#last one I found little mix when wings came out !

[serpentandlily]

Butterfly Fly Away

Butterfly Fly Away - Platonic!Reader x BatBoys

Summary: You’ve been bestfriends with Rhys, Cassian and Azriel since childhood but with the new additions to your Inner Circle, it's starting to feel like you are being replaced. When confronted, your three friends brush off your concerns, leading you to believe it’s time to move on and start a life of your own. But once you’re gone, the three brothers begin to realize just how much they need you in their lives. 

Based on this request.

Warnings: A mix of angst and fluff. 

❀⊱♡⊰❀

Butterfly Fly Away

❀⊱♡⊰❀

You let out a long shaky breath, sitting on the edge of your bed, looking around your now empty room in the Townhouse. You had packed up everything. Your clothes, your trinkets, the parchments full of scribbles from Nyx, the painting Feyre had gifted you of the whole family together. All of it.

Your chest felt hollow. The silence and emptiness was deafening. So many memories were made in this room, down these halls, in this city. The thought of leaving that all behind made your heart ache but the thought of staying here hurt worse. 

You had met Rhysand, Azriel and Cassian during your youth and struck a friendship with them. A friendship that had grown and grown into what felt like an impenetrable bond between the three of you. 

And they had always stressed how much importance you had within the family. The peacemaker, the mediator, the one who could end fights between them before they even began. Your magic was able to read the emotions of others, making you adept at talking others through their own feelings—of helping them understand why they felt the way they did. 

It was really the only thing you were good for. You weren’t a skilled fighter, or strategist, or politician. All weakness you hated considering your family was made of the most powerful fae.

But when it came to matters of the heart? Well, you were an expert. For everyone else anyways, considering yours was currently being torn apart. 

You had been there for each of them during the best and worst of days. Through the war, through Rhysand losing his family, through the forty-nine years without him. The four of you with Mor and Amren included had built a small family together. 

A family that was no longer around because they had all found another. And you had been left with none. 

Slowly but surely they had completely erased your spot in the family with the Archeron sisters. It wasn’t even that you didn’t like the three sisters. Each of them had a special place in your heart. But they changed the dynamic of the group so drastically. 

And you no longer felt like you belonged. 

Mor had felt it too, which was why she was more than happy to be sent to the continent to work on alliances there. Amren had found herself a lover and seemed content with keeping him all to herself. 

But you…you had nothing without them. Or at least, that’s what it felt like. 

You had tried to bring it up with them, had tried to hint that you felt a bit left out and neglected. But they had brushed you off, telling you it was time you “found a life of your own like they had.” You thought you did have a life of your own already. Here. But apparently that was not the case. 

You let out another sigh as you stared at the last three things you had to pack. You picked up the first one, a smooth rock—a red creek jasper. You still remembered the day Azriel had given it to you when you both were only eleven. 

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“You can do it, Az!” you shouted. 

You were standing underneath a very large boulder, holding a hand over your eyes as the sun shone down on you and Rhys. Cassian and Azriel were both on top of the boulder, wings spread wide as Cassian tried to direct Azriel on how to fly. 

Azriel’s face was nearly white and you could tell even from where you were standing that his hands were shaking. You took a few steps closer to the rock, holding your little arms out. 

“I’ll catch you if you fall,” you yelled up to him. “I promise!”

It was at that moment that Cassian decided he was over waiting for Azriel to jump and pushed the boy off the rock instead. Azriel shrieked, a sound he had never made before, and frantically tried to pump his wings but it was no use. He crashed right into you, sending you both sprawling on the ground.

“Y/n,” he gasped, rolling off of you. “Are you okay?” 

His eyes were wide with both shock and concern. They only widen more when you burst out laughing, clutching your stomach. It hurt, a lot. You were both eleven but Azriel was already bigger than you. 

“I told you I’d catch you!” The look on his normally unreadable face sent you into another fit of giggles. 

Later that day, Azriel had gone to the nearby creek and dug around for hours looking for the perfect rock to give you, knowing you liked collecting the cool ones you found. He had apologized numerous times, even though it had been Cassian’s fault, but he still felt guilty. He finally stumbled on a tiny, smooth rock that was a mixture of dark orange and red swirls.

When he came home that night and offered it to you as another apology, Cassian and Rhys had laughed themselves nearly sick but you had just smiled at the shy boy and squeezed the rock in your hand, holding against your chest. 

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It was the first gift Azriel had given you and it had stayed with you all these years. 

You wrapped it back in the silk handkerchief you kept it in and placed it in your bag. 

Your eyes moved to the next item. A scarf made from various scraps of fabric. Definitely not fashionable, but it had been a special gift from Rhysand.

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“Why do you carry that old blanket around with you still?” The thirteen year-old Rhys was peering at the dirty blanket in your hand with a sneer. “We’re not babies anymore, y/n. You should get rid of it.” 

You pulled the blanket closer to you—a blanket made up of random scraps of fabric, the only thing your mother could afford at the time. It was ratty, falling apart at the seams, but it was special to you. 

“It’s the only thing I have left of her,” you said, quietly, blinking away the tears that started forming in your eyes. 

Your mother had passed away years ago and your father, who had never loved her in the first place, had tossed out all her belongings. You had only managed to get your hands on the blanket before it was taken away.   

Rhys had said nothing else about it until winter solstice came around that year. You hadn’t noticed that he had snuck into your room and taken the blanket—bringing it to his mother to make into something a little better for you to carry around with you. 

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He had given you the scarf that night and every single snowfall, it was the first one you pulled out. You packed it away with a heavy heart. You were moving to the Day Court, something you had already discussed with the Inner Circle, and you would hardly have use for it there. 

The last item sat on your dresser, a white, stuffed pegasus toy—a gift from Cassian. 

❀⊱♡⊰❀

A knock sounded on your door but you ignored it, rolling over in your bed and wiping your tears.

Another knock.

“Y/n! Open up! I know you’re in there,” Cassian shouted through the door.

“Go away, Cass,” you managed to croak out through your tears. “I’m not in the mood.”

There was a pause before he shouted through the door again.

“What’s wrong, y/n? I can tell you’re crying!”

“Nothing, just go away!”

The door burst open and you shot up in your bed, cursing at yourself for not making sure it was locked. Cassian walked into your room, his eyes widening as he took in your appearance. 

“Y/n?” He asked, quietly, shutting the door behind him. “Why are you crying? What happened?”

A tiny sob broke through your lips and Cassian was at your side instantly, wrapping an arm around you. You both were only sixteen, but Cassian was already starting to look more like a male than a boy with how big he was getting. 

“Cyrus b-broke up with me,” you choked out. 

“Oh thank the gods!”

You glared up at Cassian, shoving him away from you.

“Get out if you’re going to be like that.”

He held up his hands in surrender. “Sorry, y/n, I just mean… Well, we all think you’re too good for him, you know. He’s an asshole.”

More tears poured from your eyes and Cassian pulled you to his chest again. “I am really sorry, y/n. I know how much you liked him.”

Cassian had stayed with you that night, holding you until you cried yourself to sleep. When you woke up the next day, a tiny stuffed Pegasus was waiting on your nightstand with a note attached to it.

‘I hope this little guy helps you feel better. But if you need to let off some steam, come find me in the training ring—Cassian.’

❀⊱♡⊰❀

You hugged the pegasus to your chest for a moment before dropping it into your bag with the last of your stuff. 

You were supposed to leave in the morning after a goodbye breakfast with the whole family, but the trip down memory lane had you feeling too upset.

You didn’t know if you could handle seeing them all, especially when they seemed to have no qualms about you leaving. 

Cassian didn’t need a secondary sparring partner to Azriel anymore now that he had Nesta. Rhys didn’t need help reading through correspondence now that he had Feyre. And those serene walks through the woods with Azriel? Well, those went to Elain now. 

You pulled out the copy of keys you had for the Townhouse and River House and set them down on the dresser in the room. You took one last look around, your heart breaking in your chest, before finally winnowing away.

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“This alliance with Vallahan could go two ways,” Rhys said, stroking his jaw. “They fight with us against Koschei and end this whole thing before it becomes a full blown war. Or they’re faking their support and have already sided with Koschei.”

“If they are, the results of that will be devastating,” Mor said with a frown. “Our armies are still so depleted and even with the help of the other courts minus Autumn, Koschei has triple our numbers if Vallahan has already sided with him.” 

Cassian let out a low whistle as he stared over the battle plans. “We’d be fucked. Utterly fucked.”

“We can’t win in that scenario,” Azriel piped up from next to Cassian.

“We can’t win without their help either,” Feyre said. “This decision is everything. Everything relies on this decision. You really couldn’t get a read on them, Mor?” 

Mor shook her head. “They were careful with their wording and vague. They were certainly speaking the truth, but it meant little.”

“Their mental defenses were too strong to get through without force. But if they are being honest and I break into their minds, we might as well kiss the alliance goodbye,” Rhys sighed. “If only there was another way to get a read on them. I hate going into this blind with only our own faith.” 

The room was silent as they all pondered what this meant for the battle against Koschei. 

“There is…someone who could help.”

Everyone’s head whipped towards Cassian. Rhysand waved a hand at him to continue. Cassian swallowed audibly.

“Y/n.”

That name had everyone sitting up straight. Rhysand raised an eyebrow at him, not understanding. Not until it clicked in his head.

“She can read people’s emotions,” he breathed out. “I… I never thought about her using it this way. I just thought it was good for—well, you know.”

“Just meddling?”

Rhys nodded, feeling a bit ashamed. The room went quiet again, everyone soaking in what Cassian was suggesting.

“Would she even help? You all basically ran her out of this court,” Mor huffed, causing tensions to rise. 

“Not this again,” Cassian groaned.

Mor stood from her seat, bristling at Cassian’s words. “I’m being serious. She has been your guys’ friend since you were kids. And you all left her in the dust even after she tried to tell you guys how she felt!”

When Mor had returned from the continent and learned of you leaving the court, she had been beyond angry at the three males for their treatment of you. She had written you several letters apologizing and you had welcomed her back into your life. 

But she was the only one you still talked to. 

The room was dead quiet. Each of the three males shared looks of guilt and embarrassment because Mor was right. They had completely taken you for granted and cast you aside once the sisters started having bigger roles in their life. And they had let you go without even trying to convince you to stay. 

“I miss her.”

Azriel’s voice was so quiet, like he hadn’t even meant to say those words out loud. 

Cassian let out a long sigh. “I miss her too.”

Mor glanced around at the other members of the Inner Circle before gesturing towards the door. “I think the boys need to discuss this amongst themselves.” 

Once the door shut behind Feyre, Rhys leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk. “I hadn’t realized how much of an impact she had. Things haven’t felt right here without her.” 

“No, they haven’t,” Cassian agreed. “We really did kind of… forget about her. Not intentionally but still.” 

“Have you talked to her?” Azriel asked, looking at his High Lord.

“Have you?”

Azriel looked away in answer, feeling a bit of guilt. 

“Do you think she’s still in the Day Court?” Cassian asked. 

Rhys nodded. “Yes, Helion is quite fond of her it seems.” 

Cassian snickered while a ghost of a grin crossed Azriel’s face. It wasn’t hard to imagine you in Day. You had always been a beacon of light for the group and they knew how easily you made friends wherever you went. It came naturally to you as an empath. 

“Do you think…” Cassian trailed off, sounding a bit insecure. “Do you think she’d come home? If we asked?” 

“She didn’t even say goodbye before she left,” Azriel murmured. 

“We can try but I think we should be honest with her about our feelings,” Rhys said. “I’d hate for her to think we’re just asking her back so she can help us with this.” 

“She’s going to know how we’re feeling anyways,” Cassian laughed. “Remember?”

Rhys grinned, thinking of all the times you had caught them in blatant lies because of your abilities, all the times you meddled with their love lives and friendships too. 

There really was a you-shaped hole in the group now. The three shared a look of guilt. It was a shame it took this long for them to realize it. 

❀⊱♡⊰❀

Three knocks against the door of your small cottage woke you up. You groaned, sitting up and blinking the sleep from your eyes. You had gone to one of Helion’s illustrious parties last night and had not been expecting to be woken up this early.

You shrugged on a silk robe over your nightgown and made your way to your front door.

Your eyes widened in shock as soon as you opened it, staring at the three males you hadn’t seen in a little over a year. You stepped aside, wordlessly, letting them into your new home. The distance had not made the bond between the four of you shrink, even after all this time, it seemed.

They greeted you in their own ways. Azriel with a soft smile, Cassian with a booming hello and hug, and Rhys was a feline grin and pat on the shoulder. You strode to the kitchen as they took a seat in your living room.

“I need coffee,” you announced. “Anyone else?”

“Long night?” Cassian teased.

“Don’t even ask,” you joked back, pulling out four mugs as they all said yes to your offer.

It was silent while the coffee brewed, and their emotions were all over the place. Nervousness, guilt, hope and regret. Your eyebrows furrowed as you grabbed the mugs and set them on the coffee table, taking a seat on an armchair.

“No offense,” you started. “But why are you guys here? I haven’t spoken to any of you in over a year.”

“That’s kind of what we’re here about,” Rhys replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

You raised an eyebrow at them, taking a sip of your coffee.

“I’ll get straight to the point,” he continued. “We…We want you to come home.”

You nearly spit your coffee out. That was not what you were expecting him to say. After all, they didn’t seem very upset when you told them you were leaving the Night Court in the first place.

“Why?” you managed to choke out.

“I’ll be honest. We’re dealing with a situation back home and it made us realize how much of an importance you played, not just in our court but in our lives. We miss you, y/n. We regret how we treated you the past few years.”

“We all just got so caught up in our own problems, we didn’t even realize how much we were neglecting you,” Cassian added with a sincere frown. “You were such a constant in our lives and I guess we sort of took that for granted, assuming you’d always be there.”

“I tried to tell you how I felt,” you murmured, hiding half your face behind your coffee mug.

“I’m sorry for brushing you off,” Azriel said, quietly. “Truly. A lot was happening and like Cassian said, I just figured once we got through it all, things could resume as normal.”

“So why have none of you written to me in the year I’ve been gone?”

“After you left, Mor kind of chewed us out,” Cassian said, sheepishly. “We all just assumed you were mad at us and left because you needed space. I know it’s not a good excuse but well, you know more than anyone that we’ve never been great at communicating.”

You laughed, rolling your eyes. That was the reason you meddled so much. To get them to talk about their feelings, express themselves. It was hard staying quiet when you knew how a person truly felt.

“We miss you and we need you, y/n,” Rhys cut in. “Things haven’t been the same since you left. I’m sorry it took so long for us to realize and I’m sorry for how we treated you. You’re our best friend, our sister. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”

“Me either.” Both Azriel and Cassian interjected.

You thought about it, thought of the year you spent without them. While you had started anew, made new friends, had lovers, you did miss them dearly. It made you realize something about the bond you all shared, about your friendship in general. Life changes and sometimes people get preoccupied with other things but that bond you felt hadn’t shrunk, hadn’t grown any weaker. It was still the same as it had been the day you left.

They would always be your best friends, your brothers by name.

And their feelings were genuine. You of all people would know.

“Please come home,” Cassian begged. “I need you--we all need you.”

This house was not a home without the people you cared about. As much as you loved the Day Court, it wasn’t the same. Not without all the memories tied to it. And perhaps this had just made your friendship with them stronger, made you all realize how much you needed each other despite now having more priorities in your lives. You couldn’t fault them for finding love, for building families.

The three of them were nearly holding their breath with anticipation, waiting for your answer. A smile broke out on your face and their shoulders dropped.

“Okay,” you finally said. “I’ll come home. But I’m keeping this as my vacation house and you all owe me a years’ worth of mooncakes when we get home.”

Laughter filled the tiny cottage as they eagerly agreed to your terms. A new warmth spread in your chest. You were finally going home back to your true family. 

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#platonic reader #acotar fanfiction #acotar #azriel #acotar x reader #acotar x you #fanfic #azriel shadowsinger #rhysand #cassian #azriel x reader #cassian x reader #rhysand x reader #family

[lovelytsunoda]

kill of the night // lando norris

summary: she hates parties. especially quadrant parties hosted in large creepy mansions. at least the hot pirate hosting the party is into her, or she would have left ages ago.

pairing: lando norris x female reader

warnings: consumption of alcohol, lando cannot take anything seriously to save his life, the eerie feeling of being watched (anxiety or haunted house, you decide), pirate themed sexual innuendos, mention of spiders (arachnophobia warning!) reader has mild autism

the lights were low and the music loud as she pushed her way through the crowd, desperate for a drink and a moment of peace. the music was bad (some club mix of the rocky horror picture soundtrack) and all she wanted was for her massive headache to go away.

too bad she didn’t drink often. maybe something stronger than a hard lemonade would make this evening bearable.

she sat at the bar, feeling the eerie sensation of all eyes on her as she scanned the sea of bodies for the slew of other glittery fairy wings she had arrived with. she didn't even know some of the girls that well. all of the girls from her program had been invited, and she was trying to be a team player.

one girl was making out with a stranger, two others playing beer pong. the rest were lost to the crowd, dancing in ways that would definitely have disappointed their parents.

when the tuxedoed bartender came back with the crystal tumbler that had her vodka lemonade in it, she frowned at the tiny plastic sword, a gummy worm speared through it.

she just wanted a normal fucking drink.

sighing, she grabbed the glass and got to her feet, sending one last glance to the other girls before she started making her way towards the exit, mindful of the massive plastic wings strapped to her back. she had half a mind to just rip them off and throw them into the nearest trash can.

the outside hallway wasn't much better, and she found herself reaching into her purse for her airpods, less for music and more to just to cancel out the noise. she extracted the green plastic sword, taking the gummy worm off the plastic and dropping it into her mouth. the dj was playing ghostbusters, and she wanted nothing more than to be back home in her small, peaceful dorm, wrapped in her fleece blanket and reading 'love in the time of serial killers', or in the warm movie theatre watching 'a haunting in venice'.

instead she was here.

folding the small sword over in her hands, she grabbed her drink from the side table and made her way down the dreary hallway to get some fresh air.

the outside of the mansion was peaceful, if not a little disused. the hedges were neatly trimmed, the flowers well tended to as she sat down on a stone bench, the cold from the surface seeping in through the fabric of her dress as she took a sip of her drink.

truth be told, the peaceful atmosphere of the large, creepy mansion had been one of the few reasons she had agreed to come, living out her 'haunted mansion' fantasy: ghost who's been pining after her for centuries, the promise of eternal love. all but the evil ghost butler trying to kill her.

"the party's inside, you know!" a shout carried over the breeze, bristol accent sharp.

she yelped, dropping her drink and watching the glass shatter against flagstone.

"jesus! you can't just sneak up on people like that!" she shouted, yanking out her earbuds. "what is wrong with you, you fucking wanker!"

she got to her feet, spinning around to see who had spoken. he was tall enough (taller than her at least), dressed in a billowy white shirt and leather vest, leather breeches hugging his impressive thighs, a mane of curly brunette hair on the top of his head, and a fake sword strapped to his thigh.

at least, she hoped it was fake.

"woah, hang on." he frowned, coming closer to her. he looked like a prince, straight out of a disney movie. "i didn't mean to scare you."

could this be him? the ghost lover from her haunted mansion fantasy?

"it's fine. i guess i'm just jumpy. mansions that are almost certainly haunted will do that to a girl." she took a step back, trying to avoid the smashed glass as she turned, intending to go back to the stone bench before her wing got caught on a hedge. she cursed, resisting the urge to yank at the iridescent plastic.

"let me help." the stranger encouraged, coming closer to the hedge.

she shook her head. "it's fine, just let me take it off my back."

she gently eased out of the elastic straps securing the wings to her body, attempting to make it happen as gracefully as possible. one wing snapped back and smacked her in the face, and she tried to shake it off as she moved away, allowing them to dangle dejectedly from the hedge.

the prince came to stand beside her, his cologne overloading her senses as her reached over her to help disentangle the wings, his body heat against her back making her skin flush.

"here you go." his voice was soft as her passed her back her costume.

she could have left the wings there, she'd only paid three dollars to make them. she folded them up, placing the scratchy plastic on the stone bench before looking down at the shattered crystal.

“sorry about the glass. you’ll probably have to pay for it, being the host and all.”

“how did you know I was the host?”

her face blushed pink “havw you ever seen the haunted mansion? the original one with eddie murphy and wallace shawn?”

she gave him an opening, ready to hide her face behind her hands if it didn’t work out. there was a slight pause, and then he burst out laughing.

“you think that I’m some dead ghostly prince searching for his lost love?” he sputtered. “hate to break it to ya, tinker bell, but I’m not a prince, and I am very much alive.”

“I never said you were dead!” she crossed her arms indignantly, stomping one sneaker-clad foot against the flagstones.

chuckling, the suitor extended his hand. “I’m lando.”

“y/n.” she sighed, reaching to shake his hand. “sorry about the hostility, I just felt overstimulated in there. it’s the ‘tism in me.”

lando gestured for her to sit on one of the benches, looking out at the algae-caked fountain. it smelled earthly, yet his cologne was still all she could comprehend.

“have you had a chance to explore the house? based solely on your haunted mansion statement, I feel like that would be something you were in to.”

“it’s the only reason I came, truth be told. I hate parties, but some of the girls o study with thought it would be a good idea. what i didn’t realize was that we’d all be packed into the ballroom and pretty much the rest of the house would be off limits.”

lando laughed, straddling the bench next to her, one leg on either side. not very prince-like, if you had asked y/n. “well, I didn’t pick the venue. you can thank max and steve for that.”

“I don’t know who either of those people are.”

“I work with them in quadrant, they’re hosting this thing. I’d stepped out for a minute to take a business call.”

she snorted. “you? a business call?”

“what’s so hard to believe about that?” lando feigned offence, smacking his chest with his palm. “and why did your mind immediately go to the haunted mansion when you saw me? I was going for less master gracey and more will turner.”

“please, you’re jack sparrow at best. I can tell you bought your little pirate outfit at spirit halloween. and if my first instinct was that you were dressed as a prince, something is missing.”

she propped one leg lengthwise on the bench, tucking one sneaker-clad foot under the other, smoothing her dress over as to not give the man in front of her a glaring look at her dusty pink panties (although an intrusive thought did prompt her to wonder what would happen if she did).

“have you had a chance to explore the mansion yet?” she asked the man. well, the boy. he couldn’t have been too much older than she was.

lando shook his head, a few errant curls falling from his shaggy hair and over his eyebrows, and something about the way he shook his head to clear the curls from his eyes had her mouth watering. she wondered briefly what it would be like to kiss him.

“i saw a bit of it when we were bringing everything in. it’s a maze of service tunnels and secret doors. i actually got myself locked in a cellar.” lando laughed, and the butterflies erupted in her stomach, a giddy feeling spreading through her bones. “and that’s why ria thought it would be a good idea to cordon off most of the house. so that idiots like me didn’t get themselves locked in anywhere they couldn’t get out of.”

she raised an eyebrow, almost questioning exaclty how th man in front of her got himself locked in a cellar before she thought better of it. “so you know where all these secret passageways are?”

lando wagged his eyebrows. “is that something you’re into?”

“why do you have to say it like that?” she giggled, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth when she remembered how she usually looked when she laughed. “you make it sound weird. like a sex thing.”

“well, it’s not a sex thing,” lando reassured, stepping off the bench like he was dismounting a noble steed. “unless you want it to be? I’d be down to, uh, shiver your timbers in a secret hidden alcove.”

“not if you make bad pirate puns.” she rolled her eyes, taking landos extended hand in hers and allowing him to help her up. “but we can see where the night takes us.”

she shouldn’t have said that. why did she say that? would he think she was propositioning him?

the wind was breezy on her bare legs as lando led her across the moonlit backyard, pushing open the same door they had just come through. the family photos on the wall were old and faded, frames of orange gold around them. lando ushered her up the stairs, clouds of dust flying off the carpet as they ascended. the further up the stairs they moved, the mustier it smelled.

lando stopped her on the landing, hardwood covered in a threadbare oriental carpet, everything covered in a fine layer of dust, save for the cracked mirror.

"press on the edges of the fame, but stand back." lando suggested. "max brushed up against it earlier and almost got flung off the landing. it's a service entrance door."

"sick." she mumbled, pressing her slender fingers along the filigree gold frame. "just like this? do you remember where the latch was?"

"if i did, i'd have opened the door myself." he shrugged.

all at once, she felt the mirror give way under her hand, a clicking sound barely audible as the door began to move. lando reached for her hand, gently pulling her out of the line of fire.

"that was fucking awesome." she giggled, pulling her phone out of her purse and switching on the flashlight. "you know we need to go in there now, right?"

"just as long as you can get us back out." lando pleaded. "i don't want to die in a service tunnel."

she lead the way up the stone staircase, her flashlight illuminating the pounds of dust and cobwebs (as well as the occasional lump that might have been a dead rat, but she actually didn't want to know).

"if i see any big ass spiders in here, killing them is your job." she tried to keep her voice steady, but the thought of a massive spider crawling up her leg was not her idea of a good time. in fact, it would likely send her into hysterics.

they reached the top of the winding staircase, coming to rest in front of a large wooden door with a wrought iron knocker shaped like medusa's head. the hinges were slightly rusted, and it was clear that nobody had come up here for a while.

until them, of course, their footsteps clearly imprinted in the dusty stairs below.

"well, it would be a shame to turn back now." lando remarked, reaching for the door handle. it was stiff, but the room was unlocked.

she followed lando inside, reaching blindly for the old dial lightswitch on the wall. the room flickered to life, lit by two dull bulbs hanging from the ceiling.

a large bookshelf took up one wall, a dust and dirt caked window overlooking the grounds on another, equipped with a window seat for reading. a small crosley record player sat on a teak stand, pressed up against a wall painted an off cinnamon color. she walked to the milk crates stacked neatly next to the the player, flipping through well-worn vinyls.

"whoever was last up here was really into seventies disco. we've got abba, donna summer, elton john, blondie, hot chocolate, earth wind and fire." she mused, pulling a blondie album out of the basket. "although i always considered blondie to be more new wave than anything."

lando reached over her, his chest just faintly burshing up against her arm, body heat causing her skin to flush as he grabbed an elton john record from the basket.

"elton john? now this guy wrote some great stuff."

"nothing in this basket is organized in any way! they've got wild cherry at the front with earth, wind and fire, but blondie is pushed way to the back with chaka khan and ike and tina. no rhyme or reason! i have half a mind to rearrange it myself."

the record player crackled to life, the sound coming out of two old wooden marley speakers, a sound system that hadn't been updated in a while but still came through crisp as they day it was put together. elton john and kiki dee's duetting voices began to fill the room, and lando extended a hand.

"can i have this dance, my fair maiden?"

she smiled, leaning against the stack of milk crates. "i dunno. ladies like me don't dance with scoundrels like you."

"but a scoundrel like me will show you a damn good time. if you let me, of course."

giggling, she grabbed his hand, allowing the young man to twirl her in a circle before dipping her towards the floor, her hair dusting the shag carpet. soon, their laughter was louder than the stereo itself.

out of breath, their gleeful dance began to slow. they stood in the middle of the dimly lit room, 'don't go breaking my heart' playing lowly in the background, the thumping bass from the ballroom travelling upstairs as lando leaned in.

the craned her face up, pressing on to her tip toes to meet him halfway, brushing her lips against his before her pulled her in for more, his strong arms like a safety net around her body, ready to catch her if her knees buckled (which she was almost sure they would).

"i've gotta hand it to ya, captain. you're one smooth operator." she giggled, kissing him again. "i wonder what else you can do with that tongue?"

"come dock in my port, and you'll find out."

she burst out laughing, dropping her arms to playfully smack him in the chest. "that was your worst pick up line yet!"

"really? i've got a ton more, read up for this very occasion. what else have i got? there's 'i sure would like to pillage your booty', but that one sounds a little sleazy, 'not only do i have a ship, but it's a long one."

"oh my god, you need to stop. they're all as bad as the one that came before." she was laughing so hard there were tears in the corners of her eye. he thought he was so suave, rattling off stupid pickup lines while he leaned against milk crates of vinyl pressings.

and the stupid thing was, it was working.

tired of listening to him ramble, she stalked over to him, grabbing his leather vest and pulling him in for another kiss.

TAGS: @userlando @magnummagnussen @diorleclerc @scuderiamh @lorarri @cartierre @clemswrld @httpiastri @love4lando @silversainz @silverstonesainz @scuderiasundays

#lando norris #lando norris x reader #the cozy collection 2023 #formula one x reader #f1 x reader #f1 imagine #lando norris imagine #lando norris POV #Spotify

[mountttmase]

Lost And Found

Note - thank you so much for the love on my last fic 🩷 this one you’re about to read is one of the very first ideas I had for a fic so it’s a little bit like my baby but I’m giving her wings and letting her fly 😂 I really hope you enjoy it 💙

Pairing - Mason Mount x Reader

Word count - 6.8k

Warnings - angst and fluff

‘Oh come on please don’t do this’ you spoke into the air, rummaging around in your bag for your keys on your front door step. They had somehow grown legs and gone for a walk and the rain that was starting to pour from the night sky was not making the situation any easier.

You reached for you phone to turn the torch on so you could see in your bag better but the light only lasted a few seconds before disappearing. You turned your phone over to investigate and when nothing happed your realised the battery had finally died after a long days use. You let out a big sigh before sitting back on the step, your head falling into your hands.

‘Right come on, just take a second and think’ you told yourself out loud, hoping you could talk yourself into magically finding them and after a few deep breaths you stood back up, patting yourself down to make sure they weren’t in any of your pockets or attached to you in any way. Once you’d ruled that out you moved back to your bag, checking every pocket and practically emptying the whole contents out onto the floor but your keys were still nowhere to be seen.

As you packed everything back into your bag you tried to think back to this morning when you left for work in a rush if you’d picked your keys up but as this was something you did everyday, you couldn’t decipher whether it happened this morning or if it was a weird mix of every morning.

So you sat there in the dark, soggy from the rain with no phone and no clue as to what you would do next. Too late to try and what with your upstairs neighbour being away, no way of getting into your house.

A car came round the corner before you saw the lights wash over you, it’s noises engine startling you but they were gone as quickly as they came, carrying on down the street until it pulled in and parked up a few spaces up from your front door.

You contemplated asking for help but we’re unsure as what to say and felt a bit stupid so you didn’t move, keeping you head in your hands and thinking over how long it would take to walk to your parents house who lived two towns over.

You were so lost in your misery you didn’t hear the person get out of their car and walk towards you, or stop just a few feet from you.

‘Y/n?’

Your eyes snapped up to meet the face that the voice came from. Not that you need to look, you’d know that voice anywhere.

Mason Mount.

You’d met Mason four months ago when you first started working at Chelsea. Your main role was just to look after the boys and make sure they were where they needed to be so you’d become close with all of them pretty much straight away.

You’d clicked with Mason from the start, his cheeky sense of humour won you over instantly and you always felt good around him, seeking out his company whenever you could. You obviously found him attractive but tried not to make it too obvious as you knew it was inappropriate and thought he’d probably never feel the same way. It was hard not to fall for him though. In spite of this, you quickly became joined at the hip and when he invited you round to his for a movie night with some of the other boys and some other members of staff, you were quick to say yes.

You ended up sandwiched between Mason and the arm of the sofa and when his hand found yours in the dark your heart gave a squeeze, thanking your lucky starts he couldn’t see the blush covering your cheeks. You carefully rested your head against his shoulder, testing the waters even though he’d already made the first move, and when he placed his head on top of yours and leaned into you further you thought you might burst.

When Mason suggested the next movie night a week later, this time with the promise of dinner beforehand, you jumped at the chance. However when you arrived you appeared to be the first person there and when he led you to his dining table with only two places set, everything seemed to click into place.

‘No one else is coming are they?’ You asked him quietly as he took his seat opposite you.

‘Uh no’ he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck like he always did when he was nervous. ‘I kinda just wanted it to be the two of us tonight. Is that alright?’ He asked, finally looking you in the eyes.

All you could do was nod in response and he let out a breath that he looked like he’d been holding for a while at your gesture. Dinner went smoothly and after he’d chucked everything in the dishwasher, he followed you up to his cinema room, where he’d let you pick out a film of your choice. You were just getting yourself comfy for it to start when you felt his arm snake around your shoulders and you felt all the blood in your body rush to your face.

You looked up to find him already looking at you before his whispered ‘is this okay?’ To which you just nodded again cuddling yourself into him further. It was nuts how nervous he made you and also how nervous you seemed to make him, that was until Logan was telling Beth that she should be kissed every day, every hour and every minute that he turned your face towards his by your chin and gently kissed you.

It took a few seconds for you brain to connect with your mouth and start kissing him back, but once you had you wondered why you hadn’t kissed sooner. His lips felt like magic and a tingling feeling erupted all over your body making you press yourself into him more and deepen the kiss. You both pulled away breathless, holding onto each other as if the other might disappear, but as soon as you saw him smile you couldn’t help but smile back.

You both talked all night about how you felt towards each other, Mason confirming he’d had a crush on you from the second he saw you, but both agreeing to keep things under wraps for now. You both kept it professional at work, stealing a cheeky kiss here and there but no one else figured out what was going on between you.

Your feelings only grew for each other and it was hurting you both knowing you couldn’t be open with anyone. But the fear of anyone finding out was much stronger and was only confirmed when a member of your team and one of the physio boys were let go due to their secret relationship being exposed. It had been a month and a half since yours and masons first kiss and whilst you’d gone a lot further than just a kiss now, you were staring to wonder if you were willing to put both your jobs on the line for your feelings. In the end you took it upon yourself to nip the relationship in the bud before it went any further, in your mind saving you both from heartache down the line.

You knew you loved mason, even though you’d never uttered the words to him and it was one of the hardest conversations you’d ever had, but in your mind it seemed like the correct decision. Mason didn’t see it this way, being absolutely furious with you for even suggesting it but when he realised there was no changing your mind, all he could do was agree in hopes that one day you’d realise it was a mistake.

It was hard but you tried to only speak to him if it was necessary, never getting used to that sinking feeling you got when he looked at you with his big sad eyes. Anyone could tell he was heartbroken just by looking at him and soon enough he gave up trying to reason with you all together. You both didn’t speak from then on, keeping out of each others way only giving each other a small smile as you passed each other in the halls.

As much as you thought you were doing the right thing, it seemed as though a tiny bit of your defence was chipping away each time you saw him, so when he suggested to you that he’d like it if you could go back to being friends, you told him no, trying to be as cold as possible and push him away. You knew he would never stop trying with you and you knew it wouldn’t take much for you to break so you avoided him at all costs, meaning him being stood in front of you right now was a bad thing.

A very bad thing.

‘Mason? What are you doing here?’ You questioned, stumbling to your feet thinking it might make you look less pathetic, but the fact you were drenched and shivering did you no favours.

‘I’m just on my way home from Chilly’s house and I thought I saw you. Why are you out here?’

You gulped, hugging yourself as if to protect yourself from him before you spoke. ‘I uh, I can’t find my keys and my phones died so I’m locked out’ you admitted even though you knew it was a bad idea to let him know but you didn’t have enough time to think of a lie.

‘Oh’ he breathed, looking you up and down. You felt hot under his stare and you dropped your head to the floor. ‘Have you been out here long?’

‘No, I stayed late today so I only got back about 15 minutes ago’ you said picking up your bag, making it look like you were about to leave.

‘Where are you going?’

‘I’m gonna walk to my parents house’ you said quietly, walking towards him to step around him, but he blocked your path.

He looked at you with wide eyes before shaking his head. ‘No way, that’s like a two hour walk and it’s late enough already’ you looked up at him in shock that he’d remembered where your parents lived, having only mentioned it once or twice before. ‘Look, why don’t you come back to mine?’

‘No Mason, that’s not a good idea’

‘Why not?’ He questioned, having to block you in as you tried to get round him again. ‘I live way closer, you can at least charge your phone or stay in my guest room tonight and we can figure out what to do in the morning. Come on y/n you’re soaked, just let me take you home. Stop being so stubborn all the time’

‘I’m not being stubborn’ you argued back and he just gave you a look like he didn’t believe you. The thought of being at his was more appealing than traipsing all the way to your parents so with one final huff you looked at him. ‘Fine, I’ll come with you. But I’m not staying.’

He didn’t say anything else, just moved to the side slightly and waited for you to pass by him and walk towards the car so he could follow you. Once you were in and settled, you turned to look at him quickly, guilt already settling in your tummy about how you’d just spoken to him. He was only trying to help you and you’d been rude, but you still weren’t sure what to say to him so you sat in silence the whole way.

Once you pulled up to his house, he ushered you in to his kitchen and you began to peel off you damp hoody when he walked in.

‘I take it you haven’t eaten yet?’ He questioned and you shook your head. ‘Why don’t you go jump in the shower and I’ll make us something. Leave your phone here and I’ll charge it’

You were about to protest but the sound of your tummy grumbling spoke for you and you huffed in defeat.

‘Okay’

‘I’ll leave you some clean clothes outside the bathroom door, if you leave the stuff you’ve got on now outside I’ll get it dry for you’

You blamed the fact it had been a long and stressful day for the reason that you could feel your eyes beginning to water, how could be be so sweet to you after the way youve treated him for the past month? not wanting your voice to betray you, you swiftly left the room and ran up his stairs to shut yourself away in the bathroom.

You left your wet clothes outside the door and only once you were under the hot water did you allow yourself to cry. It was so hard being around him and trying to be strong after a day from hell. All you wanted to to wrap yourself up in him but you knew that could never happen.

You spent a little while longer than you should in there, making use of the fancy toiletries he had out for guests that hadn’t been touched and once you’d rinsed out your hair, you turned the water off and wrapped yourself up in a warm towel.

True to his word, he’d left you some clean clothes of his outside the door, his grey joggers and T-shirt were a bit big for you but you were just happy to be warm and dry, even if the smell of his clothes made the feeling in your tummy even worse. With your hair still wrapped up in a towel, you made your way back downstairs to the kitchen and you spotted the way his eyes lit up as he saw you before giving you a soft smile.

‘Food will be ready in a sec, why don’t you go find us something to watch’ he said softly, nodding his head over to the sofa. You sat yourself down and flicked through the channels before settling on watching re runs of how I met your mother and just as you put the remote down, Mason appeared and handed you a bowl with your favourite pasta dish inside. You sent him an appreciative smile and mumbled a quiet thank you to which he gave you a little nod before sitting down next to you with his own portion, leaving enough room between the two of you so you didn’t feel uncomfortable.

You ate in silence while watching the tv, both laughing at the same parts you found funny and you felt yourself relax around him as time went on. Once he was finished eating he set his bowl on the coffee table and you stacked yours on top before picking them up to take them to the kitchen.

‘Leave those y/n, come back here’ he said, patting the spot you were just in and it felt so much like old times it made your heart hurt. You returned back to the sofa after setting them on the side, back to your spot just next to him and carried on watching tv in silence for another hour or so. You felt him look at you every so often but you kept your eyes straight ahead until you heard him let out a yawn.

‘Listen, it’s late yeah? Just stay here tonight?’

You hadn’t realised how much time had passed since you felt so relaxed being around him, not even thinking about the fact you said you didn’t want to stay here tonight. Be he was right, and you didn’t want to put him out anymore by making him drive you to your parents house.

‘I need to go dry my hair and then i should probably get some sleep’ you told him. And he nodded, standing up and moving into the kitchen to clear the plates, looking away from you so he could hide his smile.

‘The hair dryer is in the usual place’ he said quietly and turned his back on you to put the dishes in the dishwasher.

‘Mason?’ You questioned and he looked back at you with a raised eyebrow, encouraging you to carry on. ‘Thank you’ you told him sincerely, his eyes now downcast as he hadn’t seen this side of you in a while. ‘I mean it, I really appreciate you letting me stay here’

‘You know I’d do anything for you, y/n’ he said quietly, and the intense eye contact he was now giving you made you look away. ‘Have a good sleep, yeah? You know where I am if you need anything’ he spoke again, trying to diffuse the tension now in the room, and you nodded whilst saying a quick goodnight before escaping upstairs.

You took the hair dryer from the bathroom into his guest room and finished off your hair in there, but you could hear the shower running when you were done so you left it on the side before stripping yourself of Masons joggers and getting into bed. You knew this room existed but you’d never slept in here, always staying in masons room and it felt weird knowing you were in his house whilst he was asleep across the hall.

You were so unbelievably tired but sleep just wasn’t coming to you tonight it seemed. All you could think about was Mason across the hall, wondering is he was awake too and overthinking everything just like you were or if he was sound asleep, those cute soft snores you used to love coming from him. Memories of all the nights you spent here with him tangled in bed and lazy mornings spent with each other before making breakfast together wouldn’t leave your brain no matter how hard you tried to think of something else.

You were tossing and turning for half an hour, getting more and more annoyed with yourself and when you felt the first few tears of frustration fall you sat up in a huff, rubbing at your eyes furiously.

You got out of bed and quietly tiptoed over to Masons door, pressing your ear up against it gently to see if you could hear anything, but it was silent. You stood back a step, feeling a bit stupid with yourself for even being out there. What were you expecting? To knock on his door and for him to welcome you in with open arms after the way you’d treated him? Why were you even seeking out his comfort in the first place? You were trying put as much space in between you as possible yet here you were, half dressed and vulnerable outside his bedroom door, the only thing on you mind being his arms around you.

You were just about to turn and head back to your room when his bedroom door opened making your heart thud heavily in your chest.

He clutched his chest and let out a breath, clearly shocked to see you there and his wide eyes held you in your spot. You felt absolutely ridiculous, both stood there half naked and frightened in the dark.

‘Y/n? Are you alright? How long have you been stood there for?’ He asked, taking a tentative step towards you. You tried not to let you eyes dance over all the skin he had on show, being stood in just his boxers, but it was difficult. ‘Y/n?’ He spoke gently again and your eyes snapped up to his.

‘Sorry, I just um…’ you tried to talk but you couldn’t think of anything that sounded good. You started to turn back to his guest room but his hand around your wrist stopped you, tears filling your eyes instantly as his skin touched yours.

‘Hey, come on, talk to me’ his voice was soothing and seemed to be pulling the words from your throat.

‘It’s nothing, I just can’t sleep. I don’t know what I was expecting you to do’ you said with a slight laugh but he could hear the sadness in your voice. Truth be told he couldn’t sleep that well either, the thought of you across the house in another room was playing on his mind so without a thought he pulled your arm and guided you into his room.

‘I was just running to get a drink. Go get comfy and I’ll be back in a sec yeah?’

‘No, Mason it’s fine-‘

‘Just get in’ he said a bit more sternly before letting go and slipping out of his room. You stood there for a few seconds, debating returning to his guest room but the need to be near him outweighed everything else and you found yourself padding over to the unused side of his bed and getting under the covers. You were unsure of what way to lay, settling on your back so you didn’t come across as rude facing away from him. He returned a few moments later, a glass of water for himself and also one for you. Sitting up as he passed it to you it, taking a few big gulps before setting it down on the bedside table before Mason had slotted himself in next to you and you laid back down.

‘Sorry about all this, I bet you’re regretting letting me stay’ you said with a laugh, hoping to make things a bit more normal but he just shook his head.

‘Don’t be silly, I couldn’t really sleep anyway so it’s fine. Just try and relax yeah? You’ll feel a lot better in the morning I promise.’

You nodded and stayed on your back, turning to glance at him quickly before you shut your eyes. You felt better than you had in the other room but twenty minutes later you were still awake with no signs of sleeping soon. You had so much you wanted to say to Mason, your mind reeling as you tried to relax focus on his breathing. You knew he wasn’t fully asleep yet too and you risked looking at him, opening one eye to see him in the same position, a peaceful look on his face.

‘Y/n, I can hear the cogs turning in your head’ you suddenly heard, opening your eyes to find him looking at you in the dark. ‘Talk to me, what’s wrong?’

‘It’s nothing’ you murmured, moving so you could turn to face away from him and he let you go but shuffled up a bit closer to you, smiling when you didn’t try and push him away.

‘It’s obviously something so just tell me, I don’t wanna hear you keep saying it’s nothing’ he breathed from behind you. You went back in forth in your head about telling him what was happening but you knew he wouldn’t drop it, plus the emotion and exhaustion took over you, making you spill your guts in hopes of getting some sleep afterwards.

‘I’m just really sorry’ you murmured, tears already forming in your eyes again. ‘You’ve been so nice to me and I’ve been awful to you’ you sobbed and you felt him come even closer, his chest now pressed against your back as his arm wrapped around you.

‘Hey, wheres all this coming from’ he said with a slight laugh, not that he found you crying amusing, you knew he was just trying to lighten the mood and a little shocked at your outburst. You couldn’t respond, only crying harder and he pulled away from you slightly, laying back and tugging on your waist, encouraging you to roll over. ‘Come here’ he whispered and you allowed yourself to be moved before he bought you into his chest, his arms circling you and your face burring itself in his neck. His lips were right by your ear, gently shushing you as he rubbed soothingly up and down your back ‘come on love, please don’t cry’ he murmured.

As much as he wanted you not to cry, you couldn’t seem to stop. It felt so good being back in his hold, fitting back together like you’d never been apart. And even though he hated seeing you sad, he let you get everything out, and once he could hear your sobs stop and your breathing calm he pulled his head back to look at you, wiping the tears from your cheeks with his thumb. You still couldn’t look at him, words still swirling around in you head and laying heavy on your chest. You looked up at him, your glazed eyes meeting his sad ones, ready to let him know how you were feeling.

‘I hate this. I hate pretending that I’m not completely in love with you when I know I am’ you spoke quietly. His eyes grew at your confession, suddenly reminding yourself that you had never said those words to each other and your face grew hot but you willed yourself to keep taking, your eyes now averted down to look at his chest. ‘I thought I was trying to protect myself, the both of us, ending things so that I wasn’t in too deep if we had to break things off. What happened at work really scared me and I didn’t want either of us getting in trouble but I’ve felt awful ever since. I’ve tried being distant so you’d hate me and it would make things easier but it’s been really hard’ you offered him a half smile and he gave you a little nod of agreement. ‘I’ve treated you so bad and I’m so so sorry, Mase. I miss you like crazy and you’re right I’ve been so stubborn but it hurt being around you when I couldn’t have you how I wanted. I thought I was doing what’s best for us but I’ve been so unhappy. I’ve put all these bloody walls up to try and keep you out cause I knew as soon as I got near you even for a minute you’d tear them all back down’ you whispered and you felt his hand on your face again, forcing you to look at him, a slight smile on his lips at the use of his nickname. ‘Now look what you’ve done, I’m all exposed again’ you chuckled.

‘You were trying to protect me, you don’t need to apologise for that’ he smiled, his eyes running over your face, now a bit more serious. ‘But im not gonna pretend like it didn’t hurt like hell, it’s not been easy for me seeing you every day and have you be so distant’ he admitted and you tried to look away from him now, finding it all a bit overwhelming, you knew you’d hurt him deep down but hearing him admit it was a whole different thing. His strong grip kept you in place, his face looking much softer now. ‘But I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat if it meant I got to have you again, even for a little while’ he reassured you, and you felt your eyes well up before he continued. ‘That’s what you do for the people you love’ he whispered and your eyes snapped up to meet his, a tiny smirk playing on his lips.

‘You mean…’

‘I love you, y/n y/l/n’ he whispered and you couldn’t help the chuckle that fell from you, a few tears escaping as your face scrunched up in joy.

‘Really?’ You laughed and he laughed with you, happy to now see you smiling.

‘I promise’

‘Even after everything?’

‘I never stopped’ he murmured, rolling you over slightly so you were now on your back and he could hover over you. You looked up at him, so thankful to be back in his arms and relieved to find he was so forgiving after everything that had happened

‘I love you, too. Mason Mount’

‘I know’ he winked before leaning down to give you a gentle kiss. ‘God, I’ve missed you’ he spoke against you lips and you smiled before giving him another quick peck.

‘I’ve missed you too’

‘Don’t take this the wrong way but I’m so glad you got locked out tonight’ he murmured against your jaw and you couldn’t help but let out a loud laugh. He bought his face back to yours, smiling so hard his eyes crinkled at the sides before kissing you again, this time a little heavier and you reached up to hold the back of his neck so he wouldn’t break apart from you. You could feel all the broken parts of you mending back together with every press of his lips, and when he dipped his tongue inside your mouth you could help but let out a faint moan.

Mason pulled back a tiny bit, looking down at you with happy eyes and a beaming smile which you couldn’t help but mirror. That was until you felt that familiar rush of worry that he noticed immediately.

‘If there’s anything else you know you can tell me’ he reassured you, his thumb gently gliding back and forth over you cheek.

‘I’m gonna have to get a new job arent I?’ You questioned, your eyes now no longer able to look at him. ‘It sucks cause I love it there and I love getting to see you everyday but if it means I can’t be with you like this then I’ll have to go.’

‘You don’t have to do that y/n’

‘I do Mason, you saw what happened before. And from now on I’ll always put you first, just like you always do for me and if that means leaving Chelsea then so be it’

‘You do know they only reason they were fired was because they got caught in one of the store cupboards?’ He told you, the tiniest smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.

‘What?’ You breathed, completely confused by his words.

‘Yeah I found out a few weeks ago, apparently one of the owners caught them with their pants down, quite literally’ he chuckled and you just shook your head whilst trying not to smile. ‘That doesn’t matter though. If we’re just honest about what’s going on and promise to keep thing’s professional then I know they won’t have an issue with it’

‘How can you be so sure?’

His face turned red at this, now looking down away from you as if he was embarrassed.

‘I kind of already spoke to some people about us?’ He said quietly and you covered your face with your hands before letting out a little laugh. ‘Look I’m sorry I know I shouldn’t have but when I found out what happened with them I had to know if there was a chance for us. So I spoke to a few higher ups and explained the situation and they were absolutely fine with it. Said as long as we didn’t let it effect work or do anything inappropriate then it’s allowed’

‘Mason’ you chucked, removing you hands from your face to look at him. ‘Only you would ask permission for us to be together whilst I’m ignoring you’

‘I think you’re missing the point here, we’re free to do what we want. We don’t have to hide anymore and there’s no consequences.’ He told you with a smile and you smiled back, lost for words that you could now be with the man you loved.

‘Why didn’t you say anything before?’

‘I wanted to give you a bit of time I guess and think of some way of winning you back? Thankfully your forgetfulness did all of the hard work for me’ he winked and you playfully slapped his chest. ‘And I know we never put labels or anything on it last time, but I’d really like it if I could call you my girlfriend’

It was your turn to blush now, words failing you so you just nodded before connecting your lips again, hoping that would say everything you couldn’t. You were both looking at each other like youd hung up the moon when you pulled away. He was looking at you so intently, like he was trying to memorise your face and keep it in his brain forever. That was until you let out a yawn and he couldn’t help but laugh, thinking you were the cutest thing he’d ever seen.

‘Come on sleepy chops, it’s nearly midnight and if I don’t sleep soon then I won’t be able move tomorrow’ he laughed, laying down and pulling you you against him, your back to his chest and his lips pressing on your shoulder.

‘Sorry Mase, I’ve been such a pain in the arse tonight’

‘’Just tonight?’ He teased, tickling your waist so you knew he was joking. It didn’t stop you letting out a little whimper of annoyance, but the kiss he left on the back of your neck made you smile. ‘you know I’m only kidding pretty girl’

‘You better be’ you sighed, although you could feel your face getting warm from his compliment. ‘Night Mase’

‘Night gorgeous’ he mumbled and with one final kiss to you shoulder you let yourself relax, all the weight of the last few months leaving your body you finally drifted off in the arms of the man you loved.

You awoke the next morning to an empty bed, feeling around to find Masons warmth but you only felt the cold. You slowly sat up, rubbing your eyes to wake yourself up a bit before getting out of bed, padding out of his room into the hallway. You glanced at the clock was sat on Masons dresser to see it read 09:15 and you cursed under your breath before running down the stairs to try and find the brown eyed boy.

‘Mason! Mason, where the hell are you?!’

‘Hey hey hey’ he shouted as he came around the corner from the kitchen, stopping you in your tracks by placing his hands in your shoulders. ‘What’s going on? Where the fire?’ He joked but you just huffed at him.

‘I was supposed to start work 15 minutes ago Mase, why didn’t you wake me? I’ve still got to sort my flat out and-‘

He cut you off with a kiss and once he pulled away he pressed a finger to you lips so you couldn’t speak and you furrowed your brows at him in response.

‘I’m way ahead of you, I’ve already left a message at reception for your boss to explain what’s happened and that you won’t be coming in so don’t stress’

You were about to reply when someone knocked on Masons front door. He nodded his head into the kitchen tapping your bum lightly to try and get you to move. ‘Go wait in the kitchen, I’ve left you some breakfast and a coffee on the island’ he winked and your heart warmed at his smile so you gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before scurrying out of sight.

You sat at the island, the fresh cup of coffee made just how you liked it and next to that, two slices of Nutella on toast. You knew Mason used to keep a jar in for you as he wasn’t really allowed it with his diet, and you could see a fresh jar he’d left open on the side, not having time to put it away as you’d come shouting down the stairs.

You could hear Mason talking to whoever was at the door, but they were both too far away for you to make out any actual words. You managed to finish your toast by the time he was done and when he came back into the room, a cheeky smile was dressed on his face with his hands behind his back. You raised an eyebrow at him over you coffee cup but that only made him smile even more.

‘What are you up to, Mount?’ You asked him as he approached the other side of the island and instead of answering he removed a hand from behind him and placed your key lost keys in front of you. Your eyes snapped up to look at him and he let out a faint chuckle at your expression. ‘What the hell? Where did you get those?’

‘I called in a favour, managed to get a locksmith over to your house early. These were sat in the bowl you keep by the door, you must of forgotten to pick them up yesterday’ he explained, nodding down to them. You let a big sigh, you head falling into your hands as you shook your head with a laugh.

‘I was in such a rush yesterday it must of slipped my mind’ you groaned, looking back up to see the smile on his face, obviously finding the whole thing hilarious. ‘Don’t laugh at me Mase, I feel like such an idiot’ you told him, but you couldn’t help but laugh a little yourself.

‘Oh you poor baby’ he pouted, moving around to your side of the island. You turned on your stool to face him and he slotted between your legs. His free hand coming to your face to tilt it up so he could look at you. He suddenly ran his finger just under your lip and pulled it back to show you the Nutella he’d wiped from you face before he popped his finger in his mouth.

‘Mason’ you scolded, blushing as you wiped your face but he just chucked as he lent down to reach your lips, kissing you gently.

‘Now let’s hope you keep these ones safe’ he murmured pulling the other hand from around his back to show you a new set of keys. ‘There’s a couple of spares on there so maybe hide one or keep them somewhere safe so you’ve always got a backup’

‘Can I keep one here?’ You asked softly and his whole face lit up at your suggestion before he kissed you again.

‘Of course you can’ he whispered against you lips. ‘In fact…’ he started, moving over to a drawer on the other side of the kitchen, rummaging through it until he found what he needed before making his way back over towards you. ‘Summer made me this at nursery’ he blushed, holding up a keychain in the shape of a little house made with plastic beads you iron to make them stick together. You watched as he slipped one of the keys into the loop before walking just behind you and popping it onto the spare hook on his rack that kept all his other keys. He turned back to you and smiled proudly before grabbing your face and kissing you again.

‘Thank you, Mase’ you told him sincerely as you pulled away. Your hands moved from his chest you hold his face as he tried to look away from you but you wanted him to know how grateful you were for all he’d done for you. ‘I mean it, I really don’t know what I would have done without you last night. I don’t know how I’ve kept away from you for so long but I promise I’ll never hurt you like that again’

‘I told you yesterday, I’d do anything for you. That includes saving you from your doorstep when you’re all soggy’ he murmured with a smile, his nose bumping yours making you chuckle. ‘But it also includes giving you space when you need it and waiting until you’re ready to come back to me’

You took in a deep breath, eyes filling at his words. You moved your hands from around his face to around his shoulders, your thumbs gently stroking up and down his neck as he looked at you like you were the most important thing in the world. You hoped your face mirrored his expression.

‘You knew I would come back?’ You whispered and he shrugged his shoulders.

‘I didn’t know 100% but I always hoped you would. And I would have waited a whole lot longer for you if that’s what it took.’

‘I would never expect you to do that for me Mase, not after how I treated you’

‘I wanted to’ he smiled ‘I love you’

‘I love you, too’ you whispered, still getting used to hearing those words come out of his mouth, and by the look on his face, he was too.

‘Now, I don’t have training until three, so how about we make up for some lost time before I take you home?’ He asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at you as he lowered his hands to your waist, dipping them under his shirt you were wearing. ‘I’ve had to watch you walk around in my stuff for far too long without doing something about it’

‘Sounds like a good idea to me’ you told him your hands now around his shoulders so he could lift you up by your thighs and carry you up the stairs.

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed :) I’d love to know what you thought so please feel free to comment or drop me an ask, I’d really appreciate it 🩷

#mason mount #mason mount blurb #mason mount imagine #mason mount fluff #mason mount fanfic #mason mount fan fiction #mason mount concept #mason mount story #mason mount angst #mason mount smut #mason mount x reader #mason mount x y/n #footballer x reader #footballer x y/n #footballer imagine #footballer imagines #footballer fan fiction

[entwined-fxte]

just for a while.

a/n: surprise! it's a fic from 2 years ago!

content: when artem encounters an unwanted conversation, how do you save him?

artem wing × fem!reader (you/your).

no explicit warnings, but reader is wearing a dress.

fluff/comfort. 1.7k words.

"Mr. Wing, are you sure this dress is alright for tonight?" You took a moment to stare at how the dress hugged your torso, worried that it wouldn't live up to the expectations of the event. "I can't help but feel like it's too casual for black tie."

The senior attorney couldn't be more glad that you were distracted with twirling the loose hem of the skirt. It meant you wouldn't see how quickly Artem's ears turned red when you asked him for an opinion on how you looked. "You look perfect like that, Y/N."

The way you giggled at his response sent Artem's heart into orbit. He wasn't sure he was regretting the decision to invite you, or if he was relishing in delight at how he got to see you like this. The only word in Artem's mind was "breathtaking".

"While that certainly helps with my self confidence, it doesn't quite answer my original question." Meanwhile, you didn't think there was any more room for improvement when it came to Artem and his suits, but you were painfully (and wonderfully) mistaken. When Artem came to pick you up, you expected his usual striped suit and tie, but it was replaced with a sleek, black suit and a bowtie. His hair had a touch of gel to it, which kept it pushed back just a bit more than usual, but the subtle difference was enough to almost make you stumble when you first saw him. "Is this really formal enough?"

Some years ago, Stellis began hosting formal parties annually for the sake of making connections between the big names of the city. It was always a black tie event, and was also only by invitation. According to Celestine, Artem had also been invited to go both last year and the year before, but he had declined on the basis that he had no “plus one” to take. Artem was ready to decline a third year in a row, but Celestine decided to take matters into her own hands and force you to be Artem's “plus one” so that he would go this year. She had said it was for the sake of the firm, but the way Celestine smirked at Artem at the time gave very mixed feelings.

"Don't worry; the dress suits both you and the occasion." His eyes found yours within seconds, and even though you both clearly saw the red on each other's cheeks, the unanimous decision to ignore it was telepathically made. "We should get going," Artem said while clearing his throat, gesturing to the car he had driven over.

Awkwardly, you tore your gaze away from him before making your way over to the passenger side. "Right, let's head over," you said just a little too quickly for Artem to believe you weren't avoiding a conversation just now.

The car ride itself was short, but the silence felt like eternity, and it felt even longer when either one of you made the slightest noise. By the time you reached the venue, you were ready to open the door before it was even unlocked. But with the event just a few steps away, you were instantaneously reminded that you weren't the most confident in your attire.

When you stopped trailing behind Artem, he took notice immediately, turning to look at you with concern written across his face. "What's wrong?"

Your hands fiddled with the hem of your dress, barely meeting his eyes as you answered. "I just don't want to look out of place," you murmured before casting your gaze elsewhere again.

Artem blinked at you before moving to get in your line of sight. When he saw your eyes on him, he sent you a smile before gesturing to you to walk towards him. "Just stay with me, and you'll always look like you belong."

There were a lot of things Artem did that always caught you off guard; one being when he said things without thinking it through.

When Artem finally realized that what he said had more than one connotation, his cheeks flared up and he felt like he was on the verge of a mental disaster. "B-because, you're my work partner. So, of course you belong here." As quickly as he could, he averted his gaze to gather himself before shakily offering his arm to you. "Now then, shall we?"

His face was still red and his eyes were everywhere but on you, but you found that he had done the job of calming you down. Even if it was his own heartbeat that had started becoming erratic.

Gently, you slipped your arm into his, starting to fall in step with him as you walked into the venue.

A few heads turned your way when you came inside, and there were a few voices that had started to mention how Artem had declined the last two years' invites. Subconsciously, your hand held tighter on his arm as though you wanted to steal him away from the gossip. Unfortunately, your linked arms were separated far sooner than you would have liked, and both of you were eventually dragged to different sides of the hall in different conversations. At some point, you had noticed a woman who seemed to be a little closer to Artem's age approach him, and even though you continued to cycle through conversations, Artem was still talking to the same woman each time you shot a glance at him.

The next time you checked your watch, you realized that you had been shuffling through people for almost an hour, which also meant that Artem had been talking to the same woman for an hour. Even with no reason to be mad, you couldn't help but feel irked at how the woman seemed to close the distance between her and your senior.

You managed to ignore it for another 10 minutes, but the last of your patience was ripped from you when you saw the woman take a step forward and Artem immediately back away. As politely as you could, you excused yourself from your current conversation before beginning to weave through the room to get back to Artem.

The closer you got, the more the sound of strained laughter and polite agreements rang in your ears.

Artem had been dealing with this for what probably felt like ages to him, so it was your responsibility to get him out.

When you were close enough, you called his name as gently as you could, making sure to furrow your eyebrows to look concerned just to complete the look. "Artem? Are you okay?"

If you thought Artem's face was red when he heard you call him by name, then the colour his face turned when you took his hand in yours was a shade of red that only an art student could recreate.

While the senior attorney made an attempt to cover his face with the hand you weren't holding onto, the woman who he was talking to cleared her throat before looking you dead in the eye. "Sorry, and you are?"

"Y/N," you replied as casually as you could, determined to sound unfazed. "Sorry to interrupt, I just came to check on Artem." You weren't sure how badly he needed a rescue, but you figured that he was relieved when he adjusted his hand to slip his fingers between yours.

"Oh, yes, you're his work partner, right?" The woman's eyes flickered back and forth between Artem and your interlocked hands before brushing the situation off. "I didn't realize you had more than a work relationship," she said with a hint of exasperation, obviously wanting to pry.

In return, you laughed the tension away, taking a second to rub your thumb on the back of Artem's hand to bring the act home. "It's not something to really put out there, after all. We're happy being quiet about it."

"Oh, well, I wish you both good luck in the relationship," the woman replied hurriedly, giving you both a slight bow before slipping away to avoid further embarrassment.

Next to you, Artem released a sigh that sounded like he had been holding it for the entire hour. "Thank you," he whispered, taking a moment to relax himself.

To your surprise, Artem didn't drop your hand, but instead strengthened his grip when you were about to pull away. "Ah- Mr. Wing-" You stuttered on your words, but immediately became silenced when you found his blue eyes locked onto how your fingers were interlaced.

"Stay like this. Just for a while," Artem murmured. "Please."

His voice was broken, filled with a longing that he had always wanted to satisfy. Even if he couldn't hold you forever, he at least wanted to keep you close tonight.

"O-of course, Mr. Wing," you spluttered out, squeezing his hand in response before turning away to hide the heat that had crawled up your face.

For the rest of the night, the only time you left Artem's side was when you excused yourself to the ladies room. When you came back, Artem extended his hand to you again, refusing to continue the conversation he was taking part in until your fingers were laced with his. The both of you became a topic for strangers, since no one had imagined Artem was romantically involved with anyone, let alone his work partner. Despite the stares, you and Artem continued on with the event, the comfort from each other strong enough to drown out the rumours that were circling the gala. Occasionally, you whispered to Artem about what might happen for the two of you regarding the rumours after the night was over, but he always shook his head and said, “rumours about me never last long to begin with.”

The later it got, the more you found yourself pressing into his warmth, and even when you forced yourself to pull away from him, he brought you right back, his free hand reaching up to brush a strand of hair out of your face before leaning closer to you.

“If you’re getting tired, you can lean on me,” he urged softly, his gaze finding yours before moving to look at the time. “Or, if you’d like, we can leave a little early and I can bring you home.”

With a contented sigh, you shook your head, taking him up on his first offer. “I don’t mind staying here longer,” you smiled, moving closer to Artem as he stroked your thumb with his own, completely forgetting every worry you had before you came.

a/n: if you recognise this fic no u don't lol

reblogs are really appreciated (´ω｀) ♡

#tears of themis #artem wing #tears of themis x reader #artem wing x reader #artem x reader #otome #aris writes ❄️

[igotanidea]

It's over: Jason Todd x f!reader

Summary: Jason was dead. Or, well, at least that what Y/N believed. After all, she saw his body, she attended his funeral. And she was hurting for so long. It took her almost two years to get back into sort of normality. And then, then she found out he was alive all this time......

And only because he showed up at her door......

Warnings: hell lot of cussing, angst to the nth degree, a bit of kissing and touching (nothing explicit though), possible crying coming, Taylor Swift quotation.

Based on: "If I ever" by Conor Maynard

A/N: before this, I got a request from an angst lover (story is here: Lost), whoever you are, I dedicate this one's to you.

„Is this a joke?!”

„Y/N…..”

“Is this a fucking joke?!”

“Please, just calm down.”

“Fuck off! You don’t get to tell me what to do!! Not after, after…..” she was slowly breaking in her anger, reality creeping in, draining all the power she had. Her legs gave up on her and she just slid down the wall onto the floor, her limbs laying loose, boneless, eyes wide open while she was processing the situation she just found herself in.

Poor girl. Y/N was an old friend of Jason Todd. They met before he got adopted by Bruce and become Robin. Both Y/N and Jason were raised in Crime Alley and get to know each other from getting in and out of common trouble. When Bruce came in, Jason made sure he took care of his friend as well and that was how she ended up in Wayne Manor, learning about the technology and surveillance and soon becoming the “man, or rather woman in the chair”. Their story was classical “friends to lovers” trope, only ending with them becoming a couple due to Dick’s foul mouth. One time he mentioned something about Jason catching feelings and Y/n, being her direct and straightforward self, confronted the boy about it. After a while of blushing and sweating he finally confessed and they became a couple. And despite everything, the temper tantrums and insecurities they worked through it. Robin and his right wing. They were good together. Until Jason decided to go against Joker.  And got killed. And left her completely alone, or at least that was how she felt at that moment. She could not leave the past behind, desperately holding to the little pieces of memories she had of him, of them. Dick, Tim and Damian did their best to make her get through but she was too stubborn for her own good. It took her 23 months to start slowly healing her heart. And just as she was ready to get out of the house and start living again, maybe getting back to her own position in batfamily, she learned that Jason death was…. temporary and he was in fact alive, and  running around as Red Hood. That was a kick in the teeth. But what was even worse was that one afternoon she found him inside her apartment, placed on the couch with remorseful expression, ready to beg for forgiveness and to crawl back into her freshly –patched up life.  Of course, the moment she saw him inside she wanted to throw him out the window but due to all his muscles and height it was not possible so instead she resorted to verbal anger, trying to hide the mix of emotions – pain, fear, relief, love…. Way too much for one person, so finally she just went silent not capable of dealing with it all.

“Y/N…. Please, say something. Baby…..”

“What did you just call me?!”

“I’m sorry.” He said and she was not exactly sure whether he was sorry for pretending to be dead for the last years or for using her pet name only to his advantage.

“You don’t…. you don’t….” she sobbed desperately and it took all his power not to scoop her in his arms at once, shielding her from the world, making her safe. He wanted to spare her the pain, but the sad truth was that he was the one to cause all of it and upon realizing his grand mistake his heart broke into million pieces. Perhaps even more than hers.

“Y/n…..” Jason tried once again, his hand reaching for hers, but the girl just yanked it away, hugging herself. All the shock she just went through by seeing her ­not-so-dead  dead boyfriend making all her body tremble from the sudden coldness.

“Don’t. Just…. Just don’t.“ she managed to say “I can’t do this again. I just can’t. Please, get out.”

“You know I can’t do that” he whispered closing his eyes in poor attempt to hide all the pain he held inside. His voice, however, gave him away.

“You had no problem with that when you pretended to be six feet under!”

“I wanted to protect you!” he screamed

“From what?!” she yelled back pretty sure her neighbors had perfect acoustic to hear the banter.

“From being hurt! From getting injured because of me! You know damn fucking well how many people were after me while I was still Robin!”

“Well, look where It got you…..Red Hood.” she said barely audible “Are you happy now? Knowing that you broke my heart? Knowing that you broke me. I cried for days for you, Jason. DAYS. I mourned you. I avoided Dick, Tim and Damian for weeks because every time they started the family drama it reminded me of you….”

“I’m sorry.”

“Well, sorry does not make it any better, does it?” she lowered her gaze looking at the floor “and you know what’s the worst thing in all of that?”

“I….”

“I never, never, stopped loving you. Fuck! I could not get into a relationship with anyone even if I wanted a rebound. It was always your face I was seeing, it was always your smile, it was always you” his eyes widened at those words and their gazes met for a second. It was as if a spark flew between them lighting up their inside and making both of them get lost in each other’s eyes. Just like the first time they confessed to being in love.  Neither Y/n, not Jason turned away, and she did not stop him when he slowly leaned forward capturing her lips in his, pulling her onto his lap, closer, he wanted her closer. God, how he missed her, her skin, her warmth, her soft hands sneaking up his chest into his hair playing with the ends. He groaned tightening the grip to the point where she squealed from the long forgotten pain of his strong embrace, but he couldn't care less deepening the kiss, wanting more and more and more…..

He did not get much affection since he became Red Hood and even then, no one could ever compare to her and her gentle touch, the feel of her lips on his, her body against his. She was his one and only. She belonged with him. They were perfect. And then he had to go and fuck this up. Memories of them together just flooded him. All the nights she was spending at the manor waiting for the batboys to come back from the patrol and then checking on all of his injuries to the detriment of her own health.  All those nights she was falling asleep in his arms, feeling safe and loved. All those nights that the only thing that kept him going through all the fights was the thought of her and the knowledge of the comfort and tenderness her presence brought him.  Her acceptance no matter what he did and how bloody he got. All those mornings when they get to steal some time away from his vigilantism and just cuddle in bed, holding tight onto each other like they were one another’s lifeline.  Fuck! He loved when the first thing he saw after waking up was her beautiful face and peacefully sleeping form.  He missed her body, all those curves and stretch marks she hated so much. All those little imperfections of her skin he get to kiss and worship every time she got insecure. All the pleasure he was giving her, while just loving her for hours, never getting enough of her sweat moans and the way she reacted to his touch. Her smile, her laugh, her sense of humor, her brain, her intelligence….. All of her.

He wanted her. There could never be a time when he wouldn’t want her. His fingers started absentmindedly playing with the hem of her shirt and that made her pull away from him and stand up.

“Please…. “ he whined not wanting to let go.

“You need to go, Jason.” she stated simply

“Please, I….. I can make this right…. I’m begging you.  Don’t leave me like this.”

“How can you possibly make this right?” tears was flowing down her cheeks as with every other word she was taking a step away from him “you can’t. It’s too late.”

“But I love you.”

“I know.”

“So let me make this right.” He insisted, trying to convince her.

“No.” she shook her head turning her back to him “I’ll let you in and you will let me down…… How do I know I can trust you?

“You can. Baby, please….”

“Go away, Jason.” her eyes were everywhere but on him, she knew the expression in them would make her give in and she just couldn't do that.

“Do you want me to get on my knees? Fine.” He fell down next to her legs “I’m begging you, don’t do this.”

“Well one of us has to be strong.”

“I can be strong for both of us in believing we can get through this.”

“No.”

“Baby…”

“Stop calling me that! I’m not your baby! Not anymore! Why can’t you understand?! It’s fucking over, Jason! I don’t want to see you again!”

“You…. you don’t mean that…..”

“I sure as hell do. I’ve barely covered all the scars you left and you chose just this moment to show up in my life again! I took a detour from my way to work just to avoid our places! I’ve been through enough! I. Don’t. Want. You.” she poked at his hard chest and he just couldn’t stop himself from grabbing her waist and connecting their lips once again pulling her body closer than possible, moving his lips from her mouth to her jaw and neck, finding that one spot that made her moan softly and his blood boiled at the sound. He needed her. He needed her that exact moment. And he knew she needed and wanted him too. Maybe if he could just convince her, show her what she was missing during that years….. Surely, she did not forget all the things they did when no one was around.

“Y/n…..” he groaned against her skin “let me apologize properly. Let me love you……” his hand brushed over her breasts. “Let me remind you how good we are together….”

"Jay....." she moaned, her walls and tough attitude crumbling.

"I'm here baby. I'm here. Feel me...." he grabbed her hands placing them on his fast beating heart, while at the same time lifting her up and wrapping her legs around his waist.

Oh, she felt everything at once. His kisses, his touch were too much and not enough at the same time.  His palms were burning against her skin yet she felt so cold, like the clothes were an obstacle in getting what she craved so desperately. Him. It was both wrong and so, so right. It was horrifying and beautiful, real and unreal. She wanted more and yet, she should not…. All those contradictions made her dizzy and her head spinning.  

“I should have known….” much to his surprise she sobbed and punched his chest, possibly hurting herself more than him but also making him stop in result “you just came here because you need a good fuck. I mean nothing more to you.”

“That is not true….. You know you mean everything to me." he put her on the ground "Everything! I care about you, always did. When I had no one, even in this stupid family Bruce decided to create, you were always there for me. It’s more than just physical, you know we had, have, a connection.”

Oh, she knew it. She knew it well enough, they were linked on so many different emotional levels. And she knew aiming at this was her last resort  to make him leave.

“Jason.”

“What can I do, babe?”

“You can turn around and walk out the door.”

“Is that what you really want? You want us to be strangers now? You will go over to the other side when you see me on the street? Is that how you want to play? Huh?! Answer me!” out of desperation he gripped her shoulders with much more strengths than intended “I’m sorry. Oh shit, god, love I’m so sorry” he mumbled in guilt letting go, realizing that if he ever had any chance to convince her to trust him again it was now buried. She flinched and slouched, so fragile and delicate and apparently, no longer his to protect and comfort.

“Band aids don’t fix bullet holes. “ she said and he froze on the spot. Fuck, if she was quoting Taylor on him it was really, really bad “you say sorry just for show. You know how the song go, don’t you? We got bad blood. Leave.” Her voice was now ice cold, her face blank.

“No.”

“Just fucking leave!” she grabbed the nearest item (which happened to be a book he used to read to her, while she was drifting off in his embrace on particularly rough evenings, after all day of work) and threw it at him. He caught it, gently stroking the cover and straightening the pages.

“Fine. Fine! I’ll go! Whatever you fucking want!” he turned around on the heels, tears in his eyes threatening to spill and walked out the door, shutting it loudly behind.  Only now he wrapped his head around the fact it was truly over. He fucked up for good and there was no way back. She would never forgive him and he would never get a chance to hold her, kiss her, talk to her and bond over silly, little things.

“Y/n….” he whispered softly, lovingly, still longing for her as he rested his head on the outer side of the door. “I’m so fucking sorry.” That dull ache in his chest tearing him apart. He just wanted to make things right and ended up tossed away, again .…

Little did he know, that inside the apartment the girl, whose heart he broke twice was laying on the bed sobbing and holding tight onto the plushie he won for her at the fair so many years ago.

“Jay….” She cried silently, not able to calm down without his arms wrapped tightly around her, his warmth lulling her to sleep. He didn’t deserve this. But then, neither did she….

He opened the wound and this time she was not sure if she could recover again. But one thing she knew for sure. It was over. The question was, how long will it take to deal with the pain this time.      

#jason todd fanfiction #jason todd angst #jason todd imagine #jason todd #jason todd x reader #jason todd x fem!reader #jason todd x oc #jason todd x you #jason todd x y/n #red hood fanfiction #red hood imagine #red hood angst #red hood x reader #red hood x fem!reader #red hood #red hood x y/n #batboys x reader #angst #dc angst

[madtotry]

turn the hourglass about and all the sand is running out one. — two. — three. — coming soon.

hiccup haddock x reader

a/n. gn reader. set not long after the first part (but there's still a gap). reader's dragon is one i created myself (more will be revealed about her). the second chapter/part!! ♡ 1.3k

when you see hiccup again, you pretend your last meeting never happened. it's like the same feeling all over again, and if you blink you feel like you're gliding over the ocean with him again, hands twitching as you try so hard not to run away; and yet still you fail.

but you're not in the sky, you're sat in the cold dirt and grass, and you're trying to stay calm.

it feels harder now, sitting across a campfire with him, like if you tried to run you wouldn't be able to. you try to tell yourself that's not true, that at any moment you could jump on elsa's back and fly away and it's not as if hiccup would try to stop you. but the truth does no good soothing your tight throat and light head.

hiccup does most of the talking, and you don't interrupt him — whether because you're too scared or because you simply have nothing to say a mystery even to yourself. but you feel conflicted, trapped yet inexplicably drawn in by his voice; it feels almost warm.

"toothless found a new dragon species yesterday," he says just soft enough that you know he's trying not to scare you, "she was a baby and her wings were underdeveloped so i couldn't see much, but i've never seen one like her before."

you pull your knees even closer to your chest, and elsa shuffles beside you with a quiet growl; sensing your nerves. you know hiccup didn't mean to bring a topic like this up in some weird effort to try to get answers about your own dragon, but you overthink every interaction and still feel out of your depth — like he knows something you don't.

and the worst part is he does, he may not know about you or your dragon, but he knows more about dragons than you knew existed, and he's met more people than you've even seen on boats in passing. you'd finally felt you'd gotten your bearings on the world, and then he came tumbling into your life.

"she did spit a substance though, it turned the grass blue."

you frown, and from curiosity alone your walls are down for just a moment, "blue?"

he nods with a slight smile, and even his dragon perks up at your voice — the first time you've spoken in perhaps an hour.

"blue," he confirms, "toothless wouldn't let me touch it, but i don't know for sure if it's venomous."

"maybe she just likes the colour blue."

he laughs quietly, and your tense arms relax when you realise he's laughing with you. you try to laugh with him, but it comes out misshapen and unlike his own melodious one, so you shut your mouth and stop.

"do you like the colour blue?" he asks after a silence, and you don't notice it through the cloud that hangs over your mind, but he winces in embarrassment as he says it — and elsa almost huffs in amusement.

you don't know why you have to think about it for so long — you do like it, it's the colour of the ocean and the sky which you love both of in ways you can't explain, just as elsa herself is a magical blue, light shades mixed with ripples of something darker that make you feel safe — perhaps because this feels like handing yourself over to hiccup, telling him about you and in turn being tied to him.

he'd be the only person alive to know a single thing about you; it already feels like he knows too much though you barely speak a word.

you find yourself replying, "i do."

you don't recognise the light in his eyes for his excitement at you talking to him, but it is there; shining.

"my favourite colour is green, i think," he says, and you find that you appreciate the colour just a little bit more now.

you take a deep — courageous — breath and ask, "are there green dragons?"

you curl further in on yourself, but hiccup just keeps smiling. his quick moment of quiet thought draws your eyes to the way the campfire's light dances across his skin.

"there is," he nods, "there's green deadly nadders, flightmares, and gronckles. hideous zipplebacks are commonly green too."

you nod as he talks, and wonder if he's saying less than he normally would to avoid making you feel dumb. it's entirely possible, but with the way he's sat up just a little straighter and smiles just a little wider as he lists all these dragons, it doesn't feel like that. it feels nice.

"hideous zipplebacks?" you query, though you've never heard of any of these by name, the word 'hideous' particularly catches your attention.

"we named a lot of them back when we weren't on... great terms," he explains, and that's one of the few things you do know; about the hunting and fighting, "but we have lots of zipplebacks on berk now, deadly nadders and gronckles too."

"no flightmares?"

"their living conditions are really specific, and they generally prefer swamps most of the time."

you note this all down in your mind. you don't know if you'd ever meet one of these dragons — and if you did, you wouldn't even know it from your lack of physical descriptions — but it feels nice to know things.

but something gnaws at your chest as hiccup explains flightmare's living conditions, about their translucent skin that glows in the right conditions and the way their food glows just the same. you feel wrong for not truly listening, but the reminder that he comes from an island of people who used to slaughter dragons and now somehow lives with them sits at the forefront of your mind.

in a lull, where you are unsure whether hiccup noticed your conflicted expression or simply ran out of things to say — however impossible that may be — you ask, "do the dragons have names, on berk?"

you can't read his reaction, but he replies, "yes?" not because he lies, instead because your sudden question has him lost.

"what are some of their names?" you whisper, as a grasp at something far harder to describe than simple distrust; as a wish to be connected to a people, to know about the full life this stranger leads.

hiccup hesitates, almost picking up on your guard raising once more, but does not question you.

"well, my friends have dragons named stormfly, hookfang, meatlug, and a hideous zippleback called barf and belch."

"barf and belch?"

"one head breaths gas, the other sparks it."

even elsa listens as he talks. you have no idea whether she knows about all the dragons you don't, but she lifts her ears with the same curiosity as you.

"does one person ride them?"

hiccup's smile returns as he shakes his head, like he's remembering a fond memory, "two people, twins."

you feel elsa's ever-present weight leaning against your side, and somethings sparks inside you — however silly it may truly be; a realisation that you have not told hiccup your own dragon's name. within a moment, an idea spreads through you like how you imagine hideous zippleback gas might, and is set alight when you speak.

"my dragon," your voice is unsteady as you glance at her sea-blue scales, and her deep eyes meeting yours kindly, "her name is elsa."

you hear an inquisitive sound from toothless, and not for the first time you wonder if dragons can really understand what people say.

hiccup almost mirrors his dragon's small sound of shock, the glimpse then transforming into almost gratitude, when he says, "that's a nice name."

you try to smile back, but hope your face gets all muddled up with the fire just slightly blocking his view of you; so he can't see the way your lip gets caught under your tooth and your eyes crinkle awkwardly — so he doesn't find you off-putting like you fear he suddenly might, so he keeps enjoying your company just enough to keep coming back to see you.

you don't even dare to whisper to elsa that you're starting to feel safe around him.

#taking flight (my writing) #hiccup haddock x reader #hiccup x reader #httyd x reader #how to train your dragon x reader #httyd imagine #httyd fanfiction #hiccup horrendous haddock iii x reader #hiccup horrendous haddock lll x reader #hiccup horrendous haddock the 3rd x reader

[animasola86]

A Filthy Fantasy: Aftercare

Notes: This ties into what happened in A Filthy Fantasy (Part 1 and Part 2) and deals with the repercussions of it. I had intended this to be a reader-revenge-piece, but, uh, something else came out. Please enjoy my probably deepest dive into the personality of Sebastian “I didn't mean it” Sallow.

Pairing: Sebastian Sallow x f!reader

Genre: Hurt, Comfort, Angst, Fluff, mentions of Smut

Warnings: Explicit language, mentions of sexual assault, red flags all around

Word count: 2.4k

Synopsis: Two messed up people. One who manipulates and then apologises, manipulating some more, and a willing victim who blames herself and can't stay mad for long. So many red flags. And still, it's a love story. A very messed up love story.

-- can be read on AO3 too --

A Filthy Fantasy: Aftercare

(For context if you don't want to the read the smut that is A Filthy Fantasy: Sebastian and reader agreed to do a rape fantasy scene (consensual non-consent) and that is kinda what happened when reader found herself being forced to things she didn't initially agree to or wasn't comfortable doing.)

Rolling onto your side once again because you just couldn't find a comfortable position to sleep in, you let out a groan and inhaled sharply when yet another jolt of pain rushed through your aching limbs.

“Are you sure you don't want to go to the Hospital Wing?” you heard a concerned voice from the other side of the bed.

“And tell Nurse Blainey what? My boyfriend tied me to a table and fucked me a little too hard?” you grunted quietly, your voice hoarse and strained because, of course, even your throat hurt. Everything hurt. “No, I'm sure the potion will work any second now...”

You had told yourself that for the last half an hour since you drank that awful concoction he had given you. Exhaling loudly, you rolled back onto your stomach. Everything hurt a little less like this, perhaps because your body remembered the position you were in when you had received all of these aches. Quite ironic.

Next to you, the mattress dented slightly and then you saw Sebastian slowly approaching you, almost tentatively, cautious, an apologetic smile on his face. He lay on his side and watched you, probably tempted to touch you, but you had told him very clearly that you needed a little time to yourself right now.

“I'm sorry,” he whispered, his low voice vibrating in your ear, sending shivers down your spine which caused a horrible chain reaction of shudders and twitches and in the end, you were groaning and whimpering again. Swallowing hard against the pain (and by doing so only increasing the pain in your throat), you closed your eyes and wallowed in your own sorrow for a moment, trying to ignore the boy next to you. “Please let me help you...” he tried again. “I can't stand seeing you like this.”

You only scoffed and breathed loudly through your nose, before you sighed. “It's not your fault,” you fought against your own dark thoughts that tried to remind you why you were in this sorry state. “I did agree to it... well, most of it... and I could have said the safeword... but I didn't...”

He moved a little closer, but he kept his hands away – and you knew he was really fighting with himself right now. “It got a little out of hand, eh?” he whispered.

You opened your eyes and looked at him, long and hard, hoping to convey all the mixed emotions you had swirling inside your heart.

“Okay, a lot, it got completely out of hand!” he quickly rephrased and threw you a sympathetic smile. “Please know that I feel horrible about it...”

“Why?” you simply asked, watching him closely. “Why did you do it?”

He frowned and inhaled deeply, then rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. “I... I don't know, it just... happened. You looked so...” You saw him biting his lip. “I couldn't help myself. And that is no excuse, I know that. But... my mind was just full of... the scene we talked about.... and what we didn't talk about... and –” He sighed, then turned his head towards you again, his dark eyes wandering over your face. “I shouldn't have done that, all of it, I shouldn't even have suggested it to you!” He rolled onto his side and came even closer, genuine regret plastered all over his freckled face.

You stared at him, your eyelids fluttering slightly. His eyes were on you, those damn puppy-dog eyes, and you felt your anger and your pain and your overall discomfort dwindling. Before he could succeed in manipulating you out of your feelings once again, you closed your eyes and exhaled loudly.

You heard him shifting beside you. “Will you ever forgive me?” you heard him ask quietly. His question lingered on your mind for quite a while, long seconds, minutes that ticked by without any reaction to it, while you considered it and thought back to what had happened.

And in your pain riddled head there was one thing that kept pushing into the foreground over and over again. “It's on me,” you whispered, voicing the nagging doubt that kept you from completely distancing yourself from the boy next to you. “I could have said anything, at any point, but I didn't... I allowed you to do this, so I... I shouldn't be complaining now...”

“No!” he said firmly and now his hand was on your cheek. Your eyes flew open. “It's not on you! Absolutely not! I... I made you do that, I made you think you wanted it, if anything, it's on me, of course! Do not blame yourself! In that kind of situation... not being able to say anything against it... come on, give yourself a break! I can't even imagine what it must have been like for you... honestly, that you're still willing to talk to me after all of that,” he paused and chuckled darkly. “I do not deserve any of it... I don't deserve you...”

You gave him a strained noise of affirmation, then quickly changed your mind and groaned in disagreement. Furrowing your brows, you clenched your jaw against his subtle touch. You were quickly overwhelmed by your emotions yet again as not only your physical aches throbbed through your body, but also confusion and guilt and regret and all those things you couldn't even name. A tear dropped from your lashes as you blinked quickly and when he moved his thumb over your cheek nonchalantly, you let out a sob.

“Baby, I'm so sorry,” he whispered and when he leaned in and pressed his lips to your forehead, you sobbed even more. He shifted closer and stayed like this, his hand holding your cheek as you felt his warm breath on your hairline. “I didn't mean it...”

The way he said it, those exact words. You'd heard it all before. Numerous times. And you had to remind yourself: this is Sebastian, he's always been like this, running head first into trouble, getting hurt or hurting others, and then he'd apologise afterwards, bowing his head in shame for his brash actions. You knew that and despite it all, you'd fallen in love with him. Despite everything!

There was no rhyme or reason, it was all in your heart, engrained in your soul, those deep feelings you had for him, because after all, he wasn't always like that. He was caring and supportive and sweet and made you feel loved and safe and made you laugh and happy. The way he would hug you, hold you close, kiss you and... more.

What had happened was not the norm. He would never treat you like that. He'd always make sure you were comfortable and alright with what he did and you usually were. And in your haze, in your bottomless love for him, you'd agreed to something that had taken it all a little too far. You could have seen it coming, you had talked about it, he had made it perfectly clear what that scenario was about, and you still had allowed it, agreed to it.

With your aches thrumming through your body, you could see it for what it was now: you had been naïve, completely gullible, and he had indeed used that against you. And it felt as if you were both at fault here. Two stupid, horny teenagers indulging in things they thought might give them a thrill, when the reality of it was so much worse.

Inhaling sharply, you swallowed the lump in your throat, not remembering the soreness of it, and you winced deeply, only sobbing more. He leaned back then, looking at you with a grave expression. Your eyes wandered over his face and you wondered if you could ever look at him without remembering the things he had done to you. Biting your lip, you frowned and looked away, more tears spilling from your lashes.

“Okay that's it,” you then heard him say and without any warning, he suddenly turned you around and lifted you onto his arms, scrambling off the bed with you. Your mouth fell open and you stared at him, too shocked to acknowledge the pain that came from his brash action. “You are in so much pain, you need more than a healing potion,” he explained, his voice low and frantic. “I'm taking you to the Hospital Wing, I'll... I'll tell her you were... abducted and... and assaulted and...”

You gasped and grabbed his face, forcing him to look at you. “No! No. Stop!” you exclaimed equally frantic. “You can't do that! Please, don't!” He stopped and stared at you, as if he had forgotten you were more than a body he could carry around with him for a moment. “Remember what Ominis said? We shouldn't talk about this any more, and he's right! You'll only get into trouble,” you told him quietly, your voice shaking badly. “And... and I don't want that! And I don't want the attention of.... of that, of being a... a victim, you know?” Your thumbs ran over his cheeks imploringly. “Please!” you whispered.

He frowned deeply, his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes darker than usual. “But... but you need help... and I... I have to help you!” he urged, sounding so utterly helpless you felt almost sorry for him now.

“Lay me down, please...” you said hoarsely, trying to sound firm. “Let's just... rest... I'll be fine... I'm stronger than I look, okay?”

You watched him intently, ignoring the aching of both your body and your heart. He eventually complied and brought you back to the bed, laid you down carefully and pulled the covers over your shivering body.

You rolled onto your side, forcing yourself not to wince, and beckoned him closer. “Lay down with me,” you whispered and watched him climb into bed with you, keeping his distance, but you grabbed his hand and pulled him closer, until you could snuggle against his chest. He put his arm around you carefully, then gently rubbed your back.

“I feel awful,” he mumbled into your hair as he pressed his lips to the top of your head.

“I know,” you breathed back, holding down a Me too!, because somehow this was about comforting him now.

“I never meant to hurt you.”

“I know,” you repeated, falling back into that same old pattern of forgiving him yet again. It was what it was. That was the dynamic of your relationship. You would only see it for what it was in moments like these, where your physical pain was bigger than your emotional pain. And that clarity scared you more than you wanted to admit.

You loved him, with every fibre of your hurting body, as you had told him, and it was indeed scary how much you were willing to do and take because he had asked you to. But it was such a rewarding kind of love and you felt almost ashamed admitting to it: but whatever he would do to you, force you to do, you knew that he would be there for you afterwards, he'd care for you, cradle you in his arms, make sure you'd be alright, no matter the consequences.

It was a very twisted way of seeing things, you knew that, but you were both messed up people, you had your baggage and he had his and you shared so much of it also. It hadn't been easy these last years, but in being together and there for each other, you had pushed through and it had only brought you closer.

You took a shuddering breath and leaned back slowly, fighting the urge to wince at your aches, before you looked up at him. His eyes were immediately on you, as if he had been waiting for it. You raised a hand and gently touched his cheek, trailing your fingers over his temple, ignoring the shaking of your digits. He kept rubbing soothing circles on your back and just watched you.

“Tell me you love me,” you then whispered barely audible.

His eyebrows moved slightly upwards. “I love you,” he said quietly. “I love you more than anything in this world... and I –”

You put a finger to his lips and shushed him, knowing what he wanted to say. “I love you too,” you said instead and leaned a little closer, your nose nuzzling against his. “And whatever happened earlier, we will never talk about it again, okay?”

He stared at you. You knew he wanted to protest, but you knew better. This was how you dealt with these things: you never acknowledged them again. That was why you never talked about his uncle's death ever again, not directly at least. You comforted him, were there for him, supported him in his struggles to deal with it, but you never talked about it. And you would never talk about this either. You couldn't. Because admitting to the things that he was capable of only scared you more. And you wanted to love and cherish him and not be afraid of him.

And so you pressed your lips to his and kissed him softly, closing your eyes as you leaned into what mattered most to you at that moment: the comfort of his warm body, his engaging mouth, his soothing touches, him just being there. He kissed you back hesitantly, pulling you a little closer, just holding you.

“Okay,” he whispered against your lips. “But I'm –”

You shushed him once again. “No, it's fine,” you breathed against him, opening your eyes to look at him. “We are fine. Everything is fine.”

He pulled his eyebrows together slightly and you felt his lips trembling against yours. You didn't know if he was as keen in forgetting this as you, but like all those times before, he just followed your lead, he ignored it with you. And just like that you realized that you were just as good at manipulating him as he was at manipulating you.

Be it as it were, you were made for each other. Two messed up souls, desperately trying to hold onto the other in an attempt to not drown in the ever consuming world they found themselves in. A love story made straight in hell. But you always preferred warmer climates anyway.

End notes: Be honest, dear reader, if you were in this situation: would you forgive him? Would you just move on?

To be fair, as our reader is our HL mc, they both went through so much stuff together, I just see it working out for them because of it, if they choose to ignore it like those two did here. Always easier to suppress, definitely not healthy, but easier. And Sebastian is a walking red flag anyway and we are still all here for it, so, yes, I think this is how it would go.

No matter what he did, his lover would always forgive and forget. And you can't convince me otherwise!

I still plan on writing a little revenge piece, he does deserve that too.

[ masterlist ] [ AO3 ]

#sebastian sallow #sebastian sallow fluff #fluff #fluff maybe? #hurt and comfort #hogwarts legacy #sebastian sallow oneshot #sebastian sallow x reader #sebastian sallow smut #well it deals with things after the smut #it's implied past smut

[whbfan]

The Two Stars That Fell From the Sky | Part 2/6

Lucifer’s pupils which were so big that they almost filled his eyes surveyed the boy’s features.

Lucifer: …..?

Lucifer stared at the boy’s face in his field of vision for a moment in a daze, and then realized that the boy in his field of vision was looking down at him, close enough for their noses to touch.

The tip of Lucifer’s nose caught a whiff of the boy’s healthy, fresh body odor, and the scent of blood and medicine mixed with it made him instinctively tense.

???: Huh—! You can’t strain your body yet! Every single bone in your body is broken…!

As the boy gasped and shimmed back, Lucifer slid his gaze down to look at his body.

His body was full of splits, bandages, and medicine. He didn’t need to ask who did it.

Lucifer: Get lost… Don’t bother.

The cold voice was lifeless, like someone who had just crawled out of the netherworld, but strangely sensual.

Having lost the will to live, he found everything cumbersome, The boy’s efforts were admirable, but he didn’t want to say or think of anything.

???: ………!!!

The boy’s eyes sparkled and a rosy glow appeared on his handsome cheeks at Lucifer’s cold words.

???: Your voice…!! It’s so cool….!!!

Lucifer: ……….

When the boy made a fuss and shouted, the staff tied to his back tinkled frantically.

Lucifer frowned. He was languid and weary, and the presence of the boy beside him was too much.

But it wasn’t hard dismissing the boy. All he had to do was tell him ‘the truth’.

???: Aren’t you thirsty? Shall I give you something to drink? Oh, you should loosen your body and—

Lucifer: Everything you’ve done is for naught. As long as I’m in Hell, my wounds won’t heal.

???: Eek— why?!

Lucifer: Because I’m an angel.

It was ridiculous to say that when he had neither wings nor halos, but now that he had said it was useless, he hoped the young creature beside him would go away.

???: Yes, I know.

Said the boy, then ran off with the tinkling of bells, and soon returned with the same sound.

White large feathers that were still bloodstained were still in his hands.

???: I’m sorry… Some of it came off while I treated you. You have gotten better in other places, but this wound won’t heal so I can’t stop the bleeding…

Moreover, the boy looked tearful like it made him upset.

???: You’re saying it’s slow to heal in Hell because you’re an angel, right? That’s a shame… I hope you get better soon.

When the boy sighed, the staff on his back seemed to tinkle in agreement.

Lucifer: (That’s…)

Lucifer stared at the round gem at the end of the boy’s staff.

Looking back at Lucifer who was quietly staring in his direction, the boy gave a stare and hastily brought a wet towel.

???: It’s time to wipe your body. It’s gonna hurt a little when it touches your wounds since you’re awake, but endure…

Lucifer: You’re a pain. Get lost.

Lucifer glared at the boy, his large pupils filled with hostility.

It would have made perfect sense if he replied with ‘That bed you’re lying in, those sheets you’re under—they’re all mine!’

???: Mmm. I was going to go out tomorrow to get food!

The boy didn’t succumb to Lucifer’s cold treatment and answered with a bright smile as cool as a dawn breeze.

???: It’s going to take some time since I’m getting food for two people, so I might not come home today.

The boy spoke with a shadowless face, not the least bit disgruntled.

???: I’ll be back tomorrow! Sleep some more!

After the boy left there was a sound of the front doors closing beyond the closed bedroom.

Lucifer finally close his eyes slowly in the silence.

Then, the scene he last saw before losing consciousness filled his view as though it had been waiting for him.

—

Lucifer: Our Father, who art in Heaven…

Crunch…!!

Lucifer’s sharp nails dug into the flesh and muscle of his back.

Lucifer: Hallowed be thy name…

Crack…!!

Lucifer’s bloody hand pulled out one of his wing bones and crushed it.

Lucifer: Thy kingdom come…

Riiip…!!

There was a bizarre sound as the tendons attached to the broken wingbone snapped, and finally a piece of wing attached to one shoulder detached completely from the body and fell away.

When one of Lucifer’s twelve great wings fell away, the light began to disappear from his body.

He that hath no wings, shall not be able to set foot in Heaven.

Even so, Lucifer didn’t stop praying or harming himself.

Lucifer: Forgive us our sins…

Lucifer: And lead us not into temptation…

Lucifer: But deliver us from evil…

As the prayer continued, his wings fell to the ground.

The fallen wings sank as they hit the ground, passing right through the ground, as if to show that they didn’t belong in Heaven.

Lucifer: For thine is the kingdom,

Lucifer: The power and the glory,

Lucifer: For ever and ever…!!!

As Lucifer finished praying and ripped his last wing off…

Flash—!

The area which had always been daylight thanks to Lucifer’s halo was suddenly plunged into darkness.

The moment his last, twelfth wing fell from him, Lucifer felt the terrifying sensation he had never felt before, if his halo disappearing.

With that, his body began to sink.

That was how Lucifer fell.

Leaving behind his brothers reaching out desperately as he receded—leaving behind the distraught Seraphim.

—

The figures and voices of the weeping and raging Seraphim followed like a never-ending whirling dervish.

At some point, Lucifer was once again trapped in a world of darkness and unconsciousness.

Unconscious for the past week, he had to endure the pain over and over again in an unconscious state with no concept of time.

But he suddenly regained consciousness,

Lick–

Lucifer: ……….!

With a familiar warmth.

It was the same then. It was this warmth that woke him up after endlessly being resented by the Seraphim.

When Lucifer opened his eyes with a start, the boy’s face that was much too close again filled his entire view.

Lucifer: (…Again.)

???: Oh! You’re up! Good timing. I cooked rice porridge so eat it while it’s hot—

Clang—!!

When the friendly boy came with a bowl of porridge on a tray, Lucifer swatted it away with his arm.

The flying tray smashed into the stone wall, and the house shook slightly.

The bowl shattered, grazing the body of the young creature in front of him, creating a gash and splattering the steaming remains of the porridge across his face.

Lucifer: I told you not to bother.

???: How can you move like that when you’re hurt!!

The boy yelped, cutting off Lucifer’s growl. Clink, clink!! The bells jingled. It was a sound that somehow made him feel better.

???: The bones in your arms haven’t mended yet!!

The boy seemed to have no learning ability, as he approached Lucifer like he forgot that he had refused his favor yesterday and had just thrown his porridge bowl.

The boy gently touched the loose splinted arm with a worried look on his face.

The bell jingled once, followed by a bright flash of light from the orb at the end of the boy’s staff.

The light flowed down the boy’s fingertips to sink into Lucifer’s arm.

The red, swollen flesh settled, the broken bones healed, and the arm that had been splinted straightened.

???: Huh….? Huhhh….?! The bones… mended…?!

The boy looked confused although he was the one who did it, and rejoiced.

???: Huh? It feels like the orb is brighter…

Lucifer narrowed his eyes at the boy holding his staff with one hand and studying the orb at its tip.

Lucifer: …A dragon who doesn’t know how to use a magic pearl. It’s proof he’s alive.

When Lucifer muttered and strained his better arm to raise his upper body, the boy who had been studying the orb with a frown, lifted his head and met Lucifer’s gaze with gleaming eyes.

Lucifer thought the boy would make another fuss and say ‘Do you remember me?!’, but he smiled with the most mature look in his eyes that Lucifer had seen so far.

???: Yes, I wanted to thank you… and I was surprised when you fell here.

Lucifer looked at the vertically slit pupils staring back at him and remembered the first time he had seen them.

—

The war between Heaven and the Dragons.

It was more ambush and invasion or slaughter and carnage than war.

In the hands of the angel who tore through the dimension, the little dragon was held hostage by his throat, and all the dragons died before the angel without protest.

A single dragon was the size of a mountain, so when the majority of the dragons became composes and piled up, it became a giant mountain range of corpses.

And at the end of that mountain range, the last of the dragons stood before him, bloodied but undiminished in spirit, as he stared at Michael and his legion.

The dragon’s eyes were deeper than the others, and its scales were wrinkled with age.

Elder Dragon: From an interdimensional being… I have heard of you… Of brothers with the same father… Of angels slaying devils in the same world with your own hands…

The old dragon coughed blood. The blood dyed the dragon’s white beard. There were already more than a thousand spears of light in his stomach.

Michael was glaring at him squarely with both eyes.

#the two stars that fell from the sky #note: some dialogues were fixed or changed to be more accurate #whb #what in hell is bad #whb gamigin #whb lucifer #whb spoilers #whb event #what in ‘hell’ is bad

[spyridonya]

Honeysuckle

Title: Honeysuckle Pairing: Sparrow/Kadira Fandom: Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous Prompt: Dare Word Count: 682 Summary: In flower language, hucklesuckles have so much meaning. 

For @cassynite's Sparrow!

Kadira could almost pin the exact moment when the silence between herself and Sparrow had become warm. It hadn't quite been at Leaper's Smile, because that had been the first challenge, and sometimes challenges are won by luck. It hadn't even been the first time they fought the Gargoyles, for it would still be luck.

It had been during the march towards the remains of a broken Chapel with death whispering on wings above them.

Kadira had noticed Sparrow in these times, a rock amongst the chaos and the demands. Sparrow's shoulders were always straight. with golden eyes that Sparrow surely would merely call 'hazel' giving all the fragile confidence in the world.

Yet, Kadira realized during that march to the Lost Chapel, Sparrow’s shoulders were relaxed. Just a little. Just enough. And they sought death on wings and won.

Had it been the calmness Kadira displayed in all those challenges that nearly shattered the illusion of glory that the Crusade that proved herself capable to Sparrow? Kadee thought it might be that. 

Back at camp, what little whisky and other spirits that survived the gargoyle attack were mixed with treated melted snow and sweetened by flowers or honey to compensate what favor had been lost in the watering down. Kadira had invited her companions to sit with her by a fire near her tent, and some came. Among them had been Sparrow and while she wasn’t the first to come, she was the last one remaining as the fires turned into embers.

And there was silence. 

In looking to fill the void, Kadira knew that Sparrow spoke little, but listened well. There were questions she had, but those questions were held fast by respect, even with sweetened alcohol in her system. The past was off the table. The present was still too raw with those mourning between cups meant to soothe the spirit. So what to talk about?

“Did you know we’re drinking wild flowers?” Kadira said, quietly. 

Sparrow did not say anything, but Kadira swore her attention was on her, so she continued.

“I know they say the Worldwound has tainted so much, but I know the color and smell of honeysuckle anywhere. The petal patterns have changed, and so has the leaves but… it’s honeysuckle.” 

The brunette nodded, and Kadira wasn't sure how deeply Sparrow had drank, though she suspected not as much as Kadira had. 

“My grandmother-” Kadira can’t remember if this is the truth, but she took it as such as she continued, “Taught me what to look for and that includes petal shape, but the flowers have changed so much here. I suppose I might have looked ridiculous when we found that patch a week ago but… I wanted something nice.”

Kadira felt the strong, metallic gaze on her, and she looked at the corner of her eye at Sparrow. Not because of the unblinking stare of golden eyes, nor perfect, smooth features that give little away, but because… Kadira suddenly felt shy. 

Kadira hadn’t been sure why Sparrow turned her head at that.

“There’s little to find nice out here.” Sparrows began flatly, and then she paused for a heart beat, “But I’m pleased you’ve found what little there is.” There’s almost something there. Something like an ember of emotion.

Kadira wondered if the whisky had been far stronger than she initially suspected or she truly did drink too much. Likely the former since the later was so short on supply. Honestly, neither were good causes for the sudden, daring, bubbling impulse that spreaded through her veins. Something that often doesn’t happen in Kadira’s careful Crusade where moments of impulsivity are guiltily examined or giggled away like a schoolgirl that she never had been.

Sitting by the fire, with few others to watch, Kadira leaned over with a grace that few would suspect and kissed Sparrow not quite on the cheek. The kiss was chaste, so close to the lips. It was swift as a breath, soft as a butterfly’s wing, and warm as sunshine before Kadira pulled away.

And the silence between them was warm. 

#character: knight commander kadira #character: knight commander sparrow #character: sparrow #ockiss24

[writingsbychlo]

I love you and this game sm

Oooh how about phantom 👀

I love YOU!! also, this was gonna be funnier at the time but I was feeling angsty tonight, and I also remembered that I fucking hate pranks/practical jokes, and I wrote it the way I would react tbh. lol. anyways, enjoy y'all

A scream tore from your lips, your heart rate racing up a notch to the point of almost uncomfortable gasping as you clutched at your chest. There it was, again, the flickering of the faelights, the whispering in your ears, the touches that made you spin and spin until you were dizzy. 

You were going insane. 

Or, you had been. But there was only one explanation for it. You’d always been one to believe in the afterlife, that souls were never really gone, only changed. It came with being a healer, you suspected; knowing the energy that flowed through a person, feeling it under your palms. How could you believe it was truly ever just gone?

That had to be what this was. A ghost, a phantom, a spirit. Someone you hadn't been able to save, here to take away your time because you hadn't been able to give any more. Briefly, you wondered who. If you’d know them. If you’d recognise their face and their name, remember what had happened, or whether they were just another face in the endless sea of people you’d failed during the wars.

Your bottom lip wobbled, the lights flickering again as your throat stung and your eyes began to water. Slipping shut for only a second, you resigned yourself to it, found comfort in them, knowing that maybe they weren’t here to hurt you. Surely, they’d have done that by now? Maybe they were just reaching out, tethered to you somehow, having died under your hands, your touch the last they ever felt.

Maybe it wasn’t malicious at all, and you were overreacting. With a steadying breath, you cracked your eyes back open, blinking away tears and turning towards the window, to look out at today’s drizzling grey clouds, and catching sight of your reflection.

And that’s when you saw it. 

The flash of a shadow behind you, barely there, a playful little whisper in the form of a hand, melting away back into the shadows of the floor so fast that had you blinked, you’d have missed it. Had you tried to turn to spot it, it’d have been gone. But you knew that shadow, knew the playful flick of its tail, the fluttery shape, the swirling. 

That was one of your mate’s shadows. Azriel. 

A huff of angry breath left your lips, brows pulling taut as both relief and slight sadness washed over you, a confusing mix of feelings that you weren’t really being haunted but still felt lonely and vulnerable, and he was to blame. 

Your feet were carrying you before you even knew it, tracking him across the House of Wind without even having to touch that bond, just following the deep-bellied laughter of him and Cassian. Any other day, you’d have smiled at that sound found comfort in it and wondered what the joke was. 

Turns out, it was you.

“Asshole!” You yelled as you rounded the corner, seeing the pair sat before the fireplace, and at your yell, their laughter only increased. You picked up the first thing within reach, Azriel’s sketchbook, and hurled it at the back of his chair, letting it clatter to the floor as they both stood up.

“Well, well, well. Look who finally caught on!” Cassian snickered, and Azriel elbowed him, not bothering to stop his own laughter as mirth shone in his eyes, and he didn’t bother hiding his amusement.

“You’re a jerk! You’re both jerks!” You yelled, reaching for another item, blindly picking up a book from Nesta’s pile. Your arm reared back, both males’ wings flexing as they prepared for your blow, but it was never allowed. Instead, the book was snatched from your hand, and Nesta tutted, placing it back on the pile neatly. 

“Why are you throwing my books at our mates, and why are you yelling?”

“Because they’re assholes!” Your chest heaved, brows pulling tighter again, and while Azriel’s laughter finally began to settle as he walked over to you, only chuckling now, Cassian was only increasing. He had his head between his knees, bent in half with laughter that shook his whole body. “They’ve been driving me to the brink of insanity for fun!”

“It was a practical joke, and a fucking hilarious one! It's not our fault you’re gullible as fuck!” He defended himself, and Azriel cooed, reaching out to place his hands on your hips, and you were quick to bat them away. That only seemed to amuse him more. 

“Aww, c’mon, baby. It was funny!”

“It was not!” You seethed, turning to glare at him, hoping the wobble in your lip didn’t show. He only pouted at you, clearly still believing your reaction to be an over-exaggeration. 

“What exactly did they do?” Nesta pressed.

“We… we…” Cassian wheezed between words, slapping at his knees again, and you crossed your arms over your chest. Azriel dipped down, lips puckering to press a kiss to your head, and you swerved away from him, eyes narrowing on him as he grinned playfully. “We made her think there was a ghost!”

He burst out laughing all over again, Nesta’s gaze flicking from her mate, to yours, who only shrugged and chuckled some more. Finally, her gaze settled on you, eyes narrowing slightly. Lifting a hand, she settled it on your arm, her lips pursing a little. “You mean, the healer, who openly believes in the afterlife and the continuation of one’s soul, you made her believe that a spirit was coming to get her?”

You offered Nesta a tentative smile, heart-rate finally calming down. At least one person got it. Cassian didn’t, he braced himself on the back of his chair as his knees shook from laughing. 

“You’re truly upset about this?” Azriel finally said, a tilt of a smile on his lips, but his brows pulled in a little bit. 

Nesta scoffed.

“I thought—” The words froze in your throat, you felt vulnerable saying them out loud now, especially with the pitying way Nesta was looking at you, and the way Cassian was still laughing. 

“Cassian!” Nesta snapped, his laughter quickly falling short at the tone of his mate’s voice, but it didn’t mean you couldn't still see it in his eyes. You’d have to do something about that.

“You thought…” Azriel pressed, finally being allowed to touch you as he settled a hand on your arm, swiping his thumb comfortingly, at last realising that perhaps he’d fucked up a little bit. You get it, it was a joke. Perhaps, just not a joke very well thought through for someone of your beliefs. For Rhys, it would likely have been hilarious.

“I thought,” You growled, eyes finding Cassian as you pulled your arm back. “That maybe it was the thing at the bottom of the library, that perhaps it had gotten out again.”

Your hissed threat was enough to make the last humour in the war lord’s eyes sputter out, widening in shock instead. “That’s not funny! Did you really think that? Do you think that can happen?”

“Oh, she doesn’t just think it. It’s only a matter of time.” Nesta clicked her tongue, Cassian paling a little further, and she crossed her own arms. “We lost another floor in the library last month. It’s growing, louder now too. Sometimes, we can tell it’s angry, and we don’t go on any of the floors above it. It’s climbing out again.”

“That’s not funny, Nes, are you serious? We have to get out.”

Your eyes rolled, but you felt a little better. At least you had gotten your revenge on Cassian.

Azriel, however, was going to have to stew in it for a little bit. He leaned down, moving slowly to leave a kiss on your cheek, and when you pulled away once more, he whined, hands shooting out to catch you, and failing miserably as you evaded him. “Nuh-uh, Az. You made this bed, now sleep in it. Or, better, the couch. You and your right hand can have fun out here for a while. I’ve got my phantoms to keep me company now, obviously.”

“My love…”

“Let’s go, Nes!”

#q.

[gatorbites-imagines]

Clipped Wings

Namor x mutant male reader

Part 1

This is based off an idea I had a while back that you can read here. I still am not completely sure where I’m going story wise with this, but ill just take it as it comes. This also wont completely follow the plot of the movie.

I know very little about Aztec culture and I’ll be using a translator I found on google for any Yucatec Mayan.

Reader is the same species(?) as Namor, aka has the same powers and whatnot, though I took some liberties and did some extra for the reader since I like powerful reader fics haha.

Let me know what you guys think about this

Taglist (I don’t normally do this but since you asked): @violet-19999​ and @bonnapple

(Y/N) tapped his fingers against the steering wheel of his truck, the car taking him across the less used pathways of the countryside as he approached the location given in his contract. As the location grew closer and closer, he saw what looked like Wakandan warriors, the Dora, if he remembered correctly. Parking his car (Y/N) took in the sight of the armoured women, his knowledgeable sight running over them for weaknesses and weapons. He could tell they were tense and uncomfortable with him being there, but whatever they had hired him to kill must have scared them enough to put up with an outsider for now.

(Y/N) were a mutant, a weapon if asking his past handlers, and the only good he could ever do was kill. He adjusted the straps in his black armour, subconsciously running his telepathy over his many hidden weapons to make sure they were in the right spots. Finally, he pulled the keys from the ignition and opened the car door, slowly stepping out of the vehicle, his heavy boots crunching across the road under him.

Making his way over (Y/N) could feel the Dora scanning him up and down like he had scanned them earlier, their eyes lingering areas it was obvious he had weapons, but strangely enough they also seemed quite focused on his sharp ears and the earrings embedded in them. They were rhombus shaped made of jade, a gift from his father and one of the last things he’s got left from the man. They were beautifully carved with different patterns from (Y/N)s ancestor’s culture, and his father claimed they had been passed down for generations.

They were larger than the usual earrings you would see on a man in America, which at times gained (Y/N) less than positive attention, with him caring little about the worlds gender standards. Mix the earrings with the fact that the man wore more jewellery on his days off, well, people weren’t typically happy with his appearance. He had gotten the love for jewellery from his late parents, as they had typically worn things of jade, gold, and moonstone. It had left an impression in the young boy at the time, and it brought a level of comfort to the man.

Finally, one of the Dora stepped forwards and introduced herself, and explained how they would be bringing him into Wakanda and to their leader Princess Shuri. (Y/N) nodded, introducing himself before letting the Dora take him with them in their vehicle and soon, they were on their way.

The vehicle was silent as they made their way through the environment, and though he kept his face emotionless (Y/N) couldn’t help but be interested in the world that passed by through the windows. As they drove, they followed a river, the mutants lip twitching as he felt the familiar call of the water. It was something he had always felt, the song of the ocean and any large body of water. His parents had explained that their ancestors came from the ocean, and that was why it was so drawing to them.

When he was young and still had his wings, (Y/N) had regularly ran into the ocean from their tiny home by the beach. He had flown into the air, the tiny wings on his ankles lifting him high up into the sky before he had let go, letting himself fall until he hit the water with a loud splash. They had lived far away from civilization, (Y/N)s mutant status driving his parents to hide in the knowledge that their son would be taken if the wrong people learned of his existence.

But they could only have stayed hidden for so long, and one day after (Y/N) returned from the ocean like he did every day, he saw the tiny home the family of three had lived in back then. It was destroyed, the door kicked off its hinges and people in suits and military gear were surrounding the place. The young boy has entered the home in secret, hoping to see his parents and ask what was going on.

In the end he did see his parents, their dead bodies splayed out in the hallway near his room. The boy had only had time to crouch by their bullet filled bodies and notice how his parents were clutching something, the very earrings he was holding, and a bracelet made of a plant-based string and carved stone beads. He knew deep down his parents wanted him to take the jewellery, so he had, and just as he had put them on the people form outside saw him.

(Y/N) scrunched up his face at the memory, doing his best to wave off the thoughts of his parents broken bodies, the many years of torture disguised as training and how he had never been able to return to the place he grew up knowing there would be nothing left. His brow twitched as he felt a phantom pain on both sides of his ankles, where he had once had a pair of fluffy white wings, the wings those handlers had cut off more than once.

He could still remember screaming in pain as he was held down by other mutants, some who were more powerful than his child self, as the doctors cut through the bone of his wings. They had grown back, more than once, and every time they had been chopped off the same way, and one day they simply stopped regrowing. (Y/N) had been miserable at losing his flight, and that was when he learned of his telekinesis, but he wasn’t the only one to learn of it as his handlers realised, he had more powers than they first thought. He learned to fly once more, but the extra training had been hell on earth.

After a long ride filled with mostly silence (Y/N) could see a city approaching, and a tall building he learned was where they were headed to meet the princess and her advisors. As the vehicle came to a stop and their group stepped out, (Y/N) could feel the gaze of the people around them as he stepped forth. He kept his face neutral as he grimaced internally, knowing that reacting to the attention would be useless.

The mutant could tell the Dora and other warriors were used to being feared or respected by outsiders, if they’d ever met any, so (Y/N)s cold reaction and emotionless face seemed to put some of them on edge. They all seemed very displeased at the fact that the gun-for-hire hadn’t been ordered to remove any of his weapons. He folded his hands behind his back and stood straight, not letting any of his questions or curiosity show as he followed the Dora towards the throne room.

The air was tense as the doors opened and the man stepped into the room, the heavy attention of the important people in the room falling upon him. If it had been any other time he might have marvelled at the beauty of the room, but now he was here to be paid and kill whatever needed killing. On the throne sat Princess Shuri, her body tense but not in fear of the mutant in front of her, more in the way that she had too much weight on her shoulders.

As he came to the middle of the room he stopped, keeping his arms folded behind his back as he gave a half bow in greeting. “Hello, I am (Y/N). They call me Leviathan.” Was his short introduction, pulling himself back into his upright stance, his eyes locked with the young woman who seemed to go from cautious to somewhat intrigued as she watched the man in front of her. (Y/N) could feel some disapproval from the people around him at his casual regard to being in front of a royal, but he could care less at this point.

“I’m princess Shuri, but you can just call me Shuri” the princess said, waving off the comments made by the advisors as they voiced their disagreement at an outsider referring to her by just her name. “I’m sure you’re curious why you were asked to come here, to Wakanda of all places. We are in a situation where we need the help of someone with your abilities and experience” she continued, looking at the mutant with a serious expression that seemed to match the situation if the expressions of the people around the room was anything to go off of.

“I mean. Telekinesis, flight, super strength, super speed, regeneration, breathing underwater, controlling water and sea life.” She said holding up a finger for each ability she mentioned, it really made it obvious just how young she was to the man, it almost made him feel sad at the knowledge that this young lady had lost her entire family and now had to lead such a large group of people.

“That sounds about right, yes” (Y/N) nodded in response, waiting for her to tell him exactly why he of all people were needed for this case. He had taken many jobs that involved the ocean before or battle in the air, but he couldn’t think of a reason bad enough that Wakanda would bring in an unknown mutant to work for them.

Silence filled the room for a short while unless Shuri finally spoke, explaining the situation of Wakanda to the man. His brows climbed up his brow more and more as she explained about Namor, Talokan and how the man had killed her mother and flooded her city, and had given them a short while to get ready for battle. When it was explained they moved through the ocean and Namors powers that they knew it, it felt almost humorous how similar (Y/N) was to the man, he could see why he was called.

The faint ache returned to his ankles when they mentioned the wings Namor possessed, and it made something clench in the mutant’s chest, it felt like some kind of familiarity or kinship though he did not let it show. After the princess was done explaining and asked if he was in the man gave a short nod, a small smirk pulling to his lips as he gave his answer “how long do we have to prepare?”.

A smile pulled onto Shuri’s lips at his answer, the young woman getting to her feet and walking down to him, holding her hand out for a shake. (Y/N) could see all the Dora and other warriors in the room tense as he unwound his hands from behind him and reached over, clasping her hand in his.

The name Namor and Talokan was familiar to the man, but it was not something he wanted to dig into. He had tried his best to erase the memory of his parents and their tales. It was the past and not for him, he had given up the dreams of a secret underwater people welcoming him with open arms a long time ago. Now, he had to prepare to battle with the apparent underwater king and his army, the thrill of battle starting to bubble in the mutants stomach.

#male reader #mutant reader #namor #wakanda forever #marvel #shuri #namor imagine #namor headcanon #namor x male reader #namor x reader #mcu namor #wakanda forever imagine #wakanda forever headcanon #wakanda forever x male reader #wakanda forever x reader #marvel imagine #marvel headcanon #marvel x male reader #marvel x reader #clipped wings

[trashlama]

How would. Rise! Raph react to kiddnaping reader as a little sibling and they stay silent almost always they don't resist anything and sleeps almost all day? (platonic)

Thank you for the request!

This is my first one so please, bare with me.

I wasn't a hundred percent sure if you meant like a one shot/drabble/headcanons or somethin' so I just winged it. It's basically a combination of the three.

Honestly I literally wrote this in one night as soon as I got home from my errands. Probably could been proof read some more but, say-la-vee

Sorry everyone for it taking so long for the Future!Yan!Rise!Raph fic a lot of stuff happened the last few weeks. I had an idea, wrote a good portion, accidentally pressed the wrong button and it didn't save. So I tried to rewrite it but, I've just decided to go another direction with it. Then also of course work/famila obligations.

Sorry for all the blabber, let's get on with the show!

The meme in this fic is not mine I just found it on Pinterest and it twas too good.

∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆

Raph at first would just roll with it. You weren't escaping and not technically defying him in anyway. Actually you were very compliant, non-combative nor aggressive towards him and his hovering. Just quiet and lethargic. Routinely sleeping away days and nights despite the abundance of rest you've received. Only waking when the eldest Hamato sibling came to feed you or smuggling you between the washroom and the large dog cage he kept you in his chambers. Dude literally gives you the same vibes as Toma from the otome game/anime Amnesia. Like brah. Tell me nah.

TBH— I wouldn't be as compliant by any means necessary. Personally when I'm in a dangerous situation like that thanks to my formative years I'm very prone to fighting. It was survival for the fittest when my mother was at work and my older siblings didn't play nice. But, for fics sake I would see the reader tryinna' play it safe.

Like for real, tell me if you were say fifteen, young teenage kid walking down a random cruddy block in NYC just tryinna' to get home so you decide to take a short cut through some alleys. I mean I can't be the only one to take the backways to get around faster. Anyways—

Your just takin' the short cut you usually do when you're tryinna' get home and of course you get cornered by a trio of mixed species thugs. A duo of armed shabby dressed homosapiens backing up a fella who looked like a cross between a pig and a dog. A fugly mix breed who despite his fluffy brown wagging tail was definitely not a good boy. Proven by the mutant freak of nature's thumb claw hovering above your jugular.

The pickering between the three revealed that someone was paying them to do this. Because apparently you were close to somebody. An individual who he and his brother's pissed off the wrong eight-legged hotel boss. A political mystic city power with plenty of connections who was paying for blood.

The reason you my lucky reader are in the middle of this?

Because according to the barking accusations from the mutant mutt that threatened you. You knew one of the people in the targeted group.

The hell you did!

Finding this shit out literally leaves you speechless at first unsure how to deny such claims of comradity. Especially when they reveal when you try to reject the prosecution that their intel describes a red clad ninja being in your vicinity numerous occasions. Following you, watching you, inside your home.

The last one shook you. Unsure how to describe the feeling of the information your brain was processing. The pointed tip of the pig-dog thug's claw keeping you aware of the position you were in.

You were gonna die just because some creeper ninja dude who apparently has been by definition stalking you. And worse of all you didn't even know who you curse for your pending execution.

Ooonnnlllyyy for edged stars to start flying, successfully spooking the two humans. Only further shocking you by their reveal. Flipping forwards revealing two chunky tanukis. Leaf and all perched proudly on their foreheads. The cross breed mutant who had pinned you kept his grasp around your neck. Releasing you upon the arrival of their snaggle toothed party crasher.

Mama Bear vibes to the max. The teenage snapping turtle was quick to dispose of the twin yokais with his tonfuas. Slamming the ends of the wooden defensive tools into the crown of one demon and the under jaw of the other. Effectively K.O.ing the yokai duo.

Upon his backups' defeat the canine swine pounced. Squealing as he charged the alligator snapping turtle.

Which provided the chance for you to flee. Not caring to look back. You don't see what ends up going down. Grunts and growls echoing in the disappearing distance.

Like the final girl in the horror movie you stop for some reason. Feeling that the coast was clear just because you were some distance away from the bizarre scene you had been wrapped up in. In shock of the combination of school yard rumors of mutants being proven true and the knowledge that out there you had a stalker.

2.5 seconds later Raph is back on your ass. You had been about to scream when the turtle's large three fingered grip quickly covered your mouth. Well more like the bottom half of your face.

In a jumble of words the eldest Hamato tried to communicate. Fumbling as he apologized for the rough treatment you had received. Wide ash colored orbs appearing to scan you for any signs injuries.

Unsure of what was happening you began to back pedaled slowly. Thanked the towering spikey shelled mutant for his deed as you mentioned how late it was. Cutting the thank yous short with a excuse of needing to head home. Only to be stopped by the Mad Dog crew leader stepping into your path. Raphael easily blocking you into the alleyway with nothing more than just his domineering stature.

"Sorry little bud but,.... I don't think you can go back to that place...." Raph spoke softly. Carefully creeping forward. Three digit hands at his sides ready to snatch you up. Approaching in the same manner you would to try to catch a hare.

"Though don'tcha go worrin'! Yer-a gonna be livin' with yer real family now!" Raph quipped happily. Closing in faster than you would give a mutant his size credit for.

And like that the turtle had you.

So yeah I can see why in captivity the reader would choose this tactic. Though again personally— wouldn't be my default.

Obviously there is no way you can out run nor beat a six foot nothin' mutant ninja turtle. Literally bein' a smart cookie you just play the game.

The requester didn't specify if the reader is defeated or anything. So I'm just rollin' with the idea that the reader is being passive aggressive. Choosing to "sleep" all day and not bothering to dignify your mutated "elder brother's" questions/comments.

You rather ignore the snapping turtle's presence than give him the satisfaction of playing out his delusional game of house. You weren't his long lost relative. You nor your mother knew any man named Lou Jitsu. He was wrong. But, despite your retorts, the eldest refused. Somethin' about how DNA doesn't lie and Donnie told him so.

If you ever got to meet this Donnie you might kill him for the hell you've been wrung through.

For a minute this method works. You refused to perform. Rejecting the role the eldest Hamato sibling deemed you fit to play.

But, after a month Raph had enough.

He wasn't playing your game anymore.

At first the red clad leader just thought you were being grumpy. Being a little bratty about being told no about something so this was your tantrum. Your punishment for him.

You wouldn't talk, wouldn't acknowledge him even when he knew you were awake and not asleep. Only responding in shakes and nods of your head whenever prompted. May it be about preference of food or if you needed to use the restroom. You were just so difficult. Choosing to be an ungrateful child instead of the caring younger sibling he knows you could be.

Eventually his patience wore thin. He had tried to be the cool patient understanding older sibling that you could rely on and look up too. But you just wouldn't! You wouldn't even give him a moment of your time.

That's why he does what he does.

Fed up Raph would definitely decide to give you a taste of your own medicine.

For the next few weeks Raph ignores you. Fulfilling the bare minimum necessities for your survival before throwing a blanket over your cage. Like an owner tired of their squawking aviary friend.

You didn't think much of this but, after awhile the constant darkness and the lack of other sentient contact your unwavering will started to squirm.

Little over a week later you began to call out to the world past the blanket that kept you apart. You knew your voice wouldn't reach the other inhabitants of the lair— having already tried that in the beginning— but, you still tried to make contact. Even if it was your red clad capture who responded.

But there was no answered.

By week two you began trying to make conversation with Raph whenever he had shuttled you between his room and the facilities. But he wouldn't react. Not even sparing you a glance as he restrained your dominant arm uncomfortably behind your back as he ushered you along to and fro destinations.

By the end of the month you've finally become antsy. Rattling the metal structure of the canine confinement that Raph DIYed. Using your knees and back trying again to break out of the cage.

You couldn't keep doing this isolation business anymore. Angry hot tears slid down flustered red (skin tone) cheeks sloping over the frown that allowed your heaving chest to catch small breaths. Choking on frustrated sobs as you banged your back into the top of the cage. Hoping to make it break apart.

You just needed to be free. This was worse than any grounding or detention you had ever faced before. Twas torture.

Minutes passed and you had given up. Sweat mingling with tears as they dropped down your skin. Taking a pause on the jailbreak due to the shaky ache of your depleted strength. Two months sitting crunched up in the large dog kennel cause your unused muscles to deflate. Muscle atrophy taking its toll. Evident of the new development based on your newly acquired set of string bean arms and legs. If the current conditions you were kept in continued soon enough you wouldn't even have enough strength to walk, let alone even stand. You weren't interested in crawling everywhere to get around.

At this point when you finally give in and start calling for just Raph. Begging him to not leave you here. Those were the magic words to return the snapping turtle to your side.

Though his chest ached upon revealing your sniffling expression. Raph would be proud of himself for holding out and not ending the punishment. Despite the many times he was tempted to.

He needed you to learn he can throw a fit too.

Upon seeing your teary weakened state the red clad bandana wearing turtle would definitely be quick to pull you into his arms.

Big Brother/Mother Hen mode activated.

Cooing Raph swayed you both side to side. Rubbing circles into your back as you cried into the kidnapping snapping turtle's plastron. Your feeble body held up solely by the eldest Hamato's arm. If he chose to let go you would without a doubt tumble to the floor. Like a puppet snipped of it's strings.

" I'ma sorry ya' had to go through that but, ya' needed to learn that you can't just ignore someone without exceptin' the same results back... " Raph explained as he felt your blunt nails dig into the leaf green muscle of his biceps. Sobs racking your chest as he continued.

" Ya' needed to learn to treat da' people around you how ya' wanna be treated. "

With a small fanged smile the turtle observed your smaller trembling figure. At the newest teary-eyed addition to his family. Maybe soon if your lesson truly does stick maybe you could finally meet the rest of the fam.

Though Raph shouldn't assume. He would have to wait. Couldn't rush into this anymore than he already has. He just wanted to tell the rest of the gang already. But, he had to wait. Like his father says patience is a virtue. He will see the fruits of his efforts as long as he stays diligent at helping you with the transition.

Staring into bleary pools of (e/c) that rose to meet his pondering smoke colored gaze Raph was certain.

With just a little more tough love you'll become the perfect little sibling.

He just knew it.

∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆

¶¶CREATOR'S NOTES¶¶

Thank you guys for reading this!

I will have that Future!Yan!Rise! Raph done eventually. It's just I want to make sure I like it and it feels appropriate for the eldest Hamato brother. So please bear with me!

Thank you again for the request it was interesting to write! I'm always open for requests so unless specifically stated otherwise. They shall be ooppeeennn!

I hope you guys enjoy your weekends!

#male yandere #yandere #yandere x reader #male yandere x reader #yandere rottmnt x reader #rottmnt x reader #yandere rottmnt #yandere rottmnt x y/n #yandere rottmnt x you #yandere rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #yandere x you #male yandere x y/n #platonic #yandere platonic #platonic yandere #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles x y/n #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles x reader #rise of the turtles #rise raph #rise rapheal #rottmnt #yandere raphael #platonic reader #x reader #yandere tmnt x reader #tmnt x y/n #tmnt raphael #yandere tmnt #rise of the tmnt #tmnt x you

[shadowcrowsworld]

Disappering

Azriel x reader

Summary: he spents more and more time with her

! English isn't my first language!

It hurts everytime you see them it was like the dagger in your heart was twisted again. He spent time on a mission, training or was with her.

Like why not she was lovely, one of the three famous Archeron sisters. Why wouldn't he choose her over you. Everyone was better than you.

Your only role was to help Madja and that was it and most of the time you didn't even though you were good at your job.

And than there was Elain, tougher than most people think of. The gift to see parts of the future the ability to like and trust everyone around her. And beautiful.

And he spent his time with her you didn't even know when the last time was that you have gone to bed together, cuddled, kissed or even spend time together alone in one room without someone around you or you already sleeping because couldn't stay awake any longer, and in the morning he was already gone.

Even his shadows left you. Normally there where some of them around your wrist even when he wasn't there just to keep your company. But after his last mission you didn't have the comforting feeling around your wrist anymore.

He always had took them when he was on a mission but they were back with you immediately when he was home. But they didn't came. They were something that still calmed you even with his behaviour now there was nothing.

You were at the point that you think he wouldn't even recognise when you just left. It was already dark in Velaris and the sky was covered in clouds and it smelled like rain. Rain had always calmed you down. The calming sound of rain on the Sidra or against a window. A single tear was streaming down your face, month ago you would be in the arms of you made cuddled up against him with a blanket over you body's. The tears were getting more and mixed with the rain drops that started falling down the sky. You rapped your coat thighter around you and walked along Sidra.

There was no reason to go to your shared apartment he wasn't there and it felt empty so why go there. You didn't know how long you were walking already when a person stopped you by your wrist. The hand pulled you out of your thought and you looked into Amren's face. "What are you doing outside. You are a healer it isn't you job to get sick yourself?" She looked down on me and you could feel how she tried to get into your mind. But she was meet with a wall.

"Go home you little monkey." She used the nickname that Cas started with when your first meet the inner circle the first time. You had a lot of respect for them but they were your mates family and you couldn't always ditch them. You hung close to Az and used his wings to hide yourself from everyone. Cas found it funny and pulled you infront of Az and hugged you. "Look how adorable this litter monkey his she is even smaller than Amren." That sentence brought him a hit from his own mate and a threat from your mate who pulled you back against his chest and in his shadows, closing his wings slightly infront of you. "This idiot will never have the ability to shut his mouth." He mumbled in your hair.

The evening ended wonderful and you've got new friends you somehow on the way started to call family. Amren was walking by your side till you were at your apartment. "Thank you Amren but you didn't have to walk me Home." "Maybe, but our shadowboy would never forgive me when you slipped in the rain and I was the last one seeing you before you get hurt." "Who says he would have known that I saw you this evening." You forced a smile on your face. "When he would ask you if you have seen any of us this evening he would notice you lie. He always knows when something isn't right with you now go inside and dry yourself Madja need her little helping hand."

You opend your door and she left. You wished so much that she was correct but he wouldn't even notice that you left because you were just the little helping and you didn't were important. The empty apartment just clarified that to you. Because he wasn't there again like all the nights before.

----

Part 2

#acotar #acotar fanfiction #azriel #cassian #rhysand #azriel x reader #azriel shadowsinger #azriel x you #azriel x oc #azriel x female!reader

[pxnsneverland]

Don’t Be Cruel | austin!elvis x oc (part 1)

plot summary: Angel Casteel is a small town girl who lucked into working as a makeup artist at a film studio. Unfortunately, her confidence in herself wavers as she is assigned to work with Elvis on his latest motion picture. Overcome by his star power at first, she slowly starts to realize there is a man behind the fame, a man she understands. But as they grow closer, the world grows more turbulent, especially Elvis's world. Will this Angel be able to save Elvis from himself and the people around him? Or will getting mixed up in his word prove to be her downfall as well?

pairings: austin!elvis x oc

word count: 3088

warnings/notes: Hello my burning loves! Here is my new Elvis fic. Hopefully you guys like it as much as the first. This one focuses more on Elvis's later life than the last one did. Enjoy :)

 Chapter 1

In the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles, where dreams were born and shattered with equal fervor, a whisper of doubt hung in the air. It seemed inconceivable, unfathomable even, that a young woman hailing from the humble townships of Alabama could find her place amidst the dazzling lights and towering skyscrapers of this urban jungle. Yet, hidden beneath the veil of skepticism, a flicker of determination burned within my heart. I had grown up amidst the rolling fields and close-knit community of a small Alabama town, where the pace of life was gentle and the ambitions modest. But within me, there had an insatiable hunger for something more, a yearning to break free from the confines of familiarity and Nobody, not even my mom and dad believed in me. Perhaps, they had been right all along. After all, I was just a humble makeup artist working for a renowned movie studio. In the quaint little town, I called home, where the days seemed to stretch on endlessly, I found solace in the art of makeup. It became my personal escape, a pastime that allowed me to express my creativity and add a touch of glamour to my otherwise mundane existence. You see, entertainment options were scarce in our humble abode, with the weekly bingo games at Benny's being the highlight of our social calendar. Benny's, a charming establishment, stood proudly as one of the two restaurants in town, offering a respite from the monotony of our everyday lives. Personally, I delved into the world of cosmetics, teaching myself the intricacies of contouring, blending, and highlighting. It was a journey of self-discovery, a path I treaded with unwavering determination. As the days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months, my skills blossomed. I experimented with vibrant eyeshadows that danced across my eyelids like strokes of an artist's brush. I perfected the art of winged eyeliner, the flick at the end of my eyes imbuing me with a sense of confidence I had never known before. And oh, the joy of finding the perfect shade of lipstick, a hue that could transform my entire demeanor with just a single swipe. While others sought their thrills in the boisterous bingo games, I found my own brand of excitement. I had honed my skills to such a degree that, when the time came for me to relocate, fortune smiled upon me, and I unexpectedly stumbled upon a position at a high-profile salon. One day, a lady who worked at a movie studio came in and was so delighted with my work that she offered me a job making actors seem breathtakingly gorgeous or simply awful depending on the role. Life was far from elaborate, each day blending into the next with a monotonous rhythm. Yet, amidst the simplicity, I found contentment. Against all odds, I had managed to carve out a path that stretched far beyond the boundaries of my humble beginnings. It was a leap of faith, a decision to uproot myself from the familiar and venture miles away from the place I once called home.

              As I strolled along the winding pathways of the bustling studio, my mind was consumed with a whirlwind of thoughts. Each step I took brought me closer to my latest assignment, igniting a sense of anticipation within me. The air was thick with creative energy, as fellow artists immersed themselves in their respective projects. The vibrant atmosphere seemed to fuel my imagination, as I pondered the task that lay ahead. I found myself transfixed, my gaze locked upon the delicate piece of paper that had been handed to me by the front office. A sense of apprehension coursed through my veins, causing me to momentarily freeze in my tracks. It was in that very moment that the realization struck me like a bolt of lightning, electrifying my every nerve. As fate would have it, I found myself bestowed with a remarkable opportunity - a chance to be a part of the mesmerizing world of Elvis Presley's latest motion picture. The sheer magnitude of this moment was not lost on me, for I was entrusted with the task of personally adorning the legendary icon's visage with the artistry of makeup. I found myself staring at the assignment card in my hands, my eyes scanning the words repeatedly, as if hoping to uncover some hidden mistake. It was a perplexing task, one that seemed entirely out of place, as if it had been mistakenly assigned to me. Doubt crept into my mind, causing me to question whether I had been handed the wrong card altogether. I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease, as if I had been thrust into a world of confusion and uncertainty. As I carefully examined the photograph, my eyes were immediately drawn to the bold letters inscribed on the back. ANGEL CASTEEL. It was as if the air had been violently expelled from my lungs, leaving me gasping for precious oxygen. The weight of the moment pressed down upon me, a heavy burden that threatened to crush my spirit. In that instant, time seemed to stand still, as I struggled to regain my composure and find my footing amidst the chaos that had engulfed me. In the grand tapestry of music history, there emerged a luminary whose brilliance outshone all others - Elvis Presley. With his magnetic charisma and unparalleled talent, he ascended to the pinnacle of stardom, becoming a celestial figure in the realm of entertainment. The world, captivated by his mesmerizing voice and electrifying performances, bestowed upon him the title of the biggest star to ever grace the stage. The weight of his authority hung heavy in the air. I knew that one wrong move, one ill-chosen word, could spell disaster for my future in this place. The thought of crossing him sent shivers down my spine. The consequences were clear - a swift and merciless termination, my dreams shattered in an instant. Doubts crept in, fueled by the disapproving whispers of my parents echoing in my mind. The prospect of facing my family, my head held low in defeat, was a bitter pill to swallow. It seemed as though the world was conspiring against me, determined to prove my parents right about my ill-fated choice to forgo college and embark on an uncertain journey to the land of dreams. The allure of California, with its promises of opportunity and adventure, had once beckoned me like a siren's call. But now, as reality set in, the weight of my decision pressed heavily upon my conscience.  I felt my body physically tremble at the mere notion of it.

              In the depths of my terror, I had managed to block out the world around me, creating a cocoon of isolation. The deafening silence enveloped me, shielding me from the chaos that unfolded just beyond my trembling form. But fate, it seemed, had other plans for me that day. As I stood there, paralyzed by dread, a sudden commotion shattered the stillness. The sound of a golf cart, its wheels skimming the unforgiving concrete, pierced through the veil of my obliviousness. Yet, my senses remained dulled, my mind consumed by the horrors that had gripped me so tightly. It was then, in that fleeting moment, that a voice cut through the air like a sharp blade. "Get out of the way!" it cried; a desperate plea laced with urgency. The words, though muffled by my own mental barricade, managed to penetrate the fortress of my consciousness. Slowly, ever so slowly, the realization dawned upon me. I was in danger. With a surge of adrenaline, I snapped back to reality, my senses awakening from their dormant state. In a flurry of motion, I leaped aside, narrowly evading the impending collision. Yet, in my haste to escape, my own feet betrayed me, entangled in a clumsy dance of their own accord. Gravity, ever unforgiving, seized the opportunity to assert its dominance. With a resounding thud, I found myself abruptly meeting the cold, unyielding ground. The impact reverberated through my being, jolting my senses, and leaving me momentarily stunned. With a sudden jolt, the golf cart came to an abrupt halt. As the dust settled, a figure emerged from the back of the cart, stepping down onto the ground with a purposeful stride.

              “Dammit, Jerry!” The sound of a deep male voice echoed through the air. Its tone was filled with authority and a hint of frustration. “Didn’t I tell you to stop drivin’ like that around the backlot?!” The sound of a deep male voice echoed through the air. Then he was standing over me blocking the sun from my face. A shadow suddenly fell upon me, casting a temporary darkness over my face, his figure silhouetted against the bright sky. With a hint of exasperation, he remarks, “I’m sorry about that, sweetheart. Just my fool of a cousin bein’ a dumb hillbilly.” With a graceful motion, he extended his hand towards me.

              Blinking rapidly, I waited patiently for my eyes to adjust. It took a few fleeting seconds, but soon enough, my vision began to clear. When it did, I realized the man who had just made me forget how to breathe was the same one who was now reaching out his hand to me. The golden rays of the morning sun danced upon his perfectly coiffed hair, transforming it into a radiant halo that encircled his head. His face was akin to the delicate sheen of porcelain. Every contour of his face exuded an air of flawlessness, as if meticulously crafted by the hands of a master artisan. But it was his smile that truly captivated me. It was a smile that radiated warmth and sincerity, etched upon his visage with such finesse that it seemed almost painted, a masterpiece of charm and genuine concern. As our palms connected, I couldn't help but notice the distinct texture of his hand. It bore the unmistakable marks of a seasoned musician, the roughness and calluses a testament to countless hours spent strumming the strings of a guitar. Still, it exuded an undeniable warmth. 

              Elvis effortlessly pulled me up from the ground. His touch was warm, sending a comforting sensation through my body as I rose to my feet. I couldn't help but notice the significant height difference between us. Standing at his shoulder level, I found myself tilting my head back, straining to meet his gaze. “Are you alright?” His voice, even in the most mundane of conversations, possessed a melodic quality.

              “I-I’m fine.” My voice trembled as I spoke, the words barely escaping my lips. I noticed that he had yet to release his grip on my hand. His thumb, in a tender and delicate manner, began to caress the back of my hand, tracing gentle circles that sent a shiver down my spine. It felt nice.

              “I’m glad. I wouldn’t want a pretty lady like you to be out there hatin’ me for almost runnin’ you over.”

              A rosy hue crept up my cheeks. I couldn't help but curse the very strands of my dark hair, for they seemed to possess a mischievous ability to reveal my emotions with such ease. “I don’t hate people over accidents.”

              A chuckle escaped his lips as he released my hand, his eyes twinkling with amusement. With a graceful bend, he reached down to retrieve the assignment card that had slipped from my grasp during my clumsy stumble. With a swift movement, he cast a fleeting glance at the object in question, his eyes briefly grazing its surface. Then, as if entrusting me with a precious secret, he extended his hand, offering it to me. I thought he was going to mention that I was working on his movie, but instead he said, “Angel…what a perfect name for you.”

              “Thank you.” I took the card back, my grip tightening with an intensity that bordered on excessive.

              Just staring at each other, silence fell between us, and I found myself at a loss for words. As his gaze met mine, a surge of emotions coursed through me, causing a fluttering sensation deep within my core. A surge of relief washed over me as Jerry, the proclaimed 'dumb hillbilly' who had nearly collided with me moments ago, bellowed from his perch in the driver's seat of the golf cart that they had to be at the set. Their lateness probably accounted for Jerry's erratic driving. 

              Elvis cast a quick glance over his shoulder, his eyes meeting Jerry's for a fleeting moment before he turned his attention back to me. “You want a ride, darlin’?”

              “What?” I was certain I had misheard him.

              “By the looks of that card you dropped, you’re my new makeup team.” His face lit up with a radiant smile. “My mama taught me betta than to leave behind a woman in distress. Besides, I owe you for Jerry almost hittin’ you with the cart.”

              Every fiber of my being was crying out, begging me to refuse his proposition. My body, like a chorus of voices, was screaming at me, warning me of the potential consequences that lay ahead. It was as if every nerve ending was ablaze with a sense of impending danger, urging me to turn away from his offer. It was telling me that if I stayed in his presence any longer, I would burst and vanish into the wind. But my mother had taught me manners as well, and in the end, they triumphed. With a slight inclination of my head, I acknowledged Elvis's proposal. He gestured for me to follow him, and together we made our way towards the sleek golf cart parked nearby. With a gentle yet firm grip, he assisted me in mounting the back of the cart. And to my surprise, instead of returning to his original spot, he gracefully joined me, settling in beside me.

              As the rickety cart trundled along the worn path, making its way towards the bustling filming stage, my heart raced with a mix of anticipation and anxiety. The weight of my emotions manifested in the tight grip I had on the delicate fabric of my skirt, my fingers digging into the material. There was an air of unease that surrounded me, evident in every aspect of my demeanor. It was as if my discomfort radiated from within, casting a shadow over my every move. Elvis, ever observant, seemed to sense this, his eyes darting sideways every now and then, as if trying to decipher the source of my unease. I mentally smacked myself. What are you so nervous for? For months on end, you have diligently toiled within the confines of this bustling operation, meticulously applying makeup to the countenances of actors and actresses whose visages were once merely a flickering presence on your television screen. Elvis is no different. He’s just another client. With a heavy sigh, I released a deep exhale, feeling the tension dissipate from my body. Slowly, I withdrew my hands from the confines of my skirt, the fabric now bearing the telltale signs of my nervous fidgeting - a collection of wrinkles that mirrored the unrest within me. “Thank you,” I finally said as I turned my head to meet Elvis' gaze, “Givin’ me a ride was very nice of you, Mr. Presley.”

              “Call me Elvis. Mr. Presley is my Daddy and I ain’t that old yet.”

              A soft chuckle escaped my lips, carried away on a gentle breeze. “You don’t look old at all, Elvis.” His name felt foreign on my lips but I found a strange comfort in it.

              “You’re bein’ too nice.” Elvis licked his lips. “I’ve been around this studio for a few years now and I ain’t never seen you around. I’m sure I would have remembered someone like you.”

              My cheeks flushed with a rosy hue once more. “I’ve only been here a few months. Before I was workin’ at a salon. The head of the makeup department came in. She liked what I did to her face so much she hired me to work here.”

              “Then you must really be somethin’. I’m lucky you’re workin’ on my picture then, Ms. Angel.”

              “Call me Angel.”

              A soft, gentle smile graced his lips once more, illuminating his face with a warmth that seemed to radiate from within. It was a smile that could make anyone melt, and I, too, succumbed to its irresistible charm. As the cart came to a halt, we found ourselves outside the grand, imposing stage gate. With a graceful leap, Elvis emerged from the vehicle, extending a hand to assist me in my own exit. I stood there, her heart pounding in my chest. The words of gratitude that had been on the tip of my tongue were left unspoken. The movie crew, like a swarm of bees, descended upon him, their eager hands guiding him towards the entrance.  Silently, I trailed behind, my eyes fixed on him as he came to a halt. He engaged in conversation with the main actress, the one who portrayed the female lead and served as Elvis's love interest in the film. She stood before him, a vision of beauty. Her face adorned with carefully applied makeup, enhancing her features and accentuating her natural charm. Her luscious blond locks cascaded in perfect curls, framing her face with an air of elegance. Clad in a swimsuit that showcased her long, slender legs, she left little to the imagination. As he flashed a warm smile in her direction, my heart skipped a beat, and a sudden realization washed over me like a crashing wave. It was a truth that had been lurking. Elvis only wanted to be kind because his golf buggy nearly ran into me. With my jet-black hair and eyes, the color of a moonlit sea, I was nowhere near attractive enough. My skin was too pale, and my clothing were simply thrift shop finds that suited me well. In the vast expanse of the universe, our souls resided on separate solar systems, as distant from each other as the stars that adorned the night sky. With a heavy sigh escaping my lips, I trudged forward, determined to locate the elusive makeup trailer.

Stay tuned for part 2!! Click HERE to view!

#austin butler #austin!elvis #austin!elvis imagine #austin!elvis fanfic #austin!elvis fanfiction #austin!elvis fluff #austin butler elvis #austin butler fic #austin butler fandom #austin butler fanfiction #elvis presley #elvis presley fanfiction #elvis presley fic #elvis presley fluff #elvis presley fandom #elvis baz luhrmann #baz lurhman elvis #elvis 2022 #fanfiction #fan fiction #fanfic #fan fic

[ethereal-bumble-bee]

I’m Not Sorry- David Jacobs

(Note: I originally wrote + published this on ao3, so sorry if it uploads weirdly)

    Davey’s hands shook slightly as he felt Spot’s eyes bore into the back of his head. The file he held in his hands felt heavier than it had been a few moments ago, like the contents were begging to be dropped into the churning river below them. “You want me to do what?” He asked, blinking in disbelief. “That’s idiotic, Spot.”

    ”Jesus, Jacobs,” the shorter newsie complained. “You’re actin’ like I want you to kill someone.”

    “If my mom ever finds out about this, I’ll be the one getting killed,” Davey retorted. “You know how much she values all these little papers.”

    “Sure, sure.” Spot snorted, pushing past Davey and climbing up onto the railing. “C’mon, I just spent a hundred-somethin’ dollars to get us on this boat- ain’t you gonna drop that crap in?” He spread out his arms like a bird’s wings, yelling in the wind, “That’s what we came here for, Dave, to let that bullshit go!”

    Logically, there was no reason Davey should have held back from dropping those papers in the river and calling it a day. All of them were symbols of his life from middle school until graduation- spelling bee certificates, awards from competitions he could never remember competing in, letters from teachers praising how good of a student he was and how far they were sure he’d go, notes from counselors and psychiatrists congratulating him on how far he’d come in recovery. Mementos from class trips, old report cards that his mother had hung proudly on the fridge while Davey beamed behind them… everything.

    He swallowed any words, the shake in his hands traveling to his legs, making him wobble on his feet. “I don’t think I can…” he answered, his voice choking involuntarily. “I’m sorry.”

    Spot’s face softened, and he hopped down to Davey. “Hey, Jacobs,” he said, placing a hand on Davey’s shoulder. “Don’t be sorry, ‘kay? It ain’t your fault that it’s hard to let go.” The tone of his voice told Davey that he meant it, that he understood, and a weak smile found its way to his face.

    Spot smiled back, patting him on the shoulder and then gesturing to the water beside the boat, whose driver had slowed down to a crawl. “Plus, you’re not sorry- not really.”

    Davey raised an eyebrow. “I’m not…” he paused, something clicking in his mind. “I’m not sorry,” he said, more definite this time. “No, I’m not. I’m not sorry.” His smile grew wider as he sorted through the papers, picking one from middle school that had A+ Student printed on it in bubble letters. He glanced at it one last time, cringing slightly for the smiling, cartoon-y characters on the page and what he was about to do.

    Taking the paper in both hands, setting the file down on the deck, he ripped the paper in two. “I’m not sorry!” He cried, crumpling up the paper and throwing it into the river.

    Spot stepped back and smiled kindly. “For what?” He asked, egging him on. “What’re you not sorry for?”

    “I’m not sorry for getting the hell out of that town as soon as I could,” Davey replied. “I’m not sorry for… for changing my name. For cutting my hair.” He glared at the soggy pieces of paper left behind in the boat’s wake, the ones with Hana scrawled on them. He picked up another piece of paper- a participation award from the seventh grade spelling bee that his mother had never thrown away- and crumpled it up.

    “I’m not sorry for kissing Lukas Fordman in tenth grade,” he yelled into the empty, laughing at Spot’s confused face, picking up another paper. “I’m not sorry for wearing that ugly-ass brown suit to prom, and I’m not sorry for spilling punch on Regan Allen when she called me that name.” Those last words were spit out, a mix of anger, relief, and excitement as memories spilled back to him. “I’m not fucking sorry!” He screamed. “I’ll never be sorry!”

    Soon, with every confession and taken-back apology, all of the papers, all of the memories of his miserable life before, were gone. Davey stepped back, his hair messed up by the wind and his chest heaving with the effort of screaming. “Fuck you,” he said to the bits of paper sinking into the water, holding up his middle finger. Spot threw an arm around him, tousling his hair, the two of them laughing with joy and adrenaline coursing through their veins.

    “See?” Spot grinned, patting Davey’s shoulder. “I told you it’d feel better once you let that shit go.”

    “Thank you,” Davey said, pulling his friend into a hug. “I needed this.”

    “I know,” Spot replied simply, as the boat pulled back onto the docks and the captain helped them ashore. “Don’t ever apologize for yourself ever again, alright?”

    Davey nodded, staring off into the afternoon sky, sweating in the hot air yet feeling chills travel up his spine, like he’d just seen the final number of a heart-wrenching show. “I know.” He smiled again, placing a hand on his heart. “Never again.”

    What’s there to apologize for when I’m finally free?

#newsies #fanfiction #musical theater #broadway #newsies musical #davey jacobs #spot conlon #david jacobs #transgender #Trans Davey

[findmeabowlofundertale]

PART 7 IS HERE

[Previous part] [Next]

It might be the longest yet but to be completely honest I have no idea. So uhhhh read it when you have plenty of time bc I thrive on reactions there’s a lot of important stuff in here, just like with part 6.

I took tons of inspiration from many, many sources. I feel like I should have a works cited page or something haha ^^;;

But yeah, as usual there will be notes at the end.

I really wanted to give a better progression of time, but between part 6 and this one, not gonna lie, I got a little mixed up moving things around. So. Sorry, as usual, for the lack of realistic relationship progression. (Though, it has been several weeks for them…) It should be slower, but for one, I’m excited, and for two, when you don’t spend much time around others and then suddenly meet some you really click with, you can get attached pretty fast. I just want them to be good friends already! Realism be darned, this is primarily for myself, so… yeah. Anyway, enjoy(?)

- - - -

Hey! I was just checking if tomorrow was still a good day to meet? <

> HELLO. YES. TOMORROW STILL WORKS FOR ME

> ALPHYS WOULD LIKE TO JOIN US. BUT IS TOO SHY TO ASK.

A new message in a different conversation popped up on Asteri’s phone. It was from Alphys. She opened it.

> HI PLS IGNORE WHATEVER DR G IS SENDIGN

She rolled her eyes with a good-natured sigh.

Alphys chill. You’re welcome to join us if you want. <

Back to Gaster.

I let her know I’d be happy to have her. <

> THANK YOU

> SHE JUST GETS LIKE THIS. SOMETIMES

No problem. See you tomorrow! <

Tomorrow she was finally going to ask him why he texted like that. Her phone dinged. Alphys again.

> If ur like totally sure! I dont wanna impose

You’re not imposing. <

Besides I think I worked out some of the Japanese from the books you guys found. I found a few things in the dump that helped. I wanna run it by you, if you’re free. <

> OMG REALLY?!?

> Ok yeah i’ll totally be there!!

> Happy to help!

Turning it around as an invitation seemed to work well. Asteri smiled. She almost put her phone down, but then an idea struck her.

Can you do me another favor, actually? <

Tell me what you two have eaten lately. <

The typing message came, went away, returned, and went away again several times before Alphys answered.

> well uhh haha so he tried making pasta last week i guess but it didn’t turn out, so he’s just been bringing in the leftovers and “forgetting” them in the break room fridge??

> I was going to eat some so it didn’t go to waste but

> asteri it’s So Bad

> so

> Idk

> but theres been a new box of donuts in here like every day so…

Asteri dragged her wing down her face.

How good of friends do you have to be with someone before you can strangle them <

> LMAO

> u want me to ask him?

Asteri sat up straight in her chair.

DO NOT TELL HIM I SAID THAT <

> LOLLL ok i won’t

Alphys I MEAN IT. <

I don’t want him to take it the wrong way. <

> lmao i won’t tell him don’t worry

> don’t think you can strangle a skeleton anyway

I doubt it. Not when their heads can come off <

> hIS WHAT

Asteri grimaced. Whoops.

My bad I thought you would have known about it considering what happened <

> wHAT DO YOU MEAN CONSIDERING WHAT HAPPENED

She snorted a laugh.

> ASTERI

Apparently skeletons come apart. <

They can move their bodies from their head but if they go too far they lose control of one or the other. And apparently one time he tested that without warning anyone ahead of time and got too far from his head so it was just his body wandering around blind until he ran into someone and freaked them out <

> Oh My God

> I wanna say ur joking but that would literally be just like him

Ask him if he knows he dropped a phalange in the break room and see how long it takes him to tell you that story <

> asdjklf;hsk I can’t just say that!!!!

Trust me he’s way too excited to talk about it. <

If it goes badly you can say I dared you. <

> omg ok i’ll do it

Asteri chuckled and put her phone down. Alphys was a lot of fun to talk to. They had kept in touch since the dump, since she was more adept at texting than Gaster. He absolutely texted like an old man. Which was hilarious considering that he had absolutely no excuse for being out of touch with technology. He quite literally worked with it every single day. Well, who knew? Maybe he just wasn’t one for written communication. After all, people wrote much differently than they spo—

Wait, no, that really didn’t make sense for him.

…Is that how he would talk, if he spoke aloud? Geez.

She shook her head and got up. Not worth thinking about. She should go get her notes on Japanese in order for Alphys.

⁂

Bread was shoved against Gaster’s chest.

“Sandwich.”

He looked down at the plastic baggie-covered-sandwich and took it, then gave a grateful but confused smile. “Thank you, but… why?”

Asteri didn’t have arms to cross, and her wings were too big, but she approximated the gesture well enough and her tail flicking in agitation against the red rock beneath her made her mood clear. “Because I said I would start bringing you food if you didn’t eat.”

A startled, somewhat indignant noise caught in his metaphorical throat as he straightened in mild offense. “I made pasta when I got home last time!”

“Did you eat it?”

The silence and the way his eyelights immediately flitted away were answer enough even if Alphys hadn’t filled her in yesterday.

“Gaster!” she scolded.

He threw his arms in the air and signed with a blue pair of hands that blinked into existence instead. “It was inedible!”

“It can’t have been that bad.” Surely nobody who had been alive this long didn’t have basic cooking skills. No matter what Alphys said.

“H-Hi, um, am- am I interrupting?”

The very same lizard had walked up to them without either of them realizing. Gaster lit up, though more in triumph than delight. “Not at all.”

“Hey! Good to see you again,” Asteri greeted. “You’re just in time to watch me lecture an old man.”

Gaster made another offended noise. “I am not the only monster who fought in the war, you know!”

“Alright, fair enough,” Asteri conceded. “But you’re the only one of my friends who has, so I’m teasing you about it.”

The finger he had held up in anticipation of giving a rebuttal drooped as the indignation melted away, and a slight smile pulled at his expression instead, eyes flicking away with a hint of green. He still wasn’t used to being called anyone’s friend.

Asteri looked down at Alphys. “Did you get some of it?”

The lizard monster nodded and pulled a container out of her bag. Monster food didn’t spoil, so the fact that it was a week and a half old didn’t matter, fortunately. Which was not the case with human food, as Alphys had learned the hard way from scavenging at the dump. She handed the container over. Gaster’s flattered smile immediately disappeared, replaced with dawning horror.

“Asteri.”

She manifested a green hand.

“Asteri, wait.”

She took the lid off. Well… no, it decidedly didn’t smell great, but…

“Asteri, please! Do not eat that. It is inedible.”

She huffed and swung her head back over to look at him in mild annoyance. “It cannot be that bad. Look. I’m a decent cook, so I’ll try it and give you some tips on what could be improved. I’m not going to judge you.”

That was a lie, she had already judged him a little bit.

He looked mortified. “I am begging you.”

Asteri raised an eyebrow and glanced at Alphys for input. She gave an awkward smile, so stretched it was more like a grimace. “I-It’s, um…” The question put her in an uncomfortable position between her two friends.

“Alphys, tell her! It is horrendous! Nobody could eat that!”

“Oh come on! Nobody can be that bad at cooking. It’s PASTA, how bad could it possibly be?”

“BAD! It’s terrible! You will take damage from that penne!”

Asteri scoffed. “You can’t accidentally put malicious intent into food, now I know you’re exaggerating.”

Alphys looked back and forth between them, growing increasingly anxious as they argued, until finally she screwed her eyes shut and clutched her bag and blurted, “Okay, i-it’s awful!”

They both turned to look at her again. There was a beat of silence before Gaster lit up in a triumphant grin.

“See?!”

Asteri made a face. “Hmph. Well, even if it somehow does deal damage, I’ve got plenty of HP.”

A green, drippy hand reached into the container and picked up a fistful of pasta. The two scientists looked on in terror as she opened her mouth and tossed it in. She chewed. They held their breaths. She swallowed.

There was silence at first. The anticipation was tangible. She closed her eyes, took a breath, then opened them again.

“How do you two feel about heading to my place?”

Alphys blinked. “O-Oh! Sure…?? I-I don’t mind the walk.”

“I am not opposed,” Gaster agreed, slightly confused.

“Good. Because I’m teaching you two how to cook. My god, that is the worst thing I’ve ever tasted.”

⁂

The attempt ended four and half hours later with the three of them covered in sauce stains and on the kitchen floor. Asteri held her face in her wings, Gaster was face-down, and Alphys was flopped over onto her side, staring at the various spills and the overturned pan and bowl across the floor from her.

Asteri raised her head and stared upward. There was a splatter of something on the ceiling. She heaved a sigh. “Terrible job everyone. But at least we tried. Let’s get this cleaned up.”

With a grunt, Alphys righted herself. “Okay…”

“Gaster, are you conscious?”

The man didn’t move at all, but a pair of blue hands manifested above him. “Unfortunately.”

“Alright, well, get up. This is no time for embarrassment. You’re helping clean.”

He sighed silently but obeyed, pushing himself up from the ground and onto his knees. His glasses were barely hanging onto his face. He made no effort to correct this. “I am so sorry about this mess. What can I do?”

Asteri stood and dusted herself off with her wings, then gestured upward with her tail. “Help me wipe that splatter off the ceiling.”

He craned his neck to look where she was pointing. “Ah...” How did they even manage that?

She looked around, utterly overwhelmed by the chaos her kitchen had descended into. “Alphys, can you get the dishes in the sink? Then we can collect the rest of the dishes, and… ugh, wait, no. There’s the pans. And I didn’t put away the plates on the drying rack. Uh, okay. I can get the counters, but the leftover ingredients that are still good can… no, um. The rags are… But first, the floor. No.”

There was nowhere to put anything, and stuff was everywhere, and there was ruined food to scoop up, and good food to find containers for, and she needed to find a bucket for the mop, and… This was too overwhelming.

“Th-There’s containers with lids in that cupboard, but the fridge is… If you, uh…”

It was exhausting to even think about. Looking at it just drained her. All she wanted to do was sit back down, but then the spills would just dry and get even harder to clean. She didn’t know how this had even happened. She was exhausted from trying to keep the both of them on track, and as patient as she was, it had run out after two or three hours of damage control. This was so far beyond reckoning, she was beginning to shut down. If she didn’t get a grip, she was going to end up crying in frustration, and nobody needed that right now—

“Asteri.”

She turned her head. Gaster had approached without her having noticed until she saw his hands move. Whatever dismayed look was on her face must have been bad, because he set a hand on the closest thing she had to a shoulder and looked at her with an level of concern she really, really wished she didn’t warrant. He shouldn’t have to worry about her, this was her idea, and… and…

He looked into her eyes, his own flared in a deep blue, almost indigo. She couldn’t seem to look away. They burned like fire magic, warm and captivating. There were shades of blue she didn’t even know existed. The colors danced like flames, swirled like milk in coffee. The stress bled out of her. Her posture relaxed; She felt… calm. Serene.

The color in his eyes slowly faded, and he smiled softly.

“Do not worry about it. Let us clean up our mess.”

“How did you do that?” Asteri asked, a bit hazy, as he steered her to a seat at her kitchen table.

He signed something with his blue hands that she didn’t recognize first, then realized his mistake. “Lighting our eyes with color, or—” He repeated the sign, which she interpreted as “eyeglowing”— “was one way skeletons expressed certain emotions, but it was also how we calmed each other. It was context-sensitive. I was unsure if it would work with you,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his head a bit sheepishly, “but I acted instinctively.”

“It was really nice,” she murmured, leaning forward on the table until her head was resting against her wings. “Made me tired though.”

“It simply calmed you enough to realize that you were already tired.”

“Mm…”

He stepped away. “Just rest.”

“But there’s so much…”

“Alphys and I have cleaned up far worse.” Several more pairs of blue hands manifested around him once he reached the center of her kitchen.

“D-Definitely,” the younger woman chimed in. She wasn’t thrilled to be cleaning up the entire kitchen, but could tell Asteri needed to sit this one out. “Me and Dr. Gaster got this.”

“Technically,” Asteri mumbled into her wing, “‘t’s “Dr. Gaster ‘nd me.””

Alphys stared at her and ignored the correction. “Where are your dish towels, Asteri?” she sighed instead.

The shapeshifter pointed to a drawer with her tail.

She then watched as each of Gaster’s several floating hands went about doing something different, all while he stood in place, real hands folded behind his back except to levitate a few heavier things to different places. Alphys worked on whatever he wasn’t doing at a given moment. They worked in perfect sync, like they had done this dozens of times before. It was fascinating to watch.

They were finished within an hour. It passed in a blur.

“Thank you guys so much,” Asteri said once they finished. “I really appreciate it.”

“It was the least we could do after making such a mess.”

“I know we were going to talk linguistics, Alphys,” she said as she sat up and stretched, “but I don’t think I have the mental energy for it. Do you guys want to watch a movie instead?”

“I can’t remember the last time I watched a film,” Gaster mused. “I would like that.”

“Y-Yeah, a movie sounds nice!”

Asteri stood. “I don’t have much to eat though… I’m sorry.”

“I-I can make sandwiches, if, um, i-if you don’t mind. That’s not really cooking, so…”

“That’s fine with me. Here, I’ll help. I can do that much as a host, at least. Gaster, do you want to look through the movies I’ve got?”

Once they finished making the sandwiches, they met Gaster in the living room. After agreeing on a movie, they sat on the couch, Asteri in the middle. Too tired and distracted with the film starting, she forgot she had wanted to try to watch how Gaster ate. Oh well. She was exhausted. She didn’t last much past the halfway point of the movie, soon thereafter conking out and beginning to slump over. Being much taller than Alphys, the shorter woman had to keep pushing her back up.

“Doctor,” she hissed after the third time. He startled, having been completely engrossed in the film, and looked to his coworker. “Doctor, c-can you help, please?? She keeps falling over.”

“Oh! Yes, my apologies, Alphys.”

It would have been easier to turn her SOUL blue and pull her upright, but this wasn’t a battle, and she wasn’t conscious so he couldn’t ask her if it was alright. So instead, he turned and carefully clasped her not-quite-shoulders, then gently pulled her upright. She started to fall over again as soon as he began to let go, though, so he tilted her towards himself instead. Her head fell limply against his shoulder. She sighed in her sleep, but otherwise did not stir.

Alphys watched the way he smiled down at her before turning his attention back to the movie, noticed the way Asteri settled against him, and she smirked.

The movie ended after midnight, and the two reluctantly woke Asteri up to bid her goodbye. She was only half-awake, but thanked them for coming and told them to be careful on the way home. In the back of her mind, she realized she had ended up leaned on Gaster’s shoulder, but told herself not to think about it too hard and went to bed.

⁂

In lieu of the cooking lesson disaster, Asteri and Alphys met up at the former’s house on a different day to go over Asteri’s notes on Japanese.

“I am s-so sorry about, um, a-about the other day,” Alphys stammered as they approached the house. “I d-didn’t even! I-I didn’t even kn-know cooking c-could go… l-like that.”

“Honestly, neither did I,” Asteri said grimly, holding the door open for her friend. “But it was nice of you two to clean up for me. I appreciate it immensely.”

“I-It was mostly him! Thank goodness f-for blue magic, right?”

“And multiple pairs of hands.”

“O-Oh, r-right!” Alphys chimed as they walked through her front room. “You never saw him with a bunch of hands before, right?”

Asteri led her into a room toward the back of the house, something like an office, where she kept her notes. This room had magical fire burning in a few alcoves to lower the humidity. She flipped the lights on.

“Yeah, I didn’t know he could summon that many,” she mused. “He had three summoned when he showed me green magic, but I assumed that was about the limit. I didn’t expect— what was that? Ten?”

“Y-Yeah, I think ten is- is it. I think he f-felt really bad about the mess, so…”

Asteri gestured to a chair if Alphys wanted to sit, and sighed as she dropped into her own seat at the desk. “Yeah, I know. I told him it was fine, though. I hope he didn’t push himself for my sake.”

The lizard monster plopped into the offered chair and waved a hand. “He’s fine. Just, um, y-y’know, he gets. Self-conscious.”

“I do know that,” Asteri mumbled with a knowing sigh, sitting at her desk.

Alphys’ eyebrows furrowed. “W-Why, um, w-why did he need three extra hands to show you green magic, though?”

The memory of the skeleton shrugging out of his dark coat and yanking his sweater all the way up to his armpits brought heat back to her face. She pushed the feeling down and managed to maintain an otherwise calm expression. “We were discussing SOUL magic, which I wasn’t familiar with since I don’t make a habit of fighting. He said that because we didn’t know each other very well, he didn’t want to use it on me. I didn’t understand, um… turning a SOUL a certain color, so he…” She swallowed, beginning to struggle not to look as embarrassed as she felt by the memory. It wasn’t a big deal, it was educational. Surely it would be more embarrassing to make it a big deal to a scientist of all people. She shrugged as casually as she could manage. “…He showed me.”

Alphys’ eyes turned into dinner plates and she giggled incredulously. “He turned his own SOUL green and SHOWED you?!”

Asteri’s whole face flushed. “I-It stayed in his body!!”

Alphys was grinning, claws over her mouth. “Oh my god.”

“It was purely educational!”

“Did he- D-Did he, like, take his shirt off??”

“He pulled it up,” Asteri muttered. “But it wasn’t a big deal, alright‽”

“You’re preeeeetty defensive f-for it not being a big deal, Asteri,” Alphys teased.

“I-I just didn’t know what to expect! It’s not like I’d seen a skeleton’s body before!”

Alphys wiggled her eyebrows. “Why’re you blushing so hard then?”

“BECAUSE I SAW THE MAN’S SOUL, ALPHYS! That’s not exactly an experience I’m accustomed to having with someone!” She sighed and rubbed her face with her wing, tail reaching over to grab her papers.

Fortunately, Alphys dropped it, though the smirk didn’t quite disappear.

“Here. Look. These are some words I believe I have the meanings of.” Asteri shoved a handful of papers at her with her tail. “But since you’re familiar with the actual speech, I was hoping you could help me by giving me the pronunciation of any words you know. Then, once I know which letters make which sounds, hopefully we can meet again and compare what else I’ve transliterated. The writing has almost no spaces, so I can’t tell where words end and begin. I was hoping you would be able to help with that once we make some progress.”

“A-Ah, okay!” Alphys shuffled through the papers. “Um, so you have the word for “goodbye,” and I know that one!” She held the paper out and pointed to it. “It’s, um, “sayonara.””

Asteri frowned, leaning forward. “That can’t be right. The text is only five letters.”

Alphys’ expression withered into confusion, then uncertainty. “Oh… um, okay, let me look again.” She searched the papers once more. “Okay, here- here’s “yes,” I know that one is- is definitely “hai!” And, um, here, you have a few! A-A few different ones. For “wait.” I’ve heard, uh, “matte o,” uh, th-the most.”

Again, Asteri looked at the papers, and it didn’t make any sense. “None of these have enough letters to be those words… Did I get all of these wrong??”

Both of them stared at the columns of words in silence for at least a solid minute.

“Maybe… M-Maybe you should watch some of, um. Some anime?”

Asteri sighed and flopped back against her seat. “You know, you’re probably right.” Her head turned back to the other woman. “Alright. Hit me. What are we watching?”

Alphys lit up like a lightbulb. Before she could answer, though, Asteri spoke up again.

“Just! Know. That there will be a lot rewinding and pausing.”

“Th-That’s okay! I know exactly what we can watch! And!” Alphys reached into her bag, then pulled out a DVD case and held it aloft. “I always bring my favorite with me in case I meet someone who wants to watch it!”

Asteri squinted at it. “Sailor… Moon?”

It was a lot more productive than Asteri anticipated. Seeing Japanese text in the background occasionally along with hearing the way it was spoken helped her get a better sense of how the language worked. Brief segments of seeing a character write something or sound something out helped immensely. By the time Alphys left, they had tossed around theories ranging from the language not having written vowels to each letter being a word. Some of the words in Japanese that she heard translated to a whole phrase in the subtitles, or vice versa, which fascinated Asteri to no end. She had spent almost the last two decades studying monster languages, but now, to try to puzzle apart a brand new one? Oh, it excited her like nothing else. Words for things that their language didn’t have, entirely different grammar, and most immediately interesting: a new alphabet.

It left her with much to think about. Alphys promised that next time, she would bring some of her other series to pick from. That was great, and Asteri was looking forward to it, but more than anything, this had made her all the more determined to learn more about fonts and speech-based magic from Gaster. The next time they met, she was getting to the bottom of it.

(The next time they met, she did not.)

⁂

This time, their walk was less meandering through Hotland, and more making a beeline for New Home. Gaster had been having actual meals all week, so Asteri agreed that they should get donuts together.

“I feel like you’re the only reason this donut shop is still open, Gaster.”

He grinned, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head as they walked in. “They know my orders by heart here…”

That pulled a little snort from her. “Of course they do.”

“Doctor!” greeted the man behind the counter. “Where have you been!? We haven’t seen you all week, we started to worry you tripped and fell into the CORE!”

He laughed humorlessly. “There are safety rails to preventing that, fortunately.” In most areas, anyway. “Asteri here has been trying to get me to eat a more balanced diet.”

“Oho! Good for you! We sell sandwiches too, you know!”

“Perhaps I will try one, sometime. But today I am being rewarded with donuts for eating well all week.”

The man laughed, hearty and loud, and turned to Asteri. “You’re taking good care of the doctor for us all, huh!?”

“I’m certainly trying,” she answered, unable to help her smile. The worker— owner? —knew Gaster well. She was glad he knew that there were other people who cared about him.

“You picked a good one, Doctor! I’m happy for you! It’s about time you settled down!”

Oh.

Both of their faces flushed with magic. “No, no no no, it’s not like that!” she clarified, while Gaster frantically signed more or less the same thing. The monster behind the counter just shrugged and let it go.

“My bad! I’m sorry, I just got excited for ya, Doctor! But still, glad you’ve got a good friend! So! What can I getcha!?”

After they ordered (though Asteri insisted it not be an entire box of donuts this time, just a couple), they found a booth to sit in and made themselves comfortable.

“He seemed very excitable,” she giggled.

“Every one of his sentences has at least one exclamation point,” Gaster informed her with a chuckle. “Even his questions. I have never seen him use a period.”

“Wow, really? Is that tiring to read?”

He picked up a donut and hummed for a moment. “No, not any more than it is to listen to.”

Alright, this was good! This time, she was finding out more about speech and text magic, and she wasn’t going to let anything derail her!

“Speaking of which, Gaster,” she began, looking up from her own plate, “I was going to aaaaaaa….sk…..”

She had looked up in time to see Gaster mid-bite. Yes, that was right: mid-bite. His mouth hung open as their eyes met in mutual confusion. Then, after a split-second, he finished biting the donut and signed while he… chewed, or whatever it was that happened next. “Asteri? What’s wrong?”

She gaped at him. “Your mouth opens‽”

Well, there went tact.

Understandably, he shot her a confused, mildly worried look as he took another bite. “Asteri, we have eaten together several times now.”

She felt her face heat up. This is why tact is important. Good grief Asteri, does all your sense go out the window when you’re around him‽ Pull it together!!

“W-Well, um. I was busy writing notes the first time we met… and the other time, with the pizza, I got distracted… then, um. Last time, we were sitting in the dark and the movie was starting, and I was exhausted. So I. I never… saw you… do that?”

He raised one brow and stared at her in what could only be described as a mixture of skepticism and concern, then opened and closed his mouth a few times as if to show that yes, it really did work that way. His teeth clicked together. Despite her best efforts, she just stared. It definitely made the way his head was shaped make more sense.

“You truly never saw me open my mouth, this entire time?” She shook her head, eyes still glued to his jaw. He breathed a single laugh and took a sip of his drink. “Perhaps I should teach you about skeleton biology, then.”

Her eyes blew wide and immediately flicked up to meet his, incredulous. If her face wasn’t hot before, it was now. For a split second that felt like an eternity, he just looked back at her, not comprehending what he had said that could have elicited such a response. Then it registered and his face turned red, eyelights blazing hot pink.

“I meant explain it!!! Here! In the booth! In an educational and—” He was signing too quickly, she didn’t make the second word out, but she imagined it was probably “professional” or something— “manner!! Obviously I would not…! Make any such advances!!”

“R-Right, yes,” she stammered, looking away. “O-Obviously.” She debated pointing out that he had practically taken his shirt off and showed her his SOUL a couple weeks ago, but decided that what had just happened was enough embarrassment to both of them for one day.

The awkwardness was palpable.

“I’m...” She released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and shook her head. “I’m sorry. I was already a little flustered, so my mind jumped right to…” God, what was wrong with her?! She rubbed her face with her wing. “Th-That was beyond inappropriate of me, I apologize.”

“I certainly could have worded it better,” Gaster objected on her behalf, still embarrassed but fortunately not upset. “It is not your fault.”

Asteri sighed. “I feel like such a heel, though. I don’t know where my mind is today. God. I shouldn’t have even gone there. You’re my friend. Obviously you wouldn’t suggest that. Especially like… that.”

Yeah, it was way too smooth of a line, he’d never be able to swing tha— what is WRONG with me‽

“No, no, please,” he insisted, “do not berate yourself! I was careless in my wording, and neither gave any consideration that you might have been embarrassed by the misunderstanding at the counter. Forgive me.”

The misunderstanding at the…? Oh! Yes. She was a little frazzled by that. But mostly she had been flustered by…

The realization almost knocked the wind out of her.

It was his mouth. I was watching his MOUTH.

God, should she just tell him that? No, no, it would make things uncomfortable because he would think it was for a way weirder reason than it actually was and then he would never want to eat around her again. She just needed to get a grip. There weren’t a lot of monsters with teeth that weren’t covered by something like skin or a beak. The form she preferred to stay in was a lot like her parents’, and lacked lips. They didn’t kiss each other, they would just gently nibble wherever was convenient: shoulder, cheek, neck. (It was only once she got much older that she had learned that biting someone’s neck or shoulder was not considered an innocent display of affection by most other types of monsters.) She had just gotten caught up with the subconscious realization that he was like her in that regard. Skeletons probably didn’t kiss either. Maybe they bit, like her family. That was all. She was thinking about biting (kissing) and how nobody else did that, and then he said that and it completely threw her.

Shoot, she had been quiet a few seconds too long. “Don’t- Don’t worry about it, Gaster! Really. Um, look, I feel terrible about making you uncomfortable, and you feel bad about making me uncomfortable, so now we both feel bad and are uncomfortable. Let’s just start that conversation over, yeah?”

“Yes. I would like that.” He nodded, sitting up a little bit straighter with a grateful smile.

For a moment she hesitated, but then decided that embarrassment aside, it probably would be good to know. “If… If if isn’t too uncomfortable of a topic after all that,” she started, tentative, “it might be beneficial if you did tell me a little about skeleton… biology. J-Just the basics. So there aren’t any future misunderstandings.”

Gaster nodded once more. “I think that would be wise.” He shifted in his seat, getting more comfortable. “Since it has become relevant, I will start with our jaws. I can open mine, as you saw. However, I do not need to, technically speaking. Neither to vocalize, as you have no doubt noticed, nor to eat. Some skeletons had fused skulls, lacking this hollow here.” He pointed to the space between his back teeth and the hinge of his jaw. “They could not open their mouths, so they ate with magic. Like so.”

Asteri watched in stupor as he held a donut up to his closed mouth and it began to disappear.

“This is fine, and sometimes more convenient, but it takes more concentration for me, personally, so I prefer to simply bite my food.

“Some skeletons appeared to have fused skulls, but were just particularly skilled with distortion magic, and pulled the magic that made up their skulls around their mouths so that they could emote more similarly to monsters with skin, showing more or less teeth depending on their expression. All skeletons use distortion magic naturally, which is how our eye sockets emote and we appear to frown and smile.”

Asteri nodded. “Distortion magic is used by shapeshifters as well, to some extent. Though, our nature is to be able to change forms, so it isn’t what allows us to shift, only what we might use while in a particular form.”

“Then you understand.”

“Yeah. Though you use it so subtly I didn’t place it as distortion magic until you said so.”

He smiled at that. “Thank you. I have a decent amount of skill with it, though I am by no means particularly adept. Generally, skeletons emoted with a mixture of eyeglowing and changes in font. But only other skeletons could see fonts, and eyeglowing required knowledge of what each color meant in each context— something other skeletons knew innately— so when confronted with other monsters, or humans, some skeletons chose to use more distortion magic to make their expressions and emotions clearer.” He paused. “Being… the only skeleton left, I admit I am at times tempted to make more use of distortion magic so that others may better read my expression. But, at the same time, I do not want to act like something I am not.”

“That makes sense,” Asteri murmured. “I can understand the pressure to change in order to be understood, while also feeling like you shouldn’t have to abandon your culture.”

He looked on, waiting for her to continue if she wished. She hadn’t meant to get into it, this was about him, but if wanted to listen…

She took a breath.

“My parents were big on that. Shapeshifters were never especially numerous, even on the surface, I guess. Even so, there were many clans, never a single kingdom like other types of monsters had. The one my family was from didn’t generally take bipedal forms. They were more inclined towards the reptilian, amphibian, and piscine or other aquatics. Legs and tails were prioritized over arms. More legs, stronger tail, easier to run or swim, easier to hunt. As a result, the ability to form arms was slowly lost. I can become a many-legged creature easily enough, even something with grasping forelimbs, like a crustacean. But “humanoid” arms? Those are beyond me, no matter how many times I’ve tried over the years.

“When I was a kid, I shifted a lot more. My parents encouraged me, of course, to experiment until I found a form I was comfortable with. But I knew what came easily, I knew what felt nice to exist as. But… I didn’t like how it looked. I didn’t like that I didn’t have arms like everyone else. Even the dogs in Snowdin were bipedal and used their front legs like arms. I wanted to be solid, all in one piece, like everyone else, and I wanted arms. I was always trying to shift to look more like the other kids, especially the lizard monsters, but whenever I tried to form the arms…”

She held her wings out and focused. They condensed and solidified into two humanoid arms, but rather than finish turning lavender like the rest of her body, they stayed a bluish color. Within a matter of seconds, they started dripping, becoming almost goopy, and it only took a few moments for them to melt back into the semi-transparent cloak of magic that draped around her as “wings.”

“Doesn’t work. I learned how to form hands, like you’ve seen me do, but they’re drippy too, and they’ll fade if I don’t stay focused. I used to be really self-conscious about this form, but my parents reminded me that I didn’t have to pretend to be ‘not a shapeshifter.’ Shifting was for my own comfort, not the comfort of those around me. There was no need to imitate others, only to take inspiration. If I preferred to stay in multiple pieces, then the other kids would learn to just accept that that’s how I looked. I didn’t have to look like other monsters; we had our own culture, our own look. We didn’t have arms, or lips, and we didn’t resemble any particular animal like a lot of the other monsters did, but we were us, you know?”

She smiled, bittersweet for a moment as she remembered them, then looked back to him with a happier smile. “Did you know, the first time I saw you summon extra hands, I felt so validated?”

His eyes widened slightly. “Truly? Even though I have hands naturally?”

“Yeah. I’d never seen anyone need to summon them, so it was kind of nice to see that there are other people who do after all. I-I feel a lot less self-conscious about forming them when I’m with you. O-Or Alphys, I guess.”

He smiled down at the donut on his plate. “I am glad that I helped you in some way. There were… not many skeletons who signed, and as such not much accommodation for someone who needed their hands free. So I understand some of the anxiety that comes with summoning hands. Nowadays, though, nearly everyone understands sign language, and no one has ever questioned my extra hands. So don’t feel self-conscious, I am sure no one questions yours either.”

Asteri’s eyes crinkled in a smile. “You might also not get questioned because you’re a bit eccentric,” she teased.

“Heh.” He hid a smile of his own behind a donut. “Is there anything else you would like to know about skeletons?”

Plenty, like what it was like to grow up signing in a culture where speech was so vital to expression, but she wasn’t about to say that. Instead, she pretended to think about it while she chewed. “What do the colors your eyes turn mean?”

“An excellent question,” Gaster commended her. “It is heavily contextual, though...”

She materialized a hand out of her magic and took out her pen and notebook. “Alright, hit me.”

He chuckled at the fact that that was her immediate response, and launched into the explanation.

“Green is happiness, safety, or contentment. It may also flare up when healing or using green SOUL magic. If I had expended much energy or focus when I explained turning a SOUL green, it may have lit my eyes. Green is rarely seen in a negative context, but it can be associated with hope for change or asking for help from another person, such as healing.

“Pink is surprise, or embarrassment. It may also show hesitation or anxiety.

“Red is associated with physical pain, but may also show up as resilience or fortitude despite injury or impending harm.

“Orange, like it, may show resilience in the face of hardship; a call for bravery. An act of defiance, perhaps. However, that is red-orange. A more neutral orange, or yellow-orange, is typically confusion, puzzlement, or, more rarely, betrayal. Using orange magic extensively may light one’s eyes, as with green. This goes for any colored magic.

“Yellow may show stress, fear, or a feeling of righteous indignation. Other times, however, yellow can convey a sense of absoluteness or surety in one’s actions.

“Violet is associated with need. It can also be fear, when it is less saturated in color, but it is fear more in the sense of helplessness. It more often expresses exhaustion or hunger; a display that one is in need of something in order to go on. It can also convey a frightened anger. Certain shades of violet can show sadness as well. It is one of the more versatile colors, like yellow.

“Blue, specifically light blue, is calm, but not in the sense of contentment, as with green. It is a calm in spite of something. A sense of waiting, of…” Something clicked in his mind. “Patience. A conscious decision to wait, to endure. For this, eyes may also glow light blue when highly stressed as an outlet.”

Asteri wrote as fast as she could to get all of that down. When she was finished, she looked up. “What about dark blue, like the color your eyes turned when you calmed me down in my kitchen?”

“Ah,” he hummed. “That is where context becomes important. A skeleton’s personal magic has its own color, similar to how monsters with flesh may have different color irises, hair, fur, or skin. Mine is the deep blue you saw. That is also why the hands I summon are blue. Contrary to what it may seem, my skill with gravity magic—that is, colored magic of the blue variety— is entirely unrelated. Thus, if I glow my eyes intentionally—” His eyelights lit up blue— “it is this color blue. In terms of meaning, though, it is similar to red in that it is a call to endure, but also to green in that it conveys a sense of calm. It is something akin to wholeness, a feeling of completeness… Importance. Community, perhaps? Deep affection for those around you.”

“Love,” Asteri supplied, the word tumbling out of her mouth before she even gave it a second thought.

Gaster stilled, the simple answer taking him by surprise, then slowly broke into a smile. “Yes, that’s it,” he signed slowly. “It is love. Selfless love, specifically.”

She thought it prudent not to comment on how appropriate that color was for the situation in the kitchen.

“That’s fascinating, Gaster,” she said softly, instead. It was always so enjoyable to listen to him. She always learned so much. Even if, yet again, she hadn’t gotten to talk with him about fonts.

Appropriately, his eyes turned green.

“Colors mixed together, flickering, or alternating can also change the meanings,” he added, “but again, context is necessary. Knowing those basics will allow you to understand the essence of what is being conveyed, even if not all of the nuance.”

“Thank you for the lesson. Mm, I should tell you more about shapeshifters sometime,” mused Asteri once she had finished writing everything down. “Since I’m learning so much about skeletons.”

“I would like that very much,” he agreed, perking up more.

“Well, it’s not like I have to be anywhere, if you want to hear now. Is there anything in particular you want to know?”

Gaster thought for a few moments, and Asteri took the opportunity to finish her second donut. It had a lemon drizzle on it, and it was delicious.

“Can you take any form, disregarding arms?”

She grinned and nodded. “Yeah. Want to see something weird?”

He didn’t say no, so she went ahead. Her features melted away and shifted around, and a moment later Gaster was looking at an almost-mirror image of himself. He made a startled noise.

“Oh, this is really weird,” she said in her own voice. Her jaw— his jaw— moved as she spoke. She wasn’t accustomed to speaking in a form like this so she used distortion magic to enunciate, which looked very strange

He shuddered, grimacing. “Stars above, that is not how teeth work.”

She laughed apologetically and let herself melt into something formless again, then into a familiar yellow lizard. “How’s this?”

“Quite good!” Gaster grinned, a little more relaxed. “Alphys has one more head spine, though.”

“Oh, whoops.” With a little melting, she moved the head spines around and added another one. “Better?”

“Perfect.”

Laughing again, Asteri melted once more and then returned to her regular form. “Good! Alphys is easier, I’ve been different types of lizards before. I’ve never been a skeleton. That was my first attempt.”

His brow bones rose. “That was impressive for a first attempt!” He looked to the side and tilted his head. “Highly unnerving, but impressive.”

“Thanks,” she chuckled, flicking her tail out behind her. “Sorry if that was too strange.”

“It was only a little strange,” Gaster admitted with an awkward smile. “It was odd to see another skeleton— but not bad!” he added quickly when he saw her eyes widen. “I know you are going to apologize, but there is no need. It was not odd in a bad way.”

She rubbed the back of her head with her tail. “Ahah… you know me well.”

He might have puffed up just a little at that. “May I ask more about shapeshifters?”

“Oh! Yeah, go for it.”

“I have two questions. Please answer whichever you like first. Can you become larger or smaller? And when you imitated Alphys and myself, you appeared to have arms. How is that?”

Asteri nodded. “Ah, right. Well, they weren’t real, functional arms. Did you notice how it looked like my clothes changed to look like yours? That was all part of me. The imitations were only that: imitations. I couldn’t walk around like that. Well, maybe as Alphys, but not for long. It was more like I shaped my magic around myself like a shell rather than created an actual, functional form.

“And no, I can’t change sizes… exactly.” She held a wing up. “These “wings” are all of my unused magic. Since I can’t form arms, I keep it wrapped around me like a cloak, and I can use it to grab things or gesture. But in essence, it’s all the bodily magic that isn’t being used as part of my current form. If I used all of what’s available to me, I would be huge. And I’m already pretty tall! So I can get bigger, yes… within reason. Getting smaller is more complicated. It would leave more magic left over, which I would have to do something with, so it would likely end up as part of my wings. I prefer to be bipedal, and I think the size I am now looks best in proportion to my wings, so that’s why I stay like this.”

“Fascinating,” Gaster signed, exhaling as he shook his head slightly in wonder. “May I ask why you chose the colors you did for your form?”

“Sure!” She took a sip of her drink and shifted to get more comfortable. “But you may be surprised how little of it was actually a choice. My parents were usually shades of purple and blue, so it’s sort of a default. Shapeshifters do have “base forms,” so to speak. We’re sort of goopy. Not sticky or anything, but kind of… gelatinous? But not totally transparent; complete colorlessness is super rare, I guess. And just like most other monsters, what your parents look like will affect how you look. My parents’ families tended toward cool colors: greens and blues and grays and purples. So this lavender color is actually more or less the color I am naturally. I did decide to make my hair and a few other features green, because I like the color. Sometimes it changes shades, though. My eyelights are purple too, but that wasn’t actually a conscious decision. It’s difficult to go completely white, but I can if I focus for a second.”

Her eyes turned white instead of their usual heliotrope.

“How does it look?”

“A bit unnerving,” Gaster confessed.

She chuckled and let them return to normal. “Yeah, I bet. I think they’re purple because the rest of me is, too. Maybe I’ll experiment with colors, I haven’t done that in a long time.”

Gaster tilted his head, brow bones furrowing slightly. “You are perfect as you are.”

Asteri’s eyebrows shot up, and she gave him an incredulous smile to hide the blush that crept back up her face. “Alright, Mr. Smooth-talker…. You sure you aren’t flirting with me?” she half-teased.

Watching him get flustered again was funnier when she knew he hadn’t meant it that way. “No! I meant that your form suits you! There is no need to change what is already—” His eyes went pink. “I merely intended to say that you need not worry about how you look! That… That is all. You look… like Asteri.”

“You’re sweet, Gaster,” she cooed, propping her head up on her wing. “I knew what you meant that time. Well. Sort of.”

He covered his face with both hands, then dragged them down his skull. “I apologize. I do not know what is wrong with me today.”

“Don’t sweat it. I’m feeling a little off myself. There’s one last thing, if you’re still interested.”

“Yes, please.” Anything to change the subject.

“So, when I melt, I’m mostly purple still, right? Well, if I melt completely, I’m actually more like a gradient. Purple in the center, around my SOUL, and then it fades to this blue-green the further away it goes. So my working theory is that the more “solid” magic is this lavender color, and the magic that’s easier for me to manipulate is this.” She wiggled her other wing. “So all the easier-to-manipulate magic subconsciously ends up together in my wings, rather than being intermingled with the rest of me. It can become solid, and it turns purple then, or whatever color, but this is sort of the color it is “at rest.” Which is also why the hands I make are green. They’re not “summoned” so much as “materialized,” since most of my extra magic is around me at all times.”

“That is very, very interesting.” Gaster studied her wings from across the table. “I did not know other monsters’ “extra” magic was colored, I thought it was only skeletons.”

“Maybe you should study biology next,” she offered with a snicker.

“Perhaps I should.” He thought for a moment. “That is a good idea, actually. Magical biology has much bearing on what I am working on. I know enough for the project, of course, but studying how various monsters’ magic works may be beneficial.”

“Oh?” She hadn’t expected him to agree. “What, like study their magic compared to their bullets or something?”

He perked up and pointed at her. “That is an excellent idea!” He pulled a pen out of his coat pocket and scribbled something on a napkin. Asteri only got a glimpse before he tucked it away, but she couldn’t read any of it.

“You have terrible handwriting, Gaster, yikes.”

His head snapped up so quickly she thought it would go flying off his neck. He looked mortified. Maybe it was a touchy subject. She immediately tried to backpedal.

“N-Not that there’s anything wrong with that! As long as you can read it, that’s all that matters!!”

His eyelights flicked to the side, pink and yellow magic blurring along with them. After a moment of uncertainty, he answered, “I am… a little self-conscious about it.” His signing was slower, more unsure. “Usually I write more… legibly. But I tend to forego that discipline when writing to myself.”

Discipline? Maybe she misunderstood his signing. Either way, she shook her head. “Uh, hey, don’t sweat it. I’m not judging you. I shouldn’t have commented on it, I’m sorry. Nothing wrong with writing however is quick and easy if it’s just a note to yourself.”

He just nodded.

Well, this was going nowhere. He had all but shut down, his eyes were still pink— she was guessing anxiety and embarrassment— and he was sweating bullets. Ah, bullets. Yes. She should change the subject.

“So, um. How would you compare a monster’s magic to their bullets?” She summoned a small one of her own and let it hover above her held-out wing with a big smile. “I made ones that look like asterisks! Isn’t that fun?”

He looked up at the bullet for a moment, just blinking. “You… made it look like an asterisk?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, I thought it was sort of funny, considering my name and their uses as footnotes, and for marking reconstructed or hypothetical words in linguistics. Though I guess that last part is more of an inside joke—”

“No, I meant: you consciously decided what your bullets would look like?”

Asteri blinked at him, face blank, then slowly her mouth pulled in a sheepish smile and she stared down at her lap, letting the bullet disperse. “Is… Is this one of those things that I think everybody does, like biting each other, but it’s actually just a shapeshifter thing?”

“I—” He squinted at her. “I want to ask about the biting, but we can come back to that. Yes, most monsters do not consciously shape their bullets. Mine, for example, are almost exclusively bones. As were most skeletons’. I can change their size, damage output, and orientation, but I cannot change their shape.”

“Oh…” She frowned in thought. “Really?”

“Really.”

“Huh…”

He pulled the napkin back out and wrote on it again. Though, this time he held a hand between her and it so she couldn’t see. She must have really hurt his feelings. She’d have to figure out how to make it up to him.

“I am curious about what you said about shapeshifters biting each other, though,” Gaster prompted once he had put the napkin away again and moved to stand, one brow bone raised.

Asteri smiled anxiously as she stood to follow him to the door. They waved to the man behind the counter before she responded.

“Well! Um. We don’t— well, my family didn’t have lips. Usually. So I never saw my parents kiss, they always just… you know… bit each other.” She shrugged, still clearly awkward about it with the way she was smiling and looking everywhere but at him. “Like a little nibble! Not a chomp or anything!” That was probably more like bedroom stuff. She shuddered. Gross. The last thing she wanted to think about was her dead parents’ intimate life. “Just wherever was convenient: cheek, shoulder, neck…”

She expected him to look alarmed, like most people (including all two of her past partners, as brief as they had been in her life). Instead, he just nodded thoughtfully, looking off somewhere in the distance. “Biting as kissing. That makes a great deal of sense. I am surprised I did not see more skeletons do that.”

She swallowed. “What… did skeletons do to show affection?”

He looked back to her and smiled, fond memories that she couldn’t see playing in his eyes. “We tapped our skulls together. Romantically, yes, but also between family or friends.”

She wondered who he was remembering. His parents? Siblings, maybe? Dear friends? A partner? It dawned on her then that he might have lost children. God. How awful! She desperately hoped that was not the case.

“That sounds really nice,” she said instead. Bumping heads sounded more than nice, actually. She should focus on that. “I think there’s a shortage of physical affection between friends. As a culture, we should have more of that. Physical displays of affection are not inherently romantic!”

His grin widened. “I agree completely.”

Maybe he was thinking along the same line that she was. “Were there any particulars? Like, facing each other was romantic, but from the side was platonic, for example?”

“No. Though, naturally, facing each other could be more intimate. It was not necessarily though.”

“Was it specifically for greetings or goodbyes, or could it be anytime?”

“Anytime it felt right.”

Asteri smiled lopsidedly and leaned toward him. “May I, then, my friend?”

His eye practically turned into stars and lit up green. He leaned down to meet her. “Please.”

They tapped their heads together, his forehead against the top of hers. It only lasted a second, but both of them felt giddy.

“I have not done that in years,” Gaster confessed with a pleased laugh that squinted his eye sockets shut. “I forgot what a pleasant gesture it is.”

It was, too. Just enough to feel important. Not as impersonal as a handshake, but not as vulnerable as a hug. “I liked it,” Asteri agreed. “We should do it to Alphys.”

He giggled. “Good idea! I hope she will be agreeable to it.”

“I think she will be.”

They had started walking, slowly. Since they were all the way in the capital, she should probably head home soon. But, like always, she didn’t want their time to end yet. She hummed a sigh and swung her wings. “It’s too bad I live so far away. It’s like there’s never enough time.”

Gaster hummed softly, silent in thought for a moment, then seemed to settle on a decision. “Asteri,” he began, uncertain. “If I promise to go home and sleep at a reasonable time, would you mind terribly if I accompanied you on your way home?”

The thought was nice, but… “Gaster, you live right by this shop, I’m in the middle of Waterfall. That’s nice of you, but even with the ferry, that’s just too far. You’d have to turn around as soon as we reached my house if you wanted to get home at a decent time. And I know you work tomorrow.”

“Did you know that collapsed stars are so dense, they are thought to affect the fabric of spacetime?”

She squinted, then broke into a knowing smile. “That’s fascinating, but trying to get me wrapped up in something else so we can start walking in that direction without me noticing won’t work. I’ve got another friend who does that. Nice try.”

“No, I am getting at something,” he insisted. “Truly.”

He looked so unsure, it was a little unsettling. Asteri nodded. “Alright… go on.”

He took a breath. “Objects with large amounts of mass have more gravity. Spacetime is like fabric, and things like planets and stars are like marbles sitting atop it. They dip into it, warp it. A gravity field, ultimately, curves spacetime. So if one were to manipulate gravity just so, one could “fold” the fabric of spacetime and jump to another location.”

She blinked. He waved his hands as if to clear his previous explanation away. “Imagine this instead.” The blue hands appeared and held the edge of his lab coat out taut. He located two stray sprinkles from the donuts and stuck them to his coat a few inches apart. Next, he made a fist and gently pushed against the fabric. “It dips,” he explained with yet another pair of hands. “The pressure of my fist on the fabric is like gravity on spacetime. See those two sprinkles? Watch them.”

“Alright,” Asteri murmured. “I’m watching.”

“If I push harder, it pulls the fabric downward.” He did just that, and when the fabric was too taut to stretch, he moved the edges of it inward with the extra pair of hands. He kept going until his fist was all but enveloped in the fabric. “See how the sprinkles are now closer together?”

She nodded.

“Those are points in spacetime. With enough gravity, they get “closer,” even though there is technically just as much fabric between them.”

“I think I understand,” Asteri said. “What are you getting at, though?”

He smiled, lopsided and still a bit hesitant, and all the blue hands disappeared as he went back to signing regularly. “If one can generate enough gravity, one can affect spacetime. If the gravity is high enough, two points in space can be brought close enough together to travel in less time.”

He watched her for a response, his hesitant smile becoming a nervous grin.

It dawned on her. “And you can manipulate gravity. Hang on—” Asteri held one wing out and dragged the other across her face. “Gaster. Gaster. Are you- Are you implying that you can teleport‽”

He giggled.

“Yes?”

The sheepish look, like he had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar rather than had just told her he could do something largely considered impossible, was simultaneously endearing and infuriating.

“You’re offering to TELEPORT me home‽”

Actually he had meant that he would walk with her, and then teleport himself home later, but the excited glimmer in her eyes that she was trying to hide beneath her incredulity was too much. He shrugged one shoulder and let his grin stretch.

“If you would like?”

She had to bite her tongue to not instantly scream yes. “Please,” she said instead, though that barely restrained her excitement. “That would be so cool.”

Her enthusiasm was beyond endearing. “You will have to hold onto me,” he prefaced. “Tightly. The closer we are, the most smoothly it will go.”

“I can flatten, if that’s better?” Asteri offered, already beginning to spread her magic out. She could wrap around him like a piece of paper, if that was what it took. But he stopped her with a shake of his head.

“No, no, that isn’t necessary. I have taken others with me before, there is no need to change shape.”

“Oh, even better.” Within a matter of seconds she reverted to her usual form. “I’ll try to stay solid, though… in case part of me falls off or something.”

Gaster frowned in thought and rubbed his chin. It should be fine, but… “Just in case,” he agreed.

She focused, and her body fused together. She rolled her head on her neck afterward. “It feels so weird to make my actual form this solid. How do you deal with such a limited range of motion?”

He scrunched up his face. “I have never seen you turn your head especially far…”

Asteri smirked. “Would you like to?”

He tilted his head and returned the smirk. “Would you like to see me remove mine?”

She laughed. “Sure. Here, hang on. Let me turn around. Alright, count of three. One, two…”

She let her magic loosen from her neck—

“…Three!”

— and spun her head 180°. Just in time to see Gaster pop his head off and hold it in his hand. She shrieked in a mixture of surprise and amusement, and he gave a startled giggle. Several passersby did spit takes.

They returned their heads to the way they ought to be and laughed.

“Not many people take well to me doing that,” Asteri confessed.

“Not a single person in the underground thinks it funny when I remove my head either.”

“You do it that often?” she asked, snickering.

“Well, no…”

“That may be for the best, actually.”

“I am glad that you, at least, enjoyed it. We should get going, though. This way.” He led her around the side of a building. “It is better to do out of sight; less questions. As you are no doubt aware, this is not a common ability.”

“Ah, right.”

Once they were away from the main thoroughfare, she moved closer. After making sure she was all in once piece, she nodded. “Alright. How close should I be?”

He shuffled closer. And then closer still. “You will have to hang onto me.”

Oh, that was right, he had said that. “Just…?” She held her wings out.

“Yes. And I will hold onto you, also. Just so you are aware.” He looked a little unsure. “We will be very close.”

Was he uncomfortable with it? She hoped not, but maybe she should check. “Well… I don’t mind if you don’t?”

“I do not mind, I just did not want you to be uncomfortable, after the… misunderstanding earlier.”

She almost snorted. “It’s not a problem, Gaster, don’t worry about it.”

He nodded once and took a breath. “Alright then, here we go.”

They pressed their sides together and she wrapped her wings around him, her tail winding around his hips. Both of his arms curled around her torso. He seemed to realize that she didn’t exactly have shoulders that he could hold easily, so he needed to hold around her waist. They ended up mostly facing each other.

It’s not a big deal Asteri, it’s just for safety. …But good lord, when was the last time anyone held me?

“Ready?” A pair of blue hands asked.

“Ready.”

And the world shifted, blurred, darkening until it seemed it couldn’t possibly get any darker yet somehow it did, until was nothing but pitch black. In a matter of seconds, the bright light of New Home had given way to nothingness. It was the deepest, emptiest dark she had ever known. That such nothingness could even exist was beyond her. Asteri couldn’t see anything, anything, not even the glow of her wings. She couldn’t see her own magic! What was happening!? She was alone…! There was nothing. Nothing. It felt like she couldn’t breathe. Her breathing shuddered. She couldn’t breathe! The absolute and perfect darkness panicked her, and she cried out, grip tightening around the only solid thing there was to hold onto.

And then she was held closer in turn. The feeling of arms tightening around her pulled a gasp from her lungs.

“G-G-Gaster? Gaster?? Wh-Where- Where- Where are you‽” She could feel him holding her, still, that hadn’t changed, but in her panic she wasn’t thinking.

She heard a hum. No real melody, just a hum, but it was a familiar voice, close to her head. Close to her. Close to her. A voice, right there. Her breathing evened out, and she relaxed slightly. Gaster was with her. She wasn’t alone.

He tugged her, gently, in a direction, still humming, and they walked— carefully, awkwardly— toward what she soon realized was a teeny, tiny speck of light, very far away. But the darkness gave way to that light far more swiftly than she expected, and soon she could make out the cave that held her house, in Waterfall, within the light. Despite seeing it, she still couldn’t see herself or Gaster, like the light didn’t reach them somehow. But they reached it, and suddenly they were stepping out into the green-blue grass near her house.

She looked around frantically, still clinging to Gaster. The darkness was gone. She looked down. She could see herself. Her eyes flitted upward, and she realized Gaster was looking down at her with immense concern and, it looked like, guilt. His eyes were rapidly flickering between deep blue, yellow, violet, and red-orange. It took another second for her to realize that a pair of blue hands were signing near her.

“—SO sorry, are you alright??”

“I-I’m okay.” Her voice came out weaker than she meant for it to. “I didn’t catch… what you were saying. I’m sorry, um. J-Just give me a second?”

He gave her as long as she needed, which ended up being closer to a solid minute, after which she realized she was still clinging to him for dear life and disentangled herself, embarrassed.

“Are you alright?” he asked again, worry clear on his face.

“Yeah… Just, um. Just a little rattled.” The wording occurred to her only after she said it aloud, and her head snapped up. “UH! Sorry, not sure if that’s, um. O-Offensive??”

He shook an arm back and forth, rattling his bones. “Not at all.” She smiled a little at that, and he relaxed a little in turn.

Still, he practically dripped with guilt. “Asteri, I am so, profusely sorry for not warning you about the dark. I was so preoccupied with explaining how it works that I neglected to mention that strong enough gravity bends light. I am accustomed to it, but I should have warned you.”

“That was scary,” she admitted quietly, and hated how juvenile it sounded. “It was like it got dark, then even darker.” She wrapped her wings around herself. “I’ve never been unable to see my own magic before.”

He met her eyes. “I am sorry for putting you in a situation that made you afraid.”

The urge to deflect was strong, but once again, the look on his face silenced her before she could even speak. His eyes glowed ultramarine for her. Earnest, always. Never a modicum of condescension or mockery. She had been afraid. “Can we go inside?”

He nodded, and they went to the door. It was dark inside when she opened it; she immediately looked down at her wings. Still visible. Thank god. She wanted to cast some kind of fire magic, but she was embarrassed that the darkness of her own home had her so afraid. She knew where the light switch was, could have found it with her eyes closed, so instead of summoning fire, she took a deep breath to steel herself and then made a beeline for it. The lights came on, and she sagged against the wall in relief. Gaster stepped over the threshold and, after slipping his shoes off, approached her and crouched beside her where she had slid down the wall.

“Asteri…”

She looked up at him with some unnamable, weak emotion. “Gaster?” God, her voice sounded so pathetic.

“Let’s get you off the ground.”

He held out his arms, but she shook her head. “I’m too shaky,” she whispered.

“May I lift you then? With blue magic?”

She paused, unsure, then nodded.

“This will probably feel strange.”

There was a ting sound, and suddenly she felt heavy.

“You are blue now. Just relax.”

He stood. Slowly, she lifted off the ground. The whole time, she kept her wide eyes fixed on Gaster’s continually glowing blue ones. He moved her over near her couch, walking as he did so that he was never more than a few feet away. Once there, he lowered her to her feet, holding out his arms. She fell against him once he released her SOUL. This time she didn’t bother with dignity, she just wrapped her wings and tail around him and pressed her face into his shoulder.

She was still shaking, Gaster noted as he brought his arms around her.

He gave her a second, then carefully moved them until they were sitting on the couch. She clung to him like he might disappear if she let go.

“Can you… hum again? It’s okay if you don’t w—”

He didn’t let her finish, just hummed whatever tune he could think of. She relaxed a little. He wished he could offer her more than humming.

“Are your eyes open?” he signed with blue hands behind his shoulder after a minute or two. He wanted to check if she could see him signing before he tried to say anything. She nodded.

“I don’t wanna close them…”

His heart clenched. He supposed some took better to the darkness of tessering (or “teleporting”), but nobody had even been this affected. Then again, the only people he had taken with him before were Alphys, one of his old lab assistants, and… Well, that was it. He really should have thought this through instead of acting on impulse just to spend more time with her.

“I’m so sorry.”

“Not mad at you,” she mumbled into his sweater. “J-Just. Scared. I don’t even know why.”

“You do not need to have an explanation.”

“Gaster?” She hesitated, then asked, “Could you… do that with your eyes again?”

“Of course.”

His eyes actually had never stopped glowing from the moment Asteri had begun to panic during the tesser, but she couldn’t see him then; all light was pulled away. But he knew what she meant in asking him this. She pulled away, but didn’t completely let go of him. He made no move to let go of her, either. He waited until she looked up at him, then flared his eyes even brighter. Deep shades of blue whirled like eddies.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

He didn’t sign anything, only nodded and hummed another slow tune and let her watch his eyes as long as she needed.

After a few minutes, she had stopped trembling and seemed to have mostly come back to herself. Once she looked away on her own, he let his magic fade. For a regular skeleton, the whole ordeal would have been exhausting. Using gravity magic to bend spacetime, using it again to lift her so delicately, glowing his eyes so brightly for so long, and summoning hands over and over— those things together expended a lot of energy.

For a regular skeleton.

But she didn’t need to know that.

“You have beautiful magic,” she muttered as she finally relaxed back against the couch. Their shoulders pressed together, but he didn’t mind. It seemed like the contact was helping her.

“Thank you.” His eyes glowed a soft, pale green. “I am quite proud of it.”

“No I mean… the stuff that comes naturally. Your eyes.”

His cheekbones and eyelights dusted with pink and he smiled, unsure what do with such a personal, genuine compliment. “Thank you… very much,” was all he managed to say, along with: “Your wings are quite stunning too.”

That warmed her face along with her heart. After another few minutes, she spoke again. “Gaster, you’re a really good friend.”

“Aha,” he chuckled humorlessly. “I do not feel like it after frightening you like this. But thank you.”

“You are though. You keep taking care of me. C’mere.” She pushed herself upward and managed to tap her head against the side of his. The smile it earned when he turned to meet her eyes again was worth the slight exertion.

“You take care of me too.”

“Bullying someone into eating well and making him sandwiches one or twice a week don’t count as taking care of somebody,” Asteri argued with a little smile that betrayed the way his words had warmed her.

“But creating two disasters and then trying to make up for them does?”

She laughed, and the sound made his SOUL feel lighter. “Well when you say it like that…! Maybe we’re both just a little bit of a mess.”

“Only a little,” he agreed with a quiet laugh.

They leaned back against each other, and the ensuing silence was amicable.

“Really though,” Asteri murmured after another few moments. “Thank you for everything you’ve done to calm me down and reassure me. I don’t even know what it was about the darkness that scared me, really. It was just… all-encompassing. It was darker than dark. I’ve never, ever been in total darkness. Maybe that was it. I always have leftover magic, my wings always glow at least a little. But in that… place, I couldn’t even see my own magic.”

Gaster nodded slowly. ““Darker than dark.” That is a good way to describe it.” He let a moment of stillness pass. “I do not know if it is a comfort or not, but so long as we were touching, you were in no danger.”

She looked up at him.

“It is easier to affect the gravity around a smaller area, which is why I said we needed to be so close. If you had pulled away, though, so long as I could still feel where you were, I could bend it in a larger radius around you. It is merely more effort and concentration, but it would not have hurt you.” He wouldn’t have let it.

“What if… someone stepped outside the radius?” She asked quietly, not sure she wanted to know the answer. “What if someone got lost?”

He shook his head slowly. “In truth, I do not know.”

It was probably best not to dwell on it.

“How do you know where to go if you can’t see anything?”

“Hmm…” How to explain it? “I need to know which two points I am traveling between. I cannot do it without a set destination. Otherwise, I would not know the exact way to manipulate gravity. It is much easier to do when I have already traveled to a specific location.”

“Like creasing paper,” Asteri suggested.

He stilled. Creasing paper. Now there was something he had never considered. “I meant that it was a familiar feeling, a better sense of how much gravity to use. But the notion that repeated travel creases spacetime, creates paths that are easier to follow with each subsequent use… that has fascinating implications.”

“Hopefully good ones,” Asteri murmured. “Creased paper is hard to write on, and you can never quite smooth it out again. Would that be… bad? For spacetime? Like if things got caught in the creases?”

What an intriguing concept. He hummed in thought.

“Because… you said collapsed stars warp spacetime, that things with a lot of gravity dip it. I don’t know much about outer space, but aren’t stars actually really, really big?”

He nodded.

“Then…” She pressed the end of her tail against a couch cushion. “They do something like this, right? Make a curve over a large area?” Another nod from him. “Then isn’t what you’re doing more like pinching spacetime? Not curving it?”

He raised his brows and gave a slow, conceding nod. “That is… not incorrect.”

“Is spacetime like lycra? Or like linen?”

He frowned in confusion and looked to her. “What do you mean?”

“Because stretchy material is hard to crease, it goes back to its shape. But linen wrinkles and creases so easily it’s infuriating.”

“I believe it must be fairly elastic,” he answered after a moment of thought. “Or else the movement of small celestial bodies would create permanent effects.”

“Hmm…”

Then again, smaller objects typically had less gravity. ‘Small (relatively speaking) object with a great deal of gravity’ would be approaching the description of a stellar remnant. But she didn’t need to worry about all that. He would do more research on it when he got the chance. For the time being…

“I think that with as long as I have been doing this, it is reasonable to call it safe for the universe at large. I am not the only monster to ever discover a way to traverse a distance in less time.”

“That does make me feel better,” Asteri admitted.

“Good.” He sat up a little, and she did too. “Have you recovered from our travels?”

She stretched and nodded as she began to yawn. “Yeah. I think so. Thank you. Do you want something more to eat? All we had was donuts.”

He waved his hands, “I don’t want to trouble you after all of that.”

“No, it’s no trouble. I would end up cooking for myself anyway.” She stood up and gestured with her head toward the kitchen. “Come keep me company. But I’m doing the cooking.”

That drew a dry laugh from him. “That is probably for the best. I am sorry I cannot help more.”

“Your company is plenty of help. Come on. I was going to make youvarlakia. It sounds… really nice after everything. It’s a soup. I think you’ll like it.”

Asteri cooked, and Gaster followed her around the kitchen, handing her things and making lighthearted conversation about people at work and silly things that had happened. She told him about some of her friends, in turn, and things they had gotten up to in the past.

“They sound like they are a great deal of fun to be around,” Gaster said as she finished a story about one of their last get-togethers. “I would like to meet them one day.”

She laughed. “They would flip. They still don’t believe that I’m friends with you, they think it’s some kind of drawn-out prank.” Granted, she hadn’t talked with them much in the past month or two, so there hadn’t been much opportunity to tell them more details.

“I still do not understand that,” he said with a huff as he helped set the table. “I am only a person. People speak about meeting the king with more nonchalance than they do me.”

“The king isn’t known as a recluse, or the underground’s most brilliant mind.”

His eyelights flicked away, faintly pink. “Hmph.”

“Alphys has mentioned some of her friends too. We should all meet sometime,” suggested Asteri as she dished out the soup.

He tugged at his turtleneck as the sat down, looking uneasy. “That sounds like a… greater than average number of persons.”

Oh, he didn’t like big groups. That made sense. “It doesn’t have to be everyone at once,” she offered instead. “We could just meet one or two people at a time.” She brought her spoon to her mouth to taste the youvarlakia. Ah, delicious. She loved that lemony tang.

“That would be preferable,” Gaster admitted. Turning his attention to the bowl in front of him, he tried the soup. It was thick, and savory, and warmed him from the inside. He smiled. “This is delicious. I was unsure what it would taste like, but it is wonderful.”

Asteri beamed. “Aww, thank you! I’m glad you think our supper tastes… soup-er.”

He snorted mid-bite and almost choked. She laughed.

“My family used to make it after trips to Snowdin,” she continued once he recovered. “Sometimes I just make it because it sounds good, even though never gets very cold here. It’s better with bread, but I didn’t make any this time.”

“I have not visited Snowdin in a long time…” He took another bite and then set his spoon down to sign. “Mm! If you make this again, may I have some? I can pay you for it—”

She reached around the table with her tail and smacked his hand. “You aren’t paying me for anything. Absolutely not. A meal with a friend is its own reward.”

He giggled sheepishly. “Alright. I admit…” His eyes roamed around the room, took in the light and the warmth and the feeling of being there. “…This is much better than eating alone.”

Asteri laughed in agreement and raised her spoon. “Exactly! That’s the spirit! “Better scraps shared with love than a feast shared with loneliness.””

His smile couldn’t get much wider. “Here we have the best of both: a feast, and good company.”

She beamed and lifted her bowl. “To good friends, and terrible jokes!”

He laughed and lifted his bowl in agreement. “Hear hear!”

- - - -

TADA

So, yeah, I know, kind of a weird place to end, but after putting Asteri through that I wanted to leave it on a high note.

I FEEL LIKE I SHOULD LIST SOME REFERENCES! Number one is Handplates, which is where the concept of bone-rattling, Gaster’s blue magic hands (along with ten being the upper limit of how many he can summon at a time), and eyeglowing is from. Though my take on it is a bit different. Glowing various colors happens more often (at least for Gaster), and I changed the meanings of some of the colors. But I really liked the idea that it helped skeletons who had more fixed features emote. However, I also love the idea of highly expressive skeletons, so I borrowed the idea of distortion magic from @ asktheasterfamily! I loved their Gaster, he’s great. (I should reread that sometime…) “Tessering” is a direct reference to A Wrinkle in Time, one of my favorite books as a kid. If you’re wondering how that kind of gravity doesn’t affect everything else around them, especially in such a small space, the answer is, “don’t worry about it.” Something something magic, [insert explanation.]

Oh, also!! Alphys’ favorite anime is Sailor Moon because Mew Mew Kissy Cutie hasn’t been made/released yet.

I felt like I couldn’t fully express just how much and why Asteri was affected so much by the darkness while tessering, but if you can imagine perfect darkness in every direction with no sense of up and down… yeah. Oh, and now imagine that you’ve never been completely immersed in regular darkness before because you glow naturally. Yeah.

She and Gaster are in that awkward friend stage where you’re not sure if the strong feeling of really really liking someone and wanting to be around them all the time is platonic or romantic. Hence all the awkwardness. I guess that isn’t a universal experience, but it sure has been a consistent thread through most of my friendships. So, yeah, no. No real romance yet!! Just the awkward beginnings of a deep friendship~ (Which is the basis of romance anyway.)

Okay wrapping this up, there’s a lot of stuff in here that sets up future events and plots points!! But it might not be the things you expect… ;)

Thanks for reading!! I absolutely love screaming in the tags or replies (YOU ESPECIALLY BENANA), so if you haven’t commented but feel inclined to, don’t be shy!! Even a “!!!” is appreciated. Maybe I should just post this on ao3 man idk

I’ll be working on part 8 soon!!

#WOO IT’S DONE #But as always I’ll probably edit it later pfft #OH AND PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THE COLORED TEXT IS HARD TO READ AND I’LL CHANGE IT #Asteri backstory #(gonna make another poll for the title soon) #seeker writes #seeker oc #asteri #gaster #⁂ gaster #long post #good lord this is SO long #⁂ fic #⁂