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#i know that's not the year she was born but i couldn't resist
hunnylagoon · 4 months
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Right Where You Left Me
Pt1: Coming Down With Me
Ellie Williams x reader
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I once met a girl with skin like kiwi. Even the butterflies were drawn to her, landing on the top of her nose, the dip in her palm. But the kiwi stung my tongue, scarred my lips and made me bleed. I do not care. Cover me in your kiwi kisses, burn my mouth and scar my flesh. Bleach my eyes and dip my heart in lemon juice. Sing your sickly sweet words until my ears bleed.
Premise: You and Ellie were childhood best friends until you grew up. Funny thing about soulmates is that they tend to find their way back to each other.
Warnings: Angst / reader has religious issues / people are mean lol / best friends to enemies to lovers / roommate! Ellie
Part two here!
Part three here!
Part four here!
I know everything about you,
You know everything about me.
I had always been bound to the earth while Ellie danced with the stars in the night sky among delusion and dreams. Though, more so than anything, we were bound to one another.
Our parents were friends, even before we were born. They met at summer camp when they were teenagers, the same camp that Ellie and I were eventually shipped off to every summer. Of course, I have no recollection of when I was an infant, only stories that my parents shared with me; My dad told me that I learned to crawl backwards before I learned to crawl forwards. Joel kept a photo album of his girl.
I can't remember days of crawling around and babbling incoherently, but I can tell you what I remember.
Five years old- Kindergarten
Despite the air being unbearable hot, it was infused with excitement as Ellie and me set foot in the petting zoo. I had never seen so many animals in one place, my little brain was going nuts. Accompanied by the gentle hum of content animals, the aroma of straw, and the distant melody of joyful chatter, the petting zoo rang true to its rustic charm.
Ellie, with her auburn curls bouncing in the breeze, led the way, her eyes widened at the sight of a fluffy alpaca lazily grazing in the sunshine. I giggled as we approached a pen filled with adorable piglets, their tiny snouts sniffing the pure air far away from the dirty stench of the city.
Our parents, watching with affectionate smiles, guided us to the lamb enclosure where soft, woolly creatures nuzzled against tiny palms. Ellie's fingers gently traced the contours of a lamb's ear, and she couldn't resist a delighted squeal as she felt the velvety nose of a goat.
As the afternoon sun cast a warm glow on the scene, the families strolled through the meandering paths, passing by a pond where ducks quacked merrily. Ellie and I, hand in loveable hand, marvelled at the wonders of the animal kingdom, our hearts brimming with the pure joy of discovery and a blooming friendship.
Seven years old- Grade Two
On this particular day, Ellie and I had been messing around in her backyard; that's all we did on the weekends at that age, you couldn't get us to go inside. We spent the morning entwined in daffodils and hyacinth that Joel has so tenderly nurtured, careful not to crush the dainty flowers beneath our wild flailing bodies. 
We had the brilliant idea to paint rocks so we had been searching her yard for the perfect flat stones we had in mind. Ellie picked up a rock and immediately threw it back down, jumping away with a shriek.
This had piqued my curiosity (As well as Joels who sat on the back porch, watching us), I went over to where she stood petrified and found nothing more than a little snake staring up at her. I dropped the stones I had been carrying and bent over to get a better look at it, it was brown and had a few white vertical stripes cascading up its thin body. 
I slowly moved my hand outwards to touch but was swiftly interrupted by Joel scooping me up "That's enough of that kiddo." 
Nine years old- Grade Four
Joel's house garnered an expansive backyard and just past the old fence that Ellie and I had thrown one too many softballs at was a lush forest. I would always clamour up the wood fence and poke my little head over it to try and gather a glimpse of wildlife, Ellie usually had to give me a little boost. "Hold still!" She hissed with her arms wrapped around my torso to help lift me, my scrawny arms shook as I tried to pull myself up even further.
The wood rot of the ancient fence finally set in and with the both of us pressing our mighty weight against it collapsed with the fence. We heard the splitting of wood, I got the worst end of the stick, toppling over and putting my hands out to protect myself. I could've sworn that I heard my wrist break like a crunch.
While I did what felt like a three-sixty frontflip over the fence just for my small head to come down on the end of it with a solid smack, Ellie had just flopped on top of it, green eyes widening in shock when she saw my once straight arm now had an abnormal bump coming out from my wrist. "What's wrong with your hand?"
"I don't know I'm probably dying!" I screamed as loud as my voice could carry, that was the first time I had felt adrenaline run through my veins. "You killed me!"
"No, I didn't!" She retorted, scrambling off the fence and back up to her feet. She was clad in a Jurassic Park T-shirt that she practically was swimming in and those pink and orange plaid Bermuda shorts that any kid in the 2000s owned. "Dad!" Ellie yelled, calling for Joel.
I felt the tears welling up in my eyes and finally, I released the sob that had been building up in my throat. She was almost dumbstruck and just ended up kneeling and wrapping her arms around me in a hug.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." She muttered.
10 years old- Grade Five
Ellie had been practicing guitar the entire time I was at her house, Joel had gifted her his old guitar and she was so set on perfecting every cord, every half-hour she would ask for a song recommendation and then flip through the songbook she got to find it.
I was curled up in her bed reading The Hunger Games over again "Els, are you team Peeta or Gale?" I was always at Ellie's house, mine was too busy all the time; I had three siblings, Naomi and Aaron who were twins and two years younger than me and my brother Elijah who was three years older than me. I loved going to her house on Saturdays so I could sleep in and wriggle my way out of going to church. Even though her house was right across the street from mine and my parents would bang on Joel's door, he always covered for me.
"Uh," She was distracted by something in her songbook "Team Katniss?"
I nod in approval to myself as she isn't paying attention "You know who Gale reminds me of?" I ask and without Ellie giving me a response I answer anyway "Luke, I think I kind of like him."
Those are the words that get her to look at me "Ew, he's so weird."
"He's nice to me."
She wrinkles her nose in distaste then shrugs, returning to her guitar which sits awardly in her scrawny frame.
12 years old- Grade Seven
"Fuck!" I yell, kicking the grimy green dumpster in the graffiti-covered ally out of anger, though I kicked it a little too hard now my foot hurts I refuse to admit it "Fuck I hate them!"
Ellie leans against the brick wall on the opposite side of the alley, our bikes discarded on the ground while I hopelessly rant to my friend about my parents. She doesn't say much, just little nods of agreement. My parents had caught me skipping church and they laid into me, saying that I had no respect for them or god and whether that was true or not didn't matter, I was full of pre-teen angst and needed to call my friend to go for a bike ride around town.
"She fucking tore my room apart, I never see them get mad at Aaron or Naomi!" I drag my hands down my face before I look back at the dumpster and kick it again "Ow, cunt!" I'm now hopping on one foot while my knee bends my other leg and I hold my beaten red Converse, covered in doodles, to soothe the pain of my poor toes. It's moments like this that remind me why I love Ellie, because as stupid as I look hobbling around and cussing, she doesn't laugh at me even though I know she wants to.
After a little bit of me aimlessly yelling I finally wind down. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, trying to remember those breathing exercises that we were taught at school assemblies. "Thanks for listening to me talk shit, I'm sorry."
"Don't be," She shrugs "I've seen you do worse."
This cracks a smile on my face, I turn my head and am met with the Jackson skyline, a beautiful pink sunset on the horizon "Sun's setting," I say.
"Sleepover?" Ellie asks.
"Sleepover," I confirm.
13 years old- Grade Eight
We were thirteen when our parents shoved cash into our hands and dropped us at the mall to go back to school shopping by ourselves for the first time. Every parent's nightmare was a busy mall so when they figured us old enough to venture into the dreaded foodcourt on our own, believed they were taking that opportunity. 
Ellie had bought a couple of T-shirts and hoodies here and there, not too particular about what she was buying, though I was very nit-picky over what I wore so I forced Ellie to judge every single outfit that I wore and rate it, she gave the same answer every single time "It looks fine."
"Cool but I don't wanna look fine, I wanna look pretty," I say in frustration, walking back into the dressing room to try on another outfit. Ellie is sitting in the fitting room on a pink velvet couch, arms crossed and waiting for me to finish. "How's this?" I ask, walking out of the changing stall and giving her a little twirl.
"It looks fine- I mean good, everything looks good on you." She sounds almost exasperated. Ellie's hair was still that vibrant auburn colour that my mother was obsessed with, it had yet to fade out into a duller brown with age.
"Really?" I perk up just the slightest.
"Yeah, you look really pretty." She gives me a little nod of confirmation. I know that she's only saying that because she wants to go to the food court and get a cinnamon bun but I believe her anyway.
14 years old- Grade Nine
We were just nearing the end of the second half of our soccer game. It was the tournament and we were only a point away from placing first in the league, the thought of it had kept me up all week I was running off of Subway sandwiches and Gatorade. 
Riley (the midfielder) swiftly passed the ball to me before she was surrounded by the other team's defence, I looked up to the clock and there were only seconds left in the match. I let my instincts take over, my parents forcing me into soccer since elementary school was not going to wind up useless. My footwork took me up the right wing just before the penalty box. 
I wasn't paying enough attention to notice the tall blonde girl in a slick back ponytail closing in on me. I hear Ellie shout my name and that's all I need to make this last pass, I barely even looked up before power-driving the ball to Ellie who was merely six metres away from me. I slipped onto the muddied field with that kick, watching Ellie waste no time to score our final goal the second her cleat touched the ball. 
The clock deadlocks and I drag myself off the ground running towards my best friend, I jump on her almost taking her down with me though she manages to steady herself. "I fucking love you!" I scream hugging her with all of the force I can muster. She hugs me in return, unable to get any words out between her laughs. The team is quick to swarm us, everyone is shouting about our well-deserved victory but not one person is louder than Joel in the stands.
15 years old- Grade Ten
Snow was falling as I stood in the foyer of the high school, still waiting for my date for the winter formal to arrive. Conner had asked me out weeks ago, we hadn't talked much since though I just figured that was because he was shy. I even left school early to get ready and spent hours meticulously pinning every hair into place and adjusting my navy blue satin dress so it would drape across my body in just the right way.
My sister, Naomi was an aspiring makeup artist so I let her dust my eyelids in silver glitter, I forced Warren to drive me. All of that was just for me to get stood up. Conner hadn't texted me all day, I knew he wasn't coming that didn't stop me from forcing denial on myself. "Hey," I heard a soft voice sound behind me, I wasn't surprised to see Ellie. Even though our parents were no longer friends, we were close as ever.
"Hi," My voice was hushed and feeble.
"The dance started an hour ago," She said, that night she had been wearing a white button-up with a pair of jeans and her hair half up. It was clear the dance wasn't as big a deal to her as it was to me. All she had done was ask Riley to go with her and call it a day. Despite her lack of effort, she looks beautiful as ever "I don't think he's coming," She said bluntly.
That's the exact moment I felt myself crack, tears welled up in my eyes and I lurched forward to hug her, flailing my arms helplessly to search for comfort "Then why did he ask me to go with him?" My sobs were drowned out by the sound of Kesha blasting in the overcrowded gym.
"I don't know, but he's an idiot for standing you up," Ellie holds me close and I never want her to let go "I wouldn't have ever done that to you."
16 years old- Grade Eleven
This is where things begin to fall apart. I found Ellie on the back porch of some random guy's house at a party. "I figured I would find you out here," I say, taking a seat next to her on the wooden steps, I hug my knees close to my chest.
"What's up?" Beside me, Ellie is unnervingly calm, she nurses a joint, taking a long hit and letting the smoke turn to clouds. 
"Conner kissed me," I say cutting to the chase
I can tell she doesn't like the thought, she hated Conner, ever since he stood me up at the winter formal but she bites her tongue "You guys gonna date?"
"I think so."
"Good for you."
"I don't know if I liked it," My eyebrows are furrowed, and I pull my knees in even further, inhaling the crisp autumn air and the smell of Ellie, she smells like cannabis, firewood and bar soap. 
"What do you mean?" Ellie puts out the end of her joint and tucks what remains of it into an empty Altoids container.
"Nothing," I dismiss it, "It doesn't matter, I just wanted to talk to you," Ellie had softened every burden for me since we were girls. "Um, so, my parents are sending me to boarding school next year."
"No, they're not-
"They are."
Ellie doesn't seem so calm anymore, she adjusts her body to face mine and she's so close I swear to god I could've counted every freckle on her face. "Why, what did you do?" The way she looks at me makes me wish that she was a boy.
"Nothing!" I retort "They think I'm straying from god, it's a Christian school." That was my code for 'they think I have a crush on you and I rather not get disowned by my super religious parents!'
"come stay with me and Joel-
"Ellie, please," I place a hand on her thigh "I don't think I can get away from this one."
That was at the end of September, it only got worse from there. I partially wished that I didn't tell Ellie that I had to leave, every time we hung out it just felt like words were hanging between us like birds on a wire and neither of us could say what we wanted. I forced myself to distance myself from her, I didn't know how else to handle my feelings. 
She would blow up my phone and come by my house even visit my work but I just told her that I was busy. I could tell that she didn't believe my excuses for a second, she had English with my new boyfriend, Conner and would get him to relay messages and notes to me.
It didn't get easier to ignore her, my family prying about where she had been. I never told my parents that Ellie was gay, though I know they had always had a suspicion and that's why they could never love her all the way completely, the way Joel loved me and looked out for me. My mom and dad liked that I swapped out Ellie for Conner, by February, my dad even started to call him son. 
In March Ellie and I had stopped talking completely, she gave up on texting me and coming by my house just for my siblings to lie about my whereabouts. It hurt to see the resentment gleam in her eye every time she passed me in the hallway. 
She didn't speak a word to me until the start of the summer bonfire which was custom in our town. If I had known she would be there I never even would have thought about going. I rather not rehash this awful night, not right now just know that it ended with some alcohol, a bit of blood in the sand and me telling Ellie 'I would pick him over you every single time.' Yikes, that's not a good look for me. I spent the rest of my summer burying her in the back of my mind until boarding school finally came upon me and I graduated with friends I didn't like in a place that didn't feel like home. 
I was sixteen then now I'm nineteen, no longer a girl but not yet a woman. Those were some key moments of our friendship. I'm not so sure why I felt so mature at the age of sixteen. I had taken a gap year and loved every minute of it, I backpacked in Australia, worked as a camp counsellor in the summer then left to work at a turtle conservatory in Bali, I was making pennies but the experience was worth it. 
I arrived at my new home sunkissed with Ellie far in the back of my mind. I didn't know much about who I would be rooming with, I had only spoken to Dina over a Zoom call who was a friendly girl with warm eyes and ink-black hair spilling over her shoulders. I just prayed that none of them were Craigslist killers.
It took me entirely too long to find parking, when I finally did, I grabbed two of my suitcases, unable to hold anything else, the rest of the boxes jammed into my car would have to wait. I read over the text that Dina sent me what seemed to be a million times to make sure I had the right address. It was a small-ish one-story flat with brown walls that had white accents along corners and the doorway with a wood-panelled gable roof. As far as college housing went, I was happy. It looked like something I would've made in the Sims when I was a teenager. 
I walk to the front door, the entrance is framed by intricately carved moulding, its details telling a story of craftsmanship and tradition. The wood, polished to a warm, inviting glow, exudes a sense of richness and history. I knocked on the door and heard a voice shouting that she would get it.
The door swings open and I'm met face to face with Dina "Hey!" She smiled "It's nice to meet you, I think you'll like it here," She held the door wide open, motioning for me to go in, and I obliged. "Let me give you a tour." Dina is clad in sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt and her hair has been pulled back into a messy ponytail.
The layout of the house seemed somewhat odd to me, there was a corridor straight ahead when you walked in, the first room was the laundry room and contained the washer and dryer with some hampers and shelves of detergent and laundry freshener. "This is the laundry room, we have a wash schedule along with a chore schedule so we will put you on that tonight," Dina told me, I just nodded politely in response feeling a little too awkward and out of place to say anything. 
"Alright so this is the kitchen, there's a half bathroom beside it," She says, swinging her arms wide open for exaggeration I can see the chore chart hanging on the walls, it's written in chalk, and it is the laundry schedule. There are little laminated tags with each person's name on them, though I can't quite make out the names from where I am standing. The fridge is covered in postcards, magazine cutouts, polaroids, and bright magnets of papayas and flowers, I automatically assumed this was Dina despite not knowing the other roommates. The kitchen is open with no walls to hide it, the oven and dishwasher are built into counters against the walls as well as the sink which i spotless at the moment, there isn't a dining table but a kitchen island with stools. Past the island you can see the living room, there are two grey couches with decorative pillows and fuzzy throw blankets, a coffee table that looked handcrafted with care and of course a TV. 
Have I mentioned there are plants everywhere? Like everywhere. "Okay, so," Dina keeps on moving and I trail behind with my suitcases, over there is my room and Cat's and Abby's," She points to the left of the living room where there is a short hallway with three doors, one on each wall of it. "There's Cat now," She waves at her roommate.
Cat is relatively tall, she has black hair that's tied into a bun, and she's wearing plaid pyjama pants and a black tank top, I can see her abundance of tattoos. She has one sleeve of laurel cascading up her arm and the other is patchwork done right, each separate piece blends almost seamlessly into the next. "I like your tattoos," I say, not wanting to sit in any more silence.
She grins at me "Thanks, love," I nod in response to her, Cat looks down at the suitcases that I'm lugging around "Dina, take this poor girl to her room already."
"I was just getting there," Dina teases and motions for me to follow her "So over here is the bathroom and of course your room, I left your copy of the house key on your mattress," She opens it up. The bedroom is completely blank aside from the boxed bedframe, shelf, vanity and mattress that I had to send over prior. There's a built-in closet in the wall. 
I put my suitcases on the ground "I'm gonna grab the rest of my stuff from my car," I offer up a tight-lipped smile.
"Wait a second," She takes my hand and then knocks on the bedroom door parallel to mine. "I'm coming in!" Dina announces pushing the door open, there's a brunette girl hunched over her desk. My breath hitches in my throat when she turns around "This is Ellie."
I can see the panic that momentarily takes over Ellie when she spots me before it's replaced by a false coolness, "Hey," She says before turning back to her laptop and putting her headphones back on. It felt like my heart had shut down, why the fuck did I sign the lease?
"Sorry," Dina shuts Ellie's door "She's not the friendliest of the bunch but she'll warm up to you eventually," Dina walks to the front door with you Abby should be around here somewhere."
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I had gotten so frustrated trying to set up my bed frame that I sheepishly left my room and asked for help, god bless Abby. She was putting everything together so easily, I watched her in awe as she finished adding the final screw to my bedframe. "Want help setting up the mattress?"
"Yes, please," I say, I grab one end of the mattress while Abby gets the other, she tells me to lift on three and I listen, she carries the majority of the weight but it still feels like an accomplishment on my part. "So does everyone here go to Northridge?"
"Yeah, except for Cat, she's a tattoo apprentice."
"Cool, cool," I search for words, "What are you majoring in?"
"Kinesiology," It makes sense, I could've called that by looking at the fit gym rat who was now sitting on my bed. "You?"
"Wildlife biology,"
"So you like animals and conservation and stuff?"
"Mhm," I nod "It's honestly kind of hard to not have any animals in my life." I was missing all my pets back home, when I wasn't with them I was working at a conservatory or at a summer camp where I took care of all of the horses, and Ellie's dog, Achilles.
"You'll get used to it, living with Dina is the same thing as living with an animal," She smiles and for the first time, I feel comfortable. Abby watching me with her blue eyes as I begin to unpack my abundance of boxes, I kind of just dump everything onto the ground because I can't remember which box has what, the first thing I search for are my coat hangers. I dump out a box with a bible, wall cross, and rosery and golden cross necklace from a box of random knickknacks. "You religious?"
"Kind of?" I question it myself "Not really, it's just my family, I packed that stuff to make my mom happy."
Abby nods "I get it."
"You do?"
She backtracks "No, but I can try to."
I shake my head, "I wouldn't try if I were you, I spent nineteen years trying to get away from it." I was sure other Christian homes were healthy but mine wasn't one of them, the way my parents obsessed over Jesus was honestly frightening.
"Hey, do you wanna come watch a movie when your done unpacking?" Abby asked, "Get to know your new roommates a little better."
I don't entirely want to, I wasn't ready to talk to Ellie. I still hadn't wrapped my head around the fact that I was living with her and that she was pretending she didn't know me, despite this, my words betrayed me "For sure."
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I sat on one of the couches beside Abby, I made myself as small as I could, thinking that maybe I could make myself disappear. Cat and Ellie crammed themselves on the other while Dina took the plush armchair. I felt so out of place everyone here had relationships, I had one with Ellie before I severed it 'Grown Ups' was playing on the flatscreen though it seemed I was the only one paying attention.
The four girls all laughed and talked their way through the movie, Abby, Cat, and Dina would ask me a question here and there but I didn't know them well enough to pitch in. I kept telling myself that I needed to push through, if Spiderman could do it, so could I.
I didn't even finish the movie, halfway through I excused myself saying I was tired which wasn't necessarily a lie. It was difficult to fathom how well Ellie was playing it off, acting like she never met me. I walk into the bathroom, clean towel in hand, ready to scrub off the stress of today. Beside the mirror, I see a cardstock poster decorated with bright markers and doodles.
HOUSE RULES
#1 No underwear left in the bathroom
#2 Wash your dishes
#3 Break it? Tell Abby
#4 No smoking inside
#5 Privates are private!
#6 Pls don't drink and drive (We have a couch)
#7 Give your beloved roommates a heads up before having someone over
#8 This is a residence of women so the seat goes down!!!
#9 Respect the bedrooms
#10 Having sex? Keep it quiet
#11 NO DRAMA!!!!!!!!
#12 Follow chore and wash chart
#13 Don't eat what's not yours! (Without asking)
I finish reading the last bit and mutter to myself  "Wasn't planning on it." I run the water so hot that it feels cold and I'm quick to not use all of the hot water and have my roommates hate me on my first night here. Everyone has their little drawers in the bathroom, mine is empty aside from some floss and cotton pads that the girl before me left behind. I make a mental note to make use of my bathroom drawer tomorrow and fill it with makeup remover or conditioner, or something like that.
Brushing my teeth and wrapping myself in a strawberry towel that I had purchased at a craft fair, I open the bathroom door, I can see the light of the TV and the sound of chatter from the living room. However, I ignore it and make a B-line to my bedroom. Even though I had spent hours unpacking and pinning up posters it still didn't seem homey.
I slip into shorts and a t-shirt, leaving my hair as is and throw myself onto my bed. My towel is discarded onto my bathroom floor. When I turn on my phone I am bombarded my messages from my parents, my mother has probably sent me twelve Google pins to the closest churches, I answer her with a thumb-up emoji and settle into my bed to scroll through social media and see how much fun all of my friends are having. 
Fucking Ellie. She's plaguing my thoughts, I think of what I said to her and it makes me cringe, I want to smother myself with my satin pillow. I don't even have food to eat, grocery shopping wasn't something that I put on my priority list and right about now I was but Ellie, god, why was I such a dick? Because I didn't know what else to do- whatever, I was a scared teenager. What would you have done? Probably kiss her you lesbo.
Lord, it makes me sick to think about what could've been.
15 years old- Grade Ten
Ellie and I were sitting at a fire pit at her uncle Tommy's lake house. It was a Fourth of July party except we were the only teenagers there; everyone else was friends of Tommy and Maria or some distant relatives of Ellie's or children of said people.
After five years of practicing day and night, Ellie had just about mastered the acoustic guitar, she played and I sang, wrapped up in her flannel, I was tucked close next to her. 
She struck every cord perfectly and I began to sing absentmindedly, the song that had been carved into my brain. Ellie looked so insanely beautiful illuminated only by fire and the stars that hung in the sky, if it hadn't been a sin I would've kissed her.
Talking to her felt as holy as praying to god but I knew it was as sinful as worshipping the devil. 
If it was so wrong why was I born in God's image?
Her gentle hand strummed on the chords of the guitar, the same calloused hand that had once turned water into wine. Her laughter was the sound of a church choir 
I wish I told her how much I liked her but what would've happened if I did? What would my parents think, they would kill me. 
Part of me didn't care how my parents would react, if I spoke up, I could say goodbye to my inheritance and having college paid for. Maybe that was an unfair assumption to make on my part. Ugh. FUCK, I don't know, let's get to the next part of the story.
I couldn't sleep that night, I thought maybe a glass of water would soothe me, well I didn't really think that but I was hungry and thirsty and water was the only thing in that house I had the right to ingest. I figured that I could fill myself with water and zip to Denny's in the morning then grab some groceries.
Poking my head out of my door, I checked to see if anyone was still awake before gingerly taking hushed steps towards the kitchen, I was trying to be as light as Thumbelina. I hadn't noticed Ellie bumming on the couch, scrolling through her phone. 
"You cooking all of that non-existent food you brought?" She jeered. Oh, now she wanted to talk to me.
"I was gonna have some warm water soup for dinner and chew on pistachio shells from the cup holder in my car for dessert," I answer "I'm treating myself tonight." She didn't think it was funny at all, a few years ago she would've been cackling at my subpar joke, but now she just seemed unamused. "Sheesh, tough crowd."
She stays silent.
"You used to think I was funny," I say.
"I also used to think the tooth fairy was real."
"Harsh," I mutter. Turning the tap on and sticking a finger underneath it to test the temperature. I put my hummingbird mug underneath it and let it fill. "Hey, Ellie," She doesn't answer "Have you told them any bad things about me?"
She nearly scoffs "No, believe it or not, I don't talk about you, I don't even think about you," There's venom in her voice "You haven't crossed my mind since you walked through that door."
"Why are you pretending you don't know me-
"Because I don't fucking like you," She says it like it's so obvious and it honestly is in this moment "Just because you're pretty and you act like a sweet little Christain girl, that doesn't mean shit."
"I'm not trying to act like anything-
"Yeah, well it seems pretty insincere to me," Ellie seethed and I could feel a sting in my heart, I would do some pretty horrendous things for a time machine right about now.  I can tell that there won't be any salvaging for this, she hates me to death and rightfully so. 
This is where I give up "Okay, sorry," I grab my hummingbird mug and retreat to my room.
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I endured four months of that.
Ellie was pushed to the back of my mind while I ran through classes and got a job as a waitress at a stake house. I did everything in my power to keep myself busy, to keep her out of my head but she was always there, she hung around like a song I can't shake, like I'm haunted by the melody. 
Some nights when the city decides to quiet down I can hear her play guitar, and I'll quietly hum along to it. Songs she used to sing for me, she now sings for another woman, another soul. I knew that she had girls over, but I never got to meet them as Ellie did everything in her power to pretend I didn't exist.
The only communication I got with her was in the roommate's group chat, and it was always brief.
Ellie: Having a friend over tomorrow night
D-manz: Friend? With benefits??????????
Kit-Cat: Nah they're hardly even friends, just benefits
Abs: Don't get her pregnant
Me: 👍
As long as I was with the girls, Ellie was not. She avoided me like the plague, it was like she despised my existence. If we go clubbing, she takes a separate taxi, petty if you ask me. The girls knew something happened between us but they couldn't pinpoint what it was. It was Dina's conspiracy that Ellie used to date one of my friends and broke her heart. While I bonded with Cat, Dina, and Abby, Ellie would pretend to like me. She would occasionally laugh at my jokes or ask how my shift was when Dina was in the room. 
Trust me when I say I would rather forget than dwell on it but it was impossible. I know that I'm nothing more than an obstacle to her, a stain on her bedsheets, a sore in her mouth, but she was still my diamond in the rough. I will willingly ignore all of her cutthroat words and her jagged edges. 
Because I know everything about us.
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exhaslo · 9 days
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Since Puzzle Pieces is a favorite piece of mine from your writing could you dk like a mini side story about reader and mafia!miguel raising a family together especially with reader navigating finding herself
MORE SIDE CONTENT!!! LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOO
Warning: Minors DNI, some smut, mentions of sex, mentions of murder, mentions of bullying
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"Mama, mama, mama! Wanna play at park, please, please, please?!"
Unable to resist the adorable look your oldest son was giving you, you caved.
"Alright, sweetie. Why don't you pick out an outfit while I call daddy to let him know, okay?"
You smiled brightly as the toddler cheered before running off to his room. It has been a few years into your relationship with Miguel and you couldn't be happier. The two of you had three beautiful children...and counting according to Miguel.
Your oldest son, Gabriel, was four; the second child, Gabriella, was two; and the last child, Kron, was only a few months old.
Humming lowly as you took your two youngest children to your room, you placed them on the bed before calling Miguel. Ever since your children were born, Miguel took extra caution whenever you would go out.
It was thanks to an incident when you and Lyla went out for some clothes shopping when Gabriel was about five months old. One of the other mafia families had the nerves to kidnap the three of you for ransom. Miguel did not take it lightly and ended up killing that new form mafia family.
"Hey, Miggy, I'm taking the kids to the park. Little Gabriel was just too cute to say no too," You said with a giggle.
"Aye, mi amor (my love), you must show some restraint with him."
"I know, I know."
"I'll send some men over. How are you doing today?" Miguel asked, wanting to make sure his wife was in good health.
"I'm okay, Migs-"
"AHHHHH PLEASE!"
"Are you okay? Another mafia group bothering you?" You asked after hearing the screams in the background. Miguel just chuckled softly,
"Not reason a bother, more like an insect. But don't worry, mi amor, they will be squashed in a moment. After I'm done here, I should be able to go home early."
"Maybe you could join us at the park, hehe," You said with a smile as you finished changing Gabriella.
"Daddy!"
"Yes, Gabi, your daddy might join us~"
"Now I have to finish early. I'll see you soon."
With that, Miguel hung up. You continued to change your youngest before laughing at how Gabriel dressed. Once finished, you had to fix your oldest clothing. With the three finally ready to go, you waited for Migue's men to appear.
You loved Miguel. He was still ever so kind and gentle with you. Your stuttering had calmed down with his help, although, you do get the occasional nerves, especially with new people. If anything, your children were the biggest reason for you to try and get better.
You wanted them to look up to you. Miguel was not only a powerful mafia boss, which the kids won't know about, but also one of the world's most powerful CEO. Compared to Miguel, you were just a small little bunny.
The thought made you sorrow. You wanted to do something with your life as well, but what? You've spent a good portion being bullied and ridiculed by both your parents and your ex boyfriend. Hell, if it wasn't for Miguel, you might not be here.
"Mama, the Peters are here!" Gabriel cheered.
Chuckling lowly towards your son's cute group name, you opened the door for the Peters. Jessica was there as well and greeted you and the small children.
"Hey, how's everything going?" You asked, wanting to get your mind off of your failures.
"Good. My kid's causing a ruckus in school every now and then. Wished, he got more of his father than me," She said with a laugh.
"Awe, I don't even want to think about sending Gabriel to school. I'll miss him too much!"
"Girl, with how Miguel is, he'll give you another baby." Jessica said with a wide smirk causing you to blush.
Miguel would.
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You were tired. You were sitting on one of the park benches, watching Kron as your other two children played. The Peters were watching the two children like a hawk while Jessica helped you with your youngest. Even with the help, you felt drained from other parents watching you.
It brought you back into your thoughts of what you wanted to do with your life. You had been through so much trauma that you could write a book, but would anyone read it? Would it be too depressing for other people?
"Excuse me, are all these men with you? You're making the other parents feel uncomfortable," A woman spoke while approaching both you and Jessica.
"O-Oh," You flinched, "S-Sorry...um-"
"Her husband worries a lot. They are her and her children's bodyguards, do mind yours." Jessica huffed.
"Well, it's still making everyone uncomfortable!"
You felt your heart sink. You couldn't even stand up for yourself against other parents. What were you going to do when your children went to school?
"My apologies, then perhaps we shall find another park for our children to play at."
Miguel placed his hand against your back, smiling casually towards the irate woman. It was instant that the parents gasped upon realizing who Miguel was. They immediately said it was fine as people tried to approach Miguel.
"And here we go," Miguel said with a heavy sigh. You smiled towards your husband,
"I'm sure the kids played enough for today,"
"DADDY!!!!"
"See?" You giggled as the two children ran towards Miguel.
Miguel laughed as he picked up his children. His loving gaze towards his family made you swell with joy. As long as Miguel supports whatever you want to do, you will be happy. Hell, knowing Miguel, he would make everyone in his mafia to buy your book, puzzle or whatever you do.
"Ready to go home?" Miguel asked his kids. They whined in response, "Mommy and Daddy have important work to do."
You felt your cheeks warm up as you looked at Miguel in protest. Using sex as an excuse for important work was going to get old eventually. You whined in turn as your children agreed to Miguel's ridiculous lie.
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"Tell me, (Y/N), what's been on your mind lately?" Miguel asked with a hum as he pressed your body against the bed, his cock reaching the deepest part of your gummy walls.
"M-Miggy, n-no fair," You whined as he held your legs over his shoulders, "I-I can't think...l-like this."
"Sure you can,"
With a thrust of his hips, you gasped and moaned his name. Your body melting against his touch and pussy clenching around his dick. No matter how many times Miguel would fuck you, it still brought you to nirvana each time.
Whimpering as Miguel's thrusts grew faster and rougher, you couldn't hold your voice back. You arched your back, whining and moaning as Miguel slapped against that sweet spot of yours.
"There's my little bunny. Wanna tell me what's wrong, amor?" Miguel whispered in your ear as he pressed you into mating position.
"Mhm~" You wanted to protest, but how could you? "I-I...ah~ I want...t-to do something...mhm~ with my l-life-"
"Amor,"
Miguel whispered softly, pulling you in for a kiss as you confessed. His thrusts were slow and sweet as he held you closely.
"Hah~ Ah~ M-Maybe...I...I could w-write a b-book."
"I'll support whatever you do, (Y/N). Just say the word and it's yours."
"Mhm~"
You wrapped your arms around Miguel as the two of you continued your 'important work'.
--------
Once all of your children were asleep, you sat in the living room, typing away on a laptop Miguel bought for you. Miguel approached you from behind, placing a cup of hot tea on the table. You smiled as he took his spot beside you, kissing your shoulder.
"Have you decided what you want to do?" Miguel asked softly. You rested your head against his,
"Well, I want to write about what I went through. Maybe...it will help other people try and get out of their similar fate....and I want to make learning puzzles for kids."
"Hm, seems like my wife has a busy schedule ahead of her." Miguel's arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you onto his lap, "Just let me know and I'll help anyway I can."
"Thank you, Miguel." You titled your head and kissed him sweetly, "I love you."
"I love you more,"
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I hope you enjoyed! Puzzle Pieces is always fun to write! Also, you all might like my new series:
Over-Time
@migueloharacumslut @18lkpeters @deputy-videogamer @leahnicole1219 @synamonthy @thedevax @jolynesposts @thraetor @freehentai @2099hitmylineyline @vvampir3s @dontfollowmepleaseitsannoying @secretadmirerisnowonline @jadeloverxd @bunnibitez @oharasfilipinawife @randomgoosegame @lilbanas @daisy-artfield @axi-moore @mimiemie @darkfairy102190 @jazzyj1011 @mcmiracles @innercreationflower @spoderssimp @thel0velykey190 @moonvoidpng @yougavemeyourheartyouknow @scaleniusrm @love4saturn @nyxgoddessofchaos13 @slutty-chronicles @ghstypaint @migueloharastruelove @brainmatterdump @a060403 @trendyharold @yannauauau @kimivixen @angel-xx-1 @nxrdamp @miguelzslvtz @lynxslokley @wafflefries786 @pochapo @what-the-jams @flaps200 @ii-angelsrolltheireyes-ii @nakimushiohime @tojishugetiddies @aya-world @supercowgirl04 @mysteris-things @daisy-artfield @mcmiracles @alexa4040 @llama--drama @kpopscoups17130000 @havkjhdecs @ruexvn @tojishugetiddi @openup-yourmind @black-swan-blog27 @xstarsdiary @kiddisquacking @gachagator @yujyujj @emmyrxx @blackteamint @sockears @black-swan-blog27 @soraya-daydreams @byjessicalotufo @nanoinn @bunnibitez @aockskcw @l3laze @dimitri-needs-therapy
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folklaur21 · 19 days
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What would've should've been
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Pairing: Theodore Nott x fem!ravenclaw!reader
Summary: Theodore Nott didn't truly know what love felt like until he found you. But now all he can do is sit and imagine what should've been.
Warnings: Mentions of death/killing, Battle of Hogwarts, use of Y/N
Word Count: 2.3k
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Before You
Theodore Nott isn't the happiest person in the world. Scratch that, he might be the most subdued, emotionally complex guy to have ever existed. Hardly anything made him smile, next to nothing made him laugh. That's just how he was, is, and how he will always be.
It isn't completely his fault. People are never born 'sad' or 'emotionless'. Theo was brought up this way. It was ingrained into him as a child, silently impacting his life forever, and he didn't even realise it. Well, that was until his mother died. At the hands of his father.
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Theodore's mother was a gentle soul. Sweet and caring, she always looked after her son. She gave him everything a child needed, wanted, and then some. The one thing she couldn't provide for Theo? A stable father, who wasn't an alcoholic, abusive pig. Though she did try, the fear she had of Theodore's father never ceased throughout their marriage. She just had to try to shelter Theodore from this cold, uncaring lifestyle.
She could only protect her son so much. When Theodore was just nine years old, she couldn't take the abuse from his father anymore. So she tried to escape. From her house, from her husband, from her life. Yet she failed. And he found out. Theodore Nott Sr. was not happy with this. So he did the only thing that he thought could ease his troubles. He killed his wife. The mother of his child. The child that had heard the Unforgiveable Curse uttered from his father's lips. The child who watched the flash of green light emitted from his father's wand. The child who had to watch his own mother, the only person who truly cared for him, die.
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When he started Hogwarts, Theodore wanted a somewhat fresh start. Free from the burdens of his home life, he made friends.(Arguably, they were friends who his father would have approved of. If his father even cared.) At school, Theodore worked hard, and tried to mask the emotions he had always been told to oppress. Anger. Hatred. Vulnerability. So none of his friends truly knew what his life was like. Except for Lorenzo.
Theo told Enzo Berkshire everything. It was easier, having someone understand why you were like you were. Someone who you trusted with your deepest, darkest secrets. Someone who cared about you. That's how the two became best friends. Practically inseparable, 24/7.
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During You
Having a connection with someone was something Theodore didn't truly seek throughout his lifetime. Especially now, in his fourth year at Hogwarts. Apart from Enzo, he was fine with keeping to himself, keeping a low profile and staying out of everyone's way. That was, until he saw you.
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"Enzo, I don't want to go."
"Please, Theo, I want you to come. I'll be lonely without you." Enzo pleaded with his friend.
"I don't want to go to the Yule Ball. And besides, I didn't ask anyone to go with me." Theodore replied, still resisting the idea.
"So? No-one really cares if you're with someone or not. It's supposed to be fun." Enzo says with a sigh as he flops down next to Theo on his bed.
Theo scoffs. "Says you! How many girls asked you to go with them? 15?"
Lorenzo turns slightly pink at his friend's comment. "23..."
Theo lets out an exasperated sigh. "Exactly," Theo says, but after a moment he decides, "I will go to the ball with you Enz. Only because it's that, or sit around here or in the common room with all the first years."
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So, that was how he ended up standing at the side of the Great Hall, sipping a glass of pumpkin juice, and watching all of his friends dancing with whoever they brought to the Ball. Theo didn't really mind. Once again, he was merely waiting in the wings, not really expecting anything grand to happen to him. At least, that's what he thought would happen. Until he saw you.
You were with some of your friends on the dancefloor. Laughing and smiling, you were carefree, living your life to it's full potential. Theo couldn't bear to take his eyes off of you. It's not like you would have seen him anyway, with him lurking in the shadows.
After he had spent what felt like forever watching you, Enzo came to his friend's side, offering a new glass of pumpkin juice, which Theo gladly accepted.
"Who's that?" Theo asked his friend, nodding his head in your direction.
"That's Y/N. Y/L/N I think. She's in Ravenclaw. She's actually quite clever, I sat next to her in arithmancy last year." Enzo pauses for a second. "Why do you want to know?"
"I don't know," Theo shrugs, nonchalant. "I just... don't remember seeing her before, that's all."
"Oh. Well, she's really kind. And sweet." Enzo smiles before rushing of again to resume dancing, leaving Theo to mull over his thoughts. Thoughts of you.
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A week later, whilst sat in Potions, Theodore couldn't help but watch you, sitting across from him in the classroom. Strange. He had never noticed you before, but now it seemed you were the only thing plaguing his mind. He hardly took any notice of Professor Snape that lesson, watching you as you took notes with your brow furrowed, and how you twirled your quill around in your fingertips if you seemed distracted.
Over the next few weeks, Theodore Nott grew to know lots about you, even if you didn't yet realise it. He knew your favourite subject (Charms), your favourite sweets from Honeydukes (Chocolate Frogs, because you collected the cards). He even knew how you liked to spend your Sundays (sat in the courtyard with a book and a hot chocolate). Theo was drawn to you, for some unknown reason, and not even he could figure out why.
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In the weeks leading up to your exams, you spent an increasing amount of time in the library, studying. Funnily enough, so did Theodore. He wanted to do well academically, even if his friends preferred skiving off and messing with first years. So, that was how he came to speak to you for the first time, five whole months after he was first captivated by you.
"Can I sit here? All the other tables are either occupied or slightly sticky and I don't want to mess up my books"
"Uhh, sure!" Theodore said, shocked that you had even come over to him. "No," he told himself. "She's only over here because nowhere else was free. Don't get your hopes up."
"I'm Y/N, by the way." You smile at him, and wave your wand to get your books laid out on the desk in front of you.
"Theodore. But you can call me Theo." Theodore said, as he found himself smiling in return.
The two of you started to talk about anything and everything; school, exams, your hobbies, interests, just your lives in general. And that's how Theo realised that, maybe he wasn't such a cold, uncaring teenager after all.
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A week or so later, the two of you were sat under the shade of an oak tree overlooking the Black Lake, studying for, you guessed it, exams. That moment was when Theo finally plucked up enough courage to ask you something.
"Hey, Y/N?" he asked, taking a deep breath.
"What?" you replied, looking up from your book.
"I was wondering, would you maybe like to, and it's OK if you don't, I don't mind, you don't have to say yes or anything because it's completely your choice-"
"Spit it out, Theo!" you giggled, humoured by his rambling.
"Right. Sorry." Theo said, trying to calm himself down. "Umm, would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend? And could we possibly go to the Three Broomsticks? You know, just... us?"
Your eyes widened, before you smiled at the boy's worried expression. "Of course! Theo I'd love to."
You wrapped your arms around him and gave him a small kiss on the cheek before returning to your book, leaving Theodore grinning as if he'd just won the lottery. Which, with you, he basically had.
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After You
It had been a while since Theodore Nott had been back at Hogwarts. Since he had gotten the Dark Mark, at his father's force, he had stayed working for The Dark Lord, being a Death Eater. He hated it. It was a life his father had forced him into, a life which wasn't truly his. And now he was back at the one place which had been a home to him, but now he was here to destroy it.
Theo tried to look for you. The one person who he trusted, and the one person who trusted him. Theo wasn't here to fight. He wasn't here to kill. He couldn't do that here. His safe place, where his father couldn't physically torture him. Where you were.
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Before his sixth year at Hogwarts, Theo was held under the Imperius curse by his father, and the searing skull tattoo, the tattoo that would hurt him forever, was imprinted into his left arm. When school started again, he couldn't bear to tell you, his girlfriend, what had happened. But he did, because between you two, there were no secrets. When you found out, all you were was supportive. You helped Theo though his pain and anguish, but what he didn't know is that when you first found out, you cried for hours. Crying about his future, your future, angry at the world you live in for being so cruel. Crying was really the only thing you could do.
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After Dumbledore's death, Theodore did what he thought would be best for your relationship, best for you.
"You can't be serious, Theodore?" you said, trying to keep your voice levelled and clear, holding back the tears.
That hurt Theo. You never called him Theodore, unless you were really frustrated. Which hadn't happened until now. "Y/N please, I have to, it's for your safety."
"My SAFETY? Theo, I couldn't care less about that right now. Please, don't do this." You couldn't hold back any longer. The tears were now streaming down your face.
"I don't want to, but-"
"But what, Theo? I love you!"
"I love you too, but-"
"Then surely that's all that matter?" you say, exasperated. "We love each other. We can run away together, and live in hiding until it's safe for us to come out, to be together."
"No, we can't, you know we can't, we'll be found and then... you'd... You'd be killed." Theo says in a small voice. "And I can't let that happen to you. Please, Y/N, just listen to me. As soon as this is over, we can get back together. We can live together, start over together. But it can't happen now. Not yet. Please, Y/N, wait for me."
You can't stop crying now, and you lean over to Theo and kiss him. "OK. When it's all over. I'll be waiting for you, Theo. You'll definitely come back to me?"
"Of course I will, Y/N. I promise I'll find you."
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And of course, that's what he was currently doing. Looking for you. He had been waiting a year to see your face again, hoping you hadn't forgotten about him. However now he couldn't find you. Running through the corridors, shouting you name, dodging curses and rubble, Theo's only goal was to find you. And he did.
There you were at the top of the Astronomy tower, a split lip and wearing a torn blue jumper, you were aiming all sorts of hexes at a Death Eater. Theo was so relieved, and began firing spells at your opponent, until he was knocked unconscious. At that point, Theo kicked the limp body over the balcony, not caring what would happen.
"Y/N." Theo smiled. "I told you I'd come back."
You pulled Theo into a hug and kissed him. "Theo!" you breathed.
"I love you more than anything, Y/N." All Theo could do was look into your bright, tearful eyes, relieved that he could see you once again before-
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
That fateful curse.
A flash of green light.
Your body fell limp in Theo's arms.
Your eyes lost their brightness.
"NO!"
Theo tried to pull you up, tried to hold you tight, but it was no use. You were gone. Theo looked up to see your murderer, looking him in the eyes. His father.
Your death at the hands of Nott Sr. ensured Nott Sr.'s death at the hands of his son. That was the first and last time that Theodore Nott would ever use the killing curse, and it only made sense for it to be on the person that used it on the two people who he had loved most in the world.
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When the Battle of Hogwarts was over, most of Voldemort's supporters were dead, captured, or had fled the scene when it was evident that they were losing. But two Death Eaters stayed behind, simply because they couldn't bear to leave the castle like this. They felt it was partly their fault. Those two Death Eaters were Theodore Nott and Lorenzo Berkshire.
Whilst everyone gathered in the Great Hall, Enzo wandered the, now ruined, corridors of a place he loved so dearly. What he didn't expect to find his best friend, leaning on the crumbled wall of the Astronomy tower, cradling someone in his arms. Not to mention the fact that his father lay on the ground mere feet away.
"Please, Y/N, you can't be dead, you can't. I came back for you I-"
"Theo?" Enzo inquired, sitting on the floor next to his best friend, who was in fits of tears.
"He killed her, Enz. He killed her so- So I killed him. I had to."
"It's OK, Theo." Enzo replied, putting an arm around his friend's shoulder, and letting him cry.
The pair fell into a comfortable silence, with the sound of everyone in the castle talking and grieving the loss of friends and family. The two could have been down there with them, celebrating the demise of the people who made their lives hell.
But instead, all Theodore Nott could think about is what should've been.
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Hi so I wanted to request something I just thought of if that’s okay! A little meet cute story from season 4 where reader is the midwife who helped deliver Henry and her and Reid meet in the hospital and just hit it off🥺
this is so cute! this strays a lot from the plot of the episode because i haven't watched it forever and don't feel like it lmao
The Lanky Guy in Room 603
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She wasn't sure if the long, lanky man curled up in the uncomfortable chair was Jennifer's brother or husband. He looked young; with a blemish-free baby face and a mop of soft brown hair. She could tell it had a slight curl to it and she had to resist an urge to tuck the stray pieces that fanned out behind his ear. Perhaps it was because she spent her days and nights caring for expecting parents, she just couldn't help but want to care for the sleeping man.
Jennifer was watching television, a pained look on her face as she held her round belly.
"You said it would be today," Jennifer groaned, the pain of labor evident on her face, "It's almost tomorrow."
Y/N sat on the stool beside Jennifer's bed, "I know I did, honey." She pressed a damp cloth to Jennifer sweaty face, attempting to cool down her body temperature. "But it seems like this little baby's got a mind of their own."
"Just like her mother."
The voice came from behind her. The sleep man, now not sleeping, unfolded himself from his pretzel-like position on the chair. He joints popped as he stretched his legs. Y/N noticed his socks were patterned. His left foot donned socks with gray tabby cats and a navy blue background. His right foot donned pumpkins on a lavender background.
Jennifer smiled, thanking Y/N for the damp cloth, as her companion checked her vitals. He peered at the numbers, probably attempting to decipher their meanings regarding his wife's health.
"Your wife is perfectly healthy, sir. You''ll have a healthy, sweet, baby within the next day. I'm sure of it."
Jennifer chuckled, "He's not my husband. Spencer's my....."
"Co-worker. Very proud godfather of her soon to be born baby girl?" Spencer injected, still reading the vitals.
"I'm concerned about JJ's vitals. Are you sure that her lab work is updated? It needs to reflect the high stress nature of her job. And her blood pressure? It was last checked thirteen minutes and twenty seven seconds ago. And does the satellite birth center have enough blood in the bank. On average a laboring mother may loose about...."
"Spence," Jennifer, or JJ as the man named Spencer called her, "I'm going to be just fine. The baby is going to be just fine. Please don't harass the midwife. Or I'll have to switch you out for Penny instead."
"You know if you wanted to get stuff done, you should've picked Hotch or Emily," Spencer countered, "I'm just going to be a nervous wreck."
"You're going to be fine. And think of it as practice for when your wife is pregnant. You'll be a pro by the time that rolls around."
Spencer chuckled dryly. His cheeks blushed crimson as he checked the clock. "It's now been fourteen minutes and thirty four seconds." He whispered under his breath.
"Are you and your wife expecting as well? It kinda smart for her to send you here for a dry run?" Y/N commented, making light talk with Jennifer and Spencer. Through her couple of years a midwife, she learned that many laboring parents and their companions need to have their minds occupied.
"N-no, no wife," Spencer said, his lips formed a tight smile as he looked at Y/N and then back to Jennifer, "We have a very time consuming job. Dating is hard. And family life is even harder. It’s common for many families in the BAU to end with divorce between the two partners.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Spence,” Jennifer quipped as a wave of labor pains came over her.
“I don’t mean you and Will,” Spencer backtracked, “You’re not even married to him.”
Jennifer rolled her eyes at Spencer, and Y/N got the sense that the Spencer and Jennifer shared a sibling-like relationship. It made sense, she supposed as she watched Spencer continuously checked Jennifer’s vitals. He hovered like a mother hen, but made no attempt at physical contact like the husbands usually did.
“Distract her,” Y/N whispered to Spencer, “And don’t talk about how her marriage is statistically likely to end in divorce. That’s not the way to comfort a mom that’s about to push a 8 pound baby out of her vagina.”
Spencer shut his mouth quickly, returning to Jennifer’s side. As Y/N walked out of the room, she noted that the soon to be godfather asked her if she needed anything.
***
“Y/N!” Nurse Lorraine said from her perch. “That tall kid from Room 603, the one that looks like he’s about to faint? He’s looking for you.”
Room 603? Y/N checked her chats, shuffling through the pile of laboring parents.
Ah! That would be Jennifer Jareau. And her very eager friend/co-worker/godfather of her child.
“Oh, Spencer? He’s a sweetheart. Trying to help her. He could teach those husbands a thing or too.” Y/N said, as she typed away at her computer.
“He’s not the husband?” Lorraine questioned, her tone making Y/N stop typing.
“What are you doing, Lo?” Y/N sighed with exasperation. “You’re meddling. And it’s not a cute look, I’m afraid.”
“It’s been how long since that idiot of a man dumped you for his unpaid intern? Todd? Taylor? What was his name again?”
“Tyler. He was an ass. I don’t think I’m ready to get myself back out there. He really did a number on me.” Y/N lamented. She took a sip of her third coffee of the day. It was a distraction from tearing up or worse, actually crying in front of Lorraine, the hardass nurse who makes Attendings cry.
“Y/N, honey,” Lorraine sighed, “Don’t waste your youth or your beauty on someone who doesn’t deserve it. I’m not saying that man in 603 deserves you, but he’s holding his coworker’s hand as she’s delivering a baby that’s not his. All because her boyfriend is stuck at work in New Orleans. He’s a good man. And he’s looking for you. And he blushed when he asked for you.”
Y/N rolled her eyes at Lorraine’s gossipy tendencies. “How do you know all that? I’ve been with him all day and I hardly can get him to tell me his name. Beside the snide comments about me not checking the vitals enough.”
“See! He’s protective over people he cares about, even if talking to the gorgeous nurse terrifies him. I can lock you two in the supply close if you’d like. I mean the piles and piles of extra large padsicles and bed pens aren’t very romantic, but maybe romance isn’t what you need right now.” Lorraine quipped.
Ignoring Lorraine, “I’m going to see what he wants from me.” Y/N said, recoiling because she knew Lorraine would twist her words into some sort of sexual innuendo.
“Go get’em, Tiger!” Lorraine called from the Nurse’s Station with a mischievous glint in her eye.
***
“Spencer?” Y/N whispered, noting that Jennifer was sleeping in her bed, “Nurse Lorraine said you wanted to speak to me.”
Even in the dark room, minus the glow of equipment monitoring Jennifer, Y/N could see his light blush. He was cute. She thought that before Lorraine even broached the subject. She though that when she silently wondered if he was Jennifer’s husband or not.
He was cute. Handsome, even.
Spencer couldn’t be more than 26 or 27. He had brown eyes that were kind and warm. Spencer looked gentle, and that was evident by the easy way he cared for Jennifer.
“I wanted to make sure I was doing it right,” Spencer confessed, “I’m not really good with all this,” he waved his hand around the room to show what he meant, “My mind can only focus on the possibilities of what can go wrong. I’m not cut out for this.”
“For what being a companion? A godfather? Spencer, Jennifer clearly cares for you and wants you in her baby’s life. She sees that you’re kind and caring and gentle.”
Spencer cracked a smile, warming Y/N heart. She hated it. Yet she liked it. And that only made her hate it more.
“Thanks.” Spencer said, taking a sip of his probably now cold coffee.
“You know there’s an excellent microwave in the nurse’s lounge room. Lorraine bullies enough attendings that I can totally sneak you in there to warm up your coffee.” Y/N offered, “Jennifer needs sleep. It’s the best thing for her right now. Besides, I can teach you how to swaddle a baby and change a diaper.”
“I know how to deliver a baby,” Spencer said, “It’s a lot messier than I thought.” He said with a shiver.
“Are you in healthcare?” Y/N asked they walked to the nurse’s lounge. It was so late that most of the families were either sleeping, in labor, or being discharged. “You certainly know a lot about medicine. And for the record we do have plenty of blood in stock. But we’re looking for donors every third Tuesday if the month.”
“Not technically. Well, not the doctor you’re thinking of at least. I have three PhDs. In mathematics, chemistry, and psychology. It’s….a lot I know,” He offered a small smile, “People either think I’m like some super genius or a freak. But not. I’m just….me.”
“Well I happen to think that you’re pretty awesome just being you. I can’t technically say it, but you and Jennifer are my favorites of the night. So it’s only my duty as a L&D nurse to make sure you are the best baby swaddling godfather in the metro area.”
“Now that’s quite the title to live up to. Do we use real babies or dolls to practice?” Spencer inquired.
Y/N giggled as she reached into the supply closet, “I’m in the business of delivering babies. Not kidnapping them, Dr. Spencer……?”
“Reid.”
“Reid.” She nodded, handing him a baby doll to practice with. “If it was twelve hours earlier I would be making you wrap my burrito to practice.”
“I think I’m going to equally as bad as wrapping a burrito as I would be a baby.” He confessed.
“Fear not, young grasshopper, your teacher is here.” Y/N teased, grabbing Spencer by the arm to the table where she ate lunch every day with Lorraine and Hector, her favorite to nurses on the floor.
She laid out a blanket and a baby on the table as her and Spencer stood side by side. “So fold the corner of the blanket down for the baby’s head to rest. And the you gently lay the baby down. Now wrap over the left triangle to the baby’s middle.” She watched as he followed expertly, “Good! Now fold up the little triangle at the baby’s feet. Make sure it’s snug, but not too tight.”
“It’s easier than it looks,” Spencer said as he folded the last part of the blanket and held up a swaddled baby doll.
“Now try when it when a baby is screaming at you and you’ve been on your feet for ten hours.”
“I’ll sit to my day job,” Spencer joked, “But call me if you ever need a swaddling partner.”
Y/N’s face heated at the thought of calling Spencer, of talking to him beyond this night when he friend was about to give birth.
“Where did you learn how to deliver a baby?” She asked, hoping to divert the conversation.
“I read about it.” Spencer replied.
“In college? Did you take a human biology class on pregnancy as well?”
“Uh, no,” Spencer said, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, “I read about it. I read it today when JJ was getting admitted.”
“Getting admitted takes like 30 minutes? How on Earth did you read about human delivery in 30 minutes?” Y/N asked with awe on her face.
“Actually, it took 31 minutes and twelve seconds. Which is 2 minutes and 39 seconds faster than the average,” He blushed when Y/N raised eyes meant his comment only added to her questions, not answered them, “I have a very good memory. And I can read fast.” He explained.
“Oh,” Y/N said, taking out two mugs from the cabinet, “that explains the three PhDs and how you hounded me about vitals before. You’re brilliant. And a very good friend.”
“I don’t get brilliant often. Genius, yes. Freak, yes. Strange, yes. But brilliant isn’t usually reserved for me. I think my quirks out weigh my strengths and thus that changes how I’m perceived.”
“Well, I don’t see a freak or a stranger,” Y/N told him, “I see a man who’s probably 6’3” that crammed himself into a tiny plastic chair and has been fetching ice chips and throwing down with the toughest nurse to get his friend a blanket. That’s not a freak. Or a weirdo. Or anything besides a good, gentle, kind man. I don’t really know you, but it’s my job to watch people here. I watch all these husbands who don’t dote on their wives as they push a whole baby out of their bodies. They complain to them about how long it took to find parking, or that they had to pay 10 bucks for a decent cup of coffee at the cafe, or that the chairs hurt their back. I haven’t heard you say that once. You’re good, Spencer. There’s a reason Jennifer wants you to be her baby’s godfather.”
Stunned, Spencer’s lip twitched into what resembled a smile. He bit his lip as his eyes scanned the room.
“Thank you,” Spencer whispered, “it means more than you know.”
“Good. You seem like the kind of person that deserves to hear good things. And plus, I’m sure your wife or girlfriend will be very happy you spent the night learning how to swaddle babies and change diapers.”
“Uh, I’m not committed to anyone.” Spencer corrected, the blush returned to his face, this time it crawled all the way up to his ears. It only increased his cuteness as it increased the way Y/N’s heart pumped blood. Her nervous system was on overdrive and she hasn’t even touched the man. Yet there was something about him that drew him to her.
“Oh, seeing someone casually and don’t want to freak her out?” Y/N offered. “Because I will admit that’s not what you want to say to the girl you have a situationship with.”
“A situationship?” Spencer questioned, shaking his head. “Never mind. I’m not seeing anyone casually or otherwise. It’s never been my strong suit.”
“Seriously?” Y/N said, pouring her coffee and Spencer a cup, “That’s very surprising.”
“Why?” Spencer asked, accepting the coffee with a tight lipped smile.
“Not to cross any professional boundaries, but you’re literally what most girls look for when they want a partner. Especially one that they want to you know,” she gestured to the baby doll on the table, “settle down with. You’re husband material.”
“Husband material?” Spencer asked, clearly beyond confusion. It was like it was his first time hearing that he was desirable to women. An overwhelming urge to tell him just how desirable he was to her overcame Y/N.
She fought it hard.
“You know,” she started, “you’ve got a great job, nice and normal friends, you’re close friends with a woman, but there’s zero sexual tension between the two of you. That means a lot to girls. It means that you can see women as whole people.”
“What else would I see them as?” Spencer questioned aloud. “They’re people. Not props or conquests.”
Y/N threw her hands up in surrender as if she finally has given up. “See, you’re like perfect. Not to mention you’re very nice to look at.”
Spencer gulped a big sip of coffee, but the burning liquid spewed out all over him and the table. Y/N dodged it, spending nearly three years getting out of the way of mysterious liquids from all different patients had certainly paid off.
“Sorry, sorry, god that was embarrassing,” Spencer lamented. “I hope I didn’t get it all over you.” He apologized.
Holding in a giggle, Y/N waved off his fears. “Don’t worry. You’re just fine, Spencer.”
In more ways than one, she thought silently to herself.
“I apologize if I made you uncomfortable. It’s highly unprofessional of me to comment on your appearance.”
No matter how attractive she finds him.
Spencer’s face melted as she apologized. “No!” He practically yelled. “Don’t think that. Please don’t think that. I didn’t mind it at all. It’s just, I’m not used to hearing it. Especially from women that are like you.”
“Like me?”
“Smart. Hardworking. Kind. Funny. Beautiful.” Spencer confessed.
The last one hit a certain part of her heart that went pang. Tyler never called her beautiful. He would call her hot and sexy, but not beautiful. But maybe once he did. But he said she “looked beautiful” not that she was beautiful.
There was a difference between looking beautiful and being beautiful. And she was looking right at it.
“Spencer,” Y/N whispered. “Once Jennifer is discharged from L&D could I maybe take you out on a date?“
Spencer nodded, and she swore she could see his eyes light up at the possibility of something between them.
“Sure. Isn’t there a blood donation clinic next week?” He smiled and took a sip of his coffee, “I promise I won’t spew coffee all over you when you compliment me again,”
***
Tagging people who are active But please reblog and comment if you stumble across this. It’s a great way we can show our love :)
@reidsbookclub @boldlyvoid @foxy-eva @candlesandsoftrain @radiant-reid
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allbark-no-bite · 1 year
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This is Real Life || Rafe Cameron x reader
summary: the kook princess comes home from college with a new boyfriend and Rafe isn’t happy about it. unfortunately, he isn’t in the position to tell her what to do
warnings: 18+ smut, foul language, unprotected sex, slight mention of underage sex
word count: 3.8k
author’s note: this contains NO SPOILERS for season 3! y’all i have had this in the drafts for a year and couldn’t finish it. i was quickly motivated by the release of season three. i actually have some more OBX stuff on wattpad that i hope to transfer over if this gets some attention :)
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It was feral really, their relationship. What else was to be expected of Ward Cameron's only son and the kook princess? But for the record, she preferred the term bastard. Born the illegitimate child of the second wealthiest man in the Outer Banks, she could go by whatever she wanted and people would still be besotted—albeit wary—by the name.
She was exactly the type of drug Rafe Cameron couldn't resist time and time again. Better than anything Barry could ever try to sell him. One taste and now he gets an itch for her worse than cocaine. Midsummers made this temptation all the more unbearable. Liable to her father's heavy name, she'd be inclined for the occasion to put on some kind of obscenely form fitting dress that left little to the imagination and Rafe intoxicated by the sight all night.
It's a toxic green color, and by toxic he means the dark teal accents her sun kissed skin and dark hair perfectly. She'd dyed it black two summers ago before leaving for college, and it had yet to return to its natural fair brown. He's sure she did it just to spite him. Rafe had always preferred blondes. But damn did it look good on her.  Shamelessly, his eyes drink her in as she flashes a pearly smile at the bartender taking her order.
Unfortunately, he also then catches sight of the guy standing next to her. He's a tall, brute of a man with large shoulders, a perfect nose, and sickening puppy dog like eyes. From the looks of him, he's undoubtedly one too many years her senior. Despite that, it's obvious that he's not the one in charge. Rafe watches as the older man hovers around her. He's confident in the way he carries himself, but Rafe can see how he moves around her with an air of caution, like he knows she's going to bite him if he gets too close. This observation leads him to his next point; the guy is not her type and Rafe knows it.
She met Armand nearly a year ago through a friend of a friend. He had returned to university from Europe to continue his studies with the leisure that his comfortable home life in a wealthy, two parent household provided him. While the six year age gap certainly raised eyebrows —specifically those of friends of her father's— it's not the reason she was uninterested in him.
Armand was the product of fine European breeding and the maturity that came with age. He spoke astutely and with confidence. He also had an unlimited amount of patience. And while it was nice to be indulged by his attentiveness every so often, it became quite boring if she was being honest. Armand was the type of guy one would bring home to meet their family, a quality that she had very little interest in.
Her eyes catch Rafe's from across the country club bar, and she immediately looks away. Instead she sweetly asks Armie, as she calls him, to get her another glass of champagne — her current one had gone warm. She pretends that she doesn't see him sidling up to her until he's standing right behind her.
Rafe has to hide his smile, licking his lips to wet them. After all these years, he's quite used to the games she plays. She makes him wait a few more seconds before she turns around, her exposed back pressing against the bar as she faces him. Her eyes first travel slowly down his body, coming about as close as one can to undressing a person without actually touching them, and only then returning to his face.
"What are you doing here, Cameron?"
They both know what she means is 'what are you doing in my face' and not 'what are you doing at Midsummers'.
Catching the message that she's not in the mood for any sort of shit answer he could give her about his required attendance at Midsummers, Rafe shrugs casually, rolling his expensive suit clad shoulders. His thumb drags across the smooth plane of his jawline, moving downwards and catching along his bottom lip.
"Heard you looked good in a sundress," he suggests, still trying to maintain an air of nonchalant indifference. He wants to know if her golden skin still tastes how he remembers it.
She rolls her eyes as a lazy, taunting smirk appears on his face. Before she can reply, Rafe saunters closer, practically eliminating the distance between them and blocking her against the bar. His face is close enough to her cheek that she can feel his hot breath as he wets his lips.
"Heard you looked good undressed."
Her expression remains unchanged, not bothered by his forwardness. "Would you let my brother hear those words come out your mouth?" She eyes him knowingly, feigning concern. "Wouldn't want to mess up your pretty face again."
The word 'brother' is synonymous to a warning to Rafe and immediately he glances sideways. Around them, residents of Figure Eight chatter and happily sip champagne. No one is paying the pair at the bar any mind. It is likely that no one has noticed them yet. Usually just the sight of the pair together is enough to draw a couple of stares.
When Malcolm Coors doesn't materialize from the crowd, Rafe's sharp blue eyes settle back on her. “Real funny," he sneers.
She has no shame in admitting she gets a little kick out of Rafe's fear of her brother. The two boys had graduated together a year before her, and she still remembers the pair of them being intentionally separated despite alphabetical order as they walked across the stage to receive their diplomas. Malcolm had been sporting a broken nose at the time and Rafe his own nasty looking black eye.
She smiles, enjoying his irritation. While she would like to bask in the fact that it looks like he's still licking his wounds after the past couple years, they need to get to the point before Malcolm does find them.
Rafe nods his chin over towards the unsuspecting back of her European rendezvous as he chatters amiably with the bartender. Rafe wants to swing a golf club through his perfect teeth. "How do you know this guy?"
She shrugs, playing at indifference. "Your inconsistency introduced us."
They haven't talked since before she blocked his number, which was over a year ago. The interaction wasn't exactly civil either. He specifically remembers screaming through the phone at some ungodly hour of the night and ending the call when she finally hung up on him by hurling his phone against the wall. Thankfully his parents had overheard the conversation and already assumed what all the noise was.
Biting back the urge to argue that he's not the one playing the hot and cold game, he persists "A bit old for you, don't you think?"
Her eyes don't follow Rafe's, which she knows are staring daggers at Armand. "You missed me," she points out.
Rafe sucks his tongue across the front of his teeth as an act of stalling, his expression becoming fed up and annoyed. Getting answers out of her has always been like pulling teeth. She doesn't want to play nice? Fine.
"Daddy doesn't have some billionaire's trust fund baby lined up for you?"
Her black lined eyes narrow. He levels his cool gaze with her. Oh he went there.
"Unlike you, my father has no say in my personal life." She's never referred to the man who sired her as anything other than her 'father'. It's the socially acceptable way of saying 'he's a bastard and I hate him'. "Besides, old money doesn't entice me, Cameron."
"Yeah?" he scoffs. Rafe leans in, murmuring softly into her ear. "That's not what you said what I was inside of you."
Her face flashes hot, and it's the first chip in her armor he has seen all night.
"I was seventeen. A minor, Rafe. You could go to jail for that," she snaps.
He smiles, cocking his head in a manner that says he isn't all that worried about his chances of going to jail. "You always act like I took advantage of you. Sweetheart, even if you hadn't begged me to screw you, we both know there's nothing you could have done to stop me."
It's her turn to scoff. "Am I suppose to thank you? You don't get an award for not being a fucking predator." She spits out the last part, and it causes a few heads to turn in their direction.
Among those heads, Rafe notices the blonde one of Malcolm; aka his sign that he needs to excuse himself. "Bitch," he mutters as he shoves past her.
She catches his arm before he can get too far. "Bathroom. Ten minutes.”
It is actually a grand total of twenty minutes before she finds Rafe in the small guest bathroom. Armie had remained glue to her side for another fifteen minutes and even after she managed to escape him, she was stopped by multiple friends of her father’s, asking how college was going and whatnot.
Nevertheless, Rafe waits for her. Each minute after ten, he promised himself he wouldn’t wait another, but the truth is he would have waited all night.
“Fuck. I’ve been thinking about this dress all damn night,” Rafe groans, grabbing a handful of her green velvet covered ass. His other hand is around her chin, guiding her mouth so that he can kiss her against the wall. Their mouths collide so bruisingly that for a moment he considers if he’s just broken his nose. Rafe doesn’t dwell on the possibility for too long because he’s been achingly hard for over twenty minute now and he won’t make it one more without coming in his pants. There’s only one place he’s coming tonight and it’s inside of her.
“I knew you were always a perv, Cameron,” she huffs out as he pulls away from the kiss to unbuckle his slacks and pull down his boxers. The length of him springs out against his stomach. Just looking at the size of him makes her legs shake. Much to her disappointment, he’s forcing her around, hips pressed against the counter before she can ogle at the sight of him for long.
Rafe slips into her as though it were a well practiced move and not something he hasn’t done in over a year. He still knows his way around her body.
She nearly yelps in surprise at the sudden intrusion. “Jesus—”
“Shut up,” he snaps, breathing hard. Just the feeling of her around him is enough to make him spill right now and he’s trying to hold on a while longer. Stomach burning with the effort of not coming, he bucks, just once to satiate himself, into her. The feeling is overwhelming.
Not pleased with his sudden lack of performance, she consciously clenches around him. “Are you going to fuck me or what because I’m sure Armie—”
Rafe cuts her off by drilling his hips back into her once more, this time much more forcefully, and her pelvis hits the counter. That is going to bruise. Rafe grabs a fist full of her dark hair. “I’m going to fuck you so good you forget his goddamn name. I don’t want to hear it again. You hear me?”
Eyes locked with his in the mirror, she nods quickly, desperate to let him have his way with her. “Fuck. Yeah, Rafe. Please just fuck me.”
Without wasting anymore time adjusting to the feel of her, Rafe begins thrusting his hips rhythmically at a ridiculous pace. The hot heat of her seems to suck him back in each time and he wonders if she’s like this for him. Armand. By the way she’s panting, moaning against the counter, he would say no.
As weird of a thing that it is to say, there are people who are good at sex, and then there are people who are great at sex. Rafe is one of those people. She’s never been with another guy who fucks her like Rafe does. It’s raw and filthy and animalistic.
Just when she think he’s as deep as he can be, he shuffles a bit, readjusting himself to get a better angle and hit a spot inside of her that tears a cry from her throat.
“Oh fuck— Please, Rafe. That’s it. That’s enough. I can’t—” When she starts begging for him to stop is when he knows she’s close. She’s always been too prideful to tell him when she’s close and it pisses him off to no end. He slows his pounding to get in a few more drawn out thrusts. The head of him catches inside of her and she cries at the sensation.
“There you go, there you go,” he groans, finding the breath to encourage her to finish as he struggles to control himself. “Feel me? Atta girl, you’re right there. Right there, baby.”
Crying out a moan, her head falls back as she orgasms, her walls fluttering in protest around him. The shock last for several long seconds throughout her entire body, and she contemplates if she’s ever going to be satisfied by another orgasm ever again. Even after, the electric buzzing sensation remains, and she remembers that Rafe is still throbbing inside of her.
Without warning, he thrusts into her a couple more times before finding his own orgasm. With his nose pressed into her hair, mouth right next to her ear, Rafe moans as he releases inside of her, and he hears her breath hitch at the sound. As if he needed proof of the fiery ball that had been pent up in his stomach all evening, he spills and spills and spill inside of her. It leaves him trembling by the time he’s done.
“Fuck,” he groans.
“Fuck,” she repeats, humoring him. He almost laughs but he doesn’t think he had the energy left for it.
Slowly moving again, the noise that his dick makes fucking into her, his cum dripping out is obscene, but he wants to savor the hot mess of her around him for as long as he can.
Smugly, he catches her gaze in the mirror, watching himself move in and out of her. The mascara under her eyes is smudged, making her searing gaze all that much darker. Rafe thinks she always looks perfect no matter what. He does have a bias towards ‘freshly fucked’ though.
As much as he would like to remain pressed against her —and in her— he knows she’ll only tolerate him for so long. So with a final sigh, he presses a prolonged and affectionate kiss to her hair and pulls out of her. As she fixes her dress, he tucks his still-leaking dick back into his boxers, pulls up his pants and watches her walk out the bathroom without a word. Rafe waits a respectful few minutes after her to make his exit.
Feeling truly fucked out, no pun intended, he heads over to the bar, where he spots her with her boyfriend, his arm wrapped low around her waist as he kisses her cheek. He needs a fucking drink, he thinks. And then, probably something stronger.
There are very few things that can rouse her from the dead sleep that she gets in her childhood bedroom. Coming home to the plush baby blue comforter that covers her perfectly made bed is like downing a handful of melatonin gummies after sleeping on a crummy twin mattress for nine months. Despite this usually holding true, Armie is the only one dead asleep beside her.
'I’m going to fuck you so good you forget his goddamn name.'  The memory keeps replaying in her head. The perfect infliction of his voice down to the scent of him as he leaned in is marred into her memory. He still wears the same cologne.
Without warning, her phone on the bedside table blares to life, ringing loudly, and the bright screen illuminates the mostly dark bedroom. Scrambling to shut it off before the commotion wakes Armie up, her immediate response is to swipe the answer button.
"Hello?" she asks, her voice hushed, into the phone.
"I need you, (y/n)."
Rafe's voice transfers crystal clear through the receiver, like he's not even trying to be quiet.
"Rafe?" Cupping her hand over the speaker and pressing the device closer to her ear, her eyebrows furrow as she hurriedly swings her legs over the side of the bed and quickly tiptoes out into the hall."Rafe?" she asks, this time louder now that Armie can't hear her. "Are you fucking cra—"
"I—I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. I— fuck, (y/n). I just—" He's rambling, his smooth as honey voice much thicker than usual and notably less precise. He sniffs, loudly.
She sighs as he tries to collect himself over the line, mumbling and stuttering. "Why do you only call me when you're high, Cameron? I mean, seriously?" This is not the first time he's phoned her in the middle of the night, high out of his mind.
Rubbing her hand over her eyes, she checks the clock on the wall. It's well past 3 am. There's a slim chance she will even get any sleep at this point.
"Listen, (y/n). I–I just—"
"No, you listen," she snaps, cutting him off. "You'd better be at your house when I get there or else. Got it?"
She can hear him swallow over the phone and something crashes to the floor. "Yeah— I— yeah, I will. I will."
"Okay, bye."
"Bye."
It helps that the Cameron's live only a few houses down. In reality, no one lives very far from anyone in the Outer Banks. Figure Eight is only a bike ride away from the Cut.
With the majority of the Cameron household likely asleep, and not caring to wake up Ward, she walks in without knocking. She'd never knocked before and wasn't about to make a habit of it now. Creeping slowly through the entryway, her sneakers echo loudly on the pristine tile floor. She knows this house like the back of her hand and therefore has no difficulty in navigating it in the dark. Around her, the house is still.
"Ra—" A hand clamps around her mouth from behind, effectively cutting of her startled shriek. Shoving his heavy body off of her, she whirls around to face him. "What are you doing?" she whispers loudly, shoving his hands away.
"I didn't want to scare you," Rafe defends, his blue eyes shining even in the darkness.
Shoving him once more in the chest, hard for good measure, she moves past him into the kitchen and flips the light on. Now that she can actually see, she steps back to take him in.
His pupils are blown, leaving very little of the blue of his eyes distinguishable. The suit jacket from earlier in the evening is gone, but everything else, from his dress shoes to the the white button up shirt underneath remain. Half of the top buttons of his shirt are open, revealing the golden skin of his chest. Nervously, he rubs at the back of his neck, where the short crop of his buzz cut fades.
"(y/n), I—," Rafe begins, stepping towards her.
"Shut up, Rafe."
His head fogged with the determination to get her to just listen to him, he ignores her instruction. "C'mon, baby. I just—"
"Shut up, Rafe," she repeats, sterner this time. She knows his head is not in the right place at the moment, and he needs to get it together if they're going to have this conversation.
"I need—"
"I said shut up!"
Finally something must reach the inside of that thick skull of his and Rafe immediately clamps his jaw shut. Now silent other than his heavy breathing, his big doe eyes watch her attentively.
She stares at him for a moment, using the quiet to gather her thoughts. Seeing him like this tears her up a little inside and it’s hard to find the right words to say to him. Sure, she treats him like shit most of the time, but that’s because it’s like second nature to the two of them. Fucking is the only thing they’re both good at.
She knows somewhere behind his drug induced haze, he’s really just a scared little kid. Most people take one look at Rafe and assume he’s just another screw up, destined to end up mooching off the Cameron family inheritance for the rest of his life. But she knows deep down that he has it in him to be better.
“You gotta stop, Rafe.” That’s the most honest and genuine sentence she’s spoken to him in a year. “This is not some prodigal son fairytale where you just get to walk away from it all when you decide to get your shit together. This is real life.” Her voice has risen towards the end and his already glossy eyes look wet.
Rafe can count on one hand the number of times he’s cried in his life, especially in front of someone else. His emotions tend to teeter from slightly cocksure to overwhelming rage without much of a grey area. But right now his throat feels tight and his eyes burn and he’s coming pretty damn close. And maybe it’s from the coke he snorted earlier but even that’s starting to wear off. He knows because his head isn’t swimming anymore and his eyeballs don’t feel like they’re rolling around in their sockets.
Fighting the swell of emotion that is threatening to erupt out of his chest, he looks up, tongue pressed into the inside of his cheek, suddenly not wanting to look in her eyes. Rafe finally nods, sniffing hard while he gathers himself. “I know,” he whispers, the noise barley even audible.
Still nodding to himself, he settles his gaze back on her. “And I know you think that this is the cocaine talking, but I promise you it’s not. I mean it when I say I need you.” Timidly, he paces towards her from across the kitchen. “I—I need your help. I need you. I—”
While he continues to ramble, she hushes him as he rests his chin in the crook of her neck. One hand cups the back of his head while the other rubs his shoulder through the soft cotton of his shirt. “Okay. You’re okay,” she murmurs into his ear, still holding onto him as he sinks to his knees on the kitchen floor. He’s tall enough that his head meets the middle of her stomach even on the floor.
Rafe can’t recall the last time anyone has held him so carefully before. But he does know that it feels wildly more intimate than any sort of sex they’ve ever had. Drowsy with relief and crashing from his high, he almost asks her if she loves him. It would be so easy to breathe the words, but instead he closes his eyes and lets her hold him a while longer.
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enkas-illusion · 3 months
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Double Trouble
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Fandom / Pairing: Jujutsu Kaisen / Gojo Satoru x f!reader
Rating: SFW
Genre/Theme: Established relationship; non-sorcery au
Content warning: fluff, suggestive, no smut, language.
Summary: Boyfriend!Satoru with a twin and they're exact copies of each other, down to their mannerism so they often switch places just to test how long it takes for you to figure out you're talking to the other one.
Author's Note: The one where he isn’t the only Honoured one. I hope you enjoy this one shot. Thank you for reading! 
~ Eren’s Birdie
Song Dedication: Say Yes by Loco, Punch
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Satoru Gojo was everything you could've asked for in a partner. He was kind, funny, intelligent, sexy, and had better emotional maturity than most men despite being somewhat of a nihilist in his own way – perfect was the word to describe him.
The only problem was that he was a bit too much to handle at times, or dare one say, a bit *too many, – meaning his mother gave birth to him and thought ‘he's perfect!’ so she popped another xerox copy 2 minutes later.
And thus were born Satoru and Soichiro, the most identical twins in the history of twins. The two not only shared the same face but had gained quite some notoriety among friends and family for sharing the same brain cell as well. 
While you had no reason to complain about their flawless personalities, they'd taken a liking to mess with you each time they got together. One would think they'd go easy with the pranks if it's someone they love, right? Wrong! It meant the shit you had to endure was way worse than any other normal friend would have to.
On one such instance, Soichiro tagged along with Satoru after work and it wasn't until halfway through dinner that your instinct went off and you figured out it was the twin who was sitting next to you instead of your boyfriend as usual. Later that night, you'd warned Satoru about it, presenting a solid argument even he couldn't resist.
“You know I almost grabbed his thigh under the table tonight!”
“No, you didn't,” Satoru scoffed.
“Okay, maybe not. But it’s highly likely that I could've! Ummm… what if one day you return home and I greet you in some skimpy lingerie but instead of you, it’s your brother who sees me, all titties out???” You were grasping at straws really.
“Will you do that!?” His ears perked up.
“Not the point, Toru…”
“Hmm… okay fine, I won't let it get that far,” he assured you. 
“But you'll still continue to tease me?” You huffed and he nodded his head, smiling innocently. You rolled your eyes at him, complaining about how he was the ‘worst’ while he simply gave you a bear hug and a few kisses to make it up to you.
~~~
So, even after being with Satoru for more than a year, you still did not know how to distinguish between the two. The only people to do so in a split-second were his parents. You had once sat the twins down to compare their faces for any tiny details you might’ve missed but you came up short regardless. 
You could only tell the difference by instinct, after having a conversation with them – maybe you were more delusional than you'd like to admit but to you, Satoru's voice held a lot of love each time he called your name.
In an attempt to distinguish the two, you thought you'd successfully managed to get Satoru to dye his hair black with temporary colour last time you went to their family house, only to find out Soichiro had done the same and was waiting for you, waving his arm at you in the driveway with a victorious grin.
So when you don't find the twin greeting you like a devil inviting you to hell this time, you turn to your boyfriend who's undoing his seatbelt.
“Listen to me, Satoru,” you grab his collar to turn him to look at you as you speak in a serious tone, “Please don't fuck with me this time. One of these days, I might really embarrass myself due to your games.”
“I'm betting on it baby,” he grins as he gives you a quick peck before swiftly making his way out of the car to avoid your scolding. You were going to stay at his parents’ country house for a weekend and you could already tell it was going to be a long weekend.
You sigh as you grab your bag and he opens the door for you before pulling the bag out of your hand and holding his hand out for you. It's impossible to be annoyed at Satoru for long when he pulls shit like this.
When you enter the house, Satoru excuses himself to find his father and you make your way to the backyard garden where you guess his mother might be. You smile to yourself when your guess is right.
“How can I help?” You smile, making his mother turn to look at you. She gently puts the shovel down next to the plants she's depotting.
“Hello dear, you've arrived just in time… would you mind bringing the remaining pots? They’re near the window in the reading room,” she instructs and you nod as you make your way back inside.
You walk the long corridor before you reach your destination, making your way to the window where the pots were placed. You lift two in each hand, holding them with care, trying not to drop them or stain your t-shirt. 
“Need some help?” you hear a voice and turn around to see the other twin at the door. The only reason you can tell it's Soichiro is because he's wearing a grey t-shirt and black sweatpants as opposed to your boyfriend who was wearing a purple hoodie and coal grey pants. 
“Hey Sochi, could you pick the last one?” You motion your head in the direction of the last pot, “Gotta move it to the garden.”
He nods before picking up the pot and walking with you, back to the backyard garden. 
“Did you arrive before us? I didn't see your car in the driveway,” you make conversation along the way.
“My car's out for servicing. I arrived with the mothership yesterday when she was in town shopping,” he explains.
“Hmm…” you nod as you stop near the area where the soil has been rooted out of the ground, “here.” 
You motion to him to keep the pot down and he obeys as he leans down to place them there gently. You're busy looking around to find Mrs. Gojo when you hear him speak, “Anything else, princes–”
Your eyes widen as your head snaps back to look at him.
“SATORU!” you gasp at the nickname that accidentally slips out of your boyfriend's name, making you realise it's not his twin.
“Soichiro! Leave my poor girl alone,” the other blondie walks out wearing the exact same clothes. You look between the two as you stare in disbelief, not being able to tell who's who.
You're about to speak when you hear their mom's voice as she moves closer to you, pressing an arm gently around your shoulder, “Satoru… I'd expect you of all people to be nice to her,” shaking her head at the twin standing next to you.
You were right! The twin next to you is Satoru!
“No, it's okay! The best way to deal with them is to avoid both of them the entire weekend,” you give your boyfriend the fakest smile you can muster up as you walk hand in hand with his mother to fulfil your gardening duties.
As it's the only exact identical matching outfit the twins have, they don't mind wearing it all weekend. As the day progresses, you find yourself working your brain full time to notice any difference you can find, but the guys are relentless to the point where even their sleeves are rolled to the exact same length.
And of course, the whole day is spent the way you’d dreaded and almost predicted it’d be like. Later when you’re out on the porch having coffee and watching the sunset with your boyfriend, you notice Satoru has an insect bite on the side of his wrist.
“Toru?” you question, wanting to make sure you have the right twin next to you.
“Hmm?” he peels his eyes away from the pretty sunset to look at you. 
“Kiss me?” you ask softly.
“Wha– is this a test?” He raises an eyebrow.
“You know what, nevermind… I just felt like it cause this is the first time we’ve been alone all d–” your words are cut off by his lips capturing yours. You smile into the kiss as Satoru cups your face, caressing your cheek.
Satoru check completed! You make a mental note to observe his wrist for the mark each time you interact with the twins.
After dinner when everyone's lazing around in the living room and watching whatever reality tv show is playing in the background, you excuse yourself to go to the washroom. Roaming around, you end up in Satoru's old bedroom. It's endearing seeing how you can still find pieces of his current personality, likes, hobbies and interests in bits, plastered everywhere around his room.
You find yourself craving some alone time with your boyfriend all of a sudden so you pull your phone out to text him to come up to his room. You only have to wait a few minutes before you hear a knock on the door.
“It's open,” you say as you place the book that you were holding back on the shelf. With a big grin, you extend your arm out to him and he takes it.
“Hello, darling,” he says in a playful tone and your eyes briefly glance at his wrist. No mark. It's Soichiro. He pulls you into a hug and pats your head.
Fine. If your boyfriend still wants to mess with you even when you’re needy for him, he's gonna get his payback. You decide at that moment – this switcharoo bullshit stops today.
You smile innocently at Soichiro as you pull away, your hands travel up to his chest to push him back till he falls on the bed.
You hop on top of him to straddle him but are careful enough to not actually make any sort of inappropriate contact, hovering above without closing the gap between your bodies. You simply wanted to push him enough to get him uncomfortable and to confess.
You can see the nervousness on his face as he clears his throat to come up with an excuse to get out of this situation without making it awkward, “T-the door’s open, let me–”
“It’s just us Toru… I doubt anyone’s gonna bother coming up to find us anyway,” you purr as you lean your body forward, placing your palms on the sides of his head to support your weight. You start feeling anxious too, you need him to break soon or you’d have to abandon the act, so you persist and whisper in his ear, “You look so sexy, I’ve been wanting to feel you inside me all day, Satoru.”
You cringe internally at your own words. But in that moment, you can see his face get paler than it usually is and you want to laugh at how nervous he looks when he hits his limit at your lewd comments.
“Wait, I’m no–” Soichiro pushes you by the shoulders as he begins in panic, another voice interrupts, pushing the half-open door forcefully, “Baby, wait!”
You feel a large arm hook around your waist to pull you away. As you stumble to your feet, breaking free from his hold, you turn around to see an annoyed Satoru, knitting his eyebrows as he looks at you. He looks more annoyed at himself than at you.
“Satoru?” you question as you bring up a hand to his cheek.
“Yes, baby?” he asks in that loving tone you’re so used to as he wraps his arms around your waist tighter.
You smile as you caress his cheek, trying hard to hold in your laughter, “What… A… Dumbass!”
You burst out laughing as you break free from his embrace and he stares at you in disbelief. You look from him to Soichiro, who’s already stood up from the bed as you hold your stomach, hurting from laughing so much, “That should teach you both!”
“Well then, I’m gonna go watch tv with the only two sensible people in this house,” you wave the baffled twins goodbye and turn around to leave the room. The very next second, you’re taken by surprise when you feel a hand grab your wrist to keep you from moving.
You turn around to see that your boyfriend seems… mad at you?
“Sochi, do you mind? I wanna talk to her alone,” Satoru motions his brother to leave the room.
“Yikes, just keep it quiet,” the twin chuckles in embarrassment as he walks out hastily. You hear the door close behind you before footsteps recede down the hallway.
You look at Satoru, expecting him to speak up. But your boyfriend simply grabs both of your wrists before twisting them behind your back and closes the distance between your bodies.
“Waitttt… is this Toru or Sochi? It is impossible to tell!” your words are dry and sarcastic as you giggle at him.
“Baby, I don’t think you’re in a position to be laughing at me right now,” he towers over you, his grip on your waists tightening.
“But here we are! I told you not to mess with me,” you chuckle as you try to wriggle your wrists out of his grip.
“And I’ve warned you not to press my buttons… or do I need to remind you again?” he grunts as he flips you around, walking you to the bed till your knees hit the edge of the bed, making you stumble on the mattress with him behind you. He brings a hand to the back of your head to press your face down into the mattress and you take this opportunity to try to hold him. He tsks at your movement before moving away from your completely.
You flip your body around to lie on your back and see what’s going on, only to find him rummaging through his closet. When Satoru turns around to walk back towards the bed, you notice two ties in his hands. 
This isn’t how you’d expected your little prank to turn out but you definitely weren’t complaining. However, just as Satoru straddles you, grabbing your wrists, his phone buzzes in his pocket.
“What?” he groans into the speaker.
“Mum’s calling you both downstairs,” you hear Soichiro’s voice on the other end.
You press your lips together to keep yourself from laughing as Satoru groans once again before cutting the call with a ‘be right there’.
“I think god sent a guardian angel disguised as your mom for me,” you chuckle as you sit up, making your way out from under him.
“You’re lucky,” Satoru grabs your jaw, “but don’t get ahead of yourself, guardian angel can't save you past her bedtime.”
You poke your tongue out to tease him, breaking free and springing out of the bed, mumbling a ‘whatever’, walking out towards the living room. 
As you make your way back down the hall, you hear your boyfriend’s footsteps behind you. You smile to yourself as you begin to brew different ideas of riling him up further throughout the night.
~fin~
259 notes · View notes
kzuhasgf · 9 months
Text
encounters
pairing — jang wonyoung x itzy!reader
after meeting wonyoung at a cafe, you just happen to come across her everywhere. you both decide to befriend each other. (at least, that's what's supposed to happen)
tags — f!reader (ethnicity friendly), idol!au genre — pure fluff, romance word count — 2,420
notes — reader is ’03 (born in august), is the same height as wony, not proofread, this photo is so 🔛🔝, I'm gay
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after two long months of promotions, you and the other girls of ITZY could finally rest. you were looking forward to relaxing for a while because you've needed it for a long time, but you were disappointed to learn you'd only have a week off due to your solo schedule.
you were already halfway into your week, much to your dismay. your company has recently overworked you and the girls, and knowing that you only have so much time for yourself, you decided to stay put at home.
that is until yuna forcibly brought you out of your room.
"yah, what do you want?"
"don't be so cold! I need you to come with me." yuna grinned.
"what is it…" you grumbled.
yuna often clung to you and talked about different things since you were both part of the maknae line and were born the same year as her. you both acted more like siblings than anything, always arguing but not having the heart to hate each other.
you both had your differences, and times like this highlighted them.
unfortunately for you, she dragged you to yeji and chaeryong's room, where you were forced to face the fierce eyes of your leader. your eyes widened, and you looked at yuna, already fearing for the worst.
"you actually got her out of her room?" yeji raised her brow and crossed her arms.
"yep, I know. no need to mention it. so does that mean I can go now?!"
"you need to ask her permission first." she pointed at you.
"what permission?" you looked between them in confusion.
"so you didn't even tell her yet?! shin yuna." yeji sighed and closed her eyes.
"okay, so yuna here agreed to meet up with an yujin tomorrow afternoon at a cafe, which is fine with me, but, the problem is, she has no one to accompany her."
"lia and I will be at the grocery store with our manager, ryu and chaery will have a dancing session, and you will be at home. I told her she is not allowed to go without supervision.""
"but that's just no fun, unnie! I have our driver! why can't I bring our bodyguard?" yuna whined.
"our driver is just there to drive you. and you're not supposed to be obvious! isn't this all private?" your leader said with slight frustration.
"you're right... but that's why y/n's here! you'll come with me, right n/n?" she asked, pouting and looking at you with puppy eyes.
talk about the devil. "so that's why you brought me here?" you groaned with faux annoyance.
"do I even have a say in this??"
"maybe…"
"no, you don't. you have to go, or else our maknae might keep on whining." yeji babied her and squished her cheeks.
you facepalmed. "oh my god. you guys planned this to get me out of the house, didn't you?
a few more bickerings later, you agreed. after all, she was your best friend. you didn't have much of a choice. you couldn't really say no to her. and who in itzy could resist that face?
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you and yuna walked into a cozy cafe and kept your heads low so you couldn't be recognized. you both went to a more private area, where yujin, the puppy leader of IVE, perked up and waved you two over.
yuna squealed with excitement when she stood up, embracing yujin and swaying her around.
you bowed and removed your mask, smiling at her until you noticed she was standing next to someone you didn't know.
I thought it was just yujin with us?
the girl, who appeared to be lost in thought, made yujin tap her shoulder, causing her to exclaim in surprise and stand up to bow back at you and yuna.
your jaw almost dropped in shock.
you took it back. you had no way of not knowing who was greeting you right now. she's the talk of, well, everywhere, and anyone would know her. there are posters and billboards of her all over town,
in front of you was the jang wonyoung.
the it girl of the fourth generation, and the girl everyone adores and envies.
"y/n, right? I heard you were also born in 2003. we should make an ’03 line group chat together!"
"oh, also, this is my bandmate, wonyoung. you've probably heard of her."
"it's nice to meet you." She took off her mask and sat down, smiling at you.
"it's also a pleasure to meet you, wonyoung."
you sat next to yuna and in front of wonyoung. no one noticed, but you were dazed by the beauty who is wonyoung. you couldn't focus when yujin spoke to you, her saying something about "feeling comfortable" and that she and yuna would just be catching up on things, and you smiling in response, trying to act normal.
the leader nodded to the girl next to her, and the younger girl nods back in acknowledgment.
minutes pass, and you can't help but stare. you tried not to be obvious, scrolling on your phone while the other two talked about whatever they were talking about. you weren't paying attention. instead, you were focused on her. if yuna ever noticed your predicament, she would definitely tease you later.
wonyoung put down her phone, tucked her hands beneath her chin, and leaned toward you, interrupting your train of thought.
"hi, y/n. do you want to talk with me? to pass the time."
you lifted your head and fiddled with your fingers beneath the table. you notice yuna smirking at you from the corner of your eye before turning back to yujin.
you ignored her and smiled at wonyoung.
"sure, wonyoung. I think we'll be here for quite some time." you barely glanced at the other two conversing, off in their own world, before returning your attention to the girl—
who you openly declared was much more beautiful in person than in photos.
she giggled sweetly.
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for your solo schedule, you had to attend a collaborative event consisting of different brands, where they would showcase their newest items and products. you were an ambassador for one of them, so you had no choice but to leave.
it was good for publicity, they said.
you found it bearable cause you were alongside other k-pop idols, so you wouldn't have to watch the showcase in distress and could instead make conversations or meet acquaintances.
another good thing about events like this was that there was always food. good food.
after posing for photos, waving to your fans, and being interviewed, you entered the venue and went to the food section, where you saw familiar and unfamiliar faces.
you also saw a bunch of random influencers who were ecstatic to see all of the celebrities with whom they could interact.
on an entirely different note, you were satisfied with the amount of servings they had. you couldn't eat much of the snacks presented though, since your management team put you on a diet.
while walking around, you saw various designer items on display, and you grimaced because they were more expensive than the previous sets they released. the prices only continue to rise.
when you came across the sponsored products, such as makeup, skincare, and so on, you noticed a crowd forming, and your curiosity got the best of you, so you came closer only to hear such loud commotion.
you stood on the sidelines and your eyes widened when you saw wonyoung, an ambassador for multiple featured brands such as innisfree, miumiu, and kirsh, standing there, looking as elegant as ever.
you never expected to see her again, but you still happen to come across her here.
"wonyoung-ah, can I get a picture with you!"
"wonyoung, look here!"
"wonyoung, can I get your autograph?!"
you couldn't show it, but hearing this almost made you frown. as an idol, you knew the troubles of constantly being in public, always under the watchful eye of society and netizens, and you couldn't bear how this girl felt about being bombarded every second, left and right for every reason. you wanted to feel sympathy for her.
"step aside, everyone! someone's coming!"
when a booming voice caught everyone's attention, wonyoung breathed a sigh of relief and managed to slip away from the group of fans.
she didn't realize you were watching the entire thing unfold, and you were still in a dilemma, so she accidentally ran into you.
"oh, y/n! I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there."
"wonyoung, hey! how are you doing?"
"I'm doing great. fancy seeing you here, I wasn't expecting you."
"well, I'm here now." you chuckled.
"you look... gorgeous, by the way," you added, your eyes roaming her lovely dress.
"o-oh. thank you, thank you. I appreciate it, so much." you didn't know it but wonyoung cursed at herself for stuttering.
"so, where are you planning to go?" she asked, hoping to cover her slip-up.
"I'm planning to get a drink and lounge around. would you like to come with me?"
her heart beat faster and her jaw slightly slackened at the idea of getting a drink with you. she welcomed the feeling of being friends with you after that meetup at the cafe, but she never knew how to contact you, since she forgot to ask for your number.
"we can hang out after, like, you know, ignore these showcases if you want."
...if she knew her cheeks would heat up so much, she wouldn't have put on any blush.
"am I... am I reading this right?" she asked timidly.
you smiled and nodded at her. "yes, yes you are." you extended your hand, giving her the option of holding it or not.
"okay... okay then. sure. let's go get a drink together, y/n." she smiled confidently and took your hand, linking your arm with hers.
you both exchanged numbers before the event ended, her with a bashful smile on her face.
"I had a great time, y/n. call me." she winked.
that night, "wonyoung and y/n" trended on twitter.
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you were in line at a bakery, getting pastries and desserts for your members. you just finished your day's activities, which included going to the studio to write some songs and filling in as a temporary MC for one of the music shows.
exhausted from your solo schedule, you wanted to get home so you could collapse face down on your fluffy bed. it was almost sunset, so dinner would be served in a few hours. you didn't want to arrive late because you didn't want to hear another scold from your cat leader.
walking out of the bakery with a plastic bag of your goods in hand, you chose a pastry you wanted to try, intending to eat it on your way to your dorm. you took a bite after unwrapping it and looked around at the scenery.
you walked down the street, peering into the shops you passed, and your heart skipped a beat when you saw a large poster of wonyoung modeling for fashion.
I see her everywhere, huh?
you smiled as you remembered the conversations you'd had with her over the past month. when you and wonyoung had free time, you would text each other.
you didn't realize it, but you spoke your thoughts aloud while looking at the poster and were startled to hear a voice beside you.
"y/n?"
you would know that voice anywhere.
"oh, my god wonyoung! you scared me." you put your hand on your chest.
she giggled and covered her mouth, apologizing.
"you know, I'm starting to think you're stalking me," you jokingly stated.
"oh? and what makes you think that?" she asked, her gaze playful.
every interaction you have with her simply replenishes your energy.
"let's not forget that I caught you staring at my banner…" she walked closer to you and said it quietly enough to make your breath hitch.
"speechless now?"
"I..."
"I thought so."
you shook your head in slight disbelief as you looked at the woman in front of you. the amount of power she has.
"what brings you here, wonyoung?"
"I was going to buy something at my favorite bakery. I see you just bought from there." she pointed to the bag you were carrying.
"I didn't know you liked cherry. I like that flavor, too. besides that, I'll get going now." she began to walk away, and before you could think, you turned around and called her.
"wait, wait!"
you ran up to her, trying to catch up, but she continued on her confident strides.
"wony, do you want to go on a date with me!"
she came to a halt, her eyes widening in surprise.
she turned around, grabbed your arm, and led you back to the bakery you had just left. once you were both inside, she smacked you and dragged you to a seat.
"yah! what if someone had seen that? pabo." she smacked you again, immediately feeling bad, and massaged the spot she hit twice.
"I'm sorry... I just thought... it would get your attention," you said dejectedly.
"well, you certainly have my attention now. hah. you look like a kicked puppy right now." she burst out laughing, throwing her head back and clapping her hands. you made a silly smile and held her hand.
"so, wonyoung. would you go on a date with me?"
"aren't we already on one?" she asked, her eyebrows raised, a smile on her face.
she just always felt like bringing her guard down around you.
you brightened up and hugged her, giving all your "thank you's". she giggles and tries to swat your hands away, eventually giving up and settling for you and your warm embrace.
"thank you."
"you're welcome. I'm happy I keep on seeing you."
"me too. even if it's everywhere I go."
she laughed and smacked your shoulder before calling the waiter and placing her order.
whatever you felt at that moment, you knew you wanted to feel it more as time passed. one of the best things that ever happened to you was spending time with wonyoung, even if it was all unexpected encounters.
when you looked at the time, you told wonyoung in advance that you would bring her to her dorm so she could be safe. once she finishes eating, you swore you'd pay the bill because it's what she deserves.
when you saw her smile radiantly for you, you suddenly didn't mind getting home late or being scolded by yeji anymore.
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ending notes — yayy first fic done!! ofc it had to be my lovely wonyoung<3 not sure if it was messy, but I hope you enjoyed it!
513 notes · View notes
writingoddess1125 · 7 months
Text
Blip on the Radar pt. 1
Simon 'Ghost' Riley x Reader + OOC Erik
Part 2 ->
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Would appreciate a donation to my Ko-Fi so I can survive in this economy! Enjoy!
"Alright big guy bed time" You say as you swoop down and pick up your toddler, feeling him already tired from the day.
"No No Mama" Erik chimed. His mess of blonde hair covering his sleepy blue eyes which was trying to resist sleep
"Yes Yes Bean" You say with a giggle carrying him to his room and lay him down giving him his favorite stuffed bear you watch as he falls asleep in seconds.
Smiling as you watch his sleeping face and gently caress his cheek- despite the times that had passed you couldn't help but be amused by how much Erik didn't look like you, if it hadn't been for the 30hrs of labor you went through and seeing that headful of blonde hair when he was first born you would have been sure the hospital had switched your child.
He was a stocky and tall toddler, for being 2 years old he could easily be mistaken as a 3 year old- especially since he had big hands. He reminded you up a pitbull puppy, were you could see he was going to be a big boy.
Most likely like his father, which you assumed he was a carbon copy of.
It had been a bar hookup 3 years ago on a trip abroad, nothing special or unique in truth- You didn't even remember the guys name, you just remever his bright blue eyes, some blonde hair and a deep English accent. However that was about it- Besides you had your face in the pillows too much to know anyway, the next morning he had already been gone and you were content with that.
However seemed the universe decided to just screw you over as a few months later you found out you were pregnant. Not an ideal way to become a mother However you were one non the less.
Walking out of the room silently you began to pick up around the house, all Erik's toys and snacks he had dropped throughout the day but that was short lived as the couch called to you. Finally taking a seat you turn on some late night YV and sigh heavily- that exhaustion going through you as you laid there trying to will yourself to do more.
Going through your phone you see that you got a notification from Ancestory, raising a brow as you opened it and saw the results for your son upload.
"Oh yeah.. forgot about that"
A few weeks previously you'd done a DNA test on your son, mainly for medical history and to gather some basic information. As it populated you were met with pages of blacked our marker, Literally almost nothing was visible and you could see the British royal forces logo in the corner of most things but everything was crossed out.
"Why is so much of this crossed out?.." You muttered, squinting at the print on your phone over why so much information was limited from your sons father's side- You couldn't see much accept for last names and some general years.
"Weird.. Like a ghost... did I fuck a spy?-" You mutter, shrugging at this and close of your phone. Fairly sure you'd spooked yourself or that the Ancestory was wrong in some way. Waste of 90$-
0500 hr Other side of globe
It was far too early for this- Ms. Elis marched down the corridors of the Barracks with a file in her hand- her face no better then a thunderstorm as she marched.
Ghost could hear her from down the barracks hall from how loudly she was stomping around- he understood she was the TF 141 lawyer but she was a royal pain in the ass as well- he was seated on a couch of this temporary barracks common room and reading, dressed in more casual military attire and a plain balaclava covering his face.
"Price!" She called out once seeing him I'm his office and slamming the door behind her, Ghost looking up to see that banshee of a lawyer looking ready to snap again- sighing heavily as he tried to go back to reading.
"What do you think it's this time?" Soap said as he plopped himself next to the reading man with a relaxed sigh- Simon rolling his eyes at the Scotsman.
"Nothing that I'm willing to think about-" He grumbled, but his ear was picking up her yelling at Price dramtically- Once again. Banshee. That and one that had a flare for the dramatics.
After 10 minutes of this, The banshee of a lawyer stepped out of the office and turned to look right at Ghost-
"Mr. Riley, can you step into the office with us" She asked, a fake sweetness to her voice but he could hear the strain of frustration.
Fucking Hell...
Soap gave a crooked smile at the Lieutenant like a child pleased to see his peer being called in by the principal. Ghost silently stepped in and nodded at his Captian who gestured for him to take a seat.
Taking a seat he could see Price was on the brink of either snapping at the lawyer or getting a glass of scotch to dull whatever was happening.
"Sir" Ghost greeted Price but was giving a awkward nod- Clearly this not being something good.
"Well I never thought this would be a conversation I'd have but- Were you intimate with anyone in (insert location) around 3 years ago?" Price ask as calmly as possible- Clearly the lawyer keeping him from speaking in honest remark. Ghost felt a chill up his spin and his eyes narrowed.
"...What is this about Captian-" He asked sharply, Price grabbing two cigars and handing one to Ghost and keeping one himself.
"Well to be honest.. in short it looks like you have a kid Simon.. a little boy to be exact" Price said truthfully as the lawyer held the file out for Ghost. His eyes widened at hearing this, Looking slowly up at the lawyer as she handed him the file- Setting down the cigar quickly he opened it and saw the photos pulled from your Instagram as well as the ancestory website pages that did connect the toddler to him.
"It seems she was trying to get medical information through ancestory and we saw that your guys DNA connects. With the timing of the last time you were in that city it matches with the child's age" Ms. Elis said calmly as Ghost continued to look through the photos and information about you and his child.
"Simon?" Price said as he saw the man seemingly in a daze, staring at the folder. However Price could tell his mind was in a different place-
The lawyer was trying to go through options that Simon could take, paying child support, visitation, renouncing parental rights- However he was too dazed to even process any of this. Instead just sitting there thinking that he had a kid out there with this random stranger, were they a good mom? Did they love the kid? What if they were in a abusive home like he had been? Oh he couldn't let that happened.. it was be a nice snowy day in hell before he did. But also fear that his background would come to haunt him- How if he was in the kids life he could risk being a bad influence to the child as well.
Standing up suddently Simon held the folder looking to Price then the Laywer.
"What city are they located at Sir?-"
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anxious-witch · 4 months
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Sooo, since like, literally three people asked(like I need more enabling lmao) here is a drabble/snippet from poly!JO soulmate au from August. It isn't finished and kinda a kess so read at your own risk, definitely not up to my usual quality.
Tw for alcohol, vomiting, character's drink being spiked (if I forgot anything, please let me know)
Bojan was born with four stripes on his stomach. Yellow, red, purple and blue. It reminded him of a mini rainbow. When he was little he used to trace them. Wondering how it related to his soulmate.
His parents seemed reluctant to tell him. And Bojan didn't understand. Not until his sister pulled him aside one day before he started school and explained. Soulmate marks indicated something about his soulmate, but his was special. Bojan remembered that she specifically used the word special.
Not weird, not odd. Special.
She said that since his has more than one color, it probably means more than one soulmate. That there was nothing wrong eith that, but that he had to be careful since not everyone would understand. 
She told him it was easy enough to cover with clothes, but in case he needed to, she showed him how to hide it with makeup.
Bojan hadn't been seven for awhile now. He was twenty four and he understood much, much better why his sister was so careful about all of it. At best, people with multiple marks were looked down upon. And Bojan didn't always have the best of luck, either.
He wished he could say that the reason he wanted to convince Kris to join the band was purely because of talent. Not that Kris wasn't extremly talented because he was. Bojan was already laying groundwork to ask him to join. And then Kris tied his hair back in a ponytail, revealing his soulmark.
Four stripes. Red, pink, purple and blue. Perfectly lined up. 
Bojan had to swallow past the lump in his throat. Found one of you. 
He didn't want Kris to join the band because of that thiugh. So instead he did his best to charm him. Teasing and laughing and promising. Kris agreed, under the condition that Jan may join too.
"He is my best friend and my soulmate. I am not going anywhere without him."
How could have Bojan refused?
Kris and Jan were polar opposites that somehow managed to work in perfect harmony. Kris charmed you with his cute laugh and politeness, while Jan disarmed you with flirting and downright filthy things he could say with a straight face.
Bojan planned on telling them about his mark. He really did. It was just that everytime he tried, fear of rejection wrapped itself over his chest.
What if they didn't want him? What if it would make things weird? 
He was a coward. He knew as much. He just couldn't bring himself to tell them. 
His mark ached sometimes. Especially when he saw how gently Jan would kiss the mark on Kris's neck, or Kris wrapping his fingers around the one on Jan's wrist. 
Jan made it worse with the way he wore his so openly. Like a badge of honor. Bojan suggested him to put a bracelet or some makeup on it once, to hide it.
He remembered Jan's fury to this day.
"What, do you have something against it? Do you think I should be fucking ashamed of my soulmates?"
Bojan took a step back, raising his hands in a placating gesture.
"No, of course not...I just think it might be wise not to show it off. People get beaten up for less. I don't want to see you hurt."
Jan looked at him for one very long moment. Bojan felt like he was being carved from inside out and examined.
"Let me worry about that. What business of yours is that, anyway?"
Bojan's mark pulsed under his shirt. He resisted the urge to rub the pain away. He shrugged.
"None."
They never spoke of it again. Years passed and Bojan got used to the yearing that came with being so close and yet so far. 
And then Jure came along. Bojan was still sad because of Matic leaving. That's the only excuse he had for not noticing Jure's mark sooner.
It came to a head during summer vacation. Jure joined them at the pool. And on his leg, just under his knee, was a mark. Four strips. Yellow, pink, red and purple.
Bojan heard Kris gasp from somewhere far away. His own mark throbbed underneath the band aid he put on. The lie he said was that he had a scar from surgery that he didn't want to show. Jan teased him for being vain, but no one ever questioned it. 
He and Martin exchanged a glance. Silently agreeing to leave and give them a moment. If Bojan's heart felt heavy or his mark burned, knowing he belonged there too, well. That was only for him to know.
Bojan was running out of excuses. Jure made a perfect new addition to Kris and Jan. While they certainly took some time to find a way to navigate a new configuration, they did work it out. Sometimes Bojan was so jealous he could taste it. 
Which usually meant he got hammered and left with the first person who wanted to take him home and fuck him. 
Other times, he just got hammered and called Luka through Skype. Luka who'd cursed him out and scolded him for being an idiot, but would still try and get him to take care of himself. Made sure he drank water and had a bucket nearby.
That was probably more than he deserved.
"So let me get this straight. Three of your soulmates recently got together. Which disproved your theory about them not wanting you because they are monogamous. Shocker, really. And instead of telling them now, you got hammer."
Bojan raised a finger in the air.
"And made out with a girl at the party in front of them."
Luka pinched his nose. He took a deep breath.
"And made out with a girl in front of them. Great! Lovely! What's the next step in your brilliant, self-destructive plan?"
Bojan shrugged. Luka sighed again.
"You are a menace. But you are also my friend. Which means I want you to be a happy menace. Please tell them."
"I'll think about it."
Luka shook his head and looked at him sadly.
"Sure you will."
---
He didn't end up telling them. In his defense, he really was preoccupied. Few days later, Martin told him he was leaving the band to concentrate on finishing college.
Bojan grieved the loss of another friend, as ridiculous as it sounded. While Kris and Jan loved Martin as well, it was different. They had each other and Jure now.
So Bojan arranged everything for Martin's last concert with them. And looked for the replacement. Which was how he found Nace. 
Bringing Jan along was his first mistake. Perhaps if he hadn't it could have been avoided. 
Nace fit into the criteria to perfectly replace Martin on stage. Jure even joked they looked similar enough that fans won't even notice the difference. Bojan would, though. He wasn't only losing a friend who he worked with since the beginning, but also his last line of defense. 
His mark ached harder than before ever since Jure joined in. 
He and Jan interviewed Nace and it was all going well. Bojan was finally starting to relax, realizing Nace would be a good fit. He was responsible, but knew how to joke still. They did need someone to keep them in check on occasion. And Nace didn't drink. His guitar skills were amazing too. All in all, perfect.
Up until he took off his leather jacket and stayed only in short sleeves. Showing off a soulmark on his right biceps.
Four stripes. Yellow, pink, red and blue. Bojan froze. 
"Nace," Jan said, sounding almost breathless, "is that your soulmark?"
Nace looked at him in confusion. Jan raised his hand to show off his wrist and Nace's eyes widened. 
"You are-"
"Yes. And I have found the other two. You are the forth."
Bojan felt like he was watching a private moment. Nace seems to be at a loss on what to say, simply looking at Jan like he was a miracle.
"So...only one remains."
A lump formed in Bojan's throat. His mark burned viciously. As if it was screaming: I am here!  Bojan got up.
"I'll leave you to settle...um. This. I think we can conclude Nace is a good fit by what was said already anyway. Have fun."
Jan's heavy gaze followed him until he took a turn in the alley, away from the view of the café. 
The next few weeks were torture. Watching them was torture. The way they all balanced each other perfectly. Jure's jokes and pranks contrasted Nace's mature, thought out responses. Kris' anxious energy was match by Jan's always relaxed state. They mixed and matched and still-
God, his mark burned. Bojan had too many moments where he had to excuse hinself and just breathe. Will the pain away. 
They were all there. Missing only one puzzle piece. All he had to do was go there and tell them. Just-
"Bojan?" Nace gently called out, startling him.
He turned from where he was leaning on the sink in the kitch to face him. Nace was always so measured in his movements, in his words. He told that that was because he used to be wild in his teenage years. He appriciated measured, gebtle approach a lot more now. 
"Sorry, I got lost in thought. Did you need something?"
"I just wanted to talk to you, if you have a minute?"
Bojan shrugged, even as his defense mechanisms rose up. Did he know? How would he have even realized? No. Impossible. 
"Sure. Shoot."
Nace's gaze traveled over his face and Bojan had the urge to squirm. All of them were attractive of course, but Nace and Jan had this odd ability to make him feel like they knew all his secrets. Bojan didn't have time to unpack why he was bith terrified and attracted to the feeling.
"I know this whole thing can't be easy for you. With all of us being bonded, you must feel left out. And I am sorry if I contributed to that by joining the band."
Bojan bit his lip. Oh. That was so thoughtful. He felt even more guilty about lying now. 
"It's not your fault. And I'm-I'm glad you guys found each other. It just gets a bit...much, sometimes."
Nace nodded.
"I can imagine. Kris told me you haven't found your own match yet, so it must be doubly hard for you."
God. He could just tell him. Bojan opened his mouth.
"Nace I-"
"Nace!" 
Jure came running, to show Nace a very specific cat video. It broke their moment and Bojan's sudden bravery disappeared.
He didn't tell him.
Which was why he ended up at the bar again. This time, without any of them around. He chatted up a guy who vaguely reminded him of Nace. Accidentally of course. 
It tricked his brain into feeling safe. So Bojan wasn't watching his drink as attentively as he should have.
He only realized his mistake when the room started to spin. Panic gripped him. If he went to the bathroom, he was going to show he was suspicious. But what could he do?
Now, Bojan will admit he wasn't someone who ever studied the soulmate bond. But even he knew about it. In theory. He tried to block in out of his mind most of the timez terrified of exposing himself.
But in his panic and confusion, he found it. He could feel faint flashes of what the other four felt. And he, idiotically, pushed all his fear and panic through the bond. 
The closest way to describe the feeling was smashing the fire alarm. 
Suddenly he could feel all of them. As if they they were reaching out to him. Jan's fierce protectiveness, Kris gentle reassurance. Jure's playfulness was there, even with his worry. And Nace was a warm, stable presence of comfort.
Bojan's phone rang. The guy he was drinking with seemed annoyed, but it gave him an excuse to step away and answer the phone. 
He managed to make it out of the club, to the fresh, cold air. 
"Hello?"
"Bojan, where are you?"
Jan's voice was sharp and urgent. It immediately brought tears to Bojan's eyes.
"At the bar near my apartment. I'm sorry I-I think the guy put something in my drink. Everything is kind of spinning and I swear I only had one drink! Jan, I'm scared."
He heard Jan swearing at the other end, and there was such an intense wave of protectivness that came through the bond that Bojan felt like it wrapped around him. 
"It's okay. We are coming to get you. I will give Kris the phone now, okay? Stay on the line."
"Okay."
He sat on the ground, to get the spinning under control. He was so tired.
"Bojan? Can you hear me?"
"Kris," he sighed contentedly. 
Kris had such a nice, soothing voice. Bojan wanted to fall asleep to him talking.
"Yes, it's me. Can you tell me how are you feeling?"
Bojan hummed, thoughtful. Woth everything they were feeling, it was hard to pinpoint how he felt.
"Tired. Kinda sick? Not like I'll throw up but like I didn't eat something right. And everything is still spinning."
Kris kept talking to him and asking him irrelevant questions just to keep him on the line. Bojan fought against drifting off, but it became harder.
"Kris," he whined, "I am so tired."
He gently shushed him.
"I know sweetheart. Just a bit longer. We'll be there in a minute."
The rest was a blur. He remembered them picking him up and driving him home, but drugs made everything hazy. Last thing he remembered was being put to bed and then everything going dark.
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bethelighthalazia · 28 days
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I was scared!
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Summary:  You and Jongho were a couple for almost a year, you visited a concert of his, standing in barricade spots. Noone could have imagined that you suddenly can't be found in the crowd anymore, which had suddenly started to push each other slightly. Completely written from Jongho´s point of view.
Pairing: bf!Jongho x fem!reader, established relationship
Word Count:  1233
Warnings: angsty (?), mentioned panic attack/anxiety, mentioned crowded place, description of fear (?), fluff in the end
[note: it´s not very long, but i had fun writing it from Jongho´s point of view. RE-UPLOAD from my old blog @/justsomedreaming]
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© by bethelighthalazia. Do not repost, copy or translate. Unless stated otherwise, those works are mine and born from my own ideas. I don't have any claim on the mentioned real existing Idols whatsoever.
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Y/n. She has been the light of my life for almost a year now. The both of us met during a fansign, I just fell in love with her that day and soon we had started dating. Even though it was hard at first with keeping it hidden, I soon decided to make it public. I didn't want to hide my feelings for her, nor how happy y/n made me. Hongjoong and the other hyungs were very supportive and welcomed y/n into our lives. She finished her fashion master's degree only shortly before we started dating and soon, Hongjoong hyung helped her with getting a job in our stylist team, mainly responsible for the outfits. That way, she was able to stay close with us. 
This time though, she wanted to see our performance from ATINY's view once again, so I made sure to get her a VIP ticket and backstage pass. We once customized a Lightiny for each other, which she took with her when we arrived at the location and she had to find her spot in the audience area. 
The moment we stepped out on stage, I found her gaze, never truly letting her out of sight, not only because I couldn't resist looking at my beautiful girlfriend, but also to check on her. I knew she struggles with crowded places and it was very clear to us that the host didn't meet all safety measures fully. The audience was squished into the rather tight space, I could see y/n slowly struggling and losing her calm expression. Even her eyes told me that she was terrified of all the people pushing and squeezing against each other. For a moment, only a few seconds, I looked at our captain to see his reaction to the situation, he had stopped the last performance to assess the problem. When I looked back to where y/n was standing, my heart stopped.
She wasn't there anymore. All of a sudden, I couldn't find y/n’s beautiful face anywhere in the crowd. Hongjoong hyung actually started to tell people to stop pushing into the areas, Mingi hyung told the security to open side gates, so the fans could get out safely since we finished the last song. The host really didn't plan it well and the hyungs were furious. But I couldn't focus on anything, a stinging pain in my chest when worry took over. What if y/n got hurt or was having a panic attack and I wasn't there for her? 
I didn't even realize that my body had moved until a hand around my upper arm stopped me from climbing down the stage to find her.
“Jongho, you can't.” It was Seonghwa hyung’s voice, and even though I knew he was right, I pulled against his grip. Only when another set of hands helped him to hold me back, they managed to navigate me from the stage and out of the building through one of the backstage doors. When the cold air hit me, I just dropped onto the stairs, a dry sob escaping me. “Sh- she was in the crowd there…y/n was- I didn't see her anymore-” 
My voice cracked, an icy feeling wrapped around my heart, my chest felt as if something coiled around it and squeezed all air out of my lungs. My hand was still clinging to my microphone, the little lucky charm that y/n made for me dangling from its end. I know that my eyes were aimlessly glancing around, it all felt like a blur of my vision, not able to make out a real thought aside of my worry for y/n. Well, that is until I noticed the Lightiny in the corner of my eyes. Y/n’s Lightiny. Holding my breath, I turned my head just a bit, another dry sob squeezed out between my lips when I saw that it was San holding it. He must have been standing with me all the time, because I could hear him thank someone for bringing it out to us and asking them to keep searching.
When he heard the sound I made, he sat down beside me, resting his empty hand on my shoulder, I could feel it squeeze comfortably. “Y/m, is she-” I whispered, my voice cracking once again, tears starting to sting in my eyes when San just shook his head. “Not yet. They found it with her stuff near one of the backstage doors. We hope that she slipped out and just hid backstage to calm down.” 
His words just increased my worries. What if she got pushed and got hurt physically? Did she maybe stumble and hit her head or worse? A quiet cracking sound got to my ears, but I didn't pay attention, only thinking about her. That is, until San's hand pried my hand open to release my microphone from it, I squeezed it hard enough to break it. I didn't even notice that a little piece of it had cut into my palm.
“Found y/n.” 
It was only quietly that I heard these words, my vision blurry as I stood up, almost knocking over San who was supporting me, because I must have swayed a little, when standing up, I got slightly dizzy from the sudden change of position. “T- they found her?” My voice still hoarse, I moved automatically, blinking quickly when I walked inside into the darker surroundings and out of the sunlight. San walked directly behind me, I could feel his hand on my back from time to time but when I saw her, I stopped. Seonghwa had his outfit jacket around her shoulders, speaking calmly at her. “Y/n…” 
She must've heard my voice, because y/n looked up and her eyes widened as she suddenly ran towards me. Her arms wrapping around my middle, I stumbled slightly backwards, falling onto my butt, pulling her with me. My own arms wrapped around her, I made sure to keep her on top of me, so she wouldn't possibly get hurt. I couldn't stop myself from hiding my face against her neck, just holding her close for now.
“Y/n…I- I was so scared-”
My voice cracked once again and I could feel her body being shaken by sobs, my hyungs just staring at me for what I had said. They never really witnessed me being scared, so this was a first for them. Behind us, I could hear Seonghwa telling San in a whispering voice, that they had found y/n in our backstage room where we had prepared, hiding under one of my coats that I wore on our way here. This actually let me chuckle a bit in between my own quiet sobs, of course she hid in the most obvious spot and yet no one found her for a while.
This day truly showed me what fear feels like, especially the fear of possibly losing the person who makes me whole. I had been so scared she could have gotten hurt or anything, that everything only felt like a blur for me. When I looked at her, I couldn't help but take her face in both my hands to kiss her, the first time I did so in front of anyone, but I didn't care. I was just so relieved that she was alright. 
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taglist: @mingis-mizu, @tinyelfperson
(if you want to be added to a taglist, follow the taglist-link in my pinned post)
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luciehercndale · 2 months
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A comment under something I wrote about Kell's childhood got me thinking about antari and how they are objectified. I also briefly touch on their boundaries and dynamics and parallels.
I want to believe that Kell's parents cared about his well being and that the only reason they surrendered him to the Maresh family was to protect him. Imagine if Kell had continued living with his biological parents. They were likely thieves on the run without a home and they probably lived on scraps. Once it would be known that Kell was antari, someone could've taken advantage of him, or worse. Someone could've attempted to kill him. Offering Kell to the king and queen would grant him protection, an education in magic. He wouldn't have to worry about eating and where to sleep. I don't think it was an easy choice for his parents, but they did it because they believed it would be for their son's good. They couldn't know that Kell would end up being dehumanized by his new "parents" and like a bird in a golden cage.
The main og antari and how their storylines reflect each other in different ways.
Holland is the representation of the life Kell would've probably had if his family wouldn't have surrendered him to the royals, and if he wasn't born in Red London. His brother and the woman he loved tried to end him and he had to murder them to survive. Then the Danes and then Osaron made him their pet by literally erasing his humanity by controlling him.
Lila's father sold her to pay a debt and he didn't care about her. But she didn't know she was antari, so her magic couldn't be exploited and this somehow was her luck. Lila could run away from her oppressors, and in theory, is what Kell and Holland both longed for. Freedom. (Side note: that's why Kell likes Lila so much but she also gets on his nerves - affectionately -. The things that come easily to her, are harder for him. And he gets a little irritated by this but I think she also inspires him to improve and believe more in himself.)
Lila is the only antari who wasn't objectified up to this point. She didn't let the black stone or others take control of her, unlike Kell and Holland. It isn't a question of power. This is more of a question of mindset/personality. Lila shares personality traits with Kell and Holland and so do they (and they're a trio of introverts). While the other two are still trusting and kind despite it all, Lila is selectively trusting and kind. She built strong walls around her to protect herself and this is probably why she could resist possession. Perhaps this is her strength. She is also vary and hardly lets people in. She has strong boundaries but she's is selective about them.
Having been treated as servants and not human beings, Kell and Holland do have boundaries but they waver. Kell tries hard to put boundaries but he sometimes loses the fight. Holland has his boundaries destroyed after he was possessed, so it's no wonder he doesn't know what boundaries are anymore. They knew that they needed to get away and could try to leave (they were powerful magicians, after all!) but at the same time, they didn't know how. Oftentimes, the person who lives in a toxic environment knows it's toxic but is unable to leave. Holland was teetered by an enchantment to the Danes and then to Osaron. Kell was bound by duty and by loyalty to Rhy, whom he didn't want to leave because he loved his brother. Rhy was the only reason for him to endure this treatment.
This is why, once again, when Lila appears in Kell's life, she is the catalyst for his growth and for his possibility to get away from the toxic environment he was in. And at the same time, Lila appearing in the story influences Holland's story too. And they also influence her personal growth, because Lila learns to trust people a little more. At the end of the series, their power come together to destroy the enemy, which is cool.
After seven years, things have changed a bit. Kell is free from his royal duties at the end of acol, but his magic is broken and he finds himself without purpose. I think of him as a broken vase that was fixed with a thread of silver just like Japanese do (but with gold) to embrace the philosophy that humans have flaws and they're not perfect.
Lila is more trusting and letting people in (albeit still selectively), and I think that these seven years weren't easy for her either. She was the last antari left (I don't think she counted Kosika because she was still a child and uhm, what did I say about Lila trusting strangers? Read that again lol). I think she felt a huge responsibility on her shoulders, especially because she didn't want to involve Kell in any of the things regarding antari and such (see, reason why she didn't tell him about Kosika either). She was also emotionally tested because of Kell. She was desperately looking for a way to help him but also tried not to show him how desperate she was because she didn't want to show her feelings so openly (vulnerability again).
Holland is haunting the narrative. If the ghost Kosika sees is the real Holland, because I have few doubts that he is the same Holland we know. He's doing to Kosika what was done to him, but in a softer way, because he quietly speaks to her and helps her, and only later she realizes that was the reason she knew how to use her powers. He is using Kosika to act as his vessel so she can finish what he started years before. There's an interesting parallel with Kosika and Tes and the antari but I need to reread Threads to analyze it better.
If you read until the end thank you! lmao and if you have questions please send because I like to talk about adsom
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littledata · 4 months
Note
in your new fic (love by the way) just wondered if you could elaborate what Ava and Bea discuss when they call each other and realise they’re gonna be a couple.
Really interested to know when they both realised and how Bea discussed the beach night to her?
Thanks if you can
“It’s stupid because it’s not here in front of me,” Ava says, grinning stupidly. She can't seem to wipe it from her face, her mouth doesn't seem capable of doing anything else. “Four months, oh my God.”
On the other end of the phone, she can hear the wind rushing past Beatrice, and she half feels like it might sweep through the line and blow her way. For years she's carried the weight of loving Beatrice and believing she couldn't - or wouldn't - love her back, has borne the endless cycle of soaring hope and crushing disappointment with relative dignity and minimal crying into Mary's shoulder.
Now that Beatrice has said it though (I feel very deeply for you - she'll relive those words again and again) she's sure she could float away with the slightest breeze.
"Did you - would you have said anything? If I hadn't..." She doesn't want to say 'got down on my knees and begged you to love me in the middle of a train station' although that's certainly how it had felt; how it felt driving home in Lilith's car wondering if Beatrice would ever look at her the same way again.
"I don't know," Beatrice tells her. "Maybe not. I felt very muddled about all of it. I tried hard to resist it."
"How long?" Ava asks greedily. Now that she's had a taste of Beatrice wanting her, loving her, she can't get enough, will gladly drink it all down and ask for more.
"Hm." Beatrice says. Ava can't see her but she knows Beatrice's noises and silences well enough to understand that she's thinking about it. She's found, over the years, that where her own emotions are often clear and straightforward to her, looming large over everything she does, Beatrice's tend to be more subtle, more textured. Often, she has to sort through them before she's able to express them at all.
"Do you know that lots of girls smoked at my school?"
Ava's brows furrow, confused by the apparent non-sequitur, "Huh?"
"I mean, that lots of girls smoked, and I always refused to join in them. I didn't like it, I thought it was smelly and unpleasant."
"You smoked with me," Ava reminds her, "The first time we met." Ava thinks of it often - wonders regularly the path her life would have taken if she hadn't sneaked out of the tour of the rich asshole boarding school and found Beatrice crying behind the kitchens.
She hears the smile in Beatrice's voice, "That's what I mean. You offered me a cigarette and I accepted, even though I never had before. I think I wanted to impress you."
"Impress me?" Ava lets out a startled laugh, "You're like, the most impressive person ever."
"We'll have to agree to disagree," Beatrice says, amused. Ava wishes very badly she could see her, pull her close. "But I think that's when it started - although I didn't know it then, of course. I only realised it in little bits over the years. Coastal erosion, you know."
"I know," Ava agrees. She's so in love with this ridiculous nerd. "You remember when you came to the hospital to see me? When you were in university and I took those - uh. Well, when I ended up in hospital, anyway. As soon as you walked in, everything felt better, and I just knew."
"That long?" Beatrice asks softly.
"Yeah, that long." Ava agrees. It isn't that she's spent the last ten years pining: she's had boyfriends, girlfriends, even fallen in love a couple times over. But quietly, in the very back of her mind, it's always been Beatrice. Just Beatrice.
"I'm sorry I didn't act sooner," Beatrice says regretfully.
"Don't be sorry," Ava tells her immediately. "Don't. We got here. I didn't think we ever would. That night on the beach trip I kind of felt like I'd fucked everything up, like we'd never be friends the same way again."
"I think if anyone fucked up then it was me." Beatrice sighs, "I felt like I'd taken advantage of your desire for physical affection."
Ava pauses, decides she isn't going to say it and then says it anyway. "So I did turn you on, right?"
"Oh God." There is a smothered laugh and Ava imagines Beatrice is covering her face with her hand, "Do we have to get into that sort of detail?"
"So that's a yes." The grin is back on her face and bigger than ever.
"It's a yes," Beatrice admits, "And I'm sorry I didn't handle it very well. I was embarrassed, I think. And angry with myself."
"Angry?" Ava asks, "Is the thought of me touching you that bad?"
"No, of course not." Beatrice is quick to correct her, "The opposite, really. I was angry at my own lack of self-control in maintaining the boundaries of our friendship."
"Hm." Ava considers this for a long time, "You know, you should probably go back to therapy."
"I'm going to allow that comment only because it's you."
There's something in the way that Beatrice says you that makes Ava's heart flutter and dance in her chest. She wants badly to hug her, pull in her and tell her it's okay, feel the warmth and the strength of her. She wants to touch her again and see if she can make her gasp, hold her hand and run her fingers through her hair.
And she can say it, now, doesn't have to keep it inside anymore. So she does. "I want to kiss you really bad right now."
Beatrice inhales a shaky breath. She says, "I want to kiss you too."
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coffeewritesfiction · 2 months
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Which Image - A Chzo Mythos fanfic
Title comes from the song Witch Image by the band Ghost. If there's interest I'll write more and explain to my followers what this game series is.
Apologies to the people who wanted to be tagged in this, Tumblr isn't recognizing your urls. I'll try to tag in a reblog. Also apologies to the British if my American ass screwed things up. I'll make edits as needed.
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London, 2015
In between the crackling thunder, a young man screamed in agony, sweet as the music of a harpsichord.
Footsteps pounded like the rain through the stolen, repurposed corpse of a building. An office, once, now a shell like any other mortal body. Down the many stairs the footsteps carried, sneakers squeaking wet on dirty tile. Down the stairs and through the halls, she ran.
Why the persistence? Too late, far too late, to save her friend. But the young woman resisted the obvious. Dark of hair and pure of heart, he could not harm her yet. He watched the sweat drip down her warm brown skin, how she brushed the strands of hair from her face. Standing, kneeling, struggling, suffering.
He watched and he wondered. Yes, he did wonder.
It'd been a strange choice, to offer up an American for a sacrifice, but Chzo was not a picky god. This young woman could not have looked more different from her light-haired friend. But in her eyes, a desperate fire burned, and looking away proved a challenge.
That fire… She reminded him of someone. How distasteful.
Of course, of course, too late for her friend. She opened the door to strangers standing over the remains. Of course, of course, too late for her. The cult would spare her, when they caught her, he would ensure it…
They did not catch her.
They did not even notice her, too consumed with their own escape. The Ministry agents closed in, fortune smiling upon them once again. She fled, they fled, and it had all gone wrong.
He could've been furious.
He could've been.
Instead, he stood upon the old building, his shadow stretching long in the light flashing overhead. He stood, and he watched her race into the darkness, her parcel, their parcel, clutched to her frail body.
He watched, and yes, yes he wondered.
She reminded him of someone… Cabadath wasn't sure he liked that.
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It'd been almost twelve hours before anyone realized the girl was gone. Far too late to save her life. The Order of Blessed Agonies worked fast. But so did Trilby.
The Order must've been desperate to prey on tourists. They had to have known who they were choosing. The accents on these kids weren't subtle. Five of them came overseas on spring holiday, bright eyed and oblivious. Three headed home tonight. The other two would follow in coffins.
“Trilby,” one of his supervisors said, “I know what you're thinking. Don't put yourself at risk to try and save this kid.”
“I'm already at risk,” he'd said. “What's a little more?”
“We need you alive - and so do they.”
And that was the thing, wasn't it? The Order wouldn't keep this girl, this Jillian Taylor Cortez, alive, but he couldn't say they'd do the same with him. Damned prophecies…
Her name was Jillian Taylor Cortez. She just turned 19. Mexican-American mother, British father. Got her middle name because the latter died before she was born, so said her friends.
She looked nothing like Simone Taylor. If she had, Trilby might've lost it again.
Twelve hours, they found the boy, or what was left of him. They'd followed the muddy footprints from the ground floor all the way to the altar. Trilby followed them back up, frowning. Pretended he didn't see the glances between the ones around him.
He had a hunch.
Just a hunch, but he'd been doing this for almost twenty years now. Just a hunch, he'd say later… but he'd been right before.
“Don't you dare!” Someone shouted at his back. “Damn it, Trilby! Get back here! It's not worth it!”
He ignored them, ignored the rain soaking his suit. Wasn't breaking the rules if nobody up top told you not to. Besides, he was just following a hunch. Just giving a quick check around the buildings. No harm in that.
No harm on her, when he caught her dead center in the light of his torch.
He stared at her and she stared right back, her eyes wide and hollow. The rain soaked her right through, plastering clothes to skin and hair to her cheeks. The bow in her hair, half undone. The fear in her eyes, too painful, too real.
Trilby raised a hand.
“Jill-”
She bolted.
“Wait! No!”
Trilby followed.
The kid knew how to run. Ran through the streets like the world was ending. Trilby kept up. He wasn't young anymore, he'd feel it for the next few days, but he kept up. So did the rain.
Only took a few wrong turns. She didn't know anything about the area - neither did he, to be fair. Was only a little bit of a surprise to find themselves in another alley, to come across the fence blocking their way. Was a very big surprise when the girl ran right for it.
“Jillian!” He shouted over the thunder. “Jill!”
Did she even hear him? She didn't stop. Lunged for the fence, one hand grasping the chain link metal. Trilby moved faster than her.
He grabbed her around the waist. She screamed. They both hit the ground, he let her go and she scrambled backwards. He shifted, sat up, looked her in the face again.
Terrified eyes, wide and wild. It wasn't just the rain soaking her cheeks, the spring weather shuddering her shoulders.
Trilby raised his hands.
“Jillian,” he said. “It's alright, Jill. I'm with the Ministry of Occultism. We're here to help you. I can't believe you're still alive…”
She breathed. She held the book in her arms tight. Book? He looked down at it. Heavy, large, leather bound. Some kind of writing on the cover.
Oh my God, he thought. Did she steal that from the Order?
Trilby looked up to her face again. Her eyes locked onto something over his shoulder.
Trilby jerked out of the way. The blade buried into the ground he'd stood moments before. Trilby moved, backed away as far as he could go, the blood draining from his face.
“Oh, hell,” Trilby said.
The featureless face of the Prince of Pain tilted towards him. Cabadath had not changed at all in the last twenty years. Bone chilling, even after all these years and all their meetings. Still ever the same, nine feet tall and dressed in black, the rain coursing down his long coat and leaving the fabric dry. The Prince straightened in slow motions, raising the four pronged scythe and resting it by his side.
Still the Prince stared at him, though he had no eyes to do so. He raised a hand and pointed to the girl.
Jill. She'd gotten out of the way just in time. Trilby couldn't risk looking away from the Prince for longer than an instant, Cabadath moved too fast, but she still breathed, standing against the fence. Her eyes, still wild, locked onto the terror between them.
Had Cabadath been chasing her too? The Prince had powers like no human ever could. Hallucinations were a favorite, Trilby knew that from experience.
The Prince waited.
Trilby took a breath.
“Jillian,” he said. “Give him the book.”
She did not move but her whole body shuddered with her breath.
“He's playing nice right now,” Trilby said, eyes locked on the Prince, “but he doesn't have to. You don't know what he's fully capable of, you've just seen part of it.”
Jillian did not move.
“There's nothing in that book that can help you,” Trilby said. “You don't want to get involved with this more than you have been. I don't know how you got it, but you need to give it back. Before he takes it from you.”
Her body shuddered. Jillian blinked, hard. The Prince did not move. He did not look away.
Her arms unlocked. She took another deep, shuddering breath. Holding the book in careful hands, she laid it upon the ground at her feet, and stepped away. And away. And away.
Trilby watched the Prince. He did not notice where the young woman moved to, until she stopped. Stopped between him and Cabadath, facing the Prince, her arms stretched out as if she could protect Trilby from the monster watching them.
Protect him from Cabadath. He wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or cry at the thought.
The Prince tilted his head. His gaze shifted towards the girl. Trilby placed a hand on Jillian’s shoulder. Cabadath’s shoulders shook, as if in silent laughter. But of course, no sound came from the Tall Man. They were not worth the effort.
Turning away from the mortals, Cabadath stepped toward the book. He knelt, and with one long free hand, picked it up. Turning fully back towards the two humans, he bowed a mocking thanks. Trilby set his teeth, held Jill's shoulder as she flinched.
As the Prince straightened, he vanished. The rain poured down over them and the tension disappeared from Trilby's body. Cabadath truly was gone. For now.
Jillian sobbed.
Trilby's focus snapped to her again. Shit.
“Jill?”
She placed her hand over her mouth as the sobs shook her body.
“Cal,” she whispered the name of her friend. “Cal, I'm sorry.”
He couldn't think of anything to say. Trilby wrapped an arm around her and pulled out his phone with the other. How long had it been ringing?
“Yeah?” He said. “Yeah, I'm alright. Yeah, we're both okay. I found the girl, she's alive. It's… it's a long story. I'll explain everything back at headquarters.”
Trilby held the young woman against his body as he led her back into the light. He glanced uneasy at the roofs above them, expecting a tall shadow staring down, but only the rain waited overhead, the drops falling down between her tears.
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lamemaster · 1 year
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Daughter-in-law of Feanorian Household (Maedhros x Reader)
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Summary: a glimpse of how do your in-laws see your relationship with Maitimo.
genre: fluff
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Some people are born to love, with the perfect recipe to find their other half. It's truly satisfying to witness their love. Even Tyelkormo, the gremlin of the Feanorian household, could see it. You and Nelyo were annoyingly good for each other. Every moment he witnessed you two together, he couldn't help but notice how beautifully the world shaped itself around you and his eldest brother.
Seated on the farthest couch, he observes as you follow Nelyo, trailing behind him with a befuddled look. Of course, his brother was late for court, again. "By Illuvatar!" Nelyo exclaims, one minute away from turning over the living room. "I swear I left my brooch here." The redhead is busy turning over the entire cabinet and you merely turn to wink at Tyelko, who remains mildly amused.
Tyelko watches as you walk to his mountain of a brother and gently turn him, whispering, "Here," as you open your fist with the brooch magically resting in it. "You forgot to take it off last night," you add as Nelyo returns to normal. Standing on your toes, you pull Nelyo closer, and for a moment, Tyelko wonders if he should leave, but he stops when you clip the brooch on Nelyo's cloak.
Tyelko can't help but witness the adoration in his brother's eyes, the soft look that melts with Laurelin's rays. For the next hour, he finds himself unable to move as he observes the subtle dance between you and Nelyo. It's as if you know his brother's needs better than Nelyo himself. His brooch, his papers, his quill, his satchel. Nelyafinwe's world revolves around you.
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Nerdanel quickly figures out that her eldest is sulking, but the realization leaves her gawking at an unfinished statue. Maitimo doesn't notice the change in her expression, and thank Illuvatar for that! By some miracle, Nerdanel doesn't drop her chisel.
"I mean I've already looked over all the arrangements for the month. I've finished my court duties. Yet, I can't go," Maitimo drapes himself over the nearest chaise.
It's barely been two days since you left to visit your parents, a visit that is supposed to last a month. A month that Nerdanel suspects won't come to fruition if left to her eldest. "I barely have anything to do, amil," Maitimo whines. He's whining! Nerdanel finds herself with a 500-year-old elfling moping next to her, all because he misses you. He came to her to complain or maybe hear the words he really wanted - a suggestion to visit you.
Ai, Maitimo. Nerdanel resists the urge to coo at her son. Her son has always been the responsible one, and to watch him like this...Nerdanel can't help but find it endearing. Today, she won't give him the satisfaction of the answer he craves. For now, she wants to enjoy watching her son act petulantly.
Maybe tomorrow she would 'suggest' him to visit you.
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The first time Maitimo brought Kano to meet you, he wore his best clothes. Kano, being a prince, had plenty of good tunics to choose from, so he carefully weighed the merits of each piece of clothing in his wardrobe the day before meeting you.
He had been excited to get an inside scoop on Maitimo's secret before any of his other brothers. Even his amil and atar had yet to find out.
But then, Makalaure met you in an unsuspecting garden, and a normal day turned into a life-changing event. He knew from the moment he met you that you were special to his brother and why.
You were kind and attentive, complimenting Kano on his tunic and listening intently to his compositions, praising every one of his songs. In Kano's eyes, you were the only one worthy of his brother.
Maitimo was all smiles, a contrast to his usual mid-day scowl. Kano noticed his brother's meticulously brushed and intricately braided hair, as well as the ruby hairpin holding your hair back. The lifted corners of his brother's mouth were enough indication that Maitimo was pleased. Immensely pleased must he add.
Even now, Kano can remember your shocked expression and Maitimo's flustered mumbling when he accidentally called you "nesa" at the end of your first meeting.
It didn't take long before you became Kano's nesa, his first sister-in-law, and the one he felt closest to.
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princesssarisa · 6 days
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I'm now reading another of Heidi Ann Heiner's fairy tale collections. Sleeping Beauties: Sleeping Beauty and Snow White Tales from Around the World. Since I enjoyed Cinderella Tales from Around the World so much, I couldn't resist opening another of Heiner's books.
The first part of the book is devoted to the different international versions of Sleeping Beauty, the second part to the different versions of Snow White. This is followed by other tales of "sleeping beauties" that don't fit nearly into either category.
We start with the medieval Sleeping Beauty prototype tales from the 13th and 14th centuries.
*The earliest known prototype of the Sleeping Beauty story is the Norse and Germanic legend of Brynhild (a.k.a. Brunhild, Brunhilda, Brünnhilde, or other variations). This legend first appears in the Poetic Edda, the Prose Edda, and the Volsunga Saga from 13th century Iceland. It also appears in the German Nibelungenlied (although that version doesn't include the enchanted sleep), and its most famous modern adaptation is in Richard Wagner's four-opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen. The figure of Brynhild also inspired the Marvel superheroine Valkyrie.
**The Sleeping Beauty-like portion of the legend is this. The beautiful and strong-willed Brynhild is one of the valkyries, the warrior maiden servants (and in some versions daughters) of Odin (or Woden, Wotan, etc.) who preside over battlefields and bring the souls of fallen heroes to Valhalla. But Brynhild disobeys Odin by saving (or trying to save) the life of a warrior who was marked for death. (The man's identity, why he was meant to die, why she defends him, and whether she succeeds in saving him or not varies between versions.) As punishment, Odin banishes her to the mortal realm, pricks her with a "sleep thorn," and places her in a castle (or just on a rock) surrounded by a ring of fire, condemning her to sleep until a man brave enough to venture through the flames arrives to wake her and become her husband. (In some versions, she has attendants and servants who all sleep along with her.) Many years later, the fearless hero Sigurd, or Siegfried, succeeds in passing unharmed through the flames and wakes Brynhild by cutting off her valkyrie armor (or in later retellings influenced by Sleeping Beauty, with a kiss). The couple doesn't live happily ever after, however: their further adventures and eventual tragic fates are a story for another day.
**Even though it's a well-known fact that in "the original Sleeping Beauty stories," the prince (or his counterpart) impregnates the sleeping heroine and she wakes after she gives birth, no such thing happens in this earliest proto-version. If we assume that this really is the Western world's first tale of a heroine in an enchanted sleep, then it seems as if that sordid detail was a later addition.
*Next in Heiner's book come several medieval French Sleeping Beauty tales, mostly from Arthurian romances. These are the tales where we first see the motif of the heroine's love interest raping her in her sleep and fathering a child. Since few of them have ever been translated into modern English, the book simply summarizes them instead of printing them in full.
**The best-known of these stories, which most resembles Sleeping Beauty as we know it today, is the tale of Troylus and Zellandine from Le Roman de Perceforest, an Arthurian romance from 14th or 15th century France. In this tale, a knight named Troylus loves a princess named Zellandine. Then learns that while spinning, Zellandine has suddenly fallen into a deep sleep, from which no one can wake her. With the help of a spirit named Zephir and the goddess Venus, Troylus enters the tower where she lies and, at Venus's urging, he takes her virginity. Nine months later, Zellandine gives birth to a son, and when the baby sucks on her finger, she wakes. Zellandine's aunt now arrives, and reveals the whole backstory, which only she knew. When Zellandine was born, the goddesses Lucina, Themis, and Venus came to bless her. As was customary, a meal was set out for the three goddesses, but then the room was left empty so they could enter, dine, and give their blessings unseen; but the aunt hid behind the door and overheard them. Themis received a second-rate dinner knife compared to those of the other two, so she cursed the princess to someday catch a splinter of flax in her finger while spinning, fall into a deep sleep, and never awaken. But Venus altered the curse so that it could be broken and promised to ensure that it would be. When the baby sucked Zellandine's finger, he sucked out the splinter of flax. Eventually, Zellandine and Troylus reunite, marry, and become ancestors of Sir Lancelot.
***This tale provides some answers for questions that the traditional Sleeping Beauty raises. In the familiar tale, the king, the queen, and their court know about the curse, so why do they keep it a secret from the princess? Yes, they avoid upsetting her by doing so, but the end result is that when she finally sees a spindle, she doesn't know to beware of it. Why not warn her? And why is there a random old woman in the castle, spinning with presumably the kingdom's one spindle that wasn't destroyed, and why, despite living in the castle does she not know about the curse? (It's no wonder that most adaptations make her the fairy who cursed the princess in disguise.) Yet in this earlier version, there are no such questions: no one except the eavesdropping aunt knows about the curse, because it was cast in private, so no one can take precautions against it. Another standout details is the fact that Zellandine's sleep doesn't last for many years, and that the man who wakes her already loved her before she fell asleep. Disney didn't create those twists after all!
**The other medieval French Sleeping Beauty tales are Pandragus and Libanor (where Princess Libanor's enchanted sleep only lasts one night, just long enough for Pandragus to impregnate her), Brother of Joy and Sister of Pleasure (where the princess isn't asleep, but dead – yet somehow the prince still impregnates her – and is revived by an herb that a bird carries to her), and Blandin de Cornoalha (a knight who, refreshingly, doesn't impregnate the sleeping maiden Brianda, but breaks her spell by bringing a white hawk to her side).
*All of these early Sleeping Beauty tales are just one part of bigger poetic sagas. Maybe this explains why Sleeping Beauty is fairly light on plot compared to other famous fairy tales (i.e. we're told what's going to happen, and then it does happen, and it all seems inevitable from the start). Of course one argument is that it's a symbolic tale: symbolic of a young girl's coming-of-age, as the princess's childhood ends when she falls asleep and her adulthood begins when she wakes, and/or symbolic of the seasons, with the princess as a Persephone-like figure whose sleep represents winter and whose awakening represents spring. That's all valid. But maybe another reason for the flimsy plot is that the earliest versions of the tale were never meant to stand alone. They were just episodes in much longer and more complex narratives.
@ariel-seagull-wings, @adarkrainbow, @themousefromfantasyland
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moonlightleafs · 7 months
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Introducing Spathi Eleftheriou (spah-th-ee eh-leh-f-theh-ree-oo), a Fire Emblem Three Houses OC for @fe-oc-week! It's been a hot minute since I tried to design an OC, and this is my first time for a Fire Emblem game (pls be nice im bby) (pls clap). It's been a lot of fun! They're def not a self-insert by any means, but they do share some aspects of my personality and ethnic background.
I know I'm super late to this, I felt so inspired by everyone's wonderful characters this year (esp @peachiehambo's Yoona and @wild-moss-art's Moss). Couldn't resist!!
More about Spathi after the cut!
Spathi hails from the seaside city of Alatisitou (ah-lah-tee-see-too) in southwestern Almyra, on windswept plains where wheat flows in golden waves, and scents of sage and marjoram carry forever on the wind.
They're the only child of a warm, close-knit family of farmers situated on the city outskirts, among the tumbling cliffs and endless highland valleys that eventually cascade down to the ocean. It's a fitting home for a kid born with dreams in their feet and salt spray in their hair; infinite possibilities and a wide, sun-soaked sky always offering new opportunities.
Growing up, they'd often be found spending their free time exploring the arcadian landscape, climbing through old ruins and cyprus groves, and occasionally ambling around the city proper to watch the sleek trading ships ply wares from far-flung lands.
They tend to be quiet and observant in public, but are extremely energetic, talkative, and personable with their friends, who would readily attest that Spathi is an indispensable one-person hype squad. You couldn't ask for someone better to gas you up when you're feeling down.
Their family grows wheat and olives in their humble fields and orchards for export and local sale. Spathi devotes themself to their family's well-being and works hard to ensure good harvests.
That's kinda all I've got so far, lol. Might add more to this later as other ideas come to mind! Some other broad stats for Spathi, in no particular order:
Their name translates to 'Sword of Freedom'
They're non-binary, their preferred pronouns are they/them and sometimes she/they
They're 19 years old when they enroll at Garreg Mach
They're 6'2" tall and are somewhat clumsy
They're passionate about breadmaking and all things bread-related
Their favorite flower is marigold
Their favorite spice is basil
Their favorite treat is mastic, a chewable resin from native trees with a bitter flavor that gives way to refreshing notes of pine and cedar (also delicious steeping into a cup of cool water!)
Their favorite tea is chamomile with a splash of wild honey and vanilla
They love to play the mandolin and pan flute, and they love to sing
They have a soft and sometimes raspy voice
They're a good sailor, though the family could never afford a ship larger than a catboat.
They fucking love boardgames dude!!!
At the academy, they have strong proficiencies with Sword, Faith, and Reason, and weak proficiency with Authority.
Anyway hope you like them!!
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