trip quickly became a spectacle of Liana delighting each and every shopkeeper they passed, between her customary announcement of her name – although she cut back on mentioning her age unless someone asked – and her exuberant curiosity about differences she noticed between elven and Mythlandian culture.

Scott opted for the general and practical clothing shops rather than going straight to the tailor; that would be reserved for a special trip closer to a certain date. He left Liana under the supervision of either Azahar or Elowen depending on which one he was assisting at the time – Elowen’s leggings were starting to come up short on him, and Azahar’s shirts were becoming tight across his chest and arms.

Meanwhile, Liana would babble to the shopkeeper and whichever brother was in attendance at the time of how she wanted to look at anything in purple or that had a picture of a bunny on it. Scott would then look through those offerings with her, and she tried on the ones that looked like they might fit. If anything happened to be slightly too big, like in the case of corduroy overalls with a rabbit embroidered on the front pocket, Scott bought it anyway with the idea that it could be stored for the future.

By the time they were done they had amassed six large parcels, the clothing neatly folded and secured with twine, but a bit much to carry home even when Scott tested out carrying them on a gust of cold air with magic. The final shopkeeper agreed to hold onto the lot until Scott could send someone down with a cart to pick it up.

Liana had actually gotten quiet by that point, watching as the parcels were stashed in the shop’s back room. She fidgeted for a moment, then yelled, “Thank you for watching our stuff! When I’m bigger I’ll come back for more bunny dresses! So please have some more!”

The shopkeeper chuckled on his way back to the floor. He dusted off his hands and nodded to Liana. “Sure thing, little Miss. You just let me know when you start outgrowing those, and I’ll put in a special princess order.”

“Yay! Thank you, mister clothes shop owner! DADDY!” she then yelled to Scott, “Thank you for the nice dresses!! Maybe when I outgrow them, we can send them to Silvilana an’ the others! But maybe by then Silvilana will have nice daddies, too! Or nice mommies! Or a nice daddy and mommy? I don’t know, but I hope she goes home, too! An’ the others, an’ then maybe they won’t need my clothes, but there always seemed to be new kids coming in, an’ they should have nice stuff, too—”

Scott patted her on the head. “We’ll look into it when the time comes. Right now, we have one more stop to make, then we’ll go home for lunch and see if Papa is back to eat with us.”

“Are we getting something for you an’ Papa next?” Liana asked, puzzled, as they walked out and headed down the street. “You haven’t gotten anything yet! Ev’ryone should get something, it’s only fair! You were nice an’ gots us lots!” She looked at Azahar and Elowen, expecting them to agree.

Elowen nodded. Azahar chuckled. “She’s right, Dad. You should get a tunic with a rabbit on it. A blue one.”

Scott laughed. Liana jumped forward with both feet to keep pace with his steps, proclaiming, “Or a blue fawn! Ev’ryone should get a picture of their fav’rite thing!”

“You have a point, Liana,” Scott agreed. “But as King Regnant, I have to wear what other grown-ups consider to be dignified clothes.” When she stopped jumping in order to pout up at him, he added, “Maybe I could get something like that on a night shirt.”

Her face brightened. “Yeah! Then you just put on a kingly robe over it to hide it from boring growed-ups!”

They all laughed at the idea, then Scott proceeded to make up increasingly silly scenarios where someone might find out he had pastel blue fawn pajamas. This continued as they traveled along the streets until another clothing shop came into view. The sign hanging outside depicted a formal ball gown. Liana’s eyes widened when she saw the window display. She whispered, “Dresses for meeting princesses…” She then froze on the spot, realizing that she now was that princess.

Scott went to the door and held it open to allow the children to enter first. “You could say this is something for Papa and I: to keep our promise to you.”

Liana hopped up and down, then once again grabbed her new brothers by their hands. “Look, look! Now we can see what I shoulda been wearing to meet you! Now I can fit in with princes!”

Azahar tried to say, “Liana, you were fine meeting us just as you were—” but the words got lost as she pulled them into the shop.

The shopkeeper hurried over as soon as she noticed who had entered. “Your Highness! Young princes! I see you brought a little friend! How may I help you?”

Surprisingly, Elowen was the one to answer. “We need a fancy dress for our new sister.” Scott felt a surge of pride over the younger boy speaking up, yet realized that – perhaps – it was Liana’s energy rubbing off on him that had encouraged him.

Liana hopped up and down again. “That’s me! I’m the princess! An’ I need to look like one! Daddy gots me some nice new things, but Elowen’s right! Princesses need one really fancy dress!”

The shopkeeper looked toward Scott. “How wonderful! My congratulations to you and Lord Sausage! Your family just keeps growing, doesn’t it? What are you looking for in your fancy dress?”

Together Scott and the boys all chorused, “Purple” at the same time, answering even as Liana was opening her mouth.

The little girl giggled and then smiled up at the shopkeeper. “Please, may I see your finest pretty purple dresses?”

~*~

Sausage glanced around the interior of the cave nervously, then hissed, “When I asked you guys for help, I thought Jimmy would be the bait, not me!”

The Codfather grinned from his hiding place behind the pile of rocks that was closer to the entrance than Sausage’s position. He whispered in reply, “Of course I’m not the bait. I’m a professional wrangler now. Don’t worry, Sausage! We’ll get you home to your kiddos in one piece. Relatively speaking.”

Sausage wanted to glare in Jimmy’s direction, but the clacking of Warden antennae made him return his focus to the device nestled behind his ear that connected him to the magic frequency operating his prosthetic, allowing him to control it remotely. The prosthetic was currently secured above a button that would turn on a noise machine, which was intended to lure the stray Warden toward a web of ropes set up to snare the creature. It had wandered deeper into the cave system for the moment, but that didn’t guarantee it wouldn’t wander back out again. “You know what - You know what? If my arm gets damaged, you get to explain to fWhip why!”

Tango, hidden across from Jimmy, replied in a flat tone, “Better your fake arm than your whole, real body.” He was in a strict focused mode now. The change in his demeanor started slow after they had spoken with the townsfolk, the bravest of whom took the three to the road that ran near the cave system where a farmer making an early delivery to the town had heard the frightening sounds of a Warden stomping around. The farmer fled without confirming it, but a few intrepid townspeople investigated, only to flee as soon as they heard it and the tell-tale heartbeat for themselves.

Tango’s blithe attitude toward a potential adventure disappeared completely once the three of them had scoped out the cave; they all immediately went on alert at the sound of the creature sniffing around, and the way Tango launched into an analysis of the terrain led Sausage to not even question the plan when it was first proposed.

Now he was feeling uncertain, however. Tango was correct to use Sausage’s prosthetic to activate the noise machine, avoiding any of them being too close to the Warden after it became attracted to the sound, but Sausage himself still needed to be within a specific range of his prosthetic for the signal to carry. “Tango, I think I like you better when you’re hyper and slightly weird. ‘Serious-Tango’ scares me. This had better work. I want to be able to hug my kids with both arms when I get back.”

Tango uttered a strange sort of squawk. “Shush your face! I can feel it stomping this way again! … Wait for it… Wait for it… Now!”

Sausage could see the glow of the Warden’s open chest and antennae around the corner. He gulped, then directed his prosthetic’s hand to slam down onto the button. The noise machine started up. The Warden grunted and the glow coming off it shifted directions as it lumbered toward the machine.

Sausage suppressed a squeak of relief as he ducked behind cover. He left the rest to the professionals as they sprang into action. He put his attention on the device again to remain aware of whether or not the Warden happened to smash his prosthetic or not – rather than watch it occur with his own eyes. Out of sight there, he could also keep his dramatic worries to himself, quietly whimpering and theatrically crying as he imagined a scenario of him returning home without the prosthetic because he would have had to drop it off at The Grimlands for fWhip to repair, and then Liana and Elowen might even stare at his right side and the lack of arm, and he would get ten thousand bazillion questions about their own imagined scenarios before he could explain, and surely he should make it sound more amazing than just using it to push a single button, and meanwhile Scott and Azahar would probably stand there looking amused because, well, Scott knew the situation, and Azahar would be quick to catch on although he would still be entertained by the adventurous aspect, but Sausage ­still­ wouldn’t be able to hug everyone or pick up Liana and assure her that he was alright, and that they could still have fun the rest of the day, and… [To Be Continued in Chapter Four: The Parties and The First Dreams]

#empires smp #empires smp fanfic #empiresshipping #mythicalsausage #scott smajor #dangthatsalongname #tangotek #jimmy solidarity #champions au: garden path #empires smp s1 #scosage #lunar yarns

[auroralwriting]

Hurts Me (ch. 1) ౨ৎ

loki odinson x oc!fem!avenger

synopsis: falling in love with the god of mischief was unintended for the gentle avenger, and loki didn't intend to fall in love with a human, like his brother.

this is a story i’m publishing on wattpad! go read! (or maybe i’ll also keep posting it here, too…)

Liana Angeli had the pleasure of meeting Nick Fury when she was just fourteen. Discovering a teenager with the ability to feel people's emotions and physically heal them was an incredible feat. When she did so in the park, well, it freaked out some parents to say the least. Her group home had taken a little field trip, and once the adults found out about Liana's.. abilities, well, they were quick to give her to SHIELD.

Nowadays, Liana spent her time with her friend, Nat, learning combat, going on missions, and healing her and her other friend, Clint, when needed. She enjoyed being an agent, especially because she didn't have to be a spectacle.

"Agent Angeli,"

Liana looked up from her desk. Today she was assigned desk work, her absolute faaavorite. Not. There stood Nick Fury, but he actually looked slightly concerned. Nick never had that look in his eyes, never.

"Fury, what do I owe this visit?" Liana asked, turning around completely in her swivel chair. "You got a case for me?"

The director looked nervous. Too nervous. "There's.. been a situation. I'd like you to come with me so I can explain."

Liana stood up from her desk, pushing in her chair, and walking swiftly behind Fury. She wasn't going to lie, she was really nervous. Talking privately? A situation? What was going on?

───※ ※───

"No!"

A chair flew across the room, probably closer to the ground and less aggressive than Nat would've be thrown it, but aggressive nonetheless. Clearly, Liana was not taking Fury's news well, but how could she? He just gave her the worst news of her life.

"Liana, if you could calm down, we can discuss our plan of action." Fury negotiated with the furious young girl.

Spinning around, Liana's eyes were wide. "Plan of action? What happened to busting down the damn door and shooting?" SHEILD was really good at that plan. It was Liana's favorite besides spy or undercover mission.

With a hand over his face, Fury sighed. "Liana, he's a God, for, well, God's sake." Fury threw his hands in the air. "We go in there, guns ablaze, and then what? What happens if he walks out? Then what, we're all defenseless!" Fury had a point, but Liana didn't want to see it. Panic seared through Liana's veins. Clint was gone. No, Clint was brainwashed of all things! By a God, a Norse God. Why couldn't it have been Hades?

"So.. what do you suggest?" Liana's hands fell on her hips, staring at Fury expectantly.

"Well," Fury started, passing over a file to Liana, "I'm thinking we put together a team."

Liana looked at Fury blankly for a moment before she started a fit of laughter. "A team?"

"Yes, a team." Fury reached for the file Liana had yet to open. "A team made up of Natasha Romanoff, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, eventually Clint Barton, and you." Fury set down the file. "I'm calling it The Avengers Initiative."

Liana's laughter was long gone. Was Fury out of his damn mind? A team? Of, what, agents, billionaires, old men, and weird scientists? What the hell was he thinking? This was no way to get back Clint.

"And you're serious?"

Fury's eyebrow raised, "When am I not?" Okay, good point.

With a hand running through her hair, Liana nods. She gulps down her emotions, looking to Fury. Maybe a team wasn't a horrible idea. "Alright. When do I get to meet the rest of my team?"

Fury looked down at his watch. "Ten minutes."

"Ten minutes?! Wait, I'm last to know?" Liana angrily asked. "How do random people get to know before me? I've known Clint for years!"

"You had paperwork I needed done." Fury shrugged. Liana could have pummeled him right there. Pft, paperwork.

───※    ※───

"Nat," Liana breathed heavily, hugging her friend. "Did he tell you? Clint's been-"

The Russian nodded solemnly, eyes casting aside, unable to look directly at Liana. Maybe it was guilt, maybe it was fear. "Yeah, he told me. Don't worry, Lia, we're gonna get him back. He's gonna be okay." Natasha took Liana's hand in her own.

With a nod, Liana then looked up to see a quinjet land on the helicarrier. She was told Steve Rogers, the Man of Ages, Mr. Red, White, and Blue himself was coming from the quinjet.

"Do you think he's ever flown before?" Liana whispered to Nat.

Natasha looked at her with humor, "Liana, I'm pretty sure he's been on a plane before." Liana held her hands up in mock defense. The door opened, and out walked the man himself: The Star Spangled Man with a Plan.

Liana smiled when she saw Agent Coulson next to Steve. "Agent Angeli, Agent Romanoff, Captain Rogers."

"Hi," Nat smiled before looking to Phil. "They need you on the bridge. They're starting the face-trace."

Coulson nods and walks away, leaving Steve with the two agents. The trio began to walk. " It was quite the buzz around here, finding you in the ice. I thought Coulson was gonna swoon. Did he ask you to sign his Captain America trading cards yet?" Liana jokingly asked. Hopefully he's not too old to understand her joke.

"Trading cards?" He asked.

"They're vintage. He's very proud of them." Natasha chimes in.

As they enter the huge helicarrier, Liana finds herself staring at a man, shyly observing while attempting to stay out of the way. This must be Bruce Banner. If Liana remembered right, he was the Hulk. She'd seen it on video once, Hulk's rampage. Banner seemed the complete opposite, a sweetie.

"Dr. Banner?" Liana called. Bruce searched for the source of the voice, smiling softly to himself when he saw Liana's face.

"Ah, Dr. Banner!" Steve said as Banner approached.

Steve and Bruce shook hands, "Oh, yeah. Hi. They told me you'd be coming."

"Ma'am?" A voice called. Liana spun around to see one of the ships crewmates behind her. "We're moving in just a moment. It would be wise to strap in."

Taking initiative, Natasha looks to the boys, "Gentlemen, you might want to step inside in a minute. It's gonna get a little hard to breathe."

"Is this a submarine?" Steve looked a little excited. He was like a little puppy.

"Really? They wanted me in a submerged, pressurized metal container?" Bruce looked slightly upset, but then, the ship takes flight, surprising the two men. "Oh, no. This is much worse."

Liana put her hand on Bruce's shoulder calmingly. She could sense his worry. "It'll be alright, this place is heavily reinforced. I doubt the big guy could take it on." Bruce smiled softly.

"Agent Romanoff, why don't you show Dr. Banner to his lab." Fury suggested.

As Steve and Phil began talking about his card collection, Liana gasped as she observed a computer. "There! We got a hit! Sixty-seven percent match. Weight, cross match, seventy-nine percent." She called while reading the screen.

"Location?" Phil asked.

Liana squinted to read carefully. "Um, Stuttgart, Germany. 28, Konigstrasse. He's.. not exactly hiding."

"Captain, you're up." Fury looked to Steve. He nodded and left. "Liana, you're going to be our first source of intel. Ready for an undercover mission?"

#loki fluff #loki fanfiction #loki laufeyson #loki odinson #loki x oc #loki #avengers #avengers oc #avenger #thor ragnarok #the avengers #loki fanfic #mcu loki #marvel fic

[mydisenchantedeulogy]

Story WIPs (what I'm currently working on all at once).

Multi-chapter Fics: 

Where the Tainted Kiss CH 24 (Vaas)

A wad of cash was tossed into her face, but Liv didn't attempt to collect it. She kept her head down, even as Yada spat on the ground next to her. 

"You happy puta (bitch)? You got what was owed to you."

She wasn't happy; she didn't want Barto to die. It should have been her beneath the earth.

From the Ashes CH 2 (Reno)

"Thank you. I appreciate this," Amelia stated. She equipped it onto the bangle around her wrist. "All I need are these two."

"Don't be such a spoilsport. I have something special I've been saving up for an occasion like this," Liana retorted. 

She reached into her bag for a second time and retrieved a green orb, tossing it to Amelia, who easily caught it and lifted it into the light. 

It's not a magic type. That much I can tell.

Amelia narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"I know what you're thinking, but it's not a healing orb. I don't expect you to learn it right away, but to learn from it, I need battle information. You're the best suited for this type of Materia," she explained, lifting a finger.

Of course. She wanted to use Amelia as a test subject. 

"Thanks, I guess, but what is it?"

And why was she the only one it was suited for? 

"It is the 'Time' Materia, containing the ability to slow down or stop time. I can't believe some idiot grunt was going to throw it away. Materia is hard to come by–"

"Focus," Amelia ordered. 

Liana tended to ramble when excited. 

"Anyhow, you just equip it to your bracelet and cast it like you would any magic Materia type. The effects don't last long, maybe twenty seconds at best, and the more you use it the weaker it gets, so try not to rely on it to save your butt or you will exhaust yourself," she added. 

Legends Never Die CH 2 (Link)

There was no other choice; she'd have to fight too. But of the four beasts she could summon, who would assist her? Lilya narrowed her eyes. Apus was not suited for battle, despite being an intermediate-ranked summoning, and the Great Sage – the lowest tier – was too stubborn to assist her without payment.

I have to call on her, Lilya thought.

Taking out her earring, she rested the point against her palm and clasped her hand shut, groaning as it pierced into her skin. The summing circle appeared before her; Lilya raised her bloody hand out to it.

"Come forth, Ara––"

"Lilya, you must not!" Raina shouted.

The said teen raised a brow in confusion. Was she serious?

"I can help," Lilya argued. "Stop being so self-centered. You can't do this alone."

Raina shook her head. She opened her mouth to say something but an arrow suddenly pierced her shoulder.

Fragile Lines CH 11 (Nacho)

Ria drummed her fingers on her knee, trying her best to focus on the movie. She wanted more than anything to give all her attention to Nacho but her mind was swarming with questions after her brief meeting this morning. It was driving her insane. 

A comforting hand on hers drew her attention to the man beside her, noting the curious look on his face. She forced a grin and curled up next to him, leaning her head onto his shoulder. Goosebumps littered her arms as he laced his fingers with hers. Ria could get used to this. 

Too bad her ex was hell-bent on ruining her mood. 

Desert Flower CH 7 (Grimmjow)

His tone implies that he doesn't necessarily want me to be there but he steps aside and lets me in. I stand beyond the threshold in awe, staring at the room I walked into. It's dome-shaped with a winding staircase in the center. One of the most common elements in the room is the various plants; it reminds me of a desert paradise with its cream-colored theme.

"This way," the man insists as he brushes past me.

I follow him up the staircase to the top floor, noticing three others including Grimmjow seated around the room; the latter is laid out on cushions and pillows. This room in general gives more of a laid-back vibe; various plants and fish bowls with gorgeous ecosystems decorate the room; it's interesting just how different his tower is from the previous one I have seen.

"Grimmjow, you have a guest. She claims that she is expected," the man announces.

The room turns to me in interest; my face turns red in embarrassment. I should be used to this sort of attention being from a royal family, but judgment has never been a favorite of mine.

Grimmjow grins.

"And I thought you'd tuck your tail and run."

Requests:

Lily Eyes (Buddha)

An air of nervousness surrounds you as you stop for a moment, taking an uneasy breath. You hope this will work.

Pretending to slip from the rung, you let out a gasp as you fall back, trusting the man below. Your stomach knots in fear as you plummet, but luckily Buddha catches you with ease. 

"That could have been much worse," you utter. 

His brows knit. The pattern rests in his eyes as he stares at you for a moment. 

"It's a good thing I was here to catch you, huh?"

You nod. 

"I had no doubts."

You and I (Vaas)

"Do you like games, Vaas?" You ask, kneeling beside his cage. "I love them. It's a sure fucking way to cure boredom on this island during this period of negotiations. But I can never find anyone to play them with. My men don't like to play by the rules and some of the rejects whine too much. Boo hoo, you are unfair… Boo hoo, this game isn't fun for me."

"You bored, querida (darling)? I'll fucking play with you," Vaas retorted. 

A grin spreads across your face. Something about this is odd; prisoners should not be so eager to agree, but his madness is intoxicating. You love it. 

"You see, I knew you would be fun."

Reaching into your pocket, you retrieve the pen knife found on the stout-looking man, popping off the cap. The blade is covered in blood.

"I want to play first blood. It's a simple game; whoever wounds the other first wins. And you even get to have this," you explain as you show him the pen knife. 

One-shots:

Unnamed Benimaru OS 

"Wow! Are you from my world? You know…the real world with manga and video games," the last bit Rimuru utters under his breath.

Your pointed ears twitch in excitement. 

"You too were brought here?"

"Yeah…long story short, I sort of got taken out by a rando with a knife. And when I woke up, I was a slime," he mentions with a sigh. 

A slime? Like the ones in Dragon Quest? You hum in thought. Come to think of it, you don't remember how you died. 

"I guess I got reincarnated as a dark elf. I mean, I'm not complaining, but my arrival wasn't very welcoming."

#writing wip #far cry 3 fanfiction #vaas x oc #better call saul fanfiction #nacho x oc #that time i got reincarnated as a slime fanfiction #benimaru x reader #bleach fanfiction #grimmjow x oc #vaas x reader #record of ragnorak fanfic #buddha x reader #final fantasy 7 fanfiction #reno x oc #the legend of zelda fanfiction #link x oc

[incorrect-web-novels]

As Cliffman watched Liana, he said quietly, "I'll help you." "...What?" "I'll help you. Me." At his words, Liana stared at Cliffman, her eyes brimming with tears. They were just two people. Facing that great name together wouldn't change much. "If we're together, it'll be a little less difficult."

- The Demon Prince Goes to the Academy, Ch.370

I'm living for the Cliffman-Liana friendship ahhhhhh

#not a quote #the demon prince goes to the academy #dpa #cliffman dpa #liana dpa #liana grantz #excerpts #dpa excerpts #'if we're together it'll be a little less difficult' is one of my fav lines rn sjsjjs #from the drafts #<-why I'm posting stuff out of order lol #my posts #web reads dpa

[ofangelsanddevils]

Illusion ch 16 Possession is nine tenths of the law

The only light in the graveyard was the faint glow of the half moon as it peeked in and out from behind the dark clouds in the sky. Liana's heart was racing. She made a move to turn and run, but Quinn sensed her action and grabbed her by the arm. “Let go, Quinn!” She begged as she pulled at her arm, trying in vain to free it. “You’re hurting me!”

“No, Liana. It’s high time you met your true guardian angel.” Quinn pointed with his other hand. As she followed the direction he pointed in, she saw fog ebbing around the gravestones a few yards away. She wondered where the mist had come from. She forgot to work on freeing herself, as she watched transfixed as the fog flowed around the rows of graves as it came ever closer. When it reached them it slowly coalesced and turned darker as it shaped itself into a black figure with dark robes and coal colored wings. A figure that Liana knew only too well.

"Run Quinn!” Liana yelled as she tried to pull herself free. He wouldn’t budge. He was frozen in place. Liana frantically redoubled her efforts to pry her arm free. But he held on with an iron grip.

"Quinn, come on, Let me go! That's Azren, the Demon!" Liana yelled, her voice breaking with fear.

"Don't be silly, Liana don't you recognize me? I'm your guardian angel, and I've been trying so hard to free you, to contact you." Azren said, as he put on a fake smile that dripped with sarcasm.

"Liar!" She spat back at him. “C’mon Quinn, that’s NOT my guardian angel!” Liana yelled as she looked over at Quinn. He was smiling like a lost lamb in the face of a ravenous wolf. It turned her blood to ice that he seemed to show such blind devotion to Azren.

"What’d you do to him, Azren?" Liana demanded in an accusatory tone.

"Nothing too bad, I dare say he’ll recover someday. All I had to do was prey on his love for you and his jealous nature, and appear as an angel of light, and he was my obedient servant. It was an easy task.” Azren scoffed.

"You have to free him!" Liana pleaded.

"That depends on you, my dear." He replied, oozing fake charm.

"What do you mean?" Liana recoiled slightly.

“Well, if you agree to call Scott to me as I have some unfinished business with him, then I suppose I can let Quinn go." Azren offered, his hands outstretched in a vain attempt to seem harmless.

Liana was torn. She didn't want Scott to have to face his brother, although she was certain that Scott was more than capable of handling him. However, she also didn't want Quinn to stay in the half-possessed state that he appeared to be in.

After a few moments of mental torment she made a decision. "Okay, I’ll call Scott as long as you promise that you won't hurt him, or Quinn." Liana bargained.

"You have my word that I won't hurt Scott, and that I’ll free Quinn." Azren tried to appear sincere, a feat he couldn’t have accomplished in a thousand years.

"I'm sorry but I don't know how much your word is worth." Liana countered, defiance in her voice.

"Well, you're going to have to trust me." Azren said. A twisted smile spreading over his face. His smile did little to calm Liana’s fears.

"I guess I don't have much of a choice.” She unzipped her jacket and reached inside to grab the necklace. She brought the medallion up to her lips, knowing that Scott would be there momentarily. It felt like forever but could only have been a few mere seconds before Scott was by her side.

He appeared in a flurry of feathers and light. He was wearing his normal jeans and tight fitting black t-shirt and combat boots. His hair fell loosely around his face.

"What’re you doing here Liana? I came as quickly I could. I thought you’d be…" Scott stopped talking as he became aware of Azren.

"Hello, Scott." Azren smiled with a grotesque mouth which was not quite used to smiling anymore. "I'm glad you could make it."

“Matt!” Scott stuttered. “What’re you up too now?”

“Dear brother, you should know that I don’t answer to that foul name anymore. I am Azren, and Azren I shall remain!” He replied with fury.

Scott glanced at Azren then he checked on Liana, concern visible on his face.

"I'm sorry, Scott. I didn't mean for this to happen. Quinn called Azren in some weird ceremony and I guess he’s possessed and I didn’t know…" She faltered as she realized that there was no excuse for opening herself up to danger the way that she had. Scott had warned Liana that he didn’t trust Quinn.

"Ah yes, Quinn,” Scott said as he examined Quinn's glassy eyes. "He's half- possessed by Azren, Liana, I don't think he can be freed." Scott seemed truly sorry about it too, for which sentiment she was grateful.

"But Azren said that he would free him if..." Liana stopped talking as she recognized Azren's trick. She turned to glare at Azren and she saw the amused gleam in his eyes. "You promised you'd let him go!" Liana chided.

"Indeed I did, and I already have, the only problem is that he can't let me go. He's grown accustomed to my presence. He’ll be mostly a shell now without me possessing him, but that’s no longer my concern. Yet, even now he'll obey me. Watch! Quinn, hand me the cup!" Quinn walked over in a trance-like state, picked it up, and handed it to Azren.

"What's in the glass, Liana?” Scott asked, while trying to keep an eye on both Azren and Quinn at the same time.

"Her blood of course!" Azren laughed. Scott whirled to face Azren. And then he glanced back at Liana with horror plainly written on his face.

"Liana, how could you? Don't you get it? Azren never wanted to possess Quinn. He wants to possess you, and once he drinks your blood, he’ll be able to do that, and there’ll be nothing that I can do to stop it." Scott said with anguish.

Liana gasped with sudden horror gripping her heart; "I tried to stop Quinn, but he cut me and then caught my blood in the cup. But surely a few drops aren't enough to cause any harm?"

"He doesn't need a lot." Scott turned in the direction of Azren judging the distance he would have to cross in order to reach him.

"Ah, so it's a fight you want my dear brother?" Azren choked on the vileness of the word brother.

"I would love to fight you." Scott reached into the air next to him with his right hand and pulled a sword from it which he then proceeded to draw with his right hand. It made a smooth chinking sound as he pulled the sword from its’ scabbard. It appeared quite deadly, and Liana stared at it. The blade was a sharp-silvery steel that winked and shimmered as Scott moved into fighting position.

"If we're going to fight, I want you to promise me that you won’t try to spill my precious cup during the fighting." Azren demanded.

"I always fight fairly, even if you don't." Scott spit out with irritation.

Then Azren handed the cup back to Quinn to hold, along with a warning to take care of it and not spill it.

"Now, let’s get down to business!” Azren said as he too pulled a sword out of the darkness surrounding him. It was an evil black blade that sucked the surrounding light into it.

“You’re going to regret this!” Scott yelled, as he and Azren both flew forward and met with a clash of swords in the air. Their swords threw dark and light sparks all around as metal crashed against metal. They fought ferociously for several minutes with neither one gaining the upper hand. Then Scott started to press in on Azren and he was close to winning. Azren sensed that he was about to lose, so he vanished into thin air.

Scott turned quickly but he was a moment too late, because Azren had reappeared behind him, and knocked Scott's sword out of his hand with a surprise blow. Scott's sword went flying off. When it hit a nearby gravestone it shattered, and then disappeared leaving no trace behind.

"Now, kneel!" Azren demanded while holding the tip of his dark blade forcefully against Scott’s throat. Scott didn't have a choice, but Liana could see the pride, anger, and rebellion that he was trying to swallow back.

“I know it was a dirty trick, dear brother, but you fight so fairly, you should accustom yourself to treachery. If you do then you’ll finally become as strong a fighter as I am.” As he spoke Azren held the sword at Scott's throat with one hand, while he summoned Quinn to bring him the cup with the other.

"At last I will possess her! I’ve grown weary of this. It will be so much more of a triumph for me to take control of her body, especially while you watch.” Azren said as he grasped the cup in his free hand.

"What can I do to prevent you from drinking it, Matthew? Can we make a deal? Surely there’s something that you want. Whatever it is, I’ll get it for you. Please, give me the cup." Scott begged in desperation. Azren, who'd already begun to raise the glass to his lips, pulled it away for a moment.

"You’d give anything to save her wouldn't you?" Azren savored his triumph.

"Yes, anything!" Scott said, his eyes full of pleading. His hair was disheveled and clung to his face due to his exertions.

"Then we may be able to come to an arrangement." Azren decided after thinking it over for a moment.

"What do you want in order to let her go?" Scott asked with wariness.

"Ah, nothing much, just Raphael’s sword, you must have it, as you and he were so very close." Azren added.

“But I don’t have it. I told you that before when you were still an angel, and we were trying to find him and his sword. I swear to you that he never gave it to me.” Scott replied.

“Then you’d better find it!” yelled Azren.

“That’s impossible! No one knows where it went after he disappeared. How do you expect me to find it for you?” Scott lamented.

“Well, then I guess we don’t have a deal after all!” Azren began to raise the cup to his lips again.

“NO, Wait! There must be something else you want! Please, don’t destroy her! I could never live with myself if you did. What can I give you? Name it, and it’s yours!” Scott watched Azren with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Azren lowered the goblet again, intrigued.

“Hmm, your plea interests me slightly, although I must say I would love to see the torment that her loss would bring to you. I do have something else that I would like from you. It'll be much easier for you to provide. In fact you’ll be able to give it to me right now.” Azren said with a wicked gleam in his black eyes.

“Well, what do you want? Don’t keep me guessing!” Scott yelled.

“I want your wings.” Azren sneered.

"My wings!" Scott said in surprise.

"Why, yes. I want to cut off your wings just as mine were cut off when I was thrown out of heaven. I want you to feel my pain! You need to feel my loss, dear brother! I think that would be a reasonable trade." He replied, laughing like a maniac.

Before Scott could answer, Liana spoke up; "No, Scott you can't do that!” She cried in shock.

"I must, Liana, I can't bear the thought of you being possessed by him." Scott said contemplating her, as his sadness created pools of liquid blue metal in his eyes.

“Do we have a deal, or not?” Azren demanded, lifting the goblet as a threat.

Scott hung his head in defeat. “Yes.” Then he glanced sadly back over at Liana and whispered.

“I’m sorry that I’ve failed you Liana.”

“You didn’t fail me.” Liana cried.

“Enough sappiness!” Azren yelled. He quickly motioned for Quinn, and then handed the cup back to him. "Hold this again." Quinn grabbed for the glass of wine in a semi-dazed motion.

Then Azren brought his sword up. "You'll have to extend them fully so I can make sure to cut off the whole wing."

Scott followed his instructions. Liana wanted to shout, she wanted to kill Azren. She felt powerless to prevent this tragedy from occurring.

Liana couldn't bear to watch Scott's beautiful wings being sliced away as if they were nothing but garbage. She closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to see the horror about to take place before her. As she waited for the inevitable destruction of his wings, she felt a huge lump rise in her throat.

Liana didn't see it, but she heard a stifled groan as well as the sound of a sword cutting through bone. After a few moments Liana couldn’t help it and she peeked. There on the ground in front of Azren were Scott's perfect silver and white wings lying in the dirt covered with silvery blood. He was bent over in an almost fetal position next to them on the ground with his eyes closed in pain. Liana ran to him and put her arms around him to comfort him. He was barely awake due to the extreme pain he was in.

"And now…back to the original plan, now that Scott’s out of the way, that is.” Azren smiled as he kicked a little dirt onto Scott’s wings, while re-sheathing his sword.

"What do you mean?” Liana asked, fearing that Azren was going to do something even worse to Scott. She didn’t want Scott to be hurt anymore for her sake.

"I’m going to possess you, of course!" Azren said, laughing evilly.

"But, wait you promised..." Even as Liana said it she realized that it'd all been a clever ploy. Azren had continued to trick them, and now Scott was lying incapacitated next to his severed wings.

"You should both know better than to make a deal with the devil." Azren laughed.

Liana lost all hope as a sense of finality washed over her. There was no way out. Scott had lost his wings, and he was in no shape to protect her. She had no way to defend him either, and soon she would be possessed by Azren. She would lose all memory of her love for him. There was nothing Liana could do and no one who could help her. Azren stood gloating over Scott, who was moaning softly.

“That’s right my dear brother, you’ve lost. You were always the loser even when we were still human.” And then to her shock, Azren commenced dancing on Scott’s shorn wings. Scott barely responded, he lay on the cold ground nearby, drifting in and out of consciousness. Liana stood up in a half-daze without Azren taking any notice of her, as he was still gloating. She slowly made her way over to where Quinn was standing in his zombie-like state.

Liana grabbed hold of his arm. "Quinn? Wake up please, Quinn! You have to snap out of it. Do you see what’s going on? Quinn, I need you to take care of Scott once I’m gone. I need you to help him. Please?" As she said this she checked his eyes to see if he was listening.

His eyes never met hers and he didn't answer. It was useless, he was too far gone. Liana thought about slapping him to see if it would wake him up, but decided that it wouldn't do any good.

Even though she figured Quinn wouldn’t hear her, she had to say it anyway;

"I'm sorry that I helped get all of us into this mess. I wish there was something I could do to fix it." Liana wrapped her arms around him and gave him a quick hug. "Goodbye Quinn, I forgive you. I hope you can forgive yourself someday.” She whispered. As she pulled away to go back to Scott and say goodbye to him, Quinn grabbed for her hand.

"Kiss me!” Quinn said softly.

"What?” Liana turned back to him, as she wasn't sure if she'd heard him correctly.

"Shhh, Liana, I'm sorry but I see that I’ve made a huge mistake, but I can fight against Azren. I don't want him to possess you. I'll stop him! The thought of him possessing you tears me apart because I love you. Please kiss me, and tell me goodbye." Liana’s heart sank. Quinn still didn’t realize what was going on. She knew that he was crazy to think he could fight against Azren. She merely hoped that he could recover enough sense to take care of Scott for her. The fact that he appeared to be himself for a moment was a good sign.

"I forgive you, and at least you'll be free once I'm possessed. I need you to take care of Scott…when I’m gone." Liana said.

Quinn didn’t answer her for a moment; "Kiss me please, for me." Quinn begged with tears in his eyes.

"All right,” Liana said, “but, only if you promise to take care of Scott and make sure he doesn't die. I do care about you, Quinn, even though we've had our differences over the last few weeks. You’ve been one of my best friends. I'm sorry to leave you like this. But you'll find a way to get over this, to get over me." Liana leaned in to kiss him. Their lips met and there was no electricity like the previous times they’d kissed. It was a sad kiss, filled with regret. Liana couldn’t help thinking that this was only pouring more salt into his wounded heart.

"Thank you!” Quinn said after she'd pulled away. "Liana, thanks for everything you've done. Now go back to Scott, and tell him I'm sorry. I didn't mean for him to suffer. I was jealous. He’s a good guardian angel, and he’s been a better friend to you than I have. I didn’t know he was your guardian. Azren lied to me. I realize this now. Go, you need to take care of Scott." Quinn said, his whole body was slumped in defeat.

Liana didn't understand what Quinn was talking about, after all he was the one who was going to take care of Scott, but she figured it was better not to push him too much in his fragile mental state. Instead, Liana gave him another hug, and looked into his eyes that now didn't seem quite as distant as they'd been when he'd summoned the demon. He seemed to already be breaking Azren's hold over him. “Thank goodness!” Liana said to herself, it was vital that he take care of Scott for her. She couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Scott to die out here in the cemetery.

Liana walked back over to where Scott was lying on the ground. Azren seemed to have finally had his fill of mocking Scott, and dancing on his wings. "Say your goodbyes, Liana, it's time for me to possess you."

Liana knelt down on the cold ground and ran her fingers through Scott's hair. It was covering most of his face. She moved it out of his eyes hoping that she could wake him for a moment. She wanted him to open his deep blue eyes once more so she could look into them one last time before she was erased. His eyes fluttered for a moment but they didn't open. However his breathing calmed, and he muttered her name. He slowly reached for her hand.

Liana leaned down and put her head on his shoulder and clasped his hand tightly in hers. Then she put her lips by his ear so he could hear her without having to strain;

"I love you Scott. I'm sorry for your sacrifice, and that in the end it seems to have been for nothing. Please don't blame yourself for this! Promise me that you’ll forgive yourself." Liana waited breathless, hoping for a response.

Before she could get an answer from Scott, Azren grabbed her and pulled her up to stand next to him. "I don't want you so close to him when I drink your blood. I'd hate to be next to such goodness when I finally take you." Liana felt like slapping him but she knew it would be a futile act. He took the cup from Quinn.

"Here's to you Liana!" He smiled as he raised the glass in her direction. Then he drank the wine mixed with her blood in one long gulp. After which he dropped the cup on the ground and pulled Liana in close to him. She found it extremely uncomfortable to be that close to Azren. He smelled of death and sulfur.

She closed her eyes to avoid seeing him even though she knew that this time there would be no escape. Nothing happened. Liana waited and after a few moments her impatience overcame a bit of her fear; "How long is this supposed to take, anyway?" Liana asked with irritation, part of her wishing for it to be over already. The anticipation was killing her.

"Something's wrong! Why isn't it working yet?" Azren shrieked. "You shouldn't still be here. I should've taken over by now. I wonder what went wrong?"

"Nothing went wrong." Quinn spoke up. Azren let go of Liana and whirled on Quinn. "What did you do?" Azren demanded his voice full of hate.

"Only saved the girl that I love!” Quinn responded. "It was a simple substitution. At first I thought that I'd pour the wine out and then you'd have lost, but I realized that you wouldn't give up so easily. I knew you'd find another way to possess Liana, so I poured out the drink, and replaced it with a mixture of wine and my blood. Now you'll have to possess me and you can't ever possess Liana." Quinn said as he stood a little taller despite his visible exhaustion and fear.

"Oh, Quinn!” Liana gasped and she ran to hug him. He held her in his arms for a few moments. "I don't know what to say." Liana sobbed into his neck.

"Don't say anything." He held her and stroked her hair. "It's the least I could do after causing so much trouble for you in the first place. Besides, I do love you. How could I live with myself if I let him possess you? It would've been wrong. As it is, my soul is already bound for hell. I figured I should speed up the job." Quinn joked.

"I’ll miss you Quinn. I promise to find a way to release you." Liana let her tears stream down her cheeks.

"Don't count on it, Liana." Azren laughed, as he ran headlong toward Quinn. There was a jolt when Azren met Quinn’s body, and then even as Liana stared into Quinn's eyes, she saw Azren's darkness appear in them.

"Hello, my pretty. How about a kiss now that I can feel things again?" Azren said with Quinn's voice. Liana tried to free herself from Azren but he wouldn't let go. Then all of a sudden his grip slackened.

"Let go of her!" Quinn's voice yelled out. Liana watched a portion of Quinn fighting back.

"Fight him Quinn, don't let him take over!" But before Quinn could respond Azren was back.

"Get away!" Azren pushed her forcefully away, causing her to fall to the ground. "Your presence appears to entice Quinn out from behind his sanctuary that he's built up inside his head to protect himself from me. The fortress that I will, no doubt, shortly destroy."

It was all too much for her and she started crying. Liana desperately searched Quinn's face for some sign that he was still in there. Azren mocked her;

"Don’t fret too much about Quinn. I think I shall have to take this body off to hell, in order to break down the barriers completely so that I may rule it. But don't think that for a minute that all is over between us. I still have a score to settle with both of you!" And with that Azren waved his hand and made a tall swirling black portal appear in front of him. He stepped into it and was gone.

After Azren had disappeared in possession of Quinn's body, Liana wiped the tears from her eyes. Then she turned and crawled over to check on Scott. He was still lying semi-unconscious on the ground.

"Azren!" His eyes slowly opened. "What's going on Liana, did Azren leave yet, where's Quinn? See if he can help me stand up.”

"Quinn's been permanently possessed by Azren." Liana said with sadness catching in her voice.

It took a moment for Scott to register what she was saying. "He's what?"

"He’s been possessed." Then she explained how Quinn had saved her by sacrificing himself.

"I'm not sure I understand." Scott's manner was halting.

"That's okay. I'll explain later, but first let's get you home.” It had begun to snow and the flakes were coming down fast. They were beginning to coat the ground as well as blanketing both of them in a silent white layer. Liana needed to get Scott out of the cold, but it would take a while as she didn't have a car. She thought of Quinn’s car but realized he had the keys to his car in his pocket, and that the keys were most likely in hell by now.

She helped Scott up and put his arm around her shoulder so that he could lean on her. Liana started to walk with him, and despite how awkward it was for her with her small frame to help a tall half-conscious angel, they managed to make their way around all of the gravestones.

It took them forever to reach the gate, and they were both shivering by the time that they did. As they were exiting the cemetery Scott whispered something;

"Wait, we have to take my wings with us." Scott said.

Liana stared at him in dismay. "What? How can I possibly carry them and help you at the same time?"

"I'll carry them." His voice trembled.

"Okay.” Liana said. She supposed it would be a bad idea to leave a pair of severed angel's wings lying in the middle of a cemetery. She leaned Scott up against the wrought iron gate, and after wrapping him with her jacket she went to fetch his wings. It took her a while to find them as the snow had started to cover them up and they blended in. The freezing flakes of snow kept landing in her eyes and made it hard for her to see. She finally found them because of the quicksilver blood that was pooling around them.

Liana picked them up carefully and shook the snow off of them. They felt weightless. She tried to fold them up a bit but they didn't fold very well. The damage that Azren had done didn’t help either. They were awkward to carry because they were so big, and she wondered again how Scott ever managed them when they’d been attached to his body. She walked back to where Scott was leaning heavily against the gate. Liana handed them to him and he folded them up better than she had, and he tucked them under his arm. Then he leaned most of his weight on her again.

At least it was only a few blocks to her house and it was the middle of the night, so hopefully no one would see them walking home. Liana would’ve been freezing except for the fact that she was working so hard to provide support for Scott. She was sweating under the effort. She was grateful for the snow that was falling as it shielded them slightly from view as the occasional car drove by. They must've made an odd site as they walked down the street and they had to stop several times to allow Scott to rest.

After what seemed like an eternity, they made it to Liana’s house. Now came the hard part. She had to find a way to sneak him down into her room without waking her dad. While she was searching for her keys, Scott leaned heavily against the doorframe. Just as she found them, he collapsed, dropping his wings in the process. His head lolled to one side as she grabbed him, pulled him back up and leaned his upper body against the front of the house.

She decided to open the door and scope out the situation. Liana unlocked the door and opened it quietly. All the lights were out and everything was quiet as a tomb. She would have to be stealthy. First she picked up the wings from where Scott had dropped them when he'd collapsed. She set them inside the door against the wall. Next she tried to softly wake Scott but it didn't work. “What if he stayed like that, what if he didn't recover? What if he died? How would she ever explain a dead angel on her doorstep? Quit it!” she told herself. “You’ve got more important things to worry about.” Liana tried to wake him again and this time he came around.

"Come on, we're here. I have to get you inside." He could barely stand and she helped him slowly down the stairs hoping at every moment that he wouldn't collapse again as she couldn't support his whole weight. Somehow they made it all the way to her room and she barely managed to get him to the bed before he passed out again.

She quickly but softly ran back up the stairs to grab his wings and make sure that she'd locked the front door behind her. She carried his wings downstairs and found a sheet in the linen closet. Once back in her room, she turned on the light on her night stand. Then she laid the sheet out in the corner and put his wings on top of it so as not to stain the floor with any dirt or silvery blood.

It was time to give Scott first aid. She bent down to check on him before she ran upstairs to get the first aid kit. As Liana leaned over him she touched his forehead to see if he was feverish. He was cold and clammy, so she covered him with a quilt, and hurried off to find something that might help. She raced up the stairs as quietly as she could in order not to awaken her dad.

Liana had to look in a few places before she found the first aid kit. Finally she found it in the hall cupboard, and was headed downstairs wondering if anything in it would help a wingless angel. Liana must've been gone too long because when she came back she found Scott pacing instead of lying down. "What's wrong?" Liana asked in a worried voice.

“I should think it was obvious actually." Scott snapped. Then he saw the worry on her face. "I'm sorry, I'm in a lot of pain and I'm not thinking straight." He apologized.

"Well, let me help you out. I brought some bandages and some pain medicine, if that will help?” Liana said with uncertainty as to her nursing capabilities, also she had no clue if the medicine would be enough to help with the pain of severed wings.

"I'm fine. I..." Scott's anger left him and he started swaying slightly from side to side and almost collapsed.

"You'd better lay back down." Liana said as she rushed over to help him back to the bed. She put her arm around him and he leaned heavily on her even as he denied needing any help. Liana helped him lie back face down onto her bed again trying carefully to avoid causing more injury to his raw back.

Liana took her jacket off of him and then got some scissors and started by cutting his shirt off. She tried unsuccessfully to pull the shirt away from the wounds on his back. He moaned in agony as she did. She finally managed to get his shirt off him and cleansed the blood from around his wounds. She was going to put some anti-bacterial cream on the wounds but Scott refused to let her do it. He seemed so distraught that Liana sat down on the bed next to him and she put her hand on his forehead and moved his damp hair out of his face. This calmed him. She absently started running her fingers through his hair.

When she realized this, she started to pull her hand away but he grabbed for her hand and said;

"That's comforting, don't stop.” Scott said.

“But I need to bandage your back.” Liana replied.

“It can wait for a bit.” He stated. As she continued to run her fingers through his hair she realized that he was staring into her eyes and that she was staring back. His eyes were magnets. Before she knew what was happening she was leaning in towards him. His eyes were softly shining with warmth and they were deep and suddenly all her pent up desire for him came bubbling to the surface.

Liana leant in to kiss him and as she did so, she became aware of the fact that he was pulling her towards him. He wasn't pushing her away as he'd done so many times before. He wanted her. As they kissed, she felt sparks of electricity enter her body. He pulled her closer to him and they were hungry for each other.

Liana closed her eyes for a moment not sure if this was happening, thinking that when she opened them she would wake up from a nice dream. Yet, when she opened them he was still there. He still wanted her. Liana let herself go, but she was careful of his injured back as she lay down next to him.

Liana didn’t want to force anything, Scott was in no shape to be wholly available to her yet. After a few more moments of kissing she laid his head on her shoulder and stroked his hair as he fell into an exhausted sleep. Liana lay there next to him for a moment. She reached over with her free hand and started her mp3 player. She searched quickly for a specific song. When she found it she hit play. After which she turned off the lamp. The only light in the room now was from the reflection of the moon on the snow outside her window. The song played out in the soft darkness.

As they breathed in and out together, their hearts automatically matched rhythms. Liana thought of the morning and the plans they'd have to make in order to save Quinn. So much had changed, and nothing would ever be the same, but at least for the moment, she and Scott were together. She knew now beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he would belong to her as long as heaven would allow it.

[masterskywalkers]

Reflections | Pillars of Eternity

"The Gods aren't real."

Liana freezes, abruptly stopping her prior pacing.

Those words ...

"But you knew that already. Didn't you?"

Iovara speaks with a wary softness, as if she were consoling a young child. Liana shakes her head, expression curling up in revulsion. She wraps her arms around herself, clinging so tightly her knuckles whiten under such force.

"You speak blasphemy with such ease, Iovara," Liana spits, head turning to one side slightly so she can watch Ivoara from where she knelt across the room. She ignores how a tight ache builds within her chest at the way Ivoara watches her. How her eyes shine with desperate longing - a longing for Liana to understand.

"My words can only be blasphemy if they are built upon lies. You have seen what Thaos does; the lengths he goes to -"

"Stop it," Liana growls, turning to face Ivoara as she slowly rises and moves towards her.

"But you know it, Liana," Iovara presses. "I know you do. Better than anyone else here."

"What I know is that the work Thaos does is to protect civilisation, to help guide it. Without that guidance we are all lost."

"Oh, Liana."

Gently, Iovara presses a hand against Liana's cheek, her thumb rubbing in smooth circles against her skin. Liana watches as a sad smile appears upon her lips, causing her own brow to furrow deeper in response to it.

"I am sorry, my love. I know that that is what you believed - what you want to still believe. But tell me: do you honestly believe what Thaos does is for the better? That what even he believes is fair? Does our civilisation not deserve to know the truth of those they worship? Are they not worthy of making their own choices for the paths and beliefs?"

Liana's eyes fall closed, and for a moment she leans into Iovara's calming touch. But the creases upon her forehead remain, and the comfort she takes brief. Shaking her head, Liana pulls away. She takes a step back, distancing herself from Iovara. The war of conflict battling within her eyes is clear for Iovara to see playing out, its battle reflected in Liana's eyes.

"I am his Inquisitor, Iovara," Liana begins, voice low. "You know what that means if what you suggest is true?"

It would mean Liana's hands were forever coated red. That every heretical life she took from this world would have been for nothing. Every confession she had managed to pull out of someone, meaningless.

Things had been easier, before. Before Iovara became the thorn in Thaos' side. Back when Liana had simply been a missionary, delivering the words Thaos spoke of religion and the Gods across the lands. She never thought to question, never thought to wonder.

Now however there is too much. Too much, and not enough to understand.

Things had been easier when all Liana had to do was act. Act, and not consider. Not dwell on bigger threads involved.

"You do not have to be his Inquisitor anymore," Iovara says. "Stay here. With us, with me."

A long stretch of silence passes between the two of them, both watching the other. Wondering. Yet as time passes and Liana remains quiet, Iovara eventually sets her glance to the ground, letting out a sigh.

"Take what time you need. On the morrow we head for Ossionus. The sooner we retreat Thaos' armies, the better."

Liana watches as Iovara leaves her, preparing the next days travels.

And for a long time after she's left alone, Liana works to convince her warring thoughts that Thaos knows best.

Oh, she prays he does.

"C'mon, snap out of it."

With a shuddering gasp, Faeluna is pulled out of the memory.

Her chest heaves with each breathe as she searches around her, trying to remember where and who she was. Her mind feels like rushing waves, the sound of the voices dull against the collision of all she is recalling.

"- she's as mad as the elf. Madder, even!"

"Durance..."

"Pay him no mind, Aloth. Or err - Iselmyr? No one's mad here."

A hand falls onto Faeluna's shoulders, pulling her out of her recollections. She looks up at Edér, noticing how his worry over her and her rapidly degrading state of mind remains hidden behind a kind smile.

"You back with us, Faeluna?"

Faeluna blinks, shaking her head quickly in an effort to push the last tendrils of the memory away.

"I think so," she replies, eyes darting amongst those around her. Apart from Durance - who seemed mildly annoyed by what had happened - both Kana and Aloth seem to share in the same concern Edér carries.

"What was it you saw this time?" Aloth asks, voice as soft as his expression. Faeluna finds the openness of the way he watches her somewhat uncomfortable, her gaze quickly falling to where she lightly tugs at her sleeve for comfort. Her forehead furrows, pieces of what she's seen drifting within her thoughts.

A voice speaks in answer.

A voice which is not her own.

"She was remembering."

Faeluna quickly follows the sound, looking to the spirit that remains behind Kana and Durance. The very spirit that had caused her mind to spiral, whose words sent her back to another lifetime.

"Iovara."

She doesn't notice it at first. How a lone tear slowly trails down her cheek. Iovara's gaze softens, and although Faeluna had not thought about speaking, words quickly tumble their way past her lips.

"I'm so sorry. For all of it."

They aren't her words, that Faeluna understands. Neither is the answer Iovara gives for her either.

"Oh, my love. I know."

#pillars of eternity #the watcher #iovara #my writing #ch: faeluna #ch: liana #ch: iovara #just a little something that's been on my mind regarding faeluna's past life incarnation #i haven't written much for liana and iovara so ... this is a first :3

[tomas-visser]

🍪 :))

holiday ask meme

Tomas shook his head profusely, knowing this had to be Miguel’s idea of a fantastic partnership into a great future, now featuring a Trojan horse in the name of Liana. “No we are not doing weed cookies,” he flat out denied her that Christmas joy of whatever they enjoyed, moving along his way through the Prometheus buildings. Liana had made it back with him to his set kitchen, while he had the kitchen free for himself, he was not going to elicit baking those in his kitchen, in any kitchen or station he ran with. Miguel had came up to him time and time again with this crazy business venture idea, they’d make millions! Also get everyone high! It’ll be great! Tomas doesn’t want any part of that. Especially knowing first it’ll be weed, the next it’ll be crack, and then going on to harder drugs and ketamine and remembering Juno and Chey falling unto that terrible pit where dragging them back out was painful. Liana seemed so in control of her own usage, yet, Tomas couldn’t help but worry about the out she might fall into as well, especially with Miguel supplying. “Look we’ll make some regular cookies okay? Tell Miguel he can do whatever he wants with them after.”

#none of these gifseven make sense anymore #i hate that i can't fix this gif either #but christmas gifs #heart eyes #ch: Liana #;memes #clearwvter

[turn2die]

“It’s not exactly a confession but for some reason during the scene where they were singing (best part of 3b btw I could go on a whole rant about this) my brain was like “ah yes they’re singing rises the moon by liana flores” and now I think about that whenever I hear the song”

#op ik u said this isnt a confession but i am going to check out this song now #also v good part of 3b i agree #your turn to die #yttd #kimi ga shine #kgs #turn2die_opinions #ch 3 #ch 3b #liana flores

[lesbianechinocereus]

I have no idea if this will make it to my final draft but I wrote some dialogue just because

context: mech pilots z and wulfsige have a chat after a successful mission together (also i just wanted to write a confession scene :shyemoji:)

Z stretched her arms and sighed, floating her way down the hallway. As soon as she boarded the ship, a tension that had been there the whole mission dropped off her face.“Well, I guess that went well. Can’t say I’m a fan of normal gravity after my first time planetside.”

Liana turned around, blocking Z’s path through the ship. “You’re taking this oddly well for someone who almost died.”

Z flashed her biggest smile at Liana. “Would have died, if it weren’t for you! Dinner’s on me tonight, we can forget about all this over whatever the chef’s serving.”

“Z, look… I don’t think I can forget this. Do you know what I was feeling when that shot almost hit you? I kept thinking about what I’d do without you, how empty I’d feel without you to rely on. I’m not sure I can keep doing this.”

Z grabbed the nearby wall and pulled herself close to it, preparing for a longer conversation than she expected. “I know the risks, Liana, and so do you. I’m not backing down when we’re in this deep, so if you want me by your side the only way is for you to keep fighting at this point. Not to mention that Spider’s an overgrown paperweight without you.”

Liana kept eye contact, but her head was facing down at her hands now. “I know that, and I wouldn’t give up the fight anyways. This about… the thing we talked about earlier. If I can’t have a guarantee from you that you’ll be around next month or even tomorrow then I can’t just treat you as a professional.” Liana held her arms out wide. “You were right, I hope you enjoy it.”

Z pushed herself forwards until she was up against Liana, grabbing her waist to keep the two of them together, looking up to match where Liana had turned her head to avoid her, “So… you want my hands on you right now to mean something more than physical stability? I can work with that just fine if you’ll let me.”

Liana reached down and wrapped her hands around Z in turn, pulling her up until their heads were nearly touching. “...yes. I know what I said, but I’m tired of pretending I don’t have feelings for you to try and protect us. It doesn’t even work anyways. I… I love you, but I guess you already knew that.”

“I did, but I won’t deny that hearing it makes it sweeter.” 

#wip: the one with the sentient giant robots #ch: pilot z #ch: pilot liana

[artofdisneyfairies]

Disney Fine Art- Painting by Liana Hee

--Please, don’t remove credit--

#gallery art #a: liana hee #ch: tink

[hellfire--cult]

Baring Teeth {Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader} - Ch. 7

Picture for Banner: pitifulbaby

Chapters: Masterlist (Go here to see list of chapters.)

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Non-Traditional Omegaverse, Slow burn, Modern!AU, Mechanic!Eddie

⚠️Warnings: Ab*se, Violence, Mental Health, Cursing, Smut (mild), treat it as a normal Enemies 2 Lovers book, but the A/B/O dynamic will appear at some point. Trauma, manipulation, dirty talk, omegaverse topics.

Crossposted on: Wattpad & AO3

A/N: I promise, we're entering the mature zone soon! Just gotta be patient with me ;) Remember, all reblogs are very much appreciated, as well as your comments!

Also! I am uploading a very short story about Stripper!Eddie and a very Shy reader ;) Here you go.

Anyways, Enjoy!

<- Prev. chapter - Next chapter ->

Chapter 7

“Please, please, give me a break, I can’t do this again, please!” You yelled while laying on the hospital’s bed, your upper body propped up with each foot hooked into some metal pedals in each corner of the bed to keep your legs spread.

The doctor pulled away, looking up from in between your legs with pity eyes and shook her head.

“We can’t stop the process sweetheart, a pause can cause an alteration and we’re already more than halfway there! I promise!” You were processing what she was saying, with tears streaming down your cheeks, your bottom lip busted open from biting onto it way too hard to control your cries. The pain was unbearable, feeling like you were being split open, your insides being ripped apart. 

But you wanted this. You both wanted this. Something is wrong with you, it has to be. There’s no other explanation for it, no matter if the doctors ran a bunch of tests on you and said everything should really be fine, you didn’t believe that. Something was not working, but you really wanted this. 

So you nodded for your doctor to proceed, and the pain worsened from there.

———————————————————————————

“Buckley!” You busted the bar doors open in a slam, red faced, completely pissed off, already strutting towards the all too well booth and there she was. Hiding behind Steve at the corner of the seat, and your glare was digging a bullet through her skull. Robin gulped and looked over Steve’s shoulder.

“H-Hi! I’m sorry I didn’t–”

“Sorry?! You left me to do Hargrove’s presentation all by myself! And now I find you drinking again after telling me you felt sick in your stomach today! What’s the fucking deal Robin!?” You were pissed, so much, you didn’t notice the man sitting across Robin while he took a sip of his beer.

“Shit, baby, I’m sorry– I just didn't feel like going into work today either, and now I feel better!” She tried to excuse herself but you shook your head at her, sitting inside the booth, right next to the man that was looking at you as if you were crazy because you still hadn’t noticed him, and now you were sitting next to him.

Your eyes were filled with rage, and also another feeling you didn’t want to feel with Robin. You were feeling used. As if she had taken advantage of you for this project, but you didn’t even have to punish her for it, because–

“Beer for She-Hulk.” You heard Jonathan talk, and he knew you too well, placing the cold beer right in front of your face. Whenever you were angry, you ordered beer instead of a sweet drink. You grabbed onto the bottle and took a large sip of it, Steve’s eyes frowning in worry as he looked back and forth to you and the man next to you.

“Um–” Robin began and you slammed your bottle on the table, giving a huge sigh. You looked down at the condensation of the bottle, and you knew you would have to deliver the news to Robin. So without looking up, you kept staring at the label of the beer.

“Mrs. Liana took you off our project.” And silence fell on the table. Robin was looking at you, completely perplexed as you kept looking down at the bottle. She knew she didn’t help you much with the project, but it still stung in her heart that she was ripped away from it.

“You didn’t stop her?” She asked you and you looked up at her with a frown on your eyebrows.

“What did you want me to say? All the beta presentations of the project were done by me because you didn’t know what to say Robs. No matter if I did a speech for you or not! And then, the final presentation and you didn’t show either!” You did try to help Robin be more into the project, knowing it was a big opportunity for the both of you, but she was busy with Vickie visiting, or going out with Steve, or ‘feeling sick’.

Robin was looking now at her own bottle of beer, feeling completely dejected. She knew she had it coming, her own negligence kicking her right back in the ass. She sighed and took a sip of her drink, giving you a nod.

“It’s fine. I deserve it. But it means more work for you then.” You wanted to yell at her, telling her that she didn’t really help, so it would really just remain the same for you. You took a deep breath in, calmed down, and gave Robin a nod.

“Yes. But it’s fine, I can handle it.” You shrugged and took another sip, a little bit calmer now. You were stressed because of this, because it meant all the meetings and getting together with clients will be thrown your way, but this was nothing. You liked the distraction.

“Hey, I’m sorry… I had my head stuck in useless stuff.” You shook your head at her and smiled sadly.

“Hey, at least you got a life. I only have my work, and a list of useless people that don’t know how to satisfy someone else’s needs.” You say, taking out a pack of flavored marlboro from your suit’s pocket. You were in the smoking section of the bar, and each booth had vents over their heads to keep the smoke out. You lit it up to take a large swig out of the stick, letting the smoke fill your lungs to then exhale out, feeling your muscles relax.

“Um…” You heard Steve call you out and you looked at him with a confused look on your face, but he wasn’t looking at you. You followed his gaze towards the person that was sitting next to you, and had been staring at you since you sat down.

Brown irises locked with your own eyes, and you felt a cold sweat invade you, but no anger came to your chest. You were far too stressed for this bullshit, so you sighed heavily and rested against the back of the booth, looking back towards the bottle. 

“Great.” You say, taking a sip of your drink while holding the smoke on your other hand. 

“I don’t know how you didn’t notice me.” Eddie asks you while taking another sip of his drink, his stomach was in a knot while sitting next to you, and he could sense your distress ever since you entered the bar. 

“You aren’t the center of the world Munson, or my world for that matter. Sorry to disappoint you.” You say bitterly and Eddie bit the inside of his bottom lip to contain the snarky remarks he wanted to say to you, but Steve shot him one glare with a shake of his head. Eddie let out a shaky, angry, breath and clenched his jaw tightly.

“About the other night–”

“Please don’t.” You immediately spat out through your teeth. You didn’t have the energy to deal with his half ass apology, and you weren’t in the mood of apologizing either. Eddie’s eyes perked up at your response and looked at you, his mood souring each minute it passed.

“I’m trying to be civil here, Peach.” He calls you out and you roll your eyes towards the ceiling, taking another swig of your cigarette, looking at him to blow the smoke into his face. He closed his eyes but didn’t flinch, his body heating up with anger as he opened them up to look at you again.

“Forget about it. You trying to be civil Munson is like a penguin learning to fucking fly.” And you heard Steve sigh heavily, rubbing his eyes with his hand while Robin stared at the interaction. Eddie scoffed, slamming the bottle on the table to look at you.

“What is your fucking problem? I am trying to apologize, and you can’t help but be an insufferable cunt.” 

“Look in the mirror Munson.” You took a large swig of the cigarette, putting it out in the ashtray. “Like I said, forget it. I don’t want half assed apologies you don’t really want to make, and we don’t have to act like we tolerate each other. Yeah?” You say, blowing the smoke out of your lips as you talked. The panging on your chest was due to realizing you were sitting next to your mortal enemy, but it increased knowing he wanted to lie to you.

An apology? From him? Yeah, right.

“What the hell are you even smoking?” He asked, grabbing the pack in front of you to inspect it. “Does this really say Melon flavored? Jesus christ.” He dropped the pack back in front of you to take a sip of his own beer. You were about to retort to him, tell him he can shove his original flavored camels right up his ass, but your phone started to ring. 

You pulled it out, the tune of Harry Potter filling the air as you looked at the caller ID. You didn’t recognize the number, so it might be from your work. You sighed. You didn’t expect to have these kinds of calls right after your final presentation. You believed this would happen after meeting with a few clients, giving them your contact for future conversations. You slid the green button and put the phone in your ear.

“Hello?” You greet, taking a sip of your beer.

“Hi there Mousy.”

You spat it all over Steve and the table before you. Coughing wildly as you patted your chest to regain your breathing. Steve had stood up with a yell, trying to wipe his face and clothes as Robin let out a wild laugh, pointing at the stains on his shirt. Eddie was just bewildered at the interaction, but couldn’t help but hold in strangled chuckles in his throat.

“Shit!” You yell, grabbing onto a napkin to wipe away your mouth and hand Steve some more as he glared at you. 

“Damn, did I call at a bad time?” You heard him chuckle on the other side, and you felt nerves and warmth invade your whole body. He sounded way too good on the phone, Jesus christ. 

“I– wait–” You stood up, motioning for Robin to keep an eye on your stuff and she nodded at you while holding her giggles in, trying to fix Steve’s hair. The brown haired guy was still glaring at you as you made motion with your hand as a sorry. You stepped away from the booth, walking outside of the bar to talk a little bit more privately. “Sorry, I’m at a bar with friends and could barely hear you.”

“Ah, so I did call at a bad time.” He says, and you could even hear the smile on his face as he did, because he wasn’t going to hang up. You bit your bottom lip, holding back a smile as you scratched your cheek nervously. 

“How did you get my number?” You ask him and you hear some clinking on the other side, and then a gulp. You licked your lips at the sound and you cursed at the sky for how needy you were being that the sound of ‘gulping’ was making you horny.

“Well, my agent told me you are my editor in chief for that article, so of course I asked for your number so we could stay in touch, you know… just in case.” He was smirking against the phone and you know it. “I never call other people that aren’t acquaintances on my personal phone… But I can make an exception for you, Mousy.”

Oh, he was smooth. He was telling you he was calling you from his personal phone instead of the work related one. Meaning that the only person with access to this phone, was him only, and not his agent. You gripped onto the phone tightly against your ear and you let out a small giggle.

“Is that supposed to impress me Mr. Hargrove? Remember, we work together now.” You explain to him and you hear him laugh on the other side.

“Alright, humor me then, Mousy. When’s the next meeting happening?” You scrunched up your nose in thought and counted the days in your head.

“I believe is next wednesday Mr. Hargrove. Curtis Delore was very interested in your Balenciaga design.” You explain to him and you hear him whistle on the other side. 

“Delore, huh. But Wednesday? Don’t you think it’s a little far away?” Oh, things are turning interesting now. You licked the inside of your right cheek, feeling your stomach fill with butterflies at the attention this man was giving you.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I thought I could meet with you tomorrow. Discuss my work, and what we should say to the clients, just so all of our stories match.” Your breath was knocked out of your lungs. He was asking you out, this model was asking you out, on a saturday.

“Oh, we can definitely do that.”

“Great–” 

“On monday, at my office.” You reply to him, and on the other side of the phone, Billy Hargrove was stunned. He was rejected. Holy fuck, he was rejected. He should be angry, hang up, because no one belittled him like that. No one.

Yet, you… for whatever reason it is, he couldn’t help it. He was adoring this game of cat and mouse, which he never did, much less for someone like yourself. It’s not that you weren’t beautiful, but he always went for people of his same radius. Meaning actresses, models, singers. Famous people. 

None of the relationships Billy had lasted more than two months. The relationships were empty, filled with sex and empty conversations, fake interviews, fake scenarios his agent made him make up and talk about them in a talk show. He never had to flirt more than one night, much less go through the hustle of almost begging for someone’s number. But you were like a drug to him right now, and he wanted more, desired more. 

“Ah, so the game is still on, very well.” Your heart was on your throat, and you were about to say goodbye to him but suddenly his voice deepened in your ear and you almost dropped your device to the floor. “Mousy, one of these days you are going to come to me, on your own accord… And I’ll show you just how good I can make you feel.”

Your breathing became heavy as you clenched your legs together. Heat was rushing from your core, going all over your body at his words. You wanted to take it all back, tell him you’ll meet tomorrow, because the tension was too strong right now, and you could barely handle it. You knew that you wouldn’t be able to satisfy yourself tonight, or the day after now. There was no way.

“I–”

“Goodbye Mousy. See you on monday.” And like that, you heard the line click. Your mouth was open, staring at nothing, slowly blinking as you felt the air leaving your mouth but not feeling it really filling up your lungs. After two seconds of processing what happened, you smiled and squealed loudly, doing a little jump in your place as you tightened the phone to your chest.

You were sure he would believe you were rejecting him there, and to be honest, you were unsure if that would have been the right decision to do when he was kind of your employer in this article. But it’s temporary, literally month temporary, so you two wouldn’t be working together for long. You couldn’t help the smile on your face, walking back into the bar and sitting in the booth again, not caring any longer of who was sitting next to you.

“I’m sorry Steve.” You said with a wince as you saw how badly he was glaring at you, your smile dropping immediately at his state. His hair was pushed back, with the wet stains all over his polo shirt.

“Who called for you to react like that?” Steve asked with a sneer as Robin kept wiping his hair away with a tissue, grimacing at the smell of beer in his hair.

“Oh, that was–” And you froze. This wasn’t a hook up from the dating app, nor a stranger you see on the street. He might not even want this to be public, this teasing of yours, or this friendship, or whatever it is. Not even to your own friends. You felt your chest press on you and gulped, giving him a soft smile. “My mom.”

“So you jump like a high school girl when your mom calls you? You must love her very much.” Eddie said next to you, with venom in his tone now. You winced under your breath but kept the smile on your face as you turned to look at him.

“That I do.” You saw his jaw clench and unclench and he was fighting with everything in him to not call you out. But he had to calm down, breathing deeply and giving you a nod, turning to look at Robin. He knows that it wasn’t your fault that she was pushed aside from that project, and he knew you were feeling bad about it. He noticed it when your bottom lip quivered when you said she wasn’t going to participate in it anymore.

But now, you were lying again. So he took a big sip out of his beer, taking it all in one go. He raised his hand up to Jonathan to ask for another one, and when he came to the table, everyone ordered another set of beers, except for you.

“A Strawberry Daiquiri.” You said to Jonathan and he raised his eyebrows up at you with a confused look on his face.

“Not angry anymore? Sitting next to Munson? Really?” Robin was squinting while staring at you, wondering what was going on, but she knew you would tell her sooner or later. Right? You were looking at your phone, saving the newest contact on your list.

‘B. H.’

“Yeah, I’m in a better mood now.”

End of chapter 7

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Taglist is open! Remember to comment or send me an ask so I can put you in here!

Taglist: @enam3l @katethetank @seatnights @oliskitten @bebe07011 @seventhlevelofhell @babez-a-licious @arsenicred @bl4ckt00thgr1n @harrysgothicbitch @emma77645 @fictionalcomforts @hellv1ra

#eddie munson #stranger things #eddie munson fics #fanfiction #eddie munson x fem!reader smut #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson enemies to lovers #eddie munson ff #eddie munson lives #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson fandom #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson smut #eddie munson fanfiction #eddie munson stranger things #eddie x you #stranger things eddie #eddie x female reader #eddie x fem!reader #eddie x reader #alpha eddie munson #alpha beta omega #omegaverse #slow burn #enemies to lovers #smut #fluff #billy hargrove #steve harrington #billy hargrove x female reader

[wow-its-saki]

Gello Jello and mostly hello!

★--•--༄--༄--༄--༄--༄--༄--༄--༄--•--★

Lil' intro on who i am, i'm Saki/Nubi! I use use she/they and i like to reblog random stuff i like :)

➪ 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚏𝚏 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚎 ۞

I'm a minor sooo don't be weird ig? Thx

I am from The Balkans (aka Serbia)

Fun fact: l am 100 meters from your location and approaching rapidly, Start running.

I don't have siblings but l do have alot of cousins-

I listen to Pogo, IC3PEAK, Gorillaz, Kero Kero Bonito and Mitski

My birthday is on March 3th

I like to draw sometimes but i'm pretty insecure about my art 👉👈

i am a genderfluid, bisexual, poly and aegosexual kind of fruity person

My timezone is CE(S)T btw

I have Adhd and maladaptive daydreaming 👍

➪ 𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚖𝚜 ۞

Red - Meh still kinda in it (but i don't talk much about it

Yellow - It's cool but not that interesting anymore (but if you want to i can talk with you about it)

Green - YES. (Extra yes if its my blog theme)

Arcane, Hazbin hotel (+ troxa-chan), helluva boss, blueycapsule, mcyt, dsmp, ENA, Baldis Basics, Bendy and the ink machine, cookie run kingdom, FNAF, Ch, Camp Camp, Clover 2020 (OR3O), hiimmarrymarry, Turning Red, flamingo (Albert) + earthworm sally, spongebob squarepants, The Loud house, Angelo Rules, The Romanovs (movie), bendy and boris the quest for the ink machine, Middle most post, The amazing world of gumball, Gorillaz, Isadora Moon + Mirabelle Starspell, The Owl House

Yes i know alot of these are cartoons-

➪ 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚊 ۞

My tik tok is wowza_its_saki

My discord is SAKI ! | (• ◡•)|#7584

➪ 𝚛𝚞𝚕𝚎𝚜 ★

I don't allow any: nsfw blogs, homophobes, islamphobes, racists, MAPS, Balkanphobes and ableists

Please don't send me pictures of bugs up close. I have entomophobia since l was four (entomophobia is being scared of bugs and insects) and that shit freaks me out. Blame that one spongebob episode.

Please do not talk about alcohol, suicide. Just don't.

As long as you are not a idiot ur welcome.

➪ 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚜 ۞

My alt blog is @saki-is-a-dumb-panda

My c!Saki blog is @engineer-saki

My Gelian and Aelia blog is @theenergysun-thetiredmoon

➪ 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚜 ۞

my cool parents: @asexual-birbs-stuff and @brainsanalysis (r.i.p. i will miss you two), @ttakinou and @feverish-dove, @mcyt-sh1t, @snowblowssoftly, @icarusthefoolish

My annoying (/j) ass siblings: @stickthebonsai, @i-am-an-abyss-of-gender, @make-things-make-sense, @txbixs, @loverboyyy-hh, @eggs-for-breakfast

My hitman brother: @mcytblr-hitman (he is not annoying <3 /p)

My poggers aunts/uncless: @amintyworld, @kyliecatqueen, @glitchyrose202, @blackstar-gazer, @awkwardmoonflowers, @teaofthechamomile

My lovely platonic partners: @jaime-exists and @friendly-neighborhood-shitposter, @theracoonweeb

They are just there: @little-duck (they are my aunt, my sibling and maybe even my parent. Who knows)

My amazing child: @molotovedbyanangel

============༄☾︎𑁍𑁍☽︎༄============

============༄☾︎💗☽︎༄============

#saki's pinned post #arcane #camp camp #clover or3o #fnaf #hazbin hotel #saki has a mouth. wow #Spotify #Turning Red #albertsstuff #earthworm sally #the loud house #spongebob squarepants #Angelo Rules #the romanovs #bendy and boris the quest for the ink machine #isadora moon #mirabelle starspell #the owl house

[10dance]

10 Dance ch. 37 early preview

Vol. 8 of MYM will have 10 Dance chapter 37! It’ll be released on July 19th. Inoue-sensei’s teacher posted an early preview on the 12th where we see Sugiki talking with Liana! The tweet writes that Liana shares some “alien qualities” that Sugiki has, and if it weren’t for Giulio, Sugiki might very well be married to another alien.

Sugiki’s hotness aside, it’s super rare that we get a preview image a week before the new chapter, and maybe there will be more in the coming days 👀. We freak out over previews in the discord server so feel free to join.

Preview image (let’s see if linking to Twitter works)

#10dance #10 dance #information #10 dance chapter 37 #10 dance volume 7 #I am deceased

[ofangelsanddevils]

Illusion ch 15 Day of the dead

Quinn’s idea to hold a memorial at May’s grave for the Day of the Dead had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now that the day was here, Liana wasn’t so sure that she wanted to hold the ceremony anymore. Liana knew Quinn wanted her to be the only other person there, as it was his idea but she’d decided to invite Scott. Quinn was still being pushy about wanting to date her, and she needed a buffer, even if it meant some arguing between the two of them. The next time that Scott was on duty watching her during school she invited him to come along. Liana asked him right after Art class, as they were walking to his car. Scott seemed reluctant to talk to her about it for a few moments.

“Don’t you want to come?” Liana asked him again, thinking that maybe he’d been too preoccupied to hear her the first time.

Finally Scott answered her. When he turned to her, there was a solemnity to his tone;

“No, I think it’s silly because May's not gone. She’s in heaven, and you should know this because she’s visited you.” Scott was holding her hand again as they walked to his car, something that always stood out in her mind, but that she doubted was very memorable to him.

“Besides,” he said, when Liana was about to voice a protest; “I don’t want to be around Quinn, if he’s going, then I'm not going.”

“Well, I can’t tell him not come, it was his idea in the first place.” Her frustration was visible.

“Ok, then, I guess it’ll be just the two of you.” Scott said with a touch of irritation. Liana figured Scott didn’t want to deal with Quinn because of all of the false accusations and the fights that they’d been having lately.

Liana was glad that both Quinn and Scott were still willing to be friends with her, even though it was awfully hard navigating the demilitarized zone between them. Liana was always afraid that if she leaned too heavily toward one side or the other that she’d cause more battles.

She was still upset with Quinn for having accused Scott of taking advantage of her in the locker room. And he still wouldn’t let go of the idea that Scott was out to harm her, but she couldn’t tell Quinn that Scott was actually her guardian angel. It wasn’t her secret to divulge.

Scott drove her home and waited until Quinn showed up before he left. As they were changing the guard, Scott pulled Liana in for a hug which was out of character, and whispered into her ear;

“Be careful tonight, Okay? I’ve got some things that I’ve got to take care of, so I won’t be able to keep an eye on you. If you need me, don’t forget to use the medallion to call me.” Then he left, barely acknowledging Quinn with a nod of his head. Quinn was exceedingly irritable until Scott drove away.

“What was that all about? As if I didn’t know. He told you to watch out for me, didn’t he? He’s got some nerve after all that he’s been up to.” Quinn said, with an evil glare in the direction Scott had driven off in.

“When are you going to give it a rest already? Scott’s not a demon, and all of your wishing for it won’t make it so.” Liana challenged.

“Fine! Let’s agree to disagree about this. It doesn’t matter what I say, you’ll never believe that he’s bad for you.” Quinn replied, kicking the leaves around the lawn for a moment to emphasize his vehemence.

Quinn wanted to wait until it got dark so Liana suggested that they watch T.V. while they waited. Quinn tried to put his arm around her while they were watching a sitcom, but Liana wasn’t interested and she scooted away from him. He immediately jumped up to raid the kitchen for food, and by the way he rattled cupboards, she could tell that he was upset. When he got back to the couch he seemed to have calmed down. But things were still a bit tense between the two of them.

After a while, sitting next to him on the couch became intolerable for Liana. There wasn’t a happy medium for Quinn, either he was upset or he was trying to cuddle with her. She wanted him to be neutral. After another half hour of Quinn and Liana being uncomfortable around each other, she decided that she couldn’t stand it anymore;

“Can we grab the stuff and head off to the cemetery?” Liana asked in the most innocent manner she could muster.

“Yeah, that works.” Quinn replied, reading between the lines and understanding that Liana would do anything to get off the couch, and away from his constant unspoken reminder that she couldn’t love him the way he wanted her to. Liana fixed her ponytail again, as it was coming loose, and she grabbed a jacket on the way out of the house.

The sun was going down as they drove to the cemetery, and the slanting late autumn light shone right in her eyes. Liana had to put her hand up to shield them. Quinn pulled up in front of the cemetery and parked in the lot next to the front gate. The gate was made of wrought iron, and was black with age.

It was still uncomfortable to be so near Quinn who was not good at hiding his irritation at her, so she hopped out of the car and headed for the gate. She left Quinn to collect the things that they needed. She paused only long enough to collect her gift for May. As she opened the gate it shrieked in agony like a dying bird. The sound sent shivers racing down her spine. She waited just inside the entrance.

Liana stared at the sky, the sun was nearly gone and it'd gotten much colder as the sun had set. Perhaps Scott had been wiser than her after all. A cold breeze played with the hair that had fallen out of her ponytail. It made her feel vulnerable.

Liana absently wondered why Quinn hadn’t chosen an earlier time when it would’ve still been light, when everyone else who celebrated the Day of the Dead would’ve still been there as well. Liana glanced at her watch, Quinn was taking forever. She turned back to his car that was parked on the other side of the fence. She could see him rummaging in the trunk. Liana didn't feel entirely comfortable going into the cemetery by herself, but she swallowed back her nervousness and proceeded to May's headstone.

As she walked she noticed that several of the graves had been covered with offerings and mementos for the lost loved ones. She contemplated the people who'd obviously put so much thought and care into their gifts. It was both touching and heartbreaking.

Once Liana reached May’s grave, she read the inscription again, even though she didn’t need to. Liana knew it by heart. May Laurel Everett: Life is much darker without your presence. Beloved daughter and sister.

She closed her eyes for a moment to stop the tears that welled up from deep inside. While her eyes were closed, Liana was suddenly grabbed from behind. She screamed and turned to fight off her attacker.

"Relax, Liana it's only me!” Quinn laughed.

"You scared me half to death, Quinn! Don't sneak up on me like that!" Liana shouted, as she lowered her arms to her sides.

“Sorry.” He said. His smile belied his statement. A sudden flurry of leaves caused by an evening breeze swirled around Liana’s feet and tickled at her legs.

“Still scared, Liana?” Quinn asked, a smirk on his face.

“No.” Liana lied, “it's freakin' cold out here, so let's get this over with." She was beginning to feel strange about the whole thing. The evening breeze was nippy so she zipped up her jacket against its' searching icy fingers.

“Hey, Quinn, why don’t we come back when it’s warm and the sun is out? There’s no reason why we have to do this tonight.” Liana said, hoping to convince Quinn to leave the cemetery. Liana was not feeling brave at the moment.

Quinn stared at her as if she were crazy. “Today is the Day of the Dead. You’re supposed to do it today, Liana.”

"Okay! But the least we could’ve done is come earlier when other people were here, and when it wouldn’t have been so cold.” Liana tried to hide her irritation and unrest.

"I already explained about why we are doing it now. No more arguments about this, okay? Did you bring something to place on May's grave?" Quinn asked. Then he proceeded to pull out some short fat black candles which he carefully placed in a small circle in front of May’s grave. After which he pulled out his lighter.

“Yes.” She said as she watched the candles flicker to life. “I brought her a stuffed animal of mine that she coveted when we were younger. I figured it’d make a good gift.” Liana placed the blue stuffed rabbit against May’s headstone.

Quinn nodded his approval as he continued to empty his backpack.

Quinn pulled out a bottle of red wine and a brass goblet. The goblet was undecorated. Quinn placed the goblet in the center of the lighted circle and then proceeded to open the wine.

“How did you get the wine, Quinn?” Liana raised an eyebrow.

“Pretty cool, huh?” He said, as he poured some into the goblet.

“I don’t know, I’ve never drunk before, I’m not sure that I want to.” Liana answered, shaking her head no as punctuation to her statement.

“Relax it’s for the memorial, we’re not going to drink it, silly.” He replied, with a mocking smile on his face.

After replacing the cork he put the bottle back into his bag and took out a Swiss Army knife.

"What's the knife for Quinn, a blood sacrifice?” Liana tried to make a joke, even though she was frightened.

"Actually, yes!” Quinn stated, while inspecting the knife.

"That's not the answer I was hoping for.” She laughed, thinking that Quinn was still teasing, but he didn’t say that he was joking, and he certainly wasn’t laughing. He’d opened the knife and brandished it a little. She watched the blade catch the reflection of the candles as they sputtered in the night breeze.

“Yeah, that’ll do nicely.” Quinn said, talking to himself.

“Uh, Quinn…Please tell me that you’re not going to offer blood as a memorial to my sister!” Liana challenged.

“I’m not.” Quinn admitted. “You are!” He said calmly as he grabbed her left wrist, and deftly made a diagonal cut in the palm of her hand.

“OUCH! Damn it, Quinn! What the hell did you do that for?” Liana yelled, as his knife bit into the soft skin of her pink flesh. Liana tried to pull her hand away but Quinn held on with an unyielding grip.

“I need some of your blood, so hold still a minute!” He commanded. He moved her hand to hover over the goblet. Her palm was throbbing where Quinn had cut her, and her wrist hurt from Quinn’s vice-like grip. She tried to pull away again using her other hand to try and pry his fingers loose.

“Hold on for one more minute! If you keep struggling you’ll knock over the candles.” Quinn ordered, as if she were waiting to get on a ride at an amusement park or something, and not like she was in pain. Liana watched with sick fascination as a trickle of deep red blood ran out of the palm of her hand and splashed into the cup where it sat on the ground.

Liana regarded Quinn with a frightened look.

"Don't worry, it'll be ok.” He must’ve seen the dazed and horrified expression on her face. Once he’d collected a few drops of her blood, he let go of her wrist.

“There are bandages in my backpack if you want. Sorry, I hope I didn’t hurt you too badly.” Quinn said, as if it were no big deal to cut someone and then pour their blood into a goblet.

When Quinn released Liana’s hand, her first instinct was to run, but her feet stayed rooted to the spot. She watched with curiosity as Quinn grabbed a red cloth from his jacket pocket and cleaned the knife, sheathed it, and put them both back into his pocket. She was probably in shock but she suddenly found herself wondering if the knife had been clean before he used it on her, or would she get a bad infection from a dirty knife?

The blood on Liana’s hand was starting to dry and the cut was clotting. Quinn noticed that she hadn’t taken care of it yet.

“Here let me help you with that.” He said as he got a band-aid and some antiseptic out of his bag. Liana stood there dumbly as she watched him tenderly care for the cut that only moments before he’d so callously inflicted in the first place.

Liana pulled her hand away from him the moment he was finished with the first aid. “Quinn. What the hell is going on? You don’t think it’s a little strange to cut someone, and then use their blood, to do whatever it is you’re going to do? What do you need my blood for anyway?” Liana asked angrily.

"I'm not exactly sure, but I think we call your guardian angel now." Quinn said.

"What?" Liana said horrified. "What trick is this? I thought we were going to put out offerings for May."

He stared down at his feet and then cleared his throat. He reached for her hands and clasped them in his. He then met her eyes with sincerity and concern, "I'm sorry I had to trick you into this Liana but it's for your own good." His dark brown eyes reflected the lights of the candles.

"What do you mean, for my own good? And what do you know about my guardian angel, anyway?" She challenged.

"Well he's been talking with me quite a bit as you've been too star struck by that devil Scott. Your angel was worried about you." Quinn's eyes searched her face for understanding.

"Scott's not a demon, how many times do I have to say this. He's my..." Liana stopped short, horrified that she'd almost revealed the secret.

"Hey Liana, your angel explained it all to me. He’s been helping me to free you from Scott and he’ll be here as soon as I call him." Quinn said.

Liana was shocked. "Who the hell are you talking about?" For half a second, she suddenly doubted everything she knew to be true.

"No!” Liana shouted out loud. "It's not true. It can't be. I know who my guardian angel is, and he's never told me that he's spoken with you!”

"Listen Liana,” Quinn said in a matter-of-fact voice. "I know that you believe that Scott's your guardian angel, but he's not. He lied to you. How about I call your real angel right now, and we can straighten this all out?"

"I don't know what game you're playing at, Quinn, but it's not funny!" Liana was frantic now.

Quinn paid no attention. He turned toward May's grave and started speaking;

“The Day of the Dead is here, a time when all living souls run away. They avoid the shadows where evil resides and we, the lonely ones come stalking through the night. We come searching endlessly for the next soul to rescue. Drawn by the fear we behold in their eyes. Now he comes for thee, be not afraid! Together we will haunt the deserted paths and moonlit fields, our playgrounds of the past. We must hurry for the light soon fades but while it’s dark let us dream of better things.”

As he was chanting this, Liana became aware that the night had grown deathly cold. She shivered to her core. The candles sputtered and went out as an icy wind began to howl and moan.