#last dire wolves | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sepherinaspoppies · 1 month

Text

Only If For A Night (i/?)

pairing: Dark! Book Aemond Targaryen x Modern! Reader

summary: In Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), she gets forcefully transported to Westeros and meets her favorite book character, Aemond 'One Eye'. She asks and begs for his help to send her back home after realizing this was a world she did not want to live in. Unknowingly to her, her favorite fictional man had already grown too attached to fully let her go.

warnings for this part: profanity, tea drugging, blood magic, sexism, I think that's it... more dark stuff later. READER IS LATINA !

wc: 4,027

series masterlist

my masterlist

pt2

notes: originally I was gonna have this fic be a one shot but it is sooo long that I decided to split it into three. this is an introduction part, aemond will be on the next (I'm half way done with that part).

She knows she is screwed when Doña Maribel broke the news to her that the last of the cempasuchiles were completely sold out in her shop. Making it five flower shops in the span of an hour that she walked to have fully run out of the bright orange flowers she needed for her ancestral altar that she and her abuela worked tirelessly on for the past few days. (marigolds, grandmother)

She wonders what to do next or perhaps where to go as she plays with the gravel beneath her shoes. Sure, she could walk another mile or so to another flower shop and try her luck there just as Doña Maribel suggested but she finds herself too tired to venture deeper in her small pueblo by herself. (town)

Even the walk back to her abuela’s was not something she looked forward to as of now. This was the time where she wished she had the ability to drive but alas she could not for even the streets of Mexico were more hectic and nerve wracking than back at the states. (grandmother’s)

She sighs in defeat. The cempasuchiles were the last thing on her abuela’s list of things she required for tonight’s first day of Dia de Los Muertos. The bright orange flowers illuminated the path of those who died, back into the land of the living and enjoy the offerings their family’s set up for them. (Day of the Dead)

Maybe for just tonight she could spare them.

She sets her three mercado bags beside her as she sits down on a bench right next to a bus stop that could lead her directly to her abuela’s home. The smell of citrus of the lemon tree above her eases her disappointment and feels that this is the perfect spot to reread one of her favorite books. (shopping)

George R. R. Martin’s, Fire and Blood Vol. 1. She wondered what it was like to reside in a world of dragons (before they were all extinct), dire wolves from the North, red priestesses from Volantis, and mysterious yet powerful witches. To live inside the walls of the Red Keep and tour around the secret passageways and to fight for the rightful Queen of Westeros, Rhaenyra and the other members of the Blacks during the Dance of Dragons.

Sadly, even if it was possible to venture deep into alternate fantasy universes. It all was pure fiction. Not real. Impossible.

‘And so one-eyed Aemond the Kinslayer took up the iron-and-ruby crown of Aegon the Conqueror, “It looks better on me than it ever did on him,” the prince proclaimed.’

“Excuse me, do you happen to know when the bus is due to arrive?” She snaps her head up meeting the most beautiful and enchanting woman she’d ever seen. Eyes round and greener than the trees itself during spring. Hair long and black like ravens in the night sky. She was tall, taller than most of the women here with skin like porcelain that had not seen a day of sun, a rarity here in Mexico.

It was her mischievous tight lipped smile that made her feel loss of words. Unknowingly, this mysterious woman was the first person who spoke to her in English, not Spanish.

“Umm… I- I’m sorry?”

The green eyed woman smirked as if she knew the small effect she had on her. Gods she was beautiful.

“The bus–”

She shook her head out of her revere, coming to reality. “Oh, I’m not sure. Perhaps a few more minutes.” She informed, pulling her mercado bags closer to her side, allowing the green eyed woman to sit, not wanting to be rude.

She murmurs a quick thank you as she sits exceedingly close to her, shoulder to shoulder, flesh to flesh with her. Jeez, talk about personal space! However, the woman doesn’t seem to care or acknowledge that she has enough space for her own person. A feeling of uncertainty rests below her gut, telling her to be vigilant around her presence.

“How long have you waited?” She asks, breaking away the long silence between them. She almost shivers at the intensity hue of her eyes that bore right through her.

“About ten to twelve minutes.” She replies, looking anywhere else but her.

A satisfactory look sketched around the woman's youthful yet elderly face which she found odd. What could be so pleasing about the bus not arriving? The woman said nothing, only sitting rather straight, almost elegant in her simple long green dress. Though, in the back of her mind, she wondered if she felt hot underneath the heaviness of the velvet fabric. She sure as hell did.

“Wait, how did you know I spoke english?” She asked as the hairs on her arms stood up straight in some kind of chilling fear.

The woman’s eyes lowered and centered on the object sitting up on her lap. “Your book gives it away.” She snickered softly, tilting her head reading the bold letters of her very worn book she got at the thrift store for just two dollars. “An interesting read.” The green eyed woman said whilst her face held no sincere fondness of it for someone who found it interesting.

“You’ve read this before?” She asked curiously, little taken back, that she finally found someone else who read Fire and Blood Vol 1. Or anything by George R. R. Martin.

“Yes, almost like I've lived through it”

She opens her mouth to speak but the green eyed woman beats her to it. “I don’t mean to pry but where are you headed?” The smile falls off her face as she remembers the warning of stranger danger she learned as a kid.

The woman must have noticed the dubious look upon her face as she threw her head back in a laugh. “I ask because it seems a storm is coming our way. And it looks like an angry one.”

Sure enough, as she looked up the sky had turned into a deep gray with heavy clouds ready to pour any minute. Well this wasn’t forecasted in the noticias this morning, otherwise, she’d carry an umbrella. Or better yet, she wouldn’t have walked all this way if a storm was brewing. (news)

“My cottage is not very far from here,” the green eyed woman revealed, standing up from the bench, overlooking the seriousness of the clouds. “It is just around the corner. Would you like to come?”

She wanted to say no, that she was better off walking an hour back to her abuela’s house, even if it meant that she’d catch a cold in the pouring rain with blisters all over her feet. Besides, she did not know anything about this woman. Every bit of her mind screamed stranger danger! Don’t go!

But as she glanced between the heavy clouds and the green eyed woman with her hand extended out, all that doubt and worriment went away.

“I don’t even know your name,” she pointed out. If all goes bad, at least she had a name to tell the authorities.

“My name is Alyssandra Riveras.” The green eyed woman smiled, bowing at the waist.

Though still somewhat skeptical, she walks alongside Alyssandra to her cottage. She makes small mental notes in her head, counting the red stop signs, right and left turns and any other landmarks of important significance.

She was almost positive she could point her way back home. It did not help that five minutes into their journey, it started harshly pouring out of nowhere like a bucket of water had been poured all over, blanketing her vision.

Alyssandra’s cottage had sat on the outskirts of the pueblo, isolated from all civilization, hidden around tall and green pine trees. A faint voice in the back of her head screamed to run and never look back. She ignored it.

From a close distance, she was able to distinguish a small window with overgrown vines and branches wrapped around the perimeter of the cottage. Bones, bells, and crystal windchimes hung from the roof and windows, mostly likely put up for some kind of spiritual protection.

She was no stranger to the craft. Although raised catholic, both her mama and abuela had hung an old broom above their doorway to keep away unwanted guests and negative energies as well as pinning the mal de ojo sigil around the walls for the look of evil and envy against their family. (evil eye)

“Cempasuchiles,” she murmured in awe when Alyssandra’s small garden came into view. It was the most of the orange flowers she had ever seen, all bright and lively and huddled together.

“When the storm is over, you can grab as many as you’d like,” Alyssandra offered, peering over her shoulder, unlocking the door to her cottage. She nods following her inside whilst giving a grateful smile.

The interior of the cottage was small, meant only for one person to take residence. The same size as what a studio apartment would be back in the states.

In no way was the inside minimal, in fact it was the opposite. Almost all of the walls were covered with shelves with small trinkets adorning inside such as little statues, crystals, herbs and other supplies.

In the center of the room lay a huge stone like table, old and antique bearing the resemblance of something medieval. And something about it, sent shivers down her spine along with the same faint voice, telling her to run.

She ignored it, again.

“Give me your belongings, and change into this,” Alyssandra says, tossing a strappy white chemise. She exchanges her poor-soaked mercado bags that contained pan de muerto, churros, and tamales for her ancestral ofrenda. (bread of the dead, offering)

She turns around to protect her modesty, seeing as there was no other room to change nor did Alyssandra point her to the bathroom, so she lifts the drenched garment over her head and sheds away the last clothing she had on her body, leaving her completely bare in her birthday suit.

She couldn’t help but to feel Alyssandra’s eyes watching her very intently, examining every inch of her body as if it met her standards or so. She knows she should use her hands to cover up and give Alyssandra a piece of her mind, or better yet introduce her to a knuckle and hand sandwich for the way she was looking too closely.

Yet her body feels frozen, unable to move under the green eyed woman’s gaze.

“Would you like some tea to keep you warm?” Alyssandra asked, moseying to the kitchen.

She blinks, whatever paralyzing feeling she had dispelled away. “Um, yes thank you.” Alyssandra nodded, pulling what looked to be a kettle on the stove. Meanwhile, she slipped on the white chemise in a hurry to not feel as exposed anymore.

She takes the time to analyze the rest of Alyssandra’s cottage as she hears the droplets of rain hit the rooftop harder and the sound metal being filled with water. Various of the same purple flower plants were placed near the entrance, she notes to herself that these couldn’t possibly be lavender but another species or something within the same family.

A small cot laid in the corner close by the hearth, with multiple open ancient books and scrolls spread on top of the bedspread. She almost wants to look through the pages and read Alyssandra’s interests but she doubts she could as she observes the handwriting is unreadable from where she stood.

She walks forward to where the hearth is, feeling slightly warmer as something immediately catches her eye. Above the mantle, hung on the wall was a medium sized portrait of a small boy, appearing no more than three years old. He stood straight, almost regally with his hands behind his back. His face held no gentleness or warmth like a child should have.

Gods forgive her, but the child looked cruel like the gueritos who bullied her in elementary school when she was just trying to make new friends. (white boys)

Though, for an evil looking child, he sure was beautiful. The most striking thing about him was his set of eyes. Wide with his left eye a dark violet and his right a dark green similarly to Alyssandra’s. His hair was straight and cut short right below his ears. She looked closer at the portrait, thinking if her eyes deceived her as she noticed the peculiar color of the boy’s hair.

Silver.

Curiosity takes the better of her as she asks, “Is that your son?”

Alyssandra turns, holding two mugs of steaming tea. “Yes, that’s my beautiful little boy,” She places both glasses on the stoned table before she sits adjacent to her. It doesn’t go unnoticed by her the sad look on Alyssandra’s eyes. “He looks like you,” she points out though it’s somewhat of a lie in hopes to lift up Alyssandra’s spirits.

Alyssandra throws her head back in a chortle, “For all my hard work and labor, I had hoped he looked like me but nature loves to play its cruel jokes. He is a replica of his bastard father.” The thought of her son’s father left a sour and disgusting taste in Alyssandra’s mouth.

Alyssandra focused her attention back to her, “What about you?” She asked, sitting rather too straight.

“Do you mean if I have kids? Gods, no.”

Alyssandra smirked, “I take it you don’t like the idea of children. I did not either but after years of solitude, I changed my mind. I had other children before my son, but all of them died before they were due. You, however, are still young. Your mind can still change.”

She shifted in her seat anxiously, sipping the odd taste of the herbal tea Alyssandra provided. It wasn’t like she did not like children. She respected children and found them quite cute with their little tiny hands and feet and infectious laughs. But besides the point of appearance, children were a tremendous amount of responsibility that she found herself not ready for.

Not now. Not ever.

She could barely handle taking care of herself. Much less care and provide for a child for eighteen years or so.

“I don’t—”

“Oh but you will,” Alyssandra fired back without so much as blinking an eye.

She grimaced, knowing where this conversation was heading. And it was about to be a not so pretty one. She glanced at the window by the door, the rain was still heavy if not more.

“I thank you for giving me shelter. But I really must go. I was only just supposed to be out for some groceries and my abuela is probably wondering where I am.” Polite and respectful enough just as her mama taught her.

She grabbed her belongings that were hanging by the fire and stuffed them inside her mercado bag. Her hand was on the cusp of prying the door open when Alyssandra rushed to her side, wrapping her hand around her wrist.

“Wait. Please don’t go.” Alyssandra pleaded, “It’s just that you remind me much about myself. I didn't mean to cause offense, I’m sorry.”

Run. Say no and run now, While you still can…

There it was again that same paralyzing feeling closing in on her feet, preventing her to move. It was strange like a shield gluing both her legs down.

She nodded, murmuring ‘fine’ under her breath as Alyssandra slowly led her back to the woven chair with such gentleness as a porcelain doll. “I still need to call my abuela, so she can know I’m alright.”

Alyssandra twisted her face in a wince, “I’m afraid we’re too far out for any signals to catch a telephone call.” She held back the overweening snicker to herself, it was why Alyssandra chose her cottage to be settled this far out in this very modernized realm; so no one could find her.

Alyssandra wasn’t lying. No matter how hard she hit her Iphone against her palm or moved it around, there had not been a single signal bar glowing. She wondered if her abuela had started to grow worried and perhaps began to search for her. She hoped she didn’t and that her cousins kept her preoccupied with the rest of the decorations to notice the duration of how long she’d been out. She also wondered if they were still going to the cementerio, to clean and decorate the graves of their loved ones but with the amount of thunder and rain, she’d doubt it was still on the agenda. (cemetery)

Alyssandra prepared some more tea as the fire gradually faltered down. This one had a different taste than the previous one with tiny purple petals floating around. Alyssandra watched very intently as she sipped every last drop while she scarcely touched her own mug.

The green eyed woman began asking her multiple personal questions, mostly about where she was originally from (due to the fact that her vocabulary deemed to be more vehement in English than Spanish), her family, and if she had any siblings. She had answered them all. Letting her know that she was just visiting from the states to celebrate Dia de Los Muertos with her family she had not seen since the death of her sweet abuelo. (grandfather)

Alyssandra’s eyes glimmered even more when she explained how strangely, her very stern and overprotective mama had suddenly let her travel by herself to a country she had never been to in years since she was small. Her mama preferred her to be where she could keep a close eye on her because ‘uno nunca sabe’ especially if you’re a woman. (one never knows)

It was odd, alright. Especially when her mama gave her money that she didn’t have, and enthusiastically wished her good fortune on her travels. Yup odd…

But not to Alyssandra.

Alyssandra sat down after cleaning both mugs ready to ask the hard hitting questions she’d been warming her up to. “Have you ever been with a man?” Her eyes widened before breaking rounds of deep laughter that made the sides of her ribs ache and cramp.

However, there wasn’t an ounce of amusement displayed on Alyssandra’s face, but rather annoyance. What was so funny? It was a simple and uncomplicated question that meant no harm. At least not to her. He couldn’t harm her any more here. Alyssandra guessed perhaps it was the side effect of the tea making her humoristic.

“No,” She replied, wiping the humoristic tears at the corner of her eyes. “The opportunity has never presented itself?” Alyssandra asked.

All the humor that previously lingered had gone swiftly away, realizing that Alyssandra was indeed asking something so personal to her. “No,” She shook her head, feeling her face hot and red. “People don’t look at me as someone they want to be with. They’d rather be with someone exciting, adventurous, and outing. And I’m neither of those things. I’m a homebody who’s idea of fun and adventure is living through fictional books.” She answered truthfully, too truthfully.

Alyssandra watched her face transform into a deeper shade of red. “What is it?” She questioned, taking a hold of her hand, taking in the role of someone empathetic.

“I want my first time to be special. Like the fairytales I grew up reading about with the grand Prince sweeping the young maiden off her feet and taking her to his castle…” The way her eyes reflected small flashes of light made Alyssandra almost feel guilty for her true intentions once the repercussions of the tea ran out.

She remembers when she too wished for a dashing knight in shining armor to take her away, far away from the shit she had been through; the pain, the suffering, and the poverty. All of it. As Alyssandra grew well into her womanhood, she realized there was no knight coming to save her. Instead, there was a selfish Prince who spared her for his desires and her many talents beyond the acts of the flesh.

But Alyssandra needed her to go. She needed that piece that was stolen from her. She didn’t want the risk of going back and facing him again and repeating through the hell and agony he put her through. So sending her for it seemed like the better alternative.

“I know you probably think it sounds stupid–” She stammered, her face still beet red.

“I don’t think it sounds stupid,” Alyssandra softly smiled, giving her hand a light squeeze. Judging by the serene look upon her face, it was a good lie that she seemed to believe.

She smiled. Finally, someone who didn’t think of the idea of waiting for the right person was silly and unrealistic.

Her smile deterred, sensing something trickle down her nose, dropping against the skin of her hand.

Blood. Her blood.

Run!

“Alyssandra?” She whispered, puzzled at the sight of more blood spilling out of her nose. Every strand of hair in her arms stood, sensing a new type of alertness course right through her. She glanced at a very blurred Alyssandra with what looked to be a smirk written on her face.

“W-What’s happening?” She stood from the chair, but that soon turned out to be a bad idea as her knees gave out, sending her straight to the stoned cold floor. She glanced up, watching as Alyssandra sauntered in front of her, and as much as she wanted to crawl away her body was glued to the floor.

“Look,” Alyssandra said, crouching down at her level before she took her in her arms like a newborn baby, weighing little to nothing. “We don’t have much time. When you wake up, I need you to retrieve something of mine…”

She felt her back collide on top of the stoned table, “What was in that tea?” She questioned but Alyssandra was quick to shush her. “It doesn’t matter now. You drank it all willingly.” There was no argument there.

Alyssandra pulled out a jar with overflowing cempasuchil petals inside and circled the petals around her. Almost like a ritualistic circle she used to watch the brujas next door do. (witches)

“You need not to be afraid. You will not be harmed as long as you do what I say. Exactly as I say.” She gulped, nodding seeing as she had no other choice. “Bruja.” She spat but Alysssandra only chuckled, “I’ve been called much worse, little dove.” (witch)

Through the corner of her eye, she saw Alyssandra holding out a small knife. “I am in need of a sapphire. It was stolen from me many years ago. It is one of a kind, which is why when you see it you’ll know it is mine.”

She momentarily shut her eyes as the dark haired woman rapidly cut the middle of her palm spewing her blood on top of the petals. “Once you’re successful, you’ll come back here with the sapphire and gather some of my materials. The marigold petals with your blood coating them; The blood of whom you took the sapphire from and lastly you’ll lay on top of my precious table here to be transported back.”

There was an evil smile on her lips that she desperately wanted to punch it off. “And if I don’t get the sapphire?” She questioned.

Alyssandra combed away her unruly braided hair, “Then I won’t bring you back and you’ll be stuck there forever.”

Fuck.

“Stuck? Stuck where? Where am I going?”

Alyssandra clicked her tongue, “A place where fairy tales do not exist, my little dove.” If she wanted a Prince to sweep her off her feet. Alys would gladly give her one.

She attempted to wiggle herself out of this pendeja’s spell but whatever Alyssandra mixed in the tea it was compelling her body to still and her eyes to slowly falter shut in a peaceful sleep. (dumbass)

“However I should warn you, this spell is only valid until tomorrow. Until Dia de Los Muertos is over and even if you do achieve in retrieving the sapphire but it is after November second, you'll be permanently trapped with him.”

general taglist: @dreaming-for-an-escape @marvelescvpe @omgisrdj @ramsip @silentf @thenightmistress @dixie-elocin @namelesslosers @gigi-panecillo @laureeedn @watercolorskyy @seabasscevans @kittendoll05 @fullmoonworshipper @bunbunbl0gs @summerposie @dusicapopilic @tulips2715 @kckt88 @chaoticwinnercupcake @folksriddle @ficsandsin @nyx-daughterofchaos98 @qweencrimson @slytherized @qyburnsghost @tofujiji @saturnssrings @janeety @thought--bubble @theunburt @mandiiblanche

series taglist: @castellomargot @toodlesxcuddles @itsabby15 @diannnnsss @fan-goddess @zenka69 @a-beaverhausen @gabee-arts @bluebirdbts @gettheetoanunneryimmediatly @absurduty @delulumhaggy @liannafae @aaaaaamond @ilikechocolatemilkh @bellaisasleep @ammo23 @alphard-hydraes-blog

if you'd like to be tagged on my general taglist click here

if you want to be tagged on this series comment here!

#prince aemond #aemond fanfic #aemond targaryen x reader #aemond one eye #hotd aemond #hotd fanfic #aemond targaryen #dark aemond x reader #dark aemond targaryen

467 notes · View notes

ladykailitha · 1 day

Text

Never Hold Back Your Step... Part 5

Hey guys, back with this one! Again, I have a backlog to share with all so this should come out more regularly.

Just a reminder there isn't a set schedule anymore, just vibes. But if there is a story you want to see more often, let me know.

In this we have Steve's good luck charm, Gethin coming to Steve for help with the journalism schism, and Nancy and Steve finally having the talk they should have had from the beginning (she's not there 100% yet but it's better).

Pt 1 Pt 2 Pt 3 Pt 4

****

They went to nationals and lost. When Steve got back he joked that Eddie was his good luck charm.

“Get off, Stevie,” Eddie scoffed during lunch. “I am not.”

Gareth chuckled. “I don’t know, man. Steve’s luck has shot up since you guys became friends. He hasn’t been hit once!”

Steve glared at him. “Thanks, Gary.”

Gareth stuttered. “What the fuck is Gary?”

Everyone laughed.

“Don’t ever call me that again,” Gareth growled. “My name is Gareth.”

Steve tilted his head to the side. “But isn’t that where Gary comes from? A shortening of Gareth?”

“I don’t give a fuck, man,” he hissed. “If Gethin hears it, he’ll never let it go.”

Steve’s mouth formed an ‘O’ in understanding. It was like Dusty Buns. “That’s fair.”

“What’s fair?” Gethin asked from behind Eddie.

Jeff opened his mouth to answer but Gareth kicked him under the table.

“That my taking hits to the face have gone down since I started hanging out with Eddie,” Steve said with a smile.

Eddie rolled his eyes. “Stevie here seems to think that I’m his good luck charm.”

Gethin rubbed his chin. “I think Steve’s got something going with that.”

Eddie threw his arms in the air. “Not you too!”

Gethin started ticking off reasons on his fingers. “Billy has left him alone, he got a pretty major part in the school play, made it to nationals for swimming...need I go on?”

Eddie’s jaw dropped and he looked over at Steve in shock. “Holy shit. Maybe I am your good luck charm.”

Steve grinned. “Told you so.”

“Why are you here, Geth?” Gareth growled at his sibling. “Don’t you usually hang with the journalism crowd?”

Gethin grimaced. “There’s been a divide among us.”

Steve’s lip curled. “Let me guess, half you sided with Nancy over the swim team making it nationals and the other half thought she went too far?”

Gethin nodded. “Jonathan’s for too much, too far, but most of them think that jocks should be prosecuted more, not less.”

Eddie winced. He had espoused similar thoughts before befriending Steve.

But Steve just snorted. “Like she didn’t enjoy the benefits of dating one last year.”

The whole table erupted in stomping and pounding on the table.

“Ooh...” Jeff said. “Burn!”

Gethin grinned. “I’ll be sure to remind her of that fact. That last year she was all for sports when it pleased her. Thanks, Steve!”

Steve just shook his head.

Gethin skipped away from their table better armed against a furious Nancy.

Steve looked around to make sure that Jonathan and Nancy weren’t within hearing distance. Then he leaned forward.

“Who would be interested in a sequel comic to ‘The Boy With a Bat’?” he whispered conspiratorially.

Everyone else leaned in excitedly.

“What would this one be about?” Brian asked, his voice barely loud enough to be heard in the crowed cafeteria.

“Our hero helping out a bunch of kids in a junkyard fighting off dire wolves,” Steve whispered back in conspiratorial tone.

Steve had learned the term from Eddie. Apparently they were very big wolves. And that sounded to him like the right amount of ‘what the fuck’ the demodogs gave off.

“How did our hero get into that mess?” Eddie asked, his voice on the verge of cracking. He knew that these were things that Steve had gone through for real and that terrified him.

Steve let out a sigh. “By realizing that the kid with the high intelligence and the low wisdom would have gotten himself eaten if our hero hadn’t went along to protect him.”

Eddie’s mouth formed a silent ‘Oh.’ Yeah, there was no doubt that was Dustin. In the few times he had met the kid, he was always struck by how dumb he was despite being a literal fucking genius.

“That sounds so cool,” Gareth breathed. “I would love to read that, man.”

Jeff nodded. “Like you should serialize the whole thing and sell it, dude. You could make bank.”

Steve thought about the NDA that was sitting in a lockbox at the back of his closet and snorted. Those bastards would be on him faster than lightning.

“It’s just something fun to do while Mrs Click drones on and on about the Ottoman Empire,” he said with a shrug.

Eddie pointed at him and clapped. “Yes! Like how could one person take something so interesting and make it duller than dishwater.”

Steve smiled at him gratefully as the conversation shifted to horrible teachers. Eddie was still the only one outside of the “Party” that knew about the Upside Down.

He looked over at Nancy and found that she was glaring at him. He didn’t want to anger her further, so he got up and threw away his garbage. He stacked his tray up and bid the others goodbye.

If she wanted to speak to him, she would have to come to him.

****

Steve had to wait a couple of days, but Nancy did come to him.

It was one of those rare days where Steve didn’t have anything going on but the rest of the Hellfire Club crew did. So he was at his locker making sure that he had all his homework that he needed for the weekend after school.

He was alone for all intents and purposes.

“Steve,” Nancy said, “we need to talk.”

He slammed his locker shut and she winced. “Are you actually here to talk or are you here to excuse your bad behavior and get me to apologize even though I haven’t done anything wrong?”

She frowned at him. “I don’t do that.”

“Whatever, Nance,” Steve said, rolling his eyes and shouldering his backpack. “I don’t want to get into a screaming match right now.”

Nancy held out her hand to stop him. “Would you just wait?”

“Come on,” Steve said with a sigh. “We talk on the way out to my car.” At least if he needed to make a quick getaway, he’d be able to drive off.

He started walking toward the doors and she scrambled to catch up.

“I can’t believe you told Gethin to throw it back in my face that I used to date a jock,” she hissed.

Steve smiled at her smug. “Well you did, Nance. And as I recall, you flirted with me first.”

“Yeah, I did,” Nancy said, ducking her head. She let out deep sigh. “I just want to be a journalist. A real one. But the advisor for the newspaper only sees me as a girl so all I get are the fluff pieces like Homecoming Queen and King and sports like boys’ swimming because all the guys are uncomfortable with all the Speedos.”

Steve snorted. “Only you didn’t go after Ezra, or any of the other members of the team, you went after me. And you did it so hard that Jonathan who I’m pretty sure would hate my guts if I hadn’t saved his life, thought that you were being harsh.”

Nancy pursed her lips. She didn’t know why she went after Steve as hard as she did. She needed a target and Steve was right...there.

It had been so easy to lash out at him for Barb, the monsters, the frustration of not being taken seriously, for all of her problems. But she knew he didn’t deserve it.

“He told me that unless I fixed it,” she said softly, “that he would eat lunch and go home by himself.”

Steve laughed bitterly. “So you’re not even here because you think you need to apologize. You’re here because your boyfriend won’t put out until you do. Jesus Christ, Nancy. What even is this?”

He stopped in front of the doors. “I’m not your punching bag anymore. I’ve got friends now. Friends that really care about me, for me.”

Nancy sighed. “I’m not trying to start a fight.”

“Not this time,” Steve scoffed.

She winced, but nodded. “Yeah okay, I deserved that.” She lowered her voice and hissed, “It’s just really hard to fathom you liking men all of a sudden. We had sex, you got off. And now you’re with Eddie and gay and I just don’t know what to think anymore.”

Steve squeezed his eyes shut. He heaved a sigh and hauled her out to the parking lot where they were less likely to be heard.

“Fucking hell, Nance,” he huffed as they walked to his car. “You think I don’t realize how fucking messed up that is. I thought for a bit that maybe I liked both, because of what I felt for you. Because I did love you. I still do, for Christ’s sake.” He threw his arms in the air in frustration.

He tugged on his hair. “But the more I thought about us. Our relationship, I realized that I was just trying so hard to be what everyone wanted me to be.” He started waving his hands around as he tried to get his point across. “The perfect boy next door. But that isn’t me. I love theater and boys and not having to worry about who was fucking who and why. Because all that ‘King’ shit was exhausting as fuck.”

Nancy let out a low shuddering breath. “Okay. I’m sorry.” Steve scoffed. “No, I am. I mean it. You deserve to be happy and I don’t know why I’m still hung up on this.”

Steve raised an eyebrow. “Because you want me as your fall back in case shit goes down with Jonathan.”

“What?!” she squawked.

Suddenly everyone was staring at her because of her outburst. “That’s not true!” she whispered harshly, leaning forward.

“I’ve said it before and we both know it is, Nance,” Steve said, his face twisted in that same pained expression from when she couldn’t tell him she ever loved him. “You broke up with me right after our first go round with the monsters and then not even a full month later you were back with me. What happened, huh? Did Jonathan turn you down the first time and that’s why you came running back?”

Nancy crossed her arms and looked away.

Steve huffed out a bitter laugh. “That’s it, isn’t it? You couldn’t even tell me you loved me at all after our fight at Tina’s Halloween party. You’re standing there getting mad it me for not loving you, but you’re the same. You’re exactly the same.”

She let out a shuddering sigh. “You’re right, Steve. You’re right about all of it. I’m sorry.”

“That’s all I wanted from you,” he said, “an actual honest apology. Thank you.” Steve let out his own breath that he had been holding.

Nancy bit her bottom lip and looked up at him through her lashes. “Can we still be friends?” Her voice wobbled and her eyes were glassy with unshed tears.

Steve pulled her into a hug and she wrapped her arms around him tightly.

“Yeah,” he breathed. “Of course we can.”

Steve looked up and saw Jonathan watching them. He let go of Nancy and held her at arms length. “You are a great person, Nancy Wheeler, but you’ve got think past your own needs, okay?”

She nodded. “I’ll try.”

“Good,” he said gently. “Now go. Jonathan is waiting for you.”

She looked over her shoulder and nodded. “Thanks, Steve.”

“Yeah, of course.”

Steve watched as she walked away, he could feel a part of his wounded heart heal, just a little.

It wasn’t enough. It might not ever be enough. But it was a start. He just wished it didn’t feel like a fucking Chutes and Ladders game.

****

In order for Nancy to be a better person, she has to fight against her nature. Something that won't come easy.

Tag List:

@mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @emly03

@spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @gregre369 @a-little-unsteddie

@chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @danili666

@goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog

@justforthedead89 @vecnuthy @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690

@anne-bennett-cosplayer @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon

@cinnamon-mushroomabomination @dragonmama76 @scheodingers-muppet @ellietheasexylibrarian

@thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @angels-of-hades @mugloversonly @y4r3luv

@greeniebean911 @birbsauce @acingthecounts @cryptid-system @counting-dollars-counting-stars

#my writing #stranger things #steddie #ladykailtiha writes #boy with a bat

74 notes · View notes

howlingday · 4 months

Note

last human au) today is the day ruby tests jaune's survival abilities surely his skills will be amazing as he's had to utilize them every day to survive the dire rats bears and wolves of his ancient time! jaune goes camping, but he feels like he's being watched the entire time weird. oh well time to go skinny dipping in the nearby lake!

TLDR: ruby's friends and fellow scientists find her watching jaune swimming naked and she is taunted for her troubles

Darwin's Reward

Previously

"How long has the test subject been active?"

"About three hours now." Ruby answered. "So far, he's just been walking around from the landing zone, gathering things in the middle from his environment."

"Is it building a nesting site?"

"It's kinda hard to say right now." Ruby shrugged. "For all we know, he could just be putting things into a pile for the fun of it."

"It's an animal, Ruby." The wolf faunus gave a scowl at that. "It's no different than Zwei."

"You're wrong. He's smarter than Zwei."

The specimen on camera then took the gathered resources and began separating them into small groups. It was at this point that he lifted his brow, then bit into the twig he gathered before. With an inaudible cough and sputter, he tossed the twig into it's own group.

"Smarter, huh?"

"Okay, maybe as smart as Zwei."

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

Jaune wasn't much of an outdoorsman, but what he remembered from his family camping trips, beyond the childish bickering he and his sisters continued, even on vacations, was the myriad of lessons his father gave him, as well as the tips told to him on his class field trips. Well, when he wasn't distracted by a farm animal that happened to be close by.

He looked to the heavy metal container, nodding once more at the shelter he had at the ready. He then brought his attention to the little piles he'd gathered; fire, junk, and maybe food. That foul tasting twig wasn't upsetting his stomach, so maybe it would be passable until he found real food. Maybe there were some berries or ripe fruit for him to snack on.

"Sniff! Sniff! Ugh..."

Speaking of ripe, Jaune was certainly feeling ripe. Before he'd woken up in the hospital, the last time he had a decent shower was the night his girlfriend broke up with him. Though, technically, the last time he had any kind of 'washing' was when he was arrested. He'd been doused in a burning, white powder, then power-washed with what could only be described as a beefed-up fire-hose.

Bottom line, it was time for a bath.

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

"Subject is moving!" Ruby shouted.

"I know. I'm watching the same thing."

"Where is he going?"

"He might be foraging for more materials for his nest. Something that shows off to his potential mates that he's a viable partner."

"So he's single?" Ruby asked, genuinely curious.

"Unless he found a way to mount that Penny unit, I'd assume yes."

"She's not a Penny unit. She's just Penny." Ruby was met with an eye-roll. Man, she hated being teamed up with her. "Oh! He found water! And he's..."

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

Jaune hung his outfit on a low-hanging tree branch. Hopefully he wasn't in a cartoon, otherwise he'd have to be worried about thieves taking his clothes. He'd normally strip down to just his boxers and strip them off in the water, but apparently he wasn't good enough to be given boxers.

"Go!" Jaune sprinted from the cover of the trees and leapt for the water, landing with a loud splash. He winced and shivered from the chilling water as his body adjusted to the drastic change in temperature. Swimming around to help build up his heartrate, he then settled close to the shore, keeping his lower region hidden beneath the water's surface. He couldn't explain why, but he had a feeling he was being watched. "I'm probably just overthinking things."

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

Ruby and her partner stared at the screen for a long while. The specimen rubbed water against himself, scrubbing with his knuckles while looking around. He never thought to look in the air, where the drone hovered silently. Ruby gulped, then turned to her partner.

"Uh, just for scientific purposes, these are recorded, right?"

#rwby #rwby au #lone human au #jaune arc #ruby rose #wolf!faunus ruby

88 notes · View notes

straynstay · 8 months

Text

Bang Chan - Hybrid AU! (part II)

part I

large slicing canine teeth

yellowish eyes

his angry voice commanding you to run

that was what filled your mind every night when you closed your eyes and drifted off to dreamland

him

your mind was overflowing with the fading memories of him and it consumed you fervently every waking time you tried to make sense of his blurry face

you wish your photographic memory didn’t suck so bad

he was vanishing, day by day, and you were going crazy

you have to see him again

you set your mind in this new quest of figuring out who the hell was that crazy hybrid that saved your even crazier self that went out alone at night

thankfully, your job was remote, so every day after your shift ended you dived deep into google pages trying to find some answers

you spent your waking hours researching about canine hybrids, absorbing any and all content about it

you found that dog hybrids were the most common types and had dark brown eyes and fur of the same color as ordinary dogs, especially the breeds they descend from

wolf hybrids had blue eyes and usually mixed-colored fur with brown, grayish and yellow, but depending on the rarity of the specimen they could have solid-colored fur too

also, only well-off people are able to maintain wolf hybrids due to their demanding care and appetite, so it wouldn’t be likely to see a wolf hybrid on the streets by himself

and last, but not least, the dire wolf hybrids, long extinct, that were said to have yellow eyes, dark gray and white fur and were very much different from the wolf ones

while wolf hybrids tend to eat only meat, the dire wolf appetite is broader, so they consumed everything, just like a human, but in larger quantities

scientist believed that dire wolf hybrids would gather in packs, just like the wolves

but they soon discovered that, due to their unstable genes, they could not be close to one another without a fight, specially males, so they had to live in solitude

and one incident leading to the other only confirmed that those hybrids were too dangerous to be let loose in society

so they canceled the project and dire wolf hybrids only became whispers of a long-forgotten time in history books

that was not the case anymore

you met one dire wolf hybrid, you are sure of what you saw

and you know that you won’t rest until you find him again

so after exhausting your google sources you decided to roam around town

you couldn’t ask people in town if they had seen, by any chance, a dire wolf hybrid

you had to work more on the sly side

you started hanging out more after work hours, just passing by the stores and seeing if you somehow would spot him inside

maybe he lives nearby?

it’s been over two weeks now since your first encounter, but nothing yet

you were feeling hopeless, you couldn’t believe that your search for your savior was becoming fruitless

that was until you heard people talking around about a well-known cafe

it was located on the outskirts of town and they had some pets up for adoption

if they had regular pets, they might know one thing or two about hybrids, right?

it was your best shot at the moment, so you decided to pay it a visit on a Saturday morning

-♡- ♡- ♡- ♡-

since you were new in the city, you didn’t know how to get there, so you had to ask for directions and got a little bit lost, but you finally reached the place

the cafe was quite cute, the animals had a special place for them to eat and rest, but most of the time they would hang around with the customers

they had all sorts of pets available, and even though they were all really adorable, that was not your focus today

you ordered a cat-themed hot cocoa and a bunny bun just to mingle and have a seat

looking around and observing the staff, you quickly noticed the manager

maybe you could talk with him and ask if he knows something about hybrid adoption

and maybe you could take your research a little bit further

you were able to stall your departure by playing with the pets, reading the menu over and over again, until you saw an opportunity to strike a conversation with the manager

he was extremely friendly and after a short small talk, you got straight to the point

“do you have different pets? asides from dogs and cats”

“yeah, we’ve got ferrets, bunnies, foxes, and even a quokka, he’s really cute” the manager smiled “Chan takes care of all of them”

“but like… do you have more exotic pets, maybe?”

“what are you trying to say, sorry I can’t quite follow” he let out an awkward chuckle

“i’m wondering if you know about a place for hybrid adoption” you almost whispered

“oh, no… sorry, but we don’t deal with hybrids as pets. You’re new around here, aren’t you?” you nodded “yeah, I figured”

he grabbed a mug to dry with a cloth

“you see, this area is known for hybrid equality, we are not like other places that sell or trade hybrids as human companions”

he placed the now dry mug on the rack and grabbed another one, still talking

“I mean, they are like companions to us, but not like pets, if you know what I mean. More like one of us, but better enhanced by science”

you both laughed and you were happy to know that hybrids were treated properly here

“you don’t seem the type to look for a hybrid to own” he commented

“and I’m not, I’m totally against it, but I was actually searching for a hybrid… long story short, I owe him big time and I was trying to make up to him somehow, but I guess I’ll never find him again”

“well, that’s bad, sorry to hear about it, but don’t lose faith, this is not a huge area, maybe your paths will cross again one day”

“I truly hope so” you sighed

“but if you’re interested in regular pets, I can have you take a look at the ones available for adoption” the manager wiggled an eyebrow and you smiled

“yeah, maybe another time, I’m still setting in”

“no problem, feel free to come by whenever you want”

“thanks, and thanks for the help”

you were returning to grab your belongings at the table when a white cat zoomed in your direction

trying to quickly move out of the way of the animal, you ran to your left, hitting a hard surface

“gosh…” you sighed due to the fright and noticed that you were feeling fingers grabbing your arm

you looked up and saw blonde hair, then blue eyes that bulged when looking at your face

the hand swiftly left your body and the guy stepped back

you were looking for him for what it seemed like endless days

but damn, you weren’t expecting to meet him like this

who would have thought that he was working as a staff member of the famous pet cafe?!

you wouldn’t, otherwise it would be your first place to go to

“excuse me” he said dipping his head when he noticed you deeply staring at his blue eyes

no, that’s wrong

you were sure they were brown that night, and they changed to yellow very briefly

he let out an annoyed huff and you realized you were right in front the of the passage to the animals area

and you were probably stopping him from doing his work

“sorry, sorry” you moved to the side and he walked by without even acknowledging you anymore

your eyes followed his back until he disappeared back into the animals compound

it’s him

you’ve never been more certain in your life

you’ve finally found him

-♡- ♡- ♡- ♡-

obviously, you became a regular at the cafe, most of the times even going there to work all day

the manager sometimes jokes that he will either hire you as staff or let you take his place so he can go on vacation

you laugh and play along, but the main reason for you being there is Chan

you learned his name after your first encounter, and you realized that the manager had already told you about him but you didn’t even noticed

you still haven’t been able to properly talk to him because he ignores you every single day, but you won’t give up

sometimes you buy him food, and even though he tries hiding it, you know he eats them all

it has happened more than once, he disappears into the compound for a while and then comes back with the corner of his lips dirty with chocolate or powdered sugar, and you only smile

other times you ignore him too, which makes him look at you more often, almost intrigued

but what actually makes him stop his work to stare at you is when you play with the pets, especially the exotic ones that only come out to the public on Tuesdays

you are especially fond of the small fennec fox, that only comes to your lap when it wants to take a nap, and the ferret that likes to hide inside your notebook backpack

the cafe sells treats you can give the animals, so you are always trying to feed them too, but those two are just content with being around your presence

and dare Chan try prying them away when it’s time to put them back in their habitats

they cause a scene every time, and Chan used to be really annoyed by it, but now he only rolls his eyes before carefully taking them in his arms

yes, the fennec fox has run away many times, forcing Chan to chase after it in the cafe

and also yes, the ferret has screeched and pretended to faint many many times when Chan takes him from your hands (because he won’t touch your belongings)

you laugh, amused by their antics, and a few times it has worked because Chan lets them be for a little longer before coming back to collect them

but today was different… you had another visitor by your table, and this time it was the quokka

it stole the lettuce from your sandwich and started munching on the leaf before you could even notice

“Hannie, no” Chan said and ran to the table, but the small quokka jumped in your lap and hid under your arm

“so cute” you whispered looking at the bright boba eyes staring back at you, its cheeks filled with lettuce, before plopping away to God knows where

“they always come to you, huh” Chan mentioned, a little bit annoyed, but you didn’t mind

this was the first proper interaction between the two of you

“animals can sense when a person is good, no?” you smiled and Chan scoffed

“I guess it’s true cause I don’t think you would’ve risk yourself to rescue a bad person” before he could say anything, you were speaking again

“which, by the way, thank you… a lot” you looked at him “I can only imagine the terrible things that would have happened to me if you didn’t save me that night, so thank you”

since he seemed to be froze in place, maybe shocked by your words, you decided to seize the opportunity to continue talking to him, mouth running faster than your brain

“I spent a lot of days trying to find you again, trying to somehow pay you back for your good deed, and I’m glad I finally found you, even though I’m not sure what more I could do to show I’m really thankful”

“I’ve been coming here often in hopes of becoming acquainted with you enough for you to open up and maybe become friends, but I guess that’s not how you roll” you let out a snort

“I say I would know that because I’ve also spent a loooot of time researching.. well… you…” you moved your hand in his direction “as a hybrid, you know?” you whispered, looking around to see if anyone was listening

being a regular at the cafe made you realize that Chan was trying really hard to go by unnoticed by the customers but at the same time he tried to blend in with humans

if you didn’t know his true nature, you would never have guessed he was a hybrid

his ears always covered by a cap or beanie, his clothes always comfortable and loose enough to hide his tail, and he was always wearing blue contact lenses

“I know you’re not into groups or anything like it, and I respect that, so I guess this is me trying to say that I’m not gonna bother you anymore”

“I see how much you struggle with the pets sometimes because of me, and I can see that my presence makes you a little annoyed, you are in your workplace after all, and I understand, I would be too if the roles were reversed” you smiled to assure him

“thank you again for stepping in that night, I’m glad our paths crossed despite the circumstances”

you held your gaze for only a second longer before getting up and start packing your belongings

you felt his eyes following your every move, but he didn’t budge

only when you put your backpack on your shoulder did he seem to wake up to reality

“you’re not actually leaving” Chan pointed to the chair and you don’t know why, but your body obeyed, just like it did that fateful night

so here you are sitting again, but this time Chan moved closer to you

“my animal part is too strong sometimes so I don’t fight it anymore” he confessed

“I’m not used to this at all. People have come and gone from my life far too many times to keep track… and I’ve been on my own for so long I don’t think I remember much of human interaction besides work” he sighed

you took in his figure, hands trembling a little bit and breath uneven

he was nervous, although he tried not to show it

“but I’m willing to learn again… if you’d teach me”

“that’d be my pleasure, Chan” you smiled, heart suddenly ten times lighter than before

as you spent your days at the café, you realized that Chan has charmed you, there's no denying it

“you will stay, yeah?” he smiled for the first time and you swear you felt like melting inside

"yeah" you nodded "I'll stay”

such simple words holding so much meaning

you don't want him to be alone ever again

you want to be the one who's always going to stay by his side

and you'll stay forever

#stray kids imagines #stray kids scenarios #stray kids #skz #kpop imagines #stray kids hybrid #skz hybrid #stray kids hybrid au #skz hybrid au #kpop hybrid #bang chan imagines #bang chan hybrid

163 notes · View notes

princess-ibri · 6 months

Text

Darkside Disney Princesses: Belle

(Edit-put my original picture for her under the cut)

(So this one does rely somewhat on the backstories made up for my DisneyVerse versions of the parents of both Belle and the Beast. But I think it still has good precedent because of the whole Belle and Rumplestiltskin thing that happens in OUAT)

In the Darkside version of Belle's tale, Felipe never makes it back to the village to let Belle know something has happened to Maurice, either he gets lost in the woods, or the wolves find him again. And so Belle waits patiently for him to return. Waits, and waits, and waits…

Finally a month has passed, and Belle is desperate to find out what's happened to her father. With no way to know where along his journey he went missing though, she has no way to know where to start looking. And the town isn’t too worried about chasing after “Crazy Old Maurice”, gone into the blue.

Her own circumstances are getting dire as well, without Maurice there to bring in their little income from helping repair the villages various items, her resources are running low. She's taken in sewing or whatever small work people might give her, but its a small town after all, and the people are used to doing their own labor, and couldn't pay her much besides.

The kinder townsfolk give her what they can, but with winter coming on they've got to look out for themselves and their own families

Of course, there's always Gaston's ready offer of marriage, but Belle isn't that desperate. Yet.

Her refusals don't stop him from coming over and offering nearly every day, and they certainly spur him into making sure the town gets the idea that Belle is "too proud to accept charity, don't bother giving her any supplies"

So the winter closes in, Belle finds herself colder and hungrier, and her firewood is getting low. Finally, she bundles up as warmly as she can, and braves her way into the forest to gather what wood she can.

And in the glamor of the sudden snow, she too becomes lost within the trees.

The cold closes in around her. Deep and biting. The trees seem to twist around her, and finally she trips and falls, losing her axe beneath the snow that's piling higher and higher. She has no idea where she is or where to go, as the darkness deepens

Then suddenly, a light. Just ahead of her in the trees, flickering like a flame. She manages to stumble towards it. Following the dance of the light as it seems to lead her onwards, almost beckoning. Every bit of her is numb, but at last she makes it to the door of a ruined looking old tower. And inside, lounging by a roaring fire, is someone, something, between a man and a beast. It bears the shape of a man, but it's skin is mottled green, like the stuffed crocodile she'd once seen hanging in a church as a girl. It's eyes are black as coal, save for the irises, which shine-- like it's hair--like burning gold.

"Hello there Dearie", the being says, with a smile that glitters like a row of needles in the firelight. "Won't you come in? What is it that brings such a pretty young thing out into these dark and dangerous woods?"

Too numb with cold to feel fear, too desperate for warmth to think with caution, Belle accepts the offer, and lulled by the warmth of the fire and the being's careful coaxing, she begins to tell her tale. Her missing father, her growing desperation as Gaston drove away those who might have helped her, the dwindling food and firewood. And through it all the being listens, sympathizes, and finally, offers it's aid:

"For a price of course"

Belle is not put off by this caveat. She has read enough to know of Les Fées and the bargains they often make. She knows of the tricks and traps they lay. She also knows that at this point, she has little left to lose.

And so she agrees to make a bargain with this strange Imp

“You don’t know it, but there’s a power in you dearie. Flowing in your veins, deep down, like an underground spring. I can teach you to draw it up, so that you’ll never know weakness nor want again. You’ll be able to do all the things you ever dreamed of dearie, fulfill every wish—even finding your father”

The promise of this wished for dream above all lights a fire inside of Belle hotter than the one she sits by, but she asks warily: “And, what is it you get out of this?”

“Let’s just say that I’ll have the opportunity to pay something forward”

So Belle begins her lessons, she has always been a swift student. Drawing out the latent fairy magic that lies sleeping within her, waiting to be called forth. In another life she might have discovered it with the help of a more benign teacher. But that is not this life. And she learns to call forth her power through the lens of her fear, frustration, and anger over the willingness of that small and small minded town to so easily cast her and her father aside.

Time passes differently within the environs of the old stone tower. When Belle finally leaves, for her months have gone by, and yet as she reaches the edge of the forest, clad in a gown of midnight blue, her eyes dark as the winter sky above her, she perceives that less than a day has passed since she entered the woods, seeking wood to keep back the cold.

She has no need of warmth anymore.

She reaches out with the power she has learned to yield, seeking the bonds of blood and love that link her to her father. She sees them, feels them, faintly running through the forest. She follows them through the trees, unafraid of the wolves that once would have stalked her, and now slink away in fear at her approach.

She follows them to the gates of a vast and terrible castle, echoing with dying magic, a curse reaching completion she thinks, with the new arcane knowledge she holds. But she does not think on that, but on following the call. Through the door, along empty passages,up the winding stairs, to a jail cell atop a tower. Where lies the frozen body of her father, long gone.

Belle’s grief consumes her, feeding the cold flames of her power. She stalks through the halls, seeking the one who locked her father away, who left him to his fate.

She finds him at last, a snarling beast, crouched around a bell jar that holds a rose, with but one petal left upon it. Magic swirls about it, the center of the web that binds this place. Once Belle might have been curious, wished to learn the secrets of this place, and it’s strange enchanted inhabitants.

Now, she wishes only for revenge

The beast is strong and fierce, savage, the last vestiges of human thought quickly fading away as the curse nears completion, for he has never learned to love, nor earn love in return. But for all his brute strength, he is still only a mortal, and once more finds himself overpowered by a sorceress’s magic

When Belle leaves the castle, crumbling into smoking ruins behind her, she holds in her hands a staff, grown from the dying stem of a rose; once the blushing pink of hopeful love, hope that withered as its petals fell, now burst forth into bloom, the deep dark blue of a winters sky, of a heart gone dark and cold.

She walks steadfastly, resolutely towards the small town she had once called home. There are more scores to settle. Somewhere on the wind, she thinks she hears the echo of the Imp’s laughter…

118 notes · View notes

tsume-ks · 11 months

Text

Aliens and de extinction part 2

"Human, I said I wasn't going to visit your house. I said I didn't want to watch those documentaries about those giant extinct animals. However. I question where the beasts went."

"My friend, I already told you that was a series of movies. We they aren't real."

"You said the animals were. So where did they go?"

"Is this about how we brought animals like the dodo back? De extinction wouldn't work on dinosaurs." The human shrugged their shoulders. "Maybe someone will reverse engineer them, but dinosaurs are permanently extinct. Except birds."

"Again with the birds. Terry has been chewing on my membranes again."

"Terry!" The human reached down and offered their arm to their bird. She laughed, lifting her feather crest. "Bad bird Terry."

"Dino go rawr." Terry laughed again

"Human, what do you mean reverse engineered?"

"How do you think we got as much information about Denisovans as we do? We figured out what bits were theirs, and based on Neanderthal DNA and a bit from that one group of African people we think we've figured out the denisovans. Of course, until we get more DNA, we won't know for sure.

I heard someone was starting work on making a chicken into a dinosaur mimic."

"Human. No."

"Oh, did I tell you about the borophagines?"

"Human, please. What is that?"

"Well, we've brought back a couple of the species, not a lot, just enough to try and study them. Generally, they're known as bone crusher dogs. The last group to exist were the dire wolves."

"Human, why are you lot like this?"

"I don't know, but this stuff is cool. I still prefer the birds. Right now we're figuring out the biggest penguin ever."

"I'm leaving again. I'm not coming back. This time I mean it. "

#humans are weird #random idea #space australia #humans are space orcs

302 notes · View notes

oosleepyfaeoo · 11 months

Text

The Lady of Snow

A. Targaryen x Stark!Albino!Reader

Summary: Aemond is much like his uncle in one thing... has a thing for ladies with white hair. (sorry I'm bad at summaries)

Warnings: None in this chapter, eventual smut, reader is a female and also described with white hair and skin

Words: 2k

A/n: English is not my first language. Next Chapter

Masterlist

“Seven Hells! It’s so cold that my cock is frozen.” Aegon grumbles beside Aemond as they dismount their dragons.

Aemond walks to Dreamfyre and helps his sister get down. “Maybe it’s for the best.” He says with a smirk when Aegon throws him a glare.

The three Targaryen siblings have been traveling on dragons’ back for two days. Lord Rickon Stark has invited the royal family to his fortieth name day, to celebrate and maybe discuss some diplomacy agreement.

Aegon and Aemond succeeded to convince the King and the Queen to travel last to Winterfell since they were quicker on their dragons and didn’t want to wait for their parents and servants to arrive while they were alone with the warden of the North and his family.

Three stables boys were waiting by the village’s gate with horses, ready to take the Targaryen siblings to the castle.

As they approach the castle’s gate, a guard sounded the horn. Alerting everyone of their arrival.

Lord Stark stood in the middle of the yard with his wife and son by his side, both men with serious faces while Lady Stark had a gentle smile on her pale face.

“Welcome, your Graces.” Lord Rickon says lowly while bowing his head to the siblings. “I hope you had a good travel.”

Aegon yawns rudely, not paying attention to the warden of the north. His lilac eyes studied his surrounding carefully, preying on any servant that passed by him.

Aemond shoots him a glare and nods gently to the Lord. “Thank you for your hospitality, my Lord. The north is truly a beauty.” He says politely. Helaena was by his side, looking around in awe.

“Forgive us for our older...sister couldn’t come.” Aemond tried to not show his disgust for his older sister but the Lord Stark noticed. “She is heavily pregnant and it’s dangerous for her to ride.”

The Lord nodded. “There’s nothing to forgive, my Prince. The Queen has already explained it to us.” The older man turns and begins to walk into his castle. “Come! Your parents are waiting for you inside.”

Pulling Aegon away from a frightened servant, the three of them follow the Stark family.

Inside the great hall, their parents sat by a massive table, eating their lunch. Alicent stoot up and walk to them, hugging and kissing them gently.

“My children! I’m happy to see you three save and sound.” She claps her hands softly. “You must be tired. Talya will show yo-”

The doors are thrown open, interrupting the Queen.

A girl as pale as snow walks in. Her long wild hair was pure white, almost putting the Targaryen's silver hair to shame. Her smooth skin was like her hair but with soft touches of pink caused by the cold. Small patches of dirt cling around her pink cheeks.

She wore a simple dark blue gown, with blue winter roses embroidery around the long sleeve and neck.

What caught by surprise the Targaryen siblings, especially Aemond, was the three enormous dire wolves that followed the girl cautiously. The elegant beasts were black as the night, only one of the three had a white snout.

They were almost big as a horse.

“Y/n!” Lady Stark yelps, embarrassed by her daughter's unladylike actions. “How many times I've told you to not bring the wolves inside. Especially with important guests!” She walks towards the girl with a handkerchief in her hand and begins to wipe the dirt off the girl’s face.

The girl huffs and tries to push her mother away, only to be rewarded by the glare. When Lady Stark was happy with her job, she turns to the siblings and smiles gently.

“This is my daughter, Y/n, your Graces.” You look at them suspiciously, eyeing them up and down, especially Aegon. Who’s smirking at you. “Y/n, why won’t you go show Princess Helaena the gardens? I wager she would love it.”

Helaena’s face brightened at the mention of gardens, excited to see what kind of bugs the north has.

Nodding, you walk to her, bowing gently, and grab her hand. “Come, Princess! I know a spot that you will love it.” You run to the door, pulling Helaena with you while the three dire wolves follow closely behind.

“Y/n! Please don’t run!” Lady Stark sighs in defeat. “Sometimes I think that I gave birth to an actual wolf.” That statement made the King and Queen laugh, along with her Lord husband and son.

Aemond’s eye is still fixed on the door where you left with his sister. You had caught his interest. The way you just barge in, wild and free. Not giving a shit if you were in the company of royalty. Also, your hair. He never knew that someone, who hasn’t Valyrian blood, could have such color.

“If I may ask, how come she has such... interesting color?” Alicent asks as she returns to her seat.

Lady Stark does the same, smiling sweetly at her husband. “Y/n was born with a rare condition.” She says while sipping on her wine. “The maester said she was kissed by the snow. Make her extremely sensitive to sunlight or very heated places.”

Cregan stood up from his seat and walked toward the two Princes. “Your Graces.” He bows. “Would you like to see the rest of the castle?”

Aemond nods, pulling Aegon with him as he follows the young Lord out of the great hall. Cregan showed them their chambers, the library, which made Aemond excited, knowing that he would have come back here later.

As they were walking to the practicing yard, Aemond notice you in the corner of his eye. Sitting by a weirwood tree, you and his sister were playing with worms. Laughing as the little creatures curl around the wrist. The three dire wolves lay around you protected, the white snout one resting his massive head on your lap.

“You go without me,” Aemond says, his gaze locked on your small figure seated on the floor. “I’ll meet you two there.” And with that, he’s gone.

“Did you know worms do not have eyes but they can sense light, especially at their anterior. They move away from light and will become paralyzed if exposed to light for too long.” Helaena says excitedly.

You hum, your eyes fixed on the worm around your fingers. Giggling gently at the strange feeling of the worm movement. “Incredible! You know so much about these little creatures, my Princess.”

A soft growl from one of your dire wolves grabs your attention. As you look back, your eyes met Aemond’s, his lilac gaze watching you in curiosity.

“My Prince!” you gasp. “Oh shush, Onyx.” You pet the black wolf by your feet, hushing him.

“I’m sorry, my Lady. I didn’t want to intrude.” Aemond quickly explains, embarrassed from being caught by the dire wolf.

“Oh nonsense.” You wave to him to take a seat beside you and Helaena. “Come! Join us, my Prince.” You say cheerfully, smiling so brightly that almost made Aemond's good eye go blind.

The dire wolves move away so Aemond can take a seat beside the two ladies but they were still close to you, studying Aemond’s movement carefully.

“The wolf soon will hunt in the south and bring the end to the green snake.” Helaena murmurs while petting the worm in her hand.

You looked at her in confusion but decide to ignore her. Grabbing two worms from the ground, you place them on Aemond’s hand. He tensed when he felt the moist creatures wiggling on his hand, noticing the tiny smirk on your lips.

“Afraid of a lil bug, my Prince?”

You are testing him, he thinks.

“I ride the biggest dragon in all Westeros. A small worm doesn’t fright me, my Lady.” He states.

Aemond was never a big fan of his sister's little friends. Finding some of them disgusting, like the worms he has on his hand. But not wanting to look weak in front of you, he took a deep breath and let the worms climb and curl around his arm.

You continue your talk with Helaena, discussing more insects. You told her that more into the deep woods, there is some weird colorful worm that lives inside the trees.

“Oh, you must show me, my Lady!” Helaena squeals happily.

Putting the worms down, Aemond cleans his hands and looks at his sister. “Maybe another day, dear sister. It’s getting dark and it’s dangerous to venture into the woods.”

You nod and stood up, petting Onyx behind his ear. “My Prince is right, Princess.” You help her stand up, seeing a little pout on her lips. “But don’t fret! I will take you there first thing in the morning.”

As the three of you walk into the great hall, your mother comes running. Horrified by the state of your gown, full of snow and dirt.

“Go change right now, Y/n!” She sighs. “The feast is tonight and I won’t let you look like some homeless girl.”

“Yes, mother.” You groan, earning a small smile from your mother.

“Now go!” She shushes you, pushing you towards your chambers.

You gave Aemond and Helaena a quick goodbye, your cheeks burning from embarrassment as you notice the smirk on Aemond’s lips.

///

Music and laughter sounded through the great hall. The smell of warm food and ale hovered the large room.

You sat beside your older brother at the main table. The King and Queen sat on the left side of your father, along with their children.

Your father and King were discussing some matters about the hunt that will occur tomorrow, while your mother and the Queen chatted happily.

You look to your side, watching the three Targaryen siblings. Aegon was almost passed out from drinking, not used to the strong wine from the north. Helaena was playing with some wooden toy that she took from her pocket, murmuring riddles that you didn’t understand.

Your eyes travel to the person next to her, Aemond. His gaze was already piercing through yours when you met his eyes. Gasping in surprise, you quickly look down. Finding your wine cup very interesting suddenly.

Cregan stood up and walk to Helaena. “Would you like to dance, my Princess?” He asks gently.

Helaena smiles and nods. “Of course, my Lord.”

Taking his hand on hers, the two of them walk to where everyone was dancing. A small smile forms on your lips as you see Helaena laughing at some stupid joke that your brother made, noticing a small blush on her cheeks.

“Would you like to join them?” Aemond says, suddenly standing right in front of you. His hand extended for you to take it.

“Does the dragon knows how to dance?” you say with a smirk which Aemond returns it.

“As much as a wolf bites, my Lady.” He declares.

Chuckling gently, you took his hand and let him guide you to where everyone was dancing. He puts his right hand on your waist while his other hand grabs yours, slowly swaying with the music.

You two stay like that in silence for a while, enjoying each other company. This close to him, you could smell his scent. The smell of herbs and dragon made you feel at peace.

“Will you join us tomorrow on the hunt, my Lady?” Aemond looks down at you, his eye shining with the warm light from the room.

You nod, licking your lips slowly. “Yes, my Prince. I would not miss it for nothing.” You observe how his eye follows your tongue on your lips, his pupil grew big, almost making his lilac eye look black.

“Is that so?... Well, I wish you all the luck on your hunt, my Lady.” He murmurs, his nose gently touching yours.

“How kind of you, my Prince” You whisper, your eyes now locked to his lips. Noticing how close they were to yours.

The music comes to an end, making you pull away from Aemond. Your face gleamed with a faint blush which he found incredibly adorable.

“Thank you for the dance, my Prince.” You bow and walk towards your seat, Aemond close behind.

As you are about to take a seat, your mother smiles widely at you and claps her hands.

“Oh, Y/n! I have wonderful news!” She speaks gently. “Our kind Queen said she will take you as one of her ladies in waiting and find you an excellent Lord for you to marry.”

The tag list for this series is open! -> HERE

Tag list: @cryptid-l0ver @saelwen @saelwen-shy-elf @papichulo120627

317 notes · View notes

biwitchenergyz · 26 days

Text

When Dragon's Dance

Content Warning: Adult Language, Mentions of Drug Use, and hints towards grooming. I do not own any of the characters or songs used in this story, but I hope you enjoy and if you do, please let me know!

Songs used: I Was Made for Lovin’ You by KISS

Chapter 1: Hypnotized by the Lights

If this car ride lasts any longer you might reach over and strangle Cregan bloody Stark. It wasn’t completely his fault, but you can name a million reasons why he is to blame for this very moment. Cregan is unaware of the threat on his life, instead, he sits happily humming along to a song that plays through the limo speakers. You watch him with disgruntled fascination. Every tap of his thick fingers on the door handle, every swing of his dark curls as they bounce against his shoulder. “Cregan, the next time you want to go out. Make sure it’s not after I've been filming for 10 hours!” You scold him but he doesn't mind. If anything, he has grown to love your attitude, especially when it amuses him. He stops the music with a tap of his phone and smiles at you with all of his pearly teeth on display. “I already said I was sorry, babes! I didn’t know the label was gonna force you to come with me.” In his defense, he did seem guilty about the whole thing. It wasn’t his fault, you remind yourself again, he just wanted to see that stupid band of his and your manager had insisted you come along for publicity.

Being in a publicity stunt relationship wasn’t hard, per se. It was mainly awkward and worst-case scenario, tiring. You have been with Cregan for about three years now and to be honest, he is your best friend. It isn't hard to pretend to love him because you certainly do. It's just the in-love with him part that you can't quite get. “Well let's at least make this worth it. You stay by me at all times and try not to brush me off. If we want this to look like another happy date, I need you to try.” Cregan can be a good actor when he needs to but when he gets caught up in something he starts treating you like an old friend, not a passionate romantic partner. It has been noted by one or two gossip sites, but he has done his best to put those rumors to rest. “Got it. Ok. I’m in love with you and we are here to see my favorite band. No problem.” Cregan waves a hand like he’s a professional but as soon as the driver opens his door he practically flies from his seat, stopping on a second thought, to help you out the car.

It is no red carpet walk but there are a bunch of paparazzi lining the side of the building, snapping photos and shouting questions as you walk hand in hand. “Cregan! Are the Stark Dire Wolves ready to beat the Baratheon Stags at the game this Sunday?” “Over here, Ma’am! When will we be expecting a new season of Maegor’s six wives?” They all fall over each other, fighting like animals for the chance to talk with either of you. From across the street, some people have stopped to record you and to those cameras, you smile and wave. Cregan makes sure you get in the building first before he sighs. “I will never get used to that shit.” He groans, releasing your hand in favor of placing his hand on the small of your back. You laugh a little at his clear frustration. “Come on, Super Bowl champion! You can’t handle a little paparazzi?” He smiles at your teasing, he always does. “Ok, Miss Lights, Camera, Action! Not all of us are used to photoshoots and red carpets.” You could argue that he has done all of those things as well, but you let it drop as he leads you both to the suite he has booked.

It isn’t small by any means, with a whole front row of cushioned seats and a table for catering in the back. There is a sink with about six cabinets above the faucet and it even comes with its own bathroom. The red carpeting looks freshly cleaned and the whole room smells of citrus. “You bought a suite? For one concert?” You ask him as you place your purse on the marble tabletop. Cregan shrugs, seemingly uninterested in discussing it but one raised eyebrow from you and he spills. “My manager booked the suite. He didn’t want us in the actual stands.” That explains it. Cregan's manager, Edward Bolton, is unbelievably strict. Frankly, you think the man is a total ass, but he has control of the Stark Dire wolves' team and with Cregan being their star player, he has full control of him. “This isn't the biggest venue they have played at, right?” You don't know much about the Dancing Dragons all you know is that they mainly play rock music and get into a shit ton of scandals. All the songs you have heard have been great though. “Nah this is just a private show for the Fanclub and anyone who could buy tickets. I saw them play at the Riverland Arena a year or two ago. I swear I thought all of Westeros was there!” He smiles fondly before playfully nudging you to the side so he can get the best seat, right in the center. You sit close to him with his arm around your shoulder, just a little taste for the cameras that may turn to snap photos of you.

While you wait for the concert to begin you scroll through the band’s Wikipedia page. Jacaerys Targaryen, the leader of the group and the bass player, is Cregan’s favorite, and every time he talks about the guy, he gets flushed. Then there’s Lucereys, Jacaerys’s brother who can make the keyboard sound like the coolest instrument known to man. Both of them are Rhaenyra’s sons, you never got the chance to meet them when you and Rhaenyra both worked on the set of Conqueror, but she talked about them often. Then there’s the fan favorite, Daeron, on the drums. He’s the same age as Luke and they both have an adorable charm that makes them the band's most adored members. Daeron is not alone, there are his brothers Aegon and Aemond. They bring a “sex appeal”, as Cregan put it, to the band. They also bring scandals. Aegon is the lead singer with a well-known drug addiction and the electric guitar player, Aemond, just ended things with his questionably older girlfriend, Alys Rivers. “Wait, are they all cousins?” You ask Cregan who frowns at your question. “No, Babes. Jace and Luke are their nephews. They are a family band though. There is lots of lore on that, but we can talk about it later. Here they come!” He squeals the last sentence as he rises in his seat and watches the smoke form on stage with fascinated eyes. Similarly, your eyes find the stage and watch as the smoke rises. With the red lights pointed down, the smoke appears like fire in the foggy red glow. The crowds of people, anonymous in the pitch-black stadium, rise, yelling and chanting the band's name as the curtains part. “King’s Landing! I wanna hear you scream!”

#aemond x reader #aemond one eye #aegon ii targaryen #aegon the second #aegon targaryen x reader #alicent hightower #aemond x you #aegon x reader #aemond the kinslayer #house of the dragon #rhaneyra targaryen #daemon targaryen #helaena targaryen #viserys targaryen

31 notes · View notes

dotster001 · 2 years

Text

How You Met/Enemies to Lovers, Crowley Edition

Summary: Dire Crowley x gn!reader. At first you were a thorn in his side. Now he can't do without you. Part of mini series for @stygianoir

A/N: It's in my pinned post, and I've mentioned this in a couple posts, but if this is the first of my stuff you've read, I view NRC as an actual college, so reader here is 18+. If it makes you more comfy, imagine it as grad school age.

Other Versions: Idia. Crewel. Rook. Vil. Malleus. Lilia. Leona.

Dire had been headmage of NRC for nigh over a century, and he'd never had a year like this. First some magicless student had warped space and time to cross dimensions and invade his school. Then a fire monster had bonded with said student, and now they were inseparable. And if things couldn't get more aggravating for him, after he'd generously offered you both a place in his school, and trying to find a way home for you, everywhere you seemed to go, his most powerful students would overblot in your wake.

Now here you were again, sitting with your other first year friends, all of you looking like you'd been through hell. And maybe you had.

"Grim overblotted," you said simply, your voice raspy and choked. "He's fine now."

Dire could feel a headache coming on. "How, may I ask, did this happen?"

"Dunno." You said, clearly as done with this as he was.

He let his eyes wander to your cat monster, who was clinging to you like a scared child.

"Grim, out of my ever flowing generosity, I will ignore the expenses of the damage caused, should you immediately begin cleaning the mess."

Grim whimpered and clung to you tighter. You whispered something into his ear, and you and your friends all stood up.

"Wait." Dire held up a hand to stop you all from leaving. "Y/N, please stay for a moment longer, I'd like to discuss something with you."

You looked nervously at your cat monster, and whispered something to him, before trying to hand him to Jack. This led to Grim crying and clutching you tighter. Jack gently but firmly extricated him from you then left with the group, you calling assurances after Grim.

You sat back down looking twice as tired as before. He almost felt sorry for you. Almost.

"Y/N, in all my years as headmage, I have never seen one overblot amongst my students, nevermind eight. Yet you come along, and suddenly," he gestured around at nothing.

You muttered something inaudible.

"Speak up, I couldn't quite make that out."

You scowled and made eye contact with a new found confidence. "I said, all your students clearly have deep seated trauma, and you have no therapy or counseling here, so that pent up trauma has nowhere to go."

"An excellent idea! In exchange for me overlooking the correlation between you and this 'trauma going somewhere' you will be our school therapist!"

You looked shocked. And intimidated. "B-but….I…I'm not qualified to…"

"Not to worry! I will not just throw you to the wolves. I will prepare an in depth course to make you qualified to handle these cases. Aren't I so generous?"

….

That had been five years ago. Despite his misgivings about you, you had thrown yourself thoroughly into the extra course work, as well as overblot research, and all this on top of your "catch up courses" (he'd assigned these so that the normal NRC course work would make sense to you) and your degree work.

You now had a degree in magical history, a secondary degree in psychology, several published research papers in overblot and it's lasting effects, and a full time job as NRC's therapist.

Dire couldn't quite help but be impressed. You'd more than exceeded his expectations, and the emotional health of his students was better than ever.

Most of your research wasn't even his idea, it had been yours. These days, you were researching various potions and sewing if any could mitigate the amount of blot a mage put out. This meant you were working frequently with Divus Crewel.

Was Dire jealous? Hell no! You were a good employee but still a thorn in his side from how much trouble seemed to follow, and how frequently you asked if he had found a way home for you.

He really had been trying, but at this point he hoped he would never find a way home for you. Not because he cared about you! You were just a valuable asset to the university!

Here you were, sitting in his office again, looking tired. It was reminiscent of your school days. Except the difference being you really hadn't done anything wrong this time.

"Do you know why you're here?"

"Am I getting a raise?" You laughed dryly.

He only laughed back in response, opting not to answer that. "You are here, because I heard from Divus that you collapsed in the lab."

"Am I in trouble?" You asked.

Dire couldn't help the sigh that escaped him. He wished you would just open up to him already. After all this time you still had your guard up around him.

"I have generously decided you need some time off. I am sending you to spend some time in the Scalding Sands. The Asim family has volunteered to host you, and Kalim has agreed to prevent you from working the entire holiday."

You suddenly looked very awake. "I can't go on break now! Divus and I are so close to figuring out the potion!"

Divus. Dire wasn't jealous of your closeness. Totally not.

"To quote your own research back to you, 'an overworked, and overwhelmed mage will have no choice but release the built up strain and anxiety in a way that will be detrimental to their very soul'"

"I'm not a mage," you pointed out.

"But you are only human." He retorted. "You have spent the last five years pushing yourself to the limits of your being. Humans are not built to take that much strain."

"Might I remind you who asked me to take on as much as I did?"

He smiled in spite of himself. You'd grown used to him enough to push back at least. Progress is progress.

"It's already decided. You are going on break, and I will be coming with you to ensure you actually rest."

You gaped at him. When you found your words you stuttered, "but my research…"

"Will be here when we get back. Besides, a relaxed mind may lead you to a breakthrough." He showed you out of his office. "Now go pack your bags. Anything not packed in an hour will be left for when you come back."

You practically sprinted from his office.

….

The Asim family had provided their second estate for your vacation. Crowley couldn't help but wonder how large their main estate was, if this was their second home, but he knew he'd for sure be coming to them for more…donations. After assuring Kalim that he was taking over your care, the two of you had the estate to yourselves, minus a couple servants here and there.

He had researched ways to help humans relax before the trip. He spent so much time surrounded by them, but he was still fae, so he had to remind himself. One way listed in the article "How to Perk up Your Human" was to get sun exposure. So he had told you to meet him outside once you were settled so you could both lounge. Of course he would be participating out of the goodness of his heart.

You came out in a casual outfit, and just stared at him. That's when he realized. He wasn't wearing his mask. And you'd never seen him without it.

He'd started wearing it once he realized that humans were quite drawn to his features; high cheekbones, piercing golden eyes, black hair with a slight wave, otherworldly fae glow. It distracted them. But right now, he felt a burst of pride as you couldn't draw your eyes away from him.

"Y/N." He called, trying not to sound as smug as he felt. "I have prepared some chairs for us to lay down on and get sun exposure."

You startled back to reality, and quickly looked away from him, moving to a lounge chair. You looked tense. Far tenser even than when you had faced all those overblots those many years ago. Luckily, another point in that article could help.

He strode over to your chair, and knelt next to you.

"Is it alright if I touch your shoulders?" He asked (consent is sexy, kids)

You nodded, clearly confused, until he began to massage the tension from your shoulders. They were so tight, he should have done this sooner. Pretty quickly, you were melting into a puddle at his touch, and he once again felt a beam of pride.

"If you decline your chair flat, and lay on your stomach, I can do your back as well."

You were too lulled to do anything but nod, as he reclined your chair for you, and you flipped to your stomach. You had so many knots, it was insane.

After a little while, you had dozed off, and he sat in his own chair and napped with you.

….

The rest of the trip, he had done his best to keep you relaxed and stress free. He had gone through all the points in the article, had confiscated the books you had tried to hide from him, and had made sure that the servants had prepared both high nutrient meals, but also comfort foods.

Meanwhile, he noticed how quickly you not only got used to him, but loosened up around him as well; responding to his jokes with your own, volunteering more of that beautiful personality, even offering him massages to thank him for the ones he had given you. Truly, it was paradise. (He'd like to see Divus get to know you so well. Also, he's not jealous.)

Your last evening of the trip, Kalim had sent over an excellent feast, and some musicians to live the mood. The two of you had a joyful dinner, reminiscing on the trip, discussing the future, just enjoying each other in general.

A slow song had started to play, and Dire stood up from his chair, and stretches his hand out to you.

"I would be remiss if I didn't offer you a dance."

"I don't really dance," you stammered.

"Then I'll lead. Trust me," at that you took his hand, and he lead you in the moves. The two of you fit together so smoothly, and moved like water. As the song came to and end, he freed one of his hands to gently cup your face, looking at you with all the sincerity he could muster. He realized he felt a pull to keep you close and never let go (and also, he was indeed jealous of your closeness to Divus). He gravitated towards your lips, and you seemed to feel the same pull, until something flashed across your eyes and you stepped out of his embrace.

"I'm really tired. I'm gonna head to bed. Is there anything you need before I go?"

'you.' he thought. But instead,

"I am well for the evening. Get some good rest."

Then you left him, taking his heart with you.

The next morning the two of you went back to NRC without a word. He hadn't slept the whole night, thinking about you, and what it meant when you pulled away. Both of you went your separate ways, and things continued like that for a week.

He had been reading an article titled "How Humans Process Romantic Feelings" when you had walked into his office. He hastily closed the article, and turned his full attention to you.

"Y/N. How can I help you?" He truly hoped he sounded composed.

"I…uh…" you looked away for a minute, then with renewed resolve looked back at him. "I wanted to thank you for the vacation. You were right, I had been completely overdoing it."

"It was no problem. As a truly magnanimous employer I care about your well being."

You nodded, seeming unsure how to proceed. But you always managed to surprise him.

"Truth be told, I wouldn't mind doing a vacation like that with you again sometime."

He was practically preening at your statement. He would mooore than not mind another vacation with you, but this time where he'd hold you close, run his hands through your hair, moving his lips against yours, grazing his teeth along your unmarked neck….

"So yeah, thanks again headmage…"

"Dire, please," he interrupted. "I'd rather you call me by my name."

"Oh, well since we were at work I…okay, nevermind. Dire. Thanks." You stood up to go.

"Wait," he said, and you looked back at him, eyes full of hope. "My lunch hour is free today, and I was hoping you would share it with me."

"I'd like that," you said with a soft smile, one thousand words carrying across those three.

For just this once in his life, Dire Crowley was going to be selfish.

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #dire crowley #dire crowley x reader #twst crowley x reader #twst crowley

437 notes · View notes