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#i wonder how many they’ll end up coming out with
oldhalloweentape · 19 hours
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🪨Venture (OW II) x (gn) reader ⛏️
(Love Language Pt. II Edition!)
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(Not my picture!)
(Here’s Pt. II, I’ll try to get a crack on the other pieces I’m planning on doing soon! For now, enjoy this!)
Their love language: Physical Touch, Quality Time, Gift Giving, and Words of Affirmation (Pt. I here!)
Gift Giving
- Alright so, we all know that presence of Venture is a gift itself, they also love giving you other gifts. This love language is the most obvious one when it comes to Venture, they just love giving things to people.
- And, you being their number one you’re no exception, you get the most stuff in all honesty.
- The amount of rock kids you guys have alone tells all you need to know.
- Their gifts specifically either hold a lot of sentimental value, or they saw it and went, “Yeah, reader would like that.”
- They take mental note of everything you like, even the littlest of things, like if you walk past a shop and something catches your eye, something unnoticeable for most, but to them? They’ll come back later to see if they can get it for you.
- Overthinks about what to get you when it comes to special gifts for the holidays, with Valentine’s Day, the day dedicated to stuff like this being the perfect example.
- They just want to give you something that you like, what you’d get use from however you see fit, and something that signifies how much they care for you and that’s reasonably a very hard thing to do.
- But also, they love receiving stuff from you in return, they do not care what it is, but the idea of you taking time to get them something is just so wonderful to them.
- Though it’s definitely a bonus if it’s based on the things they like, for example, new expedition tools, camping gear, hell even their favorite ice cream.
- Eventually, it gets to a point where you guys have specific spots at your places dedicated to some of the various gifts you’ve gotten each other and it is honestly the best.
Words of Affirmation
- Another obvious one, they’re a naturally very positive person and they just love to encourage people (besides Mauga of course), so obviously wouldn’t be weird to have uplifting words being thrown at you by them.
- There’s the usual “You’re doing great!” And “Keep it up, you can do it!”, but the more personal words of affection like “You did so well, I’m so proud of you mi vida!” Is understandably reserved for you.
- They take pride in being your partner and they make that abundantly clear by their words, and doing it right back at them is a great way of shooting an arrow in their heart and a lovestruck giggle from them.
- They have so many pet names for you in both English and Spanish, switching from both languages interchangeably, sometimes if they’re feeling overly excited they even end up changing from one language to the other in one sentence alone.
- The pet names are: Mi corazón, Sweetness, Mi vida, Amor, Babe, and other affectionate and personalized things but these five are the most used.
- If you guys work together, whether it be at Overwatch or as a fellow archeologist, I think alongside being encouraging and supportive of you they like complimenting and flirting with you. Mostly because physical PDA isn’t the place for both, they make do with being with you and fawning over you lol.
- That and they just love talking to you and getting your honest reaction to their honey-coated words.
- They just say anything that comes to mind, they don't see the point of refraining from doing so after all.
- Again, love letters are a part of this, scribbling down what they're feeling at the moment, and by the time it's done it's like affectionate word vomit.
- It doesn't matter though, they mean well and it's usually the cutest shit ever.
(Alright!! Here we are, Sloane is really bringing something out of me that is hellbent on being consistent for once and I gotta say, I like it. Hope you guys do too.)
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grave-st0ned · 8 months
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Y’ALL
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THEY JUST KEEP COMING I’M SO EXCITED
tell the me pair you’re most excited for (so far) in the tags, or if you’ve gotten any so far yourself !
*UPDATE 8/24 THESE ARE DROPPING FRIDAY 8/25 (TOMORROW) 9a PST!!!!!*
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steddieas-shegoes · 22 days
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Steve arriving at a hotel for a work conference for his dad’s company. He hates it there, he’s miserable, he’s constantly trying to figure out what he actually wants to do with his life.
It’s late when he gets there and the hotel is fully booked because of a concert happening.
He gets his key card after waiting for 30 minutes to check in.
He opens the hotel room door to find it is already occupied by a guy with a whole lot of tattoos all over his very naked and still dripping from a shower body.
Obviously he panics a bit and wonders how the hell this could’ve happened and Eddie panics a little because of safety (turns out he’s the singer of the band performing the following night!)
They try to call the front desk but the line is busy and Steve already dreads having to go back and wait in the line downstairs.
Eddie offers to let him just stay and they’ll fix it in the morning.
“Plenty of room in a king for both of us.”
Which may be true, but Steve is an octopus when he shares a bed and he knows he will end up in Eddie’s space. Should he warn him? Probably. Does he? Absolutely not.
Steve rushes through a shower and hops into bed, making small talk with Eddie about his life in a band, ignores questions about what he does as much as he can because he doesn’t feel like explaining he’s just a puppet for his dad’s never ending business career.
He falls asleep listening to Eddie’s soft, deep tone.
And of course when he wakes up, he’s got his legs and arms wrapped around Eddie anywhere he can reach. His drool is drying on Eddie’s chest and he’s coming to terms with the fact that his dick was definitely pressed against Eddie’s thigh.
Eddie’s kind enough not to say anything about it, just squeezes Steve’s arm and continues petting his hair.
It’s nice, too nice.
Steve has to get up. He’s got things to do today and if he’s late, his dad will hear about it and berate him for hours.
Shit, even if he’s on time he’ll probably find some other reason to berate him for hours.
“What’s wrong?” Eddie asked.
“Hm? Oh. Just don’t really wanna get up.”
“Then don’t. I don’t have anywhere to be until soundcheck after lunch.”
And now Steve has no choice but to explain his job and why he’s here, how his dad is relying on him to network and find potential mergers. How he hates putting on the Harrington face to please everyone.
It’s easy to admit it to Eddie, especially with Eddie’s arms wrapped around him, holding him like he could actually protect him from anything his father tries to say to hurt him.
“You don’t like your job.”
It’s not a question.
“Does anyone really like their job?”
“I do.”
“Well, you’re a rockstar. Of course you do. But I can’t be a rockstar.”
“Maybe not. But what is your rockstar?”
Steve had never been asked that, not even by guidance counselors in high school. They all knew he’d work for his father. He got a business degree for his father. He owned more suits than sweatpants for his father.
“I…don’t know.”
“Maybe you could try figuring it out.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“No, it’s not. But you could still try.”
So Steve sent a message to his dad’s partner, let him know he was fighting food poisoning from the in-flight meal and couldn’t make it to the conference today. He watched as Eddie threw on some clothes, mussed up his hair instead of brushed it, and quickly shoved his things into his bag.
“I should get out of your hair, try to get the room thing fixed.”
Eddie looked at him, looked at the alarm clock by the bed, down at Steve’s bag.
“How many days are you packed for?”
“Uh, four, technically. Trip was supposed to be three, but I always have an extra in case there’s flight delays or-“
“Come with me.”
“To…soundcheck?”
“On tour.”
Steve was an idiot, his father made sure he knew it as often as possible. But he couldn’t just go on tour with a stranger.
Could he?
What was he really doing here?
He hated his job, hated his dad, hated not having a clear path in front of him.
And this certainly wasn’t a clear path; He barely knew this guy, and hadn’t even heard his band. But it was a trail, the start of a path that could lead him somewhere he’d actually like to be.
Maybe he could take this chance.
Robin would tell him to do it, if she weren’t in Antarctica studying penguins for three months, only able to call once a week to check in.
What would she say if she called him and he was backstage at a heavy metal concert?
She’d probably say he’s lost his damn mind, but she’d be glad he did.
“Well, I am a rockstar. I could afford to have you around.”
“I’m not sure I could really afford to when my dad fires me,” Steve sighed, reality hitting him a little too quickly.
“I’m not really willing to be, like, your kept boy or anything,” Steve felt himself flush.
“I’m not really willing to have a kept boy,” Eddie smirked, joining him on the bed again, legs crossed in front of him. “But I’d definitely be happy to have someone who can help our tour manager out. You’d be working, though the jobs kind of boring.”
“More boring than sitting in an office five days a week and meeting with old white dudes who haven’t done anything but work their lives away for 40+ years?”
“Nah, way better than that. Sometimes you’ll have to deal with Gareth’s moods, but I promise to make it worth your while.”
“How’s that?”
“I’ll leave that up to you,” Eddie very obviously checked him, eyes trailing over Steve’s bare chest. “I’m open to negotiating.”
“And if I want a kiss?”
“Then a kiss you’ll have.”
“And if I want you to fuck me?”
“Then you’ll have to sign some paperwork,” Eddie laughed. “But that can be arranged too.”
So Steve left with Eddie, four days of clothes in his bag, no idea what he’d even tell his dad or anyone else, and no clue exactly what his new job would entail.
All he knew was Eddie seemed to be made just for him, chaos and hyperactivity included, and Steve wasn’t gonna give that up now. Even if it made no sense, even if it was ridiculous to gain a new job and new rockstar boyfriend in less than 24 hours, even if his next call with Robin was a combination of her yelling about his impulsive behaviors and congratulations for finally doing something for him.
Even if he was more of a VIP groupie for the band than an employee of the tour manager.
Steve finally found something he wanted.
If he sent his dad’s calls to voicemail, that was because he was too busy walking his new path.
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thoughts-of-bear · 1 month
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The birthday gift
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A Halsin x reader fanfiction | Explicit, 18+ | 7k words A/N: Okay since the Halsin brainrot has had its hold on me for ages, I started this fic on my birthday in december, not expecting to ever finish it because I have literally never finished anything I've started writing before- until now. I got inspired to write this by this post (for the birthday part, the smut part is my own horny imagination) and well, this is the final product. Since it's my first time publishing any of my writing and writing smut at all, please be kind with me XD Summary: Your companions prepare a surprise birthday party for you, Halsin sees you in your new dress, you two dancing leads to him confessing his feelings for you and a very happy ending... CW: halsin x f!reader, virgin reader, halsin eating pussy, fingering, p in v sex, breeding, rough sex i guess, halsin being the man he is, all that stuff idk what to write here really
I hope you enjoy it, comments and reblogs are very much appreciated <3
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You and your companions had finally reached Baldur’s Gate. It’s still morning when you enter Rivington that day and the streets are busy with all kinds of people, many seemingly refugees from Elturel and farther away, here to find shelter in the city. As you continue down the road to the village in front of the city gates, you are stopped by a little red-headed girl.
“Erm. ‘Scuse me, I can’t find my mum.” She looks worn out and as if she has recently been crying.
“Where did you last see her?” you ask as you bend down to her, smiling to show you want to help.
“She went to go get some herbs - for her spots” she gestures towards her face. “She was sick. And she was supposed to come back the same day.” She pauses before adding, “That was last tenday though.”
“Let’s go find a guard. They’ll be able to help you”, you propose.
The girl shakes her head. “Guards blow like petards. They don’t help us.”
Your heart sinks at these words. It seems all these people were here because the city wouldn’t take them in. And the guards are no help either, apparently. You wonder what happened to your city, where once everyone was welcome.
Halsin sighs and shakes his head in disapproval. “This city is a poor place to be in need of help. Even the guards can’t be trusted to protect the most vulnerable.”
You silently agree and think of how you could help that girl. You decide to spare a few coins, so she can buy herself some food.
“I don’t know where your mum is, but here - take a few coins”, you offer her, not able to tell her that her mother is most likely dead. Halsin smiles at you warmly as you shoot him a quick glance, the sight making your heart skip a beat.
“Oh - erm. Thank you so much! I don’t have anything and you can’t do anything without any coin”, the little girl exclaims, bobbing on her toes and suddenly looking a little less tired. “I’ll pay you back. When I find my mum.” She turns around and bolts. “No need, it’s a gift!” you call after her but she has already vanished in the crowd.
You finally arrive at Wyrm’s Rock Crossing in the evening, after you had snuck past one of the new city guards - the so-called Steel Watch - and promised to investigate the murder of the local Ilmater priest. Another incident that seems to fuel the hate towards the refugees.
And that isn’t even all. The city is closed, even for you as a Baldurian, and to get in you’d need an Admission Pass - or wings. You sigh. You just want to get into the city, rent a room in the Elfsong and think about what to do next, now that the Absolute’s army must soon be upon the city.
It’s all too much and too little time. And you can’t just turn away from the people you met in Rivington either, they need help just as much as you need to find out how to beat the Absolute’s Chosen and get rid of the tadpoles.
When you make your way around camp that evening, checking up on your companions, Halsin notices your exhaustion, the way you slump your shoulders and how your usually impeccable stance falters. He wants to relieve you of at least a bit of the tension, so when you walk over to him, he offers you a massage. The things he wants to say to you can wait until tomorrow.
“Thank you, Halsin”, you accept, his hands turning you around and gently pushing you down to sit on your knees before him. You sigh as his broad hands knead the tension from your back and by the time he is finished, you feel like a sleepy, boneless lump of flesh, muscles completely relaxed. You thank Halsin again before you retire to your bedroll, the hopeful thought that the offer might’ve been more than Halsin’s usual kindness crossing your mind before you drift off to sleep.
The next evening, you were finally inside the city walls. You consider the new information of the day. How you got your hands on an invitation to the celebration at Wyrm’s rock fortress, your disbelief to see that it was Lord Gortash’s coronation as Arch Duke, how he made the tadpoled Duke Ravengard give up his power and how Bane’s Chosen then proposed an alliance against Orin, the shapeshifter that had already approached you in Rivington. You had agreed to kill her, but you definitely wouldn’t leave Gortash his Netherstone. But that is a problem for another day. You had managed to get a room in the Elfsong Tavern and as usual you make your way through it to hear what your companions think of all that had happened today. Most approve of your decision. Halsin is the last person you speak to and as always, he has just the right words to ease your worries. For now, at least.
“Wait-”, he grabs your arm before you can leave. “I didn’t thank you yet.” His large hand is warm and makes your skin tingle where it touches you.
“Thank me? For what?” He chuckles at your puzzled look. “For all that you did in Rivington yesterday. You have so many worries and yet you still go out of your way to help those in need. The way you made that little girl smile, or how you didn’t hesitate to investigate what happened to that Ilmater priest.” A blush creeps up your cheeks as he continues. “I’m afraid Nature’s balance can never be restored in a city like this, but seeing what you do every day without expecting anything in return gives me hope. And for that I thank you.” You smile up at him, lost for words with your heart beating fast.
“I appreciate you saying this. I wish I could to more, to help everyone, but if I can at least do a little good, it’s worth the exhaustion at the end of the day”, you eventually admit with a smile. Halsin grins. “You’re too modest. I wager you don’t even know how extraordinary you truly are.” Your cheeks blush an even deeper red at those words and only when you retire to bed for the evening does your heart resume its normal pace again. But the warm feeling Halsin’s presence gave you remained for the night.
After you had the first proper breakfast since your crash with the Nautiloid, you feel ready to explore the city and find out how to best deal with all your problems. You hadn’t particularly missed the bustle and noise of your old home, but you can’t help feeling safer now that you were in familiar surroundings again.
Gale proposed to go to Sorcerous Sundries, both to find out more about the Elderbrain’s crown and to see what the wizard there wants with your companion Nightsong. Since you don’t have an idea where to find Orin yet, you figure that this is as good as any other thing you could be doing. 
The way from Elfsong to the magic shop isn’t far and you still have some time before it opens, so you decide to stop by the Baldur’s Mouth Gazette to update yourself on any news you had missed in your absence and struggle with the Absolute.
Scanning the title page, you notice the date in the corner and your brows shoot up in surprise. Noticing this, Gale asks if you found anything important in the newspaper.
“No, it’s just that I realised today is my birthday and I've completely forgotten about it. That means we have been on the road for more than two months already”, you wonder aloud before you add, “It doesn’t feel that long.”
“Well, then we have to celebrate of course!” Gale exclaims happily. You smile at his enthusiasm but shake your head. “We have bigger problems for now. Let’s see what this Lorroakan wants with Dame Aylin and then get on with our business. Besides,” you shrug, “we didn’t celebrate birthdays in my monastery anyways so I won’t miss anything.”
“If you say so,” Gale replies and you turn your attention back towards the page you were studying before.
You had already forgotten about the conversation as you come into your chamber in the Elfsong, grateful for the few minutes alone during the bath you had taken and the respite for your tired body.
But the moment you enter the room, Karlach and Shadowheart drag you to a set dinner table, laden with the most delicious food you could imagine. There aren’t your ordinary fish heads and the mouldy bread you usually have to call supper, instead delicious smelling pork roasts, pies, glazed carrots and potatoes, deep red apples and more pile atop the table, all lovingly placed around a huge flower bouquet in the middle of it.
You are so overwhelmed by the amount of work your friends must’ve put into this, that you can only stutter a ‘thank you’ before Karlach announces, “Happy birthday soldier! Halsin, Gale and Shadowheart here told us that today is your birthday and you never had a proper party before, so we decided to prepare you a little something!” With a grin she gestures from the table to one of the unoccupied beds, where a few packages are placed.
“You brought me presents too? You really didn’t have to!” you exclaim in surprise. You are so touched that your friends -among all the trouble- still found time to prepare the presents and this party for you that you feel tears well up in your eyes.
“Darling, no need to cry,” Astarion laughs as he pushes you onto your designated chair. “This is a party and not a funeral! Go ahead and enjoy yourself, it’s your special day after all!”
With a sniff and a small chuckle at Astarion’s words you sit down properly. He is right, of course, and you all clearly enjoy having a small break from the worries you faced at the moment.
Smiling hesitantly, you grab some meat and vegetables and start to eat - it really is delicious. You revel in the laughter and conversations with your friends, your weariness from todays fight forgotten for the moment.
When all of you can’t possibly eat any more, Karlach drags you over to the bed with the presents. You can tell she is excited to see if you like the few things your companions managed to get you in the time they had for preparing, so you start unpacking.
The first present contains a book on the monastery you were raised in, with a handwritten note from Gale:
“I’m sure you already know most information this book has to offer, but I thought it might still bring you comfort and remind you of home.” You thank him with a tight hug and carefully place the book into your bag.
The next package is a bottle of the finest liquor of the Elfsong Tavern, plus a sparkler for every one of your companions which Karlach sets of immediately.
Laughing at her shenanigans, you reach for the last and biggest present. It is wrapped in red paper and decorated with a little white bow. You wonder where your companions had managed to find all those things while you carefully pull the paper open. Soon a dress falls out of the packaging and you gaze at it in awe. Your fingers trace the deep forest green fabric, intricate silver and gold patterns weaved into it.
“This is beautiful, thank you, truly!” you say earnestly. You still can’t quite believe that all this should be for you. “I thought you would like it”, smiles Shadowheart. “And I’m certain it will suit you beautifully. Go now - try it on!” she urges you.
You walk to the bathroom which still smells of the quince-scented soap you had used for your bath a few hours before. While changing, you bask in that warm feeling in your chest these moments among your friends always grant you. Whatever problems you had encountered, in your opinion they have all been worth it just for the people you found and let into your heart along the way. As cheesy as that sounds.
You regard yourself in the mirror. The dress is cut low and close-fitting, capturing your cleavage in a very flattering way. Maybe too flattering, if you think about it too much. This isn’t something you’d usually wear, but you have to admit that you like the way the dress looks on you. A bit insecure you go back into your room, where you are greeted with approving cheers and whistles from your friends.
“You look absolutely stunning”, Shadowheart admires. “I knew it would look good on you! Turn around please”, she commands. You do what you are told, with red cheeks at the compliment.
When you face Shadowheart again, you notice Halsin gazing at you with pure admiration - and something else you can’t quite place. You think you notice a golden shimmer in his eyes, but that could be a trick of the light considering all the candles in the room.
“I must admit, your neck looks very tempting in that dress but I know someone who is a lot hungrier for you than me right now”, Astarion remarks with a wicked grin and a sideward glance. You frown at him, though you can’t help your heart skipping a beat at these words. Could he possibly mean Halsin?
“Now, what would a party be without some music and dance?” Wyll interrupts your thoughts and as if these words have summoned her, the bard the party had met in the druid grove appears in the doorway.
“Alfira!” you exclaim happily and immediately rush over to hug her. “I’m so glad you got to Baldur’s Gate alright!”
Alfira grins at you. “Yes, thanks to you and your friends here. When they reached out to me today and told me it was your birthday, I just had to come! Wyll organised everything.” You nod to him in thanks. “Now, I don’t have anything to give you but just tell me what you want to hear and I will play it for you!”
“Thanks, Alfira, that’s more than enough for me”, you beam and lead her into the room towards your group. “Wyll, now is your chance to show me your dancing!” You say as you take his hand and pull him into the middle of the room, then you grab Karlach and Gale and start to move to the tune Alfira started to play. Karlach swirls you around and Wyll shows you the dance moves from court, which -to be honest- remind you a bit of the mating dances you had seen with a few bird species.
Out of breath from all the dancing and laughing, you request a slower tune from the tiefling bard. You manage to persuade Shadowheart to put away her wine for a moment and start to waltz around the room with her. She is quite the good dancer and you wonder where she had learned it, with her being raised in a Sharran temple and everything.
At the next tune, you approach Halsin. With your head light from the wine, you have finally gathered the courage to ask him for what you have secretly thought about the whole time.
Still, you can feel your heart beating in your throat. “Erm…Halsin, w-would you honour me with a dance?” you eventually manage to mumble out shyly.
“Of course, little flower. Whatever your heart desires.” That particular heart skips a beat at his intimate tone. “Although you might wish you hadn’t asked me that once you’ve seen my dancing”, he adds with a chuckle as he takes your hand.
He leads you into the room and starts to swirl you around to the melody of Alfira’s lute. He definitely isn’t as graceful as Shadowheart but certainly not as bad as he has made it sound. But even if he’d had the dancing skills of a bugbear, you wouldn’t have noticed. His large and warm hand around your waist and the smile with which he regards you sends your pulse through the ceiling. His smell of pine and honey and fresh air intoxicates you and it is hard to keep your feet from getting tangled in your dress.
When he leans down to you, you have to remind yourself to keep breathing. “Before you go and mingle again, I still have a present for you. I wasn’t sure if you would even like it”, he admits, “but I have decided to give it to you anyways.” When the tune ends, he leads you to the space in your room where his bed stands and bends down to search his pack.
You think about how long it took you to realise how attracted you are to the druid as you admire his strong back before you. Of course, you have noticed his kindness and compassion and you have always marvelled at the way he drew strength from nature. But only since you had some kind of break these last days have you begun to understand the depth of your affection for the man before you. It runs deeper than mere friendship and the echo of his hands on your back have awoken a hunger inside you that only grows stronger the more you look at Halsin. How desperately you hope that he feels the same way about you…
When he stands up to turn around, you quickly brush away the thought that has sent the heat into your cheeks again.
“You’re the only one who knows of my secret passion”, he begins jokingly, “so I thought you might accept this as my present for your special day.” He hands you a small whittled duck he has apparently made in the hours you were away from camp. You can’t help but tear up at the thought of how much effort he has put into all the details he has carved. There are even small webbed feet on the underside of the little duck.
“Thank you Halsin, this is an amazing gift!” You smile down at the little duck. “You are amazing”, you add quietly.
“With all that you have done for me, I should be the one thanking you night and day.” As you look into his eyes again you see that his gaze is now very solemn. “There was another reason for wanting to speak to you privately. I have lived a very long time. I have taken many lovers. My heart does not stir lightly. But it does now.” Your heart flutters in recognition of his words, the confession sending sparks across your skin.
“I want more than to fight at your side, or to sit around the campfire with you. I want to lay with you under the stars and feel your skin against mine.” Halsin’s gaze on you is intense, filling your chest with a burning heat that slowly spreads lower into your belly, as if the wine you have been drinking suddenly caught on fire inside of you.
Halsin continues, “I think you feel the same way - but tell me I’m wrong and the matter can rest. I do not wish to sour our friendship, but I have to know if it can be something more.”
You stare at him for a moment before you realise that he waits for your answer.
“Y-you’re not wrong, far from it”, you whisper. “I would like that very much.” You smile up at him and he takes your hand in his.
“May I kiss you?” he breathes out, relieved. You nod and he bends down to gently press his lips on yours.
His hand slides up your arm and to your back while he places his other behind your head, gently pulling you closer and deepening the kiss.
You feel his tongue prodding at your lips, demanding entrance and you happily oblige. The feeling of his soft lips on yours sends you spiralling and you can’t stifle the small moan that escapes you. Halsin sends out a silent prayer to Silvanus - if that is all it takes to make you moan, what sounds do you make when he finally gets to taste you? Groaning, his hand on your back slowly wanders lower, a silent question of permission in his eyes. You press your body against his as an answer, feeling the heat radiating off his chest … and lower.
Halsins hand grips your ass firmly, making you gasp, the other joining in and hoisting you up on his hips, turning you both around and pressing your back to the wall. You cannot stop the surprised squeak that escapes your lips at the sudden movement and Halsin presses his mouth on yours to stifle it.
The feeling of the growing bulge in his pants between your legs and the low moan Halsin utters before kissing you even more vigorously sends a shiver down your spine, pressure starting to build between your thighs.
In a desperate attempt to pull him closer, your hands grip Halsin’s hair, arms, everything you can reach. But before you can lose yourself in him, Halsin releases your lips, panting, and rests his forehead against yours.
“I would very much like to continue”, he whispers, his breathing ragged and voice hoarse with desire, “but the others will expect us back and I think you would probably like a bit more privacy.” He sighs and softly kisses your hair. “I will come to your bed when the party has ended, little flower. But don’t expect much sleep”, he adds with a wicked grin. You can only nod as he gently props you back on your feet.
With your head spinning, you get back to the others, averting your eyes from the knowing smirks of Astarion and Shadowheart noticing your ruffled hair and flushed cheeks. You ignore them, trying to engage in some more conversation and one or two dances while the thought of what awaits you won’t leave your head.
When the last of the party finally bids you goodnight, you hurry to bed, awaiting Halsin. You can’t get away from the echoes of his hands on your body, heart already racing again and warmth blooming in your belly. Even if he hadn’t promised you he’d come tonight, you would’ve been unable to sleep.
A soft rustle next to your ear startles you from your thoughts and as you turn your head, you could make out Halsin’s large figure in the dark, crouching beside your bed.
He cuts you off from what you wanted to say by placing a finger on your mouth, his other hand sliding under your back and pulling you into an upright position. With your heart beating into your throat, you take the hand Halsin offers as he gently beckons you to follow him into the corridor outside of the room the party shares, then further into a small but cosy bedroom on the next floor.
The door closes with a click and before you can say anything, Halsin sweeps you up into his arms, pressing you flat against the door and capturing your lips in a kiss that feels like it burns you from the inside.
Halsin’s fresh, earthy scent floods your senses as your tongues intertwine and your hands find their way into his hair, tugging at his braids. You whine when Halsin lets go of your lips, only to gasp as he starts nibbling and placing searing kisses on your jaw while his hands squeeze your ass firmly, bringing your bodies as close together as possible.
You moan at the growing ache between your thighs but plant your small fists against his shoulders anyway, gently pushing him away a bit. Halsin’s eyes, pupils wide and dark with desire, find yours.
“What is it my heart?” he asks, voice hoarse. “Do you want me to stop?” You see no disappointment in his gaze, only worry and your heart swells at how selfless your lover is. You avert your eyes, suddenly embarrassed to tell what troubles you.
“I- I j-just wanted t-to say that … um … well, I- I have never been with someone before”, you mumble eventually, averting your gaze as you blush furiously.
“Silvanus, preserve me”, Halsin groans out before almost dropping you and stumbling backwards, trying to steady himself on the small desk opposite the bed. With wide eyes you regard what is happening before you. Halsin drops to his knees, a deep animalistic growl coming from his lips as his eyes fill with golden light and he transforms into his huge bear form.
You gasp and nearly trip over your feet in an attempt to make room for the bear before you, but the animal fills almost the entire chamber. After finally regaining his composure, Halsin manages to change back into his elf form, with a snarl and a ragged breath coming from his lips.
“Forgive me. I- lost the run of myself.” He shakes his head in disgust at his outbreak, terrified that he has ruined this precious moment with you before it could properly begin, and slowly gets back to his feet. “Sometimes, when blood runs hot enough, it’s difficult to tame the beast. And the thought of you trusting me enough to share your first time with me … well, you saw what happened”, he smiles tentatively, slowly approaching you again with hesitation in his eyes.
“Don’t apologise”, you assure him with a shy smile. “I like it.” If possible, you blush even harder now. “Maybe for another time…?” you add, fidgeting nervously with the front of your dress.
A relieved grin spreads over Halsin’s face. “You like it..?”, he chuckles. “You are full of surprises, little flower.” As he steps forward, he bends down to gently plant a kiss on your cheek, only to proceed to bite at your earlobe which elicits a delicious moan from you.
“I’m glad you think so, but now you’ve made it even harder for me not to outright devour you”, his low voice whispers in your ear. “Nevertheless, I will be gentle. Or at least I’ll try to be.” You swallow hard, arousal sending shivers down your spine.
Halsin’s arms wrap around your waist again as he kisses your jaw, your forehead and nose, until eventually his lips find yours again, his tongue ravaging you like a man starving. His hands, this time directly shoving under your dress, firmly grip your thighs. He ruts against you, growling, his now rock-hard cock pressing against the confinements of his clothing.
His fingers trail higher up, kneading your ass, then stroking the soft skin of your back before slowly wandering even higher. His touch sends jolts through your body and you can feel the heat between your legs, already nearly too much to bear.
His eyes hold an unspoken question and when you nod, Halsin lifts your dress off and brings his mouth down on one of your breasts, the hand that’s not on your back now gently kneading the other, massaging the hardened nipple between his fingers. You mewl at the sensation, impossibly more pressure building between your thighs. Halsin gently bites down at your breast, only to run his tongue over it afterwards to soothe the mark he made. You moan and arch your back, desperately trying to press closer against Halsin’s still overly clothed erection, wanting to feel everything of him.
He growls and his mouth begins to place kisses down your front, between your breasts, on the soft flesh of your belly until he is on his knees before you, his warm breath fanning over you and flooding you with heat.
“More?” he asks, his pupils blown wide with lust, as his thumbs brush the soft skin between your legs. “Please”, you whine, knees almost too weak to stand and your underwear already embarrassingly soaked.
Halsin wastes no time, pressing kisses on the insides of your thighs, his one hand holding you in place and his other slowly -too slowly- sliding your panties down your legs. The sight of you bare and dripping with need before him almost makes him lose control again, makes him want to take you, devour you, fuck you, mark you and then fill you to the brim with his cum but with a groan he wills himself to calm down and be gentle with you. He won’t hurt you. He won’t.
He exhales deeply, lifting one of your legs up and slowly swiping his tongue through your wet folds, which earns him a choked gasp. His nose nudges your clit as his tongue starts stroking, slowly at first, then faster and with more pressure. You can’t help the way each expert swipe of his tongue makes your hips buck into his mouth as countless moans and sighs fall out of your mouth. Halsin growls in response, the vibrations around your sensitive bud making your legs shake. You can barely keep up and the coil in your belly is tightening ever faster with Halsin’s mouth sucking your clit and his tongue inside you.
“You are sweeter than honey, my heart”, he groans as his tongue presses flat against you. “Let me taste you as you come undone on my tongue.” With your mind clouded with lust, all you can do is moan out Halsin’s name and press yourself further against your lover’s mouth.
With a wicked grin, Halsin inserts a second finger into your quivering hole, pushing inside over and over again, holding you firmly in place as you try to writhe away from the intense pleasure. His fingers coil upwards in response, hitting a spot inside you that makes you see stars.
He understands anyway, now slowly dragging a thick finger through your dripping folds until he stops, teasingly pressing against your entrance. You whine, begging him to fill you, to do anything to release the overwhelming pressure between your thighs. When he finally thrusts into you, you can’t stifle the cry of pleasure that escapes your mouth. With Halsin’s finger now working your cunt open, his mouth continues its ministrations, licking and sucking your clit, soaking your legs with your slick.
“Please Halsin…”, you beg, toes curling and legs shaking, “I’m close- I- Oh!“
Moaning into your cunt, Halsin picks up his pace, his fingers pumping in and out of you as his tongue swipes over your clit again and again, bringing you closer to your end.
One more thrust with his fingers and a soft nip of his teeth against the sensitive bud between your legs is all it needs to send you spiralling over the edge. “Ha- Halsin!” you cry out, hips jerking violently and fingers digging into his shoulders as your orgasm hits you with the force of a lightning bolt. He moans at the sensations of your walls contracting around his fingers, the urge to take you and feel you squeeze his cock with your needy cunt almost overwhelming him.
You whine when he pulls his fingers out and stands up, bringing you in for a passionate kiss as you still struggle to regain your breath. Tasting yourself on Halsin’s tongue pulls a small moan from you and an embarrassed heat creeps up your back at the thought of how aroused you already are again.
With a smile, Halsin pulls away. “You are amazing, little flower”, he whispers breathlessly as he picks you up and gently places you on the bed, admiring your flushed body.
If Halsin’s tongue hadn’t just turned your mind to goo, you might have been able to return that compliment, but alas-
“May I go further?” Halsin asks and when you nod he swiftly discards of his clothes, you licking your lips at the sight of the elf naked before you. Your eyes take in his form, from his muscled arms down to the soft curve of his belly and- oh gods. Your eyes widen. You didn’t think he would be that big and the thought of him filling you makes you gulp down a mixture of fear and arousal.
Attentive as always, Halsin notices your insecurity and bends down to press gentle kisses against your ear. “We don’t have to do this, my heart…”, he whispers while he rubs soothing circles into your hips. He looks at you, his expression earnest. You bite your lip, thinking for a moment before answering. “N-no, I want this”, you assure him, your voice still weak but pleading now. The way you look so sweet with your little fangs on your lips makes Halsin feral and he kisses you again, desperate and more passionate this time. He groans into the kiss as he gently spreads your legs for him, lining up his tip with your dripping slit and sliding through your soft folds before stopping just at your entrance. The sensation of his hard length so close to entering you is enough to make your head fall back, eyes squeezed shut. “If it’s getting too much, tell me and I will stop immediately”, he whispers soothingly. “Now relax for me, little flower.”
All thoughts leave your head as Halsin slides in, agonizingly slow. The stretch would be painful if your lover hadn’t prepared you so thoroughly beforehand, but now you only feel pure bliss. Raising your head, you can see that he isn’t even halfway in but gods, you feel so full already that you can’t stifle the choked gasp that escapes your throat.
“You’re doing so well, my heart. Just a little bit more- mngh-!“ Halsin’s growl sends jolts through your spine as he finally bottoms out. You can see just how much effort it takes him to hold back by the way his jaw tenses and his chest is heaving.
“By Silvanus, you’re so tight-!“ A shiver crawls down his back, carrying a wave of soft golden light with it, as Halsin’s eyes light up with his magic for a moment. The thought of how you are able to bring your lover to the precipice of losing control is extremely flattering and you feel yourself clenching around Halsin’s cock, making him grunt in response. Finally somewhat accustoming to his size, you arch your back into the mattress below you. The new angle makes you moan in pleasure as you grip the sheets for support.
“Are you still feeling good, little flower?”, Halsin asks as he slides a hand from your hip under your back to support you. You can only form one thought. “More- please Halsin!” you whine desperately. You don’t have to ask twice, with a low growl he slides out - just to knock the breath out of you with his first, hard thrust. He sets a steady pace, one that leaves you moaning and gasping out his name. Halsin takes your small hands into his, pressing them into the bed beside you to pin you down, pushing into you deep and slow while he places bites and kisses on your throat and chest that will surely leave marks come morning.
Gods, Halsin thought. The sight of your small body sprawled beneath him, split apart by his thick cock while he fucks into you relentlessly is driving him insane. He is growling with every thrust now and each one of them makes you cry out in pleasure. It doesn’t take long until he has you on the precipice of release again, your cunt fluttering around Halsin’s length.
“H- halsin- please! I’m so close!” you can only beg, not sure if you can take much more, your body feeling like it might explode. “Come for me, my heart”, Halsin demands in a gravelly voice before pressing a thumb to your clit, rubbing and massaging until his name leaves your lips in a hoarse cry as your orgasm hits you with full force. Your hips jerk upwards, walls clenching around Halsin as you notice the tears from the overwhelming pleasure streaming down your face. He continues to pound into you, prolonging your release and muttering praises for you under his breath.
Through the fog in your mind you wonder how Halsin still has the energy to keep going, his pace unwavering while you are completely spent, gladly accepting whatever your lover has to give you as long as you’re not required to move.
“I know it’s a lot right now but I need you to cum for me one more time, my heart”, Halsin huffs with a strained voice, pushing inside you once more and grabbing a fistful of your hair to keep you in place. The new position lets him slide even deeper than before and you can’t help the strangled cry that leaves you when Halsin starts pounding into you again, hitting a spot that makes your eyes roll back with blinding pleasure.
So, you do not see it coming when Halsin suddenly pulls out of you, the unexpected emptiness making you whine in displeasure, only for him to flip you over and press your chest into the soft bedding while he gently raises your hips.
“’s too much- please-!” you sob, your poor overstimulated clit still trying to recover from the last orgasm. But Halsin doesn’t relent and you can feel sharp pricks on your hips where his hand grips you, fingers partially wild-shaped into claws and his head thrown back in ecstasy. Seeing just how feral you drive him makes your hole clench around his shaft, the squeeze causing his hips to stutter as a grunt leaves his lips. “Silvanus preserve me”, Halsin pants as he fucks into you even faster, “if you keep squeezing me like that I will not be able to stop myself from claiming you completely, from making you mine and filling you up with my seed.”
You whimper at the image of Halsin pumping his cum into you, fucking it deep into your womb until he is sure that it has taken hold. You cannot pretend you haven’t thought about it before, the idea usually sending an embarrassed heat into your cheeks, but now - gods, now you needed it.
Completely breathless you moan, “Halsin I- ah-! please-! Fill me with your cubs!” These words were the last needed for Halsin to lose himself completely in you, driving himself into you with punishing strokes that cause you to arch yourself into him while moans and whispered curses fall from both your lips. The coil in your stomach is so tight again and when Halsin takes the hand from your hip to softly press on your lower belly you see stars. Your walls clench around Halsin’s cock and you feel him twitch inside you, a sign that he too is close to release. All it takes to send you over the edge is his finger pressed against your clit, your body shaking violently beneath him, toes curling, while waves of ecstasy course through you and you cry out his name.
With a last snap of his hips and a low moan, Halsin comes as well, twitching cock releasing hot spurts of cum inside your still fluttering walls. He continues to pump into you until the aftershocks of your shared orgasm have subsided, before he slowly pulls out. You collapse onto the mattress, exhaustion settling over your overstimulated body.
Halsin gets onto the bed with you, gently gathering you up in his arms and placing your head against his broad chest. “You’ve done so well for me, little flower”, he whispers into your ear, placing soft kisses on your face before he looks your body up and down. One of his hands comes up to stroke a strand of hair away from your damp forehead and to gently lift your chin in order to look you in the eyes. You note worry in his gaze, his brows furrowed in remorse when he plants a feather light kiss on your lips.
“I’ve hurt you”, he states. “I’m so sorry, my heart. I shouldn’t have lost control like that.”
You smile up at him and cuddle deeper into his arms before you shake your head. “Don’t apologise. I loved every second of it. There is no birthday present in this world that can ever match this”, you confess with a shy grin. “Although I have to admit I’m a little sore. You sure did your best to make sure I’m unable to walk tomorrow.”
Halsin chuckles. “I can help with that”, he answers with a sly smile, his free hand sliding down your body to stroke through your soft folds, muttering an incantation under his breath. As the familiar glow of the healing spell engulfs his fingers, you feel a rush of warmth where he touches you. A moan escapes your lips before you could stop it, eliciting a mischievous smirk from your lover as you hide your face against his chest in embarrassment.
“I’d be happy to go again, my love, but I think you need some rest first. Besides, we still have an Elderbrain to kill, so we’ll need our strength tomorrow.” You nod at that, the tiredness in your bones leaving you unable to object, even if you had wanted to. But you know he is right, so when Halsin wraps a blanket around you to carry you to the bathroom, you just relax into his chest, the sound of his steady breathing soothing you.
When the bathtub is filled with warm water, you are already half asleep, barely registering that Halsin is gently cleaning you up, rinsing the sweat from your hair and body and rubbing salve over the bite marks and the bruises on your hips once you are dry again.
You can hear the soft snores and deep breathing from your companions when Halsin brings you back into the room you share, all of them already fast asleep. Absentmindedly you wonder how long you and Halsin have been away, but the thought is gone as soon as Halsin places you on your bed.
“Goodnight, my little flower. Sleep well.” He gives you a kiss and turns to leave. You manage to grab his hand before he does, stopping him in his tracks.
“Stay with me tonight?” you mumble sleepily. Halsin smiles, warmth and adoration filling his chest as he carefully climbs next to you, the bedframe creaking slightly with his additional weight, and wraps his arms around your smaller figure. The thought of how your companions might react in the morning seeing you two in one bed briefly crosses your mind, but Halsin’s steady breathing and the soft pulse of his heart against your back soon drown out anything else as you drift to sleep in his warm embrace.
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miniwheat77 · 3 months
Text
Shakin’ (Ghost x Reader.)
!I aged Simon up a bit for this chapter. He’s around 44. Smut, unprotected p in v sex, (wrap it up-_-) military talk, teasing, you know the drill babes, absolutely NO MINORS, enjoy!
(Bc I bet Simon totally listened to Eddie Money when he was a teen XD. Obvi my song inspo is Shakin’ by Eddie Money.)
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At this point, everything he did was routine. 141 had Simon busy most of the time so he didn’t spend too much time off base anymore. He had nothing better to do, the most exciting thing he did was stop by a bar with Johnny and Price. That was it. A round of new recruits were coming and this was always the hardest part, getting used to the newbies. Because some of them were insufferable. Ghost liked to be left alone. But the new recruits were always all over him. Trying to make friends and be nice and ask for advice which he didn’t mind, not at all. But sometimes he’d just want to be left alone.
For some reason, there weren’t many women on base. Aside from a couple that didn’t work out for… inappropriate reasons. There was no one but Laswell around.
“Ghost.” The scot accent pierces his ears and he turns to see Soap approaching with a girl by his side. “This is Y/N. She’s one of the new recruits.” He tilts his head to you. Ghost nods his head. “Hi.” You send a small wave his way. “Hey.” He says. “See, he doesn’t bite.” Soap laughs. “No, but I might.” You smile. Your sly smile pierces Simon right to his core, a feeling he hasn’t felt in a long time. As you walked away with Johnny, he wondered what the hell that was.
He didn’t know it, but it was the start of something special.
You settle in pretty quickly and Ghost sees how well you and Johnny get along together. He sees the both of you together quite often. Ghost worried about him catching feelings for you, and having you turn out to be like every other girl that’s come onto this base. A barracks bunny.
His worries all came to an end when he watched you resist every guy on base. Seriously, they’ll hit on you while you’re sitting across from the both of them and you’ll have to spin around and tell them to piss off.
You’re usually eating, listening to something Soap is saying and someone will walk up behind you and start trying to flirt with you. He can see the immediate anger on your face, wanting to be left alone.
Something Ghost didn’t expect is the both of you to start spending time together. Without Johnny around. You were a productive soldier. Always offering to help, always busy doing something around the base. You hardly ever complained about something and when you did it’s usually because you hurt in some kind of way. Which he understood all too well. You always offered to help him with anything he was doing. Jumping right up when he was going to do some heavy lifting. So the two of you started hanging out and doing those things together like it was second nature. A routine. Ghost started catching feelings for you pretty quickly and he tried to avoid it.
Especially after he found out how young you were.
You followed him out to load up the Humvee, and you spoke about your parents. Something about the age of your mum made Simon perk up. “Wait. How old are you?” He asks. You smile. “Why you want to know?” You smirk. “Because it sounds like your mum is about the same age as me and that means you’re really young.” He freezes up. “Yeah, I’m 21.” His eyes widen. “Jesus Christ. You do not look that young. You’re really mature for your age.” He mumbles, tossing a box into the back of the Humvee. He hears you chuckle. “Yeah, I get that a lot. But.. age doesn’t bother me if it doesn’t bother you.” The slyness of your words have the hair on his neck standing up. “Yeah right, I’m old enough to be your dad.” He rolls his eyes.
You set a box down, only maybe a foot away from him. “Doesn’t scare me.” You smile. Stepping away from him. What exactly did you mean by that? Were you… flirting with him?
“Rosanna’s daddy had a car she loved to drive.” You mumble out the lyrics as you pass by Ghost. You don’t see him yet but he’s there. As soon as those lyrics hit his ears, he smiles. Reminding him of when he was a teenager, being crazy. Something he didn’t seem to think about too often anymore. “Stole the keys one night and took me for a ride.”
“Fuck.” You mutter as the box splits open, the contents of it falling out the bottom. Ghost steps out of the darkness. “What you singing there sweetheart?”
You jump when you hear him behind. “Jesus Christ.” You breathe. Tugging an earbud out of one of your ears. “Gave me a heart attack.” You laugh. Theres something inside of him brewing. Looking at you now, he knows there’s no going back.
He can only pray Johnny has no feelings for you, because there’s no going back. “Price told me to get you and check out some surrounding areas. Take the Humvee.” He nods. “Really?” You ask. He nods his head, lying through his teeth. What Price doesn’t know won’t hurt him.
He could still hear your music through your earbuds.
“Turned up the music just as loud as it could go, blew out the speakers in her daddy’s radio. She was shakin’” he smiles. “Eddie Money ah?” He asks. Hearing you laugh.
“Of course.”
“Snappin her fingers, she was movin’ round and round. That girl was shakin’”
“Come on, let’s go.” He helps you put everything back into the box, telling you to worry about it later. When you get inside the Humvee, he snags one of the earbuds from you. Sliding it into his ear. He pulls out of the garage. He could get in so much trouble over this, but can’t remember the last time he’s done something this crazy. You haven’t done anything and you’ve already lit a fire inside of him.
“We started drinkin’ wasn’t thinking too straight. She was doing 80 and she slammed on the breaks. Got so high we had to pull to the side. We did some shakin’ til the middle of the night.”
He reaches his hand across the middle, resting it on your thigh. You tense up immediately, turning to look at him. “Ghost.. what are you doing?” You ask. His hand glides further up, and he hears you gasp. “Simon-“ you laugh.
“Shakin’, snappin’ her fingers. She was up and down and round and round. Shakin’”
“Cmere baby, sit in my lap.” He forces you over onto him, facing the steering wheel. You can feel his bulge against your ass. You twist around in his lap. Straddling him and keeping your face tucked into his neck so that he can see. He groans as you start attacking his neck. Sucking and biting at his skin. “Fuck.” He mutters under his breath. “Drive me fucking crazy.” He hisses.
“I got a little nervous. She took her coat off. She looked so pretty, ah yeah.”
He takes in a deep breath as you reach for his cargo pants. “Focus on the road. Don’t kill us.” You laugh. “Fuck- doing my best.” He laughs. You unzip his pants, tugging his cock through the hole in his boxers until you could see it. Taking a deep breath. You wiggle your own cargo pants down, off of one leg, freeing up your hips, you straddle him.
“I’m always talkin’ baby, talkin’ too much. I love that little girl and I just can’t get enough. It takes a lonely night with nowhere to go, just call Rosanna and it’s a hell of a show.
And she’s shakin’”
A hiss leaves his lips as he grips your hips with his rough hands. You swallow him up, sliding down onto him. He’s driving fast, way faster than he should. But he’s so fired up from you, he can’t help it. It’s fucking thrilling. Your skin is soft compared to his calloused hands. He grits his teeth, muscles tightening in his body as you slide down around him. Clutching onto him like a glove. The music is loud, nearly hurting your ears as you rock your hips into him. “Fuck- fucking hell you’re a minx.” Simon grits his teeth harder, gripping onto you and rocking his hips up to meet yours. He presses his foot into the gas harder, thanking whatever god is out there that this road is empty.
The pleasure is white hot, wrapping around the base of his spine and working its way up. You make him feel young again, like a crazy teenager. You attack his neck, you’re loud and you can’t help it as you ride him, raising yourself up onto him and moving back down. Riding him like your life depends on it. Chasing after that high. You bury your face into the crook of his neck, crying out. You gasp out when he slams onto the breaks, pulling over onto the side of the road. He forces you to look at him after he throws it into park. He grips your hips tightly, thrusting up into you. “Fuck, you’re so fucking sexy.” He growls. He grasps the bottom of his balaclava, tugging it over his head. He grips your chin, pulling you in to kiss him. You’re whining as he fucks up into you.
The windows are starting to fog up, your bodies are sweaty as they move against each other. He feels hot, fully dressed. Feelings just how hot the two of you have made it in the car. The fat of your hips clutched hard between his massive hands. Making you feel small as he fills you up. You stare him in the eyes, keeping eye contact. You smile, making him narrow his eyes. “What?” He asks. “Do I intimidate you Simon?” You smile. He shakes his head. “What are you talking about?”
“You seemed intimidated by me flirting with you.” You wrap your arms around his neck, rocking into him. He’s panting almost. “Just not used to it. Usually it’s the other way around. I’m supposed to intimidate you.” He laughs. Clutching onto the seat of the Humvee. “Fuck- you’re getting me close sweetheart.” He grits his teeth. “Me too.” You breathe, adjusting yourself one last time. He tilts his head back against the seat and you lean in, biting down on his throat, feeling his pulse against your tongue. His breaths pick up. He’s getting close, you can tell. He wraps his arms around your waist and holds you tight. Thrusting up into you. “Fuck- fuck baby. I’m gonna cum.” He gasps. His eyes roll back and his lips part. He gasps, hips jerking up into you. Your eyes narrow shut, closing tight. That knot forming in your belly. The warmth of him sends you over the edge, crying out into the crook of his neck. He holds you tight to him like you’ll fall apart if he lets go.
Your thighs shake as he adjusts you in his lap. “You did so good.” He breathes. “Such a good girl for me.” He breathes. He hears you laugh into him. “Fuck. We’re gonna be in so much trouble when we get back.” You mumble against him. “Yeah, probably.”
“One more, make it worth our while?” He smirks. You glide your tongue over your bottom lip. “Let me restart the song.” You giggle.
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formulapai · 3 months
Text
YOU’RE PURR-FECT FOR ME !
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scenario: how some of the grid would deal with a cat-obsessed lover
warnings: cat scratches, blood due to scratches, biting, overall just kitty shenanigans
pai’s words: grew up surrounded by cats (and even now, meet Sushi my kitty baby and her VERY BIG FANGS in the first pic !) (she has a teeth condition so her fangs just grow and grow and we have to take her to the vet so they can trim them sksksksk still lives a wonderful life don’t worry) so i have a particular spot in my heart for them 🫶
MAX🍊
- CAT DAD
- jimmy and sassy are his little menaces and he never shuts up about them
- is very fond of all the cat memes you send him and saves them
- rolls his eyes when you nag at him for punishing the cats, even when they did something they definitely should get punished for (aka just max pointing an accusatory at them and slightly raising his voice)
- wheezed the first time you proposed a cats play date but soon realized you were serious and stopped
- knows he can always count on you to watch over his two menaces when he’s away and always makes sure to thank you profusely
- does the same for you when you’re away and sends you pictures and videos of your cats all day long, even FaceTiming you to show you the damages they decided to do to his apartment
- once you live together he has to physically stop you buying every cute cat furniture you see. no, you don’t need yet another litter box just because this one’s yellow with little flowers. no, your cat’s life won’t be drastically better if their food bowls are heart-shaped.
- in the end, he gives in and drives you to the store because he can’t resist you and your love for cats
ESTEBAN🍊
- sends you random cats pictures and caption them with “us ☺️”
- he sees a cat keychain while traveling? he buys it for you. a shirt with paw prints on it ? he buys it too. a box of cookies with the picture of a cat on it ? yeah, it’s going in his luggage too.
- brings treats for your kitties when he visits you and tells you about the searches he did before buying them
- responsible cat dad in law
- smiles SO BRIGHT when you send him videos of the little monsters before his races, it really pumps him up
- is the one sending you shopping ideas for cat furniture and gladly takes you to the store or orders for you
- posts them all over his social medias
- one time, one of your cats bit him pretty deep in the calf and he spent ten minutes trying to free his leg from the murder fangs
- never told you about it because 1) his pride suffered because of the fact that a CAT defeated him 2) he cares about Mr.Chonk and doesn’t want you punishing him
PIERRE🍊
- said many times that he much prefers dogs but deep down, he loves the balls of fur
- annoys them all the time and complains when his arms look like scratching posts
- gives them the dumbest nicknames and laughs his ass off when you complain about it
- the first thing he buys when he goes grocery shopping before coming to your place is cat food, so much that you have cupboards full of it but don’t have the heart to tell him as you know it’s his way of taking care of them
- your cats adore him when he’s not being a pain in their backside
- locks them out of the bedroom and makes fun of you for giving in and letting them inside after they meowed on the other side of the door
- scolds them like he’d scold kids and tells them off about their attitude when he notices their ears going on airplane mode, scolds you too when you take their side and coo at them
- sends you tiktoks about cat clothes and orders it because he knows the cats are going to hate it
- movie night turns into him cuddling “his babies” and leaving you sitting on the floor
OSCAR🍊
- grew up with dogs but is a cat person deep down
- snorts when you send him pics of your cats next to pics of him, or the “polite cat Oscar” memes you find on twitter
- never carries them in his arms because he knows they’ll gnaw on him so whenever he has to lift them off the kitchen counter, he puts his hands behind their front legs and lifts them “Simba-in-lion-king style” which has you wheezing
- sighs when he sees that you bought new cat trinkets
- he lets you change his phone screens and widgets to cat pictures and memes because you were bored and already did yours
- complains when you show him the matching pjs you bought with paw prints all over but you catch him wearing them in a FaceTime call
- you once played with your monsters and ended up with little drips of blood all over from scratches and bite marks (accidental, the monsters can get quite into the games) and he panicked
- you heard him scolding the cats after he cleaned you up and took a video of it. you still teases him about it sometimes
LANDO🍊
- is a dog person but also loves your hairy ankle biters
- asks max about how to woo your cats. max just makes fun of him and leaves him to suffer like a real bestie.
- whenever he opens your front door, he knows he has 0.2 seconds to enter and close it before they come running and try to get out. he once let them out and had to run after them in your building stairs
- loves to come up to them when they’re sleeping and pinch their belly to annoy them
- sends you pics of everything cat-related he sees when he travels, as well as pics of real cats
- his jpg account is filled with his little family (you and your cats) and their crimes (the bite marks adorning his legs and you laughing in the background)
- when you move together, the cats know exactly when he starts streaming and run to the room he’s in, causing ruckus and showing the viewers just how little power Lando has over the cuties
- he closes the door once but immediately opens it when he hears a loud thud, one of the cats running straight into the door because it’s never ever closed. the video of him crying in laughter on the floor as the kitty meows in annoyance gets all over social medias and everyone teases him about being a bad cat dad
- takes the tiny menace in his arms when he’s finally able to stop sobbing and shows everyone they’re fine
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tuliptic · 1 month
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Let Me Describe Your Aura
Hello, I'm back again. I have this in my drafts for a very, very long time (since last year), and I have finally completed it. This was meant to be a short reading for Instagram, but well, it ended up longer than what I expected. Tho I posted it there, you can still read it here. Honestly speaking, this reading ended up quite different from what I've expected and I don't really know what I was hoping to get from this. Maybe colours? And vibes? No idea. But still, I hope you all enjoy the reading.
As usual, close your eyes, breathe in and out, make sure your mind and heart is calm. Then, open your eyes to see which pile talks to you the most/draws you in the most. Once you’ve found your pile, scroll down to the respective parts to see what are the messages for you.
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Pile 1    -     Pile 2
Pile 3    -     Pile 4
Disclaimer: This is solely for my entertainment purposes. Take only whatever that you feel like it. If it doesn’t resonate, it’s okay to just drop it. That aside, I do not consent to my work or here to be used by third parties on this platform or other websites.
Decks used: Luna Cat Tarot Deck  (Major Arcana), Linestrider Tarot Deck, Starcodes Astro Oracle Deck.
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Pile 1:
For some reason, it gives me a very Uranus vibe? It’s like you’re a person who’s constantly on board with change as you constantly get involved in almost everything possible. You also give me the feeling that you’re… Not satisfied. You are not satisfied with a lot of things, especially with finances. Imagine the hierarchy of needs. Every time you fulfill one of them, you constantly seek to fulfill the other level.  You’re constantly pushing yourself to achieve better and achieve more, but with this, you’re unable to have some form of balance and may have some conflicts with people you work with. I wouldn’t really say it’s insecurity, but there’s some form of fear and being “not enough” for others that I’m seeing here. Perhaps you come from a big family, and you feel that you have the responsibility to feed everyone and to answer to their needs as well as wants.  There’s an inner child in you that is trying to nurture yourself despite all the rush that you’re putting yourself through, sending you messages so that you can take a break from time to time. You not only receive messages, but you also send them out as well. Some (or perhaps, most) of you may like writing memos or notes for your loved ones.
Tl;dr: Instead of saying aura, I would say that there’s this air of uncertainty that you bring with you. You wouldn’t be called a wildcard, because there’s still some elements of earth in you, aka a sense of stability. But still, many may wonder how to approach you without feeling threatened, I guess. For some of you, you may also have an air of authority, or maybe an RBF, hence the fear towards you too.
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Pile 2:
For some reason, the first thing I’m picking up here is that you like to present yourself as mysterious? However, there is some secrecy involved here that I’m seeing, and you may be good at redirecting conversations or attention to other people. Butterfly effect as well? It’s like you’re fluttering away and not caring about what you’ve done or what are the actions they’ll take.  You have swords and court cards here, and I’m feeling that you’re that person, providing mental insight and stimulation to people around you. Just that there may be some concerns with how you present yourself, how you word yourself, and how people can be easily offended by you. Honestly, I’d say that they’re more offended to you as a person instead of your words or what you do. It’s like… They’re threatened by your presence. Pile 1 makes people feel threatened by their nature, but for you, people are threatened by what you’re capable of bringing - an unwanted change. It’s like seeing you will remind them of what they’re lacking and how much comfort they’ll need to give up, and hence, you may feel like an outcast most of the time, feeling that you do not belong to anywhere.  Still, I’d say, people who are close to you, especially your friends will find comfort in you. You’re a good listener and will be able to provide valuable insights. They’ll be glad that you’re on their team with whatever project you’re working on. If you’re ever interested in working on a collab, do it. You’re meant for it. 
Tl;dr: For you, your aura would be swords-ish, sharp but clear. You know how a sharp and strong sword can be used as a mirror? Yeah that. That’s you, reflecting the fear of others. It’s difficult, but with time, I believe you’ll be able to work along with it.
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Pile 3:
Hmmmm. Harmonious, I’d say. That’s the first word I’m picking up. I kinda have an image of an orange cat sleeping in the sun, probably the warmth, coziness and fuzzy feeling that it gives. You may have heard your friends or people around you describing you as a fun or sunny person, or that you’re like the sun, bringing warmth to people around you. You may also have a lot of passion projects and most of them are incomplete as of current, the same goes with how your life is right now too. Remember to continue whatever efforts you’re putting in. The rewards will come at unexpected times. Another thing I’m picking up is that you like to go along with the flow. Good things happen? Great! Not so nice things happening? Aww sheesh better luck next time. Kinda feeling. Or perhaps, this is what you portray yourself as. I’m getting a weight on my chest eventho there are happy cards. Probably it’s because you put up that mask so that people around you won’t see the pain you’re in.  Vulnerability sounds like a theme that you’ll need to explore, understand, and wield. It sounds difficult and probably painful, but it is needed for you to be able to understand the various facets of life. You’re very perceptive, or perhaps, you have a gift in it. But then, to be able to utilize that skill of yours, you’ll need to expand your knowledge base, experience the various emotions, look into all the tiny things that life has for you. 
Tl;dr: Some may say that you’re a person of culture but you know you’re far from that. Still, people generally like you with how amiable you are, and how you put an effort to make people around you comfortable. However, people will not cross you because you have respect for yourself too. There may be some similarities to Pile 1 with the earthy energy here, so you may check out Pile 1 if you’re drawn to it as well, especially if you have Saturn energy.
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Pile 4: 
A Chinese idiom came to my mind when I see this pile: 与世无争. It means there’s no quarrel or argument with the society, but it generally means a way of avoiding conflict in a passive way. As though you want nothing to do with the current world. Not sure if it’s correct to say that you’re disappointed with the society but there’s some apathy in here, not having much hope with the people you’ve seen. With this, you may have decided to keep yourself closed from the people around you. Not to use strong words, but you may detest the world and build a utopia in your head, imagining a world that is ideal to you and the rules you live with. Majority of the cards here are in reverse, which explains the dejection and dissatisfaction I’m feeling here. I am having problems in describing this pile and it’s making me scratch on my keyboard because of how I’m unable to phrase words. Still, despite all of that, you’re a very capable individual, especially with the King and Queens in your reading. You may have more feminine energy or may present yourself in a more feminine way than others, tho there’s a chance of you rejecting it. People may come to you for help and advice not only because they trust you, but also your words are able to assure them that things will be alright. You have quite a lot of resources on your hands, may it be finances/monetary resources, knowledge, or even network/connections, and you use them according to your needs and values. There may be some… Unconventional skills that you have. I’m not sure what they are, but it’s up to you to figure out how you want to put them to good use.
Tl;dr: This pile is the most difficult pile for me to write as the energy is all around the place yet focused at the same time. It’s very conflicting and confusing, which may be the aura that you exude. There is no clear definition of good or bad in this reading, but more of what you want yourself to be and how you’re going to work on it. 
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bbytamaki · 1 year
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more random obey me headcanons >:)
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content: sfw headcanons, scars mentioned (from piercings), belphie has depression, all family love <3, not proofread >:((
note: i haven’t done any dateable hcs yet :(( might do some soon
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— lucifer can’t stand bananas. it’s just a thing. even the smell will have him pressing his handkerchief over his mouth like a sick victorian man. does satan use this to his advantage? possibly.
— has very feminine hands. he covers them with gloves so he doesn’t have to hear asmo’s jealous whining. if anyone brings it up he’s not above strangling them with his dainty, girlish fingers.
— flexible. like shockingly. it doesn’t really come to light that often but every once in a while lucifer follows single mom yoga videos on the weekends.
— mammon has the prettiest facial features ever. like his eyes and lips look so good in candid photos. his magazine covers are the bane of asmo’s existence.
— bird tendencies. like i mean squawking and jumping like 3 feet in the air when startled. in his demon form he’s just a big parrot. he does the head tilt thing when he’s confused.
— if anyone stands in front of him for longer than a minute he’s picking lint out of their hair and fixing their clothes. his brothers have gotten more than used to his “preening” and either avoid standing around him for too long or just take it. lucifer does this too and sometimes they’ll just stand and fix each other’s clothes for like 5 minutes straight while everyone else is like “???”
— levi is tall. very tall. he’s just so scrawny and lanky and his posture is awful so you wouldn’t even notice until he actually straightens up to his full height. this rarely ever happens unless he’s in his demon form. when it does he is scary.
— cosplays online. his cosplay friends are some of his favorite people. he already sews his own costumes (as we’ve seen), and he’s really good at makeup. one of his future plans is to meet up in the human world to go to a con with his friends.
— screams like a little girl. one time mammon accidentally walked into the bathroom when levi was showering and he shrieked. lucifer ran to see what the commotion was because “how did a human child find their way into the devildom??” levi has never felt more embarrassed.
— satan watches trashy reality tv in his private time. bad girls club, keeping up with the kardashians, you name it.
— can sing the whole periodic table song by tom lehrer forward and backward. i think satan is actual really good at science and it would be his best and favorite subject.
— he just likes animals in general. he has a thing for bunnies after visiting a human world petting zoo.
— asmo has an abnormally long tongue, like surpassing attractive and approaching freakish. he usually keeps it in his mouth but once every so often decides to creep solomon out just for fun.
— has soooo many stripper friends. if you’re wondering how his hair and makeup stay in place the whole day, he learned from the best.
— he definitely designed an entire line of lingerie but only made one of each design. they’re ultra rare collectibles in the devildom and worth more than you could imagine.
— beel can french braid and make friendship bracelets like he’s going to a girl scout camp. nobody can tell me he didn’t hand make the necklaces he wears.
— speaking of martha stewart beel, he can crochet and makes blankets and cute plushies for belphie all the time.
— luke is actually his little brother and no one can convince him otherwise lol they go back and forth over nothing all the time and stop talking to each other until one of them says “what do you want for dinner”
— belphie is the king of doing his own piercings at home because why pay $50 for something he already knows how to do? he ends up taking some of them out before they heal because he gets tired of them and ends up with a bunch of scars on his face and body.
— you and beel are his dream journal. he texts the attic club gc after every nap to tell you guys what his latest dream was about. (you’re the two people that show up in his dreams the most.)
— goes absolutely dormant during depressive episodes. the complete opposite of his twin brother (beel has to keep busy at all times to stay distracted). asmo carries him to his private bathroom and lets belphie pick his favorite soaps and lotions (he likes the ones that smell like sandalwood, they remind him of taking naps in his brothers’ rooms).
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avocad1s · 10 months
Text
Bring Back What Once Was Mine
Chapter Summary: At last The Creator has returned from Celestia with a new view on how to protect Teyvat. However, the greatest mystery is shrouded behind cracked facades. The fragments will be uncovered at last.
Characters Mentioned: A ton of characters mentioned and included
Content Warning: Cult and Religious themes ahead! You've been warned.
Reader is the true creator of Teyvat. GN! Reader
Part Seven Part Eight (You are here) THE END
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It took only a few weeks for the word to spread all throughout Teyvat that the one they had been worshiping for decades wasn’t the real Creator. Many were distraught and confused by the news and rightfully so, that imposter had been the only “Creator” they’ve known their entire lives. All everyone wanted to do know is meet their true Creator or have the chance to simply rest their gaze upon them.
Unfortunately for the Traveler, as more and more people became aware of her involvement, the more letters and gifts she was given addressed to the Creator. It only took a week until she had to keep the gifts in her Serenitea Pot, since she had too many to carry now. But letters weren’t just sent to her for the Creator, many of her powerful friends like the Kamisato siblings, Ningguang, and the Acting Grand Master would invite her to dinner and ask how the Creator was like so they can prepare for their return.
However Lumine couldn’t lie, she was just as anxious for their return like everyone else. Even though she should just move on to the next nation to complete her quest of meeting the Seven, she finds herself stalling hoping that once the Creator comes back to Teyvat she’d be the first person they’ll greet. Yet maybe that’s just her being delusional, surely the Creator wouldn’t come see an Outlander before anyone else, before the Archons.
Lumine lets out a frustrated sigh as strikes down the final hilichurl in the camp before putting her sword away. Thinking about her brother that she missed dearly was the main thing keeping her mind off the Creator, but she couldn’t help but wonder what Aether would’ve thought of them. During her journeys with Dainsleif, she knew that her brother hated the Archons and he chosen the Abyss over humanity, but would that include the Creator too? She completely understands why he would have reservations about the Archons, but the feeling she got just being near the Creator felt like she could trust them with her life.
“Hey Lumine?”
The Traveler wipes the sweat off her brow noticing that Paimon was back next to her, “what is it? Don’t tell me you’re hungry again.”
Paimon scoffs crossing her arms, “firstly, Paimon is always hungry. Secondly, Paimon was worried about you. You are taking more commissions than usual. Are you alright?”
Paimon was right, even though the Traveler was known for her hardworking and selfless nature, she was definitely overdoing it.
Lumine breathes out feeling fatigue growing through her body, “I feel completely fine.”
Paimon frowns, “will you take a break, please?”
The Traveler wanted to ignore her friend’s worries but she lets out a sigh nodding, “alright. Should we head to the City and order some food?”
The fairy’s eyes light up but she shakes her head, “you know Paimon enjoys your cooking much more!” Lumine knows that Paimon only said that so she wouldn’t be bombarded with letters and gifts for the Creator, but she decides not to say anything.
Lumine and Paimon work together to construct a campfire, once finished, Lumine begins preparing something random for the two of them to share.
“So are you going to ask the Creator about your brother?” Paimon asks breaking the silence that was once between them.
Lumine tears her gaze of the flame looking at Paimon, “they haven’t been on Teyvat in hundreds of years. I doubt they know anything about him.”
“Yeah but they are the Creator. They have a connection to Teyvat that no one else has.”
Lumine shrugs, “well that’s if we ever see them again.”
Paimon tilts her head confusion laced in her voice, “why wouldn’t we see them again. They are our friend after all.”
The Creator is the most important person in this world, and know that everyone knows they’ll be back soon, they may not have any time for Lumine to ask them anything.
“Paimon’s right, we’re friends!”
Lumine snaps her head in the direction of the voice a feeling of hope in her chest.
Just a meter away, the Creator stood giving them a small smile and a wave before approaching their makeshift campsite. They sit in the soft grass next to Lumine crossing their legs comfortably. “Why wouldn’t I make time for you?”
The Traveler stares at them with wide eyes, “you’re back?”
They nod, “sorry for keeping you waiting. Being in Celestia took longer than I expected.”
“Oh right! Paimon forgot about that. How did that go?”
They sigh, “I think Celestia and I came to an understanding, but I’ll tell you about it later. How’s Teyvat been?”
“The Fatui and I managed to spread the word of the imposter. Now everyone knows you’re the real deal.”
The Creator smiles at the Outlander causing the girl to feel a warmth spread throughout her chest.
“I will never forget everything you did for me Lumine, and if you ever need anything at all. Please do not hesitate to ask.”
Paimon nudges the girls shoulder.
“Actually there is one thing I’d like to ask.” Lumine says sheepishly.
“Oh you do? What is it?”
Lumine lets out a sigh before telling the Creator everything that lead up to her getting to this world. The Unknown God, her brother, Khaenri’ah, everything. She tells them about her quest of meeting the Seven to see if any of them was this God that separated her and her brother.
The Creator gives her a sympathetic smile, “I am sorry about all of the things you had went through I had no idea, but regarding your brother, I have met him.”
Paimon and Lumine both look shocked at their confession. “When? What did he say?”
“It was before I confronted the Imposter, I didn’t know he was your brother. He didn’t mention anything, and when I met him I couldn’t see his face clearly to see any resemblance to you.” The Creator explains. “We didn’t talk about much, we were interrupted before he could tell me anything important.”
Lumine looks down disappointedly as the Creator reaches over patting her shoulder, “don’t look so down. You’re still looking for him right? I am here to help you no matter what. Siblings should never be separated.”
Lumine smiles hearing their sweet words, they were actually offering to help them anytime she needed. Even though her other friends throughout Teyvat helped the best they could, she knew she could depend on the Creator to keep her word. She felt that she would see her brother sooner than she expects.
“So what are you going to do now?” Paimon asks.
“I’m going to visit all of the nations. I think my presence has been missed dearly.”
“Missed dearly would be an understatement…” Paimon retorts.
“Where will you go first?”
The Creator brings their finger to their chin pondering for a moment, “I think I’ll go to…”
-
The choice is now yours Your Grace, every nation will be written as if you chose them first. Read one, read them all!
However reading the last one is vital ;)
-
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MONDSTADT
Jean was busier than ever.
As the Acting Grand Master, Jean is constantly dealing with the well-being of Mondstadt and leading the Knights of Favonius. Even though her friends always try to persuade her to take a break, she couldn’t afford to rest now.
It was only a few weeks ago when the Traveler had came to Mondstadt and told them the devastating news about the Creator, or rather who they thought was the Creator. Although everyone took the news hard, especially a certain bard, there was no time to grieve. The real Creator could walk through the gates any second and Jean wants to be prepared for the moment.
A knock on the door breaks her concentration as Lisa enter a frown on her lips. “You’ve been in here all day,” she says softly, “aren’t you going to take a break?”
Jean yawns rubbing her eyes, “I can’t take a break now Lisa.”
The librarian puts her hands on her hips, “yeah, yeah I know. Their Grace could arrive any minute now and you want to be prepared.”
Jean nods as Lisa sighs.
“But do you really want to meet Their Grace like this? You look tired and overworked.”
Jean opens her mouth to rebuttal her friends words when the door shoots open again. It was Amber, her hands were on her knees as she was breathing heavily.
“Their Grace is here.”
-
Once you entered Mondstadt, all eyes were on you. The knights who were patrolling around the city stopped to stare before they began bowing greeting you. Shop owners and other patrons eyes were as big as saucers as they bow to you in respect.
“T-their Grace has returned!”
“And they came to Mondstadt first! This surely means that this is their favorite nation, no?”
Excited murmurs filled the streets but the first to approach you was a man with red hair, it was tied into a low ponytail and the hair that fell in front of his face blew in the wind as his bowed before you.
“Your Grace,” he says his gaze on the ground, “my name is Diluc, welcome to Mondstadt.”
You smile using your hand to gesture for him to stand up straight. He follows your orders quickly, fixing his posture as his gaze meets yours.
“Mondstadt is as beautiful as ever.” You praise.
A smile grows on Dilucs face his cheek turning red as he clears his throat, “thank you for complimenting my homeland. Praise from you is the greatest blessing.”
“Oh there you are Master Diluc!” A voice calls out, “how about I sing in your tavern for a free bottle of Dandelion win-“
A man, or a bard based on how he dressed approached the two of you. The large smile that was once on his face is replaced with a look of shock as he looks at you.
“Y-your Grace…?”
The bard is frozen in place as he continues to stare, even after Diluc began to whisper-yell at him for not bowing to you.
He fixes his face as he smiles warmly at you, “Y-your Grace, Welcome to Mondstadt! My name is Venti! Venti the Bard!”
You raise your brow. “Venti the bard?”
You wouldn’t be the Creator if you couldn’t immediately tell who was an Archon or not, and looking at this supposed bard…
You knew that it was Barbatos and you knew he knew that as well.
“Ehe! Yep that’s me! The traveler told us all about your triumphs in Sumeru City. I believe something that great is worthy of a song, don’t you?”
You laugh at his words, even after all this time the Anemo Archon was as lively as ever.
“Your Grace welcome to Mondstadt, I apologize for our rude welcoming.” A group of four were approaching you, the blonde woman leading.
“I am Jean, the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius.” She looks over at the three standing near her, “This is our head librarian Lisa, our outrider Amber, and our chief alchemist Albedo.”
All of them greet you but you couldn’t help but notice that the one named Albedo never tore his intense gaze off your body.
“I see that you already met Master Diluc and Venti.”
You nod, “yes and you have no reason to apologize for the welcoming. My visit was out of the blue anyway.”
She raises a hand shaking her head, “you are always welcome in Mondstadt Your Grace, please allow me to show you around.” Jean smiles holding out her hand that you gladly take, Albedo and Lisa follow closely behind you two.
Once you had made it to the KoF headquarters, there were more knights waiting to greet you. The calvary captain named Kaeya left an everlasting impression with his sweet words, he was also the only one to kiss the back of your hand when he greeted you. Klee, the youngest in the knights immediately ran up to you hugging you tightly, the other knights try to tell her not to do that since it was rude but you said it was okay.
She asked if you wanted to go fish blasting with her, whatever that was.
Noelle was also so sweet, the maid had offered to do anything you needed even if it sounded like an inconvenience. ‘Nothing is an inconvenience for me, especially when it comes to you.’ She would say. While the sheepish Sucrose couldn’t even meet your gaze without her face turning completely red, she only managed to get the greeting past her lips since Albedo was there to guide her.
Like Keaya, Lisa was a natural flirt, she was constantly complimenting your looks saying how the imposter could never match the true beauty that you possess.
Then there was Rosaria, one of the nuns from the Chruch of Favonius. You had encountered her when you saw Barbara begging her to join in the festivities for your arrival. Once you had approached the two girls the shorter one immediately bows babbling about how happy she is to have you here. Rosaria on the other hand, asks if you are enjoying your time in Mondstadt. She also states that if you’re ever in trouble, she’ll help you. It seems that she shows her devotion to you in a more casual way than others.
Once you had met everyone, Diluc invited you to come to Angels Share, a tavern that he owned within the city. The tavern was what you expected, but what was surprising was seeing Diluc behind the bar his hair pulled into a high ponytail.
“Your Grace,” he smiles, sitting down the glass he was drying before you walked in. You sit down on the barstool across from him.
“Would you like some wine?”
You nod and Diluc turns around looking at the varieties of wine he had before reach of a particular one, he opens it pouring it in a glass.
“Here you are your Grace.”
The tavern door open again.
“Make that three glasses actually!”
Kaeya and Venti approach the bar sitting in the empty barstools next to you. Venti sits on your left, Kaeya on your right.
Diluc sighs, “do you have any mora?”
Venti pouts and Kaeya laughs a bit. “Aww c’mon don’t be like that, the Creator is here and we are celebrating.”
The redhead rolls his eyes, “we are celebrating but only Their Grace is drinking on the house.”
You smile bringing the glass to your lips as they continue their banter.
“Oh? You must be trying to win their favor by allowing them to drink for free? And everyone thought it was going to be me trying to win their attention.”
Diluc’s face grows red at Kaeya’s words, “t-that’s not it! I’m just showing them proper hospitality.”
You chuckle setting down the glass wiping your face a bit, “your wine is absolutely lovely Diluc, I see why everyone loves it.”
His face gets even darker as he nods, “I’m glad you like it your Grace. If you ever want any more, please let me know.” He ignores the two sitting near you as they continue to tease.
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LIYUE
The second you had stepped into Liyue, Xiao was by your side, you weren’t sure how he knew when you’d be arriving but you decided not to question it.
“Your Grace,” the Adepti is kneeling by your feet keeping his gaze on the ground, “you’ve returned.”
“Please stand for me Xiao.”
He immediately raises to his feet meeting your gaze, “are you heading to Liyue Harbor?”
You nod, you never got to step in Liyue Harbor the last time you were in the nation of contracts, being abruptly interrupted by the Fatui had thrown you off your original plan.
“Is it alright if I walk with you?” He asks softly.
It was clear he didn’t want to be a burden on you but you had a feeling that even if you said no he would follow just to make sure nothing bad happened to you while traveling.
“Sure I don’t mind the company.” Xiao’s face brightens at your words as he moves to walk by your side.
The walk with the Yaksha was peaceful, he wasn’t much of a conversationalist but you could tell that he enjoyed being at your side. Once you had gotten to the path leading to the bridge of the harbor, Xiao’s steps faltered.
“Is something wrong?” You turn to face him noticing a conflicted look on his face.
“Thank you for allowing me to walk with you Your Grace but I should return to my duties.”
You furrow you brows, “you’re not coming in with me?”
He lets out a breath closing his eyes as he shakes his head, “I shouldn’t….”
You weren’t sure why he wouldn’t enter the city with you but you didn’t want to force him to do anything he didn’t want. You give him a small smile bidding farewell, before he disappeared into the air he repeats what he said to you last time.
‘If you ever need anything or ever find yourself in trouble, just call out my name.’
-
Zhongli was at the funeral parlor when word hit that you had entered the city, he could feel his heart ache. All he wanted to do was greet you but he had to go about it strategically, if he doesn’t, he could easily reveal himself as the Geo or rather the former Geo Archon.
He gives his eccentric boss some random excuse to leave for a moment and she tells him to hurry back so they can think of new deals in honor of the Creators arrival.
After roaming the city for a moment, you had finally came into view talking to Ganyu. He fixes his tailcoat before walking over his hands laced behind his back.
“Your Grace, I see you have made it to the Harbor.”
Your eyes leave Ganyu to stare up at the man.
“Morax?”
He feels his heart swell, of course his God would recognize him no matter what form he takes.
“Actually it’s Zhongli now.”
Your eyes widen, so Morax had stepped down from his duties as an Archon? You expect something like that from Barbatos but from Morax? Never. You give him a smile, “I see, so Zhongli… it’s nice to see you again.”
Zhongli wanted to keep talking to you, to express just how much he missed you while you were gone. To apologize for worshiping another, he is your oldest devotee if anyone should’ve recognized something was wrong, it should’ve been him.
But all he does is smile as he bows to you, .”your presence has been missed Your Grace.”
Ganyu who was watching you interact with the man, suddenly excuses herself saying that she is needed back in the Jade Chamber to finish the preparations for your arrival. Even though you express that nothing extravagant needs to be done, she explains that Ningguang had been preparing this since the Traveler announced the news of the imposter.
“I wish that I could’ve shown you around the Harbor your Grace but I know that Rex Lap- er Zhongli will do a wonderful job as well.”
Once Ganyu was gone Zhongli offers you his hand, he guides you around the Harbor showing you all of the shops that truly makes Liyue what it is. He also points out all the statues and offerings people had left you, there were many stacks of letters, expensive items, and even books left around all your statues. You made a mental note that you would come back for them all later.
Zhongli also introduced you to Madame Ping who also seemed really happy to see you even offering if you’d like to drink tea with her once you’re free that you happily agreed to. She also mentioned about inviting some old friends, you have a feeling on who that may be.
Speaking of old friends, the other Adepti had made the trip down to the Harbor to meet you. They haven’t been in the Harbor since Osial was released by a Harbinger. Liyue Harbor is where mortals resided and while they will protect it with their life, they rather not spend their time here. Unless you were there then they don’t mind bending their own boundaries a bit.
After spending most of your day with Zhongli, night soon came and Ganyu came back. She escorts you to the Jade Chamber to meet Ningguang and to see what they have planned for you. Zhongli goes back to the funeral parlor expecting to be chewed out by Hu Tao for being gone longer than he expected.
Once in the Jade Chamber Ningguang immediately begins showering you with gifts, many of them jewls and clothing. She even had and array of Liyue specialties made just for you.
Yelan was also at the Jade Chamber, she asked you about your time in Snezhnaya but you decided to keep it vague. Whether that was to keep her in ignorance or because you didn’t want to relive it is unclear.
“Your Grace, would you come outside with me?” Ningguang speaks to you in a soft voice as she leads you to the front of the Chamber. The stars in the sky were shining brightly, you could even see Celestia more clearer from this height.
“It’s very beautiful up here but I actually brought you out here for another reason.”
Soon enough l fireworks began going off in the sky with many different shapes and bright colors. You could see many adults in children in Liyue stare at the sky in amazement which only warmed your heart even more.
“I apologize Your Grace this is all I could do last minute, but I have some more thing planned for you tomorrow.”
You give Ningguang a small grin, “this is already wonderful, I can only imagine what you have planned for tomorrow.”
Ningguang feels her face grow hot as she looks back up at the sky. Ganyu, Keqing, and Yelan could only smile knowing that this surely had a lasting impact on you. If you decide to take permanent residence in one of the nations, they hope that it’s theirs.
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INAZUMA
You had managed to get aboard a ship named the Crux lead by captain Beidou with the help of the Traveler. She had welcomed you enthusiastically exclaiming how she was honored that the Creator wanted to board her ship.
Beidou and her crew weren’t the only ones excited to have you on board. Kazuha, who had introduced himself as a wandering samurai and a poet, also expressed his gratitude that he could meet you face to face.
Beidou cuts him off by ruffling his hair saying how he was just being humble. She tells you how Kazuha had managed to stop a killing blow from the Raiden Shogun and also managed to activate two visions at once. Normally Kazuha would brush off any form of praise with a small smile and a thank you, but seeing your surprised face and hearing you praise his talents made his face grow unbelievably red. Beidou laughs at her friends uncharacteristic behavior patting his shoulder.
The trip was unexpectedly calm, Lumine had told you of the constant storm that had surrounded Inazuma but it seemed to have finally dissipated. Once Beidou had anchored the ship in Ritou, there was only one person waiting on the dock who immediately jumped off one of the crates walking towards the ship.
“Kazuha? Beidou? I wasn’t expecting you two to return so soon!”
Kazuha laughs lightly, “Hello Thoma, we weren’t expecting to be back so early either but we had an unexpected guest.”
Thomas eyes perk up at the mention of the guest, “oh! Is it the Traveler? I’ve been wondering when they would return.”
Beidou chuckles, “no we got someone way more renowned than Lumine.”
Once you are on the dock, Thomas face immediately brightens. “Your Grace! I had no idea you were coming to Inazuma!”
“My arrival is unexpected, you’re the first person to know besides these two.”
His face brightens even more.
“Your Grace if you allow me I would love to escort you to Inazuma City. I know that everyone is dying to see you!”
Thomas personality felt like a breath of fresh air as you agree to let him guide you out of Ritou to Inazuma city. Beidou and Kazuha bid their farewell saying that if you need a ride to any of the other nations they’ll come back to get you, the two board the ship and it sails off.
The guards who were preventing outsiders from entering the City quickly move out of the way once they see your face not bothering to ask for any type of paperwork. If they did, they knew that the Shogun would have them dealt with.
It was about an hour after you arrived to Inazuma City when Ei had finally got the news. Kujou Sara came rushing and the Raiden Shogun, the puppet, asked her to state her business. As soon as she mentioned that you were in the City, Ei immediately left the Plane Of Euthymia.
She feels horrible that she wasn’t the first to greet you once you had entered the city but there’s nothing she can do about it now. All she can do is find you now and ask for forgiveness.
Would you forgive her? She wonders.
She wasn’t there to greet you and there’s no doubt that someone had told you what she had done to her nation. She feels a bitter taste enter in her mouth which she despises. She doesn’t want you to be angry at her, she’ll do anything to earn your forgiveness. Her sister Makoto always told her how amazing and forgiving you were so hopefully that hasn’t changed.
When Ei finally found you, you were at the Komore Teahouse, she burst through the doors trying her best to keep her composure as she follows the sound of noose coming from room one.
And there you are, in all your glory.
Ayaka and Ayato who sat next to you quickly stop talking as they stare at their Archon who stood at the threshold. Thoma, who sat across from the three of you, quickly look down at the table.
You sit down your teacup clearing your throat as you look at her.
“Ei? Is that you?”
She immediately falls onto her knees looking down at the floor, “yes it’s me Your Grace. Please forgive me.”
You glance at the siblings before standing walking towards Ei, her long braid spilled onto the floor as she kneeled before you.
“Forgive you? For what?”
She looks up her watery eyes meeting yours, “for everything…”
You decided it would be best to leave with the Electro Archon, it was already awkward the second she entered the room but you doubt that she’ll leave this teahouse without you.
Ei was quiet as she followed behind you in Inazuma city, everyone you past mouth are agape as they mutter that the Raiden Shogun has showed her face in the city again but this time with the Creator.
You notice how Ei’s face lights up once you near a dango stand, you stop asking the shopkeeper for two and he hands them to you with a large grin on his face saying they’re on the house. (luckily cuz its not like you have mora, where’s Diluc, Ningguang, and Pantalone when you need them?)
At first Ei declines the sweet treat saying that she shouldn’t indulge herself but with a few reassuring words from you, she quickly takes the sweet treat eating it.
Ei enjoyed the time she had spent with you and if you were to stay in Inazuma for good, she would never return into her puppet again. Being here with you felt like the eternity she was striving for, maybe if she begged you to stay here with her, you would consider it?
She decides against it as she watches you leave to see her other islands. She wants to go with you but she knows she must think of a way to properly apologize to you, she had to go talk to her dear friend at the Grand Narukami Shrine.
-
You decided to take some time to yourself on the outskirts of the city resting in the warm sand. Word of your arrival spread quickly and there was no doubt that everyone would be making their way here to see you soon so you just wanted to relax for a bit. You could hear children screaming in the distance as they played, you weren’t sure what they were playing but it sounded like they were having fun.
However your alone time didn’t last long. Many footsteps could be heard approaching from behind you , it sound like three maybe four people? But what really caught your attention was the loud voice that followed.
“Pfft… I might’ve lost this time but next time I’ll definitely win!”
You hear the others agreeing with the statement which causes you to turn around.
It was an Oni, you didn’t even know they were still around anymore.
The Oni notices you staring and his face brightens as he approaches you. “Hello stranger! I’ve never seen you around here before, my name is Arataki "The One and Oni" Itto! Leader of the Arataki Gang!”
He was definitely more lively than anyone else you’ve meet recently and that made you giggle a bit. You stand up from the warm sand a grin one your face, did he even recognize you? He approached you so casually as if you were just another Inazuma citizen.
“The Arataki Gang?” You say in between giggles.
Once Itto confirms that you’re not going to throw any beans at him he gets even closer, “You haven’t heard of the Arataki Gang before? No problem, from today on, we are now acquainted. We are the Arataki Gang of Hanamizaka! Who might you be?”
You introduce yourself by name not mentioning anything about your status, what could you say? You want to see how far this will go.
Talking with Itto was like a breath a fresh air, after everything you’ve been through, this was the exact break you needed. You couldn’t even remember the last time you’ve laughed this much.
What you learned quickly is the Itto was very competitive when he challenged you to a Onikabuto battle, the rules were simple. Find a beetle and the two will battle until one of them flips. Itto warns you that the he’s been training his Onikabuto for days but that doesn’t stop him from helping you find a worthy opponent.
With the help of his gang that battle commences. You watch the two bugs battle quietly while Itto begins chanting for his to win.
After a few moments his beetle is flipped onto his back.
“I win!” You exclaim.
Itto runs his comb through his hair, “pssh… good job new friend! But that was definitely beginners luck! How about another round?”
“There you are Boss, I’ve been searching everywhere for you.” A woman with green hair and a mask begins walking towards the group.
“Shinobu!” Itto says boisterously, “I was just having a Onikabuto Battle with my new friend here!”
Shinobu sighs, “I’m sorry if my boss had caused you any troubl-“
Suddenly she stops talking as she stares at your face, if her mouth wasn’t covered her jaw might’ve hit the floor with his wide her eyes were.
“Erm Shinobu?” Itto snaps his fingers.
“Why didn’t you say you were with the Creator!” The girl practically screams as she gets closer, “Your Grace I am honored to meet you! I’m sorry for any trouble Itto might’ve caused you.”
You grin, “he hasn’t caused any trouble at all! I’ve had so much fun!”
Itto watches the two of you a puzzled look on his face. “Wait wait wait…. What do you mean Creator?”
Shinobu looks over at her Boss, “don’t you remember me telling you that the Creator was in Inazuma?”
He laughs, “Of course I remember! Why wouldn’t I remember something like that?”
She lets out a sigh face palming, “are you telling me that you’ve been hanging with Their Grace this whole time and didn’t recognize them?”
Itto laughs again but it comes out more awkwardly as he looks to the side.
“None of you recognized them?”
The rest of the gang also look off to the side.
You laugh causing everyone to look over at you, “thank you for teaching me this game Itto! I’ve had lots of fun with you today.”
Now knowing who you are, your words makes Itto grow a bit sheepish as he brushes his comb through his hair once more, “Pfft, of course Your Grace I’ll teach you all other games I know and trust me it’s a lot! Haha! Although I should apologize how the Arataki Gang approached you,that was rude of us!” The rest of the gang murmur in agreement.
“Now how ‘bout that round two? Though I should let you know that I won’t be going easy on you! I’m going to win this time!”
You grin, “well bring it on!”
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SUMERU
Nahida was the first to greet you once you had entered Sumeru City, she was surrounded by many scholars and sages from the Akademiya who bowed as they watched you interact with their Archon.
Nahida hold her small hand out to you, “welcome back to Sumeru Your Grace.”
You take the girls hand as she leads you throughout Sumeru City. “I’m glad to back under better circumstances.”
She chuckles, “I’m glad too.”
The city was more decorated than the last time you were here, even though last time you had Dottore knock out all of the citizens so you could confront the imposter. You had a feeling the Nahida might’ve predicted that you were going to show up today, you don’t expect anything less from the God of Wisdom.
As Nahida leads you to the entrance of the Akademiya, you notice two men bickering, or rather one of them getting riled up while the other responds calmly. Once the calmer one notices your presence he turns his attention to you as the other grows more annoyed at his actions.
“Seriously? Now you’re ignoring me?”
The other nudges the man harshly cussing him to stumble a bit but then he quickly takes notice of your presence as well.
“Your Grace, it’s an honor to meet you.”
You soon learn that the calmer one was named Alhaitham, and that the more expressive one was Kaveh. You also learned that the two of them were roommates, although knowing that information was unintentional since Kaveh kept rambling nervously as he tried to apologize for his behavior that you no doubt witnessed.
However the next three you met really solidified that Sumeru had some interesting people that really changed your perspective of how the nation once was. Nahida bad introduced you to the General Mahamatra who was talking to a young girl named Collei and her master Tighnari.
Just like everyone else they were extremely respectful as they introduced themselves to you and welcomed you to their city. Cyno also offered to show you around the desert if you ever desired to go. Collei and Tighnari expressed the same to you about the forest. However after pleasantries were over, Cyno asked you a question that made everyone around you facepalm.
“Your Grace, have you ever played Genius Invokation TCG?”
Tighnari sighs loudly, “are you seriously asking Their Grace about this?”
Collei also sighs as she mutters multiple apologies under her breath.
“I-I’m sorry?” You tilt your head, “Genius Invokation TCG?”
Cyno ignores his friends telling him to be quiet as he begins to explain the premise of the game to you, explaining how people around Teyvat have their own cards within the game and that even you have your own card in the game. (However he doesn’t mention how many cards of you he owns)
“If you ever wish to learn to play, I will teach you. Then we can duel.” His voice was monotonous but his body language gave off just how excited he was about teaching you about this game.
As Nahida leads you away from the trio you could hear Tighnari ask Cyno why he would ask you a question like that. Collei was only happy that he didn’t make any puns in your presence.
Later that night Nahida leaves you alone in a bedroom she had designed specifically for you but you doubt that you were going to get any sleep that night.
A few moments after Nahida left there was a knock at your door, at first you figured it was the God of Wisdom who might’ve forgotten to say something but once you opened the door you were greeted by a new face.
He had purple hair and wore a large hat, if he wasn’t looking directly at you, his hat would’ve obscured his face.
“The Creator of Teyvat.” He drawls out smirking. “I’ve been waiting to speak to you.”
He lets himself into your room as you furrow your brows closing the door turning to face him.
“I want to hate you, you know. I want to hate you because of how much she loved you.” He speaks softly. “All this time I’ve forced myself to hate you but now that I’m right in front of you?” He lets out a laugh, you weren’t even sure if he was talking to you.
“I thought that joining the Fatui would’ve made me hate you but those idiots are just as loyal to you as everyone else.”
So he was previously in the Fatui? That’s odd, no one ever mentioned him.
“What’s your name?” Your words snaps him out of his trance as he looks back at you.
He tells you that he has no name but if you must call him by something you can call him what the Traveler picked.
He calls out your name, your true name. “You’re supposed to be all knowing. What am I supposed to do?”
You let out a breath, as he looks at you expectantly a glimmer hopefulness in his eyes.
The Wanderer holds his breath as he waits for you to respond, after all of the evil deeds he’s done Lumine and Nahida says that he can change but he has no idea where to go about that. All his life his wanted to be of use to someone and every single time he was thrown to the side and betrayed. He wants to know your answer, no he needs it. Ever since he joined the Fatui and learned that the only being he wanted to talk to was a fake, he knew that he would wait. He will wait for you.
“I cannot tell you what to do with your life,” you begin, “following your heart is what everyone does and eventually you find something that feels right.”
He wants to roll his eyes and retort but you quickly interrupt him.
“Even though you do not have a heart like other humans, you left the Fatui and are now repenting for the sins you committed. Doesn’t that feel good?”
He crosses his arms, “what’s that got to do with anything?”
“What I’m trying to say is you should do what feels right. You don’t have a heart but you feel hurt and angry when betrayed so surely you must feel good when you do certain things.”
“And what if I don’t know what that is…?” He says breath barely above a whisper.
“Well you have friends right? They are there to help you, and I am also willing to help you.”
His eyes widen as he turns away from you, “so that’s the way you think? I’m surprised that you can be so optimistic after everything you’ve been through Your Grace.”
For once he didn’t refer to you by your name.
“I’ll let you get some sleep, I will see you tomorrow with Buer.”
He walks past you opening the door, giving you one last glance the door clicks shut behind him. You let out a breath crashing onto your mattress, you doubt that sleep would take you tonight.
The Wanderer on the other hand, was thinking of anyway he could prove himself useful to you then maybe he could stay by your side instead.
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SNEZHNAYA
The Tsaritsa never attended any celebrations that the Harbingers threw when they managed to obtain a Gnosis, but since this celebration was for you, she’d be a fool to not make an appearance.
The Fatui had an abundance of money, and once it was revealed you were on your way to Snezhnaya, they had quickly prepared everything for you. The Zapolyarny Palace was decorated in the finest decorations money could buy. Clothing suited for warm weather was designed with you in mind, and chefs prepared the most exquisite dishes in Snezhnaya for you to enjoy.
As the Harbingers were in the middle of preparations for the grand banquet. Spirits ran high and good will was abundant. All of them felt triumphant. The Creator was due to arrive soon , and they were proud to welcome them back to Snezhnaya. The air was only ever this lively after a successful mission in one of the other nations. They ordered their subordinates to set up the hall so that it was polished and pristine, fit their God.
The Damselette, who was sitting at a decorated table with her head down she called, “It is a shame that the Fair Lady couldn’t join us for such an momentous occasion.”
“La Signora’s zealot ambition caused her downfall. She overestimated her own strength and that got her killed in the end.” Pulcinella states.
“Her methods tarnished her honor, she doesn’t have the right to meet Their Grace.” Capitano chimes in.
Arlecchino was always quick to lose her temper, her voice was filled with venom as she glares at her comrades, “Rosalyne died in a foreign land for our cause, she has more right to meet Their Grace unlike you businessmen.”
Pantalone smiles curtly at her, “if you keep acting like that, Their Grace will be able to witness your true self and not the facade that you put on.”
Arlecchino opens her mouth to snap at the Regrator but is cut off by Childe, who stood nearby. “You all can’t help but fight even on the day the Creator is coming?”
It grows silent as they all return to what they were doing, the youngest Harbinger was right. To argue on the day you would be arriving was ludicrous, even more so to bicker once you arrive. The Tsaritsa herself would kill them for doing that.
It wasn’t much longer until you entered the Zapolyarny palace with the Tsaritsa and Pierro at your side. You were wearing the coat that was gifted to you when you first came here which caused Pantalone to smile smugly.
The Harbingers stare at you for a moment, last time you were here they were all still searching the other nations for any presence of you. When they joined you on the boat to confront the imposter, Childe hogged all your attention but now they had the opportunity to talk to you themselves.
But just like last time, Childe was the first to approach you, eyes brighter than ever. “Your Grace, You’ve arrived! How was the trip?”
You smile at the ginger, it was alway hard to see the Fatui as ruthless beings when Childe approaches and talks to you like this. “It was… calm. Just like last time.”
You cross your arms, even with all of the fireplaces around it was still very cold within the palace.
“Oh, are you cold Your Grace?” A voice says sweetly, “I have other coats suited for the cold if you’d prefer those instead.” The Regrator is the next to approach a small smile on his lips as he adjusts his glasses.
You open your mouth to accept his offer when another voice speaks up.
“If none of his coats are to your liking I would be more than happy to escort you to the City and buy you whatever coat you’d like.” Arlecchino says gracefully, although her glare at the two near you contradicted the sweetness in her voice.
“Or I can give you my coat, Your Grace.” Everyone turns to glare at Dottore for his bold suggestion.
You chuckle awkwardly feeling the tension in the room build up, you knew that no matter what choice you made, the others would be angry. (not at you ofc but at each other)
“Thank you for your generosity, but I think I’d rather just go to my room for a while, if that’s alright.”
“Of course that’s alright Your Grace! Would it be alright if I escort you to your room?” Sandrone pipes up still sitting on her Automaton.
Now all eyes are on her and you sigh softly, all you want is to quell the subtle fighting between them but no matter what you say one of them will jump at the opportunity to spend some alone time with you.
A cold hand touches your shoulder and the Tsaritsa finally speaks up. “I’ll take you to your room your Grace, you must be tired.”
You smile at her as she moves her hand onto your lower back, “We have prepared a banquet for you later tonight, I will have one of the Harbingers bring you some clothes if you wish to change.”
The Harbingers all share glances indicating that it was going to be them to bring you the clothes. The Archon leads you down the hall toward your room.
Once they were alone, Pierro let’s out a sigh, “these childish theatrics must cease. Their Grace will be spending the next few days here and they don’t need to see you all fighting all the time. Have some decorum.
The Harbingers roll their eyes dispersing back to their own room, all of them thinking of ways they could steal your attention tonight.
It’s going to be a long night Your Grace.
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NOWHERE…? (ABYSS)
You told Lumine that you wanted to reconnect with Teyvat before you showed your face in any nation. The girl seemed surprised at first but understood, her gaze lingered on you as you left her campsite. However, you weren’t alone for long. Once you were out of the Travelers sight, you had felt a strong presence behind you. Last time you didn’t notice it, but this time it was as clear as day, as if they were making no effort to conceal it at all.
“Your Grace.” Just as you expected, it was Aether.
You stop walking turning to gaze at him, “how come you always appear when I’m alone?”
Now that you could see his face more clearly, he did look exactly like Lumine, they both had signature golden hair and eyes. While it seemed that both of them had a friendly nature, he was definitely hiding something beneath the surface.
“Because I don’t want no one to ruin the time I have talking to you.” He says nonchalantly.
“Even your sister?”
Aether’s eyes widened at your response but he quickly fixes his expression as he approached you, “so, she told you.”
“I told her I’d help her find you but that’s not all I know. I’ve heard lots of things about the Abyss, none of them good.”
“Your Grace anything anyone has told you is complete slander, the only goal I have in mind is rebuilding Khaenri’ah back to it’s former glory!”
“So the Abyss doesn’t hate humanity?”
He lets out a defeated sigh, confirming the truth behind your question without even saying anything. Aether reaches out grasping your hand with both of his gloved ones, “I would never do anything to disgrace your world… I promise.”
You had to give him the benefit of the doubt, it’s not like he lied to you up till this point, so why would he lie now? “What did you want to talk about?”
“The first step was defeating the counterfeit that held the throne, but this world still hasn’t been healed completely. Corruption still lurks in every corner.”
A large purple portal opens behind the Prince and a faceless being walks out getting down on one knee bringing a clawed hand to his chest.
“Your Grace…. Your Majesty…” it’s voice croaks.
“Come to the Abyss, Your Grace.” He pleads, “no interruptions this time. Come with me and I will show you everything…”
He stares expectantly at your face as you look at the creature and portal behind him. So this was the Abyss, Yelan had told you all about the danger it possessed and now it was right in front of you. A group that hates humanity, even Aether couldn’t deny that fact. The impropriety vexed you, how could a place exist that devalued the life you had created. You cared for this world immensely, and built it for humanity, but for some reason it felt as if the Abyss was calling out to you.
The void of the portal looks endless. Your eyes focus to catch a glimpse of something more, darker and obscure. The weight of the Princes hands were heavier now... more adamant. Your search was cut short when he gripped your hands, pulling you out of the trance. His gaze never wavered as you opened your pursed lips to respond to his lingering question.
“I’ll go with you.”
He looks satisfied with your answer as he pulls you forward leading you towards the portal.
There was no turning back now, once you walk through this with, you will be within the Abyss. You couldn’t imagine what would be waiting for you once you stepped through, all you had was the word of an outlier who guaranteed your safety.
Aether who seemed to notice your hesitancy laces his fingers with yours giving you a smile. “Don’t worry, I won’t let go.”
You let out a breath closing your eyes tightly as the two of you walk through the portal.
-
-
-
It wasn’t painful. Not that you expected it to be.
You open your eyes and the Prince is staring at you.
“We have arrived, Your Grace.”
The Abyss lurked in the darkest part of Teyvat so it was no surprise that once you took in your surroundings you noticed you were at some unknown place in the Chasm. It wasn’t just the two of you either, there were many creatures just like the one who was bowing to the two of you before. Some of them looked more human-like while others truly resembled monsters. None of them dared to speak though, you could only wonder what the Prince had threatened said to them if you chose to come with him.
“Your Grace I’m so happy you’ve decided to come with me.” Aether breathes out still holding your hand, not like he had any intention of letting go. “Your comfort means everything to me, and I know it looks unsettling right now but I can assure that your comfort has been taken into account.”
He leads you down a path so that the two of you were alone once more.
It was in a secluded spot that was much darker than the area you appeared in, the only thing giving light was the multiple torches stuck into the wall.
“Your Grace, what I’m about to tell you is going to be hard to hear…”
You let out a breath, would it be as hard to hear when you found out Celestia had betrayed you? The look on his face you could tell that he didn’t want to place this burden on you but it had to be done.
“Are you aware of what happened to Khaenri’ah?” He asks.
During your time in Celestia, you learned everything, all catastrophic events that happened on Teyvat was their doing. The Archon War and the destruction of Khaenri’ah were just the tip of the iceberg.
You nod, “Celestia told me it was their doing.”
“But did they tell you how?”
You shake your head, “how they did it? I don’t understand.”
“Celestia might’ve had a hand in getting rid of the nation, but it wasn’t the one who did it.”
You tilt your head curiously at the blonde, “who did it then?”
He sighs holding your hand a bit tighter to ease you into the bomb he was about to drop on you.
“You weren’t here and Celestia wasn’t the only one who missed you. So the Archons and Celestia concocted a plan to bring you back, and since Khaenri’ah was more quiet about their worship outsiders believed they weren’t devoted to you.”
You felt your heart sink as a bitter taste enters your mouth, “are you saying that the Archons had a hand in this as well?”
Aether continues, “the people of Khaenri’ah were deemed sinners, especially pure blooded ones. People believed it was their sins that made you not want to return, so under Celestia, the Archons attack Khaenri’ah destroying almost everything and killing everyone.”
You felt sick, you didn’t want to hear this, this ache in your chest was unbearable. Were you betrayed again? Something you poured your whole heart into stabbed you in the back for their own selfish desires? This was too much to bear.
You pull your hand out of his stumbling away to sit on a nearby rock, Aether followed kneeling next to you placing a hand on your back.
“I know this is hard for you,” he rubs your back frowning, “should I continue?”
You nod not trusting your voice to answer him, a lump in your throat was forming and it felt that if you were to try and speak, you would burst into tears.
“The remaining survivors of the attack turned into monsters… the monsters you see roaming around Teyvat are what remains of the nation. However for the pure blooded Khaenrians, they were cursed with immortality. Now they roam Teyvat forever…”
You bring your hands up running them through the roots of your hair, Aether had to be lying, there is no way something that terrible would happen without your knowledge. How could you be so ignorant to the suffering of your own people?
Aether keeps rubbing your back, “the plan didn’t work, you never returned so Celestia went for more drastic measures and made an Imposter to trick the Archons into thinking it worked, but at the same time, it was their last ditch effort to get you to return.”
You finally manage to speak, the words came out soft and raspy but still clear enough for him to understand.
“How do you know all this?”
The Prince says nothing, maybe he was ignoring you or maybe he was too concerned about your comfort to respond.
Khaenri’ah wasn’t just forced to watch their home burn by the hands of the Archons and Celestia but they were forced to stay and watch as their home became lost to history. You didn’t want to believe it, the monsters were once people and others were cursed with immortality it felt like something out of a fantasy novel.
But… those eyes…
You couldn’t help but recall your time in Snezhnaya. Pierro… his eyes. You knew they seemed familiar but it didn’t click to you then.
Now it was painfully clear.
He was from Khaenri’ah and he was one of the cursed ones. Why didn’t he tell you? Was it because you were focused on the Imposter? Did he not want to burden you with more problems?
You could remember the way his eyes had lingered on the flower you had. He must’ve recognized it.
You reach into your pocket pulling the flower out, it didn’t look as beautiful as it did when Aether first gave it to you, it was starting to wilt.
“You kept it.” You hear the Prince murmur next to you.
You turn to face him and he immediately pulls his hand off you. “Your Grace I know there is a way we can bring Khaenri’ah back. I’ve even seen these monsters gain back their consciousness, the only missing piece is you.”
Suddenly you bring your hand up to his cheek causing him to stiffen for a moment before leaning into your touch his face turning pink.
Your touch was better than he could ever describe, it was warm and comforting he hadn’t felt this warm since his days in the forgotten nation or maybe even when he still traveled with his sister. He wanted to keep this feeling forever and never let it go.
“Aether…” you breathe out. “It feels as if you’re the only one I can trust.”
He smiles, hearing you say his name was exhilarating.
“You can always trust me Your Grace. I will never deceive you.”
The hand that you had on his cheek is now trapped by his own, he didn’t want you to pull away. Not yet.
“I will help you, Khaenri’ah will be restored and Celestia will pay for it’s sins.”
His smile turns into a full blown grin, “Your Grace I am honored that I am able to work with you.”
-
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Note: I am so sorry for the looonnnngggg wait for this part but I am super happy how the ending came out. Now I will focus on the asks in my inbox so if you were on of the lovely anons that left a request, trust me, I didn’t forget about you! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this I luv you!
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theonotti · 5 months
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MIO | OS | t.n.
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Pairing: Theodore Nott x fem!Hufflepuff!reader
Word Count: 9.5k
Summary: Voldemort won. Harry Potter is dead. But the Order of the Phoenix is still fighting, with two surprising allies who have very different reasons for aiding their cause.
Warnings: Pretty angsty. AU where Voldemort did not die at the end of DH.
Notes: This is heavily inspired by Secrets & Masks and Manacled. Please enjoy and let me know what you think!
That Final Night One Shot
Late.
They’re fucking late.
Taking a long drag of his cigarette, Theo looks down at his watch. 
Twenty minutes late, to be exact.
“How long are we expected to wait here?” Mattheo growls, pacing across the wood of the decrepit bar. The floorboards creak with every step. Theo is sitting at one of the tables, a sigh forcing its way out of his lungs as he watches his friend. In one hand is a cigarette, the other hand mindlessly tracing the vandalism that had been scratched into the top of the table. 
“Another ten minutes and then we’re fucking off.”
The bar has been long abandoned, making it their top choice for discreet meetings. They had cycled through a few different locations before they finally found the bar. The walls are a sloppy black color, which is mostly covered in 80’s posters, both movies and musical talents alike. Theo’s eyes drift from poster to poster. He’s seen them what feels like a thousand times, and yet he still finds it hard to tear his eyes away when he stares at them. 
An hour has already passed since their arrival, but that was due to the ungodly amount of wards and disillusionment charms that they needed to cast before the meeting, a ritual that has become quite routine. Once everything is set, they’ll briefly discuss what they’ll say, and then they wait. Theo finds the extra waiting time peaceful, usually. It gives him a chance to mentally prepare for the carnage that comes to his psyche afterwards. The guilt. The fear. But this time, the stakes are higher, increasing the tension in his muscles much too soon. He can feel the pain already in his lower back, and he doesn’t want to imagine the aches he’ll be feeling once he returns home. 
“Can’t we just kill them?” 
Theo considers this question as he lets his eyes jump back to Mattheo.
“That would probably defeat the purpose of why we’re here.”
“Sure, but I still hate Weasley and his stupid face. Just one Cruciatus curse at his ugly face would be okay, surely. I won’t even make it a long one. Four minutes tops.”
Theo boredly watches the smoke from his cigarette float up towards the ceiling as he ignores Mattheo. Every moment that passes increases his irritation. He finds himself wondering if it’s a power move on their part. They hold all the cards, so they can keep him waiting. 
Something in the air triggers, both men looking towards the door. Theo’s fingers tense around the cigarette as he brings it to his mouth to take another drag, his other hand dropping down from the table to clench around his wand as it rests on his lap. The dimly lit room has a smoky haze, all thanks to Mattheo and Theo disregarding the “No Smoking Allowed” sign that is appropriately starting to fall off the wall.
The door opens, Ron Weasley followed by Hermione Granger walking in. Theo has long lost count of how many times they’ve met with Granger and Weasley, yet it still feels jarring every time he sees them. Maybe it’s because their appearance catches him off guard each time.
Despite them all being in their mid twenties, they all look tired and worn. The rosey cheeks that Granger sported while they were in school are now gaunt and hollow. Dark circles are painted under her eyes, along with Weasley’s, and she keeps her bushy hair contained in two french braids going down her back. Weasley keeps his hair short now, and his body is more built than it had ever been when they were at Hogwarts. His boy-like features are long gone, with gray already peppering his ginger hair, and if Theo didn’t know any better, he would’ve guessed that Weasley was in his late thirties at the least. The life in their eyes had long drained out, replaced with a coldness that chilled anyone who happened to be stuck in their gaze.
War hadn’t been kind to Theo or Mattheo either.
Mattheo has more scars on his face than he did back in school, and he grew his hair long in a feeble attempt to hide them. There was a time that he wore them like a badge of honor, but since the start of the war and his PTSD becoming worse than ever, they no longer were something he pretended to be proud of. He’s since developed an anxiety twitch, his whole face seeming to spasm whenever there’s a loud noise not caused by him, or tense moment. Though they don’t live together anymore, now that Theo has full ownership of Nott Manor, when they had, Theo could remember all the nights of hearing his best friend scream and cry in his sleep from across the mansion. It was more often than not, and it was unbearably hard to get Mattheo to calm down from the vivacious nightmares.
The opposite could be said for Theo. Instead of nights filled with intense dreams of death and melancholy, Theo simply doesn’t sleep. He couldn’t, for the life of him, shut his brain off. And while that had always been an issue for him to some degree, it had become exacerbated since his transition from student to soldier. Theo doesn’t know what being tired feels like anymore. It’s so ingrained in his psyche that it would be more abnormal for him to not be tired. All he can do is adjust, living off coffee and the occasional upper to keep him moving.
Weasley leans on the wall beside the door. His demeanor is much more unpleasant than normal as his eyes flit between Theo and Mattheo. Theo pretends not to notice as he looks at Granger, who’s standing in the middle of the room. She always did all the talking. Theo assumes it’s because of the way she carries herself, and they certainly take her more seriously than they could any Weasley. Besides being a fighter for the Order of the Phoenix, Granger is a war negotiator. She deals with prisoner exchanges and, eventually, peace talks. Although, considering it’s been seven years since the Battle of Hogwarts, Theo is less confident of the possibility of any sort of peace treaty happening any time soon. For the entire duration of the war, it was her that Theo dealt with when it came to these sorts of things, before and after their betrayal. 
She clears her throat.
“What information do you have for us?”
The strain in her voice is lost on no one. The tension in the air is so thick, Theo is convinced he could grab it if he tried.
Mattheo stops his pacing, turning to face her full on. His anger is palpable.
“Stop with the bullshit,” He snaps. “Let’s talk about why we’re really here today.”
Weasley’s hand tightens around his wand, but he doesn’t move. Theo keeps his eyes on him to ensure it stays that way before turning back to Granger. 
“You have Malfoy.” Theo’s voice is quiet, tone neutral.
The corners of her mouth twitch upward.
“We have Malfoy.”
Mattheo lets out a frustrated sigh.
“We can’t continue to cooperate with you until you hand him back.”
Granger’s expression doesn’t change, making it clear that this reaction was expected. 
“He’s quite the bargaining tool. What are you willing to give for him?” A beat passes. “Or I guess I should say, who?”
Mattheo turns to look at Theo, who can tell just by that exchange of a glance that his friend’s patience is wearing horrifically thin.
“We can ensure the release of Luna Lovegood and Seamus Finnegan. And we’re prepared to give you the maps of the hidden prisons in Sussex.” Theo conveniently forgets to mention that they were already planning to give them the maps, regardless of the way things went at this meeting.
Granger turns to look at Weasley, who merely raises his eyebrows, before turning back to Theo.
“He’s Draco Malfoy.” 
Theo’s hand curls tighter around his wand.
Mattheo huffs loudly, throwing his hand down and smacking it on the bar top. The sound is so loud that Granger flinches, and Weasley pushes off the wall suddenly, but doesn’t move forward.
“You know bloody well that our heads will be on a fucking spike if we don’t get him back,” He hisses at them. “Then who will aid your bloody Order? You think there’s anyone else who will risk their necks like we have? Honestly?”
“Regardless of your help to the Order, do you really think we can just hand Voldemort back one of his best fighters?” Granger's voice raises just a touch. Mattheo takes a step towards her.
“You’ll be singing a different fucking tune when we’re dead and you realize the next on the list is you. You’re losing the goddamn war. Biblically. You need us. Alive.”
Theo waits for Mattheo to finish his outburst before he turns his attention back to Granger. He knows where this is going.
Fuck, he knows where this is going. 
“What else do you want, then?”
Theo’s hands tremble slightly. He clenches his right fist around his wand even more, the left bringing the cigarette back to his mouth quickly. 
Mattheo shakes his head, turning away as he pulls a cigarette from his pocket and lights it with his want.
Granger tilts her head as she looks at Theo, her expression shifting to a tired one, as if the answer is obvious. When she speaks again, her voice is just above a whisper.
“You know who we want, Nott. It’s been almost a year.”
Theo’s nostrils flare.
“Not on the table.”
~
Suffice to say, the raid couldn’t have possibly gone worse.
How the Order could’ve been so prepared for them was beyond Theo.
One minute, everything seemed to be going to plan as Theo, Mattheo, Malfoy, Blaise and a few others sauntered into the safe house. Quick in and out. Nothing too complicated. The next, it was like the floor fell out from under their feet.
How did things get so royally fucked up?
Theo woke with a start, sitting up abruptly, covered in a layer of sweat as his eyes darted around the room. It took him a minute to get reoriented, and only then did he realize that he was in his own living room, laid on the couch with a blanket draped over him. Ripping the blanket off, his hands flew towards his abdomen. When he looked down, he found he was shirtless, but his skin was unharmed, save for some minor scarring. New editions to the collection. He then reached up and touched the top of his head. Nothing. Not even a scrape.
What?
Slowly, he kicked his feet over the side of the couch and stood up. The room spun for a moment, and his joints ached, but otherwise, he was completely normal. 
The manor was silent. So silent that it made the hairs on the back of Theo’s neck stand up. Almost automatically, he walked across the floor, his bare feet cold against the hardwood. He tried to keep his footfall soft as he continued listening for any sort of sound. There, in the faint distance, he could hear… something. Grabbing a hoodie off the back of a chair, he slipped it over his bare torso and zipped it up halfway before making his way towards the sound. 
Theo stepped into the kitchen. A flash of movement came from the other slide of the sliding door that leads to the courtyard. His hand instinctively went to grab his wand from his pocket, only for him to realize it wasn’t there. At the same moment, he also realized the person outside was Mattheo, having a smoke. His tense fingers relaxed, his arm falling back to his side.
Mattheo looked over as Theo slid the door open and walked out. 
“Look who’s awake. How’re you feeling, Sleeping Beauty?”
“Who healed me?”
Mattheo placed a hand over his heart, feigning offense.
“You wound me, Nott. You don’t think I’m capable?”
Theo shook his head almost immediately.
“It’s not as… clean when you do it. And I have the scars to prove it.” He pointed to his back, which was covered in scars thanks to a nasty run in with a car, a Bombarda cast, and Mattheo’s lack of concern to learn basic field emergency spell casting.
Mattheo sighed in resignation before saying, “You’re right. It wasn’t me.”
Theo waited for Mattheo to give elaboration, and when one wasn't given, he could feel his fingers curl into fists. Though Mattheo’s face was neutral, the tension radiating off his body could be felt a kilometer away.
“What did you do?”
Mattheo took a long drag from his cigarette, blowing the smoke out through his nostrils before turning back to Theo.
“Theo…”
“What did you do, Riddle?”
Swallowing hard, Mattheo looked away from Theo.
“We got their best healer.” 
Theo blinked. A hostage?
“You took someone?” He asked, voice low. “That… that wasn’t part of the plan.”
Not that things ever went to plan. And not that they hadn’t ever deviated so far left and forced them to take hostages before. But there was something about the way Mattheo couldn’t look at him that made Theo’s fingers run cold. 
Mattheo shook his head as he took a seat on one of the lounge chairs. He let his head fall to his chest, as if it were too heavy to hold up anymore. “That wall fell on you. You were going to die, Theo. We needed…” He inhaled sharply before looking up again. “It was beyond us. We needed the help. We needed her.” 
Theo wracked his brain. The Order’s best healer? The Order’s best healer. Why does this mean something to him?
“Who is it?”
Mattheo leaned backwards in the seat so his back laid against the chair before he pointed at Theo, as if he was preemptively defending himself.
“You’re going to thank me. You’ll be pissed. But you’re going to thank me, ultimately.”
Theo’s nose twitched.
“Mattheo… who is it?”
Mattheo nodded back towards the house before vaguely replying, “She’s upstairs, in the North wing.”
Theo’s feet didn’t move, stuck to the floor like ice. His mind was running, a plethora of questions all begging to be answered. But his mouth forgot how to work as well. For a moment, all he was able to do was stare at Mattheo, who stared back briefly before nodding towards the house again.
“Go on.” His voice was soft.
Theo’s feet kicked on again, taking him back into the house as if they were on autopilot. 
Why the hell are you so nervous? You don’t even know who it is.
His wand was laying on the end table next to the staircase, which he grabbed and shoved in his pocket. His knees buckled as he walked up the stairs. Distantly, he could hear the sound of yelling and objects being thrown around. It didn’t take him long to figure out which closed door the sounds were coming from the other side of. He stood outside the black wooden door, listening. Trying to maybe discern who it was before he went in. 
He could just make out the wards that had been placed on the door. Laying a hand on the knob, he was relieved to find that he was able to touch the brass of the handle. Mattheo had been known to incorrectly cast the spell so no one could get through, which had more than once sent Theo or Malfoy through a wall. 
A shaky sigh pushing its way from Theo’s lungs and out of his mouth, he turned the knob and let himself inside the room. 
The color drained from Theo’s face.
Standing in the middle of the room, chest heaving and anger radiating off of like a stove top, was you. 
Suddenly, Theo was back at Hogwarts, standing in the Astronomy Tower. You were no longer in your casual shirt and jeans, but instead, in your Hufflepuff robes as you looked at him and told him you were leaving to join the Order.
“This war is above us, Theo. Dumbledore is dead. Harry Potter is dead. I can’t stand idly by and watch people die. I need to do something.” 
“Yeah? And what about me?”
“You could come with me.”
“You know I can’t do that.”
“And you know I can’t stay.”
The memory hit Theo like a train. His breath hitched in his throat.
You turned to face him, freezing in the headlights of his gaze. The way your fury faltered at the sight of him made it clear that you were having the same out of body experience that he was. 
You certainly had been busy. All of the furniture in the room was broken. The night stand had been thrown against the pewter colored wall, leaving a dent in the dry wall and the wooden pieces scattered across the floor. A picture frame that Theo hung and forgot about was in ruins, the brunette girl in the picture cowering in the corner of the shredded pieces of photo paper. Feathers from the pillows littered the carpet. The mattress had been thrown off the bed frame, which was also now broken. 
Though he couldn’t focus on the damage that had been done to his guest room. He was too busy staring at you with the same confounded look he’d had when he first entered the room. 
Your hair was longer than he remembered it, pulled back so it was out of your face. Your features had grown with you, your cheekbones more prominent, your eyes with more bags, your cheeks with less color. There wasn’t a corner of Theo’s world that wasn’t burdened by war, and, unfortunately, that included you. His heart raced in his chest as he looked at you. He had locked the memory of you deep into the catacombs of his brain, not allowing himself to bring them out for any occasion. There wasn’t the time or need for it. This is war. When is there a moment for reminiscing on the worst day of his life?
But now there you were, standing in front of him, with a dumbfoundedly angry look on your face, casual clothes and longer hair. The flood gates were now opened, and he was overwhelmed with memories of you, running through his mind so quickly that he felt like he was spinning. 
Your eyes still twinkled in the light that streamed in through the curtains.
“You tell Mattheo Riddle that he can give me back my wand and we’ll see then if he’s able to force me into this room again.”
Theo flinched.
The sound of your voice alone made him feel the need to have a complete mental breakdown. You could’ve been cursing him out or singing in German and he would still feel the overwhelming urge to curl into a ball on the floor. Even with your anger, it still felt like a sweet symphony to Theo’s ears. 
He never thought he’d hear the sound again. 
Hell, he never thought he’d see you again.
Realizing you had spoken and he was just staring at you like an imbecile, he cleared his throat.
“You healed me.”
Your expression shifted, an emotion crossing your face that Theo couldn’t read. Standing a little straighter, you nodded.
“I’m a healer,” You said slowly, distantly. “It’s what I do.”
He snorted. That bleeding Hufflepuff heart.
“You could’ve let me die,” He pointed out, cocking his head to the side. 
You seemed to consider this briefly before saying, “In theory, yes.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Silence hung in the air between the two of you, coupled with the unmitigated tension. Theo’s hands were curled at his sides, not from anger, but to stop himself from giving into the inordinate compulsion to reach out and touch you. To prove to himself that he wasn’t dreaming or hallucinating. That you were actually in front of him. You shifted your weight to your other foot.
“I don’t think I really could’ve, even if I wanted to.”
The words unsaid in this moment would keep Theo up at night for weeks.
Your eyes trailed down his body, studying him, taking in his bare chest underneath the hoodie. He swallowed hard, his body seeming to freeze under your gaze. Maybe he should’ve changed before coming into the room. At least maybe thrown on a proper shirt. He’d never had a hostage in his home before. There was no protocol book on the proper etiquette. 
Especially not when the hostage was his ex-girlfriend who’s now working on the opposite side of the war. 
You let out a strangled sigh.
“You have to let me go back, Theo. They need me. No one is trained on some of the things I am.” 
The shake of his head was immediate.
“You can’t even begin to comprehend what he would do if he found out Mattheo and I had you and then just let you go back,” He said in a strained yet soft voice. “I can’t. We can’t.”
Your nose twitched as you closed your eyes.
“I won’t fucking heal for him,” You declared in a low tone. “I’d rather be strung up in Godric’s Hollow to rot like all the other people he’s executed than heal for him.”
Theo tried to be rational as he considered what to do. There was a tug of war in his mind, his loyalties competing to decide the best course of action. The obvious answer was to turn you over to The Dark Lord, where you would be put on trial for the crimes he deemed you guilty of, and then punished accordingly. With the skills you hold, Theo knew that you would more than likely be put under the Imperius curse and forced to act as a healer for the Death Eaters. 
Though the answer was obvious, that didn’t make it correct. Not to him or to anyone else.
Theo knew. He knew you’d rather die than breathe the same air as the Death Eaters, let alone fix their wounds and send them back out to kill your people. His head throbbed as he tried to think of the best direction to go in. 
Because, in his head, letting you go was simply out of the question. 
~
“This is a negotiation, is it not?” Granger asks. “We have something you want, you have something we want. We exchange.”
Theo shakes his head as he smashes the end of his half smoked cigarette on the top of the table.
“She’s not for trade.”
“Well, she’s what we want.”
A bead of sweat trails down the side of his face. He ignores it.
“She’s nowhere close to being worth the same as Draco Malfoy. This isn’t a fair trade.” He means it, but not in the way that he presented it to them. Nothing they could offer would make it a fair trade in Theo’s eyes. They could offer the end of the war. They could offer his freedom from the Death Eaters. They could offer endless riches, or immortality, or anything else he could possibly dream up. None of it would equate.
“Then we’ll gladly take Luna and Seamus back as well,” Granger says through clenched teeth, expression reading that her patience is wearing thin. “To make up the difference.”
Theo opens his mouth to respond, but Mattheo cuts in before he gets the chance.
“You’ll take what we fucking give you.”
Granger shoots him a dagger filled glare. 
“We can no longer afford to play these games with you. You have our best healer. And we need her back.” She rolls her head before her eyes fall back on Theo. “We have been patient. We have accepted that we had nothing worth trading for her. Now we do. Malfoy’s importance to the Death Eaters is well known. Don’t patronize us by pretending we don’t have the upper hand here.”
A chill runs through Theo’s spine.
She’s right.
God dammit, she’s right.
Theo runs a hand through his messy hair, the most he’s moved since he sat down. His brain scrambles to come up with something, anything, that he can offer to remedy this. There has to be something of equal value. There has to be something he can give that would make them decide to let you stay. 
“Before you try to come up with some feeble offer, know that we won’t be backing down from this,” Granger says as if she’s reading Theo’s mind. “You won’t be getting Draco Malfoy back unless we get her, regardless of what else you give. She’s the only card you have that could get him back.”
Theo’s eyes snap back to Granger, the anger boiling in his chest.
“This is a negotiation, is it not?” He repeats her words back to her. She smiles at him, but the gesture does not reach her eyes.
“Maybe negotiation is the wrong word for it.” She hums thoughtfully. “It’s more like a plea deal. Take it or leave it.”
~
“You’re up late.”
Theo jumped at the sound of your voice as he quickly flicked the light on.
He didn’t expect to find you in his kitchen, sitting cross legged on the island counter with the lights off. A bowl of what he could only assume was cereal was in your hands.
He glanced at the clock on the wall.
“It’s four in the morning.”
You glanced up at the clock as well, before shrugging. 
“Fine, you’re up early.”
A smile tugged at the corners of Theo’s mouth. 
He could feel you studying him as you brought the spoon to your mouth. A flush of warmth filled his cheeks as he made his way to the fridge, making it a point to turn away from you. Still, he knew your eyes never left him. 
“You still don’t sleep much, huh?” You asked, mouth full of cereal.
He sighed as he pulled the carton of orange juice off the shelf.
“I’d say I don’t sleep at all these days.”
He popped the top of the carton before bringing it to his mouth and throwing his head back. You watched him carefully, seeming to pause your eating.
“You’re a feral one now, aren’t you?” You asked in a playful tone. “Drinking right from the carton? Who have you become, Theodore Nott?”
He laughed, the sound being so foreign to him these days, before saying, “I generally live alone, and I never host other people. No need to waste a glass, as far as I’m concerned.”
Him ignoring the last comment of yours was intentional. Despite the playfulness behind it, Theo doesn’t know how you would feel about the man he’s become, and he doesn’t want to dwell on that fact. 
You continue to laugh as you shake your head.
“Mad behaviour.”
Theo eyed you. 
“Says the girl sitting on the counter, in the dark, eating cereal.”
You smiled as you take another bite.
“Got me there.”
It had been almost two months since Mattheo had taken you hostage and made you Theo’s problem. In an attempt to keep peace, Theo gave you free reign of the entire manor and all of the land around it. After repairing the furniture in the guest room (multiple times, as you had to get your frustration out somehow), Theo allowed you to stay there. Before his death, Nott Sr. had created a dungeon-esque holding below the house, with cage like cells and torture weapons, but Theo had the area of the house completely closed off upon his arrival as head of estate, and he wasn’t planning to reopen it anytime soon. Besides, the thought of locking you in an actual cell made Theo physically ill. 
“How’s the escape plot going?” Theo asked as he leaned against the counter adjacent from you, juice carton still in hand.
“Considering I can’t apparate because you already had anti apparation wards in place, the wards Mattheo placed that are linked to my DNA so I can’t leave the estate at all, and that bed being the most comfortable thing I’ve ever slept on…” You listed, raising a finger with every reason. “ … I’d say it’s going quite terribly.”
Theo’s eyebrows hit his hairline as he let out a surprised huff.
“Mattheo has always been quite meticulous.”
“Well, he said he was afraid you’d let me go.”
Theo’s smile faded quite quickly. 
The first couple of weeks following your capture, you had made yourself scarce around the manor, mostly spending time in the North wing. Theo made it a point to stay out of your way. Not only for the sake of your anger, but because he needed to work out his own emotions about you being there. Even in this moment, looking at you in the kitchen, he still hadn’t quite worked out how the whole thing made him him.
After the first couple of weeks, you had slowly started making your way through the manor, exploring every crevice. Every nook and cranny. Theo knew it was to look for a weakness to exploit that could lead to your escape, but he didn’t comment that to you. Just let it sit in the back of his head.
With your emergence from your room also came your increased interactions with the dark haired lad. It was painful at first, just a curt nod here and there, but it slowly built up to exchanging jokes and sarcastic comments, and even as far as the two of you reading books in silence together in the library.
It was almost as if there was never a moment between the days you and him spent together at Hogwarts and now. Just cut the time apart out and sew the rest together like the war never happened.
Theo often found himself wondering if he was one of the weaknesses you were attempting to exploit. 
Your comment about Mattheo believing Theo would let you go did nothing to snuff out that thought.
He tried not to think about it too much.
You watched him carefully as he took another long sip of juice from the carton.
“Have you decided what you’re going to do with me yet?” 
Theo rolled his eyes, setting the juice on the black countertop next to him. 
“Nope.”
He didn’t bother to ask how you knew it was even up for debate. You’d always had a knack for just knowing things. And he couldn’t imagine that his debates with Malfoy and Mattheo were as quiet as he would’ve liked them to be.
“What are you leaning towards?” You asked innocently, your eyes studying him. He bit the inside of his cheek as he considered how to answer.
“Let’s see,” He mumbled. “Malfoy thinks I should turn you in. He doesn’t see why you’re useful here, and says you’d be better suited as a healer for… them.” He decided not to say Death Eaters, but you flinched at the idea anyway. “Mattheo thinks I should keep you here.”
Your eyes didn’t leave him as you took another bite of your cereal. Theo mirrored you with the orange juice. 
“But what are you leaning towards?”
“Not turning you in, that’s for damn sure.”
Your gaze pinned him, as your eyes narrow only slightly.
“So I’m stuck here then.” It was more of a statement than a question, and something about it made an ache burst through Theo’s chest. He had no idea how to respond, so he opted to say nothing, instead bringing the juice carton back to his lips. Your eyes followed him. “Theo, you’re a rational person. You know that I don’t want to be here. Why can’t you just let me go back to the Order?”
His eyes fluttered shut.
“It’s complicated.”
You set the bowl down on the counter before looking back up at him.
“Then simplify it for me.” 
All he could say in a breathy whisper was your name.
He didn’t know how. He couldn’t even simplify it for himself. 
~
It all happens at once.
Theo quickly stands, pushing the chair out from under him so quickly that it glides across the floor and into the wall. 
Weasley rushes forward, his wand pointed at Theo.
Mattheo grabs Weasley by the scruff of his shirt, roughly shoving him into the wall with the tip of his wand jabbing into the ginger’s jugular. The impact of his back against the hard surface causes Weasley to drop his wand, which Mattheo swiftly kicks across the floor. 
Granger puts her wand only inches from Mattheo’s head, though he doesn’t appear to notice. 
Theo directs his wand to Granger.
“The difference between you and I, Weasley,” Mattheo hisses in his face. “Is that I don’t have any pathetic qualms about making a person suffer. So please. Point your wand at one of us again. We’ll see who comes out the bigger man.”
“That’s enough, Riddle!” Granger shouts, pressing her wand into Mattheo’s temple. Theo steps forward and jams his wand through her hair and into her occipital scalp.
“Drop it.”
A beat passes.
Mattheo’s face twitches.
Granger slowly lowers her hand, her jaw clenched so tight that Theo is convinced her teeth will crack.
“We all want the same outcome,” She says in a quiet voice, still glaring daggers at Mattheo.
“It’s how we get there that we can’t seem to see eye to eye on,” Theo growls. 
Letting his hand drop back to his side, Theo takes a step back towards the table he had previously been occupying. 
“Let him go, Mattheo.”
The curly haired man glares into Weasley’s face for a moment longer, letting his deep breath smack against the ginger’s face before he shoves him away. Theo’s eyes follow Mattheo as he walks back to his pacing area, and then they flick back to Granger. She looks incensed over what just occurred, as Weasley adjusts his shirt, embarrassment painting his cheeks pink.
Theo opts to stay standing this time. 
“She’s not a part of the equation,” He says in a low tone. “We can give you the maps, Finnegan and Lovegood for Malfoy. Or we can give nothing at all.” 
A draft fills the room as the wind can be heard whipping outside over the silence. 
“And again, we are well aware of Draco’s importance to the Death Eater army,” Granger says in a tone that matches Theo’s. “There is no option. It’s her or nothing.”
Theo fights the urge to curse her.
“Then it’s nothing.”
~
The door hit the wall so hard, Theo could almost feel the drywall dent. In the moment, however, he couldn’t give less of a shit.
You whipped around to face him. The anger on your face couldn’t be missed, but neither could his. For a while, the two of you just stared at each other, speaking through daggered glares and heaving chests, as if words weren’t necessary. 
It was a moment of deja vu, calling back to the first time the two of you met in what became your assigned bedroom of the house. Both times equally as tense, but for radically different reasons. And this time, all of the pieces of furniture were entirely intact. 
Finally, Theo broke the silence.
“What business do you have, entering the field?”
Your nostrils flared.
“What business do you have, almost getting yourself killed?”
A breeze came in through the window, chilling the room further. As if it needed the help. 
“I was handling myself fine,” He said in a low voice. “Injuries are bound to happen-“
“A pelvic fracture and an open head wound are both severe injuries,” You countered in a raised voice. “You may have felt fine in the moment but you wouldn’t have after you lost two liters of blood just from the fractured pelvis alone. You needed care.” 
Theo felt like throwing things as the anger flared heavily in his chest.
“I could’ve apparated back to the manor after-“
“You would’ve splinched yourself with that severe of injuries, Theo,” You snarled, looking exasperated. “Mattheo came and got me.”
Theo made a mental note to kick the absolute shit out of Mattheo the next time he saw him.
“You could’ve said no!” He shouted. “You’re not my bloody on-call healer who gets to risk her life whenever I almost die.” The image of you in the middle of the fight, dodging multiple green casts in your wake, was burned into his retinas. Despite being safe in the Manor now, his chest was still reeling from the panic that flooded his heart and lungs when he fought to get to you.
You took a rushed step forward.
“Don’t fucking do that,” You said in a strained voice. “You don’t get to drag my arse back into your life-“
“You think I wanted this for you?” He shouted, cutting you off. “I didn’t drag you anywhere. I didn’t bring you here. I didn’t ask for this.”
You took another step towards him, more controlled this time. Theo almost took a step backwards to keep the distance.
Almost.
“But you kept me here. Why am I still fucking here, Theo?”
The words left his mouth before his brain had a chance to even consider them.
“Because you fucking left me before I was fucking done with you!”
Theo’s chest heaved, as he stared down at you. The room became painfully silent, the only sound being Theo’s breathing. You were holding your breath. 
“What does that mean?”
Theo didn’t hesitate for a moment.
“You left me to join the Order. You left me behind and I went bloody maniacal. I didn’t know a person could be touch starved for a specific set of hands, but your fingers burned their prints into my skin and I can’t get them to goddamn heal. And then Mattheo dropped you on my fucking door step and it was like I was an imprisoned man who just felt the warmth of the sun for the first time in years.”
You were frozen, staring at him like a deer in headlights.
“Theo…” A breathy whisper.
Theo shook his head, feeling a mix of anger and desperation in his head and heart. When he spoke, his voice was more calm this time, taking a low tone. 
“If love were a language then the only one I know how to speak is the one we wrote together. I couldn’t lose you again. I can’t lose you again.”
It was unclear who moved first. Maybe Theo. Maybe you. Maybe both. But somehow, the distance between the two of you closed, and Theo’s mouth was crashing against yours.
His left hand was on the small of your back, the other on the back of your head. His fingers weaved through your hair with a firm grip, as if to keep you from pulling away. Your hands were on his cheeks, lightly cradling his head between your palms as your fingertips teased the beginnings of his hairline. 
“I love you,” He said in a silent voice, his lips still pressed against yours in the desperate kiss. “I never stopped.”
“I love you too.” Your words came without a sliver of hesitation.
His tongue parted your lips, as your fingers moved to the back of his head. A groan forced its way up his throat. Your nails against his scalp drove him insane. It always had. Theo knew you knew that well. 
And with that, he pushed you onto the bed. 
“So…”
Theo closes his eyes at the sound of Mattheo’s voice. His steps are slow as they walk up the pathway of Nott Manor. In an effort to prolong the inevitable, Theo pulls a cigarette from his pocket, setting it between his lips before lighting it with his wand. 
“We don’t have a choice, do we?”
Theo looks up at the sky as he blows a plume of smoke upwards to join the clouds. He can’t look at Mattheo.
“No,” He finally says. “We don’t.”
Mattheo pulls a smoke of his own out, lighting it before taking a deep inhale. The only sounds in the air are the wind and his exhale.
“What if we just stopped aiding them?” He suggested after a beat too long of silence. “They’re losing. They need the information we’re feeding them. A few weeks without it would have them feeding out of our palms.”
Theo considers this as he plops down on the top step leading onto the porch. The cold from the wood seeps through his trousers.
Not that his body held any warmth to begin with. Not since he walked out of that bar.
“We don’t have a few weeks.”
Another cloud fills the air.
“The Dark Lord wants Malfoy back now.”
Theo’s heart already feels hollow as he thinks about what he is getting ready to do. 
Mattheo paces the cobblestone pathway, running his fingers through his curls as he takes another long drag of his cigarette.
“There has to be a way.”
Theo studies his friend. There’s very few people Mattheo holds loyalty to. The Order wasn’t on the list, despite the way they were risking everything to help them. The other Death Eaters didn’t have it. Hell, even his own father only held enough of Mattheo’s loyalty to keep him alive. Not enough for it to matter.
But Mattheo, from the moment they met until this moment in front of Nott Manor, was always fiercely loyal to Theo. And the way he desperately tries to come up with a solution to fix this for Theo pulls at his heart.
Because his loyalty to Theo also extends to you. When Theo told Mattheo that he was planning to betray Voldemort’s army in an effort to end the war and keep you with him, Mattheo wasted no time in joining him. No questions asked.
Mattheo was willing to risk his head to keep you safe if that was what Theo needed. And in this moment, Theo knew he didn’t thank his friend enough. 
His hands shake slightly as he brings the cigarette back to his mouth.
“I don’t think there is.”
He doesn’t want to sound as defeated as he does. But as his mind runs a million kilometers a second, it still comes up short on a way of getting out of this. 
Mattheo shakes his head angrily.
“This is bullshit.”
And Theo says nothing, his gaze fixed on the ground as he finishes his cigarette, and plans what he’s going to say once he goes inside. 
~
Oh Merlin, do I really have to leave?
Theo sat on the edge of his bed, staring down at your sleeping form. Your back was facing him, the blanket low enough to show the bare skin of your upper torso. 
He swallowed hard.
Five minutes. Just another five minutes.
But he knew he wouldn’t stop at five.
He was in his Death Eater robes, dressed to leave. This meeting wasn’t one he could afford to miss, and yet, watching you sleep in his bed was enough to make him at least consider it. 
Reaching over, he traced the lines of your right scapula, moving down to the left, feeling your smooth skin and shoulder blades beneath his fingertips. Your body rose and fell with every breath you took, but you did not stir at his touch. He brushed your hair down to the side so it all fell concurrently onto the sheets. 
Every time he tried to stand, his legs would defy him. 
Bloody hell, this is impossible, he thought to himself.
The temptation to kiss you was strong, but he resisted. He didn’t want to wake you, because then you would know he was leaving, and then you’d ask questions. One’s he didn’t yet want to offer up the answers to.
You didn’t know what he was about to do.
The door creaked open, making Theo jump. Mattheo stood at the threshold, also in his robes. His eyes flitted between his friend and you, before they settled on Theo again. All he did was nod, a gesture that Theo returned, before turning and leaving once again.
A sigh forcing its way out of his lungs, Theo stood up from the bed. Before walking out the door, he threw one last fleeting glance your way.
This better fucking work.
Once the door to his bedroom was shut, Theo walked through the manor in a flash, before finding Mattheo standing in the front garden. His friend gave him a look, and it was not lost on Theo the anxiety in his expression.
“Are you sure about this?”
Mattheo’s words hung in the air, swirling around above them with the wind. Theo slowly let his head fall backwards as he stared at the sky. For once in his life, his thoughts weren’t racing. He was confident in this decision. He had never been more confident about anything. 
“I’m sure.”
No more words were said. 
Grabbing Mattheo’s forearm, the two men apparated. When they reappeared, it was in an empty warehouse in Sussex. Windows lined the walls just a meter or so below the ceiling. The walls themselves were painted an off white colour that left them looking dirty, with hand prints and muck dusting the paint. It felt too big, in Theo’s opinion. If this were to become a regular thing, they’d need something smaller. With seats, preferably.
The two got to work, placing wards and disillusionment charms everywhere they could. Before they knew it, a whole hour had passed, and they were just finishing up. 
“You know I hate this right?” Mattheo asked as they regrouped in the center of the giant room. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Not what we’re doing necessarily but this meeting?”
Theo had to fight the urge to laugh.
“You think I like this any more than you do?”
Mattheo shook his head as he looked around the warehouse, taking in the metal beams that lined the ceiling. 
Theo took the moment of quiet to get his thoughts in order. Ever since he sent that damn letter, he had dreaded this moment. And now it was here, and though he had spent countless hours stewing and preparing, right now, he felt completely naked and defenseless. 
A sensation filled the air. Theo looked over at the same time that Mattheo did. The door creaked open, the sound echoing off the walls and around the air, before Hermione Granger, followed by Ron Weasley, the Weasley twins, Dean Thomas, Ginny Weasley, another Weasley they couldn’t place, and the blonde Triwizard Tournament champion from fourth year who Theo, for the life of him, could not remember the name of.
“All Gryffindors, mostly Weasels,” Mattheo mumbled under his breath. “Too much bloody red around here.” 
Theo fought the impulse to laugh.
The crowd of Order members approached them, all looking apprehensive. Granger stepped forward, her eyes jumping between the two of them.
“Nott.” When her eyes bounced back to Mattheo, the disdain became more apparent. When she spoke again, she spat the word out. “Riddle.”
Mattheo gritted his teeth as Theo took a step forward, saving them the risk of what would happen if Mattheo were the next to speak.
“Granger.”
He debated on greeting the others, but decided against it. There simply wasn’t time for pleasantries. Besides, Theo didn’t particularly want to be polite to them. And he knew that Mattheo wanted nothing more than to raze the whole warehouse just because he saw that familiar flash of ginger hair one time, let alone several. So it was probably best to get right to the point.
“What’s this about?” The unfamiliar Weasley called out. 
It was hard for Theo not to grow annoyed. The amount of people in the building had him feeling overwhelmed, though he couldn’t exactly blame him. How else should they have responded? It could’ve been a trap, for all they knew. 
The moment Theo reached into his back pocket, a swarm of wands were pointing in his direction. In his periphery, he could see Mattheo’s fists clench. though he was grateful that his friend didn’t immediately start spitting off hexes and Unforgivables. Theo froze more out of politeness than fear, then slowed his movements down. With the same speed as a snail, he pulled out a couple of scrolls, tossing it on the floor halfway between where he stood and where she stood. The wands all moved to point at the scroll in the same way they would point at a bomb. 
“Those are plans for upcoming raids on your safe houses,” Theo explained. “Now you can be better prepared.”
The reaction was comical. At least, to Theo, it was.
Granger stared at the scrolls, her mouth agape. Ron and Ginny kept their wands pointed at it in a way that suggested they were convinced it was anything but a scroll. The twins backed away from it entirely. Dean Thomas stared not at the scroll, but at Mattheo specifically, confusion painting his expression. The unfamiliar Weasley with the scars on his face jumped away when Theo threw the scroll, and had not moved since. And the blonde looked like she wanted to approach it, but was too afraid to let her feet move. 
Granger was the first to speak.
“Why should we trust you?”
A draft filled the room.
“Trust us or don’t,” Mattheo quipped. “You’re losing. You’ve been losing. Pathetically. We’re guaranteeing you a win right now. Whether you decide to take that chance is up to you.”
The silence was deafening as the members of the Order all exchanged looks, looking absolutely flabbergasted by this turn of events. It was clear they were trying to have a conversation through their facial expressions. Every muscle in Theo’s body tensed as he waited for their reaction. 
This has to work, He thought to himself. 
This will work.
“What do you get out of this?”
Granger’s words hung in the hair, and though the question was for the both of them, her eyes were pointedly trained on Mattheo. When the two Death Eaters remained silent, she continued. 
“You’re betraying your families. Your fathers. What could you possibly have to gain, besides maybe a pardon from execution if we win?” She sneers. “And even that isn’t guaranteed.”
Visions of you lying in his bed, only covered by the duvet cover, overtook Theo’s head. He found himself wondering if you’d woken up yet. If you’d eaten. If you’d slept well. If you’d realised he’d left. The lump in his throat felt like a bolder when he swallowed it down. His fingertips burned with the feeling of your bare skin underneath them. 
Out of the corner of his eye, Theo sees Mattheo glance over at him. 
This is, after all, Theo’s doing. So it’s his question to answer. 
“Family isn’t everything,” Theo said in a low tone. “And some people are worth yielding for.”
~
Rise.
Fall.
Rise.
Fall.
It takes Theo a full half hour before he finally finds you in the manor. Here you are, curled up on the couch in the library with one of his robes covering you like a blanket. Your back faces him as your face is nuzzled against the fabric of the back of the couch. 
Deja vu hits him hard.
Instead of waking you, Theo sits on the ottoman beside you and counts the amount of breaths you take. At the moment, he’s up to about sixty since he started. It’s easier on his heart to sit in the silence, only filled with your quiet snores.
It’s easier for his heart to handle than what it knows he has to do. 
But he knows that he’s only prolonging the inevitable.
Letting out a deep sigh, Theo reaches over and places his hand on your shoulder, gently shaking you awake. 
“Hey,” He says in a low voice in an attempt to not startle you. “It’s me. Wake up.”
Your head springs upward, looking around at the back of the couch before you roll over to face Theo. The way your eyes light up at the sight of him makes his heart ache in a way he’ll never be able to describe. It’s like he misses you before you’ve even left. 
A soft yawn takes over your face for just a brief moment, and is quickly replaced with a tired smile.
“How’d it go?”
Theo bites down on the inside of his cheek so hard that he can taste blood.
I can’t do this.
I can’t do this.
You have to do this.
“Not great.”
The smile fades from your face. As quickly as your still waking up body allows, you sit up, rolling over to face him entirely. Theo sits up straight as you pause, watching as the wheels turn in your head to process what he had said.
“What happened?” Your voice is so small, and something about it gives Theo the impression that you already know where this conversation is about to go. He sighs heavily. The pain in his upper back makes it feel like he has the entire world on his shoulders.
“They wouldn’t return Malfoy to us,” He explains. In an effort to hide the shake in his voice, he speaks slowly. “They… they had specific conditions for his release.” 
The hush blanketing the room is only pacified by the pounding in Theo’s ears. 
If there is one thing about you that Theo knows deeply, it’s that you can’t keep your emotions off your face. So it’s to his great dismay that he watches your expression shift from confusion, to thoughtful, to realisation.
“They want me, don’t they?”
The words feel like a bullet each, piercing through Theo’s chest and implanting straight into his heart. 
I can’t bloody do this.
“Yes.”
Suddenly, the quiet that overtakes the room is less welcome as that one single word hangs over the two of you like a storm cloud threatening a downpour. The way Theo’s mind runs a million kilometers a second makes it so deafening. He can see the conflict on your face as you consider what needs to be done. The downward cast of your sleep stained eyes and the way you curl your lip in thought makes him want to burn the entire Order to the ground so he doesn’t have to even consider losing you.
He sucks in through his nose as the hand on his knee clenches tightly into a fist.
When your eyes drift back up to meet his, matching resolve in your expression, Theo has to swallow down the urge to cry. 
“When?”
His nails dig into his palm.
“Mattheo’s going to take you once you’re ready.”
A frown crosses over your face. 
“You're not going?” 
Theo can’t recall another time in his life where he’s felt as broken as he does now, looking into your sad stricken and confused eyes.
He’s losing you again.
He’s losing you again. 
“I can’t.” He swallows the lump in his throat that makes his words come out choked. “I… I wouldn’t be able to handle it.”
He lets the rest of his thoughts remain left unsaid. That he would kill them before they could even leave the area with you. That he’d kill every last one of them for taking the only good thing he’d had during this god forsaken war. The entire reason he had broken his loyalties to the Dark Lord in an attempt to put it to an end. 
And now, he has to watch you leave him.
Again.
Anguish and surprise conflict your face, making him take your hand in his and hold it tightly.
“I’ll figure it out, okay?” The desperation in his voice is so palpable that you can feel it bleeding onto the skin of your fingertips. Theo’s eyes never leave yours. “I’ll finish this. For you. For us.”
You fill the spaces between his fingers with your own.
You haven’t even left yet, but Theo begins to dread the ghost of your touch that will be left behind once you are. It’s a feeling he knows too intimately.
“What if we lose?” You ask him in a soft whisper. “Or what if one of us doesn’t make it?”
The air leaves Theo’s lungs, evaporating from the heat of your words.
He wants to dig a bunker and hide you in it, keeping you far away from the sins of the war and the pain of ever leaving his side. He wants to blow up the world and watch from space with you on his arm. He wants to do anything, literally anything that would take away the hurt in your eyes. 
Images of the many ways he wishes to kill the Dark Lord and end this devastation flash through his mind.
“I need you to hear me when I say this,” Theo says in a slow tone. “I will do whatever it takes to ensure my return to you. Even if that means I have to blow through the gates of hell myself and crawl out of my grave. Make no bloody mistake. I will come back for you.”
620 notes · View notes
clusterbuck · 29 days
Text
like a ship on the ocean
7x03 coda
Buck watches Bobby and Athena run towards each other, and something catches in his throat. 
The moment belongs at the end of a movie, feels like it should be accompanied by sweeping orchestral music. In his mind’s eye, Buck sees it in dramatic slow motion.
But that isn’t what makes Buck pause with one hand still on the staircase rail.
It makes him wonder, is all. It’s one hell of a yardstick, and suddenly he isn’t sure if anything he’s ever had would measure up.
Bobby hadn’t gone into details on the chopper, not in front of the kid, but the little he’d said sounded intense. And it sounded like he and Athena had each other’s backs every step of the way.
And that’s really the part Buck gets stuck on, because—
He’s had his share of relationships, and they’d been good while they’d lasted. But even at their best, Buck doesn’t know if he’d have trusted them to save a handful of people trapped on a capsized cruise ship with him.
He’s drifted over to the railing by now, and he leans against it, staring out at the open ocean. Though it’s really only the open ocean if he looks a little to the left—otherwise his field of vision is full of other lifeboats, full of bedraggeled passengers holding onto each other, grief and relief both stark against the bright blue sky. 
Maybe he’s being unfair, he thinks. Bobby and Athena are both trained first responders with decades of experience under their belts. They were better equipped to handle the situation than just about anyone else.
Maybe it’s the kind of thing you can’t know about someone until it actually happens.
But maybe—
Someone materialises by his side, another pair of forearms braced against the railing, and Buck doesn’t have to turn his head to know who it is.
“What’s up?” Eddie asks. 
“You know how sometimes when you talk to people from, like, functional families, they’ll say their ideal relationship would be just like their parents’ marriage?” Buck asks, still searching the whitecaps.
“I—don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say that.” 
“It’s a thing,” Buck insists, the slightest edge of a laugh in his voice. “I swear I’ve heard people say it before.”
“Okay, sure,” Eddie says. “I’m guessing we’re not talking about your parents?” 
“Is it weird if I’m pretty sure my ideal relationship is Bobby and Athena’s marriage?” Buck asks. He turns to look and finds Eddie blinking.
“Your ideal relationship features a honeymoon interrupted by pirates and a cat five hurricane?” Eddie asks, quirking an eyebrow.
Buck huffs. “No, that part I can live without. I just mean—how many people would you trust to get you out of something like this? That’s what I want in a partner.” 
“So, what, you gonna audition new girlfriends by bringing them on a cruise?” 
“Again, the cruise ship isn’t really the key part here,” Buck says, rolling his eyes. “And it’s not like every ship gets hijacked and blown up.”
“Slight flaw in the plan.”
“Yeah, it’s bulletproof otherwise,” Buck says, and Eddie snorts.
“So no cruises,” he says. “Then what?” 
“I mean, I don’t think it’s something you can really test for,” Buck says. “I guess there just has to be a vibe.” 
Eddie hums, staring out at the ocean. “Have you had that vibe?” he asks after a moment. “You know, before?” 
“I don’t know,” Buck says on a sigh. “Feels hard to evaluate after the fact, you know? Like—memories always look better after a little time, right?”
“Yeah,” Eddie says. “I guess they do.” 
“What about—” Buck gestures at him. “Marisol? Would she get you off a sinking cruise ship?” 
“Too soon to tell, I think,” Eddie says.
Buck bites his tongue against the urge to point out it’s been months already, and every time the subject comes up Eddie keeps hedging like it’s only been a couple of dates. 
He hesitates, careful about choosing his words. “Or maybe the fact that you can’t tell is the vibe?” he asks, and Eddie sighs.
“Yeah,” he says, eyes fixed on the horizon. “Maybe.”
200 notes · View notes
moonmunson · 23 days
Text
either way / no doubt
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a/n: either way and no doubt by Odie Leigh have been on repeat currently and I relate to them so heavily so I word vomited on a Google docs. its a little rushed but oh well LMAO (I'm also always writing with a plus sized reader in mind)
cw: over thinker fem!reader, autistic coded reader, not knowing how to enter into a first serious relationship, kind lover boy!Eddie, no use of y/n
wc: 2.1k
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It is the beginning of Spring when she meets Eddie Munson. Genuinely meets him, not just sees him around town and wonders what it’s like to be in his orbit. Working at the local diner, she sees him and his group of friends often. She’s served them a couple times, and they’re always respectful - albeit rambunctious. They tip well, stack their dishes for the busboys to clear, wave to her on the way out. 
It’s the day Eddie comes in by himself that marks it as different, new. He sits in her section of the diner, glances her way and then averts his gaze when she meets it. That’s odd, but she doesn’t think much else of it. Not until the end of his meal - consisting of a solitary cup of coffee and a slice of apple pie - does he stop her when she checks to see if he needs anything. 
He asks if she’d want to hang out sometime, and she laughs - a forced exhale of nerves. He asks why she’s laughing, and she doesn’t know what to say. After a few moments of awkward silence, she relents and shrugs. What would we do? He says anything she wants. What if she doesn’t know what she wants to do? He says they’ll figure it out together. 
They end up sitting in the back of Eddie’s van, the open doors facing Lover’s Lake. She’s fidgety, and stumbling over her words. He keeps staring at her when she talks and she’s not used to anybody doing this much work to stay focused on her and what she has to say, especially because she’s not saying much of substance. He asks her so many questions, and mundane ones at that. How are classes at the community college? What’s your major? She answers as best she can. 
The feeling of someone looking at her makes her skin crawl. She doesn’t know what to do with her hands, she’s uncomfortably aware of the position of her nose on her face, which seems incredibly silly, and then she’s thinking about just how silly that is when he asks her if she’s alright. 
“Sorry?”
“I was just asking if you felt alright. It looked like you went away for a second there,” Eddie ducks his head down to catch her line of sight. Eye contact has always been difficult for her, but this is different - warm - like sunshine. “I know I’m not the most exciting person to talk to, but I hope you’re having a good time. I enjoy talking to you.” 
“I’m here, sorry. I like talking to you too.”
“You don’t have to apologize, it’s okay.”
“Sorry. Oh-” She sucks in a breath and places her hand over her mouth, eyes wide at the realization of her mistake. He giggles, a sweet boyish sound, and it warms his face. She thinks she could love that face, if he let her. If she knew how. She laughs too, despite herself. “It’s a bad habit. I really have to stop apologizing so much.” 
He’s still smiling when he says it’s okay, he understands. 
Later, when he drops her off at her apartment, the sun has gone down. The ride he’d offered her is relatively quiet. It’s a strange thing, to see the way someone adjusts themself around you. The usual loud heavy metal is absent here. The fast driving and sharp turns are traded in for complying with the speed limit, graceful steering and soft brakes. When he looks at her, she directs her gaze out the window - when she looks at him, he is focused on the road. 
He stops her as she takes off her seatbelt and goes to open the door, jumping out of his own and running around the front of the van to open it for her. She leads him to her front door, and he asks if he can see her again, if he can have her number. She nods, and rummages around her purse for a few frantic seconds before finding her waitress notepad and pen. When she rips the page out that she’s written her number on and hands it to him, he clutches it to his chest and smiles.  
“I’ll call you when I get home, if that’s okay. Just to let you know I made it back safely.”
“And if I want to keep talking to you?”
“We can talk for as long as you want to.” 
“Okay.” 
Eddie walks backwards for a few seconds, keeping his eyes locked on hers, paper still against his heart. By the time he’s made it back to his van, he lifts a hand up for a short wave goodbye, and turns to face the vehicle. 
Now or never. 
“Eddie?” In true Munson fashion, he whips around completely at the sound of her calling out to him. 
“Yeah, sweets?” 
“I just wanted to tell you I had a really nice time with you today. I can’t wait for you to call me later.” She tucks her hair behind her ears, needing to do something with her hands to offset the nausea brought about by her impulsive vulnerability. He smiles wider, if that’s even possible. 
“I’m glad you had a good time. I’ve been wanting to ask you out forever, Gareth and the guys kept busting my balls about it. I promise I’ll call when I get home.” 
She nods, her eyes tracking his steps as he makes it to his car. She watches him drive off. It feels so strange, this immediate wanting him to come back, wanting him to come inside and crawl into her brain. To know her fully. It scares her in a way she’s incredibly unused to. When she can’t hear the music blasting from his speakers anymore, she makes her way inside and slumps against the door for a few seconds. 
He does call when he gets home, and they talk until the sun rises. 
__
They spend the next few days talking on the phone. It’s easier like this, she thinks. She doesn’t have to worry about the way she looks when she’s thinking of something to say. She doesn’t have to avoid his white hot gaze, the way she can feel it trail over her face when she’s speaking. If he notices how much more she opens up to him when they’re not actively sitting next to each other, he doesn’t mention it. 
When they’re not on the phone, he clings to her brainspace like moss on a tree. She can’t stop thinking about him, to the point she’s worried she’s obsessing over something that isn’t there. He’d said he had a good time, he said he enjoyed talking to her, so why does it keep bothering  her so much? He feels safe. He does feel safe, but she’s not used to conversations with no expectations. No guise, no hidden agenda. If he notices the way she starts to pull away due to her overthinking, her sentences shorter and stunted, he doesn’t mention it. He carries on as usual, calling her to talk about what he’d done that day. It makes her smile. 
When he asks, unprompted, if he can see her again, she says yes. 
__
They go to the lake again. It is an early March morning, the last tendrils of Winter still grasping desperately for some kind of recognition against early Spring. He brings a blanket and hot cocoa for both of them, and she feels it in her chest - warm and sweet and chocolatey, like his eyes. It’s easier this time, talking to him. She spends less time worried about her posture and cadence - more time really listening to him speak and trying her hardest to maintain eye contact. 
The early morning breeze makes ripples on the otherwise still surface of the water. It’s so beautiful. He’s so beautiful. He’s so expressive when he speaks. She used to think he was careless, jumping on tables and riling up the people he knew didn’t like him. Seeing him up close like this, she realizes it’s kind of the opposite. It’s careful, planned, the way he uses his hands, his eyes. Even when he’s talking about a book he's read a million times, she feels like she's there among the scenery and characters he describes. It’s entirely captivating. She wants to be more like him. Carefully carefree. 
She’s never done this kind of thing - the relationship kind of thing. If that’s what this is, she has no idea how to traverse this new terrain. She can’t find her footing, she doesn’t know what the formula is, what the proper way to go about it looks like. She doesn’t think about sounding weird when she asks:
“What are we doing?” 
Eddie pauses mid sip, brings the cup back down to his lap. 
“Currently? Or like, with our lives?” He chuffs out a little laugh. Not in a teasing way, though it's hard for her to differentiate. “Because currently, from my perspective at least, I’m sitting in my van with a pretty girl talking about our favorite books. What I’m doing with my life is something a lot of people, including me, would really like to know.” 
Levity, she recognizes. 
“Sorry if it's a weird question, I just…” She trails off, breaking eye contact, looking at her hands in her lap. He scoots forward a bit, the side of his thigh touching hers as their legs dangle off the back of the van. He doesn’t push her to say anything, doesn’t acknowledge the unneeded apology, doesn’t fill the silence with his own voice.  He just waits, patiently. She doesn’t think she’s ever seen him sit this still. 
“I really like you, and I really like talking to you. I’ve never done anything like this,” She uses her pointer finger to gesture between the two of them, drawing a connecting line between their bodies, “I don’t know how to, if that makes sense. I’m not really a lot of people’s type, I guess.” 
“Hey, look at me,” Eddie sets the cup down next to him and very gently takes her hand, locks their fingers together. When she raises her eyes to meet his, he continues. “There’s no rush, I mean it. You set the pace here, okay? I like you, like a lot. If all you wanna do is sit here and talk, I’m totally fine with that. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”  
“Yeah?” 
“Yeah, sweets.” 
“What if you find out how weird I am and decide you don’t want to talk to me anymore?” 
At this, Eddie relinquishes his grip on her hand, hops down from the lip of the back of the van, and stands in front of her. 
“Y’know who you’re talking to?” two thumbs pointed towards himself - eyebrows raised, mouth quirked in a goofy grin, “King of the freaks, misfits, and ne'er do wells. I don’t think you could scare me off, but you’re certainly welcome to try.” 
“So just… be myself?” She scrunches her face up - the idea of being genuine is almost totally foreign to her. 
“Be yourself!” 
“Ew. Yeah, alright, fine.” She sighs in resignation and shrugs a shoulder. Doesn’t think about how convincing he is, or how willing she was to drop some of her defenses. Carefully carefree. She can do it. 
They share a laugh, finishing their luke-warm cocoa together and talking until the sun is high in the sky and the temperature rises too high for them to ignore any longer. This time, the drive home is less quiet. She meets his gaze when he looks over at her from the driver’s seat, she hums along to the sound of the radio, it's nice. Comfortable. 
Just like last time, Eddie hastens to run around the van and open her door for her. He extends a hand to help her down and out, and they stay connected on the short journey to her apartment’s front door. Eddie watches while she digs the keys out of her purse, unlocking the door and leading the both of them inside for a drink. He kicks his shoes off by the welcome mat, and they look like they belong there. 
It is the beginning of Spring when Eddie Munson permanently plants himself in her life, a steadfast source of comfort and nourishment. It is hard for her, and it takes longer than most for her to truly open up. To show him all the nooks and crannies of her mind. He takes it all in stride - her overthinking, her quirks and neuroses. He shows her that it is entirely impossible to trust someone enough to take part in the watering and flowering - that it's not a weight she has to hold alone. She can bloom.
__
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nataliesfirefly · 2 months
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You and I Walk a Fragile Line - Farleigh Start x F!Reader - Part 6
a/n: hey guys!! im so sorry this part has taken me so long! im currently on a trip so i havent had much time to write! but i hope this makes up for it, im super excited for yall to read this!!! also i think im going to plan for this series to have a few more chapters, probably max 9 or 10! i love it sm i really dont want it to end 😭 but anyways enjoyyy and comment what you think! and again i apologize if the smut is mid.. btw this is not proofread LMAO
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word count: 4.9k words
warnings: MDNI 18+, smut, fingering, oral (f!receiving), p in v, angst, language, smoking, afab reader
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You’re sitting in your bed, reading a magazine, when your flip phone rings. You lean forward to pick it up from the corner of the bed, wondering who could be calling you this late. You raise your eyebrows when you see that it’s Lola. You haven’t spoken to her since school got out. Nevertheless, you answer it and put the phone up to your ear.
“Lola! Hey,” You grin. “Oh my God, I’m so glad you picked up. I’m so bored around here,” She groans, and you smile even bigger at the sound of her voice on the other end. “Around where?” You ask curiously.
“My parents’. I have to babysit my younger sister all the time. It’s exhausting, really,” She moans. “I just want to like, go to a party or something. Honestly, I would even prefer to be going to classes right now instead of this.”
“Wow. That must mean it’s really bad then, huh?” You continue flipping through the magazine, your eyes scanning through the apparently trending fashion and makeup choices at the moment.
“Yes. Ugh. You’re at Saltburn, right?” She asks. “Yeah.” You reply.
“How’s that going?” Lola questions, and you hear another voice in the background that sounds like her, only higher-pitched. “No, I’m on the phone. Go away. Shoo,”
You try not to snicker at her shooing away her little sister. “It’s…” You trail off, trying to decide the right way to describe how the summer is going so far for you. “I don’t know. Different.”
“How so?” You pause and wonder if you should tell her what’s been going on. You decide it’s probably better not to and keep some things to yourself.
“I think it’s just cause we’re growing up. I mean, we graduate in less than two years.” You shrug and reach over to grab your glass of wine. “Oh God, don’t remind me. My parents are still asking me what my plans are,” She sighs loudly.
“I can’t believe it.” You shake your head and close the magazine, uninterested in the latest celebrity drama. An idea suddenly forms in your mind.
“Hey, the Cattons are throwing one of their big summer parties in a few days. I could invite you?” You suggest. You hear Lola gasp. “Really?! I’d love to go. I’ve heard so many stories about the Saltburn parties.” She makes it sound so dramatic, and you giggle.
“And you’d get a chance to see Felix,” You grin as you hear her jumping around. “Yeah, I would! You don’t need to convince me any further. I’ll be there,” She pauses. “Wait, but they’ll let me come, right?”
“Oh, of course. They like me a lot, so I’m sure they won’t mind.” You assure her. “Okay, perfect. Thank you so much, my love. I’ll let you get some sleep. See you soon!” She squeals excitedly and you roll your eyes with a smile as she hangs up.
You set down your phone and sigh, looking around your dim room.
You haven’t been able to get Farleigh out of your mind since your little… moment two nights ago. He’s not avoiding you, but he’s not being nice either. He’s gone back to teasing you and embarrassing you in front of the Cattons. You should’ve known that if you got too close, he’d pull away and return to his old ways.
But every little glance you two share has your stomach fluttering and your heart pounding. Every insult meant to hurt or offend you has the opposite effect. In some depraved way, you like when he degrades you. The past two nights, you’ve laid awake and stared up at the ceiling, trying to relive that night when he made you feel so good. Just the thought of him had your mind reeling. You would do anything just to feel that way again. You’re hooked.
You can’t just keep wallowing in these feelings. You want to talk to him, work things out, and go back to how they used to be a week ago. More importantly, you just want to be in his presence. It gives you some kind of thrill to be around him. It’s like a game of roulette to see which version of him you’ll get each time, and you love it. You crave his attention.
You climb off of your large bed and walk determinedly to your door, opening it quietly and sneaking down the hallway. It’s quite a long walk to Farleigh’s room, but you don’t care. You pass Felix’s room, then Venetia’s. Both of their lights are out, telling you that everyone in the house is probably asleep by now. You can only hope and pray that Farleigh isn’t.
You eventually find yourself standing in front of his room. Dim light peeks through from under his door, and you sigh with relief. He’s still awake. Your decision catches up to you and you realize how stupid it is that you’re about to knock on his door. You shake your head to clear your doubt, raising your hand and gently knocking.
You hear his bed shifting and footsteps following close after. You swallow nervously, your throat suddenly feeling dry. Your heart races with anticipation as he finally opens the door.
Fuck. He’s shirtless with only a pair of sweatpants on. Your eyes trail down subconsciously before you blink and look back up to his face. Is he wearing underwear?
“Hello,” He says, his grin foxlike. “I can’t sleep. Can we talk?” You ask, your voice shaky. You curse yourself for sounding nervous. He crosses his arms and raises his eyebrows. “Talk about what?” He questions.
You pause, unsure of what to say next. What were you going to talk about? He would deny any feelings towards you, so what was the point of even coming here?
“Just let me in, please.” You step forward and avoid his gaze. He steps to the side wordlessly, opening the door further to let you into his room.
You breathe in the familiar scent of that candle he’s always burning, and the scent of his cologne. It’s musky and spicy, with notes of vanilla. You tried to memorize it everytime you were close to him. You walk over to his bed and sit down on the edge, looking up at him as he closes the door behind him.
“Can I have a cigarette?” You ask, pointing to the pack sitting on his bedside table. He nods, and you carefully take one. He hands you the lighter.
He stares down at you as you light the cigarette, taking a drag from it. He chuckles to himself and you exhale, furrowing your eyebrows. “What’s funny?”
“You always said you hated the smell. Yet here you are, asking me for a cigarette,” He replies with a scoff. “Maybe you’re just a bad influence,” You shoot back, and his smile slightly fades.
You can see his eyes traveling down your body, lingering on your thighs and your bare legs. You had outgrown these sleep shorts, but you never cared because you figured no one would see you in them. Well, there goes that.
“Are we not going to talk about the other night?” You mutter. “What’s there to talk about?” He replies, and you roll your eyes. “Are you-” You pause and let out a frustrated breath. “Are you serious?” You exclaim angrily.
“You can’t blame it on being drunk this time, Farleigh.” You tell him, and he freezes, his gaze faltering downwards.
“Can we not talk about that? Let’s just…” He sighs with exasperation and sits next to you. You turn away from him, looking out the window. You decide not to press the issue, since it’s apparently too much for him to think about right now. Honestly, you aren’t even able to fully process what’s been going on between you two.
“Let’s just… talk,” He says finally, and you face him again, exhaling a small cloud of smoke. “Okay.” You shrug. It’s what you both do best: Talking. About anything and everything, despite the strange history of your relationship. You guessed that it was because you had known each other for so long, that it just came naturally. He’s just… real. He’s never pretending or putting on a façade, at least around you he’s not. Around the Cattons, he has to, because to them he’s just the wild child, the comedic relief, the American. You feel like you are the only one that gets to see the real Farleigh, and it feels like a privilege. But you know that’s not true, and you choose to believe it anyway.
“So… Our third year at Oxford,” Farleigh says. You let out a breath and raise your eyebrows. “Can’t believe it’s already been two years,” You both smile, thinking of all the good and bad memories you’ve made so far during your years at university.
“Can I be honest?” You ask, and he nods. “I’m scared.” You say simply. His eyebrows knit together. “Of what?” He replies. “Graduating. You know, I’ll probably go to graduate school or something, but I need to start making my own money. Get a job. Do adult things,” You sigh just at the thought of all the responsibilities. “I can’t be on a scholarship forever. Or have my parents pay forever,” You continue, shaking your head. “I’m putting them through enough as it is.”
Farleigh nods again with a look of understanding. “I might go back to the states. See my mom, maybe stay there for a while.” He says. You can’t help but feel a little sad at the thought of him being away for so long. You hate to admit it, but you would miss him.
“But we don’t have to worry about that right now. You’re too uptight. Let yourself have fun,” He nudges you softly. “I’m trying,” You mutter. “Well, you’re smoking. That’s one step closer,” He laughs a bit and you roll your eyes.
It goes quiet and you stare down into your lap. You can feel his eyes on you, and your heart begins to race with anticipation. That familiar tension returns in the air between you and Farleigh.
You look up slightly, his eyes meeting with yours. Your stomach churns as you look down to see his hand inching towards your thigh, eventually resting on top of it. “I know why you came here,” He says, his voice lowered.
You look back up to him. “What?” You whisper. “Don’t play dumb,” He shakes his head. “I’m not.” You reply, trying hard not to break the intense eye contact.
You gulp nervously and finally look away, your face giving you away and burning red. “Hmm,” He hums, his thumb brushing across your thigh. You try to distract yourself by pressing the cigarette out on the ashtray on his bedside table, watching the little flame burn out.
He gently reaches up and grabs your chin, tilting your head back towards him. He drags his thumb down your bottom lip as you stare into his eyes. He grins slightly before moving his hand to cup your cheek, leaning in closer until your noses brush together. You know you shouldn’t be doing this. You know Farleigh is emotionally unavailable and toxic, and he won’t ever discuss his feelings or yours. But you can’t help but melt into the kiss, his touch, his aura. It’s like he’s magnetic, pulling you in everytime you try to pull away.
Somehow, every single time he kisses you, it’s better than the first time. Your tongues intertwine as your lips move in a perfect rhythm while both of you fall back onto his bed clumsily. One of his hands tangles in your hair, and the one that was resting on your leg moves up to rest on your waist, his fingers caressing your bare skin due to your tank top riding up. He eventually shifts his position so that he’s on top of you, and you turn to lay on your back underneath him.
His kisses begin to move down to your jawline, then your neck. He sucks and licks your skin so cruelly, but you don’t want him to stop. You breathe in the scent of his hair, his curls tickling your face, and you can already feel yourself becoming weak again.
You feel his hands start to trail down your body, resting on your hips, as he moves down the bed and you peer down to see him looking up at you from between your legs. Feverish heat burns across your skin just at the sight of it.
“Wait, wait. I’ve never-“ You start, suddenly feeling nervous. “It’s okay,” Farleigh replies, his eyes soft and warm as he gazes up at you. “Just relax,” He murmurs, gently pulling down your shorts and panties at the same time, shuffling them off your legs.
Just relax, you think. Easier said than done. You’ve pictured this moment so many times in the past few days, and you can’t believe it’s becoming reality.
And of all the times you’ve fantasized about this, none of them could ever do Farleigh’s beauty justice. His dark eyes are shining with something of lust and hunger, his plush lips slightly parted and his shoulders broad and golden. His curly hair is only slightly wet from his shower earlier, yet still perfectly coiled.
He looks up at you, trying to convey something through his gaze. “So pretty,” He mutters, tracing a finger along your thigh. Your breath catches in your throat and you feel your stomach fluttering already.
He lifts your legs up and places them over his shoulders. Your heart pounds in anticipation and you can hear yourself breathing among the silence.
Farleigh leans down and presses a few kisses along your inner thigh, and you don’t know how much longer you can stand his teasing. You watch him gaze up at you through his lashes as he dips a finger into your wetness and you see the smirk that tugs at his lips. He raises his eyebrows at you and your face turns red. “Stop,” You cover your face with both hands, your stomach doing flips. You can’t handle how perfect he looks right now, even as he teases you for how soaked you are already.
“Hey, look at me,” He says, his deep voice vibrating against your skin. You let your hands fall back to your sides, smiling shyly. His expression turns more serious as he furrows his brows, slipping his finger inside of you. He moans before you even can, his head falling against your thigh.
That familiar stretch around his finger has your mind reeling as you throw your head back. He pulls it out and you whimper at the loss, until you feel his middle and ring finger on your clit. Your hands instinctively move to grasp the sheets as he strokes your bundle of nerves perfectly, letting your head fall back down to watch him. He continues to maintain eye contact and it makes you so weak.
Your brain almost turns to mush as you see him leaning down, his head buried between your legs. A moan louder than you intended leaves your mouth as you feel his tongue greedily licking a stripe up your pussy.
“Shit,” You huff, your chest heaving up and down. No one had ever given you head before, until now, so you didn’t really understand your girlfriends when they would tell you how amazing it felt. But now, you completely get it. His tongue moves in long, slow strokes and his pretty nose nudges perfectly against your clit.
He barely lifts his head so he can stare up at you to watch your reaction. You grind up against his face, your hand reaching down to grab a handful of his curls. He groans at the feeling before inserting a finger again, moving at the perfect pace along with his tongue. The combination is enough to make your legs shake. The lewd sounds of him lapping up your cum and both of your wanton moans echo throughout his room.
“Farleigh!” You almost scream his name before letting out a long, drawn out moan. He glances up at you once more, his pupils huge with lust. He moans against you as he absolutely devours you, adding a second finger in. His long fingers brush against that divine spot inside of you and you whimper helplessly, your other hand gripping his sheets as if it could help ground you somehow. That delicious heat builds in the base of your stomach, spreading like a fire.
“I’m gonna-“ You gasp for air, your chest heaving up and down. His eyes are half-lidded and he seems completely lost in the moment, just absolutely pussy drunk. “Let go,” He says, his voice deep and raspy.
And you do exactly that. The pleasure shoots through your veins like a drug, your grasp in his hair tightening and your hips rolling as you ride it out. You eventually come down from your high, letting your legs drop from his shoulders as you let out a shaky sigh, your heart still pounding against your ribs.
“Fuckk,” You breathe out, resting your head against the pillow. Farleigh crawls over you, leaning down to kiss you. The lower half of his face is covered in your slick, but you couldn’t care less. He kisses you passionately, desperately, groaning into your mouth. You can taste yourself on his lips and his tongue, and it just turns you on even more.
He pulls away, his lips hovering over yours. You look up at him and suddenly feel an indescribable desire wash over you as you stare into his deep brown eyes. It’s like you can’t get close enough to him, like you need more than everything he’s already given you. You want him inside of you. You want to feel every part of him. You want him to feel every part of you.
“Farleigh,” You whisper, reaching up to touch his face. “What is it?” He whispers back, lightly touching your own face.
“I want you,” You say. You don’t care how stupid you sound right now. This carnal desire has completely taken over you.
“In what way?” He replies, smirking smugly. “I think you know which way I mean,” You mutter. You don’t have time for his teasing, although you love it.
His expression softens and he seems to understand what you mean. “Please, I need you,” You can’t believe you’re begging for Farleigh of all people right now. You know you’ll be regretting it later. His eyes widen and he seems shocked by your confession.
“Far…” You whisper, tracing your finger along his lips. He opens his mouth to speak, hesitating slightly.
“Do you know what you do to me?” He asks, his voice soft. You look up at him and tilt your head. He takes your hand and guides it down below his waist while still looking down at you. You gasp softly when you feel that his dick is so hard underneath his sweatpants. It has to be painful. You slowly rub your hand against him and his eyebrows draw together as he stutters slightly, and it almost looks like he’s in pain.
“Baby-“ Farleigh whimpers. “Please,” You beg once again, and he nods, quickly taking his pants off and throwing them somewhere on the floor of his bedroom. You look down at his dick, and you have to keep your jaw from dropping.
It’s definitely the biggest you’ve seen, and although you haven’t seen many in your lifetime, you know he would be considered above average. It’s long, with a bit of girth to it, veiny and already leaking precum from the tip. You feel yourself starting to get nervous. You aren’t sure if you could even take all of it, but hell, you’re going to try. You hope he didn’t pick up on your reaction, because you know he would tease you over it.
He places his hands on either side of your head and leans down onto his elbows. He never takes his eyes off yours as he positions himself. You wrap your legs around his waist, letting your ankles rest on his back.
He slowly begins to slide in, and you grunt quietly at the pain. He goes a bit deeper before you panic and place a hand on his lower stomach, stopping him. “I can’t-“ You wince in pain.
“Yes, you can. You can take it,” He nods and brushes the side of your face with his fingers. He takes your hand off of his stomach gently and places your arm back onto the bed. You nod in an attempt to encourage yourself, gritting your teeth to withstand the pain. You reach up to his shoulders, resting your hands on his shoulder blades, trying to keep your nails from digging into his skin as you hold onto him.
“Fuck,” Farleigh grunts as your walls grip him tightly, sucking him in. Eventually he’s buried inside of you to the hilt, and you can feel every inch of him. You’re still trying to adjust to his size, and the pain is slowly subsiding as he groans and drops his head and closes his eyes. You press your hips up against his, trying to get him to start moving. “Far,” You mutter. You can tell he’s trying to hold back. He breathes heavily and opens his eyes again, gazing into yours.
“I’m ready,” You whisper. His eyebrows knit together as he rolls his hips slowly, causing your eyes to roll back and drawing a short moan out of you. He shudders, slightly pulling out of you before thrusting back in. You wonder how he’s so good at this as your nails dig crescent moons into his back with each slow thrust and roll of his hips. Your mouth falls open and you try to be quieter but it’s no use.
He buries his head into the crook of your neck, his curls tickling your face. He’s whimpering and moaning your name and other incoherent nonsense right into your ear. He sets a beautiful rhythm, his bed creaking underneath you as you sink into the plush of the mattress. You think you hear the headboard hitting the wall but you don’t care about the loud sounds you two are creating. You just don’t want this moment to end.
He looks back up to you and you can see he’s already fucked out. His eyes are even more glazed over than before and sex sweat forms on his brow. He whimpers helplessly and pants heavily. “You’re so good,” He breathes. “So, so good,” You could probably cum just from his words alone.
You let out a wanton moan as he hits that spot again, deep inside of you. “Oh, fuck!” You gasp and claw at his shoulders. He drops his head again, kissing your neck as he thrusts into you faster and deeper each time, hitting your spot over and over once he’s found it.
“Yeah, that’s it,” He groans against your neck and you feel tears brimming in your eyes. “Farleigh- It’s-“ You can’t seem to form words, your brain turned to sizzling hot liquid. “I know, I know,” He whimpers, his voice slightly higher pitched and breathless. You try to hold on longer, but you’re already coming undone as your orgasm hits you sooner than you expected. Your body stills and you clench even harder around him. He moans, that pained expression crossing his face once again. “Oh God,” He chokes out, his thrusts beginning to become less steady.
“Where should I-“ Farleigh pants. “Inside,” You tell him. You’re on birth control, but you don’t have the mental capacity to explain that to him or explain why. His hips stutter and he stiffens, finishing inside of you, the warm feeling spreading throughout your lower stomach. He collapses on top of you, his head on your chest, resting on the soft fabric of your shirt.
You’re already sleepy and physically exhausted from what just took place. You breathe in his scent one more time and let out a sigh, staring up at the ceiling and trying to process what you just did. Then he’s wrapping his arms around you gently before pulling out of you slowly. You grunt a bit, feeling a dull ache between your legs, but you can’t help but miss the feeling of him inside of you.
He adjusts the both of you so that you’re both laying on your side, allowing you to stretch out a bit and cuddle up to him, tucking your head in the crook of his neck. He holds you, and for a moment, it feels like a real relationship. Something you had never experienced. Something deep. Something real. And then you remember that it’s not. After this, he will go back to avoiding you and acting like he can’t stand you. You just wish that he would put his pride away and admit to you what he really feels. But what does he really feel? Are you stupid for thinking that there’s something here?
Farleigh strokes his fingers through your hair, brushing away some of the strands plastered onto your forehead by your sweat. He seems to notice your silence.
“You’re thinking too much,” He says, his voice beautifully hoarse. You sigh, relaxing your shoulders. “Am I?” You reply, your voice weaker than you thought it would be.
“Just sleep here tonight,” He mutters, resting his chin on top of your head. You so badly want to ask him to be serious and have an actual conversation with you about your… relationship.
“Okay… but we need to talk about this,” You respond quietly. He sighs and shifts a bit, careful not to move you too much. “We can in the morning,” He says, but you know that won’t happen. You’ll just have to settle for no answers to your questions for the time being.
You curl up closer to him and let your eyes close, breathing slowly and peacefully. “Goodnight,” You murmur. “Night,” He replies, sounding just as tired as you are. You drift off to sleep in Farleigh Start’s arms.
ONE YEAR EARLIER
You were usually on okay terms with Farleigh. But you remember exactly when the dislike turned into hatred.
It was right before end of term exams and Felix convinced you to go to the pub to blow off some steam and relax after all your revising. You reluctantly agreed, then regret your decision when you saw Farleigh and Sasha there.
It was pretty far into the evening and you were beginning to get sleepy. You had spaced out for a moment, staring out the window and watching the snow fall before you heard something that peaked your interest.
“I mean, Felix, you have got to settle down,” Farleigh chuckled and nudged Sasha, pointing his cigarette at Felix.
Felix grinned stupidly and shrugged. “Listen, mate. I’ve tried.” Some other friends of his joined in with the laughter.
You sat up and leaned forward, facing Farleigh. “You’re one to comment on relationships,” You said, raising an eyebrow. Everyone else sort of quieted down after hearing your words.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Farleigh rolled his eyes at you and Sasha just glared. “You and Sasha. You’re dysfunctional.” You responded, unafraid to challenge him.
“Excuse me?” Sasha looked at you like you just committed a hate crime. “Yeah. He cheats on you, you cheat on him, you get back together, blah blah blah.” You took a sip of your beer and shrugged. “It’s gone on for almost a year now. It’s exhausting,”
Farleigh chuckled. “Ohh, you want to come after my relationship?” He smirked as if he was cooking up a plan in his mind of how to humiliate you best.
“Well, I bet you would like everyone to know that you lost your virginity to Joshua Brown,” Farleigh said, loud enough for even people from other tables to hear. A small chorus of gasps echoed across the room.
“You’re desperate, easy, and sloppy. You take anyone who wants you. I guess that’s what happens when you get no attention before you go to college, hm?” He just kept going, and the whole room went silent
“I’ve seen you walk out of so many dorms at six in the morning, it’s insane. You can’t even keep a fucking man,” Farleigh’s tone was harsher and colder than you’d ever heard before. Felix was staring at you in shock and Sasha was giving you that judgemental look.
You looked around to see all the pairs of eyes on you. “Fucking hell, Farleigh,” Felix muttered, shaking his head at him.
You stood up and grabbed your bag hastily, storming out of the pub with tears in your eyes. Why was he such a bitch? Why did he hate you?
Your reputation was officially ruined. All that time, he never told anyone about your situation with Joshua. Until now. He was doing so well. The whole class thought you were an innocent and pure, high achieving student, and now what would they think? You wish you didn’t care so much about how others perceive you, but you do.
You hated Farleigh. You hated him for ruining your reputation and your image. It was impossible to get him back or do something worse, since basically everyone knew he was a slut. But he got praised for it.
Ever since that night at the pub, other students would look at you sideways and whisper things about you as if you couldn’t hear them.
Fuck you, Farleigh. You decided you were officially done with him and your weird friendship. Even if that meant having to avoid him at every cost.
taglist: @isla-finke-blog @ibimbogrl @drunkmysticsquirrel @alonia-olivia @novemilady @saltburnsworld @florkt @i-love-ptv
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c00kieguy · 14 days
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𝙳𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝙴𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚜 [Ch.2]
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relationships: Aventurine x GN!Reader summary: After returning home and going through his box of possessions, Aventurine decides that maybe it’s time he started trusting you a little more. Read more here cw: 2.1 quest SPOILERS, Angst but in a comforting way. a/n: I know I said I won’t talk about the story until the second half banner drops BUT, it’s a very small thing. So WARNING, mention of Aventurine’s real name and some story items. [This will be a 3 part series] wc: 1k Part 1 || Part 2 (this one) || Part 3 masterlist
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The morning has been very peaceful, you spent most of it chatting away with your boyfriend about nonsensical things like the news and some television shows you two shared an interest in. Before long though he had to leave to collect some things from his friend’s home.
“Come back soon.” You take his hand into your own and your boyfriend can’t help chuckling at how clingy you are. He found it cute. Even though you knew he'd be back by the end of the day, here you were acting like he was about to leave you for several years.
“Of course.” He reassures you. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
—---—
“Do you mind if I come home at 12?” He asks you over the phone. “It’s not often I get to meet up with her, so we were hoping to grab something together.” Kakavasha could practically feel the frustration radiating out of you across the device. He hated having to lie to you, but he wasn’t ready to tell you, not yet. 
He had told you that the trip wouldn’t take long since his friend lived just an hour away, but in reality she was from another ship entirely. It took Topaz several days to get to the planet and she only agreed to bring his belongings since it was on the route to her next destination. The trip to the port would take at least a few hours, so he tells you they’ll grab dinner. The time should add up.
“Sure, I’ll leave the spare keys under the pot. Don’t bother ringing the bell. I’ll probably be asleep when you come back.” He winces at your tone. Oh you were definitely a little mad.
“Sorry love.” He says in an apologetic tone. “I’ll buy you something along the way, alright?”
“I’ll be asleep, Kakavasha.” You groaned, tiredness started to tug at your eyelids. “Just come back home safely, please.” Despite your tone you really did care for him. Even now you were wishing him a safe journey. You just hated the thought of him being so far away from you…
“I promise.” Just before he could cut the call, however, you call out to him.
“Wait-” Your boyfriend hums in reply. “This friend of yours, is she the one from Veritas Prime or…?” You hated to admit it, but you were getting curious about your boyfriend. You could only take so many lies before you started doubting him.
“Oh, no, that’s the guy. This one is the business lady.” Lies.
“Ah, I see. Are you not meeting up with him too?”
“No, he’s usually too busy, you know how it is at that University.” Lies.
“Alright, stay safe then. Love you.”
“Love you too.” Truth...
That’s all you knew about them. One was a girl, a businesswoman, and the other a guy, a student at the University of Veritas Prime. You didn’t know how much of this was true and how much he was hiding, but the way he talked about them certainly made them feel like real people. You trust him regardless of how little you knew of his companions, after all, If he truly had something to hide he wouldn’t have mentioned them in the first place, right?
No. You tell yourself. Kakavasha was a good man, you just knew. If he was hiding something it must be for a good reason, and whatever it was he was hiding, he’d share it with you eventually.  What you really wondered was if you could hang on until then.
—---—
He grimaces at the loud creaking noise your bedroom door makes. He had just gotten home and followed your instruction to the t. Looking at you he confirms that you’re still fast asleep and he sighs in relief. He found it cute how you’d always get so grumpy once the sleepiness hit you, but waking you up from your slumber? That would definitely have him sleeping on the couch…
He carefully places the box on his side of the bed and opens it. Reaching inside he fishes out the first thing he gets his hands on, a small trinket wrapped tightly in layers of cloth.
It was the golden lucky charm, the one his mama gave him. Even after all these years it still shone bright. He still remembers what he was told, about how the Mother Goddess had blessed him, about the rain that followed shortly after. Carefully he rewraps it and places it to the side to pick out the next item.
This time it was just a piece of cloth, but not just any. It was the shirt his father had given him. The fabric feels rough against his finger, and the faint stains of blood are still present in it. He sighs to himself, it had been so long and yet, he couldn’t bring himself to throw it away. It was the one thing he had of his father after all. This too he folds as neatly as possible and places to the side.
The next item…the necklace. The very same one that his mama had given to his sister, then his sister to him. He can still clearly remember the day he won it back from the Katicans, the way his sister worried for him, the expression on her face, he still remembers it all. Look, this is just a necklace. She told him. But Kakavasha, you are my only family.
Only family.
He feels a lump form in his throat, the memories too painful to remember. He missed them so much, everyday without fail he missed them. But that was the past, he couldn’t go back and turn things around, no matter how hard he tried. All he could do was keep going, after all, it was what his family would’ve wanted.
Family.
He thinks of you, of how kind you were, how you never tried to pester him for any details. You trusted him so blindly and yet here he is, unable to face himself. He hated lying to you, but he was just so afraid that you’d run away and leave him all by himself.
Kakavashe look at you in your peaceful slumber, your chest slowly rising and falling as you breath, the blanket moving with you. You looked so peaceful, so open. Frantically he moves all his items back into the box and places it under the bed so he could lie down next to you. 
He trusted you, that much was true. It was easy to trust you fully and to open his heart to you when you knew so little of him, his past especially. The less you knew, the less  likely you were to betray him after all. He knew he was being selfish, knowing so much about you and yet unwilling to share much about himself, but the thought still made him feel nervous.
You trusted him, that much was true, but even to him it was obvious you were reaching your limit. It wounded him to lie to you like this, to continue to conceal, but what was worse? Losing you because he told you too little or losing you because he told you too much? Just then his sister’s voice rings in his head.
But Kakavasha, you are my only family.
He decides then and there, he’ll stop his lies, he’ll stop pretending. Once you wake up, 
he’ll tell you everything.
my…family.
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Part 1 || Part 2 (this one) || Part 3 masterlist
© c00kieguy ➼ do not repost/copy/translate (without my permission) or claim any of my works as your own. Reblogs are appreciated ❣
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florestmoon · 2 years
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Just His Luck. (Eddie Munson x Reader)
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Summary: Eddie comes to a realization after a drug deal with Chrissy. As he struggles with this, he wasn’t sure why you began to pull away from him, afraid that you can tell exactly how he feels.
Warnings: Eddie’s POV. Slowww burn friends to lovers. Yeah still lots of angst because I love making y’all suffer these two idiots.
Word count: 7.5k?
A/N: my biggest writing flaw is that I hate writing fast pace. When I have an idea, I make sure to focus on small details and I will drag it the fuck out because I read slow burn fanfics and books the size of my head since the age 12 . That being said, I didn’t end this the way i originally thought. So maybe, MAYBE, it’ll be 4 parts. I’m sorry to those who hate that haha. Forgive me <3 THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT LETS GO.
Eddie use to never consider himself a lucky person.
He didn’t think he could be considered a lucky person when his father had made it clear how much he couldn’t care less about his own son. His drunken rants still a vivid memory.
Someone who’s lucky didn’t have to be forced out his childhood home and hike all the way to another town to find an uncle he wasn’t even sure would take him in.
A lucky person didn’t grow up being branded a freak and tormented by most of his classmates for something as simple as playing a fantasy game and listening to heavier music. A lucky person didn’t rely on selling drugs in order to support his uncle, and that said side hustle only adding a bigger target on his back in the small town.
That and many more shitty experiences that made up his life should be enough proof that he, Eddie Munson, was not lucky.
But then there’s you.
You being a part of his life overshadows all the bad luck that followed him. Eddie would go through it all again, his shitty childhood and the very hot and long walk from his own hometown to Hawkins, now that he knows you were waiting to enter his life the moment he stepped foot into that trailer park.
He remembers clearly the overalls you wore when you jumped up from the bike you were sitting on, when Uncle Wayne encouraged him to go outside after a day settling in his new home. You ran to him and introduced yourself with a smile that showed a missing tooth.
That was the moment he knew he experienced his first true luck.
Since then, Eddie could safely say he was a lucky person with the way you stuck by his side. It didn’t matter if his days contained the looks of disgust that were thrown his way, when he knew he would see you at the end of it.
Kind eyes, rid of any judgement, waiting for him.
He really is a lucky person, even if your stressed voice was pushing for a headache that morning.
“Eddie, can you please turn that music down. It’s not letting me see clearly!”You ask desperately from the passenger seat, before twisting your body to look at the back of his van to return looking through the piles of cassettes he had saved.
He laughs but continues to slam his palm on the steering wheel to the music. “I need you to rethink that sentence.”
“Eddie.” You warn and from the tone of your voice, Eddie quickly shuts off the music. You hum happily and return to your search in the mess of his van. After a few moments of you cussing under your breath, Eddie’s name being thrown there a few times and he has to refrain from slamming the breaks, before you pull yourself back into your seat.
“I shouldn’t even be letting you ruin that poor kids ears.” He states once he sees a cassette being shoved into your bag. “Lucas deserves one from my own personal collection.”
“Ha. Ha.” You roll your eyes and he watches you from the corner of his eye, seeing you place your feet up on his dashboard. “I know Lucas will like it. It’ll cheer him up and encourage him before the big game tonight.“
“Right, the game.” Eddie recalls, focusing back on the road. “I wonder what those idiots will tell me today at lunch.”
You hold in a laugh as he continues, “I know they’ll be scared to tell me. I can see their faces already,”
“Aw don’t be mean.” You pout cutely, placing your elbow on the passenger door and looking towards him. “They look up to you, and hate disappointing you. That’s why it’s taken so long to come clean.”
“It’s not being mean” Eddie shakes his head, “I’m not going to be the one to look for a replacement. And I’m not going to reschedule the campaign.” He adds quickly with a pointed look at you that is returned by you sticking your tongue out.
Brat. He thinks fondly. “Anyway, they need to figure that out.”
“Mhm, can’t wait to see them running out like headless chickens trying to find anyone willing to play.”
Eddie shrugs at that. Despite his annoyance at Lucas being taken by the dark side, Jason and his gang, he didn’t actually have hard feelings towards the kid. Who was he to tell him to not pursue something he enjoyed doing? It would be hypocritical of him. And he was mostly annoyed with Dustin and Mike, who haven’t said anything. “They’ll figure it out.”
He reaches over to turn up the music a bit now that you were no longer on the edge of biting his head, something he admits to enjoying a little bit too much. He remembers to mention, “Oh, you wanna hit up the diner to pass time after school?”
“Oh yes!” You sit up, looking at him excitedly. “Can we get a strawberry shake? I’ve been craving that all night.”
Eddie can’t stop the smile as he nods, pulling into Hawkin’s High parking lot. “How can I deny you from that?”
It was a shocker to Eddie when he was approached by Chrissy before he made it to the cafeteria that day. He has his fair share of customers that make up Hawkin’s popular kids. They were the ones to pay the most so he never rejected their offers, even if they later would spit nasty words to him in the hallways.
He never thought he would see the day Chrissy Cunningham would be asking for him.
But money is money. It wouldn’t hurt to see what the deal was. So he waited for the last 10 minutes of the lunch period, telling you and making you wait outside the woods. You complained about coming along but he wanted to play it safe.
He wasn’t fond of bringing you along to his deals. It’s not that he didn’t want you by his side, he did, but there’s been way too many times where his customers would direct their anger of prices to him or you. He didn’t want you to see that, or even deal with it.
“Don’t scare her off Eddie. I know she’s Jason’s girlfriend but she’s actually really nice! So, don’t go doing your usual sneaking up on others and being intimidating, remember that one time you got a bloody nose from it and -“
Eddie hands you his half finished soda can he bought from the vending machine to stop your anxious rambling.
You already finished the one he bought you, but you stopped your monologue and took a sip, content. It was so easy for Eddie to be able to keep you happy and distracted. It made him feel good. “I won’t. Wait for me here, okay?”
——
Chrissy seemed to be distracted when he walked up to the usual spot. Her eyes staring off the distance as he comes up behind her, “Hey.”
He thought his voice was soft enough, but she jumped in her spot and turned around towards him. Big eyes surprised before she lets out a breathless chuckle , holding her arm.
“Woah.” So much for listening to your advice. He holds his hands up. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”
The blonde shakes her head, rubbing her shoulder and throwing him a quick smile before sitting down on the picnic table. “No I should have been paying attention. I was zoned out.”
Eddie nods before moving to sit across the table, placing the metal lunchbox on the table between them. Chrissy plays with the sleeve of her sweater as Eddie opens the box to reveal the bags of weed.
“So..” she stammers, looking between Eddie and his box. “How does this work exactly?”
“Oh you know, like any other transaction.” Eddie watches her, “except cash only, and uh, for obvious reasons. “ he tilts his head, “No receipts.”
She nods along before he holds a bag towards her, “I’ll do you a half ounce for, uh..20. What do you say?”
Chrissy stares at the bag, then sighs and leans forward to cross her arms on top of the wooden table. She glances behind her as though expecting someone to show up.
Eddie couldn’t help but feel a bit defensive. Looking past her before he shuts the top down. “Look, uh, I’m starting to get a bit worried here. I really hope this isn’t some set up.”
He thinks back to you waiting for him at the entrance to the woods. What if they saw you there first?
Chrissy looks at him stunned and shakes her head. “No! No, of course not.” She bites her lip then sags her shoulders. “It’s nothing like that.”
“You afraid your boyfriends going to pop up and catch you doing a drug deal with Eddie ‘The Freak’ Munson?” He tries to keep the venom from his voice. “Not up to deal with that right now.”
“No really, its-its not that. He’s not even my boyfriend.” She adds, looking at Eddie a bit exasperated. “Not right now? Anyway, I don’t know..”
Eddie mouth forms an ‘o’. He wasn’t expecting that. Chrissy looked back down at her hands and let out another sighs.
“Oh. Well shit.” He laughs awkwardly and leans against his palm. “Uh, sorry about that? Uh..” he shrugs at her when she looks at him again. “I’m kinda surprised, didn’t he express his undying love for you this morning at the prep rally.”
She smiles sadly as she recalls that earlier morning and nods, “It was an argument after. He gets really overprotective. He didn’t like me agreeing to go to a party with a few friends and one thing lead to another and,” she does a hand motion, “It got too much, and I said I wanted a break.”
He hums, tapping his finger on the table before shaking his head. “Oh so he’s that type. Cant say I’m surprised with how he carries himself.”
Chrissy smiles at that, “Yeah. I’m just still kinda sad about it, he means well. But I’m not fragile or anything..so I thought to try something..to make me not think so much about it and go against what he says. Is that stupid?” She asks timidly.
“No. Not at all. Happens to all of us.” He says, opening the lunch box back up. “Uh I do sell blunts, it’s pre rolled and all. It’ll be easier for you to smoke. Seeing as this is your first time..”
He rummages through the box then clicks his tongue. He forgot he smoked his last one that he had in his box with you last night. “Problem is I only have them back in my trailer. So if you really want, you can drop by tonight..or I’ll bring them tomorrow.”
“I have no where to be after the game anyway.” She shrugs, nudging a stick against the dirt under the table with her shoe. “I was suppose to be with Jason, but..”
“Okay, cool.” He looks down at the lunchbox then decided to try to a bit more comforting, with the way she still looked so down. “If it makes you feel any better. He may be a total dick. But it’s disgustingly clear he uh loves you.”
Chrissy smiles fondly at that. Eddie continued, feeling weird he was even talking on behalf of someone he hated, “and uh, sometimes people are very protective over people they care about and shit. I definitely don’t let the one I care about touch half the stash I sell.”
“Y/N?” She asks, seeming to have perk up a little bit. No longer slouching and her expression was lifting, feeling more comfortable with him.
Eddie smiles at your name, feeling warm. “Yeah. Y/N” He fiddles with the lighter he had taken out of the box moments prior. “But uh anyway. I’m sure you and Jason will get back together in no time, And you’ll be back to being Hawkins favorite Queen and King.”
He says the last part more sarcastically than he meant too, but Chrissy either didn’t notice or didn’t mind because she only blushes.
“I don’t think we could take you and y/n spots though. In being the cutest couple .” She teases lightly after a moment. Eddie freezing in his seat as he registers words, the lighter slipping from between his fingers. . “I always thought you two were so cute. How long have you been together?”
Together.
Him and y/n together.
“W-what..what?!” His laughs nervously, getting up from his seat once he felt his body back in his control. “Couple... Couple? We aren’t a couple.”
Eddie doesn’t know why but the idea had his heart beating fast and face flushing. Couple. You and him, a couple.
Why did he suddenly feel like he couldn’t breathe?
“Oh..” Chrissy frowns again, watching him begin to pace. “I’m sorry. I thought you were.”
“No. No, nope,” he shakes his head fast, looking around the woods as though he was searching for answer. “I mean, she’s my best friend. I’m her best friend. No wayyy man.”
He looks back at Chrissy who was watching him. Eddie notices that the confused expression slowly beginning to turn into an amused smile but hid it behind her sleeve as she looks at Eddie in a way that was making him freak out more.
“What? What’s that look for?” He walks towards the table and leans his hand against the surface. “I-I really don’t like that look Chrissy.”
“I didn’t give you a look, Eddie”
“Yes you did. You’re looking at me like..you know something I don’t!” He pushed himself away from the table again and walks away from the table.
Okay he needed to chill out. This is normal. A lot of best friends can be mistaken for a couple. He seen it happen with Steve and Robin. The amount of times Robin would deny it and act disgusted was too much for her to not be telling the truth anyway.
So he shouldn’t be feeling so surprised that Chrissy had thought that. It just proves you both were that close.
You both were definitely closer than Robin and Steve, that’s for sure. He knows that.
What he doesn’t know is why he feels his palms were beginning to sweat. He stammers through his thoughts.
“We can’t be dating. That’s ridiculous.”
“Okay” She says simply.
“Yeah. Because we’re best friends.” He says again, to remind himself. “Completely platonic. And it would be crazy for that to change? It’s not like she would even see me anything other than a best friend. So really, it’s impossible. What you’re saying is highlyyy impossible.”
He mumbles, ignoring how the thought bugged him a bit, shaking his head. “Yeah.” He finally says it firmly. That conversation was over. 
He’s barely aware of the faint sound of the bell ringing, “So. Uh, I’ll just see you tonight then. You can ride with me and y/n…who’s my best friend.”
Chrissy smiles sweetly and nodded. “Okay.”
Chrissy walked ahead and he came out the woods a few steps behind. You waved at Chrissy as she walked by before returning to a weird hop in place motion as you turned towards Eddie. He raised his eyebrow.
“Eddie you took so damn long and I feel like I’m going to pee myself because you thought it was a good idea to let me have two sodas, and we’re going to be even more late to class!” You complain, grabbing his wrist and pulling him along towards the school building. “Have you seen the way those bathrooms fill up ? It’s a like jungle in there!”
He didn’t pay a bit too much attention to the way your hand was wrapping around his wrist, before you eventually linked both your arms together. Because that was normal. You both were always touchy with each other, so it shouldn’t matter. It wasn’t a big deal.
And it wasn’t a big deal the way you were leaning in his space while you both sat in class after. Your body basically leaning across his lap as you stared down at the tic tac toe game he won fair and square. You glared down at his notebook before pulling away with an huff.
“Nuh uh, I don’t remember you putting that X . You did that when I was distracted.”
“That was my first turn. You told me to put it there because you accused me of using a cheating method before.”
“You’re so lying”
“Just admit it, I’m a master at tic tac toe.” He grins, flicking your forehead to push your buttons even more. “A man of many skills” You roll your eyes. “You could never beat me.”
“You underestimate me for the last time, Munson.” You begin drawing the 30th set of lines and he couldn’t stop himself from staring at the side of your face as you thought hard on your first move.
A couple.
Eddie may have had fleeting thoughts about dating you before. Ones he always denied and pushed down because he never wanted for it to see the light of day. He may believe he’s lucky with you being his best friend, but he wasn’t insane. He couldn’t have that much luck in his life.
And he would never risk ruining the chance of that luck he does have. He never wants to lose it.
But Chrissy’s damn words kept echoing, confirming his secret fantasy that he wanted to be reality. And all those thoughts wouldn’t stop streaming in. Like Chrissy’s simple mistake broke the dam that was holding it all in.
Cutest couple.
You smiled happily when he let you win for the first time. Writing a 1-30 on top of the page proudly when he looks towards Chrissy who was sat a few seats towards the side of the classroom, and she was already glancing towards you both. She flashed him a knowing look, and he looked away. The blush back on his cheeks.
Oh he was so fucked.
-
You both did everything together. There wasn’t a time where residents in Hawkins wouldn’t see you both raiding a corner store for late night snacks, or driving around town blasting his music enough for complaints to be filed.
One quick knock at each other’s windows and you both were off to whatever was desired that day or night.
So he couldn’t understand why Gareth had invited only you out to pizza. When everyone knows you and Eddie go everywhere together. It’s common fucking knowledge for Christ sake.
And why didn’t you tell him beforehand?
“Well, I mean, you have to take Chrissy right?” you had argued.
He felt like a little kid that was told no for the first time when you dismissed him after, being forced to watch you leave the room behind Gareth. He won’t admit to anyone that he glared daggers at the brunettes head when he drove away with you in his car.
You should had been in Eddie’s van.
If you really wanted pizza, why didn’t you tell him and he would have given Chrissy her blunts then take you himself. You didn’t need Gareth when you had him!
Chrissy was quiet in the car ride, looking curiously through the tapes. She seemed to be carefully reading through the playlists when he finally broke.
“Okay so..you know how you mentioned about you thinking me and y/n being a couple?” He reminds her which she nods to, “was there..is there something that makes you think that?”
She seems to think for a moment, placing the cassette on her lap. “Well. You both are so comfortable with each other. The way you look at each other too, I remember Jason mentioning how lovesick you looked when we would pass you two in the hallway. And how..” she hesitates but giggles, “you kinda look like a lost puppy following her around.”
Lovesick. Lost puppy.
“Oh Jesus Christ, I’m so screwed.” He groans as he tightens his grip on the steering wheel. “Do you realize what you’ve done?”
“You asked Eddie”
“I didn’t think I was that obvious.” Eddie really is itching to grab a cigarette right now. “I thought, you know, I would never think about this. But then you go saying we were a couple..and im looking at y/n,  thinking I don’t want to just look like one, I want us to be one. Shit, shit!.” He curses under his breath and finally gives in, reaching into his pocket with one hand.
“You’re making it seem like a bad thing, Eddie.” She says softly.
“It is. I’m her best friend and I was staring at her in class like some creep, you saw it.” He sticks the cigarette in his mouth keeping his eye on the road. “Now I’m really really pissed that I wasn’t invited to that..pizza date.”
He says the last word in disgust before he can stop himself. The jealousy was making its way through his veins and he hated it. Eddie shakes his head, pointing at himself. “See, this is not good.”
“If it makes you feel any better,” she starts, “You’re not the only one who looks lovesick.”
“What? Are you..” he stops trying to flick the lighter in hand on to look at her. “Does y/n look at me that way? Does..Nah, now you’re just pulling my leg now man.”
Chrissy hums, turning her gaze towards the window.
Eddie couldn’t help but feel some excitement rush through him. He speaks around the cigarette. “Really?”
“I see the way she looks at you.” Chrissy replies carefully , “I don’t think you’re the only one who has pushed down any feelings.”
A spark was ignited inside him. It matched the lighter in his hand as he quickly brings it to the end of his cigarette. He takes a huge drag to try to calm his jitter of nerves.
“Shit.” He blows out the smoke, opening the windows before he did so. “What the hell am I suppose to do?”
“Tell her how you feel.”
“Tell her- really? I can barely collect my thoughts right now!” He rubs his cheek sighing, growing frustrated.
“Maybe a date?” She suggests. “Take her to the diner next to Family Video.”
“We go there every week.”
“Umm. Oh! The bowling alley”
“She hates bowling. Nearly broke my ankle when it was her turn and I wasn’t even in front of her.”
“Okay. A picnic? That can be romantic.”
“It is? We had one a few weeks back.”
Chrissy sighs.
“The movies?”
“We’re banned. We either go to another town or watch a movie in my trailer.”
“Uh okay.., to lovers lake?”
“We go there.” He blushes, “We always sit in the back of my van and drink slushees.”
Chrissy tries not to smile. “How could I ever think you both were dating. That’s impossible, right?”
Eddie groans but nods, completely understanding now.
“Hey Gareth!” Eddie smile was tight as he slammed his friend’s locker closed before he was done putting his book away. “How was that pizza last night, hm?”
Gareth only looks up at his band mate and tries to mask his annoyance. “Didn’t y/n bring you a slice, you should know.”
You did. And he ate it happily with one hand on the wheel, with you back in his passenger seated complaining about how unhealthy it was for breakfast.
How it should be, you in his van and no one elses. Thank you very much.
“So,” Eddie clears his throat, crossing his arms and leaning against the lockers with his back pressed against them. The lock digging in the back of his lower spine as he leveled his friend with a more serious tone. “You got a thing for y/n?”
Gareth stares back.
“Nope. Do not do this to me right now.” Gareth attempts to walk away but Eddie grabs his shoulder again to keep him in place. “I already have to deal with those freshman”
“I’m just asking! I mean, it’s a bit weird that you both went to eat pizza together. So , if it was a date. I would like to know. Just, normal best friend things. You know how I am with her.”
“Yes. I do know, unfortunately.” The brunette pushes his hand off. “Look dude, it was nothing more than y/n wanting pizza. Not a date or whatever got your panties in a twist.”
“Cool, cool” Eddie nods, feeling more relieved at the fact. Gareth rolls his eyes and begins walking towards the cafeteria. “Just looking out for you! Don’t want my band mate getting heart broke one. She’s harsh like that.”
“Oh definitely,” Gareth laughs loudly, “so harsh that she wouldn’t stop asking me if she was too mean for not letting you come along. Then wouldn’t stop reminding to bring you a damn slice.”
“She did?” Eddie perks up, and Gareth groaned again. It made him feel a little better that you also were bothered by the fact he didn’t come along. Really, he wasn’t sure why he was so worried last night.
All that hope Chrissy started was growing more and he couldn’t help the bump in his step as he walked beside Gareth to the cafeteria.
“You both are hopeless.” Gareth states which Eddie ignores once he sees you sitting at the lunch table.
-
“She got uncomfortable by my pathetic attempt at flirting.” Eddie recounts later that week and sits himself on the stairwell. Chrissy fixing the bow in her hair as she listens to him. “I was trying to invite her to movie night, but she got quiet. And didn’t want to look at me then made an excuse that her stomach hurt.”
“I told you, maybe she was actually sick.”
“No. I know her.” He huffs, “I can just tell. Then the other day, we were laughing over some of the yearbook pictures. And she gave me that stupid smile of hers.”
It was vivid in his head. You were trying to speak between giggling as Eddie pointed out some funny pictures. Then he turned the page and there was the both of you, surrounded by the rest of the hellfire club and you were mimicking his devil horn signature minus the tongue.
“We look so cute!” You gasped, pointing at the photo. “I’m surprised they even put that there. I guess Mike begged Nancy.”
You looked up at him and smiled brightly, “I need to get a copy of this so I can put it up in my wall. Or maybe even on the side of my mirror..”
Eddie had nodded, distracted by the intensity of your smile. The way your eyes sparked and you seemed so excited at the prospect of having a photo of Eddie and you together.
It was moments like these. When he felt it was only you two, in this bubble that froze time, he would nervously glance at Chrissy. Who often was watching these tender moments and would hold up a small thumbs up to encourage him. Because even if he did slowly grow more confident, he needed reassurance.Hence his meetups with the cheerleader so he could recount these moments for advice.
It was a delicate matter, and he trusted Chrissy to not let him fuck this up.
But when he looked back at you, you had pulled away, breaking the small bubble and was staring down at the yearbook. No longer smiling.
It was becoming a habit. This pulling away, your smiles suddenly disappearing at random moments when he thought everything was going great.
“And I don’t know, one moment it was there. Then I looked away, and it was gone.” He recounts to Chrissy. “It’s been happening more often. I’m starting to think, maybe we both are wrong and I’m seeing it wrong, and I’m too obvious and she’s noticing. And uncomfortable. And..shit I don’t know.”
“Im sure it’s not that Eddie.” Chrissy sits down next to him on the steps. “Give it time”
And he wanted to. But you only pulled away further after that. You began to be more quiet, often letting him talk and listening instead. Everyday he tried to make a fool of himself more, to be able to see that bright smile that he knew the sun wouldn’t compare to.
Like when he fell to his knees on the parking lot the day he stayed back in class, and he had the chance of bumping into Chrissy to have her reassure him of his worries. Again.
Your laughter instantly making him feel less stupid for the way his knees ached and from the stares of others from his begging. He thought maybe he still could bring you back.
Yet your small smile after reassuring him a few minutes after, proved him wrong once again.
He didn’t understand. Why your once bright and bubbly personality was changing right in front of him. You could barely hold eye contact with him.
Your smiles didn’t reach your eyes.
He use to be able to make you smile, laugh to the point of verge of tears. It was always so easy for him to be able to comfort you and you would be back to your cheerful self. You never had to force a smile around him.
So why were you doing it now?
He wanted to push. Push you talk to him but that was the thing-
He never needed to push before. He would always ask, and you would crumble into your rambling and release all your worries to him. Knowing that he was listening and that his arms were open.
You never held back from opening up to him. Ramblings and weird questions was a daily occurrence. Your random worries always something Eddie welcomed because he loved the sound of your voice.
So for you to sit there, not bothering to make eye contact and insist it was okay, when it clearly wasn’t?
This was different. New territory for him and Eddie was lost. For the first time since he met you.
And those doubts, all those fears that he and Chrissy’s hangouts were meant to beat down in order to prepare him to confess to you, began to latch onto him.
What if you noticed his change in demeanor towards you? He tried not to act too differently after he realized he wanted more, realized he wanted to push his luck a little bit. But he’s been oblivious before, so maybe you noticed his feelings.
Maybe you were uncomfortable by it. Despite his hopes that you felt the same way, he could always be wrong.He could be wrong about his luck stretching that long.
He felt so overwhelmed by it. Anytime he felt saddened by his own mind, he would call you and your voice would keep him calm.
But could he call when you were the reason he was feeling this way?
He tries, really tries to get through the night but the phone is in his hand before he knew it.
-
You hung up on him. He had come close to confessing after you gave him the sweetest speech. Everything he dreamed to hear from you encouraging him to finally say the truth, and you fucking hung up on him.
Eddie stares at the wall across from him, the hallway suddenly feeling too small for him. It was closing in on him as he dialed your house phone again, fingers shaking as he listened to the multiple rings play out. After the 6th ring, he slammed the phone down.
“Fuck!”
“I need you.” He wills himself to not cry right there. Listening and waiting on the other side of the bathroom door. His body running on the adrenaline from the argument moments before.
He didn’t mean to blow up on you the way he did. He never once raised his voice towards you, but he couldn’t stop it. All the confusion, hope, and fear reached its breaking point when you tried to avoid him once again. The lies coming right out your mouth stabbed through him.
You never lied to him before. That’s what hurt. You lying and hiding from him made him want to break everything in sight but also, to break down crying himself.
Chrissy was wrong. He let her misconceptions warp his brain into thinking that he deserved anymore luck than what he had. He should have been grateful, for what he had already. This friendship that you built, who was he to wish for more?
Eddie Munson was not suppose to be a lucky person.
He pushed his limits and you were pulling away. Not only did he stupidly believe he had a chance of more, he may have forced the universe to rip away what they gave to him. Your silence an indication of that.
Eddie wiped the tear that ran down his nose, from leaning his forehead against the door trying to listen to anything from you. He pulled away as the silence stretched on. The hurt worsening as the seconds ticked by.
Fuck this. He shouldn’t have been so stupid.
He didn’t expect you to come to his trailer right after. Or for the way you began to ramble and pace around his room, your nervous voice filling his room in a way he had grown accustomed to in the years of friendship.
He missed it so much. He didn’t care if he still felt heartbroken at his realization that he couldn’t have you the way he wanted. Destroyed that he couldn’t even be lucky enough for that.
With you smiling softly at him, not a forced one after so long, as he held your cheek and apologized himself. He decided that he will gladly accept what he has now because you being there, laughing and kicking your feet as he carries to his van-
That was enough luck for him.
You slept in his room that night. Your socked foot nearly kicking him in the chin as you turned, stretching your body out as a yawn forced its way out. He opens one eye, glancing at his windows to see that it wasn’t that bright outside yet.
He drowsily waits for you to fall back asleep again, listening for your breaths to even out so he could go back asleep himself.
But you sat up, rubbing your eyes and pulling the blankets with you as you stand from his bed and stumble awkwardly towards his bedroom door.
Your small ow from kicking his lunchbox has him groaning loudly, pushing his face into his pillow. “What are you doing..” he rasps, hating to open his eyes to try to make out the numbers on his clock. “Its 6:00 am. We have an hour.”
He remembers the morning before, when you left earlier before he woke up. This wakes him a bit more, anxiety there as he pushes himself up from the comfort of his bed to a sitting position. You looking at him sheepishly from the door.
“I need to make a call.” You whisper, the large blanket wrapped around you making you look ridiculous. You seem to know what he was thinking as you continue to reassure him, “That’s all Eds. I’ll come back .”
“Hurry up.” He sighs, not bothering to ask who you could be calling this damn early, before flopping back on the bed and hugging the pillow.
Even if he was really sleepy, he stayed awake waiting for you to come back. His hand reaching out to touch where you were laying before, sighing impatiently at your absence.
You came back about 5 minutes later, climbing over him, kicking his side, to get to your side of the bed. He hums at feeling you lay back beside him, grabbing onto the blanket and pulling it, forcing you to roll over as it was still wrapped around you.
“Don’t be stingy, its freezing.” He murmurs. You smile and unwrap it before throwing half of it over his body. It becomes quiet then. He didn’t need to open his eyes to know you were facing him.
Your hand grabs his and Eddie falls back to sleep.
Eddie wasn’t sure how to feel about the way Max had narrowed her eyes at him after you both woke up again and gotten ready for the day. As though she was trying to burn him alive with just her mind.
She was waiting outside on her porch when you waved her over towards the van when you stepped out of his trailer.
“I called early, let your mom know you’ll be catching rides with us now.” You smile at the redhead, whom only sighs and gets up. “I can’t have you riding that scary bus”
“You only rode it for one day.” She states, rolling her eyes. Max looks at Eddie for a moment before shoving her backpack into his arms. “I call shotgun.”
You smile at that, shrugging at Eddie who stared between you two. “I’m cool with that.”
Now he understood why Lucas was always so confused with Max’s behavior. Sure, he had eavesdropped a few times when the kids gossiped about their love life, or what a 15 year would describe a “love” life. Most of the time he was bored if you had to stay in between classes, so he would let them go on and on about what else happens in their lives.
Lucas would complain that Max was avoiding him, or she was meaner than usual. Whom he had to remind, well her brother died in a mall fire the year before. Give her some time.
But he didn’t think she was this mean.
“This is what you listen to all day ?” She scoffs, noticing the Iron Maiden cassette case on the floor of the van. “Don’t you have anything less..”
“Scary?” You butt in, ignoring Eddie’s look of concern from you putting yourself between the seats. Clearly you didn’t understand his need for you to be safely seated.
“No, shitty.”
“Hey, don’t knock it until you realllyy listen, okay?” He cuts off your small giggle, reaching over to turn up the volume a bit. “This, Max, is real music. It’s not just about how it sounds, but the complex lyrics and-“
“Oh god, make him stop.”
“Keep going Eds.” You place a handle on the drivers seat as your other hand pull gently on one of his curls. He perks up at you defending him. “Tell her about the verrry deep lyrics of Ladies Room by Kiss.”
Maybe not. 
“Okay, how about you,” he gently pushes you back, “Sit down! You know I hate when you do that.”
“Yeah, yeah,” you laugh, reaching for your bag and getting distracted by searching inside it.
He missed that. Your laugh and the smiles you been throwing at him all morning. It didn’t make it any easier for him though. It felt like his heart was swelling with the amount of adoration he had for you, it was going to be the death of him.
Max was staring at him again. Studying him, trying to decipher whatever she had in mind when he tilts his head at her, expecting for another insult.
She looked away when you called her name and begin to ask her a question.
-
“So everything is okay now?” Chrissy asks, looking over the blunt Eddie had handled to her, sliding some cash to him.
There was a few minutes left of lunch and you had gotten dragged by Robin to join her and Nancy for lunch. Something about girl talk, Eddie not being allowed. It was funny the surprised look on face when they dragged you away. He decided to meet up with Chrissy to talk about the night before.
“Yeah.” He says, happy that it felt true. “She finally told me that she just been in her head again and I guess, it was really bad this time.” He sighs, “maybe if I tried harder to notice, it wouldn’t have gotten to that point.”
Chrissy watches the soft expression on his face. “Figure out when you’ll confess then?”
“I don’t know Chrissy.” He swallows, pushing his bangs out of his face. He really needed to ask you to cut them again. “I think it’s best if I don’t..ruin anything. That whole time I thought she was acting that way because of me, afraid maybe she could tell the difference.”
“And I realized how fragile this whole thing is. And I don’t know,” he drops a stick he was messing with and looks at her. “Im still not even sure how she feels about me. I can’t read her. How can I not read my own best friend!”
He feels like dropping to the ground and never getting up. He felt okay this morning but now Chrissy has him, once again, going on a tangent.
“I made a mistake of calling her that night. And I was just gonna talk then somehow-somehow! It lead to me trying to confess to her. I was this close and she hung up! And acted the way she did.”
“Try again.”
“No, she’s opening up to me again and I have her back. that's all that matters now and we’re back to normal!” He assures. “besides, if she didn't understand my confession, or maybe she did and ignored it. it doesn't matter, we’re good now.”
“Did you straight out say that you liked her?” Chrissy emphasizes on the ‘her’
“…”
“Eddie ?”
“Something along the lines..”
“Right.” Chrissy tugs on her skirt when she stands and crosses her arms. “Eddie how can she know if you’re not saying it clearly.”
“It’s not that easy. I mean, it is easy to talk about how I feel, never had that problem before. We always talk about our problems. But these are..my feelings that may not be returned. And-”
He motions towards her. “And I barely touched how I really feel on that phone call. It was rookie stuff!”
Chrissy thinks. “What are your feelings then?”
“What do you mean?”
“You always are worrying about saying the wrong thing, or if you’re looking into things the right way.” She considers. “Why do you like her?”
“Why? It’s y/n.” He frowns. “Who wouldn’t like her?”
“What about you? Why do you like her, how do you feel?”
Anyone can say that they like how you look, the way hair frames your face, or the way your clothes fit you. Or how you carry yourself or your sweet voice. You were a beauty that Eddie feels like no one should touch.
But for Eddie, it was deeper than that. He could name a hundred things he likes about you.
From the way you wake up with a bird nest as a hair that he often had to take tangles out as you sat sleepily, to how your nose scrunches slightly whenever you hate a certain taste of food but you never say anything to Uncle Wayne when he cooks, or how you would hide your smiles behind your hands when you watched romantic movies and the way your eyes redden at particular scenes.
Or the way you don’t realize how loud you’re being sometimes, ducking your head in shame when you do and he would tell you that it was okay. He likes when you are loud and come out of your shell at random moments.
He likes when you link your arm with his, because you have no problem being touchy. Your hands shoving at him or slapping his arm playfully whenever he annoyed you. The smell of your fruit scented shampoo filling his nose when you invade his space with no care, hugging him during scary movie scenes or when you felt particularly sad that day. That same shampoo brand that has its own spot in his bathroom.
Along with all your knickknacks that you bring to him when you visited the thrift store with your mom. Your excitement at the small things and that fucking smile and eyes.
“I..” Eddie isn’t sure where he could start. There was so much else in mind but those details, those small moments that make up everything in his life, is something he wants to keep to himself.
“ ‘like’ feels so weak compared to how I really feel Chrissy” he finally pushes out. She waits for him to continue.
“It’s different. I feel lucky. Like I have something that is a one in a life time chance..like if I were to loose that, everything would fucking suck. My life wouldn’t have that..shine anymore.”
“Because that’s what she is. She’ s this light, this..” he struggles, he never was one for poetry but dammit if he tries. “This fucking ray of sunshine!”
He laughs and tries to fight back the blush that was waiting to spread across his neck from how cheesy he sounded but he couldn’t stop. “She smiled at me the first time we met and I was like, yeah. Yeah, nothing will match that.”
“And she fits into my life like a lost puzzle, something I was missing before I came to Hawkins. Makes me feel whole and I’ll be incomplete with out her, and..and I just..”
“I’m happy with our friendship. I don’t want to even think about losing that, but maybe..maybe I want to wake up and actually be able to kiss her good morning . And goodnight, and all the time in between. “He revels at the idea. “I already have so much of her,-“
He smiled shyly as he looks at Chrissy, who was looking at him as though she was proud. He was going on for too long, lunch was ending. “But maybe I want that part of her. Where we could actually tell people we are a couple.Where it’s true”
Chrissy wraps her arms around him as he huffs out a huge breath from his emotional speech before she pulls away and smiles.
“Now, find a way to tell her that. On a real date, of course.”
“That’s going to be hard.”
“I know. But you’ll figure it out Eddie.”
He feels that confidence return and he becomes hopeful again.That spark appearing again and fuck it. 
He’s going to test his luck. 
*・゜゜・*:.。..。.:*・*:゜・*:.。. .。.:*・゜゜・**・゜゜・*:.。..。.:*・*:゜・*:
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if I missed anyone or it didn't tag right, im sorryyy ! dm me or reply to this for the next part if you decide to stick around (: ok imma hit post , eat my cupcake and hide bc anxiety and im insecure of this haha. hope you all have a wonderful day. drink water, eat something, rest. byee <33
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stonedcoldfoxtarot · 10 months
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What will your family think about your FS?
Pile 1 -> Pile 2
Pile 3 -> Pile 4
Pile 1
Pile 1, your family will think your future spouse is a great addition to the family and that you guys are a perfect match💘 You might have similar backgrounds or share a bunch of common marriage and commitment goals, and your family will be excited that you found someone who gets you and also shares your values and interests. They'll see this person as super engaging and fun to chat with, so expect lots of lively convos at family dinners and gatherings right from the jump. For some, your spouse won't hold back on some playful teasing or friendly debates to keep things exciting and your family will find this absolutely adorable, especially your parents, as they'll think you and your spouse are a blast to have around.
Your family probably knows that you've been patiently waiting for the right person to come along, and when they meet your future spouse, they'll instantly know you've hit the jackpot🎯. They'll see how kind, generous, and fair this person is with you, and it'll make them fall head over heels for them. They might even become the family favorite😭 But don't worry, it's only because they love seeing how much this person loves you and will want to welcome them with open arms. Whoever they are, your family and close friends will give them their stamp of approval💯
Pile 2
Pile 2, your family might be super protective of you, so for many of you it might take them a bit of time to warm up to your future spouse. But once they get to know them like you do, their opinions will quickly change🥰 They'll also see how hard your partner works to give you a solid foundation and a happy, stable home life and they'll think they're not only a great partner but also an amazing provider. Most importantly, your family will notice how happy your spouse makes you, which is a big deal, especially for your parents. Some of you might be the youngest or the baby of the family👼, so your parents and siblings are still used to looking out for you and making sure you're happy, safe and protected.
Pile 2, your future spouse might also have a demanding job or a career that involves lots of travel or possible relocation, and I see that some of you may end up moving away soon after your wedding✈️. This might be hard on your family at first, but eventually they will come around and accept that you now have your own life. Either way, they'll be happy to know that you and your spouse are in this together for the long haul and they'll ultimately wish you the best on your new chapter, no matter where it takes you. Pile 2, your family will think your future spouse is a perfect match for you and a wonderful new addition to the family🏡
Pile 3
Pile 3, your future partner might have been previously married 💔and might even have children with their ex. If that's the case, your family will think highly of them for being an involved parent regardless of the circumstances surrounding the divorce. Your future spouse might also be self-employed and doing well for themselves, which your family will both admire and respect. They’ll see them as a leader with their priorities straight, who will prioritize caring for and providing for you unconditionally. I feel that some of you might come from a wealthy background or have parents who view marriage as more of a business decision than a purely emotional one, so they'll want you to be with someone who can maintain or even upgrade your current lifestyle💅, which is what they feel your spouse will do.
Pile 3, your family will also see your future spouse as someone who is gentle, mature, calm, and nurturing towards you. They’ll see that this person has learned a lot from their past mistakes and will feel they are determined to do things differently with you. Your family will also recognize your spouse’s passion for you and your relationship and how much they inspire you to chase after your dreams📈. They’ll see that your partner is a positive influence on you and will be happy to see both of you working hard to make your marriage successful and abundant💰💸. Pile 3, your family will wholeheartedly approve of your future spouse!
Pile 4
Pile 4, you might end up marrying someone you've known since you were kids or someone you briefly dated or hooked up with in the past. And shortly after you reconnect, you both might decide to run away and get married💍, which might initially worry some people in your family.  They could think that things are moving too fast or that your relationship is solely based on passion, physical intimacy and an intense infatuation❤️‍🔥 However, as they get to know your spouse they will come to understand why you chose to marry them on such a whim.
Pile 4, your family will also see your spouse as someone who is outgoing, friendly, passionate, creative, and a bit mischievous in a good way😈. And for some, your spouse's carefree attitude will inspire them to embrace the fun side of life whenever he or she is around. Many will consider your spouse a breath of fresh air, but they will also see them as someone who is grounded and fully committed to making your relationship work which will win over anyone who may still be on the fence. Pile 4, it's possible that your future spouse may have a child from a previous relationship, or you might announce a pregnancy soon after getting married which will bring happiness and celebration to everyone involved🎉 Overall, your family will be thrilled that you've found the right person for you, no matter how it all came together.
Thanks for reading 🔮✨
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