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#god as a side note i hope everyone who follows me appreciates the amount of restraint i demonstrate every single day
cocrante · 9 days
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I Start Over With You
[SOLANGELO FANFIC]
summary: After the great battle against the forces of Gaea, Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter had formed a long-lasting alliance. Everything had gone well, and everyone was ready to start anew. This included Nico, who, after confessing his feelings to Percy, was prepared to open a new chapter in his life—perhaps the happiest one the Fates had ever written.
note: the chapters will be updated every Wednesday. If you want to read upcoming chapters of the fanfiction in advance, I invite you to follow me on Patreon. Subscribing is not necessary, these chapters will be added for free on the platform on Mondays and Fridays. Following me there is just a kind and free gesture to support my work c:
Reblogs are highly appreciated c:
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[CHAPTER 17]
AFTER THAT NIGHT, SEVERAL MONTHS HAD ALREADY PASSED, and the first trimester was now coming to end. Nico spoke with Will again, and there were no shortage of awkward silences and fleeting glances. The son of Apollo had not yet told him anything about his upcoming arrival at camp, he thought it would be a nice surprise if he told him two days before departure.
Hazel would occasionally visit him, correcting his lengthy Latin versions. In a short amount of time, he had also managed to learn that language, although he still couldn't pronounce it as well as his classmates.
He hadn't made friends with anyone in particular yet, but at least his classmates had stopped pointing him out. Nico thought they had given up and would therefore tolerate him for the rest of the year.
The assignments went fairly well—he was quite satisfied with his performance, although the first month had been really difficult and the second practically impossible. Soon, all the subjects began to overlap, causing only great confusion in the demigod's head.
November seemed to suddenly accelerate with all those assignments and tests. Fortunately, to sweeten the deal, there were those brief and intense late-night chats with Will, who told him about his life in Texas, his singing course which was going very well, and how the professor was very pleased. He told him that before the winter holidays, they would hold a sort of concert in the school auditorium, Nico would have liked to see him. "Speaking of this winter" Will interrupted, drawing Nico's attention to himself. "I was thinking of spending the holidays at camp" he said, hinting at a smile, hoping for a positive reaction from Nico.
Nico stared at him, slightly parting his lips. "Oh" his eyes sparkled. "I have to take care of my cabin, I mean, I'm still the head counselor" he quickly added, as if that were the real reason. The boy on the other side of the steamy, lit window nodded. "So, I'll have you on my hands even in the winter. How lovely" Nico commented ironically, theatrically raising his eyes to the sky. "Hey! You should be happy!" Will played along. "After all, I bring you the Sun, I bring myself, on the darkest and coldest days of the year" he said, unable to contain his laughter.
"As if" Nico muttered.
"Okay! I'm offended now" he exclaimed, crossing his arms over his chest and putting on an adorable and comical pout.
"Oh come on! I was just kidding" Nico apologized.
"So was I" Will replied, abandoning the pout for a smile.
"What? But I was almost feeling guilty!"
"Just almost?" he asked, barely holding back a laugh.
"Let's say a little" Nico sighed, shrugging. "I'm glad you're coming, really" he added after, not letting go of his blue eyes.
"Me too" Will whispered, lowering his gaze slightly.
They continued their conversation for a while longer before someone knocked on Will's door, reminding him to go to sleep. Both of their cheeks turned crimson. Nico had never met or seen a photo of Will's mother. She was a beautiful woman, possessing the same sunny and contagious smile as her son, and Nico was almost certain that the Sun God had fallen in love primarily for that, rather than her music.
"Yes, I'll go now" Will replied embarrassedly.
"Hello, Mrs. Solace" Nico greeted, just to make Will blush even more.
"Yes—" the boy muttered. "Mom, this is Nico, and Nico, this is my mom" he quickly mumbled, wanting to get out of that situation. Parents were just naturally embarrassing. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you" the woman exclaimed. "Will can't stop talking about you" she said, making Will only more nervous. "Really?" Nico replied smoothly, unable to help but shoot a playful glance at Will. "Okay, well" Will interrupted before his mother said anything more. "How about you go now, mom?" he suggested.
"Don't stay up too late" Naomi laughed, saying goodbye to Nico and giving her son a caress, making him even more uncomfortable.
"And so—" Nico began after the door to the room was closed. "You talk about me to your mother"
Will sighed, hoping the blush had gone away. "I mentioned you only once" he muttered, trying not to make a big deal out of it. "She's the one who always overreacts" he huffed.
"She's cool" Nico attempted to smile, reflexively lowering his gaze to his fingers, which habitually played with that skull-shaped ring.
Will remained silent for a while, nodding in agreement with the boy's words. "Yeah, she is" he agreed, smiling back, letting a veil of silence fall between them.
"Well" Nico cleared his throat. "I think maybe we should listen to your mom and go to sleep" he said, getting a nod of agreement from Will.
"Yeah, I think it's time" he agreed.
"Goodnight" the son of Hades bid.
"Goodnight!" he replied, locking eyes one last time before they each passed their hands over the steamy window, which if it weren't made of steam, they would have touched.
Nico let himself fall onto the mattress, silently staring—his mind emptied of every thought—at the ceiling illuminated by the lights of the Roman city. There was an unreal silence enveloping the night. Slowly, thoughts began to take shape in his head. He should have been ecstatic because Will would be arriving at Camp Half-Blood in two days, yet doubts and insecurities prevailed.
Nico no longer thought about that conversation with Jason or Hazel; he had always put off that famous talk in front of the mirror where he would prepare a nice monologue explaining to Will that he liked him. He kept saying he would think about it later, and now the deadline had arrived. The more he thought about it, the more his stomach churned.
The next morning, he woke up relatively late; the boy had spent half the night trying out a speech, which turned out to be too long and verbose. He decided he would improvise on the spot.
He quickly got ready, rushing out of the apartment to head to school. When he arrived, he was practically out of breath. His class—usually empty before his arrival—was already full of students waiting for the bell. As soon as he opened the door to enter and make his way to his desk, he couldn't help but notice the glances from his classmates who had hoped for his first absence. Nico could only smile, satisfied with disappointing their expectations again.
The morning at school passed very quickly; the teachers slowed down their explanations in anticipation of the winter holidays, assigning some tasks to be done during those weeks of break.
The afternoon also passed by quickly. As soon as he returned to the apartment, he started packing, so that everything would be ready for the next day. He also did a couple of assignments; he didn't want to bring the books to Camp Half-Blood.
At the end, he sighed, closing the book and leaving it on the desk to gather dust until his next return, throwing himself on the bed, longing only to sleep, and indeed, as soon as he closed his eyes, he sank into a deep slumber.
He slept for a long time, as he only did when he made too many trips in the shadows, waking up with the first cold lights of dawn, which slowly pinched the icy ground of New Rome. He had all the time he wanted that morning; he could have a decent breakfast without the rush or anxiety of being at school on time. He went to the kitchen still in his pajamas, hair sticking up straight. He prepared something quick and warm. Since he had been living there, he had learned to cook something other than eggs.
After a long time, he ate at the table, relaxing and taking all the time to wake up and finally enjoy a morning where the routine didn't rule. He went around eight to prepare and check, before leaving, if he had put everything inside; he only noticed then that he had left the box in the drawer.
He pursed his lips at the sight of it, then picked it up and went to open it on the bed. He couldn't stand December.
He picked up the lead figurine, which his sister had found years ago in that landfill. Everyone knew how Nico's sister had died, but only two knew why, and it was that figurine that was responsible for everything. Yet, even though he couldn't stand the sight of it, he couldn't get rid of it. He stayed there for a while, staring at it, glancing at the rest of the contents. He hadn't had the strength or courage to burn all his figurines, especially the special and rare ones. It had been a while since he played with them; who knows if he was still capable.
He sighed, quickly wiping a cheek, putting the figurine back in the box and putting it in the suitcase with everything else. December always brought back the same memories.
He left the apartment, turning the key for the last time before going to camp and saying goodbye to his friends and sister.
Both the streets of New Rome and the training camp were decorated to celebrate the Saturnalia event. They had already begun a few days ago, and people were visiting friends to exchange gifts as tradition dictated. Even the Temple of Pluto was adorned with gifts and decorations, complete with baskets full of offerings.
At the Roman camp, the demigods had stopped training to celebrate the festival; they had also become kinder to the fauns who were begging around.
As he entered the camp, the son of Hades was warmly welcomed by his sister, who had been waiting for him since that morning, along with Frank and Reyna - who had joined them later. "It's a shame you have to leave so soon" she said, saddened by his departure.
"Indeed" replied Nico, who would have liked to celebrate the Saturnalia with them.
"You'll miss a great convivium publicum" Frank told him. "This year, we intend to go all out" he smiled, excited like everyone else for the festival.
"Maybe next year" Nico said simply, shrugging.
"Next year, we'll make sure you stay" exclaimed Reyna, locking eyes with her friend.
"Absolutely" he promised.
He was then escorted outside the camp, where he received more hugs and pats on the back. "Have a good holiday" Hazel whispered in his ear, releasing the embrace.
"Same to you" he replied. "Io, Saturnalia!" he exclaimed, the typical greeting for that festival, which was reciprocated by the others.
He waved to them one last time before being enveloped by darkness and transported to Camp Half-Blood.
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[CONTENTS]
1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16
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flosbelova · 3 years
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I’ll Always Protect You
florence pugh x fem!reader
warnings: mention of death threats.
word count: 1.7k
summary: you and florence had been dating for a while. when she posts you on her Instagram, you receive a bunch of hate comments and florence defends you and your relationship.
request from @the-loving-quotes​
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Dating Florence Pugh has been one of the greatest decisions you have ever made in your life. You both have managed to keep your relationship lowkey until she randomly posts you on her Instagram. It was a photo of you looking at this mountain view at sunset from the balcony. She captioned it “My happy place.” 
Your heart started to race as soon as you saw a photo of yourself on her Instagram-- and the fact that she tagged you almost made you pass out.
You looked through her comments and let’s just say most of it wasn't what you would have expected. Some were positive-- for example, there were comments that read:
“OH MY GOSH IT CONFIRMED! I'M SO HAPPY”
“I’m so proud of you <3”
“You guys are the absolute cutest!”
Then, there were comments that weren’t so positive. It was a mixture of homophobic comments and comments that said “Florence deserves better.”
Of course, they hurt, but you didn’t mind at first and chose to focus on the more positive comments. 
-
A couple days pass and you also decide to post Florence on your Instagram. As you hit “post,” your phone instantly started buzzing with notifications. Again, the comments were all a mixture of the positives and the negatives. However, you wanted to focus on the positive side and ignored the comments.
-
You posted Florence on your Instagram story, and you received a lot of DM’s. Although you don’t open your DM’s, you decided to check just for the hell of it. As soon as you swiped to your message requests, you instantly regretted swiping. 
“Kill yourself. You don’t deserve Florence.”
Tears started to well up in your eyes, but you quickly wiped them away when you heard Florence come into the living room.
“Dinner’s ready, darling,” she says, holding a wooden spoon.
“Hm? Oh, right. I’ll be there in a sec,” you respond.
“Is everything alright, love?” she walks towards you with a concerned look on her face.
You take a deep breath. “Yes, everything’s fine.” You clench your jaw hoping Florence would drop the subject.
She pouts and looks at you with worry. Florence knows every little detail about you. She knows that nothing is ever “fine,” when it follows with you clenching your jaw. However, Florence doesn’t like to overstep on your boundaries, so she drops the subject and figures she’ll ask you later. 
“Alright, love. C’mon, let's eat. I’ve made your favorite,” she says, giving you a soft smile.
-
You loved Florence’s cooking and you always made sure to compliment her dishes whenever she cooked. However, tonight was quiet. The two of you sat in silence, quietly eating your dinner. 
You were grateful that Florence knew to get off your back whenever you were in a mood. That’s one of the things that you appreciated most about her, her ability to understand your emotions and how you cope with them. 
You knew that she would eventually ask you what happened as you have both communicated that suffering in silence wasn’t healthy.
You finished dinner early and asked yourself to be excused. You headed to bed as soon as you finished your meal. Florence stayed in the kitchen to tidy up and to give you some more space.
-
Laying on your side, you couldn’t help but to grab your phone and scroll through your notifications. As hurt as you were already, you were too stubborn to gain some self-control. As terrible as that message was, your comment section got even worse. Not only was it filled with homophobic comments, but you were also getting sent death threats. You had checked Florence’s account and pressed on your photo. You noticed that she turned off the comments.
You felt the bed behind you dip as an arm wrapped around your torso.
“Hi,” Florence whispers, and she rests her chin on your shoulder.
“Hi,” you weakly respond. You sigh as you turn your phone off and place it on the bedside table. You turn around in Florence’s arm and face her.
Florence gave you a worried smile and she wiped the tears on your face. You were so busy scrolling through the hate comments that you hadn’t noticed that tears were falling from your eyes.
“Oh, my love.” Florence places a gentle kiss on your forehead. She then looks at you with worry in her eyes. Florence couldn’t imagine what was going through your mind.
“I know you saw the comments,” she begins, “I saw them too. As soon as I saw the hate comments, I immediately turned them off.”
You sniffled and took a deep breath. “I got death threats,” you say, your voice breaking.
“What?” Florence says, appalled. Florence could feel her heart race and feel herself be filled with rage.
“That’s it, I’m making a post, this is unbelievable,” Florence says getting up to get her phone.
“No, please, you don’t have to,” you plead, “it’ll only make things worse.”
“No it won’t, Y/n, I promise you,” Florence says, already typing in her notes.
“You can’t promise me something that you have no control over,” you say coldly.
Florence pauses. She looks over at you, takes a deep breath and pouts. She stares at you for a while, studying your face. Florence is the type of person to defend the people she loves and doesn’t care if it will give her a bad rep. You just so happen to be one of the people that Florence loves, and she will do whatever it takes to defend you and her love for you.
“It doesn’t matter, what matters is that someone I love is being sent death threats, so please, let me say something,” she says, reaching for your hand.
“I really don’t deserve you,” you sigh.
“You do Y/n, you deserve every bit of me as much as I deserve every bit of you,” Florence says, caressing your cheek. 
-
A few days passed and Florence posted a video on her Instagram regarding the hate you had been receiving. 
“To my “fans,” who have sent a tremendous amount of hate to my girlfriend, Y/n, kindly unfollow me. I do not need your negativity towards my relationship with her. The hate you throw at her is hate you throw at me. The death threats you throw at her, are also death threats you throw at me. It is not your place to tell me who I should and should not love, nor is it any of your business. I do not appreciate the comments you have thrown at her. She does not deserve it, and nor do I. I am happy with Y/n. She makes me a better person. So please, leave my relationship alone and stop sending my girlfriend death threats. I will not ask again.”
After watching the video, you were in shock. Even if you had talked about it a couple days prior, you still didn’t expect that she would actually post it. Florence kept the comments on and fortunately, it was filled with massive support from other celebrities. You were grateful.
-
Florence had an interview with Jimmy Kimmel this week to discuss her recent and future projects. Of course, her video regarding your relationship was a topic of discussion. You stayed backstage and watched Florence’s interview from her dressing room.
“Okay, I think everyone here has seen the video that you had recently posted regarding your relationship,” Jimmy says.
“Yeah, I hope so,” Florence chuckles nervously.
“So tell me, if you’re comfortable, why you had said what you needed to say?” he asks.
“Did you watch the video?” Florence says sarcastically, earning a couple laughs from the crowd. “Um, I figured that I needed to. I mean my girlfriend was getting sent death threats for no apparent reason and it needed to stop.” This earned Florence a clap from the audience.
“That’s fair. God, the internet is so toxic, isn’t it?” Jimmy complains.
“Yeah,” Florence agreed. “Y/n and I had been dating for a while now and we’d managed to keep it lowkey. I just thought that when I’d finally posted her that I wouldn’t receive such horrid comments. Which is why I felt the need to address this because I hate seeing the people I love get hurt.”
A couple people from the crowd “Awwed”
“So, tell me what it is about Y/n that just makes you so in love with her?” Jimmy asked curiously.
Florence smiled as she thought about the things that she loved most about you. “Her smile was something that caught my eyes right off the bat. She has such a kind smile and I would do everything just to keep her smiling.”
The crowd “Awwed” again.
“Also, Y/n is so loving. She won’t admit it because she likes to be that “tough” person on the outside, but inside she’s a big softie. She gives the best cuddles. I also love how she makes me tea every time I come home from filming.”
“Aww, that must be nice. I think we all need a Y/n in our life, right?” Jimmy says.
The camera pans to the crowd who was cheering and nodding their heads.
“Well, too bad, Y/n is only one person and I’m the lucky girl who has her,” Florence says wittily. 
The crowd laughed and clapped.
“Alright, well it was lovely having you, Florence,” Jimmy says, shaking Florence’s hand. “And that’s all for tonight, we’ll see you tomorrow!”
-
On the ride home, you rested your head on Florence’s shoulders.
“You really had to call me out, didn’t you?” you ask.
“Yeah, maybe just a little,” Florence says, making a gesture.
You chuckle and look at her. “Did I ever tell you that you are the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid my eyes on?”
“Yes, Y/n, you tell me everyday,” she says, grabbing your cheek.
You smile and close the gap between you. Florence melts into the kiss and moves her hand to the back of your head, running her hands through your hair. You pull away to catch some air and Florence rests her forehead against yours.
“I love you, Flo. Thank you for everything.”
“I love you too Y/n. and don’t thank me, you know I’ll always protect you.”
The End
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ramzawrites · 3 years
Note
can I request one where on doomsday dream techno Phil and y/n team up. like this team is super op cuz they’re all good at pvp.
RAMZA I WANNA SAY I LOVE YOUR WRITING YOU ARE VERY POG. STAY HYDRATED EAT WELL AND SLEEO WELL!!!
Reader Joins Team Doomsday
GN
Pairings: none
Characters included: Technoblade, Philza, Dream, Quackity, Ponk, Tubbo, (mentioned Tommy)
Warnings: fighting, mention of death (non descriptive), falling (non descriptive), cursing
Series: a request by a nice anon 💙
Summary: Dream and Technoblade just teamed up in front of almost whole L’Manberg which was a catrastrophic outcome in of itself but when Dream exteneded his invite for teaming up also to Y/N? The L’Manberg people knew they were absolutely screwed.
Words count: 3930
Authors Note: Thank you for the request!! 💙 Also thank you for the nice words!!! I hope you are doing well! Please make sure to stay hydrated and that you rest as well! Thank you pog anon!!
„Listen, we will blow up L’Manberg this time tomorrow!” Dream yelled out. His voice echoing through the ruin that used to be the Community House. All while he was surrounded by a handful of people decked out in armor brandishing their weapons.
Techno stood close by him. A sick grin on his face while he held his infamous rocket launcher between his hands. No surprise there that he would immediately jump on the idea of blowing up this government, especially after they went out of their way trying to kill him while he was in retirement.
A few people let out shocked gasps or surprised exclamations as Dream announced this. Knowing that Dream was a hundred percent serious with this, as well as Techno. Those two were a dangerous combination. A deadly even.
So when Dream moved his head upwards to look at Y/N who seemed to stoically stare at the happenings and calmly asked “Won’t you join us, Y/N?” Everyone’s worry spiked even more.
Y/N scoffed and slammed the end of the trident they were holding onto the small bit of solid ground they were standing on “You already know my answer, Dream.”
While Techno seemed to be a bit confused for a few seconds he appeared to make the connection. Those two have talked about this beforehand.
The others didn’t seem to understand though.
“Y/N? You are joining them?” Tubbo sounded downright hurt.
In that moment Quackity chimed in as well “You are betraying us?”
The grip on Y/N’s trident strengthened “You bet I will! You guys never treated me like one of yours! All I was good for was to get you better gear or play body guard! Hell, at some point you guys basically imprisoned me only to let me out to train you on how to fight Techno! One of my dear friends! How does this surprise you?”
People were already panicked and scared but this was the disaster scenario. There were only three people on this server known for being amazing fighters and all three of them just banded together to destroy their home and possibly kill them all.
Before anyone could retort Dream clapped loudly in his hands to pull everyone’s attention back on himself “We gave you the warning, that’s all. See you all tomorrow.”
With that Dream used an Ederpearl to flee. Y/N followed him suit, having all of this planned out beforehand. Though this also meant they awkwardly left Techno behind but he should be fine. After all he was the Technoblade and as everybody knew Technoblade never dies.
Once the two were far enough away Dream turned to Y/N “Thanks. I appreciate what you are doing. Wouldn’t want to fight against you.”
Y/N laughed “Neither do I. They already looked so scared with your team up with Techno but after you pulled me in they really looked like sheets of paper. It was… interesting to see. Either way I should be the one thanking you. You are giving me a chance for revenge.”
They continued to move towards a snowy tundra. Dream taking the lead since Y/N has been stuck in L’Manberg in the last few months. They wore netherite armor but it was unenchanted. Given to them by the butcher army after they told them of their plan to kill Dream.
The original plan was that Y/N would join them later and make sure that they will be alright. Playing a bodyguard for them once again. Normally they would have used the given armor and weapons as soon as they got it to flee but Dream has met them before this even happened. Hatching out a plan together so in the end this gear was an added bonus that gave extra protection while they fled with Dream.
“Why are we here?”
“Well we gotta prepare.” Dream answered as if that would answer Y/N’s question sufficiently.
While Y/N didn’t exactly truly trust Dream, mostly due to the fact they trusted no one, they didn’t feel the need to ask him to elaborate and instead continued to follow him dutiful. He had something planned and they had to follow him no matter what.
Where else could they go? Their only home was in L’Manberg even if it was more of a prison.
Dream was an enigma to them. Y/N had fought with the man a few times and it was always incredibly tiring every time which was something new for them.
Both Dream and Techno were physical strong, though Y/N suspected that Techno was a bit stronger simply because of his Piglin side.
Techno was a master at preparing and using everything to his disposal and if he didn’t have it he wasn’t scared to spend a ludicrous amount of time to gather these items. He was like a true juggernaut. People called him the Blood God for a reason after all.
Dream was more versatile. Of course he did plan things beforehand but he was better at acting during the situation. If the situation changed you can bet that he was already three moves ahead and noticed things around him he can use for his advantage. Now combine this with the knowledge he had about the world and he seemed almost unstoppable.
Just like Dream and Techno they too were physical strong which came naturally over the years but they relied more on their speed. Being a master at dodging blows and abusing peoples weak spots before they even realize they had any.
Now that they teamed up Y/N could understand how the people begun to fret. Alone the three were a force to be reckoned with but together it wasn’t hard to imagine that they could level a whole city or a nation in this specific case.
“Here, we arrived.” Dream almost whispered. His porcelain mask hiding his satisfied smile as he spotted Techno talking with Philza inside what looked like a nether wart farm. Probably telling him about what just happened and how Tommy betrayed him.
Philza waved towards the two new arrivals “Hello Dream and Y/N.”
Surprised Techno turned around.
“What? We have to plan this somehow even a little bit. This is a bit bigger than just winging it.” Dream explained.
Techno stepped out of the farm and dug his finger into Dream’s shoulder “I have a bone to pick with you two.” He made sure to throw his frown towards Y/N as well as he said that “You just left me! You left me alone surrounded by like thirty people!”
Dream slowly pushed Techno’s hand away from him “And yet here you stand alive and well.”
“No thanks to you!”
“Boy, am I glad to finally meet my old friend Technoblade after being imprisoned inside my own home.” Y/N interjected, already having heard enough of their bickering.
Philza sharply sucked in some air “Yeah, I know what that feels like.”
Techno sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose “Don’t get me even started on you. They started a government right in front of us, you helped me build the Wither’s that destroyed them and yet you still stayed.”
“Oh, Techno you know very well what happened! They managed to catch me when I made sure to keep them off your back as you fled! Besides it gave me time to find out more about their structure and what was happening! I couldn’t know we wouldn’t need it in the end since Dream himself appeared to join our cause in this instance!”
Dream was calm and collected before but now he seemed almost apalled that Y/N would throw such an accusation against him “What?! Now it’s my fault?!”
Phil made his way towards the arguing warriors and made sure to stand in between them, they wouldn’t fight, not yet at least, the fight wasn’t heated enough for that but he needed to get their attention off each other “Okay, I think that is enough. You only have so much time to plan Doomsday.”
“You are right Phil, of course. Well then I have to show both Dream and Y/N something.” Techno seemed to have calmed down and made his way towards his home. Dream followed him and Y/N was about to follow him as well but Philza stopped them by laying his hand on their shoulder.
“Are you okay? You basically have been locked up by the L’Manbergians longer than me”
Y/N smiled softly “Besides missing my old gear? I am alright. Really. But thanks for asking.”
This seemed to be answer enough since he let his hand fall back to his side and instead concentrated on Techno who came running out of his house again with a button in his hand. Dream closely following and confused. Y/N assumed he was confused by his body language but it was hard to tell with his mask.
“Please follow me.”
So the group did as he ran around the corner towards a mountain range. All the while complaining to Chat, the voices in his head, that they had wants for completely unrelated things.
He placed the button down and pressed it. With the loud sounds of pistons moving a flat stone wall begun retracting giving away to a room with wither skulls on the back of the room. Soul Sand structures decorating the room as well as  a few chests and what looked like the start of a netherite armor set.
“What!?” Dream exclaimed in his typical fashion running into the hidden place to get a better look at the Wither skulls.
While Y/N was certainly impressed by this something felt off about this. Technically those were a ton of Wither skulls since they are incredibly hard to get by but it didn’t feel enough for Techno but Y/N chose to hold their thoughts to themself.
“As you can see we have enough for a few Withers and combined with, you mentioned raining down TnT?”
“Yeah, Yeah I did. A machine that will literally rain down TnT on the nation.”
“Yeah, combined with that and our fighting power we shouldn’t have a problem destroying L’Manberg.”
Y/N stretched “Okay, we got the gist of the plan I guess but I want a proper one. How will this go down exactly?”
The next day Y/N woke up early. More out of habit than need. They put on their freshly enchanted netherite armor and grabbed their new weapons as well. A netherite sword, crossbow and trident. Techno was already up, probably way before them. He was meticulous when it comes to preparing for fights after all.
As Y/N climbed down the ladder to get to the main level of Techno’s house they found him looking through a chest.
“Morning Techno and thanks for the makeshift bed and letting me sleep over.”
“Seeing as you are currently homeless I didn’t really have a choice and besides it makes it easier to meet up. Even though mister green Teletubby thought otherwise.” He grumbled “By the way there are some baked potatoes inside the furnace. Feel free to grab some.”
Y/N nodded and moved towards the furnace grabbing their breakfast. Potatoes, how typical.
The next few hours was spent by Techno, Philza and Y/N brewing potions as well as warming up. They got into their armor and made sure all of their equipment was working.
Now imagine their surprise while all of them were deep in their preparations and Dream appeared a good hour or so too early.
“Dream? Already here?” Y/N asked him.
He laughed “What? Already sick of me? I’m joking but there is a small change in plans. Let’s get going. Now.”
In the last part the tone in his voice changed from happy to serious which gave Y/N a bit of whiplash with how fast he could apparently change his emotions.
Technoblade pivoted his head to the side “Why already? Did something happen?”
Thankfully Dream shook his head “No, but let’s catch them off guard. If we go now they will surely be surprised.”
“Huh. He has a point.” Philza noted.
So the small group, they begun calling themselves Team Doomsday, started making their way towards L’Manberg but not without first getting Techno’s Hound Army. It was a bit stressful to get through the Nether with them but in the end they managed to reach the Community Nether Portal which led them close to the nation.
“I’m getting ready for the TnT, you all three get into the city and begin doing your thing. Techno as soon as you give me the signal I will spawn Withers and start the machine.” Dream ranted off resulting in Y/N rolling their eyes.
“Dream we were there when we planned this all.”
“Right.” And with that he vanished.
Technoblade turned to Philza “And you stay out of danger. Just spawn some Withers and by Ender stay out of danger. Call for us if anyone gets too close to you.”
This was Philza’s time to roll his eyes “Mate, I know. I’ll be fine!”
He most likely would. Philza was some apparently immortal being after all that still somehow only had one life. It was confusing but Y/N didn’t want to ask since Philza himself seemed to be very secretive about his nature.
With that Philza made sure to stay far away from Techno and Y/N. Still watching them but from a safe distance, holding onto the bag with the extra Wither skulls from Techno.
Together Y/N and Techno ran into the city with the wolves. As soon as Techno spotted Tubbo he immediately ordered his hounds to attack but didn’t attack himself immediately. He needed Tubbo to call the others so this thing could really start. After all, all of them had to get what’s due for them.
And indeed it didn’t take long for Quackity and the others to appear.
“Shit, it’s both Y/N and Techno!”
“Where is Dream!”
“No, idea!”
“We are so fucked!”
The people were scrambling, trying to protect their home but every time they got too close to Techno or Y/N the hounds would throw themselves at them. It was almost ironic how when Sapnap appeared the fight really begun.
“Techno I’ll deal with the people! I think it’s time for our secret weapon!” Y/N yelled over the chaos as they kicked Quackity away.
Between the L’Manbergian party Sapnap and Punz were definitely the biggest problem but as it looked like Punz barely participated. Sapnap was a definite surprise so Y/N wanted to deal with him if they get the chance. Test their mettle against him and maybe find out what moved him to work against Dream so readily.
“Got you!” Techno answered, showing that he heard them.
He got out his rocket launcher and shot a few rounds into the air, giving Dream and Phil both the sign. When Techno himself also got out some soul sand the others understood what was happening and tried their best to reach the Pig Hybrid.
Unfortunately for them the hound army and Y/N stopped them dead in their track.
Y/N had no problem running from person to person to either deflect their attack or kick them away from Techno as he built his little contraption. Two Withers already begun flying towards the middle of the nation. This broke up the group and a few decided to dedicate their fighting prowess to ensure that the Withers wouldn’t cause too much damage.
To that suddenly red TnT blocks suddenly begun raining down from the sky. A manic laughing Dream standing on top of an obsidian structure.
While the people scrambled to not die to the Withers, the dogs or the explosions, Team Doomsday, minus Phil, saw their chance to properly get into the fights.
Y/N didn’t spend any time waiting and immediately jumped in front of Sapnap’s way brandishing their sword. A smirk on their face.
Sapnap looked determined but worry still managed to crack through his expression. He locked his eyes with theirs and moved in heaving his sword up in order to strike them.
But Y/N stayed calm. They took a step forward and practically flowed around him, dodging his attack as they slammed down the sword at his side. It made contact with his armor but as it slid down the metal it managed to hit an exposed part of his arm.
Hissing Sapnap tried hitting them with a sweeping move towards their direction. Y/N used their sword to redirect his weapons movement away from them.
“Your reaction time is good! Too bad I’m better.” Y/N mused as they went back in to attack him.
They attacked him again, giving him a false sense as he tried to block their incoming attack only for them to move around again and kick him in the back of his knee. His leg buckled and crashed down into the dirt. Without any mercy Y/N kicked him again in his leg using the extra strength they had due to the strength potions.
“Fuck!” Sapnap cried out and put his hand inside a brown bag on his side, getting out an Enderpearl and throwing it away. He soon followed and disappeared as well.
“Oh no! You get back here! I haven’t even had the chance to ask you what the hell you think you are doing!”
But Sapnap didn’t hear them. He was too busy dodging attacks from a Wither.
“Y/N!” It was Phil calling out to them. As Y/N looked to where his voice came from they noticed both Ponk and Quackity coming closer to him. They knew he probably could deal with them but still. He was on his last life after all. Extra caution was warranted.
Y/N angled their own Enderpearl towards the blonde brit. Originally planned to be used to follow Sapnap but Phil was more important right now.
The wind got knocked out of their lungs as they landed in front of Phil. The sound of metal hitting each other rung out. A sword hitting Y/N’s armored back.
For a second Phil looked surprised only to jump back to his serious expression as he managed to see Y/N’s smile. He immediately got out a splash potion and threw it at himself and Y/N. They immediately noticed their strength returning. A healing potion. He got another one which seemed to be a strength potion, prolonging the effect that was already on them.
Thankful for the small pit stop Y/N turned around while he was busy throwing the strength potions, looking Quackity right in his face.
Quackity looked pretty confident before but now he was white as snow. Ponk put his second hand on the hilt of the sword. His sword was the one that clattered down on Y/N only to get parried by their armor.
“You betrayed us! Y/N! Do you really wanna do this?” Quackity tried to appeal to them.
Y/N sneered “How does this surprise you still? How? How does this not get in your head? You imprisoned me and made me work against my will against one of my only friends? How does this not enter your thick skull?”
They moved their arm up and brought it down on Quackity. It didn’t surprise them that he managed to parry it with his own but Y/N doubled down pressing down on the blade with their own. Effectively locking him into this position.
Obviously Ponk saw his chance and tried attacking Y/N who was preoccupied with the Vice President but Philza was still there. He just had to extend his trident and managed to interlock Ponk’s blade between the forks of his weapons.
“Phil!” Weirdly enough he seemed to be surprised by that.
“You were about to attack me! Don’t sound so shocked!”
Y/N pushed even harder on Quackity, forcing him to take a step back, getting dangerously close to the edge of the crater that the TNT is still in the progress of making.
“You are just as bad as Techno. Just as bad as Dream.” He spat. Still trying to work against Y/N’s strength.
“From what I saw in my time in this L’Manberg I very much prefer that. At least they treat me like a human person and not just as a weapon to be used!”
With that Y/N musted up the rest of their strength and pushed even harder down. Forcing out a yell as they pushed him one last time. Quackity not having enough strength to hold out anymore had to take another step only to find that there was no ground anymore. He slipped and fell down into the crater.
Not wasting any time Y/N spun towards Ponk who was clashing his sword against Philza’s shield. He was a good enough fighter but it still looked pathetic. He was too desperate.
Y/N used the adrenaline of arguing with Quackity to run and throw their whole body into Ponk. Making him stumble and fall down onto the ground.
Pointing their sword at his throat “I’m sorry Ponk. I respect you for standing up to your ideals but here is the end of the road today for you. Maybe next time you will have a better chance.”
His eyes widened and a weak protest left his mouth but Y/N ignored it. Pushing their sword down, killing him. His body dissolving into golden dust. He was returning to his bed and respawning.
Phil looked at his worn out shield “You okay, Y/N?”
They laughed dryly “I should ask you that. I am fine. I am holding my own out here, how are you?”
“I’m luckily good as well. Thanks for helping me, Y/N.”
It was sad to think about how they never got a proper thanks from the L’Manberg people. It was expected that they helped them.
Y/N nodded “Always.”
They wanted to jump back into the fight but suddenly Dream stood next to them. Looking over the crater.
The opposing party was scattered. Now more dealing with injuries than the fights. Only one Wither left flying around. The crater reached bedrock and yet the explosions still rang.
“I think it’s time we go. This nation is done for.” He spoke.
Techno joined the party. He looked like he was doing alright. His armor obviously scratched up but he was doing alright.
“I say we seemed to be successful.” He noted.
Dream put his hand on Y/N’s shoulder “I saw you fight. Did you know that a few people did a wide berth around you? Avoiding you at all cost?”
Y/N raised one of their eyebrows as they stared at Dream’s masked face. His head directed straight ahead as he observed Tommy who helped Tubbo with one of his injuries he acquired when he protected him from one of Techno’s rockets.
A few seconds passed in silence but then he turned his head towards Y/N “They are scared of you. Proof of your strength. Do with that knowledge what you will but I thought I should tell you since it was interesting to watch from above.”
“Let’s get going. If we wait long enough for them to recuperate then we might still have a problem since we are getting low on potions as well.” Techno spoke in a calm voice.
Truly. For Tommy, Tubbo, for all of the people who tried to protect L’Manberg. The team up of Dream, Techno, Philza and Y/N was their biggest nightmare that just came to fruition.
They knew they didn’t have a chance and yet they had to try. Had to try to protect their home like they always did but it was a vain effort. Who would have enough power to fight against warrior gods?
431 notes · View notes
bi-bard · 3 years
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Please Say That You're Joking (Pt.1) - Chuck Shurley Imagine (Supernatural)
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Title: Please Say You're Joking (Pt. 1) [You can read part 2 by clicking here!]
Pairing: Chuck Shurley X Winchester!Reader
Requested: Nope
Word Count: 2,930 words
Warning(s): mentions of sex, threats of violence
Summary: (Season 4; Season 11) (Y/n) had a single one-night stand while coping with loss in a not healthy way... if only they had a clue about the weight of their actions.
Author's Note: I was recently going back through some of the "lighter" episodes of Supernatural because I wanted to watch something I could chuckle at. That's where this came from.
This might be the most crackheaded thing I've written in a while.
Also, the amount of things I had to bullshit my way through this is actually ridiculous.
Hey! I did a rewrite of the ending of Supernatural. It took a really long time to complete, so it would mean a lot to me if you check it out. Here’s a link! (it’s on my personal account)
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Sam, Dean, and I walked into the motel room. We were all confused and slightly scared.
We had gone to a comic book shop to do some work on a case. However, we were then called fans.
Fans of what?
Well, fans of a series of books about our lives.
I was the middle Winchester child. Two years younger than Dean, two years older than Sam. I was beyond confused when I saw some weird, romanticized version of me on the cover of a book.
"This is so weird," I mumbled, plopping onto one of the beds in the room.
Sam jumped onto his laptop and started researching. Dean was holding one of the books, reading through it. I didn't even want to touch it.
"I don't like how he describes (Y/n)," Dean commented. "It's weird. It's like he's in love. Listen to this..."
Dean dramatically clears his throat and starts to read in an even more dramatic voice, "'Even after a hard hunt, (Y/n) could easily be seen as the most beautiful of the siblings. They mimicked the beauty of their mother more than their brothers. There's no bruise or cut that could take the loveliness away from the natural curves of (Y/n)'s face. If only they could see how everyone else would stare-"
"Okay, ew," I muttered, walking to the table. "What'd you find?"
"Well, it seems like Carver Edlund is a pen name," Sam shrugged. "And the fans are intense."
"As in," Dean asked, closing the book and joining the two of us at the table.
"Well," Sam handed me the laptop so Dean and I could look at it, "there's fanfiction. About all of us."
"What's this, 'Sam/Dean'," I asked.
"It's... me and Dean... together."
"They just don't care that we're related," Dean asked. Sam nodded.
"God, this is so weird."
"So, how do we find this guy," I asked.
--time skip--
We managed to find the publisher of the novels and found her house.
"So, you published the 'Supernatural' books," I asked as we walked in.
"Yep," she nodded. "Yeah, gosh. These books... they never really got the attention that they deserved. All anybody wants to read anymore is that romance crap."
"Could not agree with you more," I said. "We're hoping that our article can shine a light on an underappreciated series."
"Yeah, because, you know, if we got a little bit of good press, then maybe we can start publishing again," she replied excitedly.
"No, no, no," Dean immediately shut her down. "I mean, why... why would you want to do that? It's such a complete series with Dean going to hell and all."
"Oh my god, that was one of my favorite ones," she rambled. "Dean was so strong and sad and brave. And Sam... I mean... the best ones are when they cry... like in 'Heart' when Sam had to kill Madison; the first woman since Jessica he'd really loved. When Dean had to call John in 'Home' and ask him for help. Or when (Y/n) went back to the motel room after getting kidnapped and just had to sit in their own head and had to truly process not only the death of their mother but now their father. The mixed feelings were amazing."
"You're a really big fan," I noted. She nodded.
"Gosh, if only real men were that open about their emotions."
"Real men," Dean asked.
"I mean, no offense," she replied. "How often do you cry like that?"
"Well, right now I'm crying on the inside," he muttered.
"Is that supposed to be funny?"
"Lady, this whole thing is funny."
"How am I supposed to know this is legit?"
"Oh, trust me," Dean mumbled. "We're legit."
"Well, I don't want some smart-ass article making fun of my boys," she snapped as she sat in her chair.
"Oh, never," I replied quickly. "We actually are big fans."
"You read the books?"
"Cover to cover," I promised.
"What's the year and model of the car?"
"1967 Chevy Impala," Dean smiled proudly.
"What's May 2nd?"
"That's my- uh... Sam's birthday," Sam replied.
"Sam's score on the LSAT?"
"Umm... 174," Sam said nervously.
"(Y/n)'s first hunt?"
"Vampire in Washington," I answered. "Dean was at the motel sick and (Y/n) almost chopped John's head off when he scared them."
"(Y/n)'s favorite memory that's not related to hunting?"
I smiled, "Helping Sam get ready for a date when he was a teenager because Sam didn't trust what Dean had told him."
"Dean's favorite song?"
"It's a tie," Dean replied. "Between Zep's 'Ramble On' and 'Traveling Riverside Blues.'"
She finally laughed and smiled again, "Okay, okay. What do you wanna know?"
"What's Carver Edlund's real name," Sam asked.
"Oh, no. I can't," she shook her head.
"We just wanna talk to him," Sam continued. "You know, get the 'Supernatural' story in his own words."
"He's very private," she shrugged. "Like Salinger."
"Please," Sam tried again. "Like I said, we're um... big fans."
Sam unbuttoned his shirt enough to show his anti-possession tattoo. Dean pulled his shirt to the side to do the same. I rolled my eyes and yanked the arm of my jacket down and pulled up the sleeve of my t-shirt. I don't wear as many layers as them and I had opted to put the tattoo on my upper arm because I thought it looked nicer.
"Awesome," the lady mumbled before standing up. "Y'know what?"
I looked away as she pulled her pants down.
"I got one too."
"Wow, you are a fan," I slapped Dean's arm. The lady fixed her clothing before grabbing a pen and paper.
"Okay," she said. "His name's Chuck Shurley-"
And I stopped listening after that. I knew that name... why did I know that name... oh... oh no. I'm gonna kill him. We're going to meet this man and I am going to end up killing him.
I followed Sam and Dean as they started walking out of the woman's house.
"Excuse me," she called as we reached the door. We looked back at her. "I'm sorry, but you look exactly like how I picture (Y/n) when I read the books."
I chuckled, "Thanks."
"He describes (Y/n) with so much detail," she smiled. "You could play them in a movie."
"Thank you," I waved as we walked out.
"'You could play them in a movie,'" Dean teased.
"I know who Chuck is," I said, ignoring him.
"What," he asked. I nodded. "How?"
I pointed to get into the car. I got in the back seat and Sam and Dean sat upfront. Dean started driving to the address the lady gave us before I started speaking.
"Okay, when you went to hell, Sam's not the only one who ran off," I explained. "I wasn't gone for four months... just two weeks. In those two weeks, I got involved in a single one-night stand. The name he gave me was Chuck Shurley."
"You screwed the man who wrote books about us," Dean asked, sounding angry.
"Do you think I knew he was writing books based on our lives?"
"He had to have known who you are," Sam added. "This isn't an accident. He has to get visions or something."
"Yeah, I know," I nodded. "He made money off of my name and then screwed me."
"Damn," Dean mumbled. "I missed a hell of a lot."
I rolled my eyes.
--time skip--
I knocked on the door loudly. Sam grabbed my arm, shaking his head at me. The door was opened and I smiled obnoxiously as Chuck. He was in a robe, his boxers, and an old white shirt. He looked tired and like he hadn't had a goodnight's sleep in days.
"Chuck Shurley," Dean asked.
"Chuck Shurley that wrote the Supernatural books," Sam added.
"Nice to meet you," I said. "This is Sam... Dean... and I'm (Y/n)... the ones you've written books about."
Chuck sighed and went to shut the door. I stepped in, stopping it with my foot.
"Listen, I appreciate the enthusiasm, I really do and I remember you," he motioned at me, awkwardly grinning before seeming to shake the memories out of his head. I almost slapped him right then. "But please... go get a life."
"You see," Dean followed me, helping to force our way inside. Sam made sure the door shut behind us. "We have a life... and you're selling books about it."
"Okay, this isn't funny," Chuck mumbled.
"You're right," I said. "We just wanna know how you're doing it?"
"I'm just a writer, I'm not doing anything."
"Then why do you know so much about demons and tulpas and changelings?"
"Is this some kind of 'Misery' thing? Ah, it is, isn't it? It's a 'Misery' thing!"
"No, it's not," I shook my head. "Believe me, we're not fans."
"What do you want then," he asked.
"I'm Sam... and that's Dean and (Y/n)," Sam tried again.
"Those are fictional characters," Chuck yelled. "They aren't real!"
Dean grabbed him and pulled him outside.
"Wait, wait-"
"We aren't kidnapping you, calm down," I rolled my eyes. Dean opened the hidden compartment in the impala's trunk.
"Are those real guns?"
"Yes," I nodded. "And real rock salt, real fake IDs."
Chuck let out a laugh at it, "Well, I gotta hand it to you guys. You really are my number-one fans. That... That's awesome. So, I-I think I've got some poster in the house."
"Chuck, stop," I rolled my eyes, grabbing his arm as he went to walk away.
"Please don't hurt me," he begged.
"How much do you know," Sam asked. "Do you know about the angels? Or Lilith breaking the seals?"
"How do you know about that?"
"Have you not been listening," I asked. "The real question is how do you?"
"Because I wrote it," he explained.
"You kept writing?"
"The books never came out because the publisher went bankrupt," he furrowed his eyebrows.
I stepped back, letting go of his arms.
"Okay, wait a minute," Chuck crossed his arms. "This is some kind of joke, right? Did Phil put you up to this?"
"Oh my god," I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose. I grabbed his robe. "I'm sorry but I'm really tired. Nice to meet you. I'm (Y/n) Winchester, these are my brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester. You wrote and published books about us, probably knew who I was, and then you still slept with me."
He stared at me in shock.
"What," I asked.
"The last names were never in the books," he mumbled. "I never told anyone about that. I never even wrote that down."
"Then I guess we have a lot to talk about," I let go of his robe.
The three of us followed him inside.
--time skip--
"I got a visit from Cas," Dean explained as he walked in. "I've some important information."
After talking to Chuck and getting a draft of what was supposed to happen, we were all panicking. Dean told us to wait here. Lilith was going to come for Sam and we both thought it'd be harder if there was more than one of us here at all times.
Now, Dean was coming back from seeing Chuck.
"And that important information is...," Sam trailed off.
"He's a prophet of the lord," Dean said, smirking at me.
I shut my eyes, letting my head fall forward.
"Please say you're joking," I mumbled.
"Nope," Dean replied.
Sam looked over at me. He only started chuckling after his brother broke.
Dean was laughing his head off within seconds, "You screwed a prophet!"
"Shut up," I groaned. "I'm gonna kill him!"
"Archangel will kill you."
"I'll happily pay that price," I muttered. "I slept with a prophet."
"At least that means he didn't write himself to sleep with you," Sam tried to comfort me.
"Yeah, God just decided I was supposed to sleep with the guy publishing books about my life," I replied sarcastically. "That makes me feel so much better."
"Come on, it could be worst-"
"Sam, love you, but don't finish that sentence if you even kind of value your life," I muttered.
I was desperate for this conversation to just end.
--time skip--
After all was said and done, and Chuck accidentally helped us chase Lilith away for a while, we gave Chuck a lift back to his place.
I followed him up to his door, offering to look around and make sure that he's safe. He shook his head.
"I have an archangel protecting me," he reminded me. "Can't get any safer than that."
I nodded.
"I'm sorry, by the way," he said. "About us. I didn't recognize you until after... it all... and I didn't say anything because I didn't really know how to explain it. The whole event makes me feel all scummy."
"It's alright," I replied with a chuckle. "It's fine, I promise."
He offered me a nervous smile, "Y'know, in all of my visions, you're the most vivid thing."
With a grin, I leaned over and kissed his cheek gently. I stepped back and headed back toward the impala. I made sure to take note of his nervous and flustered face.
"See you around, Chuck!"
"You... You too," he called after me. I got in the backseat and got comfortable.
"So... screwing the prophet wasn't that bad," Dean asked.
I just rolled my eyes, waving through the window at Chuck as Dean pulled away from the curb. Leave it to a Winchester to end up in a situation like that.
--time skip (season 11)--
Sam and I followed Dean with our guns ready. Dean was following the amulet that he had owned for a long time without even knowing it could show us where God was.
Everyone had been infected by Amara only minutes ago but now it was okay and Dean's amulet was glowing.
"Holy shit," I mumbled, seeing who was walking over to us.
Chuck.
He was supposed to be dead. That's why Kevin's prophet powers had been activated.
"No way," Dean said.
"Hey," Chuck... or God said. "We need to talk."
Despite our understandable hesitation, Chuck reached forward, teleporting all of us back to the bunker. I stepped away from him, slightly overwhelmed.
"(Y/n)," Chuck walked over and tried to grab my arm. I instinctually slapped him. I was nothing but confusion and anger. "I deserved that. Just, please?"
I stepped away again.
From behind Chuck stepped Kevin's ghost. My breath caught in my throat. The poor boy had been through so much shit because of us.
Kevin told us about how we looked stressed and that we should listen to Chuck.
Then, Chuck waved his hand. Kevin turned into a ball of white and blue light before ascending beyond the bunker.
"Where'd he go," I asked.
"Heaven, where he deserves," Chuck promised. I nodded.
I listened to the rant about how Chuck had abandoned us all and how awful things were. Then, the conversation turned to the plan to stop Amara. The boys talked about needing Lucifer and Chuck got incredibly upset. In a fit, he went to leave. I stepped in front of him.
"No," I said bluntly. "Even if you want to avoid the subject of your estranged son, you can't just leave."
"(Y/n)-"
"Sam, Dean," I looked at them. "Give us a minute?"
They both nodded, glaring at Chuck on their way out. I tried to ignore the instincts that were telling me that Chuck was just selfish.
"(Y/n)," Chuck mumbled.
"Just answer my questions," I said. "Then we can discuss what to do with Amara without you storming away recklessly. Okay?"
He nodded.
"Have you been God the whole time," I asked.
He nodded.
"You wrote all of our stories?"
Another nod.
"Did you write that I was going to sleep with you?"
I felt manipulated and angry. I was desperate for an answer. I knew that this could've made me feel like dirt, but I needed to know.
"No," Chuck said. I clenched my jaw, ready to call him a liar. "I told you. I had been pretty much hands-off for a long time. Did I know who were? Absolutely. I'm sorry I lied to you about that. But I didn't plan anything between us. We weren't some divine plan."
I nodded, looking down.
"You know how Dean and Amara are connected," he asked. I nodded, looking back at him. "We're like them."
"And that's not a divine plan-"
"I'm not doing a good job explaining this," Chuck shook his head. "It feels like we're like them. Like there's this bond that just happened as soon as we met."
"You lied to me, for years," I said. "Saying we have some bond isn't gonna fix that."
"I know."
We both fell silent. Slowly, I started laughing. Chuck furrowed his eyebrows, "My only one-night stand... and it was God."
Chuck started laughing with me while I really processed what I had done.
I slowly stopped laughing.
I didn't notice until it was too late that Chuck had slowly gotten closer to me. As soon as his lips brushed mine, I pushed him back. Not hard, but enough to get him to step away.
"No," I mumbled. "Not that, no."
Chuck nodded, "Got it."
"Now," I sighed, "we need to actually plan to stop Amara, and if we need Luci-"
"We don't," he said bluntly. "We can do something else. We don't need him. Okay?"
I nodded. In my gut, I trusted him. Maybe that was me being an idiot but I did trust him. For now at least.
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157 notes · View notes
voltagesmutter · 3 years
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Obey Me: Diavolo - Wrapped up in ribbon/bondage
Fandom: Obey Me Pairing: Diavolo x MC (F)  Prompt: Wrapped up in ribbon - Day 13 from @voltage-vixen​ christmas list.   Warning: Ribbon bondage.  Notes: For my love @theinariakuma​ a small thank you and token of appreciation for everything you do for me. 
Diavolo was the ruler of all demons, a prince of the realm, and soon to be king with a powerful stance that could bring down rival kingdoms with a simple glare. He was known for his power and strength, sending people cowering to hear he was displeased with them. Rumours and legends however failed to praise his kind heart and almost boyish features. How a heart of pure gold was beating beneath thick layers of taut muscles and nothing but joy seemed to spread wherever he went.
They also failed to mention the prince's undivided love for a human girl, a human girl who was tiny in comparison to his frame. A girl who came as part of the exchange student program only to capture the heart of the Prince - she also gave him her heart in return for his. He would anything, anything, for her. Renounce his title and throne, part ways with his powers, even give up the luxuries of his name and lifestyle just to be with her. 
But that was never the case, the girl instead giving up her life in the human world to stay by his side when the time came for her program to end. Effectively pledging herself to Diavolo and his service. 
“I love you so much.” A clawed hand with jet-black nails cradled her face, his forehead resting against hers with his eyes shut.
“I love you too Dia…” Her face mirroring his, her arms wrapped around his neck as she straddled him on the chair beside the fireplace. This being one of the only ways for them to be at eye level with each other. 
“Are you sure? Because I can’t change it once I do, are you sure it’s me you want to be with-“ Anxiety taking over him as his fingers quaked against her skin, the nerves he felt at his question shining through his champagne orbs as he opened them.
“Yes, yes, a thousand times yes,” She smiled, pressing a kiss to his lips, admiring the handsome features of the face before her. “It’s you Diavolo, it’s always been you,”.
The night blended into the day, the couple rising from their slumber. Everything had changed. A mark now rested upon her skin, Diavolo having made a pact with her during the night binding the couple together for eternity. And from that day on they became the prince and princess to be of the realm. Trust, love and passion growing fiercer with every passing day.
-
Christmas was settling fast, it was her first Christmas as a couple with Diavolo. And in all honesty, it was more overwhelming than the festive spirit she was used to at home. Whilst technically demons didn’t celebrate Christmas, they still indulged in the festivities. Lucifer claimed it was a “waste of time” but Diavolo was mad for it. He had black Christmas trees imported from the human world, decorations of gold hung from every street post and the castle was covered head to toe in glitter, baubles and anything else that screamed Christmas. 
Every night for a week leading up to Christmas was a different themed ball or celebration - and while they were great fun, the human girl was exhausted. Demons were built to handle huge amounts of drinking, gambling and partying with little to no sleep. Whilst she often retired early. Diavolo found her on day four passed out asleep in the kitchen, resting her head on her elbows in front of the roaring open fire. He’d also caught Beelzebub scoffing at ginger-snake cookies but he left that slide for now, picking up the girl and carrying her to bed. 
But tonight was Christmas Eve, she only had to listen for a few more hours about bitter matters, war strategies and other uninteresting things. Everyone in the kingdom wanted to speak to Diavolo, and being his partner meant she had to endure it all, smiling at his side and nodding courteously like she understood the topic. Truth be told, all she wanted was some alone time with Diavolo, with preparation and the festivities they rarely had a moment alone together. And for over half of the week she had found herself going to bed and waking up alone, no need for sleep as Diavolo continued to party from dusk to dawn.
“You look so beautiful,” Diavolo pulling her out of her trance as he stood behind her, pressing kisses to shoulder and moving up the base of her neck. Letting out a content sigh, she relaxed back into his embrace closing her eyes. She’d missed him, everything about him from his scent to his touch to the way his eyes light up when they talked about their day over a glass of wine.
“Thank you, I’ve been saving this all week,” A deep smile on her face to feel him grin against her skin, pressing kisses against her jaw line. “I’ve missed you.”
“But you’ve been with me all week,” He teased, turning her in his arms. The satin red dress she wore held her cleavage perfectly up, her waist pulled in by the gold ribbon and the material of her dress settled midway between her thighs. 
“Diavolo,” She whined, wrapping her arms around his neck. Admiring the beauty of the creature before her, dressed head to toe in his finest clothes and jewellery, his looks would make a god jealous. 
“I know, I know.” He chuckled, pressing a kiss to her nose. “I’ve missed you too, even though we’re together it feels like I never get to see you.” He throws her a cheeky grin that threatens to make her knees buckle, “Not in the way I want to anyway.”
Used to his flirtatious ways, all she does is giggle in response. A week of not being intimate was unheard of for them, normally their day starting off with her riding him, a cheeky blow job under his desk when she visited him for lunch (more or less everytime ending up with Diavolo eating her out or fucking her over his desk), a teasing filled time in the shower together before making love in their bed for the rest of the evening. It was a routine, a routine they both loved. 
“I mean.. we have time now, we could be quick.” Red tinted her cheeks as she spoke, curling tufts of hair against her fingers as she intertwined them at the base of his neck. 
“You know very well, us and quick doesn’t work well,” Laughing as they both reminisced over the time in the throne room. “We’ll be quick” he told her, letting her ride him on the throne in the empty hours of the morning. Only for Lucifer and the rest of his council to turn up just when they were both reaching climax, Diavolo having to keep her seated with his cock buried inside her for just short of an hour as they discussed plans. “I promise as soon as this evening is over with, I shall be yours, my princess,” Diavolo took her hands from his head and pressed a few delicate kisses to her knuckles. He always was a man true to his word.
The ball seemed to last forever, lavish guests drinking copious amounts of demonus, sharing and swapping stories over finger nibble food. It was all great fun, but the way Diavolo kept a tight grip on her waist and the smouldering look he would shoot her every now and then just made her want to run upstairs to bed with him. Or anywhere they could be alone for that matter. It only grew worse as they were encouraged to dance, subjects demanding to see the royal couple be the first dance of the evening.
“This ball was a stupid idea,” Diavolo whispered as he held her close, one hand around her waist whilst the other took her palm in his. The height difference made it difficult at times, she had to gaze up at him in order to speak with him. Although watching her doe-like eyes focus on him, her face glowing with a smile that was brighter than the stars, he grew to love their size differences. She was his tiny human and he was her beast sized prince. 
“Then next year don’t host so many.” Letting him guide her as the music began to play, waltzing slowly across the ballroom.
“It was the council's choice, normally I wouldn’t mind.” He grinned down, a smile she knew all too well. “I can’t wait to just take you back to our room,”.
“Someone’s impatient tonight.” Her turn to tease as he pulled her flush against him, her eyes widening to feel the press of his erection against her thigh.
“Can you feel what you're doing to me? Dressed so beautifully… looking like this, I have half a mind to tell everyone to leave so I can fuck you right here.” He practically growls in a low tone. The gaze that bore down on her was enough to speak the words he couldn’t say in the moment, desire written across his eyes. 
“Oh my prince, you have no idea what you do to me,” She winked as he spun her, pulling her back to him to keep her enclosed in his hold forever. “Want to wait until everyone’s dancing and sneak back to the room?”
“You read my mind princess,” He dipped her down, her back only a few inches off the ground but pure trust as Diavolo held her. He followed her down and pressed a fleeting kiss to her lips, the crowd cheering them and raising glasses to the beautiful couple.
-
“Mmh!” Muffled moans echoing off the twisted stone stairway, Diavolo pressing the girl against his with mouth against hers. Sneaking off hand in hand as the crowd began to fill the dance floor, only managing to get past the wooden oak door to the staircase when he began his attack.
“Diavolo! Please, let’s make it up stairs at least," She giggled followed by a sweet gasp as his lips moved fiercely over her neck. “Or I mean we could just...“
“Another time.” He smirked, they were currently on a mission to defile every room in the castle. They hadn’t gotten very far, it was a bit difficult when Barbartos was lurking, seeming to always be one step ahead of them and ruining their fun - although part of Diavolo thought he did it to try and be part of the couple's activities. Which would never happen, she was his soon to be queen, Diavolo would not share her with anyone. “I have a surprise for you.”
“A surprise?" Her hands toying with his suit jacket, popping buttons one by one until she reached the bottom. “I really hope it’s,” She undid the button of his trousers, feeling his teeth scrape over the pulse over her neck. Her hand diving beneath the material of his boxers, “Hot and thick.” His half hard cock becoming instantly erect from her hand as it wrapped around him.
“Princess…” He groaned against her neck, indeed he was hot and thick. Weighing heavy in her hand whilst her other came to cup his balls, softly kneading as her other hand stroked his shaft. Her hand barely wrapped around his inhuman size.
“Come on my Prince, what do you say?” She teased, squeezing him in the palm of her hand as he licked the exposed side of his neck. Her tongue leaving a wet trail as she sucked up over his pulse, a loan groan rumbling off the stone walls. “We tick the stairs off the list.”
A squeal bounced off the stone, Diavolo removing her hands hoisting her over his shoulder as he pulled his boxers up, his erection poking out of his open trousers. One hand slapped her behind as he began his trek upstairs, running two steps at a time whilst using his other hand to hold up his trousers, desperate to reach their bedroom.
-
“Dia…” She rested naked on their bed, legs stretched out on her elbows. Diavolo having made quick work of undressing her before dashing to their bathroom, telling he was going to get her surprise ready. 
“I’m coming my love,” Chuckling as he opened the door, taking in a few steps to stand before. Red ribbon wrapped around tanned skin, Diavolo bare as he wrapped himself up. Glitter reflecting off his abdomen, solid v-lines curving down to his erect cock, a wisp of ribbon in a bow placed against his flushed head. In his hands he toyed with more ribbon, almost blushing at the way she hungrily devoured him in her sight. 
His cock twitched as she crawled to him, resting up on her knees and running the flat of her palms up his chest. Slender arms wrapping around his neck, pushing herself against him as she hummed against his lips. 
“Surprise!” He grinned, his hands moving to hold her waist, fingertips drumming against her behind. “I know how we haven’t had a lot of time lately, so this is my gift to you for tonight,”. 
“It’s perfect, you're perfect.” Tongue darting out to swiped across her top teeth, finger tips tickling back down his chest to run along the red ribbon. “And, it’s *all* mine right?” Her question followed by her hand gripping tightly over his cock and tugging it. Diavolo cursed heavily, unable to stop the buck of his hips as he rutted against her hand. 
“All yours, princess.” Jaw dropped as he growled, sending excitement tingling down her spine. His reaction sent a gush of heat between her thighs, arousal thick in the air.
“Well then,” Tracing the ribbon with her other hand and pulling the satin to unwrap from his body, leaving it limp in her hands. A smirk gracing over her face, the ruler of Devildom at her completely and utter mercy.
-
A deep groan, one that shook the bottles of lube on the bedside table onto their sides. A noise leaving Diavolo that made her thighs clench tightly and the desire to stop her teasing, the rumble purely demonic and utterly erotic.
“You're doing so good baby,” She teased, the tight grip on his cock releasing which has caused the noise from the Prince. He was close to shattering, tugging harshly at the rope but the knots she had tied proved to be a match for his strength. 
“Princess please,” Thrusting his hips up into the air with wild abandonment, teeth gritting to feel her hand pull away. 
“What’s wrong my Prince? Can’t handle a bit of teasing?” Her smug grin peering down at him, his face redder than the ribbons around his wrists. Pressing her hands to his chest she leaned down, letting her slickened folds rub against his aching cock. Head buried between his shoulder and sinking teeth in gently making him roar out, rutting his hips as best he could against her to gain some friction. But the clamp of her thighs over him as she straddled him stopped his actions, whining heavily with a mixture of pants as all he could do was fall victim to her motion.
“Tell me what you want.” A sly grin over her face, ghosting her lips above his whilst her fingertips gilded up back of his cock. Throbbing and twitching, too sensitive from how she’d been edging him all night. Little regard to how much time had passed, each time his release would build up and he throbbed in her hand, she would pull away. Over and over until his thighs quacked and he’d throbbed instantly when her hand wrapped around him. When Diavolo didn’t reply, too desperate to feel her against him, his lips chasing hers desperately unable to thrust up. Liquid tears filling in his eyes, never had been so vulnerable - a side that was only and forever for her. 
“Please…” It was so weak she barely heard it.
“Hand or mouth?” She teased, finally kissing him for the first time since she’d tied him to the bed. He kissed so eagerly, tongue instantly darting out in her mouth as she wrapped her a hand back around him, pumping slowly. “Come on baby, tell me,” All he could do was groan in response, weak words falling out of his mouth in a foreign tongue. “Want me to suck it? Suck your cock?” Grinning against his mouth, as he nodded, the headboard creaking under the strength of he was tugging at the ribbon at. 
Wet open kisses moved down his chest, one hand cupping his balls while the other held the base of his cock. The first tongue of her tongue against his chest sent him reeling, pushing his hips up desperate for more. “That’s it,” She cooed softly against him, “Such a good boy for me Dia.” Her lips wrapped around him, pushing her tongue on the underside of his shaft as she pulled him deeper into his mouth. Until the head hit the back of her throat, her hand stroking the wide base that didn’t fit in her mouth. Shallow but quick movement, throat constricted around his length that left her slightly light headed. 
Diavolo panted heavily, the air from his lungs burning - an almost fear that she would stop once more and leave him on the cusp on the edge. But instead she twisted her wrist, hallowed her cheeks with more pressure and hummed as he filled her mouth. A strong string of curses leave him, his throat parched as he gasped out. Spilling down the back of her throat with a force, the girl unable to take it all as thick spurts coaxed over her lips and chin, dribbling down her skin. Her hand continued to stroke him gently, ensuring to ride out his high until he was shaking in her hold. 
Tongue darting out she licked her lips as his cock jolted in her hold, the sensitivity making him tremble as he whined loudly. His breathing still ragged, unable to find his voice as throat felt hoarse. He shifted as best he could, keeping eye contact with her held as she swallowed what was released in her mouth, wiping the dripping semen off her chin and sucking her finger clean. Her other hand squeezing his cock as she did.
And that was when he snapped.
The sound of the headboard breaking came first, the snapping of splintering wood filling the room, a scream followed. Diavolo having used every fibre in his sensitive body to snap his hands free from the ribbon, running the bed in the process as he pinned the girl down beneath him.
“My turn,” He growled, bringing the tattered ribbon up as he pinned her hands above her head and tied them in a fierce knot. Hunger, power and lust clouded over his orbs, a low growl resolving over his glowing, sweating body. 
And before she could even make a squeak, Diavolo had flipped her over, pulling up her ass as spread her cheeks to get a sinful look at her glistening folds. His effect on her had arousal slicked all down the top of her thighs.
“Might not even need to prepare you, look wet enough to slide right in.” He teased, two fingers pressing straight into her core as they sunk in with ease, knuckle deep as her cunt sucked them in.
“Please.. please.” Grasping at the sheets as she bucked against his hand, clenching purposely over him.
“Hands or cock princess,” Hand coming down on her ass in a short slap, chuckling at her as she pulsed over him. The needy whine that left her was made his cock re-harden and pressed against her reddening cheek.
“C-cock.. fuck me, Diavolo, please.” Pushing herself backwards as an offering, the slope of her back pressed her chest against the bed as her hands fisted the bed sheets.
Leaning over her body, Diavolo pulled her fingers from her as she ran them over her chin, leaving a slick trail of her own arousal on her skin. His teeth biting her lower lobe but refusing to push his cock into her. “Anything you want princess,” His voice husky in her ear as he finally pressed himself into her, burying himself to the hilt as he thrusted in one solid movement. 
Sending her clamping down and instantly climaxing, Diavolo biting into her shoulder as he rutted against her, fingers sinking into her skin and forming bruises. “That’s it, good girl princess.” Cooing the words she had used on him. He stilled his thrusts, pushing himself as deep as he could, tilting back his hips to angle himself perfectly inside her. Hitting exactly where stars flooded her eyes and her skin boiled hot.
“Please… please!” She begged, turning her head over his shoulder and feeling herself whine in an inhuman sound. Diavolo in demon form, his muscles rippling as it took all his strength to keep still inside her. His revenge for how much she had edged him. “Please move…”.
The tears welling in her eyes spoke a thousand words, glossed over with nothing but pure lust as her flushed lips parted in gentle breaths. The sight of her breaking him as he pulled back until his head was the only part inside her. “Hold tight princess,” He groaned before slamming his hips tightly against her, her hands gripping tightly to anything she could find in the restricted movement of them being bound.
Her Christmas present left her ruined that year.
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allthingsarmin · 3 years
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fratboy/stoner armin!! in love with how you write asshole! armin ❤
Thank you for your request! I feel I didn’t do a good job with this one, so I will probably go back later and rewrite it. (And I really appreciate your feedback <3 I hope this dose of asshole!armin will satisfy your needs haha)~
MINORS DNI! Ft. NSFW TOPICS (weed, one mention of vomit, and sex (groping, drunk noncon), mentions of religion, one mention of sexaul assault).
Fem!Reader, FemBodied!Reader
ᵔᴥᵔ Fratboy!armin who dresses like a gentleman - wearing white shorts and a white button-up collared shirt under a cerulean sweater that compliments his mesmerizing blue eyes as well as a dainty silver watch on his left wrist and always comes to class with a freshly shaven face and cologne that is just a little too “manly” for him - but acts like a complete hooligan, making inappropriate jokes in class, pranking innocent passersby on campus, and getting black-out drunk at frat parties every Friday night.
ᵔᴥᵔ Fratboy!armin who looks so poised and has such a refined posture, having enough manners (like holding the door open) to swoon enough girls but is such a menace when it comes to anything serious… like being harshly shushed in the library because he was being too loud or skipping finals to go on a spontaneous road trip with his frat buddies then sending an email to his professor saying he was sick, even printing out a fake doctor’s note, or pranking the sorority across the street by TPing their house or even how he can’t seem to care less when the police ruthlessly question him because there have been so many reports of sexual assault done by his frat friends.
ᵔᴥᵔ Fratboy!armin who thinks he is so smart because he’s a business major and genuinely believes he is better than everyone else because he gets out of class to go to all these events even though he is undoubtedly one of the most irresponsible and reckless people on campus… having unprotected sex with countless unfortunate women who have fallen for his false compliments, throwing parties that become too big for him to handle - so loud the police become involved, so messy with red cups littering the floor and vomit being found in every trashcan in the house - and failing nearly every class he’s in because “it’s too easy for me, my advisor put me in the wrong class, and the teacher is an old hag.”
ᵔᴥᵔ Fratboy!armin whose backpack is filled with anything but college textbooks and notebooks, like a chewed pencil, three packs of condoms, some headphones, and an energy drink.
ᵔᴥᵔ Fratboy!armin who swears he’s being a good boy when his rich parents who are on their abroad trip ask him how he’s doing over the phone but is actually spending most of his weekly allowance buying weed and smoking it with his frat buddies, who often gets into intense fights with them because he “knows he had two ounces left, but now he only has one,” and who shows up to class high the few times he does actually decide to go - eyes red, a constant small smirk, can’t stop rambling about useless things.
ᵔᴥᵔ Fratboy!armin who walks together with his big group of frat friends, taking up large amounts of room on the sidewalk and in restaurants, cat-calling girls they think look fuckable and loudly mocking those who look prude.
ᵔᴥᵔ Fratboy!armin who has a main Instagram where he looks so well-mannered, posting pictures with his family or his frat buddies when they go on a trip together but also has a secret Instagram where he posts thirst traps, follows barely clothed women, and stalks accounts of girls who go the same college as him, even DMing the men at your college to see if they have your nudes.
ᵔᴥᵔ Fratboy!armin who knows how handsome he is, who knows how easy it is to make your knees weak and your heart flutter when he looks at you from across the campus soccer field with such intent, biting his lip, maliciously smiling because yet another girl has fallen for his seemingly innocent aura as you excitedly wave at him.
ᵔᴥᵔ Fratboy!armin who revels in the fact that he can convince you to do anything. When he’s whining so pathetically in the driver’s seat and pressuring you to just hit the blunt one time while he locks you in his car that’s parked on the far end of the campus parking lot. And you, so submissive and selfless sitting in the passenger seat, not wanting to disappoint him because his frown harshly tugs at your heart, take a hit, choking on the fumes and heart pounding at the unfamiliarity as a warm buzz sets in.
ᵔᴥᵔ Fratboy!armin who pressures you to skip class with him so that you both can go to the campus cafeteria and buy an unholy amount of cookies and chips because he’s high and he’s hungry… and now you know why his bedsheets at the frat house reek of weed and why his crusty floor is littered with food wrappers.
ᵔᴥᵔ Fratboy!armin who so easily persuaded you to play those type of sexually suggestive games at the weekend frat party where everyone is drunk, breath seething with vodka, and sweatily rubbing up against each other, so horny for a release, and so desperate to feel something besides the headache from the loud music… who you somehow wind up in the closet with, his right arm holding you close against his body as his left hand slithers into your panties and forces itself into your cunt because he wanted you to play ‘seven minutes in heaven.’
ᵔᴥᵔ Fratboy!armin who promises that there’s nothing to be afraid of because he’s ‘secretly a sweetheart’ but calls you his “bitch” and pats his thigh, signaling that he wants you to come sit in his lap so that he can feel you up in front of his friends at the frat party when drinking cheap, shitty beer.
ᵔᴥᵔ Fratboy!armin who swears he won’t bite but gets you so drunk at parties that you can’t even tell him no when he takes you upstairs, locks the door, and practically forces his hard, throbbing cock into you while holding you into a mating press, covering your mouth to suppress your cries as his tongue trails your jawline and neck.
ᵔᴥᵔ Fratboy!armin who prays before every dinner, keeps a bible in the lowest drawer of his nightstand, and goes to church promptly at 10am every Sunday with his frat buddies despite being hungover. Sitting in the front pews, he listens intently to the preacher, letting the word of God spill into his heart even though he was rigorously fisting his cock the night before to your pictures on Instagram, cumming four times but his balls still swollen and cock still desperate for your messy cunt, having to hold back his needy whimpers each time his slender fingers brisk past his sensitive tip as he imagines your warm, wet tongue licking off the pre-cum.
ᵔᴥᵔ Fratboy!armin who invites you to a Sunday lunch with his frat. Of course, he looks so polished: a clean, white button-up with a baby blue sweater hanging around his shoulders and a pair of new Sperrys. When you show him what you’re wearing, he tells you that you could do better as he convinces you to wear something a little low-cut but not too much because he doesn’t want his frat buddies to think he’s dating a slut.
ᵔᴥᵔ Fratboy!armin whose friends look at you like starving dogs when you both finally get to the restaurant, never including you in the conversation except for when they comment on your body and how irresistible it is.
ᵔᴥᵔ Fratboy!armin who doesn’t defend you and instead soaks up all of this appraisal.
“Yeah, she’s a good toy to play with,” he proudly smiles while gripping your thigh in his strong, pale hands.
ᵔᴥᵔ Fratboy!armin who makes you order a small salad and only allows you to drink water because “you need to watch your figure.”
ᵔᴥᵔ Fratboy!armin who’s the perfect predator, the perfect manipulator. He can do whatever he wants without ever getting caught, howling at the fact that you try to tell advisors or teachers how Armin violated and manipulated you, but they just never believe you. “You’re talking about Armin? Armin Arlert? He would never do anything like that,” they chuckle… because everyone knows Armin’s an angel; he’s part of the frat, so that makes him a good boy, right?
ᵔᴥᵔ Fratboy!armin who you can’t possibly ever escape from because he’s done such a good job at manipulating you to be his little slutty girlfriend, his heaven-like appearance making it impossible for others to believe what a devil he is, isolating you as he convinced all of your friends that you’re just some cock-hungry whore.
ᵔᴥᵔ Fratboy!armin who has done such a good job at defiling you, successfully taking your virginity and eagerly pressuring you to do things for him, letting him so easily enter your sloppy cunt as he takes in the sight of your tender breasts, contorted face, and bright red hand imprints on your thighs.
ᵔᴥᵔ Fratboy!armin who despite all the manipulation and sexist comments, you don’t want to leave because he smells so sweet thanks to all the treats he eats; because his arm muscles look so good when he plays golf with his rude friends; because he makes your high from weed more fun as you two cuddle and talk about nonsense; because he is able to bury your shy side and awaken your submissive side as he slowly degrades the human being in you and raises a filthy slut whose pussy he makes so wet, so needy, and so pathetically sloppy.
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saturnity · 3 years
Text
Telling Tenya Iida to take care of himself. Tenya Iida x Gender Neutral, Best Friend Reader.
(authors note: this is my first full length fic in...a while. motivation hit me like a brick and I decided I'd churn something out! this fic is dedicated to a few special friends: @classreptenyaiida, for the interactions I've had with him, @yarozu for being such a great fan and supporter!! @lostcoves for being my first friend on this platform and for being so so kind to me, @uwu-iwanttodie because god I know you're a sucker for tenya just like i am, and @tryingmyves for sticking around and being a wonderful person!! there's also one more special person this fic is dedicated to but I don't know their tumblr url and if they wish to be named LOL // but yes anyway, enjoy! i hope you like this, feel free to send me any feedback, rts and follows appreciated!!!)
warnings: none! all fluff. good for everyone.
Tenya Iida and (f/n l/n). The both of you were inseparable, friends since childhood, in the same class throughout elementary and middle school. You were overjoyed to hear that you’d be in the same class with him again in UA, brimming with excitement to be able to stick by his side for longer. Of course, you had a crush on him ever since you could remember...but you were really too scared, terrified, really, to confess to him- in fear of ruining your 15 years of friendship.
Out of all people, you were the person who knew how determined Tenya was to not only reach, but exceed his goals and aspirations. You knew how much he wanted to satisfy the people around him and meet their expectations. You didn’t exactly understand why he did it, but you knew how driven he was, and how he’d do anything within the law and the rules to get there. And he rarely failed. Tenya was a great inspiration in your life, encouraging you to do better, while growing together. In a way, he influenced you to work hard, train harder and to do your hardest. The both of you became a force to be reckoned with; your parents and Tenya’s parents realised this, and hoped you’d do great things as heroes in the future, allowing you to spend weekends and holidays together.
Throughout your first term, Tenya enthusiastically took up the role as representative of Class 1-A with pride. He’d come to you for feedback for his ideas, always asking your opinion before proceeding, and you’d be his biggest cheerleader. You improved ideas he delivered, making sure small details were tweaked, and ensured logistics ran smoothly. Whenever Tenya needed help, you were the first he’d go to. Tenya presumed the role of a figure of strength within Class 1-A, readily assisting people in need, hosting study groups after school, and going the extra mile to make sure everyone was...more or less, in line. His work towards being a ‘good hero’ started here, and it wouldn’t stop until his last breath. As an Iida, he worked daily to strengthen his reputation as a helpful, strong figure...no, a reputation as a hero.
But inside, you knew Tenya was tired. He was slowly burning himself out. He didn’t need a savior, but he needed someone to shake him awake. There were days where you’d find Tenya a little less awake than usual, even though he seemed to have the same amount of energy as every other day. You’d catch him zoning out after school days ended, maybe he’d drop from his chopsticks once more than normal at lunch, and sometimes he’d even forget to bring certain things to school. Your best friend definitely wasn’t sleeping or resting enough.
You did your best to make sure Tenya was taking care of himself. Sometimes, you would gently remind him to drink more water, or to get more sleep. Other times, you’d deliberately book ‘study sessions’ with him, only to do the exact opposite- taking him to a cafe for a ‘change of environment’, introducing him to several new drinks and cakes, much to his dismay. Or maybe you’d eat lunch on one of the school rooftops, and allow him to take a nap afterwards on your shoulder while you ran your fingers through his coarse, navy hair. Perhaps you’d relax at your house, a movie would be playing on the TV, and while he’d feverishly insist on studying or doing something more ‘productive’, you’d gently but stubbornly insist that he rest. As the days passed, Tenya placed his focus on his ambitions, and your opportunities to ensure his leisure decreased.
One night, you wondered why Tenya pushed himself so hard. Was it because he was a people pleaser? There were definitely times where he would be almost too eager to help others. Or was it because he decided to shoulder his world of responsibility alone? Maybe it was because he was constantly surrounded by good examples of what a hero should be, that he held the burden of his family name, that he was expected to be the next best thing for the hero community...or maybe it was all of the above. Tenya had been working tirelessly for this; yet he didn’t know when or how to take care of himself and to forget to be selfless. He was always running to help others, always thinking in the position of others, or whatever would be better for the future. You didn’t remember the last time he did something for himself. Regardless, you decided that you’d definitely work a little harder to make sure your best friend would care for himself. After all, everyone needed someone else to lean on, right?
You shook your head. “No. I’m serious. You need to rest. Or at least take it easy this weekend.”
Finally, one Friday afternoon, you saw Tenya yawn in class for the first time. He looked close to falling asleep, in fact, you could say he was positively exhausted. His eyelids fluttered downward, their weight becoming heavier and heavier with each blink. Inside, he was praying he wouldn’t get picked on to answer a question- he just wasn’t really following the class material anymore. Or worse, he hoped Mr. Aizawa wouldn’t assign group work- it’d mean he would have to actively interact with other people, which he didn’t have the energy for. Thankfully, the bell rang, and the gray, bleary-eyed teacher dismissed his class, unfurling his sleeping bag and escaping the room to get a nap himself. You walked up to Tenya’s desk and playfully smacked his arm, shocking him a little more awake. He adjusted his glasses and looked up to you.
“Heeey. Someone’s looking tired.”
“I suppose I didn’t sleep quite enough last night, (y/n).” Tenya grinned. To the normal eye, it would seem like one of the class rep’s normal, signature smiles, but to you, there was a fatigued weakness shielded behind its sunny exterior.
You arched an eyebrow. “You’ve said that every day for the last month and a half.”
“I know, I know. There’s so much work I need to get to, in fact, I should return to my dorm soon to st-” Tenya had finished gathering his things and prepared to leave the classroom, until your hand reached out onto one of his broad shoulders and pressed him back down onto his seat.
“No you fucking don’t.” You folded your arms, a frown plastered to your face.
Tenya scowled. “Please, (y/n), can we joke around later? I have to get th-”
“Look, if you’re aiming to be a successful hero in the future, you might as well take your own advice that you give so often to others and rest. You always tell us to make sure we get enough sleep, and you’re not even doing it yourself. If you’re tired or sick, you won’t be able to perform as well as you want to, right? And you always want to be at your best, don’t you, Ten?”
“But-” Tenya protested. He had so much work to do, so much to get to.
“Tenya Iida. In our 15 years of friendship, I’ve never seen you this fucking tired. We’re only in our first year. Are you going to keep doing this throughout school? Or what, the rest of your life? For the love of god, cut yourself some slack.” You almost yelled out in protest, in disgust of seeing your best friend suffer in silence.
Tenya stared at you in shock. You’ve never spoken to him like this before, or at least, it was rare. Usually you played more of a supportive role by his side, and when you were more assertive, you were never this pushy. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he heard you shout. The remaining members of Class 1-A who hadn’t yet left the room stared at the both of you in a similar amount of surprise as your bespectacled classmate did. After sighing, you decided to use reason that Tenya would buy into, desperately hoping he would do as you said.
“Then it’s settled. We’re gonna take it easy this weekend, okay? And don’t apologise for making me worry. It’s my job to look out for you, you know. And we haven’t napped together in a while too. I kinda miss that.” You brought Tenya into a hug.
Tenya sighed. You were right. He couldn’t hide that he was tired. And honestly, it was exhausting having to troop through each class with the meager 4-5 hours of shut-eye he was getting. It was a battle that he knew he was losing. He surrendered to your suggestion.
“I...uh...suppose you’re right. Sorry for making you worry.” Right after Tenya had finished that sentence, he yawned. There was really no hiding his tiredness now.
“Hey...(y/n)? Thank you. I appreciate you doing this.” Tenya smiled, as he reciprocated your warmth.
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tillthelandslide · 4 years
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Oh F*ck It
A/N: Hi everyone. I actually quite like this one, so I hope you all like it too. I appreciate any and all feedback. All of your support has been amazing, especially the wonderful people on my taglist, you guys know I love you all so much xx
Side Note: Part 7 of Jersey Love is on hold for the moment so I can finish writing and editing other stories and make my way through my requests. Hope thats okay. Love you all so much - L
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Love. What a load of bullshit, you hated the idea of love. The idea that people could love someone despite how shitty they were pissed you off. Sure you knew people weren't perfect but come on, some people could just do better, be better. You felt genuinely awful when you found yourself thinking certain people didn't deserve to be loved. And you had begun to think that the thought in your mind meant you too didn’t deserve to be loved.
People often told you, "Y/n, you're too kind", "Y/N you're too good for him" and that too pissed you off. How could you be too good for one person and not good enough for someone else? That was the story of your life, the people you loved, didn't love you back, and the people that loved you, well... They fell under the formerly mentioned category of "not deserving love" and you suppose that fact was the reason you were yet to find someone. You were stuck up, only you thought it but it was still true. Someone who thinks there are people who don't deserve love, is stuck up, surely? Your friends and family would tell you that they agreed that some people don’t deserve love but it didn’t make you feel better, it made you hate the human race just a little more than you already did. You were kind, you knew that, only the people closest to you knew of these thoughts that you hated to have and the rest… they knew you as a lovely girl, a positive woman who worked hard and was strong. But that was the facade you presented.
You wish you were the type of person that believed everyone deserves love, but you weren't.
So here you were, sitting in your apartment drinking a beer all by yourself, waiting until your only true friend finished filming and came and listened to your moaning. Who is that friend you ask? The one, the only; Henry Cavill. How the fuck he was your friend you'll never know. He was about 7 years older than you but that didn't stop you from being best friends with him. He was a genuinely nice guy, the most humble person you knew (even in his position), he was kind and loving and you always told everyone he was the best thing that ever came into your life. He may be a recurring guest star in the filthiest of your dreams and fantasies but you'd never let him know that. You had the biggest crush on him but covered it up with witty and sarcastic humour, sure the two of you flirted but neither of you had the guts to progress your friendship, his fans knew you as his best friend and you thought it would stay that way until he inevitably found a girlfriend.  Little did you know that Henry felt the same way about you, in fact he was very much in love with his best friend, people said that you were too young but when you were together age was never an issue, in fact it was something Henry forgot about most days, only really thinking about it when someone had to comment on it (usually an ignorant reporter or pap)
You heard your door open, the jingle of keys, a coat being thrown somewhere, the sound of footsteps leading away from you into your kitchen, you heard the fridge open, you heard a beer open, all before you saw his face.
"Make yourself at home why don't you" you said, as he came into your living room and plopped himself down next to you. You instantly found yourself smiling and breathing him in, his usual scent invading your senses, making your eyes flutter shut for a second or two.
"Always do" he said simply, wrapping an arm around you to hug you.
"Ew get off" you joked, as you hugged him back, taking a deep breath as your head found a comfortable place in his shoulder..
"How was work?" you sang, making him jokingly groan at your singing.
"Good" was all he said and it made you chuckle.
"Henry Cavill everyone" you said, talking to an imaginary audience.
"How are you?" he asked, taking a sip of his beer.
"Shitty as ever my friend" you said, clinking your bottle with him as his eyebrows lifted.
"Why are you so dressed up?" he said referring to your current attire, he took your appearance in, smirking to himself and trying his hardest (as ever) to keep his thoughts to himself. He always thought you looked amazing, the most beautiful person he had ever laid his eyes on but tonight, he thought you looked phenomenally gorgeous and unfairly hot.
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You were wearing black skinny jeans and a black satin shirt which had been undone when your plans got cancelled, revealing lace lingerie underneath. You didn't care that it was revealing and you were infront of Henry, it just didn't matter to you, you were comfortable with each other and to be frank, he had seen much more of you before.
"I was supposed to have a date with Damien but he cancelled. Couldn’t be bothered to get changed" you said, making him groan and tilt his head back.
"That douchebag again? " he said, which made you laugh, he sounded too posh to say douchebag.
"What's wrong with him?" you asked, making him chuckle and drink his beer.
"Well for one, he's a dick, two he treats you like shit and 3 he's a dick" he said laughing.
"Yeah well he wants me so eh" you shrugged, downing your drink, knowing that wasn’t a valid reason to keep seeing him.
"Really? He cancelled on you" he said matter of factly.
"Ouch. Hurt my feelings why don't you. We get it I'm repulsive nobody wants me" you said, making him frown at you as your hand placed itself over your heart feigning heartbreak at his words.
"That's not what I meant and you know that's not true" he said, downing his drink too.
"What's the truth then?" you asked, turning to face him, your back sliding down the sofa slightly.
"You have terrible taste in men" he said, laughing which made you hit him "ouch" he said, rubbing his arm, his forehead creasing as his eyebrows furrowed at you.
"Sorry, did I hurt you big guy?" you joked, hitting him again, making him grab your wrist to stop you.
"Seriously Y/N stop" he said, making you chuckle and pull your hand away.
"God why is dating so hard? Honestly I'm just going to give up" you said, making Henry groan in agreement.
"I mean if Superman can't find someone then I've got no hope" you said, making him chuckle, his eyes following you as you stood up.
"Another one?" you asked, making him nod, you walked to your kitchen, opening the fridge and pulling out two more glasses of beer, popping the lids off..
"I miss sex" you heard Henry say making you laugh.
"Me too" you said, coming back into the room, passing him another beer, you walked to your speaker turning them on and taking your phone out of your pocket, throwing it to Henry who caught it one handedly, this was a common occurrence for the both of you, you’d give Henry your phone and he would play whatever he wanted from your music library.
"You and Damien haven't?" he asked, glancing between your phone and you as you resumed your position next to him, your head resting against his shoulder, looking at your phone in his hands.
"No we have but it was shit, didn’t get me where I needed to go if you get what I mean" you said, laughing to yourself.
"Why keep seeing him then? He's a dickhead and he can't make you cum? What's the point?" he said, making you laugh, finally shuffling a playlist of yours.
"Oh if you're fans heard you now Cavill" you said laughing to yourself, the music filling the room.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, bringing the bottom up to his perfect lips, downing a considerable amount, making you smirk and do the same.
"Just that they think you're so perfect. King Cavill they call you. Here you are, speaking all improper, having a beer with your clearly delusional and repulsive best friend and talking about cum" you said making him laugh alongside you.
"Eh, don't think they'd mind" he said, turning to face you.
“That’s true, think you could practically do anything and they’d bow down” you laughed, in your mind you understood perfectly why they acted the way they did and you truly loved every single person who loved Henry because they represented everything you were, everything they saw and thought about Henry, you thought, but considerable more because you knew him, all of him, not just the person he presented himself as.
"And stop calling yourself repulsive, you're not repulsive, far from it actually" he said.
"Calm down Cavill. Carry on being so sweet and I might think you’re in love with me" you joked, shoving his chest lightly.
"Yeah because that's not possible" he mumbled, you not hearing what he said.
"Huh?"
"Nothing"
"You look exhausted" you said, looking over his features, he had bags under his eyes and the skin around his face was drooping, you still thought he looked handsome but still, he needed to rest more.
"Thanks" he chuckled deeply, closing his eyes and leaning his head against your sofa.
"You work too hard" you scolded him, your hand moving to play with his curls the way you knew he liked. It calmed him and even though this was a fairly romantic thing people did, you did it anyway. Your friendship was weird like that, you could go from acting like best friends to acting like a couple (without the sex, much to your dismay). His eyes closed and his head tilted upwards as you did, a small smile resting on his lips, before they blinked open a few times.
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"I enjoy my work" he said, humming at the feel of your gentle fingers in his hair. You could tell he was getting sleepy as his features softened and he no longer joked with you, the beer now long forgotten in his hand. You took the beer from his hand, placing it on the table, stopping your movements in his hair. Moving a pillow into your lap and saying his name, making his eyes open.
"I know you do, but you need to rest more, now lie down." you said firmly, gesturing for him to place his head on the pillow, to which he followed your instructions. Your hand resumed its movement in his hair, pushing the curls out of his face, running through the strands and occasionally stopping to massage his head.
"Maybe you need an older man, one who knows to treat you right” Henry said suggestively, wow he really is tired you thought.
“Treat me right? Are you talking about in or outside the bedroom?” you laughed.
“Both” he snickered.
"Going to set me up with one of your hot friends?" you said, trying to see if he was indeed talking about himself.
"I was talking about me." he said. Ah. So he was.
"Jheez you must be so exhausted" you said, trying your best to change the subject.
"I'm being serious" he said, his eyes still shut, groaning slightly as you weren't paying attention and accidentally tugged his hair.
"I'm too fucked up for you Henry. Besides you could have anyone you wanted" you said, hoping to some higher power that the topic please be changed.
"You're not fucked up, just a little messy, a little mess never hurt anyone" he said.
"You could have anyone you wanted" you repeated.
"Don't want anyone else" he said, suddenly sitting up from your lap and turning to face you.
"That beer must have gone straight to your head Henry. You don't know what you're saying"
"Don't be like that. I'm an adult, I can handle one fucking beer" he said, his tone turning you on a little. The song switched to Sail by AWOLNATION and the bass was loud, adding to the tension between you.
"Cmon Yn don't tell me you haven't thought about this" he said gesturing between you.
"I haven't" you lied.
"That's a lie. I see the way you look at me when you think I'm not looking" he said.
"Don't get me started" you warned.
"What's that supposed to mean?
"Oh c'mon Henry! You're always so protective when I tell you about guys I'm seeing, and you can't say that's just you being my best friend!" you shouted standing up from the sofa, walking to the other side of the room, turning down the music just a little.
"Yeah well, I know you have dirty dreams about me!" he shouted back making you gasp "I heard you one night when you stayed at mine, you moaned my name in your sleep"
"Yeah well, I always see you looking down my top at my tits" you said, making him look down at your boobs.
"Henry!" you shouted, your arms crossing over your chest protectively for about a second before you dropped them, not really caring if he looked.
"What! They're nice tits" he said make, a smirk on his face that you wished wasn’t there
"Well you have a nice face" you shouted back, you had no idea why the both of you were shouting at each other.
"So do you!" he shouted back.
"Yeah. Well you have rock hard abs like a fucking god? Like seriously what the hell dude?" you asked.
"Well you're fucking beautiful" he quipped back.
"Well, you have perfectly rideable thighs and sometimes when we cuddle I feel you against my arse… and c’mon how are you so big?" you said, glancing down to his thighs, flicking to his jean clad bulge, your mouth literally falling open as you did, making him chuckle at you. He hardened in his jeans as he heard you calling him big.
"It's nice arse. You have a nice arse" he said. It seemed like this was becoming a competition of who could complement the other more, you still had no idea why you were both shouting, probably to relieve the tension that was pent up inside the both of you.
"So do you! And you have really nice eyes, with the little bit of brown in the left one” you said, making him realise how much attention you paid to him.
“Not many people realise that about my eyes” he said, his mouth agape as he paused his shouting, the both of you trying to catch your breath.
“That’s because I like you.” you said, not shouting anymore.
“I like you more.” he said, still making it a competition.
"Well maybe we should just be together then if we like each other so much" you said.
"Maybe we should!" he shouted, the both of you realising that you had been moving closer to one another with every passing comment you had made, the both of you now standing chest to chest, the both of them raising and falling against each other. His eyes flicked down to your lips, to your eyes, to your breasts, back up to your lips before finally resting back on your eyes, the usual blue shade completely taken up by his pupils.
"Oh fuck it" you said , jumping into his arms, your legs wrapping round his waist, he caught you perfectly as you kissed each other. He carried the both of you back to your sofa, his lips moving perfectly against yours, as he placed the both of you on the sofa, you resting in his lap, your centres being instantly pushed together.
“I’ve wanted to kiss you for so long.” he said, breaking the kiss to tell you.
“Shut up and kiss me then” you said, his lips smudging against yours, the both of you moaning into the other, tongues finally fighting against each other, the feeling foreign but perfectly euphoric.
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You shifted yourself against him, feeling him large and hard against your core. He pushed your open shirt over your shoulders, it fell to your forearms, you pulled your arms out of the sleeves, flicking the shirt in a different direction. Henry’s lips paused against yours to kiss at the exposed skin at your neck, moving down to your chest. You pushed your chest against his lips as he sucked at your bosom making you gasp and rut yourself against his bulge.
“I need you” you sighed out, his head snapping backwards to look at you, his hand coming to gently grasp your face, his thumb caressing the apple of your cheek which was now flushed and warm.
“I’ve wanted this for so long” he smiled at you, he lifted the both of you up, placing sweet kisses against your lips as he carried you to your bedroom, placing you softly against your bed, your head falling softly into your pillows. He paused above you, slipping his shirt over his head, before looking over you, his features soft as he did, a sweet smile on his face as his cheeks flushed.
“You’re beautiful” he said, making you smile up at him. You reached out for him, gesturing to him, he simply shook his head, needing a moment more to take you in.
“Please Henry. Come here” you said cutely, he finally obeyed your wish, resting over you, his core flush against yours as he rested his arm by your head, his fingers drifting over your face, before he placed tender kisses against your lips. His tongue sensually making its way back into your mouth, pleasure erupting between you as he pushed his hips against you, causing you to gasp, your lips opening against his. His grunt was resounding and stirred something deep inside you that wanted to hear the noise over and over until it was the only one you knew.
“Henry” you sighed as his fingers grasped the button of your jeans, popping them open easily, his fingers slipping down until they were pressed against your core over your underwear, a moan slipping from your lips, into his mouth as his tongue fondled yours. Your hands finally reached out, resting over his muscular shoulders, the muscles contracting against your soft touch. You moved them gently down his chest, moving your lips there too, pressing an open mouth kiss against his hairy chest as his fingers continued to move against your core. Your back arched and your eyes fluttered shut. You continued the movement of your hands southward, pausing over his abs to get a feel before landing on the button of his jeans, popping them open easily and beginning to push the material down past his thighs, over his plump bottom before he got up to remove them fully, giving you the chance to do the same to yours.
You were left in your black lacy one piece, you popped the buttons at your core, revealing your wetness to him making him groan loudly as he moved back over you. You took in his black boxers, seeing a clear and large bulge straining against the material. Your eyes flicked up to his and he took you in again, smiling to himself that this was finally happening.
“Kiss me” you said simply, his lips pressing against yours again. Your hands found the hem of his boxers, pushing them down, your hand finding his large shaft, grasping it lightly, your feather-like touch had him panting into your mouth, his eyes bursting open and his lips pulling away from yours as he snapped his head down, seeing your small hand wrapped around him. He had never seen something more simple yet the sight was nothing but erotic in his mind and he had to refrain from fucking himself into your hand. You began to move your hand up and down his shaft, spreading the precum that had formed at his tip to fully cover all of him. He rested his forehead against yours, eyes fluttering shut again as he moaned deeply.
“Baby I’m not going to last, need to be inside you” he said, speaking the truth. The pet name had your mind spinning and your stomach and core fluttering.
“Yes please” you begged sweetly making him chuckle.
“You sure you want this?” he said, grasping himself and placing himself against your core, tapping his tip against your clit making you sigh lewdly, precum spilling from his tip onto your clit at the sound.
“I’m sure” you confirmed, making him push into you gently, the both of you gasping, foreheads resting against each other, eyes looking into the others, making the whole ordeal more intimate.
His head arched upwards as he bottomed out, a loud groan falling from his lips.
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“You okay?” he asked, his fingers caressing your cheek, moving to your bottom lip.
“Give me a second” you said, the stretch was nothing you had experienced before and you needed a second to compose yourself. His lips found yours and moved against yours slowly, drawing a moan out as his fingers found your clit.
“You can move”
“You sure?” he said, making you nod. He pulled back slowly and you moaned loudly, feeling every ridge and vein against your walls. He pulled out until just the tip was inside you, slowly pushing back in, making the both of you moan out loudly.
“Fuck” he said, repeating the action a few times, his thrusts were deep, sensual and slow, you could feel every part of him and it had you seeing stars already.
“Henry” you moaned, you had never felt anything like this, you were no virgin but no man had ever made you feel this good before. He pushed back in, his hips hitting against yours as he sped up his thrusts slightly, his member reached untouched places inside you and found your g-spot straight away, your back arched, hands flying out to grasp his shoulders for support.
“Henry” you repeated, his eyes opening to look in yours, worry written across his face “faster” you said, making him chuckle.
“We’ve got all the time in the world for that my love. Need to feel all of you. This way” he said, his words reinforced with a particularly slow and deep thrust making you gasp out.
He felt like he was being winded but it was perfect, every thrust was deeper causing pleasure to shoot inside of him, making deep and loud grunts fall from his lips which were moving against yours.
“Y/n” he moaned, as he made a particular hard thrust of his hips, his member pushing inside you harshly making the both of you swear at the feeling.
“Oh fuck” you moaned, his fingers moving against your pearl with every thrust he made. You began pushing your own hips up, meeting him halfway, creating a new feeling of pleasure.  
“Look at you, absolutely glowing. Taking me in so perfectly” he said, looking down to where you were intertwined, officially moving as one being.
“You’re so deep Henry” you said, your lips fluttering over his neck, sucking against a vein which had appeared there.
“No one’s ever been this deep before have they?” he said, his hips still delivering slow and deep thrusts inside you, elongating the pleasure you both felt.
“Only you” you said and Henry knew you couldn’t have said anything more perfect and complementary.
“Oh I love you” he said, surprising you with his words, you looked at him, the both of you smiling and moaning against each other. Tears formed in your eyes, your hands grasping his face gently, kissing his lips.
“I love you too Henry. So much” you said, making his hips move faster against you, his dick still reaching deep inside you, pushing deliciously against your g-spot, pulling high pitched moans from your chest, your back arching and your hips rising off the bed.
Henry’s hands landed on your lace clad waist, leaning backwards on the bed, carrying you with him so you were on top, causing his member to fall some from your core.
Your hand steadied him against your core as you lowered yourself against him until the hilt, the hair at the base of him tickling against you as your legs draped over his thighs. You began raising yourself up before dropping yourself down, his cock somehow reaching deeper inside you, his hand supporting your movements but grasping your waist, helping raise and lower you against him. He leant back against the bed, his mouth agape as looked over you.
“Fuck Henry. Can you feel you, here” you said, grasping his hand and pushing his hand against your stomach making him moan.
“I. Love. You. So. Fucking. Much” he said, delivering particularly hard thrusts upwards into you in between every word.
“Fuck. So close” you said, lips bruising themselves against his again.
“Never felt this way before” he said, his words making you moan again. They had you seeing nothing but white as your walls fluttered against him, a near pornographic noise falling from your lips as you reached your high.
“There’s my good girl, that's it” he said, encouraging you as you came around him.
“Cum for me Henry. I need it, need to feel it inside me” you said, making his hips stutter as he came suddenly at your words, his eyes flickering in their sockets as he came. His load shooting upwards into you, coating your walls with him. Yours and his juices slipping out of you and onto his cock.
“Oh fuck” he grunted, his chest heaving as he breathed heavily, yours doing the same as you collapsed against him as he fell back, his back hitting your bed, his hands grasping your comforter. You felt him softening inside you, your walls still pulsing around him as you rested your head against his sweaty chest.
“That was fucking amazing” he swore.
“You’re the best” you said, making him growl and flip the both of you, his length falling from your warm and wet cunt, he was coated in a mixture of the both of you making you smile.
“Why didn’t we do that sooner?” he said, now lying on top of you, his arms supporting his weight.
“Because we’re idiots” you said, both of you laughing breathlessly.
“Be my girlfriend please?” he said, pushing hair out of your eyes as you smiled up at him.
“It would be my pleasure” you said, kissing him slowly, he let out a deep exhale from his nostrils.
“You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me and I want to tell everyone that you’re my girl. Will you let me tell everyone you’re my girl?” he said making your heart burst with joy.
“You better, everyone’s got to know you’re my man” you said, laughing up at him.
“I’m your man” he said, repeating the words more to himself than to you.
“You’re my man” you confirmed, making the both of you smile, you giggling as his lips began to attack your neck again.
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Text
The Art of Inversion
Neil x Reader
Chapter 24 - If You Want Me... 
Masterlist; Chapter 23
Summary: Tension reaches its boiling point when you overhear an unfortunate conversation. With unexpected allies, you attempt to break the impasse once and for all.
Warnings: ANGST (still but... well you’ll see ;)); at few points R! is being a little dramatic which can be triggering if you’ve been dealing with intrusive thoughts (nothing too bad though); swearing.
Author’s Notes: Finally! It’s been a wild ride... and god am I happy i’ve managed. This part took a lot of effort but I quite like what I came up with... even if sometimes it gets too angsty. Can’t wait for what’s coming next, however... :)))) Hope you enjoy and all feedback is always appreciated! <3 
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The shooting range on the icebreaker was a strange place. It occupied a large proportion of the deck floor in the accommodation part of the ship, next to the turnstile and sparring grounds. With darkness swallowing every corner that was not lit up by the blinking fluorescents, it was a perfect place to hide. Soon it became your go-to solace when things got difficult, and the only other idea you could come up with involved going outside without the oxygen mask attached. You did not want to go that far. Yet. Target practice became your favourite occupation. It was simple and did not involve talking to people that could give you worrying looks or comment on the dark circles underneath your eyes. Sleep was no longer a thing, with you catching three-hour-long naps at best, in between never-ending worrying and staring at the ceiling, reminiscing the past. The constant headaches were something you soldiered through, accepting them as a part of reality. The worst part of that new life was the fact that you and Neil stopped talking to each other altogether. Not even empty pleasantries could get through the stone-cold awkwardness and tension capable of killing you before the heartache would. After a day of near-misses and horrifying mistakes that culminated with you accidentally spilling boiling water all over the sweater when Neil entered the galley, you both mastered the art of hiding. You only saw him once afterwards, sitting at the table in the corner of the canteen. That was almost two days ago, and you were thankful.
Once you went through the assigned daily rounds, you moved onto the task of cleaning the guns and rifles. Polishing the metal cases and arranging the bullets was as close to therapy as it could get. With the repetitive action occupying your brain, there was no time to get emotional over things you could not change. Only at the shooting range, you did not feel so utterly hopeless. So terribly unloved. A sudden noise by the airlock made you look up. Conveniently the air in the range was sealed so that you need not to worry about oxygen masks during the target practice. It also meant you got approximately five seconds warning to check the identity of the intruder. This time you were surprised.
“Hi, Y/N. Thought I’d find you here” TP’s dark gaze slid over you cautiously.
Taking off the mask, he joined you at the makeshift table, looking at the arsenal you have spread over the surface. You eyed him with curiosity. That was unexpected. So far, he has never interacted with you outside of the meetings. And every time he did, you could not stop thinking about how much he knew. Who did he see when he looked at you?
“Afternoon” shaking off the reverie, you offered him a tight smile, “Is it afternoon?” glancing at the watch, you grimaced, “Oh,”
The last time you checked, it was 3 pm. The blue numbers on your wrist were mercilessly ticking away. 8:30 pm. How the fuck. TP caught your silent crisis as he asked:
“How long have you been down here?” looking up, you encountered a glimmer of worry in his eyes.
Interesting.
“Umm, five hours?” it felt like the best estimate.
It was probably longer. But he need not know that.
“Jesus,” wincing, he directed his taxing gaze back onto you, “When was the last time you had food?” tone strictly business.
The truth was that you did not remember. With everything falling apart and losing meaning, food became an afterthought. Half the time you would realise you only had one meal around 1 am, forcing you to tiptoe to the kitchen and grab something from the cupboard. A hungry stomach was nothing compared to all the other issues. It could be ignored.
“Breakfast. I’m not hungry though,” brushing off the concern you chose defiance, “Is this an interrogation?” you arched one eyebrow and cocked the gun you have wiped clean.
TP snorted at your comedic timing.
“No, I come here in peace” he raised his hands in defeat and added, “To see if you’re… alright” the hesitation made you scoff.
“You know that I’m not. Because things are generally far from alright,” letting annoyance slip into the sentence, you let go of the tools and met his gaze with coldness.
The deepening frown was concerning. You were being unfair. After all, it was not him who has caused all this pain. Remorse nipped at your heart as you sighed heavily.
“Sorry, that was unnecessary,” he accepted your apologetic smile with a nod, giving the courage to continue, “And I’m also sorry that you all have to witness that mess in the meetings. I’d rather it stayed between him and me... but he seems to disagree” you shrugged.
Sometimes you did wonder why Neil seemed so intent on making your arguments a public spectacle. Whether that was a part of the intricate plan to make you look like an idiot or a result of his emotions boiling over. Not that it mattered. Everyone on the team knew what the deal was anyway. A poor, naïve you, desperately in love with someone who could not care less. Nothing out of the ordinary. Judging by TP’s passing frown, for him too the topic was rather uncomfortable. He took a long moment to respond, looking for answers in the rows of bullets you have arranged on the table.
“Not going to lie, it’s awkward, but at least I know what’s going on, and I can offer to listen” he met your gaze with newly found determination.
Okay… Confiding in TP was quite low on the list of things you expected to have the opportunity of doing. But then so was having to convince Neil not to get himself killed for the sake of the operation. Anything goes.
“Aren’t you taking a side?” that suspicious voice in your head was difficult to get rid of, “Agreeing with him that I’m stupid, emotional, and overall a burden?” you recited the memorized litany of epithets with a stone-cold expression.
The words have lost their meanings after you have put them apart in the quiet of your mind. Now they were just sounds, incapable of inflicting pain. It was the least that could be done.
“He went too far with that” TP winced, his eyes expressing traces of disapproval, “I might not know you well, but you’re none of these things,” a sympathetic smile softening the tone.
An open hand. An olive branch. Why not? Taking a deep breath, you got ready to open up before the most unexpecting of allies.
“In a way, he was right though…” you looked down, trying to find the needed strength, “I am stupid because I have allowed myself to care too much for him” there it is, “And now I’m paying for it” when you met his eyes again, you found nothing but thoughtfulness.
It was something you thought about often as well. The fact that Neil was right, you did care, and that it was perhaps the reason for your demise. But who could blame you for falling for the bastard looking like the devil? And equally charming too.
“Maybe it’s a little too forward, but-” TP’s tentative tone made you grin.
In moments like this, you acutely remembered that he was still a rookie. Not used to the half-truths and strange tenets you accepted as your credo. His innocence was adorable even.
“In this profession, a it’s sometimes nice to say the truth. Shoot away” you waved your hand dismissively, anticipating the question.
There is a first time for everything.
“Fair point” he mirrored your smile before asking, “Do you love him?”
Plain and simple. Ignoring the panic, you took a moment to ponder the answer. It was… obvious. You told Neil as much twice before, and no amount of pretending and lies could ever undo it. The words were his. Just as you were. Unfortunately.
“I’d want to say no, that I got over it, but… Yes, I do,” you offered the answer with a helpless frown, “Think any idiot can see it” noticing a hint of embarrassment briefly you patted TP’s shoulder, “No matter how much he hurts me, I always find myself wishing things could be… like they once were”
Whatever that meant. In truth, you wanted more. You wanted to wake up next to him every morning. You wanted affirmations of love every day as you tasted his coffee-stained lips. You wanted to lie in his embrace, feeling desired and loved. But most of all, you wanted to be able to lace up your fingers with his, following the instincts that became your second nature. To card your fingers through his silky golden strands and to give him everything he would desire. You wanted to be his. He was supposed to be yours. Or was the universe wrong?
Thoughts of that kind could be lethal. Shaking yourself awake, you met TP’s eyes. Apart from the lack of surprise at your admission, you noticed something strange. A passing realization. As though he has heard something similar before but was afraid to speak up. Once again, you found yourself wondering what Neil told him. What did he mean by ‘things you and I should explain to each other’? For a moment, you wanted to jump head in and ask. But what good would knowing the truth be when you could not act on it? As though aware of your increasing dilemma, the man spoke up again.
“I’m sorry for Oslo” your eyes widened at the reminder.
“Why?” blurting out the question, you eyed him cautiously.
The deepening discomfort radiating off him confirmed your assumptions. That was it. He knew what nearly happened that night. And he was flustered about his role in it. That was not the conversation you ever expected to have.
“I can’t help but think that maybe if I hadn’t… interrupted you, it would’ve-” he stumbled over the sentence somewhat endearingly.
Perhaps it was the lack of care that made you say the next words. Or maybe just the fact that nothing mattered anymore, and so who could judge you for the purest form of honesty.
“Doubt it,” interrupting him with a sour smile, you added, “Maybe it’s good you knocked then… Least he doesn’t have absolutely everything” noticing the alarm painted on TP’s face, you blushed.
Yep, too far. Still true, however.
“I’m sorry, you didn’t have to know that much” you brushed off the sudden awkwardness with a sincere apology.
“I can pretend I’ve never heard it” it was his turn to give a reassuring shoulder squeeze.
You could feel the strange companionship forming. Sure you did not mind. Relaxing back in the chair, you spoke up:
“Thanks,” as TP also visibly reclined, you brought up the thought that was not letting go of your mind, “I don’t know how much he has told you about… this,” gesturing vaguely, you bit your lip.
Somehow you knew that he would not betray Neil by sharing with you everything that has been said. But even crumbs would do…
“Quite a bit,” you watched him closely, intrigued by the hesitation, “Enough for me to know that you’re someone I can trust and that he had reasons to be acting that happy in Tallinn before the action” oh.
That painful pang in your heart was heart to ignore. You winced, feeling the steady gaze fixed on your face. The analysis was mutual. Neil, happy, back in Tallinn. Because of you. You have lost too much.
“What do you mean?” treading carefully, you asked the safest of questions.
A small smile on his face showed you just how obvious you were. Lovesick idiot.
“Hours he has spent texting someone, phone calls he would pick up instantly and then come back grinning like a madman” TP offered you examples with a glimmer in his eyes “It only clicked when we were inverting, and I asked him about you” the blush on your cheeks deepened under his taxing gaze “Suddenly all of that made sense if you were in Estonia with us” he shrugged, finishing the thought.
Oh my god. While you experienced it all firsthand during those chaotic yet hopeful days in the safehouse when everything seemed to have infinite potential, hearing about it from someone else’s perspective felt strange. Almost like a slap in the face. Because it only confirmed what you knew – he once loved you. Once.
“Well, it seems like he has changed his mind…” you muttered, feeling the resentment settle in.
You wondered whether one day it would stop hurting. If you could ever get over this and find someone else. That darkest part of your brain knew the answer well enough. Nothing could come close. And nothing ever would.
“Or he’s just an idiot” the cheeriness felt forced.
But judging by the way TP was staring at you, you could tell it was his attempt at dispersing the sudden melancholy. It was strange to see him worried about you of all people. Perhaps your shit attempts at diverting everyone’s attention from your declining mentality were failing. And that was a reason to be concerned.
“That too,” plastering on an unconvincing smile, you stifled a yawn.
That caught his attention.
“You should get some rest” upon further thought, he added, “And food,”
The intensity of his look was stifling. You hated being the centre of attention. Especially in moments like this when you felt vulnerable, an object of pity and unease. Stupid, weak, and useless. The sabotaging voice came out in full force, making you want nothing but to curl up in bed and disappear. Not yet, however.
“Yes, sir” you raised your hand in mock salute.
Your face fell when instead of a laugh, you got a frown in response. Oopsie.
“I’m serious” TP seemed to consider something quickly before placing his hand on your forearm, “I’m… I’ve been a little worried about you” he met your eyes with a clear purpose.
Shit. That is exactly what you wanted to avoid. Being seen as pathetic and a burden. Internally, you cursed yourself for not being strong enough. For letting anyone see the cracks. You would not let them see you shatter into pieces.
“I’m doing fine,” mustering the happiest of grins, you tried to mask the urgency.
Please buy the bullshit.
“Are you?” he didn’t. Before your brain could fully arrive at the panic station, his inquisitive expression softened. You held his gaze for a beat, hoping to convey everything. Hoping to convince him to let the conversation go. It worked for TP gave a final taxing look before backing off. You exhaled slowly, relaxing a little. Maybe the worst was over…
“Before we go… there’s one more thing I wanted to talk to you about…” TP changed the subject, looking down at the table “The lock. You want to go with him”
It was not exactly a question, yet you knew he expected an answer. That one you could easily give him. It was obvious, even if you have never said it out loud. Up till now.
“Yes... Maybe it is an impulsive and stupid thing to do, but I can’t let him do it alone. I can’t let him get killed” the word felt foreign in your mouth.
As though ‘Neil’ and ‘death’ were two irrelevant concepts that did not fit together even in theory. They could not. You would not allow it. And you were willing to accept the worst of risks to make sure it would not happen. Hell, you would even fight against fate and time to assure that.
“I’d rather avoid that too” TP’s quiet comment made you look up, “He deserves so much more than…” there was something startling in his gaze.
As though he has stopped himself before saying too much. Much more than what? And why was he looking at you like that? Like you were missing something tragic, and his heart was breaking for your loss. You felt like going insane. TP cleared his throat awkwardly, resuming the conversation, not at all fluently:
“I don’t buy the whole ‘what’s happened, happened’. What does that even mean?” the irritation shining through his strange tone was distracting.
“Don’t ask me,” you shrugged, “I like to think there’s a different solution to this. One that doesn’t involve Neil sacrificing himself. And I need to be there with him because if it comes to it… I’d take that bullet for him” you did not know where the honesty came from.
Or why you would admit something that fundamental to TP. His response was just as anticipated – a gasp and widened eyes. Nibbling on your lower lip, you broke the eye contact and chose to stare at the forgotten gun lying on the table. It was the truth, so why did admitting it feel so… radical?
“Are you sure?” when he found his voice again, it was hoarse.
“It’s that kind of love,” you replied, still unable to meet his gaze.
You never expected to reveal yourself like that to TP. Wheeler? Maybe. Even Kat seemed like a probable option, but not the boss himself. And especially not at this stage of his story. Yet he was there, willing to listen, and that was enough. You would deal with the consequences later, in your mind that would undoubtedly rebel against such a display of fragility.
“I don’t want it to sound patronizing… but you’re still young. There might be someone else for you along the line if Neil-” his voice broke through your reverie as you interrupted him with a start.
“I know” finally, you raised your head again, showing the sincerity of expression, “But something tells me it’s him or nothing. Call it fate or insanity” biting back a dry chuckle, you felt a single tear form in the corner of your eye.
That was something you have spent most of the time thinking about. At the start, you desperately wanted to believe that you would get over this. That it was just another disappointment, and like before, eventually you would forget about those blue eyes and maniacal grin. But your heart knew better, constantly reminding you that it was not that simple. That Neil was not someone you just forget. Because how could you?
“Reality?” TP’s eyes were filled with thoughtfulness.
“Perhaps,” you cracked a smile, feeling heaviness in your heart lift by an inch.
Always something. Another yawn ended the delicate moment seconds later, making you scowl in annoyance. What was the point of tiredness when you could not even rest properly? TP laughed at your pained expression and got up:
“Now, you into the kitchen. And try to get some sleep” he offered you a hand which you took and stood up.
“I’ll try” a lie, “Thank you… for checking in and listening” sheepishly, you tried to find any words of gratitude.
“I owed you that after those hours in Oslo, filled with plans, coffees, and awful songs you’d sing to entertain us” the knowing smirk suggested that he did remember what you hoped would be forever forgotten.
MTV in Norwegian. Your knackered brain deciding that singing along to ‘Like a Virgin’ and ABBA was what had to be done to make everyone smile. Mistakes have been made.
“Don’t remind me,” TP laughed as you smacked him on the shoulder.
*** You did not sleep after you bid goodbye to TP. That night too was spent tossing and turning in bed, thinking about how everything could have crumbled so quickly. It has only been weeks since Tallinn. In fact, looking from the linear point of view, it has not even happened yet. The normal you have been enjoying the confusion of those days before Oslo when everything was difficult yet hopeful. Too good to be true, at times. Well, now you knew that those moments never lasted too long.
The next morning you quickly grabbed breakfast and sneaked into the sparring area, hoping to catch a few minutes with the punching bag before the troops would take over space. However, that day it was not meant to be.
You heard the voices as soon as you opened the airlock and entered the large room. It was divided into a few sections, each devoted to a different training exercise. To your advantage, each was also separated with a thin plastic screen. Cautiously, you approached the nearest divider, trying to determine whether your mind was not playing any tricks. After one second, you knew. TP and Neil were having a rather heated conversation on the other side of the screen. A sparring ground was the place you least expected to encounter them. And yet… You wanted to turn away and leave before more damage could be done, but the moment you heard the boss’s voice, you froze on the spot:
“Why are you so hard on her?” TP’s question rung out clear in the highly domed room “The only crime she has committed was falling in love with you. I don’t think that’s worth all that pain you’re inflicting”
There was no doubt as to who he meant. Your heart sank. Oh my god. On one hand, it was encouraging to know someone was fighting for your side and pointing out the unnecessary torture Neil was so keen on. But the fact that they were discussing the nature of your feelings was terrifying. Listening on felt wrong, yet you could not move away.
“It would be better for her if she hadn’t” Neil’s cold tone made your blood turn to ice.
There was something frightening in how distant he sounded. As though he was nothing like the man you fell in love with, only a cold impostor that borrowed his face and voice. He was right.
“Why? You told me that you love-” TP’s voice rose, incredulity tinging every single word.
Neil told him his feelings. You expected that, and it still felt like a punch. You leaned on the wall for support.
“It doesn’t matter what I said” the biting edge to Neil’s voice was new, “Or how I feel. The sooner she gets over it, the better for all of us” he threw it without caution, as though he was done with your bullshit.
With the fact that you were stupid enough to love him. He did not want your love. Never did. The crushing weight on your chest would not give way.
“You’re cruel” TP was surprised, as though he could not believe what he was hearing.
“That’s mercy” Neil was begging for the conversation to be over, “Cruelty would be letting her entertain the idea that we can...” he trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.
Christ. All those nights spent wishing for answers, and when they came you wanted to forget you ever heard it. It was foolish to believe anything could ever happen between you.
“But why? Neil, you are in love with her” TP raised his voice yet again, utterly done with whatever the blonde bastard was doing.
You could not care less. Nothing mattered anymore. But you did not expect the very next punch. Or the pain you would feel.
“I’m not” clear-cut rejection; nothing to interpret “I don’t love her. There’s no need to look at me like I’m a monster”
Enough. You heard enough. The pain was as bad as ever as you walked away. Your mind set on one simple thing - tea. Yes, that would solve it.
*** Going to the galley felt as though you were stuck within a dream you could not shake off. Half-aware of your surroundings, you nearly walked into Dominic, whose survival instincts kept him off your path. Muttering apologies, you undid the zip lock and sauntered into the kitchen without a care in the world. With a start, you noticed Kat sat at the table. She gave you a welcoming half-smile as she sipped the tea from the metal cup. Your autopilot stuttered, overwhelmed by the company. Blocking off any attempts at thinking, you followed the muscle memory. Setting the kettle on. Putting teabag into the mug. Earl Grey because it reminded you of those morning kisses in London. No. Wrong memory. You shook your head, waiting for the water to boil. The fridge was too loud, the buzz making thoughts appear. Sighing, you leaned on the counter. Your eyes were burning, the sensation increasing with every single blink. It was alright. So why did it feel like the world was ending?
The kettle switched off. Without sparing a single thought to the reality, you poured the water in, watching with fascination as the teabag floated up. Kat’s spoon let out a clink as she placed it on the edge of the plate. You jumped up, startled. That was enough to break through your carefully woven barrier. The thoughts came rushing in. Neil didn’t love you. Your chest tightened as the next breath came out strained. The air was gone. Your hands shook as you tried to take out the teabag. Fuck. Everything was over. A single gasp was all you could manage before you shattered. The tears fell down your cheeks in a steady stream, blurring everything with tragedy. Choked sobs shook your frame as you desperately tried to hold on. To sanity. To reality. Anything to make the pain go away. But it would not disappear, only getting stronger. As though through the glass, you could hear someone say your name. Voice tinted with worry and urgency. But you did not care. The sobs turned into a howl as you slid down to the floor. The sounds coming from your throat sounded foreign and harsh, tearing at your vocal cords mercilessly. Oh my god. That was the break you always feared. There was no end to tears falling down your cheeks onto the floor and beneath your shirt. Slowly breathing became almost impossible, forcing out those pathetic half sniffles that only made everything worse. You wanted to do something. Anything. To make it stop. To forget. To lose the ability to feel things. Your fingers clawed at nothingness, barely losing against the desire to make all that internal pain physical. By any means necessary. Because then at least you could blame it on something concrete. And not just heartbreak. A word you despised because it sounded weak. Stupid. Easily avoidable for everyone but not you. A lost cause. A failure.
“Hey…” warm fingers gently touched your shoulder.
You raised your head. The pounding headache and lack of oxygen, making everything seem twice as difficult. Kat’s blue eyes bore into yours with concern. You have made quite the show. Self-preservation told you to get up and leave, save yourself some shame. But you would not even know where to go. Or what to do. You did not trust yourself to make reasonable choices.
“Are you alright?” Kat’s voice brought you back to the present moment.
An anchor. Maybe this could work… She was still eyeing you closely, unsure about how to act but wanting to be helpful.
“Mmmm no,” you sent her a broken smile, grateful for the handkerchief she handed, “But it’s okay. Sorry about this. I didn’t mean to-” you gestured vaguely, knowing she would catch on.
Tears were still flowing steady, threatening with dehydration should this continue. But at least the wailing subsided to quiet sobs interrupting your sentence every few words.
“Don’t apologise, we all break sometimes,” Kat squeezed your shoulder, joining you on the floor, “Do you want to talk about it?”
It was tempting. Even if terrifying. But you felt like maybe she could be the listener you needed. Someone objective enough, without any ties to Neil or you. Someone safe to confide in that would keep your secrets in safekeeping. But…
“What if someone comes in?” grasping the most idiotic of excuses, you glanced at the airlock with apprehension.
You could just about imagine what would have happened should Neil walk in during your conversation. Your heart would not take it.
“We’ll just tell them to leave,” Kat’s cheeky tone made you turn to her, “I think they’re all a little afraid of me for some reason,” she added, with a small smirk.
She crossed her long legs and sat next to you with both your backs supported by the cupboard doors.
“As they should be,” you replied, feeling strangely at ease, considering everything.
That spark in her eyes was worth the stress over being too forward for someone you barely knew.
“So…” she nudged you with her shoulder as further encouragement.
There was no more escaping it. You took a deep breath, urging your heart to stay strong. Words started spilling out without sense or order.
“Is just... the world is potentially ending in a few days, and here I am crying over the fact that someone doesn’t love me” your throat contracted upon the word as though it was forbidden “I should’ve known better. He never could want someone like me because why would he” more tears as you realised the ultimate truth “I’m not extraordinary. It all feels so stupid, pathetic. But I can’t get over it because I still love him. And I don’t know how to stop” you finished the rant on a sob that forced you to cover your face with your hands.
There it was. Out in the open. You wondered how you could have ever been naïve enough to think your feelings could be reciprocated. For him, it was just a crush. Amplified by the troubles you had to face and the recent difficulties. Nothing more. You were conveniently there when he needed someone to lean on. But if it came to it, he would never choose you.
“It’s about Neil, isn’t it?” something in her voice made you meet her gaze.
You were that obvious, huh? A panicked thought convinced you that everyone on the bloody ship knew about your weakness for the blonde bastard. Yes, even that mess sergeant that always gave you a sorry smile when you approached the counter at mealtimes. Before you could spiral down another wretched rabbit hole, you asked the most innocent of questions:
“How do you know?”
There was no point in trying to convince Kat she got it wrong. She seemed to consider something for a moment before she looked at you with newly found resilience:
“Let me tell you a story,”
You quirked your eyebrow, confused and intrigued. Might as well… Nodding at her silent question, you rested your head against the cupboard. Dried tears tinged your chapped lips with salt.
“When we were in Oslo, staying in a hotel for two nights, TP went out, and Neil stayed with me” she set up the scene with a neutral tone, “We talked a lot about everything really. He asked me about Andrei...” you glanced at Kat, noticing a passing grimace, “Normally I would shut off, but there was that calm curiosity about him, and I didn’t mind saying too much” she admitted with a sheepish smile.
You knew the feeling well, always telling Neil too much because he was such an excellent listener. Confiding even the darkest of secrets and thoughts never felt like anything significant when he reacted with that same confidence and acceptance. That was one of the reasons why the fall was unavoidable.
“Neil has that sort of effect on people,” you returned her smile, shrugging slightly.
Kat patted your hand gently, noting the look on your face. The infatuation and yearning you could not get rid of whenever you did as much as spare a thought towards him.
“I can tell... the point is that he mentioned you, as well” your eyes widened as she paused, “His friend, as he referred to you but not without stumbling over the word a little” she grinned upon your struck expression, “He told me about your role in this. That you’re an asset, excellent sharpshooter, brave as hell and equally reckless at times” my god
You blushed, feeling Kat’s taxing gaze. Friend? Suppose that’s one way of introducing you to people. It was fascinating to know that even after the mess of Tallinn, Neil valued your contributions to the mission. That he would mention you to anyone. Favourably, at that.
“Sounds about right,” frowning, you pondered the implications of her words, “So you knew who I was that morning on the bridge?” the sudden realisation felt refreshing.
That explained her looks directed at you and Neil back then. The visible consternation about the matter of your relationship.
“Yes, it clicked pretty quickly” upon your perplexed gaze, she picked up the story, “I could tell that there was more underneath all the praise. There was that longing in his eyes and a spark that lit up only for you,” Kat added, smiling as you gasped, “I asked whether love was allowed in your line of business” there was boldness in her eyes that made your heart clench. Something important was coming, “He said yes, but it’s dangerous and best avoided. Only that’s not always possible. Sometimes it gets you, and before you realise you can’t breathe another word without missing that one essential person. Your heart doesn’t belong to you anymore, and nothing can be done” oh my god.
You stared at the floor as her words sunk in. It felt surreal, as though you have wandered into a dream. A good one. But dreams could only last so long… Shaking off the haze, you glanced at the woman sat next to you. She was observing you with an enigmatic smirk gracing her features.
“He said that?” your voice came out raspy.
Just a clarification. In case you have misunderstood. But Kat was not surprised.
“Yes,” she nodded, that same sympathetic expression on her face, “Considering what I’ve seen with you and him... there’s only one person he could’ve meant” your heart dropped, as though unused to the idea “I understood it that morning on the bridge when despite the awkwardness, he was willing to defy everyone else for your sake”
Your mind wandered back. Neil’s constant presence by your side, his hand touching the small of your back and then staying there for longer than necessary. His support and trust placed in your hands without hesitation. Right now, even something that insignificant felt unattainable. But it did happen. Could it be that he meant you? Unable to withstand the whirlwind of emotions, you stood up. Pacing in the tiny room, a protest came up, spilling out of your mouth:
“But I just heard him tell TP that he doesn’t love me” you swallowed hard as the reminder of the reality hit.
It was one thing to know it. Another to put it into words once again. You felt like screaming, demanding answers from the main culprit of this whole mess. But it was too dangerous. Another heartbreak could be lethal in its consequences.
“Sometimes we lie to ourselves to save the pain” the quiet certainty of Kat’s voice kept you grounded.
It felt risky to believe that he was pushing you away out of fear. But what if… No. You met her inquisitive gaze, hoping to convey the confusion and desperation. She must have understood for she added:
“He’s still coming to check up on me every evening, and the last two days he’s been a little… strange” the meaningful pause felt like bait.
One that you did not hesitate to take.
“How do you mean?” stopping mindless trotting, you sat down on the stool.
“Quiet, wistful, as though something was troubling him, threatening to spill out if he wasn’t too careful” a long taxing look; it sounded familiar, “Trust me, I don’t mean to give you false hope, I just thought you should know that before deciding on any further action” Kat got up and approached you.
Placing a hand on your shoulder, she squeezed it. You felt immensely grateful. Even if a little speechless… Because all of that was a lot to take in. You desperately needed a long afternoon spent in bed, staring at the ceiling and processing the eventful morning. Was it still morning?
“It means a lot, I’m not sure how I could repay you” finding the words again, you gave her a helpless smile.
“Just try to be happy. And don’t give up on things that seem too good to be true. Sometimes those are most worth keeping around” the depth of melancholy in her eyes was startling, “What will you do now?” the tentative tone assured you of the intent behind the question.
It was Kat’s way of saying: don’t do anything stupid. You could not promise that to anyone. The wounds were too fresh; emotions barely kept under control. Anything could happen. But you did not want to alarm her.
“I’m not sure. Think, probably” an unconvincing nonchalance had to do, as unprecedented honesty took voice “But I’m beginning to realise that if I won’t be able to… have him… I’ll just let him be. He deserves the best more than anybody else” you finished the thought and met her eyes.
A passing shock you found there was intriguing. As though your words reminded her of something, and she needed an additional moment to recover. God knows what sort of secrets everybody held on this god-forsaken ship… If the weight of the past and the unsaid could sink boats, it would have been long over. For everyone.
*** You thanked the gods (and Ives) for letting the topic of the lock wait out a little longer. Instead, the next morning’s meeting concerned the splinter unit, the who, and the how. As a result for once, no voice has been raised throughout the two hours spent on the bridge. Nothing much has been decided, but you did not mind. The burden of the last few days rested on your shoulders, preventing sleep or any form of relaxation. The word ‘tired’ did not even begin to describe it. But duties had to be put ahead of any personal issues and so you took part in the confab as usual. Seeing Neil after everything felt like a stab straight in the heart. His silence and the complete lack of acknowledgment of your existence were the added twist of the hilt.
The moment the meeting was over, you bolted out of the door in desperate need of fresh air. It was bound to rain later as the entire deck was covered in strange puddles that formed out of nothing. Perks of inversion and all that. Lost in thoughts concerning the locks, blonde bastards, and the torture of love as a concept and a feeling, you forgot about the golden rule of inverted rainfalls in the making – caution upon stepping on the wet surfaces. Turning around the corner, your foot slipped. Fuck. All you could do was flail your hands helplessly while praying that the fall will not be painful and that it will not detach the oxygen tank. Suffocation was not the death of your choice.
Suddenly the fall was interrupted with a strong grip on your waist. Hands pulling you upright, back to standing. The hold felt familiar. And forbidden. Turning to face the saviour, you were struck by the sight of the blue eyes that haunted your every waking hour. Every dream too. He was close, with hands wrapped around your waist securely. Somehow this felt worse than the fall. You half expected Neil to let go any second now, step away and yell at you for being clumsy. Or maybe just for existing. But he was still there. One of his hands slipped down onto your hip. Speechless, you kept on gazing into his eyes, trying to understand what was going on. All you could see was increasing the confusion. Desire. The boundless depths were drawing you in. Neil pulled you closer. Something in his face made you believe that if it was not for the oxygen masks, he would have kissed you. His gaze roamed across your features, intense, relentless, as though he could never have enough of you. It felt like being stripped bare, left exposed and vulnerable. Despite trying, you were unable to put up a guard, showing him all that he was not supposed to know instead. Everything you tried to hide and deny, bury deep inside so it could be forgotten. Well not anymore… Whatever Neil saw in your eyes woke him up. You noticed a passing frown, replaced with increasing shock. And then horror. What the hell. Before you could even process what happened, he let go and took a hasty step back. He looked sick, pale with fear and panic. Then, just as you tried to find any relevant words, Neil spoke:
“Be more careful next time,” cold and curt as though nothing happened.
He walked off briskly, disappearing into the darkness of the training grounds. What the fuck? A single drop flew up from the deck, splashing onto your chin. The rain has begun. You felt strange. Suddenly mourning the fact that you have been saved from suffocation. It would have been simpler. Less painful. Less terrifying.
*** No matter the hours passing by, or the thousands of different grounding techniques you have attempted, nothing was helping. Lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, you wanted a multitude of things. To get blackout drunk in the hope of forgetting this morning ever happened. (You checked the galley, utterly disappointed to have found nothing with the necessary voltage). You wanted to talk to someone, briefly considering visiting Kat further down the corridor. But that would have meant being even more vulnerable. And a burden. So nope. At one point, you once again considered marching outside without the mask, letting the inverted lung membranes and fucked up rain do the rest. But you did not want to end the life itself. That was not all that bad. You liked your job, the various people you have met along the way. It was only that the current predicament was… unbearable. There had to be a different option.
Then mindless pacing replaced the stillness of lying down. Window, door, and back again. To be repeated for at least an hour. Your thoughts swirling around everything that has been said. Everything that happened. Kat’s story. The look in Neil’s eyes. What if… what if? The unknowns kept multiplying in your head, driving you insane with the extent of what you did not understand. You always hated those moments of suspense. Unsure whether to give up, let go and try to move on, or to keep trying, hoping. Your heart could never process them well without breaking and shattering into millions of pieces. Fuck.
There was one way out of it. One that you tried to push to the back of your head for the few past hours because it was too terrifying. But you were slowly running out of alternatives. One look out of the window told you that you had spent at least six hours like this. It would not do. It was either him or nothing. But you could not survive the insufferable without knowing which one it was. Taking a deep breath, you stopped in the middle of the cabin. This is it. You knew what had to be done. You put on the sweater as though in a trance, making sure to repeat silly affirmations in the quiet of your mind. It had to be alright. If it wasn’t, there were always the seals left…
The walk down the short corridor felt like ascending the steps to the guillotine. Only whatever might happen could be worse than beheading. Your hand shook as you rapped on the door to Neil’s cabin. The sound felt like the worst mistake you ever made. It was too late to turn back. After a very long moment, you heard shuffling inside. When the door opened, you were shocked by a few observations all at once. Neil’s eyes were reddened, hair in absolute disarray. When he realised that you were the intruder, his hands automatically went to smooth the strands in some way. Making even more mess in the process. In any different situation, you would have found that endearing. But your heart was too heavy. You eyed him instantaneously, gaze slipping over the fitting black thermal shirt and the joggers with narrowed cuffs. Not helpful. As you glanced back at his face, you noticed the intensifying confusion. That was the chance to speak…
“Can I come in?” a tentative start to make him more likely to agree.
The shock in his blue eyes slowly changed into careful curiosity. Neil gave you a once-over before opening the door wider and stepping back.
“Of course. Friends are allowed to visit each other” a hint of impatience as though he already had enough.
But that was not the most infuriating bit…
“Friends?” you crossed the threshold and met his eyes with the face of stone, “Sure, that’s one way of looking at what we are” the lack of reaction was inspiring, “Or were” you took a look around his room.
Equally small cabin, littered with a few personal objects. His was phone abandoned on the bedside table, a change of clothes on the floor. A naïve idiot would have taken a moment to consider the fact that maybe he was not as well as you thought. But you were past that, desperate to get answers. A reaction. An end to this madness. With resolve ever-increasing, you sat down on the edge of Neil’s bed, ready for the battle ahead. Meeting his perplexed gaze, you let the penny drop:
“I wonder with how many friends have you been kissing on the bed for two hours” a flash of recognition and then a frown.
As expected. But it still hurt.
That moment from the afternoon before the morning plane to Tallinn was one you often replayed in those desperate hours when nothing seemed to help. You were lying in bed in your room back in London, enjoying each other’s company, exchanging kisses like compliments every few minutes. Sometimes Neil would let his hands become more daring in their caress, causing goosebumps all over your skin. Bringing out sighs and making your heart overflow with love and hope that you finally found what you have been looking for. You felt wanted. You talked a lot about the future, sharing different ridiculous plans for how it could play out. Neil promised to visit your prospective farm with the sheep and dogs. Back then, judging by the look in his eyes, you dared dream that perhaps he would want to be a part of those days still to come. Now, looking at the blonde man awkwardly perching on the chair in front of you, nothing made sense. He stayed for the night then, allowing you to hug him close until the morning. You woke up first, watching him for a few minutes. The steady rise and fall of his chest. Relaxed face with hair sticking up. Calm and content. The warmth spreading from your heart inspired you to press a kiss to his lips as a means of wake up. The sight of Neil sleepy-eyed, peering up at you with a fond smile gracing his features was worth much. Maybe even the current tortures…
Facing him now, you could see the frown deepen.
“Painful memory?” you countered, watching him closely for any hints.
A mask was put on well. But there were flashes of something there. A potential… A possibility of getting burned too.
“In a way,” Neil grimaced, avoiding your piercing gaze.
He was uncomfortable, mindlessly picking on the skin around his nails and tapping his foot. That was the signal to keep on pushing. Until he would be forced to be honest.
“That’s a shame. It’s one of my favourite ones” as he looked up, you offered a deadpan smile, “Just like Oslo,” a shrug complemented with a quick scan of his body, “Though I’m not sure about that… ending,” feigning thoughtfulness you ended the harsh scrutiny.
The point was to back him up against the wall without making him throw you out. That tiny voice at the back of your head told you that he would have done that already if you were not in any way important. That voice was too confident.
“What is your point?” Neil bit back, betraying the level of annoyance you have brought with the innocent reminder.
You knew there was no more skirting around the issue. Now or never.
“Why did you do that earlier? Why did you hold me like...” you trailed off, unable to put into words what it felt like.
Like what? Like a lover. Like someone you actually cared about and not just an irritation. Like someone you could want in your life. But you could never say that to him.
“I was being a gentleman” Neil glanced at you with painfully fake indifference, “Women tend to appreciate that,” a shrug that could not fool you.
Women. The spark of jealousy burned bright. Because what if you were just another distraction. Nothing special. But then the things he said to Kat suggested otherwise. You held onto that thought and squared your shoulders. The game was on.
“...Right,” a sceptical glance in his direction before you continued, “Was that look gentlemanly too? Because last time I checked, gentlemen didn’t tend to look at women as though they wanted to…” trailing off, you awaited the response.
That would mean he took the bait. And the case was not yet lost.
“What?” the lazy tone made you meet Neil’s gaze.
He looked… off. As though before you knocked, he was not exactly fine. It was that nervousness and unkempt appearance that betrayed him. On its own accord, your heart gave out a painful thump, anticipating the fact that Neil too might have been hurting. But why? Ignoring the distraction, you found the needed words and dropped them carelessly.
“Devour them” you held his gaze confidently.
The verb felt right. As though Neil was not trusting his instincts, he looked down, breaking the contact. Putting up further guards. Bingo. He scoffed, throwing in cruelty to the mix:
“And here I was thinking you’re over… this” a vague hand gesture to show what this meant.  
You. And him. That something that both was there and was not. Or rather, he wanted it to cease to exist. Only it was not that easy.
“I never said that” putting on the necessary emphasis, you kept on staring at him until he looked up.
Mouth open for another quip. That same steel-blue eyes and clenched jaw. Whatever you have been doing was working. Slowly aggravating him to the point of discomfort. You had to keep the upper hand. Neil seemed to consider something, restlessly fiddling with a pen he picked up from the bedside table. After a beat, he spoke up:
“Why are you here?” weariness in his eyes as he gave out a long exhale.
Easy question… right?
“Because I want answers” it could not be any simpler.
He flinched, letting you see the extent of panic hidden underneath the annoyance and casualness.
“What makes you think I’ve got them?” an arched eyebrow adding the mocking intonation.
The meter of space between you felt like an ocean. He was close enough for you to brush away the strand that has fallen into his eye if you only leaned in. And yet so far that you felt alone, alienated by the cold scrutiny. You had to keep going, tearing at the carefully build up armour hiding him away from you.
“Because you always have words. An abundance of them” you waited till he looked at you again before pressing on “Be it things you probably wish I have forgotten that you have once whispered between kisses” a pause, noticing the boundless unease in the blue eyes “Or all those lovely adjectives you have given me the last couple of days” using the moment of hesitation, you added, “But maybe you were right, and I am stupid, emotional-”
You could give him the whole litany. Your legacy. Exactly how much you were worth in Neil’s eyes. Unless it was a lie…? Before you could begin, Neil raised his hand, interrupting sharply:
“Okay, I get your point” no pride in that frown, almost as though he regretted it, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that” the apology took you by surprise.
As did the sudden change in his face. Neil held your gaze with unusual sheepishness. As if even the act of looking at you was dangerous. Tearing the skin from his lower lip, he was the epitome of insecurity. There was no time to falter.
“Everything?” you prodded, mindful of the poker face you had to maintain.
You could not lose him now. Neil hesitated for a short moment before responding:
“Yes,” another second of eye contact, and he got up, impatiently touching the doorknob “If this is all you wanted, then I’d rather be alone-”
No. You leaped up, reaching out before he could finish the sentence. As your hand landed on his forearm, his eyes snapped to you in shock. He was not expecting you to breach the touch barrier. But there was no other choice. With heart hammering in your chest, you felt your throat tighten. Please not now…
“No,” emotions exposed in the tiny voice crack, “Neil, I’m tired of this, of you not making any fucking sense and expecting me to accept it” pleading, you let your fingers wrap around his wrist.
That had to do. Judging by the terror in his eyes, it was already too much. You could feel your resolve waning. Terrified of the consequences if this backfired. Of what you would have to do if he rejected you once and for good. Of the pain you would have to face then. But you had to be brave. He swallowed hard. You wondered what caused the goosebumps on his skin.
“If this is about earlier, then you’re blowing it out of proportion. Be more reasonable” there was a raw edge to his voice that was new.
You were close now. Enough to force Neil to stare at the ground to avoid looking at you. You noticed those dark circles under his eyes. And the tension spilling out in waves. He was scared of you. And that was a horrifying discovery. Your eyes were burning as you begged your heart to hold on. You had to survive this.
“It’s not just that” betraying the nerves, you took a greedy inhale, “It’s what you told Kat in Oslo. It’s how you look at me” following potentially disastrous instincts, you tipped his chin to meet his eye, “It’s all those sudden switches when you seem so cold and calculating and yet so separated from the real you” running out of breath, you could only stare at Neil.
The widened eyes and parted lips told you exactly how shocked he was. You did feel bad for bringing Kat into it. The argument was too strong to let it go. And it worked if his silent panic was anything to go by. He was desperately searching for words, unable to tear his eyes away from yours as though what you said was a binding charm.
“Why do you think you know the real me?” finally, Neil settled upon the question.
One last attempt at making you forgo this madness. Only there was nothing convincing in his delivery. Eyes hazed, showing you fear and uncertainty. A blood droplet on the lower lip where he tore through the skin. Ignoring the most innate of desires to wipe it off, you cupped his cheek. Neil gasped, frozen in the spot. Could it be working? Sliding your hand down, you interlocked your fingers with his. Everything felt surreal. As if you were not a part of the scene. But you had to persist. To finish what you started.
“Because you once told me that you’ve never lied to me. That I’m very important. Your everything, even” your voice broke again on the last sentence as you tightened your hold over Neil’s hand, “And I understand that you could have changed your mind, but…” you hesitated, feeling him shudder.
Oh my god. Your heart broke for the umpteenth time as the fact dawned on you. Neil was shivering slightly as though he was cold. But there was no draft. Nothing to cause it apart from your presence, words, and the physical touch. A choked sob built up in your throat.
“…why are you trembling when all I’m doing is holding your hand? Am I that revolting?” the questions were interrupted by a sniff you could not hold back any longer; there was time for honesty, “The last few days have been awful, making me want to stupid things just to feel something different than heartbreak. I’m not saying that to get your pity, but if I got it all so wrong then tell me now. Because I’m not sure I can survive much longer like this” after finishing the speech, the tears trailed down your cheeks uninvited.
It was all there for him. Nothing to add. Your heart was beating fast, blood pounding in your ears. For a second, you felt suspended in time, unable to do anything but stare at Neil, who seemed utterly speechless. And then his face fell. Eyes fell shut as he let out a heart-shattering whimper. Tears started falling down his face as you tried to brush them away. You have not seen him that broken since the aftermath of TP’s death. He tugged his hand out of your hold to cover his face, turning away. Christ… The searing pain was back, this time making your heart bleed for Neil. You did not know what to do, powerless and paralyzed with a multitude of thoughts and feelings. After a minute which felt like an eternity, Neil faced you again with red-rimmed eyes and tragedy in his gaze. That was the needed wake-up. Stepping back into action, you placed your hand on his chest. Just over the beating heart. A gentle encouragement.
“I can’t… I can’t tell you that it’s over because I still…” the breathless words tinged with panic and struggle as he fought for every gust of air, “I can’t keep on…” another sob, shaking his whole body “You’re…” a sharp intake followed by instant defeat.
Immeasurable anguish in Neil’s eyes was another reason to find the strength you did not know you had. Maybe it was worth it.
“What? I��m here with you and willing to listen. To do anything but please just make me understand” holding back more tears, you made sure he saw the determination painted on your face.
Slowly you were coming to terms with the reality. You would do anything for him. Anything he asked.
“I don’t know how to…” Neil trailed off, looking for answers all over the floor and ceiling, “I’m tired of having to pretend when you’re all I…” a moment of hesitation as his eyes widened.
He did not intend to say that much. You’re all I… what? Before you could find ways of pressing on, he turned away again and sat down on the bed. A frown etched deep into his forehead. Eyebrows furrowed. Eyes glistening with unshed tears. This was bad. Awkwardly, you shifted from one foot to another. Words were escaping you both.
“Then don’t. I won’t bite” your useless quip was received with an ill-disguised dry chuckle, “Call it naïve, but I don’t think it’s anything we can’t fix if we…” shit.
You knew what was there on the tip of your tongue. It was too early. Fuck knows if he even… But he had to. There was no other force in the universe that could cause this much pain.
“If what?” Neil caught your mistake with strange emotion in his eyes.
As though he wanted you to spell it out. You could not give in. Some words had the potential to destroy, and it was too fragile. A freshly opened wound you still had to mend somehow.
“Don’t make me say it again” a whisper to make him understand your actions.
After a beat, Neil nodded. He seemed exhausted, slouching and staring at the floor unseeingly. That feeling of helplessness threatened to come back with force as you were running out of ideas to make it work. To get him back somehow. Then his voice broke the tense silence:
“Christ…” a long exhale before he looked at you again, “I don’t even know where to begin, but…” resignation passed through his face.
You felt a strange spark of hope flicker in the depths of your heart. It did not look like rejection. It did not look like anything you have ever experienced, and yet it made so much sense. Because after everything you have been through, there was no way this could be easy. Kindling that building fire, you cautiously took a step forward, maintaining the eye contact:
“Yes?” the most neutral of tones, holding the emotions at bay.
Everything not to scare him off. You made it so close. You could give up now. A hint of a sad smile upon Neil’s lips was encouraging…
“Come closer. I want to…” he reached out a hand you gladly took, letting him pull you nearer.
It did not matter what he wanted. Only that you could give it to him. Anything. Everything. Upon the sudden surge of courage, you covered the remaining inches of space and straddled his lap in one smooth movement. Another gasp as Neil glanced at you with obvious amazement. Then, as though he worried that even this was too much, he looked down at where his hands tentatively settled on your hips. This position was familiar. And yet, you felt different, unable to make sense of the myriad of emotions and thoughts occupying your mind. All that mattered was Neil. His hesitant but intimate hold. The hair falling into his eyes. Shallow breaths escaping through the parted lips.
“It’s alright, look at me,” gently you lifted his chin so that you could meet his gaze.
Blue eyes full of longing. For you. Exhaling sharply, you knew well enough what to do. You wound your hands around his waist, drawing him into a tight embrace. That too felt natural. After a second, Neil relaxed, melting into your hug as if that was exactly what was missing. At that moment, with head resting in the crook of his neck, at last feeling as though there was a point in all this, your eyes welled up. No matter the suffering, this had to be it. Your everything. Neil breathed you in, warm puffs of air causing shivers all over your body. There was no point in pretending.
“Please come back to me,” you whispered against his skin, letting tears trail onto his shirt.
Neil tightened his hold, hands roaming over your back, pulling you even closer. All it took was a kiss he pressed onto the exposed skin of your collarbone to make you tremble.
“I never left,” the hesitancy told you he did not believe it either.
“You did. But maybe… I’ll do anything to have you back” the urgency in your voice causing Neil to lean back.
He wiped the stray tears from your cheeks, taking an additional moment to caress your neck with tenderness. You could only lean into his touch, feeling as though whatever might happen has already been decided. There was no way you could let this go. Neil seemed to consider something quickly before he spoke:
“All those words… they fail me when I’m trying to explain what I was doing” his voice was raspy with the weight of emotions, “Or why. Because I’m scared of making it come true. It’s as if once I say it… it might…” he paused, searching for words in your eyes.
“Become real?” you offered, running your fingers through his unruly hair.
You were right. It was all an act. The elation was restrained by worry and love. It didn’t matter.
“Yeah…” Neil swallowed hard, “And then there’s all this mess in my head… The thoughts that just won’t shut up. I’m so fucking tired of… of-” the familiarity of his words causing another flash of pain within your heart “I can’t ask you to-” he cut himself off as though the idea was unspeakable.
You caught a sight of something darker within his gaze. They always said that actions speak louder than words…
“Neil, I said I’ll do anything. I mean it. What do you need?” you met his panicked eyes with resilience.
It took him a longer minute to stop staring at you. To wake up. And then, as simple as it can be:
“You. I need you,” touching his forehead to yours his breath ghosted your lips, “But after everything I did, I wouldn’t expect you to want me… like that” the depth of remorse was heart-breaking.
You already knew what the answer would be. Nothing else mattered. Regrets, worries, and fears had to be abandoned for the sake of this.
“The trouble with the heart is that it doesn’t care what you’ve done. Only that this is you,” smiling lightly, you cupped his cheek, “Just… kiss me. Like you mean it. Like you could love me. And then we’ll see if we can make it work,” unsure where the words came from, you faltered.
But before any vicious doubts could step in, Neil closed the gap. His lips slowly glided over yours, reminding you what it felt like. It did not take much persuading for you to open your mouth, deepening the kiss. It felt like coming home after a long time away. Like that first step over the threshold when one is unsure what they will find. Only to realise that everything is in the right place. That they should have never left. You tangled your fingers in his hair, bringing him even closer. He groaned upon the sensation, teeth grazing over your bottom lip. A sigh escaped your throat as Neil’s hands ventured underneath the sweater. For the first time in a while, everything made sense. You tugged at his shirt just for the sake of it as a means of showing him how wrong he was. You wanted him more than before if that was possible. The kiss consuming you both with its intensity and force. Your tongues participating in their dance, brushing against each other, increasing the intimacy of the moment. It finally felt right. Slow, unhurried, but desperate. Unforgettable.
You did not even know when it ended. One moment you were willing to give up breath if only to make it last longer. The next Neil had you pinned to the bed, breathless and shocked. When you met his gaze, the depth of expression told you what it meant. Finally.
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expiredfairydust · 3 years
Text
pride and prejudice - soudam
-a/n, this will be all written from kazuichi’s point of view in first person-
the crowd was buzzing with excitement, rainbows and bright colours everywhere. despite the utter eyestrain my poor head was subjected to, i was having a really good time! not because I’M gay or whatever!! i was there with komaeda is all, coz i wanted him to know i’m cool with it now we’re like buddies and whatever.
exceeept for when i lost him in the parade, a herd of drag kings and queens separating us, followed by tons of more people, until i was on opposite sides of the parade to him, probably coz of poor komaeda’s luck biting him in the arse at the worst of times.
but it was ok, because i was chatting to a girl wearing a pin with red and orange and white and pink on it, and she seemed really nice! i didn’t get to ask what her pin meant though,, she had blue hair and reminded me of that pop idol in the year below me at school,, i wonder if they’re sisters. she had a friend who was holding hands with her with black hair in two twirly ponytail-things that i recognised but didn’t know her name so just waved and kept talking in the hopes that i wouldn’t have to name the goth-looking girl.
i saw lots of different people during the parade today! it’s so cool how many people are happy to be themselves! it makes me feel happy to be near so many lgbt+ people— even though i’m not one of them! definitely not!!
i saw someone really pretty in the crowd with browny-blondey hair who i recognised after a while was that tech kid from the year below who sometimes turns up to my STEM club, she was wearing one of the few flags i recognised as a cape; the non binary flag! i wanted to talk to them and ask about it but i was worried that i’d look intrusive so didn’t approach,,
after a few hours it was becoming more and more obvious that i had completely lost komaeda, so i went wading through the crowd of rainbows and smiles in an attempt to find him. past tanaka’s friend hifumi; past miss sonia and miss ibuki, the latter plastered in neon paint like it was skin ointment; past leon, wearing a blue and pink and white flag and no shirt- god he’s so hot, he even has muscles from his baseball even though he’s rather lean— scrap passing him i was probably stuck there staring at him for a solid half hour before wiping away a small amount of drool over him— but NOT because i’m gay!!!!! he was just super hot,,, not in a gay way though! i can just appreciate beauty when i see it!
once i had given up on finding komaeda, a tap on my shoulder startled me into whipping my head around to look, straight in the eyes,,
at the most gorgeous person i’d ever seen, period. soft heterochromic eyes that filled my stomach butterflies; raven hair seeming so soft i wanted nothing more than to pet it for hours on end; and a face that belonged to none other than tanaka. fucking. gundham!! it was wearing a few pronoun pins so i read them and made a mental note before realising vamp was speaking to me
“-souda? are you listening to me?” doll had the most beautiful pout on dolls face as it whined playfully, and her pout almost made me feel guilty for the sheepish response that came from my mouth:
“uh no, i was- i’m sorry tanaka”
yet he didn’t get angry or sad at all! it smiled at me in a soft manner before asking, “i asked is something bothering you?” before asking another question, but not without a little hesitance - “are you here um alone? or are you- are you with someone?” to which i quickly replied,
“i’m here to support komaeda but uh i kinda lost him in the crowd and now i can’t find him” with a nervous laugh.
“ah, he does that a lot doesn’t he?”
we chatted absent mindedly for what felt like it could’ve been forever before tanaka offered to help me look for komaeda, so we started wading through the ocean of people, the masses of bodies forcing me to grab tanaka’s hand to keep me from losing vamp too. i swear, it was only because i didn’t wanna lose him though!! not because her hands were warm,, or soft,,, or fit perfectly into mine,,,,, not at all!!! i was just keeping vamp close!!
although i can’t help and say it was suuuper adorable when i saw dolls face go a faint pink as it hid its face in her scarf and mumbled something about his skin being poisonous, to which i couldn’t help but playfully coo, “guess i’ll have to fight the infection off for you~” which caused vamps face to heat up even more hehe it’s fun to fluster him, i know how touch starved she is (not in a gross way! get your mind out of the gutter kaz!!)
after a while, while everyone is starting to go home from the parade, we found komaeda finally, and at this point i was clinging to tanaka’s arm as if my life depends on it. coz i was REALLY scared of getting lost. not coz i’m gay. at all.
i spent the rest of the day with komaeda and tanaka, though i kept hold of tanaka’s hand until i was forced to let go to get us crisps. i felt kinda disappointed, like i was missing something without its hand in mine, but whatever i bet it’s just coz i’m just as touch started as doll!
we hung out at a park but there wasn’t room for all three of us on the swings so tanaka did something i never expected, vamp sat on my lap and we swung together on one swing.
whatever, he probably just thought i’d be comfier to sit with than komaeda.
at the end of the day, after komaeda had been gone for a while - apparently hajime needed to ask him about some homework? even though they’re not even in the same classes - tanaka greeted me goodbye by taking my hand and pressing into it a badge with a bluey-tealy flag on it, then doll kissed my hand and said “we should hang out again, my dark prince, i had a lovely time” with a warm smile, though i got the impression that next time komaeda wouldn’t be joining us. i also got the feeling that i’d be okay with that.
maybe i’m not as not-gay as i thought…
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dorkotheromantic · 3 years
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new year’s day
Summary: After a New Years’ party at y/n’s house Hotch stays to help her clean up and it leads to both confessing their feelings for one another :D
Warnings: brief mention of alcohol but otherwise mostly fluff
Words: 1,778
Author’s Note: It’s finally here! Sorry for the short delay in release but I hope you enjoy! And yes the title is based off the song by Taylor Swift so I’d recommend listening to it while reading <3 also this is my first complete little story so feedback is certainly welcome! 
“I hope this isn’t too much to ask but, “ Dave Rossi, your older, slightly gray-haired teammate says to you while glancing to your living room and stands behind your front door, “Y/N Could you talk to Aaron for me?” he asks glancing at Aaron Hotchner, your section chief who picks up some champagne glasses from the living room table.
Your cheeks turn a little pink as you widen your eyes in shock, “Are you sure?” you follow Rossi’s glance to Hotch.
“I’m sure. Listen, I know it will take a bit of coaxing but he’ll open up. He trusts you.” Rossi assures, glancing back at you.
Hotch opening up to you? You want to blush at the thought but you didn’t want Rossi to inquire about your feelings for your boss. It was already hard trying to keep your distance on the job and you didn’t want to worry your team members. Pushing Hotch might make him suspicious.
“I don’t know Rossi, he’s been really distant lately on the job. “ you say hesitantly.
Rossi pauses to think but smiles, “Odd, he’s been saying the same thing about you. “
You lift your eyebrows and open your mouth to say something but quickly close it. Was it that noticeable? Sure you were getting more tired at work but it had been a harsh week. Or is that what you wanted to believe?
“Anyways, be sure to talk to him for me, “ Rossi says interrupting your chain of thought, “Happy New Year y/n.” he opens your front door and waves goodbye to you.
“I will, Happy New Year Dave.” you wave and smile as he exits through your door.
“Em, watch your step. “ you remark at your dark-haired, very drunk teammate Emily. You follow her to your doorway and you open the door.
Emily gives her a look, “I’m not that tipsy.” she smiles as puts on her shoes, “Thanks for throwing this y/n I’m glad I now know how much of an awesome hostess you are. “
You grin and step away from your door, “Yeah, yeah, I am here for anyone’s party needs. “ you announce but look back to Emily. You’re glad you got to see her smile. It felt like for a while she was in a solemn state but with the amount of laughter you heard from her, you like to hope that’s changed.
JJ walks by the both of you to wave goodbye, “Thank you so much for having me. Promise me you’ll host my birthday party?” she jokes.
“Yes, I’ve got you, Derek, Penelope, and Rossi that I’ve got to plan for now. “ you respond counting on your fingers.
Emily and JJ laugh and eventually they both leave. Derek and Garcia both come to say their goodbyes and Reid is the last one to go. As soon as he exits your driveway you sigh as you close the front door.
“You know I meant it when I said you don’t have to stay Hotch, “ You call out as you make your way to the kitchen. When you get there you see Hotch at the sink putting in some champagne glasses.
“Y/N I’d feel bad if I didn’t. “ he responds, his back turned to you.
“Always the gentleman are we Hotchner?” You smile to yourself, “You have a kid Hotch, I’ll handle the rest.“ you make your way to the dining table in another room to pick up some plates.
“It’s okay I’m sure Jack’s already asleep by now,” he pauses, “I appreciate you preparing this for the team and I y/n,” Hotch calls out to you. He walks into the dining room you’re in and picks up a pale plate.
“It’s no problem. I’m just happy I get to see you in a place that isn’t work. It can get… rough at times. “ you say rather quietly at that last part while stacking up plates in your arms.
“I understand. You know I don’t think I’ve had food this good since we all ate at Rossi’s several weeks ago. “ he compliments.
Y/N blushes, “You’re too sweet. It took me several hours to make all of it so I do appreciate that. “ you take your share of stacked plates and head to the kitchen.
He follows there and you set the plates in the sink. You look out the window to see the dark, navy blue sky. You spot the crescent shape of the moon, “You know I was talking to Rossi about this and I was wondering if I could talk to you about it.” you say turning to him next to you.
“Of course. What is it?” he asks. He keeps glancing at the sky, still avoiding your gaze.
You take a deep breath. “He and I feel like you’ve been stressing yourself out too much lately, I mean you get out of work way later than all of us and you’ve been taking on a lot of case reports,” you can already hear his response, “Look I know what you’re going to say and-��
“I can insist you that I’m fine. Sure I get out of work later than the rest of you but I’m getting the amount of sleep I need and everything is under control.” he interrupts, his response sounds robotic, almost rehearsed.
“Are you sure? Hotch.” you turn and give him a concerned look, “You don’t have to pretend you’re not tired. You can be honest with me. It’s just me. You and me, right here. “ you assure him. You’re now looking directly at him.
His eyes met yours for a quick second but he quickly flits his eyes away. As he sets his gathered plate into the sink he looks down at it. He’s closer to you now, his shoulder brushing against yours. You let out a quiet breath.
Being this intimate with Hotch was something you didn’t think would happen. At work, you always felt like he kept you at arm’s length. But now, you hoped he would close the distance and let you in, considering he was physically so close to you.
He takes a breath, “I’m assuring you. And Dave.” he adds,”That I’m perfectly okay,” he moves his shoulder away from yours and turns to the direction of your living room, “I’d tell you if I’m not doing well.” he responds briskly and swiftly walks to the room.
You let out a frustrated sigh but follow him, “I’m being serious Aaron. “ you surprised yourself by saying his first name but still persist, “Hotch, that Baltimore case from last week had to have worn you down. You’ve had bags under your eyes these last couple of days, I’ve hardly seen you eat or drink, and you’ve yawned 2 times more than you usually do.”
He kneels to the ground in front of the couch to pick up plates from the table, “You know I’ve been noticing you exhibiting similar behavior as well.” he remarks as starts picking up glasses, “You’ve been showing up to work late looking like you’ve slept for less than 6 hours, you’ve been drinking a lot more coffee, and every time we’re in a room together you’ll be the farthest away from me.”
You kneel down next to him and grip a glass bottle from the table, you sigh but you figured this would happen. You glance down to the bottle you’re holding and finally, you say, “Fine, I’ll cave. You’re not wrong I haven’t been on my game this week and you deserve to know why. “
You look up and see his head cocked to one side and notice he’s listening intently.
You glance back down, “At the BAU I like the relationships I have with the people there. I consider all of the team my friends, including you. “ you state still looking at Hotch.
“Which is why…when I realized I had feelings for a member of my team I… I didn’t know what to do. “ you fidget with the bottle in your hand, “He’s my boss which god forbid of course he is, and there’s just so much to him that I want to know. But I like a lot of things I do know about him, “ you say as you let out a bitter laugh, “His clever remarks every time I make a fool of myself, his stern stare that I can’t get enough of, and most importantly his smile. His rare but brightening smile,” tears start to form in your eyes, “He’s seen so much but every time I see it gives me hope. Hope that I so desperately need sometimes. I was avoiding you because I was scared. Scared that you wouldn’t feel the same way and it’d ruin everything if I told you. ” tears continue to fall down but you smile. You look back up to Hotch and see tears streaming down his face as well.
“I- I didn’t know you felt this way y/n. I-” he stutters as you wipe away your tears.
You put your hand to his face and wipe his away. As you remove your hand Hotch sighs. When your hand comes down he takes it.
“Hotch?”
“I’ll be honest too. “ Hotch starts, “I told Dave this but you must know. You y/n are someone who makes this team just like everyone else. Your consideration in bringing everyone’s coffee in the morning, your constant cheerleading when others are their low points, to your infectious laugh,” he smiles, “I knew I liked you more than just a friend. You mean so much to me and I..” He takes a breath, “I was worried too. I figured if I were distant maybe the feelings would go away and maybe I’d realize it was not how I felt. But that’s not the case. I have grown even stronger feelings for you. “
You put your free hand on his shoulder still smiling, “Hotch I want to spend my midnights with you. I wouldn’t want to pick up bottles at 2 am with anyone else.” you wrap your arms around him and feel his hands at the palm of your back.
You hear a small laugh from him and he whispers,”Promise me don’t become a stranger whose laugh I can recognize.”
You both pull away from the hug and you quietly respond,“I won’t.”
He smiles back at you and he leans in. You press your lips to his and you kiss.
As you both pull away he smiles at you and looks away.
“What?” you ask giving him a look.
“Nothing it’s just I forgot to say… Happy New Year y/n,” he remarks playfully with a grin.
You scoff at first but then giggle, “Happy New Year, Hotch. “
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It Was You All Along (Part 5)
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Author’s note: In case you can’t tell, this part starts off with a flashback! I think it’s kind of obvious, but in case you are like me and don’t catch onto things very quickly, here is your warning. It’s a bit longer than the others, so please enjoy! I’m a bit lost on where I want to take this, so please drop any ideas if you have them. And as always, feedback is very appreciated! ALSO!! Get ready for some soft platonic Geralt x reader at the end. 
Tags: @ayyyyitswednesdaymydoods​ @blackjay04​ @bravelittlesunflower​
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If it wasn’t one thing, it was another, that’s for sure. So far it had been a normal morning. I had restocked the flowers and herbs around my shop, and cleaned every display until it was spotless. It felt like it was going to be a good day. I could really use more of those to be honest. 
But of course, something had to come and change that. And when I say something, I mean someone. Two someones actually. A really large, intimidating someone supporting a smaller one through the door. 
My heart felt like it stopped when the door was kicked open, the sudden noise startling me. So of course I looked up immediately and saw them. The large man with white hair supporting the smaller man who was slumped over and covered in blood. 
After freezing for half a second, I dropped the soiled rag that was in my hand and made my way over to them without a word. This man clearly needed help for his friend. 
“What happened?” I asked breathlessly, closing the door behind them. 
“Can you help him?” the large white-haired man grunted as he shifted his weight to better support his friend. 
“Gods, Geralt- I can walk and talk for myself.”
The injured man groaned out his words as he tried to stand on his own two feet. But him standing on his own didn’t last long. He took one step forward and fell into the large set of glass displays in front of him. 
I yelped as he fell, and my hands shot out in an attempt to catch him before he hit the floor completely. But the man named Geralt was a few steps ahead of me it seemed, and had already grabbed him by the arm. A large red spot was forming on the side of the man’s face, along with jagged slashes on his cheek from the shattered glass. 
“By the gods! Will you please sit down before you hurt yourself even more?” I practically yelled. Not because I was mad, but because I was scared for the man’s safety at this point. 
Geralt sat him in the chair that I pulled over for him, and then finally settled his eyes on me. 
“Can you help him?” he repeated in that same voice. 
My mouth opened but no words came out. Without responding to him, I hurriedly made my way around my stock, picking out the things I would need to help this poor fool. 
I pulled up another chair and sat down in front of him. He was slumped forward now, breathing quite hard. Gently, I pressed a hand to his shoulder and leaned him back so I could get a better look at his injuries. Not counting the now half-purple spot on his face and the bleeding, jagged lines on his cheek from just a moment ago, I didn’t outwardly see anything wrong with him. 
I began dabbing a clean cloth on his face to wipe away some of the blood and it occurred to me that these men looked familiar. 
Without skipping a beat, I said “I know who you two are. You’re that Witcher that everyone sings about. And you’re the one that does the singing.”
As I said the last part, I turned back to the man in front of me, and he almost looked like he was smiling, even through all the pain he must be feeling. 
“The one and only,” he panted. 
I scoffed at him. 
“Is he always like this?” I asked, turning to look up at Geralt. 
A look of what seemed like pain or frustration crossed his features. 
“Unfortunately.”
Stifling a laugh, I glanced back at the bard. 
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Geralt. And Jaskier.” 
Jaskier perked up at his name but immediately winced after I put a salve on the gashes on his cheek. 
“Now are you going to tell me what happened? I see a large amount of blood but no wounds.”
Jaskier raised a shaky hand and pulled back the left half of his slightly undone shirt. Three large gashes, much like the ones on his face, adorned his chest. 
“Gods...” 
“I never get tired of hearing women say that... but normally it isn’t in this context.” 
My eyes seemed to roll themselves at his words, but I couldn’t say I blamed women for their reactions to him. He was quite something to look at. Under normal circumstances. 
“I don’t even know what it was...it happened so fast. Did you kill it, Geralt?” Jaskier asked in a huff. 
Geralt crossed his arms, and shook his head. 
“I figured I should make sure you didn’t die first, bard.”
Jaskier nodded, a simple “Ah,” leaving his lips. 
“Well, no matter. You can fix me right?” 
He sounded like he was poking fun at the situation, but I could hear the fear in his words. I decided to try and make him smile before I did this next part. It would be painful.
“Anything for Geralt of Rivia and his emotional support bard.”
I don’t know what woke me up first. The pounding in my head or the loud birds above me. I was almost afraid to open my eyes, in case it made my head hurt worse than it already did. So I laid there, on what felt like grass and leaves and twigs, with my eyes completely closed. Then I remembered what happened, and my eyes shot open. 
It looked like it was early morning now, which would explain the birds calling loudly to each other in the trees surrounding me. Had I been out cold all night? I had gotten hit pretty hard, so it would make sense, I suppose. Slowly, I lifted a hand to my face. But before I reached all the way up, I couldn’t help but notice the cuts and bruises that adorned the skin on it. This caused me to gasp sharply, which only caused a stabbing pain in my chest. With a whimper, I finally touched the pads of my fingers to the skin on my face and was not surprised when I felt scabs and dried blood. I could only imagine what I looked like right now. 
After examining my injuries as best I could, I gingerly got up off the ground and leaned against the nearest tree. Right above my head was a really large, thick branch. I’m assuming it was the branch that knocked me out. 
Lily was nowhere to be seen. Gods only knows where she ended up. I just hoped with all my heart she was okay, wherever she was. And of course, I hope that Geralt, Jaskier, and Roach were okay. Wherever they were...
It only hit me then how completely alone I was. How incredibly deafening the silence around me was, since the birds had quieted down some. It almost felt as if there was a wall around me. I felt trapped and utterly helpless. Sighing, I lifted myself off the tree I had leaned against, and decided there was only one thing for me to do now. And that was to get moving. 
Maybe if I was a Witcher, I could just track down the boys and my horse instead of wandering aimlessly through the woods. I could only dream, of course. Girls can’t be Witchers. That gave me an idea, though. 
I glanced at the ground in front of me, and saw what looked to be the prints of horse hooves. They must lead to where Lily went. A glimmer of hope made me feel a bit lighter, so I decided to go with it. It was the only plan I had, after all. 
But I quickly realized it would not be as easy as I thought. Some of the prints were obvious, but others were not. Some were covered by leaves and dirt, but others were plain as day. And they were so spaced out, it was hard to tell what was new and what was old. It was hard to tell what might have been Lily’s. 
I took a deep breath, one that felt like it filled my lungs to bursting, and kept walking, following what tracks I could see and hoping to the gods that it would lead me somewhere good. At least somewhere where I wasn’t alone. 
~
I had no idea how much time had passed. It felt like hours, but it could’ve been only minutes. All I know is that my feet feel like they could fall off my body, and my stomach is so empty that it made noises that might give the monsters Geralt fought a run for their money. But that’s not even the worst part. It was just so damn quiet. Eerily quiet. The daylight had begun to darken a bit, but there was still plenty of light to see where I was going. I had lost track of the horse tracks a while back, but I just kept walking. I felt as if I was in a trance. Staying in the same place just felt like the wrong thing to do. I had to move. I had to keep doing something. 
Eventually, I reached a clearing. In that clearing was the ruins of what looked like an old castle. A small one, but a castle nonetheless. I decided to find the most comfortable spot of rubble I could and rest for a moment. But before I sat down, I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye. Needless to say, it startled me. 
Forgetting how badly my feet hurt and how hungry I was in a matter of seconds, I sprang up from my place on the ground with widened eyes. 
“Who’s there?” I croaked. 
There was no answer. I don’t know why I expected one.
“Please, don’t hurt me, okay? I’m just lost. I don’t know where I am.”
Still, no one replied. This terrified me even more. I frantically looked around and found a decent sized stone I might be able to use to defend myself. After picking it up, I made my way slowly over to where I had seen the movement. 
The ground beneath my timid footsteps crackled and crunched. I tried to control my shaking breaths as best I could. Stopping for a moment to try and calm down, I crouched behind the nearest slab of stone and tried listening for any more sounds. All I could hear was a slight swish. It was rhythmic almost. It sounded like something was brushing gently up against something else. To be honest, it reminded me of the sound Lily’s tail makes when it makes contact with the grass beneath her while she is grazing. 
My grip on the stone loosened, and I stood up excitedly. Could it be?
With only this thought and a sliver of hope in my chest, I turned to where the noise was coming from to finally see what or who it was. And praise the gods, it was Lily. A very disheveled, dirty, and scratched-up Lily. 
I shouted her name, holding back a sudden wave of tears. She turned to me, chomping on a clump of grass lazily. I was probably more excited to see her than she was to see me, but let’s not talk about that. 
I ran to her and threw my arms around her neck, not caring that she was chewing grass over my shoulder, probably dropping bits of it and drooling on me. 
“Gods, I thought I lost you. Thanks for waiting for me to wake up, by the way. That was really nice. All the things I do for you...”
I didn’t really mean what I was saying and she knew that. I had just been so scared. After I pulled away from her, I began picking out the twigs and leaves and other things that had gotten stuck in her tail and mane. It gave me something to focus on while I calmed down. 
Once I was finished, I led her over to where I had been planning on resting. 
“We’re gonna wait here a while, okay? I’m so tired, and I’m sure you are too. At least you can eat, though,” I said with a sigh. 
She simply glanced at me, but I took it as a signal that said, “Okay.”
~
Darkness had begun to fall now. The light seemed to dwindle by the minute, and it was still just Lily and I, sitting in the same spot from earlier. I didn’t know what to do. I was starting to feel sick from not eating or drinking anything, and my feet weren’t feeling much better than earlier either. But I didn’t want to put any extra stress on Lily by riding her, so that was out of the question. 
I had seen some berries around here before, but I had no idea which ones were poisonous. And I was too scared to venture out to try and find some clean water to drink. So I’m kind of just stuck here for the moment. 
The darkness brought a chill along with it. My breaths could be seen in puffs of air out in front of me. And as it got colder, they got more and more shaky. I was only wearing my basic dress that I had been wearing all day, and it wasn’t very thick. The only other clothes I had on were my underclothes, and those were even thinner. All the bags with my things in them were back at our original camping spot. Obviously, I didn’t have time to grab them when we were attacked. So, quite literally, all I had was the clothing on my body. 
When it got dark enough for the stars to come out, I laid against Lily who had curled up on the ground long ago. Thankfully, she provided some warmth. Whether she wanted to or not was debatable.
Perhaps the worst thing about my current situation was the silence. It was so damn quiet. I hadn’t realized how used to the noise I was. Whether it was Jaskier talking or singing, or just the sounds of the three of us walking along a dirt road together. 
So I did something that I had been taught by the best there was. I sang. I just sang. All my favorite songs that I knew by heart, most of them being Jaskier’s. It made me feel warmer, although I know it isn’t real warmth. 
My voice wasn’t the greatest, but it wasn’t terrible either. That wasn’t my concern anyway. I just wanted to feel less lonely and more comforted. While I sang, I thought about the many nights that Jaskier and I sung together around the fire, passing the time while Geralt was out and about. I wasn’t used to singing alone, and it made me sad. 
There was only one song left that I hadn’t sung, and I honestly wasn’t sure whether I had left it for last on purpose or not. My throat was itchy now, not used to singing this much for this long alone. 
“I am weak my love, and I am wanting...”
It came out like more of a whisper than a song. But I continued anyway. Had I really fallen for him this quickly without even realizing my feelings? Or was I just too stupid to know how I felt from the beginning? I wasn’t sure, but all I could think about while I sang was the purple marks I saw around his collarbone the last time I saw him. And the way he and Geralt whispered about me that night. It made me angry all over again. 
“I’m an idiot,” I whispered to myself. Lily shifted underneath my weight as if she was agreeing. 
At some point I began to drift off. But I was awoken when I heard footsteps nearby. Immediately, I shot up and looked around. It was pitch black, so I couldn’t see anything. I only heard footsteps, and they sounded like they were getting closer every second. Instead of trying to flee, I sat curled up in the corner of the slab of stone with Lily, hoping whoever it was wouldn’t see me. If the gods were on my side, they would just keep walking. 
“(Y/N), I know you’re there. It’s just me,” a gruff voice that I knew all too well spoke out in the darkness. 
As soon as he finished talking, it felt like a ton of rocks was lifted from my shoulders. It was Geralt. Thank the gods above, it was Geralt. I had never been so happy to see the oaf in my life. 
“Geralt!” I yelled with glee before I could even see where he was. 
He got closer and closer and then I could finally see where he was. His hair was a mess, and so were his clothes. I can’t imagine I was looking any better. 
“Come on, I’ll start a fire. I’m sure you have questions, and I know you’re hungry.” 
My stomach growled in response to his words. If he heard it- which I’m sure he did- he made no comment about it. I was thankful. And above all, I was thankful for his company. 
~
Geralt and I now sat around the small fire he had made. I hadn’t noticed this before, but he had Roach with him, who was now tied to a tree nearby with Lily. 
“So what the hell was that? What happened? And where’s Jaskier? Wait- how did you even find me?”
The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them. I glanced over at Geralt across the flames, a bit embarrassed. But the corner of his mouth twitched, which meant he was almost smiling. 
“What answer do you want first?”
I gave a breathy laugh in response and shrugged. 
“I found you because I could smell you. Witcher, remember? Nice bruise, by the way. Hope you gave that branch as good as you got.”
My cheeks burned and I tried to hide them from his view. Asshole. 
“Anyway, I don’t know who they were. Bandits, I’m guessing. But one was a mage. That’s why I told you to run before fighting them off. Who knows what would have happened had you been there. Unfortunately, I don’t know where that bumbling idiot Jaskier is. After you left, he tried fighting off one of them, but got a pretty good punch in the face. I turned for one second, and when I looked back he was gone.”
I’m sure Geralt could see the look on my face. I was worried and scared. 
“We’ll find him. He’s probably in a brothel somewhere. I caught a bit of his scent a while back. I remember the place. We’ll go check there in the morning.”
I didn’t say anything. I didn’t know what to say. Geralt’s words echoed in my head: “He’s probably in a brothel somewhere.”
“I know what you’re thinking,” said Geralt quietly, “and it’s not what it seems.”
“Well, what is it then?” I spat, my words laced with a sudden venom, “Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me listening in on you two the other night. I heard what you were talking about. He doesn’t want anything to do with me. It was a mistake he said.”
My eyes stung and my chest hurt all at once. Truthfully, I didn’t know just how severe these feelings were since I had somewhat successfully bottled them up. But now they were back in full force. I guess they had never truly been hidden.
“It’s not my place to say.”
“Of course it’s not,” I whispered, barely audible. “You never want to get involved in anything. Except you always do, anyway.”
A silence settled over us. I didn’t know what else there was to say. 
The sounds of Geralt digging around next to him broke the silence. It was then that I saw him take something shiny out of his bag. He grabbed some other bags, which turned out to be my things I left at camp before, and slowly walked over to me, never making eye contact with me. 
Geralt handed me my belongings first, and I thanked him quietly, He still wasn’t looking at me. 
“This is for you. Do you know how to use it?”
He gently held out a dagger. It looked brand new, the silver gleam of the small blade almost blinding even in the dying light of the fire. Its hilt was bejeweled with twinkling stones of several different colors, and there was a small inscription on it. 
“It says “be brave” in Elder. I got it for you a while ago because it occurred to me you have been travelling without a weapon all this time. And I thought now might be a good time to give it to you.” 
With a slight tremble in my hands, I took it from him, never looking away from it. 
“Geralt, I- I don’t know what to say. Thank you,” I whispered, finally looking up at him. 
He simply nodded, but his eyes were soft. He truly did care about my well being. 
“Truly. Thank you for everything Geralt. For this, for finding me, and for telling me what I needed to hear back at the tavern. But mostly, thank you for being my friend.” 
Geralt nodded once more, then turned away without a word to go back to his spot across the fire. 
“Get some sleep. You’re going to need it.” 
Sleep did sound quite good, so I decided to follow his advice, wondering what tomorrow could possibly hold for our little group. 
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blocksandbloops · 3 years
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May I interest you in some fem!hermit!Tommy fluff for you in this trying time?
This is set in an alternative version of @redorich 's hermit!Tommy AU. Diverging from the Dream SMP's raid on Hermitcraft. All you need to know is that family trees are convoluted, Tommy's name is Clementine. She's trans, we love her, she has wings and has adopted Grian as her weird almost twin brother.
After the whole "Dreamon" and "invasion" mess the Dream SMP folk didn't expect to hear much from the hermits besides the ones who attended MCC. They thought that the two servers would just continue to exist, independent of one another. Just drifting through the void mere inches apart but never really touching.
Oh how wrong they were.
The hermits were friendly but they had absolutely underestimated just how friendly.
Apparently, the moment Clementine so much as breathed a word about how much she missed her biological family, Scar -ever the kind and helpful mayor that he was- decided to throw a beach party!
Since Clemmy's extended family was pretty large and they didn't want anyone to feel left out, it was an open invitation to everyone on the Dream SMP as long as they behaved.
That point was driven home when a few people, like Antfrost and his unhealed, dog bitten asscheek, mentioned how upsetting the Hermits was definitely not a good idea.
(Deep down they knew that the reason they were really doing this was because the hermits were worried about them. The Dream SMP was just a bunch of traumatized children according to them. They weren't wrong in that assumption but no one wanted to admit that.)
So, when the day of the beach party finally dawned, they all put on their least threatening outfits and packed up their supplies, (where Tubbo got the surf board nobody wanted to question) and entered the portal just like they had done a few months prior.
A few things were different though, the sun was bright and beaming in the sky, soft puffy white clouds rolled by, only promising gentle shade instead of the dreary air of yesteryear.
The shopping district had been rebuilt from it's smoky ruins and they finally all had time to appreciate the lovingly built shops and roads. It looked so beautiful and vibrant, you could practically feel the fact that summer was in full swing.
The smell of nectar and sea salt drifted through the air, sweetening even the sourest of moods. This is what peace was to the hermits. This was their everyday. They were so lucky and they didn't even realize it.
Some people were taking notes of all the different building styles with bright eyes, hoping to replicate some of it when they got home, others were suddenly hit with a feeling of bitter inadequacy of it compared to their homes. Is this what a world without war could look like?
But, no matter the gloomy musings of the few, they were all here to let go for a day! To celebrate the good times and to kick back for seemingly the first time in forever.
Their welcome party this time simply consisted of one person.
It was a strange sight, seeing the Hermits' admin Xisuma without a mask on, wearing a god awful hawaiian shirt that Keralis had thrown at him with glee the moment he mentioned that he didn't have something to wear, and again, were those, gods forbid crocks?
"'Ello everyone! Wow this is quite the turn up. Scar wished he could be here to greet you all personally, but he's still too busy helping the others preparing for the barbecue, so you're stuck with me for the time being.
Now, if you'll kindly follow me, we set everything up pretty close to here, so we'll be there in a minute."
The walk over to the beach was short, but just as scenic as the rest of the server.
Warm, golden sand, gently lapping waves and lush plant life. The sound of the hermits' laughter and soft music filled the air as the smell of the previously mentioned barbecue proved a welcome distraction from whatever the hell was happening on the far right side of the beach (the ZIT trio built a karaoke machine. It was Zedaph's idea. It was also a horrible idea but they didn't seem to realize that yet.)
As they began to debate a plan of attack, no wait. ... fun? enjoyment? eh whatever.
A tall man jogged up to the group. Some people recognized him as Mumbo Jumbo, that one british guy with the mustache. Others, however, as that semi-scary redstone wizard who managed to create extremely powerful potion launchers during the invasion.
He was dressed just as down to earth as the others, holding a tall glass of lemonade in his hand and wearing a (quite goofy) sunhat he borrowed from Ren.
He was explaining something to X in hushed tones (something or other about a minor fire at the barbecue table?) When he looked past the gathering of guests and out towards the path that they had come from, and screeched.
"GRIAN PLEASE I'M HOLDING LEMONADE DON'T!" X reached over and grabbed the glass from his hands just in time for a cackling, feathered ball of something to crash into Mumbo, knocking him into the water with an audible "oof".
There was wild thrashing as the two tried to orient themselves, Grian somehow climbing onto Mumbo's back.
"CLEMMY! COME HELP ME DROWN MUMBO!" Grian waved towards a cluster of trees to their left, underneath which a small gathering of hermits was enjoying a bit of a reprieve from the sun.
"NOT YOU TOO!" came the mustachioed man's scream of distress.
Clementine, the whole terrifying six feet and three inches of a woman that she was, took off running to the water at full tilt towards the struggling brits.
Mumbo, having already formed a strategy in his head, did a perfect T-pose and feel backwards into the water, bringing down a screaming Grian with him. Clementine did a graceful swan dive into the water (how she executed that shall be left for viewer interpretation) and happily joined the fray, even the distressed calls of Stress behind her because "Gods damn it Clemmy! I spent an hour on your hair! And now it's ruined!" couldn't persuade her to give up on her mission to cause as much friendly chaos as possible.
She climbed out of the water a few minutes later, her hair a mess and a bright smile on her face.
"Techie! Wilby! Tubbo! Thank you guys so much for coming! I'm really glad that you could make it." She hugged them each close, enjoying the comfort of having them all together again.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Techno relaxed his posture, trying not to fidget too much. He was getting better with crowds but it was still a lot.
"You may think he's joking but he literally dragged Quackity all the way to the portal because he was too busy doing his eyeliner and would've made us late." Wilbur snickered when she leaned in to hug him, earnings him one of her patented ear-splitting laughs.
"I got a recording of it!" Tubbo proudly announced, pulling out his video camera
while still holding an arm around her.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT! LET ME HAVE SOME DIGNITY MAN!" The aforementioned Mr. Fattest Ass in the cabinet screamed indignantly as soon as he got within hearing range.
"Quackity you never had any dignity. It's too late for that." Techno flicked the duck shapeshifter on the head, earning him even more annoyed rambling which he just chose to ignore.
"Well, I'm glad that that's settled, now, I have some people I'd like for you to meet."
She directed them towards the group sitting in the shade, which consisted of False, (a now soaking wet) Grian, Stess, Mumbo (who also looked like a disgruntled cat that was just given a bath), Iskall and Ren.
Meanwhile Doc and Cleo had a little cornered off area they'd nicknamed the "cool kids club" (it was because around this time the sun got strong enough to actually burn her and Doc just felt slightly iffy about the water, since he was, ya know, half robot.)
Clemmy threw herself down on a blanket in front of a grumbling Stress who set about actually making her hair look presentable.
Niki sat down next to them and began discussing the merits of different styles to put Clemmy's hair into.
Ranboo sheepishly sat down next to Cleo's lawn chair folding all of his gangly limbs under himself.
Wilbur happily plopped himself down next to Ren on a blanket and began to hum along to the other's guitar.
Techno lay dow his cape, deciding that a nap was the best course of action in that moment.
Fundy hesitated for a second before going down to the shore to relax and just put his feet in the water for now.
Philza, the awkward dad that he was, chose to sit down close enough to the girls that he'd be able to hear what they were talking about without intruding.
Tubbo placed his stuff down by Clemmy's feet and ran out to the shore with his surf board in hand.
Going through so many conflicts in such a short amount of time really tires a person out, especially ones as young as the ones from the SMP so getting this afternoon of rest truly helped ease some of the stress given to them by recent events.
(Beach episode pog?)
Of course, this little get together wasn't without it's faults. About two hours in Doc accidentally trampled False's sand castle, who in retaliation teamed up with Cleo to dump water on him while he was relaxing.
This little conflict evolved into a battle to see who could build the biggest and grandest sand castle between "Team Himbo" and "Team Women" (one of those was coined by Clemmy). Puffy and Stress set up a good system of transporting sand from point A to point B, allowing them to move faster. False got placed on detailing duty while Niki brought refreshments for the rest of the team. Alyssa was mostly helping out wherever she could, as Cleo worked her armour stand magic to make their castle feel even more alive.
Clemmy just shouted encouragements and bullied the opposing team.
(The member list of Team Himbo has been redacted to avoid any drama about who might qualify as a himbo in the given circumstances)
Somehow the guys managed to convince Techno to join them, which immediately stacked odds in their favor to which Eret and Iskall, being the non-binary legends they are, decided to side with Team Women, now renamed to "Team Prettier Than You".
Their building contest laated for another hour before X decided to try to stop them (it wasn't because of the time. It was because TFC and Grian started shouting things about structural integrity and adding stone parts to the walls and the contestants actually listened when he decided that it was getting out of hand.)
Then it was time to actually enjoy the barbecue. Techno surprised everyone with how delicious his baked potatoes ended up. Beef also got to flex his skills a little with, as you guessed it, beef.
Tubbo and Tango sadly had to eat further away then everyone because the moment they got within ten feet of the fire something mysteriously combusted.
After that, the ZIT trio busted out the karaoke machine and the night went from good to great.
The old Team Star was dared to sing a rendition of Hermit Gang and everyone younger than 25 felt physical distress during some parts.
The sleepy bois (+Tubbo) sang a cover of "Your new boyfriend" (Techno got surprisingly into it) and then Wilbur swiped Ren's guitar to sing some Taylor Swift songs (accompanied by Tubbo on a synth he seemingly pulled out of nowhere) in that one weird accent he can do which had most people wheezing on the floor from laughter after the first song.
Niki threw down a german cover of Say So by Doja Cat. Grian, Phil and Tommy were unconsciously doing the parrot dancing thing. It was great.
Quackity sang something in spanish and Karl and Sapnap made over exaggerated swooning noises.
Skeppy and Bad did a duet. It was as adorable as it sounds.
Some other people also came on stage, belting out songs in such horridly broken voices that I'll spare you the details. Let's just say, nails scratching chalkboards would sound better.
And that was most of the festivities over with.
The last thing on the agenda? A meteor shower. How did they set it up? Clemmy's weird star child thing. The aforementioned girl was huddled close together with her family as they watched the comets streak across the clear sky (all electronics and artificial lights were shut off for the night) and Melohi played from a jukebox in the corner.
Fundy was laying his head in Dream's lap, the other boy was softly threading his fingers through his almost fiance's orange hair while leaning heavily on George and trying not to let sleep claim him as it had the fox (no one knew how this happened, all they were aware of is that the three had disappeared sometime during the sand castle contest only to reemerge having finally talked things through and come to an agreement that they all seemed happy with).
Ranboo, Niki, Puffy and Eret were collapsed in a happy pile just vibing.
The sleepy bois, who were for once actually sleepy, all wore matching flower crowns braided together by Stress's experienced fingers (and Wilbur's rather clumsy ones). Phil and her had managed to come to an agreement of unofficial joint custody after he witnessed Techno embarrassedly lean down to let her place a crown of golden flowers upon his head and saw his internal beam of pride when she called him "handsome".
The boys never really had a mother he mused, maybe she could teach them kindness where he couldn't.
Another surprise addition to the family was the owner of the third pair of wings in the cuddle pile. Phil didn't expect to end up with any more children at this point in his life, but Grain and Clemmy were practically attached at the hip and it felt wrong to even think about separating them.
He only hoped that those two wouldn't cause too much chaos especially when teamed up with Tubbo.
In the end, everyone drifted off to sleep, one by one they closed their eyes on their most perfect day. Praying for whatever might be out there, that they'll have many more moments just like this.
Well,
almost everyone.
Callahan chuckled as he walked back up to his spot with Alyssa farther away from the others. shutting off his camera after cycling through the pictures he took of everyone looking goofy while sleeping (His favorite is the one where Clemmy was very visibly munching on Techno's hair). He may not use those as blackmail but he sure ass hell was going to tease them about it later. He fell asleep there on that hill, drifting off to comforting rest like the others.
After that? Life moved on.
It was chaotic sure, and not perfect.
But it was theirs. They grew up slowly, learning to be kind to one another, how to grow with one another.
Life wasn't always perfect but hey, they had each other. And in the end? That's all that mattered.
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everyonewasabird · 3 years
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Brickclub 3.4.1 ‘Group that almost’ part 11: Grantaire
All the other Amis are Legitimate Sons of the Republic, and so the first note we meet Grantaire on, following that, is a vague idea of illegitimacy. It’s hard to say why that feels so very right to me. This is pure headcanon, but I could easily see him as the actual illegitimate son of somebody--well cared for but aware of himself as a bit of a sore spot from birth, a reminder of the existence of corruption in a way he internalizes. It’s certainly the way he positions himself in the Amis family: he’s there, but off to the side. He’s there, but no one, least of all him, is quite sure why.
It’s been so long since I’ve come to Grantaire’s description in order, with fresh eyes. It’s a novel experience, and I’m going to give my impressions as they happen.
And... he's actually quite charming?
He’s charismatic, the one who always knows where the party should go next, naturally good at physical pursuits, and so on. He seems confident and conceited--which is not what I was expecting--and that can be charming or insufferable, depending on how it’s carried. Right now it’s striking me as on the charming side. He’s not in your face about it, but by pretending he’s in general demand among women, he’s carrying whatever he’s carrying about other people’s feelings about his appearance in a way that smooths the experience for everyone.
(It’s a dynamic that’s striking me as extremely middle school for some reason? God, I’m thinking of some terrible movie from the 80s aren’t I. I think I’m happier not knowing what this memory is.)
And then we get to the way skepticism has hollowed him out.
Hugo describes irony as a kind of disease, and Grantaire is the exemplar of that malady, demonstrating to the reader what it does to somebody. And, you know, I grew up in the 80s and 90s, I’m just going to straight up agree with that.
Then we get to his need for Enjolras to imbue him with structure and meaning. It’s a beautiful description, and it makes sense: Grantaire feels his own incompleteness. He feels the need to be something different, but he can’t find the change in himself, on his own.
But he keeps coming. He doesn’t know what it is he’s coming for, but he needs it enough that he can’t walk away from it. It’s a form of desperate hope, and it seems like the thing he hopes for is.. hope.
I appreciate how, again, there are no backstory reasons for this. There’s no past that explains him--other than the history of France--and there shouldn’t be, notwithstanding the rampant headcanoning I started this post with. Marius comes to the Musain because he’s working out some complex family shit; Grantaire doesn’t. He rejects the realm of ideals, but he also exists solely in the realm of ideals, in the sense that ideals are the reason he’s here. Yeah, Enjolras is the reason he’s here. But what is Enjolras but ideals?
Like Valjean kneeling before the bishop and the nuns, Grantaire doesn’t know how to touch the infinite except through an intermediary. But he’s trying desperately to touch the infinite.
I really like that after we get the description of everything about Grantaire attaching itself to Enjolras, the text explains that that phenomenon has nothing to do with Enjolras. It’s inherently something about Grantaire:
He was himself, moreover, composed of two apparently incompatible elements. He was ironical and cordial. His indifference was loving. His mind dispensed with belief, yet his heart could not dispense with friendship. A thorough contradiction; for an affection is a conviction. His nature was so.
Like we’ll see later with Eponine’s feelings for Marius, Grantaire’s feelings for Enjolras aren’t about him but what he represents in Grantaire’s internal journey. Though, of course, there’s much less of a power imbalance here--Enjolras and Grantaire share materially similar circumstance, and it’s only spiritually that Grantaire is lost at sea.
God, this has gotten so long and I haven’t even gotten to any of the queer references.
My sense from others is that 1) Hugo in life was absolutely surrounded by queer friends and 2) it’s not clear he ever realized that.
So, briefly: reference to Orestes and Pylades was absolutely used to refer to queer men in canon era, and used by people on complete opposite sides of the spectrum; I’ve heard Borel roll his eyes at having to use it in order to talk about queer men (a group he belonged to), and I’ve heard Vidocq use it with sneeringly vicious homophobia.
Did Hugo understand that usage? I really have no idea.
But I’m fascinated by the way Enjolras and Grantaire’s whole relationship is simultaneously completely one-sided--but also, it bleeds into the omniscient narration of the text.
Like, this O&P nonsense is all 100% entirely Grantaire’s thing. Clearly! But, then, why does the narrator invoke Antinous in Enjolras’s initial description? Why, in the literal last chapter of his life, is Enjolras given Orestes’ name, if “Orestes and Pylades” is just a thing happening in Grantaire’s head?
And yet, it IS just a thing in Grantaire’s head! It seems all very simple from Enjolras’s side: he’s willing to let Grantaire keep showing up, and he still hopes Grantaire will actually make himself useful, but this whole thing is pretty annoying. Which: very fair! Honestly, just letting Grantaire keep coming to meetings to stare at him must take quite a lot of patience.
But also: the text is holding Enjolras to a higher standard, and at some level it knows that’s not good enough, from either of them. As I’ve talked about before, saving people is a tricky business in this book, prone to a strange parasocial one-sidedness that amounts to ingratitude on the side of the person doing the saving. OFPD, if nothing else, rectifies that.
Anyway, I’m really excited. I’ve had so much trouble reading Grantaire before, and I’m so glad to be meeting him (sort of) afresh this time around.
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