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midnighttheroies · 1 year

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Helluva Boss Theory “Stolas and Blitzo Relationship, How Will It Progress”

i did very smilar post like this awhile ago talking about stolas and blitzo relationship, on where it’s is right now, their history, and what they need to do in order to progress, but i wanted to theorize on how the relationship will progress in the seasons and episodes to come

Brief Rundown

their relationship at the current moment is not healthy for either party involve, blitzo has alot, and i mean ALOT of issues with intimacy and love, he’s afraid to be vulnerable and let himself love someone so he pushes people away and hurts them as a way to protect himself from getting hurt, he literally sabotaged his relationship with verosika, this is his coping mechanism to avoid getting hurt

stolas is different yet has the same issues, he wants intimacy, he wants love, and he wants to be loved, to be saved by his prince charming, but he doesn’t know how to get it, all of his relationships he’s been nothing but a pawn for people to use and play with expect for his daughter, even blitz in the past and now only uses him because he’s useful, stolas doesn’t know how to get love or how to reciprocate it properly without making it seem like it’s just about sex

not to mention their mental states at the current moment, blitz has a lot of trauma with him and he’s not coping with it in a healthy way, he’s destructive with all of his relationships and literally holds so much resentment and self-hatred for himself that he truly believes he only hurts the people he loves in his life and that their better off without him, just look at the pictures in his house, all his faces are crossed off, he doesn’t value himself at all, which is why it was esy in the beginning to have sex with stolas, because it didn’t mean anything, but then they started to catch feelings, and it started to freak blitzo out, because he’s afraid of loving people, he’s afraid to love stolas because he doesn’t want to get attached and hurt

stolas mental state isn’t really any better, for one, he’s been raised as a kid to be useful, or else he’s worthless, his dad only ever cared or shown him attention was when it involved him getting his royal duties done, essentially he was using him for whatever he was useful for, which defiantly put his self-esteem down at such a young age, and his toxic abusive relationship with stella put his mental state even worse, he was abused both mentally and physically, and couldn’t get out due it being an arranged marriage, and that can really fuck up someone’s mental state horribly

stolas was raised to never voice his thoughts or have an opinion, that his voice didn’t matter and that he was only good for whatever he was useful for, he was basically shamed to be himself, he was literally caged, and yes while he is privilege in life, being rich and from loyalty, he truly has nothing, he has nobody by his side expect for his daughter, he’s completely and utterly alone

it wasn’t until the cheating and after the ozzie’s incident is where stolas finally had the courage to stand up to stella and demand a divorce, and you can tell from stella’s face when he caught her hand that he had never, ever tried to stop her from doing that before, typically in abusive relationships, the victim never really fights back out of fear of escalating the situation any further, and this is very true in stolas case, before that moment, he never tried to fight back, he tried to keep things level headed and calm

another reason why abuse victims don’t leave is because they feel trapped, isolated and think that the abuse is normal, and this all true, the marriage was arranged against his will, of course he had no way to get out at the time, he was also isolated due to having no support system and was trapped even more because of octavia, i have no doubt in my mind that stella would’ve used octavia against him had he try to get a divorce sooner, and considering how shitty his childhood was, he probably thought the abuse was normal and that this was what he was supposed to do, stay complacent and take the abuse, never speak out and stay in line

when he had met blitz at the “not divorced party”, it was his fantasy coming true, that his knight in shinning armour was here to save him, when in reality that wasn’t the case, but he let himself believe that it was so he could have something to get him through the day, that was until ozzie’s happened, and everything hit him at once, that his fantasy coming true and blitzo loving him was all just a lie for him to engulf in, that he used him to get in to spy on his friends and for his book

what will happen now?

their are so many directions on where their relationship can go, but i personally believe it will be a very long time before we see their relationship turn into a healthy lovey dovy one, i remember seeing a comment about vivzie and saying how it’s going be a low burn, and i personally think the same as well, if they move too fast in this relationship with how they are right now, it will end badly, they both need to heal and learn about commitment and proper and affective communication if they want to have this relationship

i actually saw someone on twitter pointing out that when in the teaser trailer for season two, when blitzo sends out moxxie on a mission, he seems more agitated then usual and seems to be holding something in his hand, with is a small box, and i personally think this is the asmodeus crystals that have been shown in blitzo’s book

asmodeus crystals can turn demons into human forms and take them into earth, i think not long after the L.A episode, stolas will send him the crystals through mail, in his mind he’s setting blitz free from the deal, wanting to make him happy and not force him to remain in their position, but we know blitz likes him and doesn’t want to let him go, so he’s angry at the crystal because in his mind, he’s stolas rejecting him and proving him right about only being his favourite little imp thing to play with, so he’s hurt

i also think that their will be a moment were they’ll get into a huge, HUGE fight over it, with blitzo accusing him of only using him and stolas losing his patience and telling him that he should be happy cause now he’s not trapped with him anymore, and it this will be their falling out, their “break up”, i do think they will have a breakup in their relationship, cause their’s no way in hell they can progress if they don’t go through something like this

they’ll probably meet up under forced circumstances, talk things over and then finally slowly begin to work on things and on their relationship, i mentioned before that their love confession won’t be a typical i love you, their love confession is not gonna be a magical thing, it’s gonna be a real, gut-wrenching like “HOLY SHIT THIS IS TOO REAL”

let me know what you guys think?

#blitzo #stolas #stolitz theory #stolitz #stolitz relationship #helluva boss #helluvaboss #helluva boss stolas #helluva boss blitzo #helluva boss blitz #helluva boss theory #theory #stolas x blitzo #stolas x blitz #asmodeus crystals

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rip-a-dip-dip-you-potato-chip · 3 years

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what have I created?

idk if yall like this, but they just exist not i guess :/

ok the the first one is Royalty AU

first things first, when I say Royalty AU, I don't mean the classic shit we've all become accustomed to. Im talking about the good old Chinese royalty! And I want to emphasize that these guys will/should be dressed in century appropriate attire. As someone thats read a handful of 'marinette, princess of china' fics from the ML Fandom, I've noticed a common trend. Marinette wouldn't be in the culturally appropriate clothes, always ballgowns. Not that there's something wrong with it, its just most of if not all these fic are set in China, so I'd expect Chinese royalty to dress as THERE dress code calls for. And since this AU takes place far in the past like, it won't make sense for any of the characters to be in royal clothing that wasn't from there region. I'm not trying to white knight/gatekeeping. Im Guyanese not Chinese. But since JTTW and Monkie Kid take place in China, it's only right. In my opinion that it. You don't have to outright agree with me.

With out of the way, it's time for that good old AU crack

- Wukong is the king of the Flower Fruit kingdom(or a different one if you'd like, again I'm only familiar with what western culture has taught me, but I'll try my hardest)

- he’s single but rumor has it he used to/still is dating the Vigilante/thief The Six Eared Macaque

- *chants ShadowPeach violently*

- no one know whether it true or not

- On of his wanders around the kingdom he finds an abandoned baby in a basket.

- and no shit sherlock it's fucking baby Xiaotian

- I think we all know where this is going because i'm a simp for Monkey Dad & Monkie Son shenanigans

- Xiaotian becomes prince

Shit, ill be referring to Xiaotian as Mk from now on, I mentioned this before in a fic I wrote for lmk that Mk's a nickname for Xiaotian for some reason- wait i don't have to explain my self to you people!

- Sun loves his son

- MK is treated differently by staff and others because he's not blood related to the king

- no one mistreats MK per say, because there King loved his adopted son, but words are said behind his back

- Sometimes MK hears what’s said, and he feels as if he won't live up to his dad’s legacy.

- He meets Mei during a festival

- Mei is from a noble family, that wouldn't mind if they got a connection into the royal family.

- but it becomes hella clear to Mei’s family very fast that the two are just friends, and will always will be. but hey there daughter is bffs with the prince so that's a plus.

- the Demon Bull Family is rules a kingdom as well, I dont/am not creative enough to think of a name I leave that to you.

- It's a common misconception that DBK is a tyrant, when he’s not.

- most of the time...

- they have been at war with the Monkey King for some time now and settled for a peace agreement.

- that agreement being there sons to marry

- oooo original i know

- MK and Red Son are roughly the same age, Mk being 20 and RS 22

- RS is revolted/disgusted at the idea of being wed to the Monkey Kings child, even more so when he realizes MK is adopted,

- but, that all changes the second he meets MK while he meets him by accident when he gets kinda lost in the palace when he and his parents go to discuss the arrangements.

- the second he looks at MK, he's instantly in love. MK less so, he's nervous and honestly kinda bummed he's not marrying someone he loves but it's for the good of his ppl, and he'll do anything for them.

- RS isn't even aware that MK is Suns adopted son until MK walks him back to the meeting room.

"Oh There you are MK! I was about to have a servant go fetch you!" Sun Wukong says, gesturing for his boy to come sit with him.

"S-sorry for keeping you waiting I got caught up in my lessons with Mr. Tang" MK responds, sitting next to his father. Red Son looked gobsmacked. The beautiful young man he had bumped into, was the prince of this land? Damn, life truly blessed him. Or cursed him depending on how you looked at it.

- the two are left alone in a separate room for a while.

- And MK straight up tells RS why he's agreeing to this union.

"Look Red Son. I've dreamed about meeting my one true love for a while. And I would give almost anything for that dram to be real. But I wouldn't ever dare give up my people, for as there price they mean more to me. I'm doing this for them, no other reason" MK says, his back straight and hands folded neatly in his lap. The look in his eyes was a mix of sadness, but that was drowned out by loyalty and determination. It just made Red Son fall for him even harder. Clearing his throat Red spoke.

"I understand, for im doing this for the betterment of my people to. But I propose a wager"

"A wager?"

"Yes, if i can make you fall in love with me by years end, before our marriage, we can live together like in the fairy tales from far away. But if I fail, in a years time afterwards you will be permitted to find your own path in life" Red Son stated. MK took a moment to process what was happening.

"So, if you succeed in making me fall in love with you, before our marriage we can live happily ever after?" Red Son nodded in response, letting the younger continue.

"And if I shouldn't fall for you, in a years time after our union, im free to leave?" Red Son nodded once more.

"So, what do you say?"

...

"Deal"

In the end, your free to choose their fate, should Red Son win the hart of Mk? Will he fail? Or will he let him go, and let him travel the country, after all Mk's a free spirit and keeping him trapped in a big house is like keeping a cannery trapped in a cage only for its song, only for it to dul. Or will the unthinkable happen and will both boys find their freedom? together or appart? I don't know, because that's all up to you 😉

personally, I’m partial to where MK and Red Son both find freedom together. Like they straight up run away together to somewhere far away and just live out there lives together.

this could also be genderbent thing as well. MK or Red as their respective counterparts. Again it doesn't have to be, but it’s whatever bro. im just spitting out the idea.

Also, there is a main side plot that they fight the WBS throughout the year as well, along with other shenanigans you wanna throw in.

____

The second is a My Hero Academia/BNH/MHA AU

truth be told i'm not a big fan of MHA i think it to over hyped(this is also coming from the same person that’s a Fairy Tail fan lol), and the fandom i don't even know how to describe that mess, but I will admit not the whole of its toxic since every fandom has some toxic members, some even more so.

I just sometimes find myself enjoying MHA AUs like the Fullmetal Alchemist, Danny Phantom, Evil!Deuk AU and several others.

to make it clear I don't see this AU taking place the same time as the main plot of the actual Anime/Manga. This could be either like 6-10 years before or after the plot idk bro. But i’ll do this after the main story plot of MHA, so keep that in mind ya? another thing, the gang is still in China, the top hero school in the world just so happens to be in Japan, and it’s only ever mentioned by Sun wukong and other pro heros. So MK never attended AU. in short it’s only ever mention/ reference.

- Mk was considered Quirkless as a kid.

- he was just a late blumer, i swear

- Mai’s Quirk is called Dragon.

- it pretty much works the same way as it does in the show(duh)

- Tang’s got a knowledge Quirk,

- my man can retain information and he’s basically an archive of information drawback being his personality lol

- Piggsy is a Animal that gained a Quirk

- in cannon to my current knowledge, there are two other characters that can confirm animals can become sentient. the characters being Fumikage Tokoyami, & Nezu the principal at the school UA.

- Sandy is just Conner Kent, aka he like superman but can't fly, or shoot lasers from his eyes. And blue.

I have two scenarios for Macaque and Wukong

*- The first one is that, Sun Wukong & Macaque are brothers. twins to be exact.

- they where legit people, but have mutation quirks that made them too like monkeys.

- the added powers were just a boues.

- Sun and Mac are close growing up, like there brothers but also best friends.

- the draw back to there quirks could honestly be whatever you want bro idk, same with the others tbh. Personally I like to think Sun just has lack of motivation, and Macaque needs to draw on other people's energy.

- Sun is a hero, Monkey KIng and Mac is a villain Six Eared.

- Sun was always treated has the golden child in the family, Mac always resented that, but there shitty up bring didn’t stop the two from being good brothers to one another.

- soon tho the resentment became hatred when Sun was able to attend UA in Japan, while Mac didn't.

- Mac be angy

- so he became a villain, and joined the Chinese branch of the LOV(league of villains)

- Sun doesn't know this till he finds out during the all out war during the main story. and by that time he’s a full on hero with is own agency(The Flower Fruit agency)

- when the hero's ultimately win and Mac is arrested

- This ultimately hurts Sun a lot, his brother was in jail now, arrested for his involvement and wrong doings, he knew nothing about this! this brother, his blood. A bad guy? why? he hadn't seen his brother since he left for UA, he hadn’t seen him when he came home, and started his agency.

- this just puts Sun into a funk so he’s not as active as he used to be, and he starts thinking he might need a successor

*- The second one is that they were two separate people that had similar quirks and both attended UA but Sun ended up in the hero corse. so 1A.

- Both Macaque and Sun have similar quirks, Sun’s is obviously more light based while Macaque’s is more shadow based(this applies to the first one as well)

- Macaque was placed in class 1B, U.A.’s High's Heroics Department, I believe, you can correct me.

- In cannon Class 1A and 1B both went to the training camp. I can see the teachers pinning Sun and Macaque against each other to hone their skills.

- And because of that they become great friends

- In fact when they graduate they both co-found there hero agency together in China and are a duo.

- But due to Monkey King’s popularity and Six Eared's association with shadows(people sometimes saying he has more of a villains quirk than a heros) the public see’s Macaque as Sun’s sidekick when thats far from the truth.

- now it’s up to you whether you think that Wukong and Macaque would be in a relationship together, but knowing how cooked we all are, ShadowPeach is a thing here more than likely.

- If you do or don’t support/ like the ShadowPeach aspect, the two would be living together regardless since its more cost efficient.

- They my be heroes but living costs are expensive!

- I would imagine there would have been a huge fight/argument between the two in privet of course, at there home.(or in there shared office if you want the extra angst of the other people they work with hearing them fight)

- If the two are dating, then this would either lead to an out right breakup, or Macaque just up and leaving with Wukong thinking he’ll come back once he’s cooled off. But after a week, with no sign of his partner, or him answering texts or calls, not even coming into work. Wukong gets worried that something might have happened to him. so there wouldn't be a confirmation if they were still a thing or not.

- But Wukong remains hopeful, despite the nagging at the back of his head, and gut telling him to go find Macaque, or atleast make a public statement, or even just tell another pro hero about it.

- on the not so shippy side, Macaque and Wukong still have there argument, and much like the ShadowPeach esc side, Macaque up and leaves, and isn't seen for weeks. the only difference here is that when Wukong comes home one night to there flat, most if not all of Macaques stuff is gone.

- where as if this was the ShadowPeach side, Macaque leaves all of his possession in the flat he and wukong share. for the simple reason being, he still loves him and wants to go back, but Macaque being Macaque can’t bring himself to do it, especially after seeing just how hurt Wukong looked when he yelled at him just before he left.

- in other words, ANGST DIALED UP TO A 10 BABY

- in either case, its a news report that confirms Wukong's suspicions that he desperately didn’t want to believe, and that is Macaque turning into a villain.

- much like if the two were brothers, Wukong just can’t take it and is no longer as active as he once was, and is thinking about, either A) Retirement B) Saying, “Fuck Society, Be Gay Do Crime” and join Macaque as a villain himself, or C) find a successor, and a way to bring Macaque back to there side, but most importantly, back to him.

- also extra points if you're after people's hearts and want to make them suffer; - If there dating, Wukong curle’s up in the bed he and Macaque shared, holding/wearing something of great value to Macaque and just crying himself to sleep, where as Macaque is getting wasted on alcohol, as he stumbles out of the bar he’s in, he either see’s something that reminds him of Wukong or while he’s trying to put his wallet back into his pocket, a photo of them on their first date fall’s out. and Macaque just cries in a nearby alley way. And it’s there where he gets indoctrinated into the League.

- If there just friends, macaque heads to the nearest forest and just levels it, where as Wukong just gets engrossed into his work, trying not to think about it. you could add you own spin on this, again i'm just spitballing.

- NOW BACK TO MK! :D

- Obviously MK is a huge Monkey King fan

- at Twenty MK has come to terms he's quirkless (HE’S NOT)

-for ANGST reasons MKs fokes kicked him out at this realization at 13.

- he works at Piggsy's Noodle shop, and has been since he was 14.

- don't need a quirk to drive or cook!

- the boy lives a content life with his new family, till DBK happens :D

- DBK runs a Mafia(in conjunction with TLOV) and has been in jail for like 5 years thanks to Monkey King, PIF and RS brake him out one night when MK's out making a late night delivery since Piggsy had the bright idea to go 24/7 service!

- one thing leads to another and Mk somehow manifest what looks like the Monkey King's staff, but its not, it’s MKs powers, it just so happens to be the same power the Monkey King has. And it practically goes down the same way in the pilot.

- but unlike the pilot Mk and Mei go straight to the FF Agency, after making a panicked call to Pigsy and Tang.

- one way or another Mk are lead into Wukongs office. Mei being forced to stay in the lobby.

- they have there convo, butterfly monkey squishing included.

- "And so, I want you do be my success-" BOOM 💥

- from there they rush downstairs and see that the lobby has been infiltrated by the DB fam, and you know fight.

- once the DB family seems like there down, PIF wisks them away. Much to Monkey King’s displeasure.

From there stuff kind plays out like cannon, the calabash ep is just a conjoint quirk the Demon bros have. As for EP9, ill have to script that one out myself lol. I'll get onto it as soon as my will to commit stabs me in the face. Till then have a dancing Kermit the frog.

Now if you'll excuse me, am about to Kermit a felony :D

(For legal reasons thats a joke)

Psst @writingamongther0ses its done

#lego monkie kid #monkie kid #lego monkie kid au #rip a dip dip wrights

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realityhelixcreates · 3 years

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Dance of the Spheres Chapter 4: Venusian Vogue

Chapters: 4/?

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe

Rating: PG 13

Warnings: drugging, kidnapping, forced marriage

Characters: Loki(Marvel),

Additional Tags: Loki Goes Overboard, But When Doesn’t Loki go Overboard, Mature Reader, Disabled Reader, Political Intrigue

Summary:

Images of broken light Which dance before me like a million eyes They call me on and on across the universe. Across the Universe-The Beatles

“I am Loki.”

“I asked for a bride.”

The declarations smashed into you like fists and took your breath with them.

There was a ring on your finger. Silvery, plain, simple. Why hadn't you noticed it before?

This was clearly Loki. Sunken eyes, and onyx hair, and refined bones. Exactly like the pictures. Why hadn't you noticed?

Too many things all at once. Too much. A fearful whine escaped your teeth, as you tugged on the ring. It didn't budge.

“You're supposed to be dead.” You whispered.

His face fell the instant you spoke.

“You know. I sometimes think that myself. Yet somehow I remain. Take it as a reassurance: you will not lose me to battle, or accident. I will never leave you. I suppose that is something that new brides must worry about, especially human ones. You may put that fear to rest.”

“That's not what I'm-” You clamped your mouth shut. You were in a bad position, worse than you'd ever been, maybe. You were completely alone here; you could contact no one for help. You weren't even sure where exactly 'here' was-no one knew where Asgard was located.

You were trapped in a room with a madman. A prince among his own people, who had proven himself capable of the mass murder of humans like you. Yet claiming you were his bride.

No one would come to your aid.

Did anyone even know you were missing?

You glanced at the ring once more. Its twin rested proudly on his own left hand. What choice did you have?

You had to play along. At least until you found some way out of this. Stay on the madman's good side, as much as that was possible.

“Why me?” You asked, fighting down your panic. Just gather information for now. “I'm literally nobody.”

“I don't understand either.” He sat down on the bed, just a little closer to you than arms length. “This was supposed to be a chance at reconciliation. I willingly gave myself up in a symbolic act of unity. Sacrificed my own freedom.”

You side-eyed him hard. Gave up his freedom? In what capacity? He wasn't the one kidnapped and married without any knowledge or choice!

“This isn't an uncommon arrangement.” He continued. “Your species has done this since time immemorial. From kings all the way down to commoners, uniting families, uniting fortunes, uniting entire lands. Surely your...leader...understood what was to be gained. Yes, I did a terrible thing to your people, but this should have forged a new alliance. A promise that not only would I not do such a thing again, but that my formidable prowess would be for your people, rather than against them. Was this not enough? This should have opened the way for trade, for treaties...And you! Why do such a thing to you? One of his own people?”

“Oh, I'm not his.” You said. “I voted against him. I march in protests against his shitty policies. I oppose him in any way I can. I'd say 'maybe that's why', but it really can't be. I'm nowhere near important or influential enough for the government to pay any attention to me. They're too busy trying to kill me through austerity. Or through the cops.”

Loki's face darkened. “I should find that officer and flay him. Make you a bodice of his skin.”

He'd been reaching for your shoulder, but you flinched away.

“Okay see? That right there? That's why people might not want to ally with you.” You pointed out.

“He shouldn't have hurt you.”

“That's true. That doesn't mean you can use my pain as an excuse to rampage on Earth!”

“I shan't!” He protested. “Never again, I promise you that.”

But how good was the promise of government? Politician or hereditary ruler, it was all the same. How good was the word of a murderer? How many promises had he already broken?

“How do you feel?” He asked. “You seem...lively. Whatever you were drugged with, is it having a lasting effect?”

“I'm a little disoriented, but I'm awake.” You said. “The food and water helped.”

“Yes. About that. Ah. Would you like to see your rooms? I've been anticipating your arrival-well, someone's arrival-for some months now, and I've had chambers created that befit your new station.”

The big unknown outside. Beyond this room was nothing but uncertainty. But you would be the first human being to see this new Asgard. You told yourself it was a perk.

“Um...” You mumbled. “My clothes...” You weren't going out there in a flimsy hospital gown, that was for sure.

“Being cleaned and mended.” Loki informed you. “I have a simple gown that I believe should fit you. Here.” Wit a sweeping gesture, he produced a voluminous, forest green garment out of seemingly nowhere.

You scooted away. “How did you do that?” You demanded.

“Magic, of course.” He said. “You...don't know about the magic...?”

You shook your head and took the robe from him. It felt real enough, smooth and soft, with fur trim and pin tucks. This was simple?

“What do you know about me, my dear?” He asked.

“Not much. Just what...turn around!” Sheepishly, he turned his back so you could change. “Just what was on the news. And the approximately three million conspiracy websites that popped up afterwards. You might be shocked by how many people think you were an inside job.”

“A what?”

“That's not even counting all the cults. You and Thor really got the radicalization machine cranking them out. White supremacists, nationalists, doomsday cults...thanks a lot. Not as if we didn't have enough problems cleaning up the mess you left behind.”

“That...was not my intention. Were you...?”

“I was not part of any cults. I was also not part of the celebration of your death, either.”

The news broadcast had interrupted every television, lit up every phone. A tired and battle-worn Thor, looking not one inch the hero the world knew him to be, as he towered over the reporter. He gave only a short statement: His brother Loki was dead, perished in honorable battle, in an effort to protect the galaxy from an ancient enemy.

People had trusted him. They'd seen the destruction that enemy had caused, in their quest to destroy everything. The odd teleportation anomalies in England that had dominated youtube for a long time. The leaves in your bathroom, the foreign plants in the park. Exotic, even alien creatures being spotted.

People threw parties at the news of Loki's demise. You'd gone out, gotten yourself exactly one drink, and then stayed home for the weekend. It didn't seem right, not after seeing Thor so hollowed out. You didn't really get on with celebrating the death of your enemies anyway, only the success of your causes.

“Oh. Well. Thank you.”

“But yeah, all I really know is that you attacked us out of the blue, and brought an army with you. You caused billions in damages and cost hundreds of lives. Thousands more lost everything. The economic blow is still with us, and led to some of the problems I've been marching against. And then you died. Except not, obviously. Was Thor lying to us?”

“No. He truly believed me dead. I did too, until I woke up. So you know nothing of me. I feared that might be the case. I am no warlord, not truly. I am the foremost sorcerer of Asgard. My magic has many applications, one of which is that I am rarely found without what I need.”

“So magic is real?” Why not? Aliens were real. Gods were apparently real.

“Yes, very. When times were...better, I used to tutor younger students. I might go back to doing that, once we are more established. Once we are safe.”

Safe? From what? Was whatever it was that had destroyed Asgard still out there? Thor had said otherwise, before the radio silence, but he had also thought that Loki was dead, and he was wrong about that, so...

“May I look now, dear?”

“Oh...yeah. I'm dressed.” The gown did fit, though mostly because it was a shapeless, oversized thing that was closed around you with ties. Still, it was luxurious, and made you feel like you were actually pretty-as long as no one looked at you too closely. Was this what a princess wore? You shouldn't allow yourself to get too used to it. As soon as you found a way out, you were out.

“Delightful. Even such a simple gown enhances your beauty. Will you come with me, dear? Let me show you our grand achievements.”

You didn't really want to be exposed to the people of Asgard, but this room was no safer than anywhere else right now. Loki hovered, and you stood, and managed a few wobbly steps before you overbalanced. He caught you instantly.

“Don't worry.” He murmured. “I'm here.”

As if that wasn't the problem in the first place.

“So, while you were carrying me off...I mean, when you, uh, received me, did you notice a cane lying around?” You asked. “I had one. Did the guys who brought me give it to you?”

“I'm afraid not.” He said apologetically. “They seemed strangely eager to quit the area.”

“Yeah, well. They had just committed a felony.” You griped. “They probably had orders to disappear. And they probably didn't want to hang around and witness what a warlord was gonna do to me.”

He winced. “I promise you, that's not what I really am.”

“Sorry.”

He held out his arm for you. “I don't have your cane, but I can support you. We will have another cane made for you. There should have been an Artificer and an apprentice Healer in here at some point, to measure you for a new prosthetic.”

“Uh, there were. I, uh, kinda told them to piss off.”

“Ah. I suppose I cannot blame you, now that I know of your situation. But they are here at your service, as is all of Asgard.”

He helped you limp along, somehow maintaining his dignified stride, even as you wobbled along like a penguin. The hallways were as bland and labyrinthine as a human hospital, if somewhat more softly lit. Again the light source was obscured behind thin panes of cloudy crystal, which diffused the light, giving everything a comforting, if slightly mysterious atmosphere, which the general emptiness of the area only enhanced.

There were few people here, but for some reason, you had been placed in a room far within the hospital complex. Maybe they wanted to hide you away, so that no one knew you were here until they were ready to introduce you to Asgard. Or until they were certain you were going to survive. It might cause a scandal if the prince's bride just up and died upon arrival.

Or perhaps it was to protect you. There were plenty of reasons why a human bride might not be accepted by the Asgardian populace; everything from nationalism, to someone wanting to make a bid for that crown themselves.

There were still no windows to be seen, and everything was made of stone, just like in the hospital room. Out here, in the halls and waiting rooms, the desks, chairs, and tables all seemed to be joined to the walls and floor, as if the whole place had been carved from a single, solid piece, like the rock-cut architecture of the fabled city of Petra. Here again were the creamy grays and oranges lining the walls, though a smooth black also made an appearance.

Eventually, you came to what must have been a foyer, with a high ceiling, complex stone mosaics, and huge, gorgeously carved double doors, but still no windows.

“We will be going outside now.” Loki said. “This facility is within the palace complex, and is not far from your special chambers, but we will have to cross a few halls and courtyards. There are plenty of places to sit, so if you need a rest, simply say so.”

He opened the doors for you, and you stepped out into a world of stone.

Everything was stone, stone or metal. Before you was a wide open courtyard, clearly unfinished, but spacious. At regular intervals were stone towers supporting open pillared hallways in a multiple storied, vaguely Roman courtyard style. The towers shot up, and up, and up...you climbed them with your gaze, following them to the heights to which they had to buttress each other with thin struts of stone, higher still, where they joined with an impossibly high ceiling.

There was a roof over the courtyard, so tall that your couldn't fathom how it had been built. Beyond the courtyards stacked walkways-six full stories-you could see the tips of other towers, lined with lights, merging with this high rise ceiling. Was the entire palace built under this massive shelter?

Clearly the sun did not reach into the palace. To offset this, the crystal-paned, inset lights were everywhere, creating complex patterns that mimicked the intricate knotted carvings that chased up the towers and pillars. The corbels glared down at you, fierce masks of bearded men, wolves, dragons and birds, lights in their eyes.

Combined, it was not as bright as sunlight, but not dim either. The softness of the glow made shadows diffuse, made the stone look soft and fake, and even shimmery in places, like the set pieces in eighties fantasy movies. If not for the pain in your bruises, you'd have thought the dreamy atmosphere was just that, and that you were about to wake up from this absurd dream any moment now.

But the pain was there, and denied that simple, hopeful wish. And Loki was there, gently urging you forward like he was a real gentleman, instead of a heinous war criminal. There were a few other people out here as well; walking the courtyards pillared halls, resting on stone benches, carving hollows into the ground.

There was no soil here. All stone. As you crossed the courtyard, you noticed black, and gray, and cloudy crystal inlaid into the ground in a shape reminiscent of a compass rose, decorated with silvery wire knotwork in bird and serpent shapes.

There were troughs and niches being carved into the ground that looked to you like they were meant to be flower beds...eventually. You had seen no dirt here yet, no grass or growing things at all. Maybe once you finally got outside. But for now, it felt as if you had left a building, only to exit into another building, that was in turn, within another building.

It was a bit suffocating.

Loki led you across several courtyards, each with a different pattern inlaid into their bare floor, and through vaulted hallways that still contained no windows. Many of these hallways intersected in large, circular domes, and few of them had any distinctive markings. Soon you were completely lost. With any luck, you would be able to get your hands on some paper, and create a map-otherwise, any escape attempts would be doomed from the word go.

But maybe that was the point.

Your staggering steps echoed down a particularly tall and wide hallway, almost completely devoid of people. You were almost at the end of your physical capabilities, and while there were places to sit, you felt like you must be close to your destination. You really wanted to be in a room whose dimensions you could be certain of. A space you could comprehend.

Loki brought you to a stop in front of a pair of carved wooden doors. As the first piece of architecture you had seen here that was something other than stone, you found them more beautiful than anything you'd seen all day. They were something almost normal, almost like something you would have at home. If you were insanely rich, or your dad was a carpenter or something. They were a warm terra-cotta color, carved with a dizzying array of knotwork, framed with blackened, riveted iron. The handles were iron serpents.

“We imported some things from your homeland. This redwood lumber is one such thing. From what I hear, these trees are emblematic of your country.”

“Er...” How to politely say, 'not really, even though most people who live there do know what a redwood is'. They weren't very important to anyone who didn't live near where they grew. They weren't what you would call 'quintessentially American'. There wasn't anything you could really call that. The place was just too damn big.

“We couldn't bring too much, not yet anyway.” He continued. “It is expensive, unfortunately, and we only have one ship. It can only carry so much, and it takes about three days to transport. Things are moving slowly, but our construction projects are moving along speedily. There's little else to do right now, save build.”

He opened the doors for you, and led you into a fairy tale.

#danceofthespheres #loki (marvel)#loki x reader

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heyyyharry · 4 years

Text

Chapter 8: The Blacksmith’s Son

(from ‘The Conman and the Maid’ Series)

…in which Y/N meets Harry’s family and his first love.

Word count: 6.3k

AU: princess!y/n, conman!harry, prisoner!harry.

Series description: Y/N is a princess and Harry is a prisoner in her castle. With his help, she escapes from her arranged marriage in search of a happy ending, if there is one.

Wattpad link (original character Reyna as Y/N)

Hemera, the capital of the kingdom of Theros, was one of the largest and richest cities in the world, as the inhabitants were mostly merchants. It was assessed through gates, enclosed by a protective wall, and punctuated with towers and arrow slits, therefore, was the safest and most dangerous place to be in a war.

If the enemies had taken over the castle, these were the first people whose blood would spill. The thought made Y/N shiver as she entered through the gate. Was it concerning that it was the first thing to cross her mind?

Shaking her head, she rode Thunder faster to catch up with Harry. Not a single person knew who she was as they passed her like she was one of them. Harry glanced over at her with a look of confusion on his face. If only she could explain to him why she couldn't stop smiling, but all she could do was ask him to slow down. They weren’t being chased anymore, at this moment at least.

The city was crowded with buildings. Situated at the centre the tall spire of a church. People on the streets wore colourful clothes, and there were indistinct conversations and laughter everywhere.

Y/N hadn’t been allowed to look outside her carriage when she’d come here with her family, so this almost felt like the first time she was here. As they travelled past some dancers on the main street watched by admiring ladies, one of the men handed her a rose and kissed her hand. Fascinated, she asked Harry if they could stay and watch. But he only gave the stranger a spiteful look and urged her to go faster.

They took a turn onto a less crowded street, and he inquired, "So where does your uncle live?"

"Uh...near the castle," she mumbled.

"Where specifically?" He slowed down for her to catch up, his voice cautious, "I mean, what's the street name?"

"I don't remember the name but I remember the route from the castle. Just take me there and I'll figure it out."

"It takes a day to go from here."

As he said nothing more and stared reluctantly at her, she asked, "so...what are we going to do?"

"We can...spend a night at my house. It's only fifteen minutes away and--"

"That's great! Let's go to your house then!"

Her excitement surprised him but couldn't stop the childlike smile from spreading across his face. He gave her a signal to follow, kicked his horse and rode ahead. It was silly how she'd gone through all that trouble to see her uncle, and now she was wishing tomorrow wouldn't come too fast. What would she do when she finally made it to the castle? Would she tell Harry the truth then, or before? How would he react? Would she ever get to see him again?

Besides, she still owed him an answer. She wished she’d said no when he’d asked that night. A conman courting a princess would be so absurd. Her uncle would never allow that. The people would never allow that. How was she going to choose between betraying her title and betraying him?

Just one more night, she told herself, pretend to be Rain for one more night, and whatever happens, will happen.

"Welcome to my village," Harry said in the least enthusiastic tone she had ever heard. But as she scanned her eyes around, his tone finally made sense. This must be the poorest area in the capital. It looked like a tiny version of what was happening in Isolde during the wintertime, except there was no other excuse for these people to look angry and tired other than being poor.

She tried to keep the smile on her face so she wouldn't hurt his feelings, but it'd be a lie to say she wasn't disappointed.

"Harry!" A young woman dropped her buckets full of water the second she saw their horses from afar. Harry jumped off Lightning to catch her in his arms and lifted her feet off the ground with his strong bear hug, while she was sobbing into his neck.

"Gemma," he breathed harshly, his eyes pressed shut. That was his sister. She’d thought he was dead like all the other Southerners who’d entered Isolde. Y/N gracefully got off her horse and led Thunder toward them.

"Thank Heaven, you're still alive!" Gemma said as Harry wiped away her tears and kissed her forehead. "They told me that you were captured. How did you escape?"

"I got some help," he said, turning back to Y/N.

Gemma's eyes went wide as Y/N said hello. But before Y/N could properly introduce herself, the woman wrapped both arms around her and trapped her in a suffocating hug. "I don't know who you are, but thank you for saving his life."

Y/N looked at Harry, a smile stretching her lips. To his sister, she said, "it was your brother who saved my life."

Gemma let her go but kept both hands tight on Y/N's shoulders. "I'm so glad he met you. You're so kind and beautiful."

"Thank you," Y/N said shyly. The word 'beautiful' fitted Princess Y/N better than it did Rain. Rain -- the princess' maid, dirty hands, messy hair, wearing rags for clothes -- was far from beautiful. Still, it made her happy whether Gemma had meant it or just being nice.

After hearing the short version of what Harry and Y/N had gone through, Gemma got emotional and insisted that Y/N stayed with them for a few days. But Y/N kindly refused because she had to leave tomorrow morning.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Harry's smile fading.

"Come inside!" Gemma tugged at Y/N's arm, pushing Harry's shoulder. "Ma will be so happy to see you."

Y/N almost forgot that he had a mother, who was sick. He'd never mentioned what illness it was, but ever since he left, Gemma had been staying at this house instead of her husband's because their mother couldn't be left alone.

Following them, Y/N slipped through the curtains into a room dimly lit by sunlight from a square window above the bed, where lay Harry's mother.

"Ma, look who's home," Gemma said.

Y/N stood by the entrance, hand wrapped around Harry's forearm. Flashbacks ran through her mind, and she saw herself rushing into her mother’s chamber the night her mother had passed away. The memory sent a cold shiver down her spine as she leaned closer to Harry.

His mother weakly propped herself up and sat upright with Gemma's support. The second she saw Harry's face, however, she gasped and jumped right out of the bed. Y/N let him go as a reflex, and his mother threw her arms around his neck, tears running down her face.

"Ed! My dear Ed, you're home!" she wailed and turned to Gemma. "Go get your brother, Gemma! Your father is home!"

Y/N was frozen to the spot, her mouth formed a silent 'o' as Gemma gave her a sad smile and quietly left the room. Harry kissed his mother's forehead and whispered, "I'm here, my love," in her ear, his eyes locked with Y/N's. "It's me, your dear Ed. I'm home."

Y/N had known that Harry’s childhood had been unpleasant, but this was far from what she’d expected. She should be upset that he hadn’t trusted her enough to tell her about his mother’s sickness, but she knew this wasn’t easy to talk about. His mother was mentally ill, which was why all the good doctors in the land could not cure her. She’d lost her mind since her husband had sacrificed himself to protect their family in a war between the South and the North.

She’d been right to worry. The people in the capital were always the first to suffer the consequences of war.

"Sometimes she remembers who I am. But most of the time, I'm her dear Ed," Harry chuckled, leaning a shoulder against the door while toying with the gold ring on her finger. They were outside the house, while Gemma stayed in the bedroom to keep an eye on her mother. The poor woman was finally getting some sleep without waking up every five minutes calling out her late husband's name.

"She’s been sick since I was born, but it only got worse after he’d died. The kids around here used to call her the crazy lady, and I was so ashamed of her that I even joined them and made fun of her when we ran into her on the street. Those kids didn’t know I was her son because she didn't remember me, but I always felt so shitty afterwards."

Y/N stepped closer, putting a hand to Harry's cheek as his hand rested on her lower back. "When we first met, you joked that I talked like the crazy lady in your village," she recalled, making him laugh as he wiped away a tear.

"Yeah. You still remind me of my mum." He brushed a strand of hair out of her face, his lips arched. "You're so gentle yet headstrong. In a good way, of course."

"Oh, Harry." She tiptoed, pulled his face down and kissed him with a tenderness that made her chest throb. It was a terrible idea to be affectionate towards him when she had to turn him down eventually, but she couldn't help it. She loved him.

The thought of saying goodbye and never seeing him again formed the tears that stung her eyes. When she heard his warm laughter, she glanced back up, and he cupped her face between his palms, their lips meeting again. She kissed him back. But she wasn't allowed to. She had to stop. Now.

"Harry.” She jerked away, both of them breathless. "Can you show me around?"

He rolled his eyes, bringing her hand to his chest. "There's nothing to see here, Peach. This village is like a big funeral. Because we all die a little bit every day."

Y/N swatted his chest for that joke as both of them guffawed. "Well, I'm already dressed in black." She lifted her skirt. "So would you like to be my escort to this funeral?"

"That'd be my pleasure, Lady Peach." He intertwined their fingers together and kissed the back of her hand, a smile touching his pink lips.

The market was probably the most crowded place in this village. It was not very different from the ones she'd been to before, only less full, so she didn't have to worry about slipping into a sea of strangers. Most sellers were cold and distant, but there were a few nice old ladies who recognised Harry and pinched his cheeks as he stopped by.

One lady asked if Y/N was his wife. He neither confirmed nor denied it, but he did steal a glimpse at her to see her reaction. She blushed and smiled back. In the fictional world inside her head, however, she wasn't a princess, they were married, and lived happily ever after.

"There are headbands over there and you decided to buy a bloody dagger," he joked when she gave the coins to the merchant and turned back to him, swinging the pointy blade in a silly manner that made him snort.

"Be careful with that, sexy. You might hurt yourself," said the middle-aged man who owned the shop.

Before she could respond, Harry snatched the weapon from her hand and stabbed it into the desk. The wooden surface cracked down to the centre. He yanked the dagger out of the wood and tossed it to her. She caught it effortlessly. All had happened in two seconds.

"That's my wife you were talking to." Harry scowled at the man whose face was colourless. "The last person who’d messed with her got his balls cut off and fed to our dog Whiskers. Right, darling?"

Whiskers. What a funny name for a dog. "Right, my dear," she said, smiling at the man's crotch, and he recoiled behind his counter like a scared little mouse.

Harry smoothed his palm over the crack on the table, and with a smirk, took her hand and escorted her away. When they had left the market, she turned to him and pointed the tip of her blade to the opening of his shirt, batting her lashes seductively. "Was that a proposal I heard?"

That joke stopped him in his tracks. He took her hand that was holding the dagger, put the dagger back into its sheath at her waist and held her hips, drawing her closer. Their eyes locked, her heart pounding. "You still owed me an answer, Peach. One question at a time."

A thousand voices in Y/N's head were screaming no, but the butterflies in her stomach were cheering her on. Fuck it! she thought and pulled his mouth down to hers, arms tightened around his necks as his encircled her waist. A cool breeze blew through their clothes and they pulled back just a bit to catch their breath. He smelt so nice, like pine trees, wildflowers, and home.

"I kept thinking about us...at the waterfall," he whispered, his voice so husky it sent a shiver down her spine. She felt as if his fingertips were burning through the thin fabric of her shirt and trembled as she brought both hands to his face. If this was wrong, she never wanted to be right again.

"Harry, I--"

"Are we fucking on the street now?"

The voice made them spring apart. Harry kept his fingers around her wrist, staring dagger at the man in front of them.

"Gideon," he spat out the name with disgust. She’d never heard about this guy before, but from Harry's previous reaction, she assumed they weren't exactly friends.

With a contemptuous smile, Gideon made his way toward them. He was more muscular than Harry, just not as good looking. And the fabric he was wearing was expensive. He surely wasn't from here. He put his hands on his hips, looking Harry up and down. "I haven't seen you in a while. Didn't they say you were dead?"

"Let's go, Peach."

"Oooh, is this your new girl?" Gideon reached for her arm when they sidestepped him. As a reflex, Harry grabbed her dagger. She caught his wrist as Gideon bounced back, hands shot in the air.

"Don't fucking touch her or I'll cut your damn fingers off."

The threat startled her, but Gideon was unfazed; he relished Harry's anger. The bastard rubbed his chin, eyeing her up, a smirk tugging at his thin lips. "Does she feel as good as Kennedy?" His question turned her stiff. "Or should I also fuck her to find out myself?"

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

"Harry!" She tightened her grip around Harry's waist as Gideon started walking backwards with the assholest smirk. Harry was giving him exactly what he wanted.

"You don't deserve Kenny, you piece of shit! Don't let me see you again!"

She held Harry tightly until Gideon was gone. A few villagers gave them judgemental stares as they passed by, but she didn't give a damn about them. She had never seen her Harry so enraged and violent. His face was red, the veins popped out on his neck, and his jaw and fists were clenched tight.

That must be Kenny's husband -- the rich man she'd agreed to marry because she thought Harry was dead. Was that why Harry hated him so much? Or had there been a long history between them? She hoped it was the latter. Because she wouldn't know what to do if deep down Harry still longed for the first love that had gotten away.

"Are you all right?" he asked, his voice was much gentler as he stared down at her with concerned eyes. There was her Harry.

"Yes. Are you?" She held his wrists while he was cupping her face.

He seemed indisposed to speak. "That bastard doesn't live in this village anymore. But you should stay away from him."

"Was that Kenny's husband?" To her disappointment, he gave her nothing but a "yes" to confirm what she already knew.

It must be difficult for him to mention Kenny in front of her. Though they weren't exactly lovers, they had been acting like it for the last couple of weeks. But if he couldn't say the name of his first love unless he was angry with whom she'd married, then she might still mean something to him. Unsettling thoughts crept back into Y/N's head. Too many fucking thoughts. Too many fucking feelings.

They arrived back at Harry's house before sunset to help Gemma with dinner. Gemma was talking to her husband outside the house. The second he saw Y/N, he ran to hug her like they were old friends.

One lesson Y/N had learned since she’d left the North was that normal people loved hugs, whereas royalty hated body contact for some reason she still couldn't figure out. It used to be so odd and uncomfortable for her, but she liked it now, very much.

Gemma's husband was a hunter. His name was Caleb. He looked older than Gemma, and borderline scary, with his big beard and many scars on his arms. But from the way he interacted with his wife, Y/N could tell he was a nice family man. Caleb and Gemma reminded Y/N of her parents somehow. The bittersweet comparison made her heart tingle.

Once the introductions were through, they came into the house and sat around the table to chat. Meanwhile, Gemma was preparing the meal in the kitchen. Y/N had volunteered to help though she had never cooked before. However, she'd learned how to use a sword, shoot arrows, and ride a horse, so cooking should be easy.

Gemma insisted that she worked alone, though. She said the men were useless and Y/N was a guest. Besides, Caleb didn't leave Y/N alone with his endless questions about her kingdom and life in her father's castle.

He said he’d never left this village and was curious to know what was beyond Wind Valley. How Harry and Y/N had crossed it was still beyond his imagination. Caleb's life must be so easy. For her, the less you knew about the world, the easier your life was.

She didn't participate much in the conversation and let Harry do most of the talking, and he seemed fine with it. He was talking happily again as if their earlier encounter with Gideon hadn't almost triggered him to kill a man. He didn't seem like himself. That was not her Harry.

The footsteps at the entrance of the house made all three of them turn their heads. In the doorway stood a young girl, a beautiful one, with long brown hair and a gentle-looking face.

Kenny. The name sprung up in Y/N's head when Harry jumped to his feet and took the girl in his arms. Her arms were locked around his neck, her eyes shut, a crease appeared between her brows as she held him closer. They stayed attached as if they were the only people in the room, and everyone else, including Y/N, had faded into dust.

Y/N's chest throbbed unpleasantly at the sight, while her fingers clawed at the wooden surface of the table.

Harry finally let go, and Kenny began to inspect his face. "I thought...I thought you were--" She slapped a hand over her mouth, too emotional to finish that sentence. Y/N's heart was rattling inside her chest when Kenny traced her fingertips across his features. Suddenly, she burst into tears and hugged him again.

He rubbed her back, laughing softly, "It's okay. I'm safe now. I'm home." That was the same tone he'd used earlier when he was talking to his mother and pretending to be his deceased dad. Almost the same words too.

Why was he talking to Kenny like that? Why did he sound like a husband reuniting with his wife? That's somebody else's wife, cried the voice inside her head. But she knew her subconscious mind didn't really care. She was only jealous of the bond they had, too embarrassed to even admit it to herself.

When Harry and Kenny finally joined them at the table, Harry's eyes met Y/N's and his beam vanished. She didn't know what it meant -- Guilt? Disappointment? Or regret? Was this the moment he finally realised he'd been living a false fantasy this whole time? Now that he finally felt something real again? The lump in Y/N's throat grew almost too big, suffocating her.

Caleb switched his eyes from Y/N, to Harry, and to Kenny, quickly catching on to what was happening, so he turned around in his seat and told Gemma, who was at the back of the house, "Kenny's here!"

"Oh, Kenny! When did you get here?"

Kenny let out a soft laugh as she arched her neck and shouted back, "Just this morning! I came to visit my mum!"

Y/N shifted her gaze from the girl to her hands on the table. Kenny didn't live in this village anymore. Harry had said that. She hoped Kenny wouldn't stay for long.

"I'm spending the night at my mother's house," Kenny said to Harry and Caleb, making Y/N's heart sink. "My hus--Gideon...has already gone back home."

Why didn't she say her husband? What was she afraid of? Harry wasn't in love with her anymore. Did she know that? The questions were pounding in Y/N's head as she thinned her lips, breathing in again.

"This is Rain," Harry finally said. Her eyes bounced from her hands up to his face to catch his smile.

Suddenly, she was angry at him. He didn't get to smile and act like he hadn't just snuggled up to another woman. Still, she turned to Kenny and introduced herself, once again saying the fake name she'd gotten tired of.

"I'm Kennedy, but everyone calls me Kenny. I'm Harry's...best friend." That little pause made such a big difference, which annoyed Y/N. Still, she kept that remark to herself.

The rest of the conversation was just Caleb asking Kenny about her family, and her answering reluctantly whenever she had to bring up her husband. Her freaking husband -- the one she was married to and would spend the rest of her life with.

Y/N was fuming inside. But once she had calmed down, it occurred to her that she and Kenny were not much different. When she reunited with her uncle, she would be royalty again, which meant she would never see Harry again, and one day have to marry a prince or a king. She would love her husband, because why would she settle for an unhappy marriage? But would she ever forget Harry, her first real love?

He was also Kenny's first real love, and maybe still Kenny's only one. She shouldn't be angry at Kenny; she should feel sorry for her, sympathise with her. Because neither of them could end up with him.

Caleb stopped his story midway as he remembered he hadn't gotten the horses back from his brother's stable. He asked Harry to go with him, promising that it wouldn't take long, and Harry was happy to help. But from the look he gave Y/N before walking through the door, she knew he worried about leaving her and Kenny alone.

Did he think she was going to hurt his precious little Kenny?

Y/N felt her stomach churn as the men departed. Silence hung over the room for what seemed like forever. Her ugly nails suddenly became so fascinating that she could continue staring at them for the rest of the night, just so she wouldn't have to chat with Kenny. They really had nothing in common but Harry. It wasn't like they would start talking about him.

"What do you think of Harry?"

But Y/N guessed she was wrong. She glanced back up, meeting Kenny's chocolate eyes, and her lips twitched slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Do you...have feelings for him?"

She appreciated Kenny's straightforwardness though it made her uncomfortable. Was this the kind of topic people who shared the same love interest normally discussed? She had never experienced anything like this before, so she hoped she wasn't making a fool out of herself.

"No," she said when she couldn't find any reason to tell the truth. She thought it was only fair that it was Kenny's turn to answer her own question. But Kenny said nothing. Instead, she complimented Y/N's delicate features and called her beautiful.

Kenny was more beautiful than her. If this girl put on an expensive gown and a crown, she could be a real princess. Princes and gentlemen would be lining up to ask for her hand. She wouldn't have to settle for that rude Gideon. Maybe then, when she had so many great options, she would leave Harry alone.

Y/N couldn't believe it. Did she really consider playing matchmaker just to get rid of Kenny? That was low for a princess. She almost didn't recognise herself.

The silence, once again, began to stretch. She was waiting for Kenny to ask about her adventure with Harry. At least Stefan, Caleb, and Gemma had. People were usually curious about the story. But Kenny didn't raise a single question. She was fine with knowing that Rain, who used to be a maid in King Willem's castle, had helped Harry out of prison, somehow they had made it back to Theros alive, and most importantly, Rain allegedly didn't have feelings for Harry. That seemed to be enough for Kenny.

The flame in the fireplace was dancing in Kenny's eyes as she spoke again, "can I tell you a secret?"

Y/N grew stiff. "A secret?"

"Yes. But you cannot tell anyone."

"But...Why me?"

"Because we just met. I'd rather be judged by someone I just met than someone I know," Kenny said, her smile fading.

Y/N straightened her back and took a deep breath. That sounded like a justified answer. But she hoped the secret wasn't something as serious as Kenny having committed murder. Y/N already had a hard time dealing with her own crimes; she couldn't take on someone else's guilt.

"I'm not here to see my mum," Kenny said, and Y/N stopped picking at her own arm. "I lied to Gideon that my mother was sick so he would let me go. He didn't care about my mother to even check on her to see if I was lying. I came because...because my sister's husband saw Harry at the gate. I had to see for myself if that was true."

Y/N didn't know what to say. A part of her had always known Kenny had come back to this village because Harry was home. To hear it from the girl only made it worse.

"My father was poor, so my mother wanted me and my sisters to marry rich. She didn't approve of Harry. She said, 'as long as I'm still your mother, you will not marry the blacksmith's son.'" Kenny raised her eyebrows as she simpered, "She was so happy to hear that he was dead. She didn't care that it nearly killed me."

Y/N knew exactly how it felt. She thinned her lips and scrutinised Kenny. Her feelings towards this girl kept shifting back and forth between jealousy and sympathy. But the next thing Kenny said sent her brain into lockdown, "I'll ask him to run away with me."

What did she mean? Ask whom to run away with her? Harry? Y/N's Harry?

"I'll ask him tonight. We'll run far away from here and start a family. And we'll come back to visit his family once in a while. I don't care about Gideon's wealth, only my mother does. He doesn't love me. And I can't love him." Kenny placed her hands over Y/N's, her voice desperate yet hopeful. "I was so relieved to know that you're only his friend. Because I could...I could never compete with you."

What was happening? Please, stop. Stop talking, please...

"I'm telling you this because I need to get it off my chest. No one has loved me the way Harry did. D-Do you...do you think he still does?"

Y/N could say no. She wanted to say no and tell Kenny to get rid of that idea because Harry was hers now. But her conscience didn't let her answer on his behalf. When did he ever say that he was hers? She had made it up all in her head because she loved him and felt possessive of him. She didn't know what he wanted. It might not be her.

She parted her lips, her breathing unsteady as Kenny squeezed her hands, asking for the answer she couldn't give. The words rolled out of her tongue before she could swallow them, "You should ask him."

"Really?" Kenny said brightly, and Y/N nodded her head, her smile didn't reach her eyes. "Thank you! I'll speak to him in private after dinner. Then, I'll ask him."

And Y/N would wait. She hoped there was ale. She would drink a lot of ale while expecting the worst.

"Kenny, can you lend me a hand?"

"Coming!" Kenny shouted back to Gemma and hurried to the back of the house. Quickly, Y/N got to her feet and rushed after her.

In the kitchen full of cooking smoke, Gemma was struggling with the steaming pot of soup while making sure the fire was going at a steady heat. Y/N didn't know how it worked. She had never watched people cook before.

She stood rigid in the doorway as Gemma asked Kenny to fry the fish. Kenny gracefully moved around the chairs and collected different ingredients on the crooked shelves. Y/N watched them carry out their tasks so effortlessly, like when she danced with her sword. Sword-fighting suddenly looked like a children's game now.

"Just leave us, Rain. You don't have to do anything," Gemma said, and Y/N should have fled right away. But she was her father's daughter. Arrogance ran in her blood. She had to go in.

"I want to help," she said and padded across the kitchen to where Gemma was standing.

"Okay." Gemma nodded her head at the raw pork on one of the dishes. "You can roast the pork."

Y/N rubbed her eyes as the smoke made them water and fumbled through the ingredients and vegetables. She had no clue how to start. How should pork be roasted? What should it be roasted with? Did you start by chopping it, or putting the ingredients on it? Wait, did you put ingredients directly on the pork, or into the pot?

"Are you looking for onions?" Kenny's voice made her spin around.

"Yes, onions!" She accepted those from Kenny. Thank you, Kenny.

She believed she had seen Stefan cut an onion before. If she wasn't engulfed in smoke, she would have recalled it already. She picked up a random knife she saw on the table, staring attentively at the round vegetable as if it was the first time she'd seen it. It was in the wrong colour! Right, she must peel its skin first.

She wiped the beads of sweat upon her brows with her sleeve and started peeling. She had to do it quickly so Gemma and Kenny wouldn't get suspicious. Once she had the white onions that looked like the ones Stefan had cooked, she picked up the knife again. Thanks to her sword skills, she chopped them perfectly and wiped her hands with a cloth.

"Here. Use this pan." Gemma handed her a pan and that was actually the first time she'd held it in her hands. But these women should not know that. She was Rain, not Princess Y/N of Isolde. Rain was a maid, who should be an expert of pans and pots.

She suppressed a smile at her own stupid joke and poured a bit of oil into the pan. Look at her. She was cooking like she'd done it since she was born. She proudly placed the pan over the fire. But right as she put the onions in, the oil splattered onto her arms and she bounced back, dropped the pan and bumped into Gemma.

The world stopped. Four eyes set on her. She stumbled over her apology and blindly reached for the pan to pick it up. The heat stung her fingertip and she jerked away, sucking the burnt finger into her mouth.

As her heart finally slowed down, she stared at the oil-covered onions on the ground. She'd not only ruined dinner, but also her dignity.

"Are you okay?" Gemma grabbed Y/N's arm, but she pulled away, her mouth wrinkled. It was meant to be a smile, but she was on the verge of tears.

When Kenny asked, "Would you like to lie down for a moment?" and told Gemma, "She's probably exhausted," Y/N almost screamed at her to shut up and stop being so nice.

She couldn't hate Kenny if Kenny was nice. Why wasn't Kenny a money-hungry monster, or only mean to her when Harry wasn't around? She wanted to hate Kenny so much. She needed a reason to believe Kenny didn't deserve Harry. But Kenny was too freaking nice to her. Kenny was perfect. And Y/N couldn't even fry onions.

Before she could utter another word, Harry's mother appeared in the doorway. The woman squealed when she saw Kenny and ran to give her a hug. "I miss you, my sweet daughter-in-law. Where's your husband? Where's my son?"

Daughter-in-law?

"Uh...He went out with Caleb. He'd be back soon," Kenny said with a smile.

Harry's mother pinched her chin. "What about your puppy Whiskers? Does he eat well?"

Whiskers? Was that the name Harry had given his and Y/N's imaginary dog? Except it wasn't theirs. It was his and Kenny's first.

Y/N could see him and Kenny telling the same joke and sketching out their bright future, where they were married and had a dog named Whiskers. That was the future they could have if they ran away tonight.

"Let's go, Ma. It's not safe for you to be here," Gemma said and led the sick woman out of the kitchen.

Kenny looked over at Y/N and lifted a shoulder. "Mama Styles doesn't know what she's talking about. She thinks I'm married to Harry."

"And you let her believe that?" Y/N blurted as she couldn't help it, but Kenny didn't seem offended at all.

"I often came over to check on her after Harry was away. I never said that I was his wife, she just assumed that I was, because I always gave her news of him to keep him alive inside her head." Kenny's jaw worked for a moment, her thick eyelashes fluttering to hold back tears. "She has a weak heart. She wouldn't have been able to handle such terrible news. I told her that he was a merchant so he always travelled and didn't have time to visit her. But she wasn't angry at him. She was happy to know that he had a decent job, and alive. She enjoyed the made-up stories about us and our dog Whiskers." Kenny paused for a moment. "We'd always said we'd get a dog."

The girl ended the last sentence with a laugh, so soft yet so destructive. It caused Y/N more pain than her burnt finger. She was burning from inside out; her heart was inflamed. This fire couldn't be put out.

Tears stung her eyes but she tried to hold them back. She wasn't going to cry in front of Kenny.

"The men are home. Let's feast!" Gemma exclaimed brightly as she dashed into the kitchen, putting an end to the depressing atmosphere.

Y/N carried the dishes outside to set the table. Her footsteps faltered when she heard Harry's voice and saw him come in through the front door. He smiled at her. And she smiled back. She felt like crying again.

Dinner was awful. Not the food. The food was great -- though there was no fried onion because Y/N had wasted the last ones -- everyone's exuberance was what made it so awful. Even though her stomach was growling, she ate very little.

Harry's mother paused the conversations a few times to ask, "who's this girl?" Y/N had lost count of the times she'd repeated her fake name, but the old woman still couldn't remember it. She already had a daughter-in-law, anyway. Why should she remember the name of a stranger?

When dinner was over, Y/N helped Gemma clean the table. She overheard Kenny ask Harry to meet her outside but decided to turn a blind eye to them and return to the kitchen. She busied herself washing the dishes. She was less clumsy when she was sad, which was a good thing. She finished the work quickly without breaking anything and then excused herself to go back to her room.

'Room' was such a fancy word. It was a storage place with a window. Gemma had rearranged it to leave just enough space for a dirty mattress on the floor. But Y/N didn't mind. It was still better than sleeping in the woods.

She sat on the mattress, hugging her knees to her chest and letting her worries consume her. She didn't know how long she'd been sitting there when the wooden door creaked open and warm light split her face into matching halves. Harry stepped in and shut the door again.

"Why are you sitting in the dark?" he asked in hushed tones and sat down in front of her.

"It's not dark. There's the moon."

Her answer made him smile. His eyes moved to the little window above her head. "There's the moon," he repeated as if he'd never noticed the moon before.

Seconds were ticking away in silence. Why hadn't he said anything? Did he come in to tell her what she was afraid to hear? That must be the reason why he was silent. He was trying to find the right words to break this news to her, to break her heart. How stupid she was to think she could compete with his first love.

Silence became loud. Too loud. Deafening. She had to break herself out of the prison inside her head. If this must end, he deserved to know the truth. His eyes met hers as she worked her jaw. She had spent all that time sitting here practising her speech. But with his presence, the words got stuck at the back of her throat and wouldn't come out.

Say it. Say it. Say--

"My real name is Y/N. Daughter of King Willem. Princess of Isolde."

#harry styles #harry styles x you #harry styles x reader #tctm series #princess!y/n #harry styles writing #harry styles series #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfics #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fanfictions #harry styles fluff #harry styles angst #harry styles imagine #harry styles imagines #harry styles x y/n

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hi-epervier · 4 years

Text

@slenderiscoming some Naruto & Fugaku hijinks since you expressed interest in that.

Pre-sasunaru, Fugaku bullies his way into adopting people, Naruto is Naruto. Here's what I have so far, Hope you enjoy <3

Modern AU where down-on-his-luck, ex-homeless kid Naruto, age 20, saves Fugaku’s life while Fugaku’s stranded in the States, with his family back in Japan, and no one else can/is willing to help. He also visits Fugaku at the hospital, and when they clear Fugaku for discharge, brings the old bastard home to his tiny firetrap apartment, with its mess and his possibly-drug-dealers roommates, because Naruto can't not help complete strangers and the staff said they needed someone to keep an eye on the old bastard in case of medical complications.

And. Fugaku is 1000% appalled at everything, and complains, a lot, and demands they put an end to this farce, and generally makes a nuisance of himself, until Naruto tells him to shut his trap. Which works for exactly twenty seconds and just because it caught him off-guard. Then Fugaku resumes complaining, only a little less fervently.

And. Naruto’s everything Fugaku despises, but he’s also the only one who helped, and Fugaku can respect that. That’s a good kid. A good, extremely rude, potty-mouthed, sloppy, gay kid, but, a good kid. And in Uchiha Fugaku’s books, that counts more.

And. Fugaku’s got a stick up his ass. Anybody who knows him can tell you that. So this kid, with his brashness, and his loud mouth and everything, is confusing. Completely baffles him, and he’s not a man who likes feeling baffled. Fugaku wants everything to make sense and be efficient, and cause as little trouble as possible, and things do! Because he’s not the kind of man you mess with. He’s intimidating as fuck, and a hardass. He gets his way.

Naruto doesn’t give a shit. That’s the first thing he learns about the kid: Naruto doesn’t give a shit. He talks back, he speaks his mind, and gives as good as he gets. Naruto doesn’t put up with his ‘respect your elders’ crap. They butt heads. But Naruto is kind. After the initial clusterfuck, it’s actually pretty easy to talk to this kid because Naruto talks back immediately when he’s not okay with something!!! And he doesn’t hold grudges. Fugaku’s own sons aren’t like that. They’ve inherited his stupid pride gene. And his way with words. Naruto’s way to deal with conflicts actually resolves them. Fugaku may have to admit it’s more efficient than his own method. Who would have thought?

It’s evident that Naruto is a complete disaster. His lifestyle- bad. Very bad, no good, nuh uh. Fugaku disapproves, vocally so. He tries giving orders advice. Doesn’t work. Naruto doesn’t give a shit. He tries shoving money at the ungrateful brat who doesn’t see common sense when it’s trying to beat him on the head. Naruto gets royally offended. Turns out they’re both stubborn assholes. Still doesn’t work, and Fugaku is hell-bent on helping out this kid who does not wants his help.

So, Fugaku has a (brilliant, if he says so himself) idea. Fugaku has a son around Naruto’s age. Sasuke’s gay. Naruto’s gay (bisexual, or whatever. Fugaku’s not paying attention to what the fuck ‘labels’ are. Whatever. Naruto likes men. Fugaku asks, just to make sure. Repeatedly. they have a shouting match- whatever). They’re both good kids. They could learn a thing or two from each other. Naruto should feel honored, Fugaku’s son is such a catch.

Two birds, one stone. Fugaku helps out this bratty good kid he’s getting way too attached to (fathers-in-law get to shove money at their sons-in-law when they feel like it and nobody can stop them, right?), and Sasuke gets a boyfriend who’s not one of these good-for-nothing twinks he’s been hanging around. Everything is good. People should give Fugaku a medal for his exceptional ideas. No wonder his eldest is a genius.

Naruto is not on board with the idea. He’s so not on board with the idea that he thinks it’s a joke and gets a good laugh out of it. Past the first five minutes it start looking like he’s dying.

How fucking dare he, and why the fuck not? Fugaku’s son is a catch. Naruto should be fucking grateful. Not just anyone gets deemed worthy of joining the Uchiha clan, and Fugaku’s son in particular is a catch. Naruto is an idiot. Fugaku is offended on his son’s behalf. And what’s wrong with arranged marriages? Nothing. Nothing is wrong with them. They’re efficient and Fugaku knows what’s best. Naruto is an idiot.

Naruto starts calling him a Pimp. Fugaku’s brilliant idea is backfiring and Fugaku’s feathers are ruffled. But he’s nothing if not stubborn (he’s right, dammit).

Is it because Naruto wants children? Fugaku assures him that there are options for 'his kind' if he wants to reproduce, and says some really offensive shit while he's at it, and Naruto jibes back that he's being a real asshole right now. Fugaku tries to correct course by informing him that Mikoto will not care about his proclivities as long as he and Sasuke give her grandchildren. Naruto goes 'wow, you're a real piece of work'. And then decides to fuck with Fugaku's head by saying 'maybe I don't like kids'. And Fugaku hadn't even considered that and looks like he swallowed a lemon when presented with the possibility. He asks 'don't you?' and Naruto almost pisses himself laughing with how much just asking that is putting a strain on this old bastard, but he keeps a straight face. Fugaku doesn't receives an answer, so he goes 'well, but, an heir...' but concedes that it might suffice if his eldest conceives instead, and he supposes they'd still give Naruto and Sasuke their blessing despite this obviously huge let down, and Naruto must realize how generous he's being there, obviously, and and... somewhere around that part Naruto takes pity on him and goes 'nah, kids are cool, I was pulling your leg. Still don't want you to pimp me out tho', and Fugaku is both like 'oh thank fuck' and 'why'.

If it's not the kids, it must be something else. Is it because of the costs of moving to Japan? Fugaku would take care of that, obviously, as head of family. The logistics? Consider it done. Are Naruto's shitty jobs the problem? Just get rid of those, and Fugaku will find him a better one in Japan, more worthy of his future station, or Naruto can go to school there, get a diploma, it's not a problem that Naruto is mentally challenged, Fugaku has connections. Does Fugaku need to go yell at Naruto's shitty boss? Landlord? Mean aunt? No really, does Naruto need him to yell at anyone? (Fugaku likes yelling at people. Very cathartic). Is it Japan? Does he not like Japan? Well, the whole family could uproot itself to the States, at least at first, like for a year or two, Japan is obviously superior and Naruto should see the errors of his ways. No? Then why? Is it Sasuke? Does Naruto think Fugaku's son is unworthy of him? Does he not like brunets? Does he fear Fugaku's son is not aesthetically pleasing? Fugaku falls over himself to reassure Naruto that his son is, quote-unquote, 'a stud'. Naruto goes 'oh my god you crazy old bastard, where did you learn that word and also what the fuck'. They keep bickering and eventually Naruto gets fed up and yells that you can't just dictate people's lives like that, and Fugaku, old fart from old money, genuinely confused, goes 'well, why not?' Naruto can't believe he's stuck with a matchmaking tyrant for the next few days.

Fugaku continues his campaign to convince Naruto that The Idea is good. Ramen. Ramen is a thing that Japan has. In fact, it has plenty of it. (It also has natto, and Fugaku very crankily informs Naruto that american breakfast standards are subpar. 'just eat your cereal,' Naruto sighs. Fugaku glowers at him around a mouthful of froot loops)

#naruto uzumaki #fugaku uchiha #sasunaru #narusasu #sns #dumbasses. dumbasses everywhere

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loveafterthefact · 4 years

Text

Love After the Fact Chapter 20: Good Intentions (that backfire horribly in one way or another)

TFW you say something horribly rude and almost immediately feel bad about it but you're also absolutely right and feel like being petty so you're still a little bit of an asshole about it and basically you're sorry but you're not SORRY, y'know what I'm saying?

Also, 'fuck' is a Galra swear because I can do what I want

TRIGGER WARNING(S): -Use of the word 'rape' -Implications of hypothetical physical violence

First Previous Next

As they approach the castle, Adam is waiting for them, tablet in hand and looking quite stressed. ��Prince Yorak, where have you been?”

“Out.” He doesn’t feel like talking. He's tired after the long day.

“Prince Yorak, King Alfor has been anxiously awaiting your return. He wishes to speak with you. Come quickly.”

“Actually,” Keith says, vaulting from the shreika. Lance takes its reins without a second’s hesitation, back unusually stiff, fluid grace abandoned. “I don’t think I’ll be doing that. Please excuse me.”

Keith walks off in the direction of the hole in the wall, suddenly unwilling to return to his prison just yet. Perhaps he only just remembered it was a prison.

“And what do you expect me to tell him, your Majesty?!” Adam calls, voice pitched higher with stress. Keith finds he barely cares. “I’m not a magic spell!”

“Tell him whatever you like! I’m sure you can come up with something sufficiently endearing, shy, and benign!”

"You forgot demure! Could you at least try to take this seriously?!" Adam howls as Keith slips away into the dark.

Keith knows that this won’t be the end of it, but he’s not sure what else to do. He’s in no mood to speak to Alfor after hearing what he’s been doing to Lance. And what might Lance do, given enough time, enough pressure? The prince has little control, but he's a powerful alchemist. With enough focus, Lance probably could do whatever he wanted to Keith. Keith could put up a fight, but then he’d end up executed for treason or some other such nonsense.

No, Lance would never do that. Keith trusts Lance.

All the same, he’s trapped. He’s also not behaving as an adult but that’s just the problem: he’s not an adult. But the royals wouldn’t wait a damn decaphoeb or find somebody else and now here he is trapped in a marriage among a species that only cares about how quickly they can continue the line of succession.

What an utter mess. But he’s not sure what to do, so he slips through the gap in the wall and sits beside a stream he found only yesterday. He sighs, pulling on the end of his braid as he contemplates having never felt safe in his life. When he was little, his father had promised that one day, they'd take Krolia and wander the stars, discover new worlds. Akira had wanted to take him to a place called Earth, to meet the people who gave him his name. The knowledge of how to find this 'Earth' -the planet with the least-inspired name ever- had died with his father. He couldn't go if he'd wanted to.

He'll likely be on Altea for the rest of his life. What a depressing thought.

“Thought I might find you out here.” Keith leaps to his feet, expecting to see Lance, but finding Alfor instead. "I heard you found a way to sneak out. The wall exit is the easiest to find."

Keith hisses, ears pinned back against his head. He reaches for his blade as the king merely raises an eyebrow. Alfor raises his hands, doesn’t move from his spot by the stream. “You can relax, Keith. It’s Keith, isn’t it? My son has mentioned that’s what you like to be called.”

Keith relaxes, but only slightly. King Alfor is exactly who he doesn’t want to see. “What do you want?”

The king regards him, eyes strikingly tired. “Walk with me.”

Keith follows Alfor, rolling his eyes once the king’s back is turned. “What do you want?”

“What do you think of me?” Keith snorts, keeps his mouth shut. “No really, I want to know.”

“Not, you don’t. You want me to kiss your ass.”

“I have my ass kissed every day, Keith. If I wanted more of that I'd join you and Lance in court. Go ahead. I can take it.”

“Fine. You’re an arrogant bastard, a shitty father, and fucking awful person.”

“What is ‘fucking’? It sounds delightfully vulgar.”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, my apologies. I didn't mean to interrupt.”

Keith narrows his eyes, takes a deep breath. It's too tempting. This man has tried to use and abuse and manipulate him since he got here and now, being invited to speak his mind for the first time since he was appointed a lord on Daibazaal, he can't resist.

“Gladly. You presume to know the wants and needs of your people while you play warrior king in your study. You look down on your son with disdain and do little to encourage or speed his progress. You seem largely indifferent when it comes to his life, interests, happiness, and general well-being, and worst of all, you’ve been harassing him this entire time trying to convince him to rape me!” Keith pauses, waits to see if he’s committed enough treason yet.

“Continue.” Well, he must do as his liege commands. Besides, it feels amazing.

“You’re disgusting! I am a kit! Your son holds onto his morals while you tell him to abandon his basic principles, pin me down, and fuck me while every instinct in my body screams at me to fight him until my last breath! If my people knew, they’d go to war over me! If your people knew, you’d be overthrown in a day! Rumors run rampant in your court and spread anxiety among the people; your method of rule is archaic; your laws are outdated, convoluted, and contradictory; your infrastructure is weak and crumbling while Lance attempts to hold it together with glue, a wish, and a prayer to your ancestors!"

Keith's voice gets higher and higher, louder and louder as four phoeb's worth of frustration makes its presence known. Granted he's not speaking about Daibazaal's state, but he'll scream about that next time he sees Zarkon. “This entire place is pathetic and you clearly know far more of centuries of slaughter and promoting sexual assault than you do of actually running a kingdom!" Keith glares. "Coran seems pretty okay, though.”

“Yes, Coran is quite wonderful, isn’t he?”

Keith snarls, claws digging into his fists. “That’s all you have to say?”

“All of what you said is true.”

“I agree- Wait. What?”

“I am an alchemist and a soldier, not a leader.” Alfor sighs. “You’re a kit and clearly you’re more capable than I am.”

“I still hate you… Why the fuck are you a king?”

“I married a princess, as was prearranged from the moment of my birth.”

“Try and put my kits into an arranged marriage. I dare you,” Keith hisses, choosing to make this clear now as opposed to later. “I fucking dare you! You do this to them and I will fuck you up!”

“The kits you’re currently incapable of bearing?” Keith’s ears stiffen. He keeps his teeth bared, the ruff along his back tingling as the fur rises. “I’ll commit that to memory.”

“You do that! And I’m so sorry my being a kit is an inconvenience to you.”

Alfor sighs, stops. “No, my people’s culture is a danger to us all. An Altean marriage is not considered official until consummated. Technically speaking, you and Lance are not married, which makes this entire alliance extremely delicate.”

“Perhaps you should have found a way to sort your shit out without trading your children like fucking livestock,” Keith hisses.

“Perhaps. Perhaps I should have done a lot of things. Like appointed a regent, or spent more time with my son.”

“For a start. I’m not backing down on the arranged marriage thing, just so we're clear. Why be a king if you’re not at all competent?”

“My children. When Melinor died, we were still at war. There had already been an attempt on Melinor’s life while she was with child, which ultimately succeeded. We managed to prolong her life until Lancel could survive outside the womb. Then Coran, with the help of our surgeon, removed my premature infant from his mother before he could die with her. I feared that the moment I abdicated, my children and my lover would be slaughtered. Only the royal family and staff are permitted to live inside the castle walls. Once we left, it would only have been a matter of time. I’ve since done the best I can for my people, but like I said…”

Keith took a deep breath, swallowed. This had taken an unnecessarily dark turn. He felt a little bad. But only a little. “Alchemist and soldier. A scholar with a sword. Also, selfish.”

Lance would have done better, made a stronger decision, one that kept both the kingdom and his family alive.

“It is a pretty cool sword though. And so is this.” Alfor steps aside, revealing a crack in a rock face.

Stepping through the crack in the rocks, the only thing Keith can think is that he’s likely to be murdered here. A single chirp echoes through the dark. Keith clamps his jaw shut, reaches for his blade just in case. It’s a grotto, water bubbling up, pooling from beneath the ground, flowing from the walls. Vegetation clings to the walls with roots like spindly fingers. The air is cool and moist, but not overly so.

Alfor sighs, sits on the ground, legs straight out in front of him. “This is one of only three above-ground water sources on Altea, and the largest. There are organisms in this grotto that are found nowhere else in the universe. It is also where I taught both my children to swim.”

“You brought small children to a tiny, isolated ecosystem to teach them to swim.” It must be nice, abusing power. Though Alfor was likely just peering into a microscope, periodically glancing up to make sure his children hadn't drowned.

“Yes. It’s one of the few solid memories I have of myself with my children.”

Keith steps forward, cautious, takes a seat on the ground cover vegetation a few dashes from the Altean. He lays his blade in his lap.

“I did everything I could. I dreamed of learning, excelling, leading my people to some golden future, the king that never should have been, but was. Sometimes, that’s simply not how it happens. And it became clear that while I am a soldier, I cannot lead my people to victory against the Galra. So I sought out other solutions.

“Look at this grotto. Even on a planet without rain, there is still water, still life. In here, there are lives so unique they cannot exist anywhere else. The organisms in this pool will die if I bring them even a spot beyond that little crack in the rocks. When I wed my daughter to Prince Lotor, when she walked hand-in-hand with him, hand-in-hand with Romelle onto that imperial ship, I thought she too might cease to thrive. Imagine my selfish bitterness when I find that she has blossomed into something even more beautiful, that she, her husband, and her lover are growing closer and that perhaps I, in my desire to keep my children as safe as possible, have smothered them.

“In trying to protect them, I have constrained them. I have made them restless, frustrated, and useless. Now, my daughter concerns herself with bringing constructive leisure to your people with the benefit of lowering minor crime and I’m fairly certain my son is steadily worming his way into every nook and cranny of the entire planet and gradually tweaking laws while hoping, for some obscure reason that I won’t notice that he’s finally given up the pretense of not giving a quiznak.”

“You know it’s a pretense?” Keith asks, reluctantly curious.

“Of course I know it’s a pretense. People don’t just suddenly, magically care. When I made a tiny comment that perhaps implied I would perhaps like more support in my research of interstellar tardigrades and Coran showed up the next day with a comprehensive tablet of everything my people know about the little delights, do you think it is because he suddenly became deeply invested in what technologies might be inspired from pseudo-extremophiles? Of course not. Which is why he did not assist me in my research.”

“I… don’t follow,” Keith mumbles.

“He made a one-time effort to prove that he cares, not about tardigrades, but about me. I have not heard a word from him since aside from asking how my research is going when I seem particularly happy or particularly tired. Lance, however, has gotten married and now mysteriously shows up to hold court on the regular, sober and accompanied occasionally by you instead of a different prostitute each movement. I’ve even heard a rumor he’s even finally bothered to learn what taxes are.”

Alfor chuckles, and all Keith can think of is how unbelievably sad that laugh sounds. “I’ve no idea what he’s up to, but my son is far, far smarter than I ever gave him credit for.”

It’s Keith’s turn to laugh, quietly because he hasn’t laughed out loud since he was very small, but it’s a genuine laugh all the same. “You really want to know what he's up to?”

“Yes, I really want to know.”

“He wants…” Keith sighs, smiles. “...to be a hero. Loved and admired and adored as the beautiful, young king who guided his people into that golden era.”

“So you think my son is beautiful?”

“What?! No, that’s not what I-”

“That’s what I heard.”

Keith can hear the taunts in the king’s voice. “Well I don’t know what you heard but-”

“That’s fine. I know what I heard.”

“Did you miss the part where I can’t currently be attracted to anyone including your son?”

“No, no. I got that. But I still think you like him and I still think you find him pretty. Everyone does. Unless of course you wish to tell me that you don’t find my son pretty, in which case you have found the line. Insulting my entire person is fine, but telling me you don’t find my son beautiful? Unacceptable.” Alfor wags a finger at him, grinning.

Keith rolls his eyes. “Fine. I like him. He's a likeable person. Don't expect anything more than that.”

“That’s fine. I’d just like for the two of you to be friends.”

“I’ve… never had a friend before,” Keith whispers, tail thumping on the ground. “Maybe Shiro, my adoptive brother, but that’s it. I like being Lance’s friend. He's... good. I feel like with people in this circle that's not as common as it should be. It makes life harder.”

Keith says nothing about the rumors Lord Lanval spoke of. He’s Lance’s spouse.

“Lance is… He’s a good kid, I think. At least, he wants to be good. I can see that now. I see this burning desire to prove himself and make a difference. I admire his idealism, even if it’s unrealistic.”

“He is making a difference. It’s already started. The alchemy will take more time, since his heart is so distracted, but I can teach him how to use a sword, help him fulfill that silly dream or at least feel like he is. You’ve got your men fighting robots-”

“Fewer injuries. Theoretically.”

“It’s close, but not as good. You’d do better employing imitation weapons. All people think differently, at different speeds, and have different styles of fighting. Fighting a robot doesn’t tell you that your opponent broke their leg as a child and never had it set properly. It limits learning. I can help.”

“Anything else?”

“For tonight?” Keith squeezes the handle of his blade, watches it extend into a sword, inspects himself in it. He looks different, now. Not just healthy, but pampered and soft. Like the overbred little whore his mother told him about. He pushes a lock of hair out of his face. “Your gate should make a noise when it opens. For security. A silent gate means all someone has to do is take out your guards and they just just walk right in without alerting the castle.”

“You say that like taking out guards is easy.”

“It is. Silently and one at a time.”

“Understood. I’ll get it fixed. Now, we should get back, before Lance decides to tear the castle apart looking for us. But one more thing.” Keith looks up at the Altean. "I understand that you despise me, but do try not to ruin what little relationship I have left with my son."

"I won't," Keith whispers. He hates this man and finds him grossly incompetent, but has a begrudging respect for his efforts and devotion to his family. If, gods forbid, it ever came down to the lives of his own children and Lance were gone, he'd likely do the exact same thing. No. He wouldn't have to. He'd call Shiro. “Does he know? How his mother died, I mean.”

“No. We told him she died when he was three. He’s formed memories, based around images of her. He swears they once played in the valley while the juniberries were in bloom… He doesn’t need to know. Melinor chose between herself and him, and he doesn't need to know that.”

Keith says nothing. Lance seems very much unlike the person to manufacture memories of a deceased mother when he has two fathers, but what would he know? It’s not like said fathers have been particularly active in his life. Who knows? Maybe Keith has false memories of his own parents.

His thoughts come grinding to halt as a burning rock falls to his feet in front of him. “Uh… Alfor?”

#LoveAftertheFact #LAtF #klance #galtean au #galra keith #altean lance #adashi #altean adam #galra shiro #voltron legendary defender #vld

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isolctions · 5 years

Text

▌real name: zephyr warren brigham — a middle name that she actually despises after learning her mother was going to name her ‘warren’ if she was a boy. so fuck her. ▌single or taken: subject to change depending on the vibes, but permanently she’s engaged to @blackplanct‘s maliq azad. ▌abilities or powers: this bitch can’t do shit. ▌eye color: dark brown. ▌hair color: she wears as assortment of wigs with an array of colors, but naturally her hair is a very light brown. ▌family members: whew, okay. her family’s kinda fucked up. paigon (pay-zee-ohn, in case anyone was looking at her name like what the fuck is that ghetto ass shit) reed is allegedly her mother, if mothers are allowed to be literal pieces of shit (antonique smith). dion brigham is her formerly estranged father (khalil cain). tristan brigham is her aunt, and her guardian since the age of fifteen (tia mowry). tinnia brigham-mayfield is her other aunt, tristan’s twin sister, and Not the fun aunt (tamera mowry). eamonn brigham is her uncle who is surprisingly only three years older than her (tahj mowry). a shit ton of cousins on her father’s side that she either doesn’t remember or doesn’t care to know, two aunts and some family members on her mother’s side that she definitely doesn’t want to know. unknown to her, she has an eight year old half-sister named lisa reed-perez. ▌pets: claims her aunt’s cat named alex. shares two cats named munch & baby with maliq. ▌something they don’t like: her mother. but, she also doesn’t like people that overshare. she’s very turned off by sudden contact, and doesn’t warm up to people immediately unless they’re really interesting, so people talking zephyr’s ear off and treating her like family that she’s just met like five minutes ago really bothers her. she also doesn’t like being emotional, and abandonment is a pretty traumatic topic for her. ▌hobbies/activities: online shopping, eating hot wings, and being a bitch. but artistically, she’s really good at making and producing beats and her own songs — zephyr actually taught herself how to make beats as a coping mechanism after suffering a miscarriage at nineteen, and eventually taught herself to rap and eventually sing. however, getting her to be committed to this hobby and release material? i think the fuck not. she prefers vibing. ▌ever hurt anyone before: emotionally and physically, yes. zephyr has been in multiple fights before with multiple people and multiple genders, and she’s very aggressive and tends to win majority of her fights. but, as mentioned earlier, she’s also a bitch and has hurt feelings before, intentionally or otherwise. ▌ever killed anyone before: no! she’s a bitch, not a monster. ▌animal that represents them: a bodega cat. just chilling, unbothered, surrounded by food. ▌worst habits: she’s very emotionally closed off. so getting her to open up, specifically about her family or her life while living in chicago, is basically an uphill battle and she’s not very nice about it. she’s also very self deprecating, and is prone to suicidal ideation when her depression is on high. but in general, she’s very aggressive so if she feels trapped by something, she can resort to foul language and violence. and really, she holds grudges like her life depends on it, so forgiving her father probably took up all free chances of her getting over things. she holds onto the things that hurt her, even if it’s detrimental to her health. ▌role models: honestly...none. but her aunt tristan really seems to have her shit together, so that was really her only positive familial role model during her teen years. it hits her harder much later in life, after realizing that a woman only ten years older than she was had been made to raise her depressed brother’s out of control daughter while struggling to keep and maintain a business during a recession in brooklyn and love her as if she were her own. ▌sexual orientation: demisexual. ▌thoughts on marriage/kids: at first, zephyr was really shifty about having kids, especially since her upbringing wasn’t the greatest. her father worked nonstop to support her and her mother after barely finishing senior year due to her birth, while her mother was an addict who very openly cheated on her father and treated zephyr like shit (see: calling her own daughter a whore, wishing she’d never been born, blowing smoke in her face, etc.). after being abandoned by paigon, her father fell into such a deep depression that he kinda stopped noticing zeph — and self aware of her own shit, she never wanted to put a child through that. it only worsened after miscarrying during her first accidental pregnancy and her then boyfriend leaving her. she had her objections on marriage as well, because she’s not the marrying type and while her mother was terrible, her words had an affect on her. she wasn’t worthy of a man loving her. of course, now? she’s the mother of two daughters, and engaged to be married to a man that adores and supports the fuck outta her, and loved her when she needed it the most. so, that’s that. ▌fears: abandonment, above all. also, heights are pretty terrifying. and spiders. and being broke. ▌style preferences: visually, it’s very much on par with that of her faceclaims. she doesn’t follow any particular trend, and couldn’t give a shit about what people think of her outfit choices. she enjoys bright colors, faux furs, and very gaudy clothing, and really kinda adjusts her clothing based on either her mood for the day or what wig she chooses to wear. her choice in clothing is also considered eccentric, but falls into the category of urban streetwear or even a sort of afro-futuristic or punk vibe. basically, she wears whatever makes her comfortable and makes her feel pretty, and given her curvy stature, she has to get a lot of things custom made or adjusted by tailor cause babes got thicc thighs and hips and tummy pouches and rolls. ▌someone they love: first and foremost, her aunts tristan and tinnia — without then, she essentially would either end up killed in a fight or in jail...due to a fight. she also loves her fiance maliq unconditionally (but she will deny every word of that and there are indeed conditions), otherwise they wouldn’t be such an iconic couple. she loves her best friends, which are only a handful, but she prioritizes time spent with @armsdealing‘s jerome kendricks & marcelo reyes, as well as @saturnrang‘s jasmine higgins because they essentially egg on her chaotic energy. it was a long time coming, but she loves her father very much. and lastly, she loves her daughters sola & sinead azad, because they’re truly the best things to ever come out of her. ▌approach to friendships: very hard to say. it really depends on the circumstances behind meeting a person — she doesn’t make friends at work because that’s just weird. if she meets someone during an outing with mutual friends or otherwise, and if food and alcohol are involved, she’s a little warmed up to conversation after indulging in either. she’s not exactly awkward as a person, but instead pretty stand-offish, and can come off as either intimidating or simply uninterested unless they happen to share some personality traits. and in friendships, she’s not responsible whatsoever. it doesn’t matter if she’s the oldest, she’s immature and whiny. and a bitch. and a little messy. but when she does make friends, she’s the sweetest and most reliable there is — and in return, you get to be apart of her little family! hers is pretty messed up, so any friendship she has is considered a found family in her book. ▌thoughts on pie: sweet potato or blueberry. ▌favorite drink: she likes teas and cold pressed juices, and will sometimes indulge in a fancy cappuccino or frappe. will only drink water if it’s fruit infused because she’s a child. very big fan of milkshakes and smoothies. keep her away from hennessy, d’uesse, tequila...basically anything with alcohol unless you want her to act a goddamn fool. ▌favorite place to spend time at: her aunt’s flower shop. somehow, flower arranging brought a lot of control in her life as well, so she essentially spends all of her time there due to work and being around tris. she likes being anywhere with maliq, until he does something weird. other than that, she’s comfortable anywhere where there’s food. ▌swim in the lake or in the ocean: zephyr doesn’t swim — she’s the kinda girl who puts on a cute bikini just to sit and take pictures by the water. she may even get her feet a little wet here and there, but she actually doesn’t know how to swim. ▌their type: i gotta say, it’s pretty difficult to describe considering she’s up her fiance’s ass so much that i can’t imagine what it is — mainly because maliq is not her type. at all. she’s into articulate, well-spoken, fresh smelling, hood ass dope dealers essentially. but she also likes people who are creative and enjoys being in their element, people with drive and ambition and actual goals, people who are open minded and vocal about things that they want, and although she’s pretty shitty at it herself, someone who’s first instinct is to communicate when things go wrong instead of reacting in anger. also anyone who’s sexually open to exploring things and can make her cum multiple times.

tagged by: @armsdealing tagging: myself. steal + tag me in it!

#zephyr — meme #zephyr — facts #pregnancy tw #miscarriage tw #shitty parent tw #suicide mention tw #i am very Fast.

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vagrantblvrd · 6 years

Note

Something Freewood please? For the fic prompts? You’re a wonderful writer!!

Summary: “Don’t panic but I think we might have accidentally gotten married.”

AO3

It’s never a good thing when Gavin has that “Everything’s going to be just fine, but perhaps we should be taking a closer look at what our exit options are,” look in his eye.

Compound things with the fact they’re on a job for Geoff, and it’s not looking great.

“Don’t panic but I think we might have accidentally gotten married.”

“What?”

Gavin’s laughing, high and nervous and definitely not meeting Ryan’s eyes as he flutters about their motel room fussing with his gear. Keeps a wide berth around the bed where he dropped a mailing envelope the front office had called him down to retrieve in front of Ryan, said a courier service delivered it.

“Wemighthaveaccidentallygottenmarried!” he says, like it’s a lovely day and they almost didn’t die the night before and Ryan’s head doesn’t ache like someone tried to crack it open with a crowbar.

Like Gavin doesn’t have bandages along his ribs from some fucker with a knife, isn’t wearing some tacky scarf he snagged from a street vendor to hide the hand-shaped bruises on his neck from someone else who wanted them super fucking dead.

They’d finished the job though, gotten out alive if not whole.

Gavin got them out and back to their motel and patched up. Waiting on Ryan to get back on his feet before heading back to Los Santos.

“Gavin,” Ryan says, closing his eyes because all that motion hurts to look at. Especially with the way Gavin seems so damn certain the world’s about to end. “What the hell are you talking about?”

There’s this little clattering noise, Gavin’s muffled swearing and then -

“I panicked,” Gavin says, low and quiet and scared. “Last night. I panicked, Ryan.”

That’s -

They almost died, because someone either gave Geoff bad intel or the bastards Geoff sent them after knew they were coming. (Same thing in the end, isn’t it?)

“It’s okay,” Ryan says opening his eyes, because Gavin wasn’t even supposed to be in the thick of things. Was supposed to stay in the dumb little van the rental place gave them where it was safe. Not haring off after Ryan when they realized how fucked this whole job was. “You did - “

“You were out of your mind and there was nowhere to go,” Gavin says, hands coming down hard on the top of the dresser, his back to Ryan. “And there was this stupid little chapel, right? Like something out of Geoff’s terrible movies.”

Geoff does love shitty movies. And shitty television, and shitty everything, really.

“So I thought,” Gavin says, and there’s this note to his voice that Ryan hasn’t heard in years, when Gavin thinks he’s well and truly fucked something up. “Like an idiot, I thought ‘oh here’s a stroke of luck, what perfect timing!’ because the cops were looking for us and you - “

Gavin breaks off with a laugh and finally turns around to face Ryan, but the expression on his face -

- “you’re heavier than you look, Ryan,” Gavin says, and if Ryan wasn’t looking at him, he’d think it was just another of his random comments, some little offshoot of whatever he’s thinking about.

Unintentionally insulting because apparently Gavin was raised by wolves or in a barn or somewhere people don’t know about manners.

“I’m big-boned,” Ryan says, because he’s an idiot, and it’s an old joke between them by now.

One that doesn’t seem to have the usual effect on Gavin because he just keeps winding himself up tighter and tighter. Shoulders hunching as he talks, and Ryan wants nothing more than to reach out to him, but he’s afraid it would do more harm than good.

“They were so helpful,” Gavin says, like that’s somehow a failing. “All these papers, and they thought you’d had too much to drink and said it was fine, no worries. It was all just a formality and if I wanted they could look the other way while I signed for you.”

This is starting to slide from deeply alarming to deeply confusing amazingly quickly because this doesn’t sound like something about to get them killed. Actually sounds a lot like one of Geoff’s terrible movies, because this is Vegas after all, and people do stupid things here all the time.

Run off here and get hitched at some little chapel on a whim, some little bit of reckless abandon taking hold of them and regret setting in later when everything was said and done.

“Said we might want to wait on the ceremony until you could participate and why not sit in on one to see what it was all about and then they sent this,” Gavin says, gesturing to the mailing envelop.

Ryan glances at the envelop Gavin can’t bring himself to look at. Slowly pieces things together because his brain’s rattling around in his head from last night.

Gavin’s still not meeting his eyes, fidgeting with the cuff of his shirt.

For the life of him, Ryan cannot figure out what has him so damn spooked.

“I thought - ” Gain says, talking to the stain on the cuff of his shirt. “I don’t know what I thought, really. Maybe that the cops wouldn’t think to interrupt the ceremony or something equally stupid, and they seemed insistent the paperwork be in order, so I just. I signed. For both of us.”

That sounds all kinds of illegal, but Ryan’s knowledge of the law tends more towards felony larceny and murder-ish and he’s not an expert on this side of things.

“Gavin.”

“I’m sure we could get the damn thing annulled,” Gavin’s saying. “If it’s legally binding to begin with.”

Ryan picks the envelope up and sorts through the documents inside while Gavin continues to fidget. Looks like he’d vibrate out of his skin if he could.

There’s a letter from the chapel, a thank you for choosing them for their special day. Vouchers for various shops and points of interest along the strip.

A marriage certificate with both of their signatures, and Gavin makes this little noise in his throat when Ryan stares at it.

“I know I didn’t have the right, that it’s not something - we’re - not something like that, but I wasn’t thinking.” Gavin laughs, something bitter to it. “I understand if you want to…stop after this. It went on long enough anyway, didn’t it? Nice run of things and all.”

Ryan’s head snaps up at the way Gavin’s voice breaks at that last.

“Gavin,” Ryan says, feeling slow and stupid at the way Gavin still won’t look at him.

At the way he seems so damned uncertain, like Ryan hasn’t been clear when it comes to this thing they’re doing. Hasn’t told Gavin in words that it’s not just the stupid little arrangement they came to early on. Fuck buddies and nothing more because their line of work is stressful and it was convenient, wasn’t it, easy.

That it stopped being about that a long time ago because they’re stupid bastards who thought they were smarter than this. Knew better than to get attached, that it never ended well for people like them, and yet -

“Come here,” Ryan says, and winces at the way Gavin fights down a flinch.

Ryan clears his throat and tries again, guilt weighing on him because somehow he never said and now Gavin’s tying himself in knots thinking he’s crossed a line. Ruined whatever they had. That Ryan’s so cold-hearted, closer to what the rumors make him out to be than something approaching a decent human being.

“Please, Gavin.”

And Gavin, because he’s Gavin, does.

Not immediately and not without these stuttery little steps, like he can’t refuse but wishes he could. Maybe hopes for some kind of divine intervention, so maybe if he drags his feet just a little -

“Hey,” Ryan says, when Gavin’s legs hit the side of the bed. Reaches up like he’s wanted to since Gavin started his panicked babbling, like he thought Ryan would be angry with him, curve of Gavin’s cheek under his palm. “Gavin, look at me?”

There’s a long moment where he thinks Gavin won’t. Thinks he’s messed things up between them so badly Gavin can’t, but this is Gavin and he does.

Brave little smile on his face like oh, hello there, Ryan, everything’s fine and dandy and what a funny little misunderstanding this all is, isn’t it? Hilarious story to tell the others when we get back.

“We’re idiots,” Ryan says. “I’m an idiot.”

He knew going into things it was a bad idea, that he’s never been good at being honest with himself when it comes to these things. Likes to pretend he knows what he’s doing, that it’s not going to end up a muddled disaster of his own making because Ryan liked Gavin before they started this.

Clever and funny and braver than he thinks he is.

“Married, huh?” Ryan asks, because of all the things he expected to hear that was not one of them.

Gavin smiles, this small, twitchy thing. “Ryan, I - “

“I mean,” Ryan continues, “I can’t say that I ever saw myself getting married in Vegas, but there are worse things.”

Gavin frowns, little furrow between his eyes like he’s not sure where Ryan’s going with this,what angle he’s taking.

“Like what?”

Being Geoff, for one.

Riding herd on a bunch of assholes like them day in and day out without end.

Speaking of -

“Geoff’s going to be pissed if you don’t make him your best man you know,” Ryan says.

Remembers Geoff’s drunken ramblings about it years ago, angry and indignant at the very thought Gavin would choose someone over him for that role. Gavin laughing and utterly bewildered at what brought that up, and Ryan watching in bewilderment because what the hell are these people?

“Don’t be cruel,” Gavin says, stepping back, fingers furling into loose fists. “I know - “

“I love you,” Ryan says, blurts it out like an idiot, but he can’t stand the hurt look in Gavin’s eyes, the misunderstanding that’s sunk its claws in Gavin this deeply he never noticed.

Gavin’s gone so very still, eyes locked with Ryan’s.

Something fragile in his eyes and Ryan’s heart in his throat.

“I love you,” Ryan repeats. “And like an idiot I could never find the right time to tell you, but I thought you knew, so it was fine. That it could wait until I did.”

And now look at them.

“What?”

Gavin looks like he thinks it’s a trap, wary and suspicious and Ryan doubles down on the guilt.

“You know I’m no good with the whole,” Ryan makes a vague gesture meant to encapsulate the wide array of human emotion.

Things Ryan has, but is a disaster at expression unless it’s utter delight at chaos and destruction or the underlying fondness for his crew. Anything stronger, more personal like what he feels for Gavin is a tangled mess he can’t seem to manage like a functioning adult.

Gavin snorts, corners of his mouth quirking.

“Eloquent,” he says, cautiously teasing.

Ryan just looks at Gavin because he knows full well Ryan is hardly the most eloquent person around. Likes his big, fancy words and all, but flubs half of them and when someone aggravates him it’s a free-for-all.

“You love me,” Gavin says, like it’s some unfathomable concept, like Ryan could never do such a thing. “Me.”

That last one is more like Ryan’s an idiot for doing so, and the look Gavin shoots him confirms it.

“Yes.”

It’s a simple truth, that.

The sky is blue, water is wet. Geoff’s life is endless suffering, and Ryan is stupidly in love with Gavin.

Gavin moves closer, places a hand on Ryan’s face, feather light touch like he’s afraid Ryan’s going to take it all back, claim it was a slip of the tongue.

“We really are idiots, aren’t we?” Gavin asks, as though he’s somehow failed to notice this fact in all the time they’ve known each other.

“You say that like it’s a surprise,” Ryan says.

“Harsh, but fair,” Gavin says, as he sits beside Ryan, hand dropping to his lap.

Awkward and uncertain and Ryan pulls him into a hug, because he looks like he could use one, Closes his eyes at the way Gavin’s hands shake the slightest bit before he grabs on tight.

“I, uh, me too,” Gavin says, face pressed against Ryan’s shoulder. “Love you, that is.”

And Gavin has the gall to make fun of Ryan’s inability to word properly.

They’re going to have to talk about this later, use actual words to make sure there aren’t any more misunderstandings, that Gavin knows without a doubt how Ryan feels, but this is a good place to start.

#Freewood #ragehappy #prompt fills #Anonymous #vagrant fic #Kings of Nowhere #ahhhh!#anon you are the sweetest! thank you so much! <333333333333333333333!#Replies

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