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ladykailitha · 5 months

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Royal Pain Part 28

Hello! This is the last chapter before the epilogue. I'm so grateful for everyone who's still reading this little big story. Longest thing I've ever written. It caps out at nearly 60k words. I want to thank the people who have been reading this since day one and all the people that joined us for the ride along the way.

I love reading your comments and theories. I especially loved reading the freak outs over cliffhangers and the abuse I piled on our poor boys. But I am a sucker for happy endings.

Also a little treat for @goodolefashionedloverboi who wanted this way back in part 21.

Pt 1 Pt 2 Pt 3 Pt 4 Pt 5 Pt 6 Pt 7 Pt 8 Pt 9 Pt 10 Pt 11 Pt 12 Pt 13 Pt 14 Pt 15 Pt 16 Pt 17 Pt 18 Pt 19 Pt 20 Pt 21 Meta Pt 22 Pt 23 Pt 24 Pt 25 Pt 26 Pt 27

***

“Steve!” Robin called out. “Your boyfriend is here!”

Steve came running out of the back room. His grin nearly split his face in two.

He lifted Eddie up and spun him around. Eddie laughed out loud.

“Put me down, you menace!” Eddie said between gasps of giggles.

Steve gently put him down. And then kissed him right in front of Robin.

Who promptly fake gagged.

“Shush you,” Steve said. “You should be grateful I didn’t let him keep me in bed this morning.”

Robin gasped. “Betrayal! And in front of my coffee no less!” She covered her coffee with her hands as if to shield it from the scene in front of her.

Eddie laughed. “Sorry there Birdie, it was a very near thing. I had to be bribed!”

She shook her head. “Go on, get! Before you ruin my coffee with your sugary sweetness.”

Steve and Eddie just smiled and walked back to Steve’s room, hands in each other’s back pockets.

Once they got to the room, Eddie was all over Steve. Hands tangled in his hair, lips on that perfect mouth. Gripping the back of Eddie’s shirt was all he could do to keep upright.

“Baby,” Eddie whined when they finally broke apart. “I missed you so much. I promise to never leave you like that again.”

Steve nuzzled their noses together and sighed happily. “I know, Eds. I missed you too.”

Eddie stepped back to take off his shirt and Steve scanned over the expanse of his chest.

Eddie caught the look and grinned. “No new tattoos, sweetheart. I don’t trust anyone else but you.”

Steve blushed. “That’s nice to hear, beautiful. But I was just ogling my boyfriend.”

Eddie laughed. “Yeah, okay that’s fair.” He walked over the chair and straddled it, resting his head on his folded arms.

“Let’s get this bad boy done, shall we?” Steve sighed happily.

“Sure thing, darlin’,” Eddie murmured. “Can’t wait.”

Steve started up his gun and got to work. All the while they chatted about the lighter stuff of the last three weeks. Eddie caught up on all the shop gossip.

“Honestly,” Steve said, “if Robin doesn’t pick soon, she’s going to be in the world’s most awkward polycule.”

Eddie laughed. “She’ll figure it out. But I guess Birdie really has a thing for redheads.”

Steve chuckled too. “Oh, yeah. Pretty much always had. Except once with Nancy back in high school. But that was more a ‘everyone had a crush on Nancy’ thing then a specific crush.”

Eddie hummed. “You said you had a thing for curly haired smart people with soulful eyes. You were talking about me too, right?”

Steve huffed out a laugh. “Oh yeah. I’m not a subtle person when it comes to my crushes. Pretty much everyone figures it out before I do. Except in your case. I’ve had a crush on you since high school.”

“Me too, Stevie.”

“It’s about time we got our heads out of our asses, then.”

Eddie murmured his agreement and they settled into a comfortable silence.

Robin was still going to kick Eddie’s ass for making Steve sad for two weeks, but after hearing it from him how much he hated touring and how much he missed Steve, she forgave him for the most part. He sounded like he had been more miserable than Steve and that was honestly saying something.

So she went to Corroded Coffin’s return concert at the Nightmare Holes and cheered loudly for them.

She also knew she had to chose between Chrissy and Vickie soon otherwise they were going to have a cat fight.

But Robin didn’t want to chose. She liked the attention from both girls plus it would be super awkward if she chose Vickie and Chrissy stayed at the shop. But it would also be awkward working with Vickie at the front desk if she picked Chrissy.

It was a mess.

But then a lightbulb dawned over her head. Maybe she didn’t have to chose.

She spoke to them on their way to the club and ended up dancing with both of them all night.

Steve waved at the rest of the band as Eddie dragged him to his car, eager to get back to Steve’s apartment.

Steve laughed as Eddie shoved him into the passenger seat of his own car and got in the driver’s seat.

“Someone’s in a hurry there,” Steve teased.

“Stevie darling,” Eddie said. “I am vibrating out of my skin here with anticipation and if I don’t see that tattoo of yours soon, I’m might go absolutely feral. Do you understand?”

He laughed. “Yeah, baby, I hear you.”

Eddie breathed out and drove to the apartment. They walked up the stairs and once the door was closed behind they were all over each other. Hands and mouths all over as they tumbled onto the sofa.

Shirts were the first to fly, Steve careful with Eddie’s still healing tattoo.

“Baby,” Eddie whined. “Is your tattoo healed?”

Steve wiggled underneath him. “For the most part, it’s been about two weeks.”

Eddie let out another whine. “This won’t hurt you?”

Steve shook his head. “The scab is already gone. I heal fast.”

Eddie undid Steve’s jeans and slid them down his legs. He looked up at Steve for permission for the final layer of clothes to be removed. Steve nodded and lifted his hips for Eddie to slide off his underwear.

Eddie gasped when he saw it.

His thumb gently rubbed over the tattoo. It wasn’t very large, about the size of a half dollar. It was a simple heart with bat wings and a little crown.

“Baby, is this us?” he asked, breathless.

Steve nodded. “Yeah, do you like it?”

“I love it, sweetheart,” Eddie whispered. “And when my back is done, I am going to get it done on me, too.”

Steve’s eyes glistened with happy tears. “Okay, yeah. Suddenly I need that.”

Eddie kissed him deeply. “Me, too. I need you so much.”

They got Eddie’s pants and underwear off and Steve moaned at the long, graceful lines of his boyfriend’s lean body.

“Fuck, Eds,” Steve murmured. “I can’t wait to taste you.”

Eddie threw his head back and moaned. They had to be careful with Eddie’s still healing back, but they managed to make do and had a great time.

Once they had cleaned up and dressed, Steve began making dinner.

“So how did your meeting with Murray Bauman go?” he asked as he fried up the chicken for fajitas.

“It went great,” Eddie said. “Cec is still going to bring the contract to one of his law professors to make sure he didn’t miss any hidden bullshit, but yeah. It seems like Corroded Coffin is going to make an EP.”

Steve hummed. “And that different than a full record, right?”

“Yeah,” Eddie said, nodding. “It’s about five songs. But it’s what most new artists get. The record company doesn’t want to spend a boat load of money on an LP only for the band to not go anywhere.”

“That makes sense,” Steve murmured. “And you guys are going to keep working at the Nightmare Holes?”

Eddie nodded again. “Yeah, and if the record hits big, we can renegotiate our contract with Rick to get more money each week.”

“That’s great,” Steve said with a smile.

“And you and your genius schedule is going to work out great,” Eddie said with an answering grin. “They’ll even send a car for us every time, too.”

“Wow,” Steve said. “That’s awesome. Looks like I’m going have a rockstar boyfriend.”

“A perfect compliment to my tattoo artist boyfriend.”

Steve came over to where Eddie was seated at the table to kiss him. “Perfect indeed.”

They had dinner and sat down to watch a movie. They curled up on the sofa and just enjoyed each other’s company. Like they had so many times before.

Other than the sex, they were still Eddie and Steve. They still enjoyed the same movies, food, and music that they did before they got together.

They were just finally on the same page.

Once the movie was over, Eddie pulled out his guitar.

“You ready for this, baby?” he asked as Steve turned to face him on the couch.

Eddie played the first song he wrote on the road, the one that made Jeff and the others cry.

Tears streamed down Steve’s cheeks, too. “I’m sorry you were so lonely, Eds. I’m glad you’re home now.”

“Me too, sweetheart,” he murmured. “But I think you’ll like this one more.”

And he play the most beautiful, heart-stoppingly romantic song Steve had ever heard and it was for him. About them. And he was crying for a completely different reason now.

“Sunshine,” Steve said through his tears. “That was amazing. They both were. Thank you for sharing them with me.”

Eddie kissed him fiercely over the guitar. “Just you wait, Stevie. You’re going to get a life time of sappy love songs.”

“And I’ll cherish every single one.”

They got ready for bed and snuggled up together, falling asleep in each other’s arms.

The next morning led to morning sex, showers, and breakfast, never too far apart.

They were getting ready for a walk in the park when they got to witness a Robin Buckley walk of shame.

She opened the door and jumped when she saw them. “Shit!”

Eddie and Steve shared a glance.

“And what time do you call this, young lady,” Eddie teased.

Robin blushed all the way to her roots. She pulled out her phone. “Uh...11:13am?”

Eddie cackled as Steve grinned.

“And which lovely lady did you go home with last night?” Steve asked.

Robin’s blush deepened. “Both?”

Eddie and Steve glanced at each other again.

“You want to repeat that?” Eddie asked.

She shrugged. “I couldn’t decide. And Chrissy had hit on Vickie before, which lead to us talking to Vickie and once it was made clear that it wasn’t just a one time threesome she decided she was down for poly relationship.”

Eddie and Steve both held up their fists for her to bump and she fist bumped them both at the same time.

“You go girl!” Eddie crowed.

“Hell, yeah, Robs,” Steve said. “That’s awesome!”

“Where are you two love birds going?” Robin asked.

“Just for a walk in the park.”

“Have fun.”

***

Epilogue

Tag list: @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @artiststarme @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 @pyrohonk @bookworm0690 @chaosgremlinmunson @goodolefashionedloverboi @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @messrs-weasley @val-from-lawrence @plyerice27 @thedragonsaunt @sapphirecobalt-1 @a-little-unsteddie @i-must-potato @danili666 @carlyv @rozzieroos @wonderland-girl143-blog @itsall-taken @justforthedead89 @emly03 @aizawa-emma @yikes-a-bee @redfreckledwolf @thesuninyaface @bookbinderbitch @archermightbegay @littlewildflowerkitten @scheodingers-muppet @hallucinatedjosten @ellietheasexylibrarian @anne-bennett-cosplayer @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @bestwifehaver @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @oldwitcheshat @nightmareglitter @tinyplanet95 @novelnovella @jonesn4coffee @slowandsteddie @awkwardgravity1 @steaddie-on

#my writing #stranger things #steddie #ladykailtiha writes #tattoo artist steve

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autumnshighlady · 5 months

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I've Always Liked to Play With Fire (part 17)

NESTA ARCHERON X ERIS VANSERRA X FEMALE!READER

summary: reunion time

warnings: Night Court slander, anti Rhysand

word count: 5.9k

DO NOT REPOST ANYWHERE

a/n: i am SO SO SO SORRY FOR THE LACK OF UPDATES! It's been almost 4 months since the last chapter yikes. Life got crazy then I got into a horrible writing block and this is the first thing I've written since July. I'll admit it sucks and is definitely a filler chapter but I promise more exciting stuff to come x

feedback is appreciated, just no hate pls! these are just my opinions, i’m more curious to see how you all like the writing and characterization and storylines!

part 1 // part 2 / part 3 / part 4 / part 5 / part 6 / part 7 / part 8 / part 9 / part 10 / part 11 / part 12 / part 13 / part 14 / part 15 / part 16 /

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For the first time in weeks, your eyes open to rays of sunshine instead of cold darkness. Warm, rich scents flooded your senses, so vastly different from the stifling air of the prison cell you had become accustomed to. Instead of smelling damp, cold stone, you were greeted with the smell of fir trees and fresh air. Your limbs felt lighter, the weight of the chains that had been shackled to your wrists for ages long forgotten.The soft touch of a heavy blanket wrapped around you like an embrace, hugging your body.

You squinted at the harshness of the light, eyes not quite used to the brightness of the sun. You groaned and rolled over to get away from the luminous glow, but felt your body collide with something on the bed. After a couple blinks, your eyes began to focus on the lithe figure sitting next to you.

“Nesta…” Your voice was barely above a whisper, her name like a prayer on your mouth as she came into view. Nesta’s tall frame was seated cross-legged next to you, clad in a deep green gown with a wide neckline adorned with a lacy pattern of gold flowers. Her hands were clasped together tightly, resting upon her skirts. Her sharp face was muddled with concern, slate grey eyes hollow like her mind was elsewhere.

But they snapped into focus once again at the sound of your voice. “(Y/N)” Nesta breathed, blinking a few times as if she couldn’t believe it was truly you. “You’re awake.”

“How long was I out?” You asked, trying to prop yourself up on your elbows but failing. You let out a groan, flopping back onto the pillows like a sack of potatoes.

“Don’t try and sit up yet.” Nesta warned, gently putting a hand on your shoulder. “You’ve been out for two days. Your body has been through so much, the healers said to let you rest as much as possible.”

You took in a breath, taking in the sight of Nesta before you. A thousand emotions swelled up in you all at once, threatening to burst out and paint the room a hundred different colours. Your mate, your beautiful, strong mate had come to save you. Tears pricked at your eyes as your throat swelled up. “Nesta–” You croaked out.

“Shhh.” Nesta shushed, squeezing your shoulder. “It’s okay. You’re safe. You got out. We all did.”

You sighed. The escape from the Night Court seemed like yesterday and a million years ago all at once. “Are we in Autumn? I don’t remember getting here.”

Nesta nodded. “You passed out on Zôrzimril after we left Night. We’re in Eris’ personal residence in the woods. Beron doesn’t know you’re here.”

You glanced at the room around you, taking in the rich earthy tones signature to the Autumn Court. It was warm and inviting, a stark contrast to the cold surroundings of Night. Lucien had told you that Eris had his own, elaborate place somewhere free of his father in the court. You had never stepped foot in it, until now, but had always wanted to.

“You’re in the room I’ve been staying in.” Nesta continued, a hint of a red blush across her cheeks as she avoided your gaze. “Actually, it’s technically Eris’s–”

“Wait,” You interrupted her. “I’m in Eris’s bed? You’ve been sleeping in Eris’s bed?”

Nesta’s blush deepened. “It’s his personal residence. He doesn’t exactly have guest rooms.”

“Where has he been staying then?”

“When he’s not at his father’s palace, the couch, apparently. Don’t feel bad for him, that couch is big enough for 3 people to sleep comfortably, limbs spread out and all.”

You snorted, ignoring the fact that you were laying in Eris’ personal bed. You expected to feel a twinge of jealousy that Nesta had been staying in this room, so up close and personal with Eris. But none came. Something which surprised you, given Nesta was your mate, and mates were supposed to be territorial.

It was like a bucket of ice water was washed over you as you recalled the realisations you came to over the last few days. Nesta didn’t know she was your mate – she thought she was Cassian’s.

Estelle’s words rang in your head. Fae folk can have more than one mate in some instances. Nesta Archeron has more than one, but Cassian is not one of them.

It confused you – Cassian sure acted like a mated male around Nesta, even more so once Rhys mentioned it at the Court of Nightmares. Why would the High Lord lie about it? Did anyone else know? A million questions swarmed through you, each one louder than the last.

You recalled Nesta telling you the story of Feyre finding out about the mating bond with Rhys. How angry she was when she found out that the male had known for months and didn’t tell her. Deep down, you knew Nesta would be angrier the longer you kept it from her. “Nesta,” You began. “There’s something you need to know–”

“Good morning, my sunshines.” The smooth voice of Eris echoed throughout the room as the door swung open, interrupting you. The prince strolled in, red hair gleaming in the glow of the morning sun. He was carrying a tray, steaming with freshly baked pastries, tea, and fruits. “I see (Y/N) has risen from the dead!”

“You’re not funny, Eris.” Nesta snapped.

“I disagree.” Eris quipped, setting the tray down at the foot of the bed. “(Y/N) think’s I’m hilarious, don’t you (Y/N)?”

You snorted. “If you pass me that bacon and egg sandwich I’ll give you this one.”

Eris smirked, placing the requested item onto a gold plate and passing it to you. “Deal.”

You eagerly grabbed the sandwich, taking as big of a bite as your mouth would allow. It burned your tongue, but you didn’t care. It took everything in you not to moan as the rich flavours filled your taste buds. “This is amazing.” You mumbled.

The Autumn Prince smirked. “Well I suppose anything would taste good after being basically starved in a dungeon.”

“Seriously, Eris. Shut up.” Nesta seethed, shooting a deadly glare at him. You snorted, but couldn’t help but notice the lack of seriousness behind it. Plenty of times you had been witness to Nesta snapping at people, but this was different. Her tone didn’t have the same bite to it that it did with others – no, it was more playful. She turned back to you, eyes softening. “How do you feel?”

You shrugged. “Tired. Like I’ve just done the workout of the century and need a week’s worth of sleep. I don’t want to leave this bed for at least another few days.”

Grey eyes met amber ones as Nesta and Eris exchanged an uneasy glance. For that moment, the only sound was the rustling of the wind coming through the windows. “What?” You asked, brows furrowed.

Eris sighed, walking around the corner of the bed. He was dressed in a simple red shirt with loose sleeves, the top slightly unlaced and exposing the pale skin underneath. Very rarely had you seen the prince dressed so casually. He grabbed your ankles through the thick duvet, lifting your legs up slightly and moving them to the side to make space for him to sit across from Nesta. Eris kept his hands on your legs, gently squeezing them.

“You’ve survived a lot of hard things lately, (Y/N).” He said slowly. “And you’ve overcome one of the most difficult parts. But I’d be lying if I said it was going to get a lot easier.”

A lump formed in your throat. Truthfully, over the past few weeks you hadn’t even thought about the possibility of what life would be like if you escaped Night and got to Autumn. There were still dozens of factors to consider, all of which you had given up on figuring out solutions to.

“I have to explain to my father how and why you are here, which will be difficult.” Eris continued. “He already blew a fuse over Nesta’s unexpected arrival. It is likely a second unexpected arrival will be even worse, and he will not take it lightly.”

You shifted in the pillows, running a hand through your hair. Surprisingly, you weren’t met with the knots and tangles you expected from not being able to brush your own hair for weeks. “Your father will hurt you, won’t he?” You said to Eris.

He hesitated before speaking. “Let me worry about that, my dear. We need to convince my father there’s a good reason for you to stay. I’ve already used the marriage card on Lady Nesta here, so we need to figure out something else.”

“What about my…” Your words trailed off as you tried to think of a word to describe what exploded out of you during the escape. “Magic?”

Eris shook his head. “Not an option. He cannot know about that.”

“Why not? Surely he’ll find out eventually?”

“Likely not. Rhysand is not stupid enough to let slip that he let someone with that kind of ability escape his court. And I have reason to believe Tamlin will stay quiet about it as well.”

“Speaking of that kind of ability,” Nesta interjected. “What even was that? I didn’t know you–”

“Yeah, me neither.” You said, locking your fingers together and twirling them around. You lowered your head, avoiding their gazes. “Something…. something happened when I was in there.”

Eris cocked his head, eyes burning with curiosity. “What happened?”

Nesta grabbed your hands, unlocking your clammy fingers and lacing her own between them. She shot a fierce look at Eris. “She doesn’t have to talk about it now.” She hissed.

“Yes, Nesta, she does.” Eris said calmly before turning back to you. “I wish we had more time to let you rest, I really do, but I need to know what happened before I can figure out what story to spin to my father.”

You let out a sigh. “Why can’t we just kill him first so we don’t have to deal with all of this?”

Nesta snorted, earning an eye roll from Eris. “As much as I would love to be rid of my father,” Eris said. “We have to wait before we take him out. There are things that need to be properly aligned, and it takes planning.”

“Haven’t you been planning?” You fired back. “I mean, plotting and scheming is all you do in your spare time, isn’t it?”

A smirk formed at the edge of Eris’s lips. “The officials in this court need to see Beron accept you and Nesta if they’re going to accept you. We risk a coup if we kill him before then. Now, tell me what happened while you were in that cell.”

Nesta’s steady hand on your weak one evened your breathing slightly. You tore your gaze from the pattern on the sheets and you drank in the sight of her as if it could slip away at a moment's notice. She looked stronger, healthier than she had in Night. She carried herself more confidently, less stiff and rigid. She looked more comfortable in her own skin, something that filled you with pride. But also sorrow – sadness at the fact you hadn’t been there to witness this change.

And so you explained everything – the vision you had, the conversation with Estelle, what happened that day Hybern came to your village. Nesta’s face was twisted with confusion and awe as you went on, whereas Eris’ expression was unreadable.

“But that wasn’t everything.” You murmured, heart beginning to race as you prepared to explain the part you dreaded most.

“There’s more?” Nesta asked, eyes wide. “You’re telling me you’re the Mother incarnate, and there’s more than that?”

Tears pricked at your eyes once again. These next few words could ruin everything. You knew Nesta hated the idea of mates, the concept of being shackled to someone just because a higher being thought you’d produce good offspring. Nesta already had to process what Rhysand said about Cassian being her mate, and you were about to make it a whole lot worse. You couldn’t stop those tears from spilling down your face as a sob left your body.

“Hey…” Eris spoke softly, reaching out to brush one of the tears off your cheek. “It’s ok.”

“(Y/N)?” Nesta’s voice was cautious, laced with concern.

“You’re my mate.” Your voice shook as you dragged the words out. You fixed your gaze on the sheets again, not wanting to see Nesta’s reaction.

“What?” She said quietly.

“Cassian isn’t your mate,” You said, more steady this time. “I am. Estelle said fae can have more than one mate, but Cassian is not one of yours.”

For once, not even the wind rustled in response. It was as if the world had gone quiet. You could feel her surprise, like a rush of cold water surging through that link between you two. You tried to reach her through the bond, to get a sense of what else she was feeling, but you were met with a stone cold wall.

Nesta. You tried. But she had shut you out, eyes vacant as she took in the information. Wordlessly, Nesta removed her hands from yours. Your skin cried out at the loss of warmth, missing the contact already. She uncrossed her legs and climbed off the bed before leaving the room, slamming the door behind her.

A sob wracked your body again, harder this time. Wet droplets appeared on the sheets as tears rolled off your face, and you buried your head in your hands. Even after everything you’d endured, this was somehow the worst.

You felt a shift on the bed as Eris scooted up closer to you. “It’ll be okay.” You heard his voice murmur in that scarce gentle tone.

“You don’t know that.” You choked out. One of your fears had come true. Everything you and Nesta had built up over the last few months – the quiet friendship, the few sacred kisses you shared that set your entire body alight, the easiness during training with Gwyn and Emerie, it all came crashing down. Whatever she had felt for you mattered now, she wouldn’t want to be shackled even more than she already has.

“When you were asleep, Nesta spent hours untangling your hair.”

You lifted your head from your hands at Eris’ voice, meeting his soft gaze. “It was a mess,” He continued. “Took her the entire afternoon. But she was so gentle, and not breaking a single strand. She didn’t take a single break, and even after she was done she remained by your side until the sun came up. I set up the couch for her, but she insisted on sleeping next to you.”

Eris gently touched your hand. It was warm against your skin, which you felt was still thawing from the cold of Rhys’ dungeon. “Nesta has had a lot to take in the last few weeks, as you well know. I’ve been training her powers, but my father has insisted that a demonstration of her magic be made before the marriage is to happen. I have no doubt that–”

“Did you know?” You blurted out before the prince could finish his sentence. It was a question that had been niggling at the back of your mind since you found out Nesta was your mate – Eris had a knack for finding out things long before others knew. You had no doubt that the second he found out about the spell you and Nesta cast, he had delved into hours of research trying to figure out as much about it as possible. He was a clever male, one who fought with knowledge and scheming rather than brute force like Cassian.

Eris was silent for a moment before speaking. “I suspected. There were too many unknown factors to bring it up, I wanted to be sure before I told Nesta. I found old manuscripts dating back thousands of years – the text was faded, but it went into more details about the specifics of the spell between Estelle and Jayana. There were too many parallels between it and the mating bond. I figured the only explanation was that a mating bond had to already be in place for the spell to truly link.”

You sighed. If Nesta found out that Eris might have known as well and kept it from her, she would be even angrier. “Eris, Nesta doesn’t trust easily. You should have told her this the second you got the idea in your head. Now she’s going to be pissed at both of us.”

“She’s not pissed at you, my dear.” Eris gently stroked your hand with his thumb, the movement so small it was almost undetectable. “Give her a few hours to process. Then we can all sit down and figure out what to do next, okay? Now rest for a bit longer, you need to get your strength back.”

You nodded, heart aching at the image of Nesta storming out of the room. Laying back, you settled back into the plush bedding, wishing it would swallow you up whole. Eris reached down and pulled the duvet closer to you, gently tucking you in. “Sleep well, darling.” He whispered. Before you could process it, Eris leaned forward and pressed a kiss to your forehead. Your skin tingled at the sensation, still feeling like it was slowly thawing from the cold of the dungeon.

There was so much more you wanted to say, a thousand questions you wanted to ask Eris, but the prince retreated as quickly as he came leaving you to sleep. Your eyes fluttered shut as you drifted off again, heart aching at the absence of Nesta’s presence.

*********************

A few hours later, you smoothed your hands over the skirts of the dress Eris’s servants had laid out for you. It was a rich brown colour with a square neckline and loose sleeves -- elegant, yet comfortable. You had no clue where Eris had been pulling this wardrobe from, but that was besides the point. Grogginess continued to plague you, although less so than before. Even with your fae healing, it would take a while for you to return to your full strength – something you had Rhysand to thank for.

Your hands curled into fists, nails scraping through your palms as you thought of the High Lord of the Night Court. A sick feeling curled in your gut as you recalled his smug face as he sent his dark powers slicing through your skin. Every time you closed your eyes, you were back in that dungeon, chained up and helpless against the male. You hated it, hated him. You hated how much his slimy face crossed your mind, how the faint scars along your wrists would never truly fade. Your mind flashed with memories of riding atop Zorzimril, burning down Rhys and Feyre’s many castles, the orange flames lighting up the night sky as you burned and burned them. You’d be lying if you said that didn’t make you feel better.

Shaking your head as if to push memories of Rhysand out of your mind, you wandered towards the door on unsteady legs. As the door swung open, you were greeted with a long hallway lined with elegant torches. You looked back and forth, unsure which way to go. You didn’t even know Eris had this residence, let alone how to navigate it. But then you felt something, a slight pull deep inside of you that urged you to go left. Aimlessly, you followed it, wandering down the hallway before coming to a beautiful wooden arch that marked the entryway into the living room. In awe, you scanned the space before you. A series of couches and armchairs were placed around the room, some by a fireplace and some by the high bookshelf that stretched all the way to the ceiling. It was decorated in rich autumnal colours, the scent of cinnamon and apple cider filling the air. It had a modest dining table and three chairs, and a set of doors that seemingly led to a pathway outside.

Nesta and Eris occupied two of the chairs, sitting across from each other in silence. Eris was humming quietly, writing something down on a piece of parchment. His red hair looked more orange in the candlelight, and was braided loosely. Nesta sat stoically, staring into nothing. She had a cup of tea in front of her, but no steam emitted from it. Clearly she had been there a while, tea untouched. Her face was grave, but her head whipped to face you as you stepped through the archway.

You wanted to throw up with nerves. You had always been able to read Nesta’s expressions until now. Her face was contorted with a mix of emotions, passing so quickly between each one it was impossible to tell what they were. My mate, my mate, my mate, rang like a war bell in your head so loud it threatened to drown out any sounds from the outside world. You felt the bond in your chest swell in her presence, stronger than anything you’d felt before. There was no denying it – Nesta was your mate.

“May I join you?” You finally managed to ask through a dry throat. Nesta said nothing and just kept staring at you.

“By all means,” Eris piped up, setting his pen down. “Come join the party. We’re having a grand old time here, aren’t we, Nesta?”

You expected Nesta to roll her eyes or snap at him in that playful manner, but it was as if she didn’t even hear Eris. She just kept looking at you as if she wasn’t sure if you were really there. You carefully walked over, taking a seat between Nesta and Eris at the head of the table where the remaining chair was. Her grey gaze followed you the whole way.

“What have you guys been up to while I was out?” You asked.

Eris sighed. “Well, my dear, I informed Nesta of what I began to suspect regarding the bond. She tore me a new one for not telling her, it was very dramatic. So now we’re sitting in silence trying to figure out how to address the elephant in the room.”

You didn’t say anything, just stared at the lines in the wood of the table. You felt frozen – afraid of saying the wrong thing. Nesta had never wanted to be fae, and you knew having a mating bond must make that worse for her. It would make her even more shackled to this life she didn’t want, chipping away at her remaining humanity piece by piece. Sure, you and Nesta had kissed a few times and there was feeling behind it, but that didn’t mean she wanted you as a life partner. And even with that, Estelle had said Nesta had multiple mates. If Cassian was not one of them, then who was?

Eris’s sigh broke your thoughts. “By the Mother, you two are stubborn.” He huffed. “Let’s look at the facts, shall we? Nesta, (Y/N), you are mates. I suspected it a few days after I found out about the spell you two cast, as it needed an already existing bond to latch onto in order to work. But then things get complicated. Somehow, Rhys is wrong about Cassian being Nesta’s mate. Either they’re the best actors I’ve seen, or there is something linking Nesta and Cassian.”

You saw Nesta’s throat bob at the mention of Cassian. Trying to figure out how he was connected to Nesta hurt your brain.

“I felt something with Cassian,” Nesta said tensely. “Not in that way, but I could feel what he felt as if part of him lived within me. How is that not a mating bond?”

The prince shrugged. “I have no idea, honestly. There’s something strange going on there. However, none of that matters until we deal with my father. I am set to marry Nesta, which puts us in an awkward situation. If Nesta pleases my father with her powers, then she is to be wed to me.”

“When is that supposed to be happening?” You asked. You weren’t sure how you felt about Eris and Nesta getting married. Part of you was jealous, resentful at the idea of Nesta marrying someone else. But there was another part of you that felt differently in a way you couldn’t explain. Like you were being left out not just from Nesta’s life, but Eris’s too.

“Tonight.” Eris said gravely.

Your blood froze. “Tonight?”

“Yes. And no offence my dear, but you complicate things. Because now I have to explain to my father why you are here too and why I keep letting in strays.”

You snorted. “Beron’s going to kill me. I think you already pissed him off by letting Nesta in here without his permission. I’m not even half as valuable to him as she is, we both know he won’t have any use for me.”

“I won’t let that happen.” Nesta finally spoke, her voice fierce. You turned to face her and were met with her silver eyes. They stared into you, swimming with a thousand emotions.

“Whatever happens, Beron won’t touch you.” She continued evenly.

“We just have to play the angle right.” Eris said, crossing his arms and resting his elbows on the table. “You spied for Rhysand, correct?”

You scoffed. “Well, technically–”

“Yes, you did.” Eris interrupted sternly. “You spied for Rhysand, and then you found out what he was planning and tried to flee. He’s been hunting you down, and I found you at the Autumn Court border. That is the story we are going with.”

“What exactly did I find out that made me flee?”

“That he’s planning on becoming High King with Nesta’s Made sword.”

“Beron won’t believe that.”

“He will because it’s true.”

Your heart fell into your stomach. “What?” You spoke in a whisper, mind reeling in shock. The thought of Rhysand using Nesta’s weapons and declaring himself as High King over all of Prythian made you want to throw up.

“Based on my intel, the lovely Amren has been trying to convince him to go down that path.” Eris explained through gritted teeth. “Apparently he refused at first, but I strongly believe that with you and Nesta both having fled his grasp, he will reconsider his stance to get you back under his control.”

“If Rhysand was High King then he’d have dominion over the Autumn Court,�� You muttered. “We would be right back where we started.”

Eris nodded. “But we can use this. My father would do anything to make sure that didn’t happen, overlook anything. If you inform him of Rhysand’s plans, he’ll want you on his side for more intel.”

“Would Beron really be so quick to trust someone who’s supposedly betraying their own court?”

“My dear, Rhysand locked you in a dungeon. That part we don’t have to lie about. We just have to twist the reasons why he locked you up. But truthfully, I think my father will be so distracted by the intel he won’t care about anything else.”

You chewed on your lower lip with worry. It was a big gamble, and while Eris was clever Beron was still unpredictable. So many things could go wrong so fast, and the last thing you wanted was to end up in another dungeon. The thought of doing so made you want to curl up into a ball.

As if sensing your discomfort, Nesta placed her hand on top of yours. It was warm, such a difference from how frail and cold her hands were in the Night Court. “It’ll be ok.” She murmured.

You smiled softly, relaxing instantly under her touch.

“And that’s my cue,” Eris announced, gathering his papers and standing up. “I suspect you two have much to discuss alone. I must go ensure everything is prepared for dinner with my father tonight. I’ve left instructions with the servants on how to get you ready, and I will be by to collect you both at five o’clock.”

He strode towards the archway, but paused briefly. Amber eyes landed on you and Nesta again, all playfulness gone. “I have done my part, and will do whatever I can to ensure your safety.” He said gravely. “But do not forget that you both have roles to play, and we all risk our heads if you fail to do so. And if you have any thoughts about betraying me to save your own skin, Beron will no longer be the one you need to fear from my family. I will throw you both to the wolves without hesitation if you think about dragging me down with you.”

With that, the prince left, leaving you and Nesta sitting in silence. Eris’s words stung you a bit, that he thought you would even think about betraying him. But Eris had been playing this song and dance with his father for centuries, and at the end of the day no matter how much he’d helped you, he’d always look out for himself. It was something you were aware of when you planned this, and you mentally kicked yourself for ignoring it.

The few minutes after Eris’s departure were filled with silence. No birds chirped in the windowsill, no breeze rustled the branches. It was as if the world had stopped, waiting on the edge of its seat for you and Nesta to speak.

Truthfully, you had no idea what to say. How could you comprehend what Nesta felt when you didn’t even know how you truly felt? A part of you had always loved Nesta, but were those your true feelings or just the mating bond? All those tender moments, the stolen kisses, the soft touches, would they have happened if the mating bond wasn’t already there? The thought of your connection with Nesta stemming from magic rather than your true feelings made your heart hurt. You had never wanted a mating bond, yet here you were.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity, you found the courage to speak. “What’s going on in that head of yours, Nesta?”

Nesta took a deep breath, fiddling with her fingers for a minute before answering. “How a few weeks ago I was ready to burn down the entire Night Court to get you back. How every second you were in that dungeon I was here, living comfortably. How every time I closed my eyes I saw glimpses of darkness, how I felt your fear. How all that time, I thought it was the spell allowing me to feel those things. I never could have imagined…”

Her voice trailed off, as if she was afraid to even speak about the bond. “Me too,” You replied. “Look, I know things are hard for us right now. And you don’t have to accept the bond if you don’t want–”

Nesta sharply cut you off. “I didn’t say I didn’t want to accept it. I just don’t know what to believe right now. Estelle said Cassian wasn’t one of my mates, but I swear I felt a bond. Was she wrong about that? And does that mean she was wrong about us?”

“I can’t speak for Cassian, but I don’t think she was wrong about us. And I think you know it too, Nesta.”

Nesta looked up at you, grey eyes brimming with emotion. You felt a gentle tug at the bond and inhaled sharply. She smiled softly at your reaction, confirming everything she needed to know.

“Nesta…” You breathed her name like a prayer on your lips. Tears filled your eyes as you admired that tender smile.

“I’m sorry for running off on you earlier.” She said quietly. “I just… I didn’t expect it. But the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. You, being my mate. After everything that happened between us…”

You sniffled, trying to hold back more tears. “But was all of it real? I mean, if we were mated the whole time, did everything happen between us because of the bond, or because of us?”

Nesta blinked slowly. “It was real to me.”

“Me too.”

You stroked Nesta’s wrist with your thumb, rubbing it in circular motions. You felt like you were going to explode, feeling everything both you and Nesta were experiencing at once. All you wanted to do was sit here and stare at your beautiful mate, forgetting about everything else. To let the rest of the world fall away beneath your feet as long as you could stay in this moment forever.

But realistically, you knew you had to face the challenges. “What about Eris?” You asked quietly. “You’re supposed to marry him, where does that put us?”

The Archeron sister bit her lip anxiously. “I don’t know. I’m sure Eris and I will be free to see whomever we wish as long as we are discreet and are able to maintain our image.”

You laughed humourlessly. “So then I’d become your mistress.”

“That’s not what I want for either of us. But I don’t see another way right now.”

You tried not to let it sting. You weren’t stupid – Eris marrying Nesta was necessary in your plan, but that didn’t make it any easier. Especially now that you two were mated. The thought of simply being your mate's secret mistress made you feel slimy and ashamed. “How do you feel about marrying Eris?” You asked tentatively.

Nesta shrugged, but a faint red stained her cheeks. “It’s a smart move. It makes sense. And he’s not the worst male I’ve met so I think I’ll live.”

You chuckled, causing Nesta to glare at you. “Your face is red, Nesta. Admit it, you like him.”

“I don’t. He’s insufferable.” Nesta’s face only grew redder as she looked away.

Your laugh only grew louder. “Liar.”

“Fine!” Nesta snapped. “I’ve spent a lot of time with him in the last few weeks and he’s grown on me, ok? Does it not bother you as my mate for me to admit I like him? It feels wrong. I’m mated to you, not him.”

“No.” You answered honestly, which surprised you. “It doesn’t bother me. He’s charming. Besides, I’ve had a crush on him since I was like twenty, so…”

Your voice trailed off with embarrassment as you realised what you had just admitted. You had never told anyone about your crush on Eris, and had been determined to die with this secret. Your face went red, and Nesta burst out laughing.

“Look whose face is red now?” She teased.

“Shut up.” You mumbled, burying your face in your hands. “If you ever tell him I said that I’ll strangle you.”

Nesta snorted. “Oh, please. He’s Eris. He probably already knows.”

You groaned, banging your head into the wood of the table a few times. It was strange and yet comforting to know that Nesta liked Eris. You expected a mately surge of jealousy and possessiveness, but none came.

After a few more minutes of laughter, a comfortable silence took over the room before you each chose a book from the shelf and began to read. The hours began to pass by, and you stared at Nesta as she flipped through the pages, how beautiful she was with the autumn glow upon her. You wanted to memorise every inch of her features before the dinner with Beron tonight, the thought of which made your gut churn.

It was a quarter to five when the shuffled footsteps of four servants came into the room. It was time to prepare.

taglist (comment if you want to be added): @queercontrarian @kitkat-writes-stuff @moonfawnx @sevikas-whore @weird-and-wise @jemandderkeinenusernamenfindet @kingshitonly @ladyofcherries @eerievixen @readingwritingwatching @peacecoffeeandflowers @a-frog-with-a-laptop @shadowqueen25 @lana08 @highladyofillyria @rachelnicolee @ladespedidas @little-darlingo @manonblackbeakquidditchteam13 @demirunner @terorovaerangi @hauntedandhopeful @younxii @microwaveallthedemons @fanfictioniseverything @lovra974 @maddietheshoe @peaceandcrackers @emy1-9 @lostinfantasyworldsbi @issybee0611 @thoughtfulshepherdmongerkid @belledawnidk @whhyyynottt @dream-alittlebiggerdarling @littlebbb @piceous21 @sevendeadlyshins-blog @searchingford @marigold-morelli @thesapphiclibrarian @nikovasbitch @chasing-autumns-chill @

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kasienda · 4 months

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Fanfiction Year in Review 2023

I fill this out every year. It’s become a bit of a tradition for me. Allows me to reflect on everything that I’ve written and kinda think about where I want to go next. And I like it better from the ask games because I don’t have to wait for asks to come in and can compare my answers from one year to the next. ^_^

1 List of fics completed this year in the order they were finished:

Displaced (Ladrien oneshot)

No Regrets (Ladynoir oneshot - smut)

You Don’t Have To Pretend With Me (Platonic Adrino oneshot)

Representation Reveal (S5 Adrinette oneshot)

Kisses in the Rain (S5 AU Love Square - technically multichapter, but it’s shorter than many of my one-shots)

Would Trust You With Everything (Adrino multichapter)

Just An Ordinary Girl (Marichat oneshot)

Love Remains (Ladynoir multichapter)

Spin the Bottle (OT4 with cour four - technically oneshot, but it’s longer than Kisses and has more kisses in it. Haha!)

2 Number of words written:

Written: 166,114 words

Published: 151,018 words (more than twice 2022’s number!! Go me!!)

Those numbers are incredibly close together because I haven’t been redrafting as much. Those numbers include six one shots, three completed multi chapters. And another four multi chapter WIPs saw at least one update.

And in another fun milestone! I broke a million words published on Ao3 just this last week!! (I've been writing fic since 2003 and everything I've ever written is on Ao3!)

3 Your most popular fic:

Not Part of the Plan - I suspect that this is mostly because being a teen pregnancy fic, it’s my most tropiest story this year. Haha!

4 Your personal fav:

Aftermath - This story has usurped Right Behind You as my favorite. I’ve been able to connect to the raw hurt and grief in this story, and there’s something very raw and human about it that others seem to be able to connect to as well. I think it’s some of my best work, and that is also thanks to an amazing beta in @ladyofthenoodle who has lent her expertise in more than one way in making this one more true to lived experience.

5 Your fav scene:

It’s so hard to pick a favorite!! I narrowed it down to my three favorites in no particular order.

The last scene in Ch 5 Love Remains - Chat Noir give amnesiac Ladybug a geography lesson from space. It’s got Whole New World vibes, and I just loved the imagery of it.

Ch 4 of Aftermath - I’m particularly proud of Marinette’s panic attack when Adrien tells her she doesn’t have to keep coming over. Like it feels like it comes out of nowhere, but it just totally makes sense. And how it manifests and how she soothes herself (it’s not healthy, but it’s so GOOD!)

Ch 7 of Would Trust You With Everything - The scene where Chat Noir tries to tell Nino who he is, but inevitably doesn’t. And how Nino reassures him through all that. This scene feels so raw, but so heartwarming in light of Adrien’s fears. And I don’t know - it’s beautiful to me.

6 A fic or scene that challenged you:

I really struggled with Right Behind You this year, though it wasn’t for lack of trying! I had started out the year hoping to go back to an update a month here and I only updated it three times throughout 2023.

This was incredibly frustrating because the initial drafts of scenes would come pretty easily, but I couldn’t seem to make them pop the way the earlier chapters did. The good news is I think I figured out what the issue was. Most of my writing this year has been speed writing. And a big part of that is just where I’ve been emotionally. I’m very very out of practice in editing and redrafting, which this story and Aftermath both definitely need.

I’ve only been able to edit Aftermath because I’ve had a ton of help. (Thanks Noodles!) Sadly, it’s harder to find betas for rarepairs, but I have succeeded! (Thanks@coffeebanana!)

7 A line of writing you’re proud of:

“She wanted to be there to see it. To see him.”

This line is way better in context, but I’ve made myself cry about three times with it. And I refuse to explain it because that would give its power away. Guess you’ll just have to go read Aftermath.

8 A comment that touched you:

I can never answer this question without mentioning several!!

Would Trust You With Everything - this story had a ton of enthusiastic followers - way more than rarepair work usually gets, and I wrote this story right after my life fell apart and all the commenters here made throwing this story together just that much more joyful during a time when I REALLY needed it. (I'm looking at you, @bittersweetresilience, @bbutterflies @flightfoot @coffeebanana and so many others that I don't know your tumblr name!!!) Not Part of the Plan Comments - I added sex ed lessons to the end of each chapter here because there’s so much about fertility and pregnancy that people don’t know if typical pregnancy fics are anything to go by, and this seemed to inspire so many people to share their pregnancy stories!!! And these have been so cool because I’ve learned that these stories just don’t often have an opportunity to be shared. And it’s neat that this story with its accompanying lessons could create a space for that!! Aftermath comments - lots of people who have really struggled with moderate to severe depression have apparently felt very seen by this fic. And that a story that is essentially about two characters who feel very alone and like no one can understand can help people feel LESS alone and MORE understood is simply amazing!! I love this story so much!! AHH!! Here's one from @neurovascular-entrapta that meant a lot to me.

9 Something that inspired your writing:

Grief and the need to feel things in a distant abstract-these-are-story-book-characters kind of way so I don’t have to feel my actual feelings as closely every moment of the day really kept me writing the whole year long.

10 Your proudest accomplishment (that one scene; finally finishing that one fic; posting your first fic; etc):

My writing has been really raw and messy this year, and I can’t keep tenses straight to save my life. But there’s something powerful about the rawness that I really like even as all the grammatical errors and the lack of effort on the technical side of most of my stories has driven me nuts.

I am proud of myself for being able to get back into the big projects in these last few months after not being able to face them from April to October. And I’ve started participating in a few writing events here and there again in addition to working on my own pet projects.

11 Do you have any writing goals for the next year?

Well, I wanted to finish Not Part of the Plan in 2023, which didn’t happen only barely! So hoping the last chapter and the epilogue make it out within the next month. Once that’s done I think I want to try and make Aftermath and Right Behind You my primary focus projects this year. And of course, I’m sure new plot bunnies and writing events will take over my brain on occasion. Last year, I said I wanted my writing to become a reliable mental health tool for me again, and I’m glad to say that it definitely was that for 2023. I hope I’m able to use my writing this year to continue my healing journey.

And maybe go and proofread all of the fics I finished in 2023 to fix all the inconsistent tense issues to prepare them for being bound eventually!

12 Anyone you would like to thank?

SO MANY PEOPLE!

@jennagrinsoverml for being one of my oldest fandom friends! For becoming a real life friend for all that we haven't actually met in person. For all the times you vented to me and listened and sent me pictures of your family and gushed over pictures of mine. I'm lucky to know you!

@ladyofthenoodle - for showing up in my DMs, For being a most insightful beta, for dragging me into a larger community over and over again, for listening to both my real struggles and my first world problems, for being my friend!!

@thelibraryloser - I don't know how to put this into words. But I very much look up to you. For your resilience through difficult times - you are role-model for how to handle this world with grace and kindness. Thank you for your stories!

@coffeebanana - for being so enthusiastic in the creation process before and after! When I have a story that is getting no attention one comment from you makes it so it doesn't matter. You give me all I need.

@bittersweetresilience and @wackus-bonkus-maximus for just being so kind and enthusiastic and supportive of any idea I happen to be talking about in any given moment. I guess for enabling me. Haha!

@blur0se and @mila-beedoodling for sharing your ideas and inspiring me to create new things!!

@asukiess, @chocoluckchipz, @sariahsue, @miabrown007 for creating so many beautiful things and for being kind and engaging in so many conversations!

And now, I'm really nervous that I'm forgetting someone because this is the first time where I feel like I've had more than three fandom friends. Haha! It's a good problem to have I suppose. In general, thank you to the miraculous community for helping me to survive this year. <3 <3 <3

Happy New Year Everyone!!

I invite anyone who wants to, to fill this out! (Or something similar because I think it can be modified for artwork pretty easily). But if you do, please tag me, so I can be a cheerleader for all you've accomplished this year!

#year in review #life of a writer #all the fanfiction I wrote this year #2023 #my reflections

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compacflt · 5 months

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If you want, and only if you want to, could you explain about making Logistics a big part of Ice's career path? Not only did fit so well with your Ice's characterization, it was just so neat I've made it my HC for Ice's career path.

yes!

I got REALLy deep into the defense policy weeds in this post so I’m putting a cut to save people’s dashboards

1. when i was rewriting chapters 8 &9 last winter i did literally the bare minimum of research about the current set of high-level officers. the commander of the pacific fleet at the time had previously been the director of pacific fleet logistics ordnance & supply. So that was easy to yoink. a proven chain of succession.

2. but also: it fit ice’s (or his alter ego admiral Kazansky’s) neat, orderly, effective, collected, strategic characterization. And as professional tactics go, there would be no better promotion for a high-level officer looking to take over the fleet than DFLOS. understand the fleet by the numbers, you comprehensively understand the fleet.

3. In terms of secret-keeping logistics, ice is supposed to be kind of the best. like, because of his logistical thinking, he & maverick get away with it. Or that’s how I would’ve written it if I were a little smarter. Obviously in practice a bunch of people find out so it’s not great. but the navy AS A WHOLE doesn’t find out.

4. The field of military logistics is rigorously bureaucratic, boring, soulsucking, selfdefeating, notoriously corrupt, and yet entirely necessary for the military to succeed at any level (in the very first draft of WWGATTAI i included a famous US marine corps maxim that most people have heard at some point: “amateurs talk tactics. professionals talk logistics.” but that was literally the only good thing about the original chapter 6 which got entirely rewritten a month after i published it). So logistics as a field of specialization fit in perfectly with my secondary character thesis that rising through the boring bureaucratic ranks of the Navy sucked all the humanity & will to live out of ice one day at a time.

a couple related interesting things that I’ve never talked about on this blog & might never get the chance to again:

a) ice canonically joins the navy as a fighter pilot & ends his career as a glorified bureaucrat. that sucks. obviously the struggle to rise in the ranks is a notoriously cutthroat, political, sleazy business (you do not get to the top of the United States Navy by being nice to people), but i would also not be the first person to say that—for exemplary officers—leadership is an EXPECTATION that can counterbalance someone’s natural drive to excel, if that makes sense. You get promoted because you’re good at something (flying), but you get promoted away from the thing you were good at. There is an extent to which you have to fight for a promotion—but there is also an extent to which commanders above you pick you for the job, suck you up along the pipeline. Loss of agency—a major major component of joining the military—does still apply to upper-level officers.

B) to that end, i am reminded of one quote from Todd Schmidt’s 2023 book “Silent Coup of the Guardians: US Military Elite Influence on National Security.” This is an Army training & doctrine commander speaking: “the military has a lot of two- and three-star senior leaders that were confident, charismatic commanders at the O-6 level. But that’s the end of the story. One in fifty, maybe one in a hundred, truly have what it takes to operate successfully at the strategic level and make a real difference for their service. The problem is that they all tend to think that, since they have stars on their shoulders, they’re the one.” —I’ve been writing ice as “The Chosen One,” the officer unicorn, for two reasons: one, it provides him cover for his illegal relationship (and also asks an interesting chicken-egg question: does he get away with his rlnship because he’s so good, or is he so good JUST to get away with his relationship?); and two, he’s “the chosen one” in canon, i.e. he already has four stars in canon: canonically he is not a mediocre officer. But most officers (cough cough maverick) are not cut out for high-level leadership.

C.) in Thomas E. Ricks’ book “The Generals,” Ricks argues that (at least in the Army) mediocrity in the general/flag officer ranks is unfortunately by design. In WWII, if you were a mediocre officer, you got relieved! You got fired! It’s part of why we won: merciless culling of the general officer ranks! But between WWII and Korea, officer relief began to be associated with shame & wasted resources. Mediocre officers got promoted anyways. The military elite pipeline sucks mediocrity up the chain of command. Ricks blames this issue for (at least the Army’s) shit leadership in every post-WWII war, including but most especially Iraq and Afghanistan. There’s no penalty for mediocrity. That in turn reflects on military strategy (mediocre strategists at the helm) & the outcome of every military foray (mediocre outcomes).

D) additionally. There’s a whole neverending debate in the field of civil-military relations (an extremely interesting field of study btw) about the corporatization of the military—lots of high-level talk over the years of “running the military like a business.” If you get kinda into defense policy like me (am i still antimilitary? Idk! but i CAN easily tell you i am against the navy’s littoral combat ship program! It sucks!) then you will know that the navy is struggling right now on a lot of different fronts (procurement [shipbuilding esp. is a disaster—ford-class carriers are under budget though 👍🏽], recruitment, theatre prioritization, general preparedness, readiness against major adversaries [China in particular]). Simply, the navy is pretty mediocre at the minute. I talk a big game about ice being COMPACFLT & SECNAV, but if those are true, & if he “exists” in our current timeline, or even canon timeline (COMPACFLT in 2020), then he’s complicit in a lot of why the navy is sucking ass right now. He didn’t do his job very well. LOL. So, because I love (especially my version of) ice too much to see his legacy suffer, I am stating for the record that my timeline is a different timeline where ice saves the navy from itself and fixes all its issues & solves all its problems & makes it the pride of the armed forces & the tip of the spear of American defense :) because I said so

E.) unrelated but important. It sounds obvious but it must be said. Ice dies on the job in TGM canon. To the extent that in earlier drafts of the script, not-his-sister-Sarah even points out to maverick that ice is still active duty, in the same breath as she tells him ice is sick again. (A wise move to remove that line.) ice does not resign his commission. Ice does not retire to spend time with his family at the end of his life. Ice dies as commander of the pacific fleet. He dies on the job; he dies FOR the job, bureaucratic as it is. If you were wondering why I wrote ice so dormantly suicidal, it’s because canon (i argue) has made it clear that—since the second ice signed up to be a fighter pilot during the Cold War to the second he died active duty—ice has ALWAYS been ready and willing to die for his honorable Navy career.

#so imagine what would have happened had he been publicly dishonored 😶#It’s also why i interrupted his SECNAV tenure with his cancer #to pay respects to compacflt Ice having the same thing happen to him #my Ice is built different tho. it doesn’t kill him #he retires to spend time with his family ☺️#unlike selfish asshole canon ice ‼️🤬#/s #this post gets DEEP into it but i find this stuff sooo interesting #got really into defense policy & missing the forest for the trees #i will admit that #military bad? yes but.#but defense policy so interesting anyway.#tom iceman kazansky #top gun #top gun maverick #icemav #edts notes #asks #last post of the night

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instructionsnotincluded · 2 months

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True North - Sneak Peek (John "Bucky" Egan x Original Female Character)

Ok so after a handful of messages yesterday, I was feeling inspired and a little excited about the possibility of a new fandom and may have binged some of Masters of the Air late last night. I'm not quite sure where it's going to end up, but here's part of the first chapter. Testing the waters (or clouds?) to see if there's even any interest in it. OR if it's just total shit, since it's a new era I've never written for before. (If so, we can just pretend this never happened, hahaha.)

Pairing: John "Bucky" Egan x Original Female Character

Length: 1935 Words

Warnings: Language, military inaccuracies, writer flying by the seat of her pants as she tries to research more about WWII and pilots, mentally cursing herself for not paying closer attention in history class, 18+, MDNI.

“You’re flyin’ today, Frank!”

The loud accented voice filled her ears, the brunette squinting her eyes closed tightly as she heard footsteps echoing all around the shared room, the sounds of trunks opening and closing joining in a moment later. She’d just been on the verge of a delicious dream with Gary Cooper’s character from The Westerner when Dorothy Skylar’s voice interrupted their suggestive conversation, her friend rudely butting into the fantasy.

“If you don’t get up, they’ll give your spot to the boys!”

“Ok!” Frank lifted her arm into the air, waving it around to signal she was, in fact, alive, “ok! I’m up—I’m getting up. Keep your panties on.”

“We call ‘em knickers ‘round here, love!” Dorothy’s laughter bounced along the walls, mixing in with the various posters, postcards, photos, and letters pinned above each of the beds, “if you’re going to talk about them, get it right!”

“You are all so irritating,” Frank shifted into a sitting position, the thin strap of her silk tank-top falling over her shoulder as she pressed the heel of her palm into her eye, “does no one like to sleep in anymore?”

“Haven’t had the luxury in years, darling,” Dorothy finished buckling her belt, pausing briefly in the full-length mirror as she adjusted the pins in her curls, “while you Americans have been ignoring what’s been going on across the Atlantic, we’ve been living this nightmare for years.”

“Well—at least it’s a shared one now,” Frank rested the back of her hand against her mouth as she stifled a yawn, “alright, I’m getting up. Where am I going?”

“Thorpe Abbotts,” Dorothy glanced over her shoulder to look at Frank as the shorter woman moved around her bed and over to her trunk, pushing aside piles of unfolded clothing to find her uniform, “should be a quick flight, you’ll be back before dark.”

“Maybe,” Frank disrobed and redressed once her undergarments were secured, Dorothy averting her eyes as Frank changed before messing with her hair, “we’ll see—last time I flew the airfield manager wouldn’t let me off the plane until he’d spoken to at least three men, one of whom was ranked lower than me.”

Dorothy only hummed, both women more than aware of how difficult it could sometimes be ferrying planes to and from airfields and bases, especially if the Americans were involved. It was still shocking to most men that women flew—and while the program in the US was slowly getting off the ground, the British had fully embraced female pilots, the Air Transport Auxiliary allowing women to help ferry new, repaired, and damaged aircraft between factories, plants, airfields, and squadrons. Frank had jumped at the chance to fly, to do something for the war effort that wasn’t working in a factory—she had well over four-hundred hours of flight time in the US, and while the United States Army Air Forces wasted time debating on whether or not you needed a dick to fly, she bypassed the red tape and joined the ATA shortly after Jacqueline Cochran led the first group to England. Fast forward two years later and Frank found herself an active member of the No. 6 Ferry Pool, doing whatever she could, whenever she could.

“Are you going to see that boy of yours?” Dorothy asked, nodding towards one of the folded letters on Frank’s nightstand, the corner of it peeking out from under one of her journals.

Frank shook her head as she finished buttoning up her flight suit, the material heavy, thick, and too big for her frame before sliding on the sheepskin jacket. That was another thing about being a female pilot—there weren’t any uniforms to fit the female body, the material often baggy on her arms and legs, but tight across her hips. “He went down a few months ago over the North Sea,” Frank mentally scolded herself for not tossing the letter after she heard the news. They hadn’t been that close—a few afternoon dates when she found herself on overnight trips to London and he happened to be there, brief memories of them sneaking around hallways, bodies pressed up against walls as they sought comfort and distraction in one another. He was from Texas and smelled like home, reminding her of easier times when she was away at college, just trying to find direction in life. But like that experience, he was gone and she was left to figure out which way was North once again.

“Frank…”

“It’s fine,” Frank reached for her bag, Dorothy pausing at the doorway, eyes cloudy with regret as she watched her friend pass her, pressing the heavy wooden door open as both women stepped out into the hallway of the dormitory the ATA housed them in, “it’s war.”

“That doesn’t mean it didn’t mean something…that it doesn’t hurt…”

“I thought you were British,” Frank pushed the emotion and tears away, scolding her heart for clenching as she turned to walk backwards, pressing a finger onto Dorothy’s badged chest, “aren’t you supposed to ‘stiff upper lip’ everything?”

Dorothy only rolled her eyes, the girls exiting the building a few moments later, the cloudy gray English sky greeting them as they crossed the pathway towards the waiting trucks, “have I ruined your flight time?” Dorothy asked quietly once they were in the back of the jeep, eyeing her friend as Frank leaned heavily against the side, “you’re not going to be distracted are you? You’re flying a Class 5 aircraft today—you need to be focused.”

“I’m fine,” Frank waved her off, “and even if I wasn’t, I’d be fine once I’m in the air. Trust me, that’s the only place my mind doesn’t wander.”

Dorothy didn’t appear convinced, but didn’t push the matter, the girls sitting in silence the rest of the ride to the airfield. Planes dotted the landscape, the tower looming in the background. Most of the planes would find homes on other bases or airfields, another tool for the boys to use in their battles. For a while it felt like production was stalling, they had so few to ferry around, but it seemed in the last year or so it had definitely picked up, so many different classes of aircraft ready to be delivered to the Allies. Frank hadn’t yet flown into Thorpe Abbotts, the Royal Air Force station just a handful of miles to the east of Diss, Norfolk. It was fairly new, having been built the previous year, but once the United States Army Air Forces took possession of the airfield, it seemed like activity was picking up.

The boys at Thorpe Abbotts seemed to be going through planes like candy, and Frank was pretty sure this was their fifth ferry to the airfield in less than two weeks. Typically they flew to the smaller satellite bases once a month, maybe twice if there were mechanical issues, but five times in two weeks? Something was definitely going on in East Anglia. She’d heard low rumblings of the amount of planes that went down during their missions from the British pilots—the men criticizing the Americans for bombing during the day rather than waiting until evening. One conversation she overheard at dinner a few weeks ago seemed to be about the recently arrived 100th Bombardment Group and how they kept losing men to dumb tactical decisions. “It’s war,” one of the heavier accented men had said, slumped backwards in his chair as he rested a beer on the table, “you do what you need to survive.”

“...are you listening to a word I’m saying?”

Frank’s eyes snapped back to those of Commander Dorothy Skylar’s, the three gold stripes she wore on the shoulder strap of her jacket seeming to catch in what little sunlight they had today, making Frank’s two stripes seem even less important than they already felt. “Yes, sorry,” Frank shook her head and the memories away, forcing herself back into the present, “I was just thinking about Thorpe Abbotts and some of the conversations that I’ve heard in passing about it.”

“They’re losing men and planes at a rapid rate of speed,” Dorothy nodded, glancing down at the folder of papers Frank just realized the woman was carrying, “I don’t think this will be your last ferry there.”

“No,” Frank turned her head as she watched the massive Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress come into view, eyes slowly taking in the matte green of the plane, white lettering and stars decorating the wings and body, “no, I don’t think it will be either.”

The girls scrambled out of the jeep when it came to a stop, their male driver neither acknowledging nor checking with them before he sped off, Dorothy just barely clearing the rear left bumper as he turned. “Fucker,” Dorothy whispered under her breath as they crossed the tarmac, “we fly planes and he drives a jeep—yet we’re still the gum under his shoe.”

“Men are babies,” Frank said as she approached the plane, left arm extending to slide across the edge of the wing, “they move from one tit to another, starting with their mother’s, until they die.”

Dorothy laughed, shaking her head as she watched Frank move through the checklist she had memorized by now, a few of the engineers hovering nearby if needed. A younger woman, who appeared to be just barely over eighteen approached quickly a handful of minutes later, clipboard pressed tightly to her chest, “Stella Frank?”

“Captain,” Frank corrected her, the girl almost shrinking back in on herself as she looked over at Dorothy for approval, but the higher ranked commander only stared back blankly, “it’s Captain Frank.”

“Yes—yes, Captain Frank,” the woman shuffled a few papers around as Frank came to stand beside Dorothy, both women waiting as she handed over a thin packet of instructions, hand shaking as she did, “here are your pilot notes, I’m so sorry they weren’t delivered sooner.”

“Thank you…” Frank waited expectantly but the girl didn’t appear to catch on that Frank was waiting for her name, and instead smiled politely at both women before scurrying off.

“Must you be so brash all the time?” Dorothy asked once the girl was out of ear shot, “I think today’s her first day.”

“Then she’s lucky she stumbled across me,” Frank flipped open the folder, eyeing the notes that gave her heading and speed instructions, as well as landing information, “if it’d been Ryan or Phillips she’d be on a plane back to the states right about now with wet knickers.”

“You’re not wrong,” Dorothy squinted up towards the sky, “you better get on with it—you’re due at Thorpe Abbotts in a few hours. You might get held up for a bit after you land, I think you’re ferrying back one of the planes that took heavier fire, so be safe.” Frank saluted her commander and Dorothy only rolled her eyes, “and watch for the fog, alright? I don’t know if Carol put it in the notes, but the fog around the airfield is sometimes incredibly thick. The boys may not see you until you’re landing.”

“And they have seen a woman before, right?” Frank lifted her eyebrows and Dorothy only shrugged playfully, “this isn’t one of the groups where there’s hardly any women on base and I’ll feel like a monkey at the zoo, right?” Dorothy took a few steps back in the direction of one of the metal buildings along the tarmac, a wide smile across her face. Frank only raised her voice to be heard, “right?”

“Don’t fall in love, Captain!” Dorothy called back, “we’ll see you back later tonight.”

#Masters of the Air Fanfiction #mota fanfic #john bucky egan fanfiction #John Bucky egan x oc #Bucky Egan fanfiction #John Bucky Egan x reader #John Egan Fanfiction #Bucky Egan Smut #John Egan Smut #John Egan x ATA!Pilot

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steamberrystudio · 8 months

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27/08/2023

So now that Gilded Shadows is wrapping up, I am promoting When Stars Collide from "Spare time project" to "Part time project"

What is the difference? Well, when I work on something in my spare time, that means it is late at night or the weekend. Literally when I am not doing anything else and just feel like tinkering with it.

As a part time project, this means that I will be spending an hour or two each day during the work week to do things for this project. It will start making more steady progress even if I'm not focusing on it full time.

This is basically taking it from me spending 0 - 4 hours on it a week to 8-10 hours on it a week.

My goal is to have the draft complete before the end of the year (by 'draft', I mean 'rough draft'). But more on that below.

Summary

Finished all scenes for the new chapter three

Finished Yren chapter 6 scenes

Started catching Kav's route up to the others

Edited Asher's CG to account for the new conference room BG

Small adjustments to Wil's first CG

Ramble

This week my big focus for WSC has been on writing. As I mentioned, I really want to get the rough draft completed by the end of the year. Currently the draft is nearly 70% complete (for those following updates in multiple places, when you see different percentages....it's because I've written more since then. Rofl).

Now, the draft was nearly 70% in the past as well but I added another route since then, so I lost some progress due to the increase in target word count. I'm also calculating things more precisely now as I created a newer and fancier writing spreadsheet to track my progress and keep myself on track.

I went back and wrote in the new chapter 3, reorganising all the existing chapters and scenes to accommodate it.

I finished Yren chapter 6 (which catches him up to Noel and Raif).

And now I'm working on catching Kav, the new character, up to Yren, Noel, and Raif. (Remember, Daaz and Asher's routes are already fully drafted).

I have written about 15000 words since my last update here. I don't expect to write that much every week and my goal is actually a fair bit more modest than that. Gilded Shadows is not 100% complete yet. I still have multiple KS related things to finish and, of course, I will be making corrections and focusing on its beta testing once testers have had a bit more time with it.

WSC is still a part time project. This was just a particularly good week for it.

I have also worked on a few other things for WSC - mostly UI related and some art related things.

I received a new BG since my last update, and realised that...I have to revamp all the existing CGs. Or at least update them to change the background elements. I've only edited one so far but I don't think it'll be too much effort to fix the others.

And I continue to streamline and adjust the UI to make it look nicer and be more efficient.

So...

Kav. The new character. Kav'isari Tiaine, a Ka'mérian crew member who works in the space labs most of the time and specialises in identifying alien technology (what species it belongs to and what it does).

To explain where Kav came from, he actually popped into my head months ago. And every so often, I would contemplate whether or not I wanted to add him. I would say I first had the idea in January or February of this year. I would repeatedly think about it and dismiss it.

I then mentioned it to a friend sort of off-handedly back at the very beginning of June. A month and a half later, I mentioned him on a voice call on my server knowing full well that if I really talked about him and had a conversation about him, I would probably end up doing enough character brainstorming that he would become "real." And I talked about him anyway.

And that's exactly how he became an actual character. I think I had his sprite sketched out by the end of that day.

But he had existed as a concept long before that. The main reason I was willing to add him instead of ruthlessly telling myself no is just that I felt there was a gap in the cast for a gadfly style character who has a little mystery to him. And I just knew I could manage another route based on the length of Asher and Daaz's routes.

So...yeah. That is how Kav came into being. His introduction into the story has caused a few minor changes to standing lore or things in the prologue (just mentions of him, etc). But the changes to the currently public content of the game are pretty minor.

Kav won't actually appear in the game until Chapter 3. He gets mentioned a few times up to that point. There are some logistical considerations to his route but I have talked about those more on Patreon.

Speaking of Patreon, now that WSC is moved into "part time" status, I will be starting to slowly release some Patreon-exclusive lore posts for this game there. Like most games monetised through Patreon content, the lore posts will not be critical to having a full and complete game experience. Rather, it is going to be comprised of additional and extra lore content.

Some of the lore content released on Patreon will be in the game (such as character back stories) but Patrons will get to see it early and will get it presented in a different format.

Much of the content can be considered "extras" rather than necessary.

I will also be updating on the development progress weekly there (available to all patrons) rather than bi-weekly, and my updates there (going forward) will tend to be more detailed than the ones here.

Once episode releases start, Patrons will be able to access them before they the public releases. But backing on Patreon is not necessary to be able to play the game and get a full and complete game experience. It's just how this particular game will be monetised as I'm looking for more sustainable release styles so I can continue to make games.

That is all for this update. I will see you in a couple of weeks to talk about WSC again!

#when stars collide #updates #amare game #indie otome

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baronessblixen · 20 days

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Twenty questions for fanfic writers

Tagged by the amazing @frogsmulder. Thank you!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

417 🤯

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

774,561 - I wanna get to a million now, wow

3. What fandoms do you write for?

The X-Files, Frasier. At least on AO3. I have way more fandoms on ff.net (where I used to post).

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Prompts & Drabbles

Fictober 2020

Fowl Play

Love is Not Blind

Some Things You Just Can't Fake

5. Do you respond to comments?

For a while I did and then I forgot again and I'm always afraid I will reply to someone but oversee someone else. In theory I want to respond to all of them! I just got two amazing ones in the last two days. So thoughtful and so plain kind. I definitely need to reply to these people.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I wrote one where Mulder dies (of old age, though) but I'm not even sure it's on AO3.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

All of them have a happy ending! I don't think I have a story without a happy ending.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I have. Mostly in the distant past, but I think some more recent hate too. If I remember correctly, it wasn't directed at a fic in particular but rather at me as a writer in general.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I have written a few smut stories. I know it's a popular genre, but I gotta be honest and admit that it's just not my favorite. Neither writing nor reading it. I know that's a very unpopular opinion.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Again, not on tumblr, but I think I wrote a Frasier/Hot in Cleveland crossover once.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Hmmm. I think maybe one?

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have! I co-wrote Eden with a bunch of others! I mean we each wrote chapters but that still counts, right? It was a lot of fun and I'd love to do it again.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Mulder and Scully

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

My Five Minutes Series. I think about it so often but I like the chapters I have written a lot and I'm afraid to screw it up by writing more.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'm decent at writing dialogue.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Everything. I struggle with describing an environment or surroundings. I gotta admit I sometimes even skip reading those parts when other people write them. I don't see those things in my head.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Technically I always write dialogue in another language since English isn't my native language. I've written a few German fanfics and that was a lot of fun. Might do it again.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

It was either Friends or X-Files. Or if we count stories I only wrote for myself then it's Scarecrow and Mrs. King.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Can't choose between my babies!

Tagging @xxsksxxx @randomfoggytiger @agent-troi @numinousmysteries @oohnotvery @atths--twice (feel free to ignore if you don't wanna do it!)

#my fic #oof this took a moment #i miss writing!

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cellsshapedlikestars · 5 months

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20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @hilarychuff

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

honestly, I'm sometimes embarrassed by how much I've written in the 3 1/2 years since I started posting. Currently 66

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

1,350,298. yikes.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

at this point, Jonsa. we do not talk about The Prior Fandom

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

a fairytale ending (by a WIDE margin)

the mating game

take me out

moth's wings

ever fallen in love (on national TV)

(shocker, it's all my romcoms lmao. also, let's not talk about how the top 4 are all fake dating fics. I can't help myself)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to. I used to do it on all fics, but as discussed above, I'm a wordy bitch and at points responding to all comments on, for example, one shot event fics that I would post back-to-back got overwhelming. So I allowed myself to stop responding to comments on one shots. Recently I had quite the mental health dip and didn't respond to any for a while, but I think I'm back.

Part of the reason I like fandom is the sense of community. I started responding to comments on my first fic because I hadn't resurrected my tumblr from the grave yet, so it was the only way to interact with the fandom. Then I continued to because I appreciated the comments, even if they were simple and I had nothing else to say except thank you. I still try to on chaptered fics because, let's face it, without comments and without community, I wouldn't be posting my stories.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

probably my WWI one-shot

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I try to write at least *hopeful* endings for all my fics. I don't know if I can quantify "happiest", because I think that's different for everyone.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

of course. I feel like it's a rite of passage on ao3 to get some shitty hate comments

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

*through clenched teeth* I sure do

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I'm not really a fan of crossovers tbh

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that I'm aware of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

not that I'm aware of

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

nope! I don't think I could tbh. I'm sort of a control freak and I even have problems letting people pre-read things, I have no idea why. I think the only people I've let pre-read anything are @hilarychuff (who is my brainstorm buddy) and @greenhikingboots (who is the reason the last chapter of the ghost inside made any coherent sense)

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

I mean, Jonsa. I honestly don't ship that often

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

sigh. white knuckles.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'm very fast at it lmao. Like, seriously. I type very fast. I'm also somehow really good at starting a fic off with only an inciting incident, no other real plans, and somehow coming up with a full plot/ending that I'm satisfied with, while posting it as I develop the story

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

outlines. smut.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I can barely handle English my guy

19. First fandom you wrote for?

hmmm that depends on what the criteria is. First fandom I wrote for was Sailor Moon, I just never posted it anywhere. Harry Potter was technically the first fandom I posted for, but it was one chapter and I never continued it and I genuinely can't even remember what it was called, all I remember is Harry melted Voldemort with a bucket of soapy water like in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles.

The first fandom I was actually active in and wrote more than just a chapter was... A secret. I'm actually a little embarrassed about it and my fics are still floating around out there and some of them make me cringe sooooo hard. I don't think I've ever admitted to it here on tumblr dot com and I don't think I will now

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

help me out of the shape I'm in

I'm always so anxious about tagging people and leaving people out and making them feel bad, but I'll try to do it anyway. @greenhikingboots @sibyldisobedience @thewolvescalledmehome @esther-dot @periwinkle39 @eruherdiriel and anyone else who wants to do this! (also, no pressure to anyone I did tag lol)

#ask game

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shootingstarpilot · 6 months

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Fic Writer 20 Questions

Thanks for the tag, @merlyn-bane!

1.) How many works do you have on ao3?

Eight!

2.) What's your ao3 word count?

217,911

3.) What fandoms do you write for?

*sobbing* Star Wars, my beloved. The brainrot is real; I am consumed. When I was still on FF.net, though, I had stuff up in Harry Potter and How to Train Your Dragon.

4.) What are your top five fics by kudos?

back then, i was dauntless

how to bring him home

if i don't make it back (from where i've gone)

though some would harm you

like lightning changing hands

5.) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I absolutely do! I feel bad because I know I've gotten some lovely comments on chapters that aren't the most recent one, and those tend to get lost in the inbox, but I promise I'm working on it- if you get a response from a comment you left a year and a half ago, don't hold it against me 😅

I do it because I want so badly to build community here! I love getting comments from people, responding to something with a wee hint of a tease because I'm AWFUL and then getting a keysmash of a response and then exchanging snippets in the comments, truly, it fills me with delight- and I've met some absolutely wonderful people who I got introduced to by responding to comments-

Anyway. Community. That.

6.) What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oh. Hm. Hm.

I... guess it would have to be though some would harm you? Although I'm not sure if I feel confident in that designation, because it's very much part of a multi-work series. And I'm too much of a sucker for happy endings to write a stand-alone fic that doesn't have one, I think.

7.) What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Oh, neural plasticity, for sure! Short and sweet <3

8.) Do you get hate on fics?

A bit. I can brush off the "actually the Jedi were the real monsters" assholes easily enough, but honestly, the comments that hit the hardest are the ones that clearly come from people who think they're offering ✨constructive criticism.✨ Not only because I didn't ask for it, but also because saying my work is "fatiguing" or "I'm sure there's a decent story here, but it's being buried under what you're trying to do with it-" there's nothing constructive there.

Side note: the person who left that last comment deleted it about half an hour later, because when I went to reply, it had vanished from my inbox. I don't know if they did that because they didn't want me to be able to reply, or if they realized that what they said was unhelpful and mean, but if they ever happen to see this-

I still got the email, prick.

9.) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Write? No, I haven't quite worked up the panache to try. Reading, on the other hand...

10.) Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I do have snippets of one crossover that I actually posted in an anonymous collection, ha- an old BBC Merlin/ Good Omens/ Supernatural fic that I dug out of my old documents. Other than that, no- unless you count the Prequels and the Clone Wars as different enough to qualify as a crossover.

11.) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

12.) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Also not that I know of- very much open to it, though!

13.) Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Since I don't think taking drabbles in tumblr chats to ridiculous lengths counts, I'd have to say no- I'd like to, though!

14.) What's your all time favorite ship?

Codywan. Fiercely, unwaveringly Codywan.

Just to reinforce this- 292 of my bookmarks consist of Cody/Obi-Wan. The next most common romantic pairing (Aziraphale/Crowley) has less than half that, at 121.

I'm a goner, and I can't even bring myself to regret it.

15.) What's a WIP you'd like to finish, but doubt you ever will?

OKAY SO I've written snippets of a modern AU focusing on Helix, Needle and Stitch, and I'm totally gonna take this opportunity to rage about it. I'm probably never gonna finish it, but it gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling, so, hey- what else is fic for, really, if not for indulging yourself?

At first, it's just Needle and Stitch. It's just been the two of them, for as long as Stitch can remember. Needle's only a few years older than him, but he's raised him, kept him in school, kept a roof over their heads and food on the table-

Food on Stitch's plate, at least.

Then, one night, Needle does not come home.

A hit-and-run, the nurse tells him, although the words will not trickle through until much later. A coma.

He will not, they say patiently, come home for some time.

(There is so much that needs doing.)

Helix, meanwhile, is studying physical therapy at the local community college and working part-time at his brother Ace's bakery.

It's during one of these shifts that a skinny little twerp comes in and hands him a job application.

(Rent and bills and Needle Needle Needle-)

It doesn't take Helix long to realize something is... off.

Ace tells him not to push it, but-

The kid's a good worker. Great, as a matter of fact. He's never late. Stays past closing, too, if they've had a rush. He tells Helix about his brother and nothing else.

(His brother hasn't come to visit.)

Everything that's not sold at the end of the day gets packaged up and given out. They only toss in the dumpster what's really, truly inedible- stuff that got dropped in the kitchen, scraps left over from customers-

He thinks it's raccoons, at first, until he peers in and sees Stitch flatten himself against a heap of bags in the corner.

They package up leftovers for him, after that. A bit more than leftovers, maybe. Ace sets aside sandwiches. Helix buys him a thermos and tells him it's been in the lost and found for over a year. They make sure he eats.

(Needle's getting transferred out of the ICU.)

Stitch is trying. He's doing everything he can, and more besides. But Needle's life is too expensive and he's buckling under the weight.

(He hasn't even grieved. Not really. No room. No time.)

Eventually, something has to give.

He does.

(He hadn't expected someone to be there to catch him.)

Featuring:

Helix stumbling into adopting first one, then two idiot kids

Ace being a supportive brother

Needle finding his way home

Mace Windu as Needle's (unfairly attractive, Helix thinks) neurologist

Obi-Wan as a hospital social worker who gets assigned Needle's file

Cody as Obi-Wan's husband, Helix's cousin, and children's book author (Stitch's favorite)

(listen I am WEAK for author!Cody, truly)

(Helix was totally the one who got them together and he regrets it every day of his life.)

Sheev Palpatine as the epitome of the evil of the American healthcare system

The Melidaan crew running a long-term, non-profit care facility that offers both in-patient and out-patient rehab services

16.) What are your writing strengths?

(I'VE PUT TOO MUCH THOUGHT INTO THIS. SHIT.)

17.) What are your writing weaknesses?

I am, apparently, really good at writing breakdowns. >:3

18.) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Dialogue does not come easily to me. I have to work a bit to hit my stride. But I think it turns out well enough!

Hm. Coming from a purely technical perspective here, I think the reader should be able to understand everything that's spoken in a fic. If a character says something in another language, then I think the best way to convey that is, "X muttered something Y didn't catch," or, if the listener recognizes that it's at least in another language, "X muttered something in French."

If the reader should understand it, then something along the lines of: "'I knew we shouldn't have trusted him,' X muttered in French."

If the POV character doesn't understand the language, it doesn't make sense to provide the reader with a perfect transliteration of what the other character is saying. The character wouldn't have that knowledge. It can really take me out of the fic when two characters suddenly start conversing in written-out sentences in another language, and I have to scroll all the way down to the footnotes for translations.

19.) First fandom you wrote for?

But then again, that's just my opinion- I'm sure others have their own thoughts on this!

20.) Favorite fic you've ever written?

Harry Potter.

Hell, I have to say like lightning changing hands, if only because whatever fic I'm writing at the moment is my favorite. It's the act of creation that does it for me!

(Also because it's such a good opportunity to explore so many relationship dynamics.)

No-pressure tags for @jedi-enthusiast, @themonopolyhat, @shadow-pixelle, and @foreverchangingfandomsao3!

#shoulder the sky #me: let's summarize this lil nebulous au for sharing! :D #also me ten minutes later: shit. it's grown legs.#personal #my writing

28 notes · View notes

genshinluvr · 2 years

Text

Tragic Outcomes 4

Pairings: Xiao x fem!reader x Zhongli

Summary: After deciding on living at Wangshu Inn with both Xiao and Zhongli, you didn't think much of how it would impact the relationship the three of you have with one another. Xiao and Zhongli agreed to train you in combat and help you improve your stamina in an interesting way. The day after your.... training... session with Xiao and Zhongli, Lumine finds the perfect time to strike, only for it to uncover something that you didn't even know about yourself.

Note: Hello, here is the 4th part of Tragic Outcomes! I hope you all enjoy this chapter because there's horribly written smut in it :'> It's been a while since I've released Crave and my skill in writing smut is still subpar LMAO. The smut isn't long, unfortunately. I kept cringing every time I attempt to write the smut. Ya girl will probably need to type out 193847273 smuts to get used to typing up some smuts 💀 I've been busy with things for school and next week is my finals week and I'm not looking forward to it at all! The stress is overwhelming and she's trying her best to hold onto the last bits of her sanity ;v; To my new readers or returning readers, please keep in mind that I post on AO3 as well, so, if you have an AO3 and see a work similar to this, it’s me (Aaliah_exo on AO3). I don’t post anywhere else but on Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and on AO3 (Aaliah_exo).

Warnings: Horribly written short smut, cervix fucking, size kink, Zhongli has a monstrous cock and will send you to Celestia with one thrust, it's a threesome but at the same time it's not much of a threesome, an attempt at murder. Minors DO NOT INTERACT

Word Count: 9k

Tragic Outcomes Chapters: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6]

You didn’t think about what could or would happen if you were to live with two men who share deep emotional feelings for you. The things you’ve thought of were continuous protection and attention from Xiao and Zhongli. And maybe some cute moments between the three of you, not having to worry about someone being after your head. Literally. What you did not expect was sharing beds with two men and being sandwiched between the two immortals. The god of geo would have you lay on his arm while the adepti would wrap his arms around your waist as the three of you are asleep. Well, while you’re sleeping because gods and adeptis did not need sleep in order to function like how humans do.

Your soft breathing echoes throughout the shared bedroom while both Zhongli and Xiao are wide awake. Zhongli had his eyes closed as he listened to your quiet breaths while Xiao was analyzing your face as you slept. You looked so peaceful. Not a single look of fear or worry had appeared on your face like how it would whenever you hear strange sounds coming from the Inn or whenever the three of you are out and about. Xiao reaches up to your face and traces his finger over your features.

“You might wake her up.” Zhongli’s soft voice fills the quiet room. Xiao’s eyes snap up towards Zhongli’s direction in the dark. The bedroom was so dark that it was almost hard for Xiao to see the archon. The only thing that was illuminating the bedroom at Wangshu Inn was the moonlight peeking from behind the curtains.

“She’s a heavy sleeper. I don’t think a light touch can wake her up from her slumber,” Xiao murmurs, continuing to trace the outlines of your features. Xiao hears the faint shuffling of the blanket on the other side of the bed.

“As much as [Y/N] cherishes her sleep, she is a light sleeper,” Zhongli states, opening his eyes before glancing over at the adepti in the dark. Zhongli reaches towards the blanket and pulls the blanket up to the bottom of your chin; only your head is sticking out from the plush throw blanket, resting on the archon’s arms. You remained fast asleep in his arms, your chest rising and falling slowly with each breath you took.

“Does she look awake to you? She looks asleep to me.” Xiao says, gently brushing his thumb against the apples of your cheeks.

Before Zhongli could retort, you groaned softly before turning on your side. Your back ends up facing Zhongli as you throw your arms around Xiao’s torso, snuggling up against him. Xiao’s face immediately heats up at the touch before relaxing in your arms. A small smile appears on Xiao’s before as he leans over to you and kisses your forehead.

“See, I told you she’s a heavy sleeper. I know my girlfriend.” Xiao says, looking over at Zhongli from the corner of his eyes. “After all, we have been dating for quite some time now,” Xiao adds, hoping that Zhongli will get a hint.

You groaned softly and cracked your eye(s) open, looking around the dark bedroom with your eyebrows furrowing. You sat up on the bed and turned to look over at Xiao and Zhongli in confusion, your hair sticking all over the place. You stretched your arms before yawning.

“Why are you guys awake at this time? It’s late.” You muttered, scratching your head while blinking at them tiredly.

“Oh, did we wake you up?” Zhongli asks softly, his hands reaching out to grab your hand, interlocking his fingers with yours.

“Yeah, you guys weren’t exactly quiet while talking to one another.” You sighed, squeezing Zhongli’s hands in response. Xiao sat up on the bed, pulling you onto his lap, causing your hands to slip out of Zhongli’s grasp. Xiao wraps his arms around your waist and rests his chin on your head. The affection caught you off guard, but you weren’t against it. You gently caressed Xiao’s face in your hands and planted a kiss on his cheeks.

“You two still haven’t answered my question, though.” You sighed, looking over at Xiao and Zhongli.

“Archons and adeptis don’t need sleep in order to function, like how humans do,” Zhongli replies, sitting up on the bed. The blanket slides down, revealing Zhongli’s muscular chest. You feel your face become hot at the sight of his bare chest before you face-planted onto the bed, attempting to shield your face from Zhongli and Xiao’s gaze.

“Oh, are you okay?” Xiao asks; he wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you up from the bed. You covered your face with your hands and nodded your head meekly, not knowing how to respond to Xiao.

“I’m okay! Just feeling tired, that’s all.” You lie, clearing your throat. You turned to Xiao to say something, only to see that he was also shirtless. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. You weren’t sure how you’d be able to fall asleep next to two shirtless handsome men.

You cleared your throat awkwardly, “Even if the two of you don’t need sleep, you guys should try to go to bed anyway because I can’t sleep when people are awake in the same room as me as I am trying to sleep.” You said, laying back down on the bed next to Zhongli.

“Alright, anything for you,” Xiao says, laying down beside you while wrapping his arms around you. Zhongli moves closer to where you lay, letting you rest your head on his biceps. You let out another yawn while snuggling up against Xiao and Zhongli.

“Goodnight, Xiao! Goodnight, Zhongli.” You said softly, sighing in contentment when you felt both Xiao and Zhongli press a kiss on the side of your head.

“Goodnight [Y/N].”

“Sweet dreams.”

You closed your heavy eyelids, feeling yourself drift off to sleep slowly. This was the first time where you felt safe when going to sleep— in the arms of an ex archon and your adepti boyfriend. You tend to fall asleep quite fast; you fell asleep a few minutes after laying on Zhongli’s biceps while snuggling up against Xiao and Zhongli. Your breath evened out as your chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm.

“Xiao,” Zhongli says. Xiao looks over at Zhongli, not saying a word. “I can sense tension coming from you. Is there a problem?” He asks, turning his head towards Xiao’s direction. Xiao lets out a huff of breath before looking away. Of course, there’s a problem! Xiao doesn’t like the fact that he is sharing his girlfriend with another man. Even though Zhongli has yet to ask you to be his girlfriend or make some advances toward you, Xiao did not like the idea of having to share you with another man. Specifically, the man that the Harbinger was rooting for from the very beginning.

“There is no problem just yet,” Xiao says, tightening his grip around your waist.

“Oh? Well, if there is any problem, do let [Y/N] and I know.” Zhongli says, closing his eyes. Xiao rolled his eyes and turned on his side to bury his face into the crook of your neck.

While you like the idea of living with the two immortal beings, you can feel the tension between Xiao and Zhongli whenever they’re in the same room as one another. While Zhongli didn’t seem to pay much attention to the tension, Xiao was tensed whenever he would see Zhongli in the same room as you, especially if the two of you were a little closer than usual. You couldn’t help but feel like you were the cause of the tension between the archon and adepti. While you’re open to being with both Zhongli and Xiao, it seems like the two would much rather have you for themselves and not share you at all. Zhongli isn’t much of a possessive type. Even if Zhongli was the possessive type, he didn’t show it at all.

On the other hand, Xiao made it very obvious that you belong to him and only him. The possessive hand at your waist whenever you’re with him, the number of times he would press his lips on any part of your body when Zhongli is around, the small glare he would shoot in the archon’s direction. It was evident that Xiao did not want to share you with Zhongli at all. While you’re technically not with Zhongli, Xiao was wary about leaving you all alone with Zhongli while he’s out doing his duties.

“Xiao, it’s okay! You don’t have to worry so much about me! I have Zhongli here with me to watch over me while you’re doing your duties.” You said softly, brushing his hair away from his face.

“That’s what I’m worried about the most.” Is what Xiao wanted to say, but he said nothing. Xiao can see Zhongli watch the two of you from his peripheral vision. Xiao suddenly pulls you into his arms, causing you to stumble and bump against his chest. He wraps his arms around you tightly, his chin resting on your head, his eyes closed.

“Xiao? What’s wrong?” You ask softly, gently rubbing his back as you peeked over at Zhongli with a quizzical look on your face. Zhongli says nothing as he continues to watch you and Xiao from where he stood, his arms over his chest. He seemed to be deep in his thoughts. Not knowing what else to say, you try to pull away from his arms, only for Xiao to tighten his grip around you.

“Babe.” You said, turning your head to take a peek at Xiao’s face. He looks over at you before leaning in to press his lips against yours, catching you off guard. Your eyes slowly close as you kiss him back, tangling your fingers in his soft hair. You broke the kiss and pressed your forehead against his, your chest heaving from the lack of air.

“I don’t want to leave you,” Xiao says, a faint frown appearing on his face. You caressed his face in your hands before pressing a kiss against his cheeks.

“I can come with you if you want.” You suggest.

“No.”

“Absolutely not.”

Xiao and Zhongli spoke up in unison, giving one another the side-eye before looking back at you with a stern look on their faces. You frowned at Xiao and Zhongli’s response, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Why not? I have a vision.” You said, pointing at the cryo vision that hung around your waist.

“Even if you do have a vision, it’s best for you not to go with Xiao when he is out protecting Liyue,” Zhongli says, crossing his arms over his chest with a frown on his face.

“It’s too dangerous for you to go. I’d rather not have you get injured when you tag along with me,” Xiao states, his eyebrows furrowing at you.

“But, you were reluctant to leave. I offered to go with you to keep you company, but now you didn’t want me to go with you?” You tilt your head in confusion.

“It’s not about keeping me company and not wanting to leave. It’s for your own safety. Who knows who or what could be lurking in the darkness while you’re not keen on your surroundings.” Xiao states. You stared at Xiao for a moment before looking over at Zhongli, who nodded his head in agreement with Xiao’s statement. Now that you think about it, you’re still not the most skilled vision holder, even if you have a vision. Not only that but the person or creature that could be lurking in the darkness, waiting to hurt you, could be Lumine. If that is what Xiao and Zhongli were hinting at.

“Is this about Lumine by any chance?” You ask, furrowing your eyebrows in confusion.

“This isn’t just about Lumine; this is about how there are people and monsters out there that are willing to hurt you without any hesitation,” Xiao says, frowning at you.

“Oh, so it is about Lumine after all.” You said, crossing your arms over your chest. “Listen, there’s nothing to worry about! We haven’t seen Lumine in quite a while; maybe she’s given up and has officially left us three alone.” You said.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. I recommend keeping your guard up. Lumine is a skilled fighter and can lurk in the shadows without being spotted.” Zhongli says, tapping his finger on his bicep.

“Okay, okay. I will have my guard up at all times.” You nod your head with a quiet sigh. You’re glad that Xiao and Zhongli are protective of you. Still, they can get overbearing when it comes to your safety. Sure. You almost died from the Fatui Skirmishers (which Childe has fired and tortured for harming you). Lumine is after your head, quite literally. You wish that you could do the littlest things without having to constantly check to see if there was anyone lurking in the shadows.

“I have to go soon,” Xiao says, grabbing onto your hands and gently squeezing your hands. You gave Xiao a strained smile and squeezed his hands back.

“As much as I don’t want you to go, I know it's your duty to protect Liyue.” You said softly, caressing his face with your left hand. “Unfortunately, I can’t keep you from protecting Liyue any longer.” You said softly.

“I’ll come back to you soon. It won’t take too long.” Xiao reassures you, tucking your hair behind your ear.

“You better.” You joked, pressing another kiss on his cheeks. Xiao reluctantly lets go of your hands, planting a kiss on your forehead before disappearing in wisps of smoke. You feel Zhongli place a gentle hand on your shoulders; you turn towards Zhongli before poking him lightly.

“Can you train me to become a better fighter in combat?” You ask, looking up at Zhongli curiously.

“I believe I’m not suitable to train you in combat. You can always ask Xiao to train you instead if you'd like.” Zhongli says.

“I’d love to ask Xiao to help me become a better fighter, but Xiao wouldn’t agree to train me. I saw how he trained Ganyu, and he was strict on Ganyu.” You muttered, crossing your arms over your chest. “I was hoping that you’d train me instead because you have years of experience in combat, and Xiao has always praised you and your combat skill.” You said.

Zhongli chuckles while shaking his head. Despite the tension between Xiao and Zhongli, Xiao still manages to praise the archon that saved him from his tormentors. Zhongli saved Xiao from his torture and freed him from his chains. While Xiao is no longer held by the chains of his tormentors, the number of people Xiao has slain is what chained him down. The burden of his karmic debt weighed on his shoulders. Zhongli doesn’t blame Xiao for being possessive of you. In fact, Zhongli is just as possessive of you. But he doesn’t show it like how Xiao does; as much as Zhongli wants to claim you as his and only his, he knows that you would have a problem with having to choose between the two of them. Xiao is your boyfriend, and Zhongli is someone you can depend on when it comes to any situation. As much as Zhongli is okay with being a “close friend” of yours, deep down, he wants to be more than that with you. Zhongli wants to be able to kiss you out in the open and shower you with lots and lots of love and affection. But Zhongli held back those desires and tried to keep it professional.

Zhongli’s desire to hold you close, kiss your pretty plump lips, and mark your neck with love bites was growing stronger and stronger as time went by. Zhongli’s desire to make you his was so powerful that it followed him into his dreams. The dreams of where you lay beneath him, legs wrapped around his waist, both you and Zhongli were naked in your shared bed. The sound of your soft cries, moans, whines, and yelps was occupying the space; your gasps and moans drowned out Zhongli’s low growls, groans, and praises. Both of your bodies are covered in a thin layer of sweat. Your arms held above your head, Zhongli’s grasps around your wrists while he was slamming his hips against yours, drawing you loud whines and moans from you.

The dreams wouldn’t stop at all. Every time Zhongli closes his eyes, he will see you beneath him, eye(s) rolling to the back of your head from the pleasure. Your nails were clawing down his muscular back as he continued to draw out moans and whimpers from you.

“Zhongli?” You ask softly, poking his chest once more to grab his attention.

“Yes?” Zhongli blinks down at you, trying to push back his desires to the back of his mind.

“Will you help me train to become a better fighter?” You ask, looking up at him with hope in your eyes as you held onto his hands, bouncing on the balls of your feet cutely. Zhongli feels his heart melt at the look of hope in your doe-like eyes. Zhongli swallows the forming lump in his throat as he closes his eyes, nodding his head at your question.

“We can start on your training once you’ve fully healed from your injuries. Xiao will accompany us on your training; I’m sure he will want to help out as well.” Zhongli says, looking away from you.

“What if Xiao is against it?” You ask Zhongli sadly as you stop bouncing on your feet, giving him the same puppy dog eyes that make him melt each time he looks at you.

“He won’t be against it if he knows it’s for your safety,” Zhongli states, straightening his back after clearing his throat. Archons, you’re killing him.

“Hm… you’re right.” You said, tapping on your chin with your index finger. “Just don’t go too rough on me, or else I’ll break.” You joked. Zhongli chuckles and pulls you into his arms.

“I can’t promise that I won’t be too rough on you,” Zhongli says, planting a kiss on the top of your head.

When Xiao returned from his duties, you told Xiao about your desire to be trained in combat by both Xiao and Zhongli. At first, he was very against it. Xiao did not want you to deal with any other combat-related activities (that included commissions), nor did he want you to ever think about getting into a physical altercation with anyone. Even though it has happened quite a few times now, Xiao continues to ignore your wishes.

“What if someone ambushes me, and I can’t fight back? What am I going to do?” You ask, crossing your arms over your chest with a huff of breath.

“Call out my name, and I’ll be there,” Xiao says, shrugging his shoulders as if the answer was pretty evident.

“But Xiao, what if I end up being in a place where I can’t call your name?” You ask; Xiao looks at you in confusion. You let out a dramatic sigh and looked over at Zhongli with a pout on your face before looking back at your boyfriend, who continued to look at you with a questioning look on his face. “What if I end up in some kind of portal and you can’t find me? No matter how many times I call out your name, you wouldn’t hear me because I’m not in the same world as you are.” You said. Xiao scoffs in response, his arms crossing over his chest as he closes his eyes with a soft exhale of breath.

“[Y/N], the possibility of you getting trapped in another world is highly unlikely going to happen,” Xiao says.

“Then how are Aether and Lumine here then? They’re outlanders, aren’t they?” You raised your eyebrow at Xiao. Xiao doesn’t say anything as he looks away from you.

“Listen, Xiao. I understand that you worry about me getting injured again, but I'm more likely to get hurt if I don’t improve my combat skills. Remember the commission that went down south?” You ask, frowning at the yaksha in front of you.

“You were injured because of me, not because of your lack of skill.” Xiao states. You threw your head back in frustration, running your hands through your hair.

“This is impossible.” You muttered, shaking your head with a bitter smile on your face. “Me being injured after completing my commission isn’t your fault. Stop blaming yourself over something you have no control over!” You demanded, clenching your jaws.

“I did have control over the situation. If I had gone with you on your commission, you wouldn’t have life-altering injuries.” Xiao says, his nostrils flaring as he shoots a glare over in your direction.

“And there’s no way of reversing the outcomes!” You said. You grabbed onto Xiao’s hands before pleading, “Please, Xiao! Please help me become a better fighter. Zhongli will be helping too! It won’t be just you!” You give Xiao a pleading look. Xiao froze at the mention of Zhongli’s name before looking over at the former archon. Zhongli was leaning against the wall, watching both you and Xiao with a relaxed expression. Zhongli has yet to interject when you have first told Xiao about your desire to become a better fighter in combat.

“And you’re okay with training [Y/N] in combat?” Xiao asks, looking at Zhongli with a skeptical look on his face.

“At first, I was against it. But after realizing that it’s best for [Y/N] to improve her skills in combat, I agreed to help her in the end.” Zhongli says.

“Why would you agree to something like this? Do you not fear for her safety?!” Xiao asks, walking over to where Zhongli stood before stopping in front of the ex archon.

“I do fear for her safety, but if [Y/N] were to have a decent amount of combat skills, she can fend for herself if you and I are not able to reach her location in time,” Zhongli says, narrowing his eyes at the yaksha.

“As I have said earlier, [Y/N] can call out my name, and I will be by her side immediately.” Xiao declares, glaring at the god in front of him.

“What do I have to do to have you agree to train me?!” You ask, approaching Xiao and Zhongli with a frown on your face. “Do I have to kneel and beg for you to agree to train me?” You ask, immediately getting down on both of your knees, looking up at Xiao with a frown on your face.

Xiao and Zhongli look away from you; light pink blush appears on their face, their hearts racing against their chests at the mere sight of you kneeling in front of them with puppy dog eyes. You look so submissive, and you look like you would do anything for them to help you improve your skills in combat. You look at Zhongli and Xiao in confusion, as the two of them are avoiding eye contact with you. They looked to the side, arms over their chests. What you didn’t see are their fingers digging into their arms, refraining themselves from taking you right then and there on the spot where you knelt.

“Please, please, please teach me how to become a better fighter!” You said, clasping your hands together with a pout on your face. “I’ll do anything as long as you two help me become more skilled in combat!” You offered, pressing your forehead against the floor as you continued to beg for them— mainly Xiao, to help train you.

“Anything?” Xiao and Zhongli ask in unison, ignoring one another as they look back down to where you were kneeling. Your head shoots up as you straighten up your posture before nodding your head rapidly.

“Yes! Anything! Please, just help me become a more skilled fighter.” You said. The way you stare at them with wide eyes, filled with such innocence, made Xiao and Zhongli’s pants feel tighter at the sight in front of them.

“Alright, alright! I’ll help Zhongli with training you in combat. But don’t expect me to go easy on you.” Xiao says, rolling his eyes before walking off before you could reply. You got off the floor and began cheering while Zhongli gave you a small smile while trying to actively avoid the growing problem between his legs. Before Zhongli knew it, you threw yourself at Zhongli while squealing from excitement. Zhongli almost immediately shoved you away from him, fearing that you might feel Zhongli’s issues. Zhongli gently pulls you away from him, patting the top of your head with a stiff smile on his face.

“Xiao and I will train you very soon! Please be prepared for it.” Zhongli says, his left hand grabbing onto his right wrist in front of where the issue lies. You nod your head before trotting away happily, excited for your upcoming training with the two men you care about.

While you weren’t fully healed from the accident, Xiao and Zhongli did take it easy on you at the beginning. But then the training progressively got even more complicated as time went on. When you said that you were excited to have Zhongli and Xiao help you strengthen your skills in combat, you take it all back. The training with the two men was intense, and you barely had the time to take a breather. Your entire body was sore, and some parts of your body were covered in scratches and bruises. While Xiao and Zhongli were close to giving up on training you due to the fact that they were afraid that they would hurt you, you were adamant about continuing the training no matter how complicated it got for you. Sure, there are times when you wish you hadn’t begged both Zhongli and Xiao to train you, but you can see the improvement coming out of the intense training!

Your chest was heaving as you leaned against the boulders outside of Dihua Marsh. Your body was covered in sweat; your clothes were sticking to your body, and your hair was sticking to your face and neck. You feel disgusting, and you’re exhausted, but you can feel yourself improving more and more each day.

“For some reason, I have this inkling feeling where you two are going hard on me on purpose.” You breathed, wiping the sweat off your forehead with the back of your hand.

“Well, I did say that I wasn’t going to go easy on you,” Xiao says, cocking an eyebrow at you. Xiao and Zhongli did not break a sweat at all. Whenever you’re being trained by the two, they wouldn’t break a sweat, nor did they seemed exhausted as you were. It was impressive, and you wanted to be at their level. But because they’re immortals and have been alive way longer than you have, you wouldn’t be able to be on par to their level before you’re six feet underground.

You sighed softly and nodded your head at Xiao’s response. He wasn’t wrong at all; Xiao did tell you that he wasn’t going to go easy on you. But then there’s Zhongli; he did say that he couldn’t make a promise on going easy on you, so you weren’t sure why you were expecting the ex archon to go easy on you.

“If we were to go easy on you, there wouldn’t be any improvements,” Zhongli says, tilting his head to the side with the corner of his lip quirked up in a faint smirk.

You pouted, “But the two of you were going easy on me in the first few weeks of training!” You accused, looking at Xiao and Zhongli in disbelief.

“I don’t think you understand this, [Y/N]. But the more you train, the more we will have to make training less easy.” Xiao says, strutting up to you. Xiao lightly strokes your hair with a tiny smile on his face as his hands slowly trail down your face, caressing your right cheek with his left hand.

“You did well! I’m proud of you.” Xiao praises you gently. You look at Xiao with a wide eye(s), feeling your face heat up at the praise, almost feeling giddy.

“T-Thank you, Xiao.” You squeaked, looking at Xiao and Zhongli with a shy smile on your face while you messed with the hem of your shirt. “I-I wouldn’t be doing so well if it weren’t for you and Zhongli.” You giggled softly. The soft sound of your laugh evokes a strange feeling deep within Xiao and Zhongli’s chest; the feeling of wanting to make you writhe beneath them while they have their way with you. The need to mark and claim you as their own, and to have you begging for more and for mercy.

“Your next training will be about stamina. Combat involves a lot of stamina, so, in order for you to improve your stamina, there will be countless training that will need to be done.” Zhongli says. You tilt your head to the side in confusion. The routine and combat training that you were receiving from both Xiao and Zhongli…. did it not relate to stamina?

“Oh, I thought the things we were doing already involved stamina.” You said, scratching the back of your head with a questioning look on your face.

“They do, but there are many other ways to improve your stamina,” Xiao says, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Okay! When do we start?” You ask, looking at both Zhongli and Xiao curiously.

Xiao and Zhongli glanced over at one another, sharing knowing looks with one another. At first, you thought Zhongli and Xiao would have you run laps around Wangshu Inn as a way for you to improve your stamina! After all, it was part of your warmup before they started training you. What you did not expect was to be completely naked, on all fours, ass up in the air, head shoved into your pillow while Xiao was pounding into you from behind. Xiao had an iron grip around your waist, his nails digging into the skin of your abdomen.

“X-Xiao! S-Slow down!” You wailed, grabbing onto the bedsheets so tightly that your knuckles turned white.

“Slow down?” Xiao huffs, his jaws clenched tightly as he continues to slam his cock into your sopping hole. “As I have said before, I won’t be going easy on you.” Xiao grunts as he reaches up to grab your hair, tugging on your hair harshly. You yelped at the sharp pain, causing your walls to tighten around Xiao’s thick cock. Xiao growls, grinding his hips against yours. You wailed when the bulbous head of his dick hits your cervix, causing you to black out momentarily. Xiao pulls his dick out of your vagina before flipping you over on your back, pinning your wrist above your head before inserting his cock back into your sore cunt.

Your legs are wrapped around Xiao’s waist as he pistons his hips against yours, hitting your cervix over and over. A loud yelp escapes from your mouth as you dig your nails into his biceps. Your eyebrows furrowed while you shut your eyes tightly.

“Xiao!” You squealed, digging your nails deeper into his biceps.

Xiao reached up and began toying with your clit, causing you to involuntarily clench around his painfully erect cock. Xiao lays on top of you, his arms caging you to the bed as he grinds his pubic bone against your bundle of nerves. You squeezed your eyes shut, feeling your lower stomach beginning to tighten.

“Fuck, you’re so tight, princess.” Xiao groans, burying his face into the crook of your neck.

You let you a strained whimper, wrapping your arms around his torso, digging your nails into his back. Xiao latches his mouth onto your neck, sucking and licking the small area on your neck. Your hands slowly made their way up to his hair, tangling your fingers into his luscious hair before lightly pulling on it. While Xiao continuously thrusts his cock into your entrance, he trailed his lips down to your shoulders, planting soft kisses where your neck and shoulder met. The soft kisses were a stark contrast to the pace of his member repeatedly slamming into your cervix.

“X-Xiao! I-I’m going to cu—” You choked on your words when you felt the tight coil at your lower abdomen become tighter and tighter the more the tip of Xiao’s dick slammed into your cervix. If you had to choose how you would want to leave Teyvat, it’d definitely be by Xiao’s cock ramming deep in your cervix. You just know that your poor cervix is bruised just by how Xiao is thrusting into your pussy.

“Cum on my cock, princess. Cum for me. You’ve been such a good girl for me.” Xiao grunts, continuing to ram his cock as deep as it can reach. The tight rope in your lower abdomen snaps, causing you to squeeze around Xiao tightly. You let out a loud wail, and your legs tighten around Xiao’s waist, pulling him closer to you. Xiao lets out a strained moan before releasing hot ropes of cum into your cunt. Xiao’s chest was rising and falling at a rapid pace while he pulled his now softening cock out from your cunt; you shivered when you felt a mix of your and his cum spilling from your vagina.

“I’m so tired. I don’t understand how you have that much stamina.” You wheezed, laying on the bed, too tired to move.

“That’s why you’re being trained to improve your stamina,” Zhongli states, hovering above you. Both of his arms caged you to your bed as he gazed down at you, his amber eyes glowing with lust and hunger. His muscular bare chest caught your attention; you knew that Zhongli was fit, but you didn’t think he’d be muscular that his biceps were almost the size of your head. Was this what Zhongli was hiding beneath all of those layers of clothing? Aside from Zhongli’s fantastic and mouthwatering physique, something much bigger caught your attention.

“That’s not going to fit at all.” You shook your head, looking at Zhongli’s…. friend…. with wide eyes.

“It’ll fit just fine,” Zhongli states, grabbing onto the base of his cock before rubbing it up and down against your folds, covering his mushroom tip in both your and Xiao’s cum.

“Zhongli, I thought that Xiao’s fat cock was going to tear me to pieces, but I think yours is going to send me straight to Celestia. You have a monstrous size cock!” You whined. Xiao’s face turns red at your comment before grabbing onto your hair, pushing his now hardening cock into your mouth, silencing you. Zhongli chuckles at your comment before pushing the tip of his dick into your dripping cunt. Your whimpers and whines were muffled by Xiao’s cock as Zhongli continued to sink his monstrous dick deeper and deeper into your pussy. Your nails rake down Zhongli’s muscular back, sending shivers down Zhongli’s spine as he finally sinks fully into your vagina. Your head jerks away from Xiao’s cock; you whine as you dig your nails deep into Zhongli’s skin, loud whimpers escaping from your lips.

“It’s too much! It’s too much!” You screeched, shaking your head in protest. Zhongli buries his face into your neck, biting down onto your shoulders as he tries not to lose control at the feeling of your tight cunt wrapping around his dick. You have never felt so full before; with Xiao’s cum stuffed deep inside your pussy, Zhongli’s monstrous cock made you feel extra full to the brim. Zhongli slowly pulls back his hips before thrusting back into your cunt, immediately hitting the deepest part of your vagina, prodding the gummy wall that is your cervix.

In the beginning, Zhongli started off at a slow pace. The tip of his cock would continuously batter against your cervix, causing you to tense up and let out soft whimpers and yelps. Zhongli gradually begins to pick up the pace, his hips slamming and grinding against yours. You gasped, and your back arched up against Zhongli’s chest. Your hand reaches up and tangles your fingers in his hair, gently pulling on it.

A low growl rumbles from Zhongli’s chest as he reaches down and grabs onto your waist tightly, slamming your hips against his. The feeling of Zhongli’s cock plunging in and out of your dripping pussy sent a massive wave of pleasure through you. The sound of skin-to-skin contact, your whimpers and moans, and Zhongli’s low growls and grunts made you even wetter than you already were. Gritting his teeth, Zhongli grabs onto your right leg and tosses it over his shoulder, allowing him to hit even deeper. Your eye(s) widen at the feeling of Zhongli being able to go even further than your fingers can go.

“Zhongli!” You sobbed; your body writhes beneath his. Zhongli presses his chest against yours, almost covering your entire body with just his torso. The sound of you whimpering and gasping out Zhongli’s name sent more blood rushing up his cock; you felt him harden inside of you. You fear that Zhongli wasn’t going to stop any time soon. While you didn’t have an issue with it, you felt overstimulated, and your cunt was starting to hurt, but it hurts too good. A string of curses slips through Zhongli’s lips, forcing his long cock into your sopping heat.

“Fuck!” You squealed loudly when the mushroom tip of his dick kissed your cervix, causing you to see stars in your vision. “Zhongli! I’m going to cum!” You sobbed. Zhongli reaches down and begins to rub your clit at a rapid pace, his thrusts not faltering. Zhongli leans down and begins to lick and suck on your nipple, making you jolt at the sensation. Right before you could open your mouth to say something, the tightness in your lower stomach snaps, causing you to black out momentarily. When you came to your consciousness, Zhongli was still ramming his cock into you, only with much more speed and force.

“Zhongli! It’s too much! It’s too much!” You squealed, tugging on his ponytail. Zhongli grunts and pants each time the tip of his dick kisses your cervix. Soon enough, Zhongli was chasing his release. You feel Zhongli’s hot cum flooding the inside of your cunt, mixing with your and Xiao’s cum. Xiao grabs you by your hair before shoving his cock into your mouth, catching you by surprise. But it did not surprise you as much as when he suddenly cummed into your mouth; Xiao pulled out from your mouth and caressed you by the cheek.

“Swallow,” Xiao demands. You squeezed your eyes shut as you swallowed the bitter fluid down your throat. You cracked your eyes open and winced when you felt Zhongli pull his dick out from your cunt, shuddering when the feeling of your, Zhongli, and Xiao’s cum oozes from your cunt.

“I’m so tired.” You breathed; Zhongli and Xiao laid down beside you, their arms wrapping around your torso and waist.

“Tired after a couple of hours? Your stamina is really weak; we’ll have to continue to help you build your stamina.” Xiao huffs, tightening his grip around your torso.

“Need I remind you that I’m human?” You muttered, sighing softly as you leaned your head against Zhongli’s arms. “Not everyone has inhuman stamina like you and Zhongli.” You added, flicking Xiao’s forehead lightly, causing the yaksha to glare at you while rubbing the area where you’ve flicked him.

“I believe that we all should get some rest now, especially [Y/N]. We’ve worn her out enough as it is.” Zhongli spoke up, gently rubbing your hipbone, causing goosebumps to appear on your skin.

“Alright, but once we’re all rested, we should get back to training,” Xiao says, subconsciously pulling your hips against his.

“A-Already!? I thought I would get some break after the stamina training!” You squeaked, looking over at Xiao with wide eyes.

“Alright, we’ll continue the training tomorrow instead,” Xiao mutters. You sighed and buried your face into the blanket, feeling yourself dozing off.

You ended up waking up earlier than Xiao and Zhongli the very next day. To start off your day, you have decided to take a shower before heading down to the main lobby of Wangshu Inn. You didn’t want to disturb Zhongli and Xiao from their slumber, so, you left them a small note to inform them about your whereabouts. You sat in the lobby of Wangshu Inn while sipping on your coffee; the dull ache between your legs was a reminder of yesterday’s activities. You felt your face heat up when you saw one of your next-door neighbors give you a look while they walked passed by where you sat.

“Was I really that loud?” You whispered to yourself, your face heating up in embarrassment.

“Yes, yes, you were.” A voice interjects. You felt your blood run cold at the sound of the familiar voice. You didn’t look up from your coffee. You can feel the hairs at the back of your neck stand up as the footsteps got closer to where you sat.

“My, my, [Y/N]. Two different men in one day? Who knew you were such a whore.” The voice giggles; your grip around the coffee mug tightens. “I don’t understand why Xiao chose to stay with you when you spread your legs for half of the population of Teyvat.” The voice sighs mockingly. You stare at the floor in front of you; the familiar white and gold boots stop right in your line of sight.

“What do you want, Lumine?” You muttered, looking up at Lumine through your lashes. She stares down at you with her yellow eyes, the corner of her lips quirked up with malice and mockery.

“Oh, I just wanted to pay a visit to my future boyfriend’s deceased ex-girlfriend,” Lumine says nonchalantly.

“Future boyfriend? Last time I checked, Xiao rejected you and has no interest in you.” You muttered, taking another sip of your coffee. You have to tread carefully; you’re not too sure how unhinged Lumine was at the very moment. If you were to say one thing out of line, Lumine would have your head cut off by the blade of her sword. Even though you’re training with Xiao and Zhongli, you know that your skill level in combat compared to Lumine isn’t on the same level as hers. She can have you six feet underground in no time. As much as you didn’t want to cause any further conflict while Xiao and Zhongli aren’t currently present, it was hard to remain level-headed near the same blonde woman that is obsessed with your boyfriend.

“And last time I checked, I didn’t emotionally cheat on Xiao with the man who has recused him from his tormentors, whom he views as his father figure.” Lumine spats, smacking your mug of coffee out from your hands, causing it to shatter on the wooden floors.

“Wow, you’re even more unhinged than the last time I saw you.” You muttered to yourself.

“Xiao belongs to me, not you! You should have died in the hands of the Fatui!” Lumine seethes, her sword materializing in her hands almost immediately. “But it looks like I’ll be the one to be finishing this, once and for all!” Lumine points the tip of her blade at your face.

“Uh, no, you’re not.” You scoffed, getting up from your seat. “I find it weird and sad that you’re chasing after a man that has no interest in you.” You cross your arms over your chest, staring her down.

“He was interested in me until you came into the picture.” Lumine scowls at you; Lumine’s grip on her blade tightens to the point where you can see her knuckles turn white.

“Keyword: was. Xiao was interested until he found someone better.” You whispered to her mockingly, a smirk appearing on her face. You smacked the blade away from your face before walking up the stairs of the Inn.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?! I didn’t say you can leave!” Lumine shouts, grabbing the attention of people walking by.

“I’m going back to my room. I believe that Xiao and Zhongli are waiting for me.” You said, waving her off, not sparing her a single glance. You felt something whiz past your face, forcing you to come to a complete stop in your tracks. You look over at the wall, seeing Lumine’s sword stuck to the wall, close to where your head was. You turned around to face Lumine, but she beat you to it by grabbing you by the neck and slamming you against the wall.

“I’m not letting you go easily. Not until you’re dead.” Lumine tightens her grip around your neck, her jaws clenching.

You grabbed Lumine’s wrists and dug your nails into her wrist before shoving her away from you. You ran out from under Lumine and out of the Inn; there was no way you’ll let her try to kill you where there were people around to witness. Lumine yanks her sword from the wall before chasing after you. Your catalyst materializes in the air as you shoot sharp icicles in Lumine’s direction. Lumine dodges the icicles before electricity begins to crackle in her hands, storming towards you with the sword crackling with electro.

“Oh, that’s not fair at all.” You thought to yourself as you dodged the sword.

Lumine was using every element she had just to kill you. The use of anemo to try to knock you off your feet, the use of electro to try to send endless electricity into your body to stop your heart from beating, and the use of geo to attempt to crush your body. If Lumine had any other element under her belt, you were done for.

Your heart was racing against your chest as Lumine continuously shot a gust of wind in your direction, mixing it with electro. You were shocked that you were able to dodge everything she had thrown at you, but you didn’t know how much longer you could hold on. The thirst to spill your blood was intense, and Lumine’s hands were itching to spill every single drop of your blood. Lumine is very adamant about wanting to get rid of you so that she can be with Xiao in the end. Did Lumine know that even if she were to be successful in murdering you, Xiao would still not choose her? Especially after all of the harm that she has inflicted on those around her, especially you. You have done nothing to Lumine at all, and she wanted to have your head on the silver platter.

An icicle you sent to Lumine’s direction grazes her cheek, causing a small drop of blood to drip from the small wound. Lumine gingerly reaches up and touches the cut; she pulls her hand back and stares down at the crimson blood on the tip of her fingers. Lumine glances up at you; her eyes are devoid of emotions.

“Oh, killing you is going to be so much fun.” Lumine laughs bitterly before she charges at you. With each swing of her sword, Lumine manages to leave cuts on your arms, your cheek, and your torso. You knew that Lumine was a skilled fighter, but seeing her thirsting for blood almost scared you. You fear that perhaps Lumine will actually finish you off if she wanted to. Well, I mean, she does want to kill you. There’s nothing stopping her from killing you just yet. You and Lumine were so focused on killing each other (you were the one trying to live, she’s the one attempting murder) that you two didn’t see Xiao and Zhongli rushing over to the scene.

“[Y/N]! What did I tell you last time!?” Xiao exclaims, looking at the scene in front of him in horror. You turned to look over where Xiao and Zhongli stood, giving Lumine a chance to pierce her blade into your chest, catching you by surprise. Lumine grunts as she pushes you against the wooden railing of the Inn, shoving you overboard. Lumine pulled the sword out from your chest right as you fell over; blood began to bloom from the gaping wound in your chest.

“NO!”

“[Y/N]!”

“Lumine, what the fuck!”

Your body plummets to the ground at a rapid speed; Xiao jumps off the balcony, diving down after you. Xiao catches you midair before materializing outside of the Inn, away from onlookers. Zhongli was by your and Xiao’s side almost immediately, assessing the wound that Lumine had inflicted on you.

“I told you to call out my name when you’re in danger!” Xiao scolds you, his eyes blurring with tears.

“I was, but…” You winced in pain, placing both of your hands over your chest. Your head falls onto Xiao’s chest, face scrunching up from the searing pain in your chest. “I didn’t want to fight Lumine. She was the one that started it.” You muttered, tears cascading down your cheeks.

“We know. We’re not mad at you. We’re worried about you and your safety,” Zhongli says softly, kneeling beside you. “We need to get her to Bubu Pharmacy immediately, or else she succumbs to her wound,” Zhongli says.

“What about Lumine? We can’t let her be on the loose after what she has done.” You whispered, your eyelids growing heavy.

“Aether arrived on time before she could flee after pushing you over the edge,” Xiao says. His hands were shaking as he placed them over the gaping hole in your chest. “I can’t believe that I have failed you again,” Xiao whispers, burying his face into your neck. Just when you felt like you were going to lose your consciousness, you realized something. You can suddenly see from both of your eyes. You jolt up in Xiao’s arms and look around with wide eyes. Xiao and Zhongli look at you, startled. Your wounds begin to glow. The eye that no longer had its use was glowing bright blue, and so were your wounds and the gaping hole in your chest. You look at Xiao and Zhongli, feeling a wave of panic beginning to arise deep within your chest. What was going on? Why are your wounds glowing? Why can you suddenly see out of the eye that supposedly no longer works?

“What’s going on!?” You panic; you stand up and examine your body with wide eyes. Xiao and Zhongli were immediately by your side, looking at you from head to toe with both curiosity and fear. Once the light died out, Xiao brushes his hand over the area where Lumine had stabbed you.

“You’re completely healed,” Xiao states, looking at your face. He gently caresses your face and stares into your eyes. “Can you see out of the other one?” He mutters, lifting a finger, and points at the eye that you couldn’t see out of. You nod your head in response. You raised your arms and looked at the different parts of your body; the old scars from your surgery were gone as if they had never happened.

“Rex Lapis, is there a logical explanation as to what has happened to [Y/N] just moments ago?” Xiao asks, turning over to Zhongli, who stood there silently while examining you closely.

“She’s an adepti,” Zhongli states, crossing his arms over his chest.

“What?!” Xiao looks at Zhongli incredulously, having a hard time processing what Zhongli has said,

“An adepti?” You shook your head. “There’s no way that I’m an adepti or part adepti. I’m human.”

“I’ve been alive for thousands of years now, [Y/N]. I’ve seen all forms of life throughout the thousand years. You may not think that you’re an adepti, but you are one.” Zhongli says, walking up to you. “I may not know much about your family background, but from what I can gather, you have no living relatives or family members. I assume that the day you were born, you were given to a human family.” Zhongli strokes his chin, his eyebrows furrowing as he tries to assess the situation.

“I still don’t believe it.” You said, sighing softly.

“Me neither. How can an adepti be as weak as a typical mortal?” Xiao asks. You look at Xiao in disbelief. “Ah, my apologies.” Xiao bows his head, his cheeks tinting red.

“No, no, you’re correct. There’s no way I can be an adepti when I’m just as weak as any other human.” You sighed, shoulders slumping. “How can I be an adepti when I’m weaker than Lumine and Aether?” You ask bitterly.

“Well, Xiao and I are training you to become stronger and build your stamina,” Zhongli says. You feel your face become hot at the mere mention of them helping you build your stamina. “But we will need to dig a little deeper into your past,” Zhongli adds.

“What’s there to dig for when there’s nothing there?”

“I believe that this is the job for Childe and the other adeptis.” Xiao scoffs at the mention of Childe’s name.

“I’m having a hard time processing this information.” You sighed weakly, leaning your head against Zhongli’s chest while your fingers laced with Xiao’s fingers.

“You never fail to surprise me,” Xiao says, gently squeezing your hands.

“Yeah, I never fail to surprise myself too.” You snorted, giving Xiao a small smile when Xiao lightly pinched your cheeks.

“Let’s go back to Wangshu Inn and clean up,” Zhongli says softly, guiding you and Xiao towards the elevator of Wangshu Inn. “After cleaning up, we’ll get Childe and the adeptis to investigate your past,” Zhongli added.

“The way you put it, it made me sound like a criminal.” You snorted.

“Well, you did steal our hearts.” Zhongli ponders, tapping on his chin with a thoughtful look on his face. Xiao lets out a loud groan at Zhongli’s cheesy pickup line, face-palming while shaking his head from the secondhand embarrassment.

Note: Okay, the reason why I took a while on updating this story is because the smut made me cringe LMAO! I couldn't get myself to type out the word "cock" without wincing because I am typing smut out on a huge computer monitor and I was worried that my family could walk in on me typing about Zhongli's monstrous cock. I hope you all like this part though! I have no idea how to feel about it because my feelings are currently numb from the amount of stress I've been put through :) I know this was posted late, but let's pretend I posted it on Saturday instead of a Sunday ;v; To all of my new and returning readers, please keep in mind that I ONLY post on my Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and my AO3 (Aaliah_exo)! Nowhere else except Tumblr and AO3!

Taglist for overall stories: @xxkatsusjinsux, @plumpkie, @crazyrichdaughter, @sucker-for-angst-and-fluff, @thedivinepriestress, @pencil-of-ashes, @samarill, @bakuhve, @skyelightwood, @chaosinanutshell, @emperatris-rinaka, @stygianoir, @neilify, @ksjjkthpjm, @jaisithebird, @jixlem, @permanent-antipathy, @margraveth, @thelost-in-time, @girlvrs, @kryloxen, @universal-rose, @lordbugs, @chihawari, @lilliansstuff, @zhongloml, @sweethcnvy, @wolf-chan2134, @simp4-fictional-men, @dai-tsukki-desu, @fiannee, @trash-queen-af

Taglist is currently closed at the moment because Tumblr doesn't let me tag any more people on posts ;-; Masterlist [here]

#Genshin Impact #Genshin impact fanfiction #Genshin Impact imagine #Genshin impact fanfics #Xiao x reader #Xiao x fem!reader #Zhongli x reader #Zhongli x fem!reader #Xiao x fem!reader x Zhongli #Xiao imagine #Zhongli imagine #Xiao fanfic #Zhongli fanfic #Xiao smut #Zhongli smut #genshinluvr #Genshin Impact smut

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