#maybe I try to find an other way to the river tomorrow if it's sunny again | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

inkskinned · 5 years

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my arch nemesis cynthia is, of course, at the bank, because we both were sent like clockwork to pick up the checks of our husbands. she is wearing a lovely long green gown, which i know was on behalf of me, because, as my husband will tell you, our house abhors green and glamour. already the tellers look at each other under their little hats, for they love our tirades, i’m sure, although not more than i hate them.

“oh, is that your knitting?” my arch nemesis cynthia peers her eyes at my hands. “is it some kind of... sock?” everyone knows she and i used to be close before we were married and our husbands, smartly so, have introduced us to the idea of true vengeance.

“it is a scarf,” i say. i want to tell her that when the time comes and the world gets cold it will go over my mouth and i will breathe warm air and it will fill my lungs and i will be able to run around with my love even in the dark night. “it is not,” i say, “over surprising that you should be caught unawares of a scarf,” i say, “as i’m sure enjoying winter festivities are too beneath the handsome qualities your husband prefers.” pompous ass.

the tellers pass each other eyes for now it has started and they are delighted.

my arch nemesis cynthia thrusts out her hand. a white bottle. “rat poison,” she says. “i would expect the whole town knows about your little problem.” stage whisper. “such a shame, my dear.” then she rustles her long green skirts - which i know she wore on behalf of me - and she shimmies herself out of the room like royalty. oh, she floats everywhere she goes, beautiful black hair behind her. the bottle in my palm is cold. i will devise how to get her back starting first thing tomorrow.

the week, as always, is a long week, for there is much to make and do and knit and be. my husband comes home and i love him for who he is; for he never comes home without checking the state of the house up and down. he is the kind who loves his home so completely and sets each room like a stage for a great band to come playing. i am too ashamed to tell him why so many of the rats go missing, only make him a stew the next morning to celebrate. his favorite, although not mine, i’m afraid. plenty left over.

my arch nemesis today - of course - in a green the color of rotting. a bruise is uncarefully covered on her cheekbone, so striking against all of her dainty. her husband would say it was for her ungraceful nature, and i know mine would agree. i strike first, already delighted by my master plan, shoving over our best picnic basket tied with a bow. “i made you and yours a stew,” i say, “for beneath all that you carry” all that horrible wealth of your husband “it seems you’re getting rather skinny.” i can’t resist one last comment. “i am worried you’re about to waste to nothing.”

She plucks it out of my hand. “yes, if it weren’t for you and your husband’s dwindling wealth,” her sarcasm is biting, “i’m sure i will be nothing in, oh, 5 weeks time.” she arches a brow. “so long from now.”

“i am counting the days,” i tell her. her lips purse. the tellers behind me make a choked titter. perhaps, by their estimation, i have won this round quite completely. i go home to my husband smiling. he asks where i have been and i tell him i’ve been at the bank, but he checks anyway because i like to get up to tricks and he doesn’t like to fall for it. it is a good game we play. at night, when he is asleep, i am so in love that i must convince myself to pull the covers over my nose and practice breathing. how silly to wake him up for a young girl’s feelings.

the first week of five: she gives me a solid, ugly ring that requires three knuckles to hold. “i feel so badly for your status, and i must remember to practice charity,” she says. “it such a small thing, but do be careful amongst all that thin pine furnishing of your house, which dents so easily.” my husband appears at the bank’s front door. just checking. so lovely to be picked up by him. at night, in a rage, i try it - beneath the table bends easily. i scuff out the scratch with walnut before my husband can see. i pull the covers over my face in bed and breathe.

the second week: i wear her ugly ring and give her more stew, this time hearty with meat. her dress is a meadow. my heart each time it sees her collapses on itself. she hands me clothes for my husband, since his wealth continues to go missing, and the charity of her heart is so loving. i am so ashamed i bury them far by the old tree, where all my shames go hiding. again, the covers. it, by now, helps me sleep. i have gotten so good at it that i can simply shimmy my shoulders to be perfectly toasty and buried.

the third week: she asks how comes my knitting. i tell her it’s nearly complete. she asks how comes my husband, whom she must know has been ill recently, and who is doing quite badly. i go home to him, shaking. even sick he is a good housekeeper, who comes home examining for dust and dinge so i do not fall behind on my chores. who checks to be sure i spoke to only him and no one more, for fear a man might snatch me. tell me, who else has a man so involved, in this day and age?

the fourth week she is envy green. i shove a whole heaping of stew at her, for now her husband has gotten it. i say it will return him to spirits, she laughs, a sudden, beautiful sound, even in the quiet of a bank. everyone stares. maybe it is the stress that is making her quite improper. i feel the same way. so much is happening and it always seems she knows. she says she heard he has left me nothing in the will, which everyone already knows. she says she doubts either of us can dig upwards from the hole we’re both in. i look at the bruise on her nose. i tell her to mind her own husband, and be careful where she goes.

the fifth week: so final. her, garishly lime green. and i in black, to pick up a check that hardly seems the effort. it will be enough to cover my husband’s funeral. she smiles at me and hands me a silver bottle. she says quietly: now that i am destitute, there is one thing for it all, and everyone would understand quite completely. it would be quiet, and quick, and complete.

it is the night of the new moon, so dark no man can see in it. i receive notice her husband has died, and i am sorry to say i find a terrible joy in it. the air has changed cold. i have left a note asking to be buried in my scarf, the last thing i have made on this earth. i go through each perfect room, but there is nothing else to take with me, for the house has always been his and his alone, and now aches to be gone of him. i would not serve as a good tender for it. having spent so many nights watched carefully, the silly girlish freedom i’d gain would surely set the house ablaze.

i follow her instructions. quick, quiet, complete.

the horrible rustling is what does it. like a million green skirts. and then it is dark, and i am in my own coffin, eerie with pine. my head hurts but i must be quick and quiet. they have listened and buried me with my scarf. i shimmy my shoulders just-so and get it over my face. bring my arms up, ugly ring heavy, and begin to hit as hard as i can, over and over, the thin wood of my husband’s favorite furniture, the cretin. it would be pine, of course - he left me no money to be buried in any nicer recourse.

the wood splits so horribly, and then it is very hard to breathe, harder than under the covers, and i have to remind myself to be patient and continue to dig upwards, while my throat closes and my heart beats so loudly and the whole thing is so heavy it is a universe. the shifting of gravedirt is loud, and loud, and i feel i will be turned into a worm, and i fear everyone has forgotten about me, or i have gotten the timing wrong, or i will really die down here in the dirt and the cold

but then her hand, and my hand, and we are both digging towards each other, and she lifts me so easily from the ground like a plucked turnip and holds me against her, us both panting and muddied. we can only stay like this for so long, here in my pauper grave, and then we are both running to the old tree where we met, and unburying a second thing; my lovely box of shame, and men’s clothes, and all of my husband’s dwindling fortune i have slowly been squirrelling away.

my love and angel cynthia, who has black hair like a curtain and a mind so fast i sometimes am in frank awe at it, who is, even now and dirty and raw: even now the only sun in my life.

like this, i a man in an almost-dawn, and us cleaned by the river, and her smiling so widely, and only a faint bruise on her, and our pasts behind us in ugly garish colors. and her delicate hand and beautiful nose and when i finally get to kiss her it feels like green feels; my favorite color, all warm and nature and sunny grace and grass and lying awake so filled with love it makes you shake.

i hold her, and she holds me, and our future is a love like a dream unburied.

#spilled ink #prose #short story #wlw #if you're confused they were planning this from day 1 #rat poison goes to the rats #rats go into stew.... subtle poisoning #the ending can be read many ways #but always happy

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witcher-and-his-bard-archive · 4 years

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on ao3

All his life, Jaskier has only wanted to be enough. In forty years, he’s found a lot of people he can't please no matter how hard he tries, but never any who are willing to try in return. He's too loud, too annoying, too much. There are also a startling number of people who want him only as a placeholder - a bed warmer, an entertainer - before quickly ushering him from their lives once they've had their fill. As a child, it was devastating every time he was told to be quiet or to find someone else to talk to. As an adult, he thought he'd grown numb to disinterest or fleeting interest, but then he'd met Geralt.

With Geralt, he thought he had finally found someone who might keep him. Even if it wasn't perfect, even if Jaskier still found himself longing for more, Geralt allowed him to stay. His jabs didn't hurt the way others did and after some time they even started to sound fond coming from his Witcher. And he was truly happy for the first time in a long time.

But good things are not meant to last. Not at least, for Jaskier. And on the top of a mountain north of Barefield, Geralt had proved without a doubt that Jaskier wasn't numb to heartbreak.

But that seems like a lifetime ago, now.

When their paths had crossed again, it was by complete accident. Jaskier had been in Oxenfurt over the winter to regroup after a difficult autumn and he'd headed back out into the wilderness late. It was a routine of sorts, setting out on the road after winter, and he'd followed the Pontar east, heading nowhere in particular. The last person he had been expecting to come across was his Witcher.

But there they both were; Geralt with his child surprise in tow and Jaskier with nothing but the lute on his back and a notebook overflowing with verse after verse of heartbreak. Ciri, at least, had been happy to see him, but it was plain to see Geralt didn't share her enthusiasm. She is the reason for their (somewhat forced) reconciliation, not some change of heart or some grand apology; just a lost little girl clinging to whatever sense of normalcy she can find. And an unwilling father trying to give it to her.

Lucky for him, Jaskier is a familiar face to the young princess and Geralt had agreed when Ciri had asked for him to come along with them. And it's not all bad; travelling with companions is much less lonely than travelling alone and he and Geralt have made things work between them, enough at least, for Ciri's wellbeing.

But there's a feeling Jaskier gets right before he's ousted from someone's life, a tingling sort of ache right in the pit of his stomach, and he's been feeling that for months now.

Spring has faded into summer and their little group carries on. They keep to the path most nights, camping amongst the trees or tucked away under a shelf of rock or in an abandoned cave. Jaskier doesn't know the whole story, but he knows Nilfgaard is looking for Ciri and as good a protector as Geralt is, he's unlikely to defeat an entire Nilgaardian troop should they run into one. So he keeps them away from town unless they need to replenish their supplies or the weather is too bad to allow for sleeping outside. On those occasions, they prepare in advance. Geralt will go ahead and ensure the room is ready and whatever else they need, while Jaskier will wait behind and do what he can to disguise Ciri. She's the most important thing in Geralt's life now and if he can't make amends with the man himself, he'll do what he can to help Ciri. At the very least, it gives him a sense of purpose and keeps him from feeling quite so out of place with them.

Tonight is a camping night. Geralt is asleep already and Ciri appears to be if she isn't, but the grass is damp and cool beneath them and Jaskier can't get comfortable. In the morning, their bedding will be damp at best and that means packing damp bedding and sleeping on it again tomorrow night. He's mulling over the idea of hanging his bedroll over a tree branch and lying directly on the grass - at least it will save him one night of discomfort - when Geralt stirs across from him.

Jaskier looks up, instinctively alert, but Ciri is still peacefully asleep and there doesn't appear to be any sign of danger. Geralt's face is twisted though, pinched tight in pain or fear and Jaskier recognizes the expression. For years, he'd been there to soothe Geralt’s discomfort, to curl up against him and run a hand up his chest until his breathing evened out again and the pain eased from his face. Geralt’s nightmares have never been uncommon, but since joining up with him again, Jaskier has noticed a marked increase of uneasy nights for the Witcher.

But he's no longer in a place to soothe him and so he watches regretfully as Ciri blinks awake and props herself up to look at him. She crawls from her own bedroll and in a practiced motion, slips between Geralt's arms, pressing herself up against his chest. She whispers something that Jaskier can't hear and he squeezes his eyes shut as Geralt hums sleepily against her hair.

He aches to fill that space against him once more, to be able to soothe the turmoil in Geralt’s heart, to give Geralt anything. He used to be the one who could ease his pain, but he's been replaced. And he can't blame Geralt for it; he was never a very good travel companion, but he did try and he'd like to be able to try again, but that doesn't seem to be the way things are going for him.

"Who is she?" Ciri asks, only just loud enough to Jaskier to hear her. "Who's Renfri?"

"I don't know," he breathes, low to keep his voice steady, "Geralt met her before me and he doesn't talk about it."

Ciri makes a disappointed sound and Jaskier doesn't have to be able to see her face to know she's scowling at the man wrapped around her. He would be too. Geralt does so much to protect the ones he loves and yet refuses to accept anything in return. Jaskier understands the frustration and once upon a time, he'd developed a method of tricking Geralt into doing things for himself, making it seem like it was for the good of someone else. He makes a mental note to tell Ciri about it.

Once Ciri and Geralt are settled once more, Jaskier slips from his bedroll, picking it up and hanging it in the hopes that it will dry some before morning. He's awake now, his head swimming with things unsaid and what ifs and he knows he won't sleep any time soon, so there's no point in trying.

He crosses the camp as silently as he can to where the horses are tethered and he settles himself between the thick roots of a tree, leaning back against the trunk. Roach leans down to him, nudging his shoulder and Jaskier looks up to find both of them looking at him, Jaskier's own horse with her head over Roach's back to see what he's doing. She gives a snort of confusion and Jaskier just looks up at her with a forced smile that does apparently nothing to appease her curiosity.

For some time, he just sits there, wondering where exactly he went wrong in his life until eventually, cold and emotionally exhausted, sleep overtakes him.

At first, Jaskier had hoped that this distance between them was just a side-effect of Geralt adjusting to parenthood and he tried to help in any way he could. But he can't teach Ciri to fight and Geralt knows more about herbs and how to use them than he does, and otherwise, Ciri is mostly self-sufficient. Other than her magic, which Jaskier soon learns, she's being trained in as well.

Yennefer blows back into his life in a big way on a sunny afternoon in mid-summer. She seems softer than the last time they'd seen each other and she smiles when she spots Ciri practicing with a wooden sword next to the river. Jaskier has learned well enough in the past not to disturb her, so he keeps quiet and continues with his task of gathering firewood. He hadn't understood at the time, why Geralt had wanted to make camp so early in the day, but it seems clear now that this was an arranged meeting place and he doesn't suspect they'll be leaving again before morning.

So while Geralt is busy with Yen and Ciri, Jaskier may as well make himself useful. Maybe he can't be emotionally available to Geralt the way he used to, but he can still help. So he sets off deeper into the trees, intent on finding enough wood to keep them going for the evening. But when he returns to the smell of smoke and a crackling fire, his heart sinks. As he sets his gathered firewood down, his only solace is that no one seems to have noticed him and he's able to slip away again quietly.

Yen travels with them after that. She doesn't seem concerned about Jaskier's presence and, on occasion, she'll even speak to him without sounding inconvenienced. It's more than she's ever offered in the past and considering his tenuous position with them, Jaskier's almost pleased about it.

But with Yen comes more training for Ciri, this time in magic, which means she has less time to listen to Jaskier play or tell him about her adventures with Geralt. Which is fine; she's still young and she needs to be able to understand her power as much as she needs to be able to fight with a sword. So Jaskier takes another step back.

After the mountain incident, Jaskier had hoped someday that things might go back to normal for him and Geralt. Now, despite Yennefer's improved attitude toward him, their relationship seems tenser than ever. And after a couple of weeks travelling with Yen, Jaskier starts to wonder if he really fits with them anymore.

But he can barely complain, what with Ciri having lost everyone she ever knew and loved. And Yen's history. And Geralt's inability to enter certain towns without being shouted at and called a monster. In relation, Jaskier's problems are not that bad. It doesn't stop it from hurting, but it stops him from talking about it because he doesn't really have a good enough reason to be upset. And his relationship with Geralt is already strained at best, he doesn't want to make things more complicated between them and end up losing Geralt again, maybe for good this time.

Only keeping things to himself is harder than it seems because Jaskier constantly feels unwanted and unneeded. Because Geralt has Yen and Ciri, Ciri has her training with both of them, and Yen never really much cared for him to begin with. So where is he supposed to fit in with that? What can he do for them that someone else isn't already doing? Everything he used to do for Geralt has been taken over by someone new and as the days drag on, Jaskier begins to wonder if he's not just hindering them by tagging along.

But where would he go without him?

They're all sitting around the fire one night after Ciri's gone to bed and Jaskier's writing in his notebook, trying to force the lyrics to a ballad that just doesn't want to come. He has the tune, but he can't quite get the words right, so he hums under his breath, trying to work through it as Geralt pokes at the fire.

"Jaskier," Geralt grunts and Jaskier looks up at him, surprised and a little nervous. "Be quiet, Ciri's asleep."

"Oh," he says, "right."

He shuts his notebook and measures his breathing, trying to keep from getting too upset. It makes perfect sense that Geralt would ask him to be quiet, Ciri doesn't sleep well a lot of the time and he shouldn't disturb her when she does. It still hurts, but he packs his things back up and turns in for the night.

Geralt seems unfazed but Jaskier lays out his bedroll right at the edge of their camp and settles in. He doesn't know what else to do with himself; whatever he and Geralt once has is clearly gone now, everything is about Geralt and Ciri now or just about Geralt, off on his own to provide for a child he never wanted. There’s no room in his life for Jaskier now that he has Ciri.

As he lies down, he tries to think back to before Geralt, but he doesn't remember what he did with himself back then. He was young and foolish and a very different person than he is now. And even after, when he and Geralt were separated but still friendly, Jaskier would write about him or sing about him and tell stories about their adventures together. But it was all about Geralt. For two decades of his life, everything centred around Geralt and now he's faced with the prospect of losing him completely.

Geralt is a simple man; he needs food and coin and sex - most nights he won't even blink at sleeping out in the rain. Jaskier can offer him none of those things when they're staying away from towns, so why is he still here? He wants what they used to have when he could at least keep Geralt company during the long nights. Now, he can't even offer him that. Things can't go back to the way they used to be because Geralt has Ciri now and Yen is back in his life and Jaskier just... is.

And every time he tries to think about what he did wrong, he can only picture Geralt's face on the top of that mountain, how angry he sounded when he told Jaskier he wanted him gone.

Jaskier looks at Ciri, curled under Geralt's spare blanket, and he knows Geralt blames him for this responsibility that he never wanted. And maybe it is his fault because Geralt never would have been at the banquet otherwise. And maybe Yen leaving was his fault, too because Geralt never would have met her if Jaskier had just left the damn djinn bottle alone. Maybe all of this is his own fault. Jaskier lays his head down, fighting back tears as he wonders how he could have single-handedly ruined the one good thing that life ever gave him.

Summer fades into autumn and things only get worse.

Yen joins them again when the air starts to cool and Jaskier finds the only thing left for him to do is to distract Ciri when Yen and Geralt disappear off on their own. He doesn't want to think about what they get up to and he's certain Ciri doesn't want to know. The pair of them share a tent, which Jaskier is thankful for only because it means he shares with Ciri and he would prefer that to sharing with either Geralt or Yen. Ciri trusts him and when they're alone she still likes to sit and listen to him sing, plus the one perk of travelling with a sorceress is extravagant magic tents.

When it starts to get really cold, Jaskier's thoughts turn back to Oxenfurt. If he's going to go back for the winter, he needs to leave soon before it gets too cold to travel. He knows Geralt is taking Yen and Ciri to Kaer Morhen with him and he doesn't think he could stand spending the entire winter with them, even if he was invited.

He gives it a couple days' consideration before deciding he can't bear this any longer. He'll go to Oxenfurt for the winter and come spring he'll just have to figure out how to move on with his life because all of this is too much. Ciri has both Yen and Geralt now, and if he thought being in love with Geralt was hard before, it's nothing compared to how it feels now.

He's in the middle of organizing his things for the long ride out to the coast when Ciri finds him. She comes up and plops herself next to him, peeking over to see what he's doing.

"We're not leaving yet," she says, "why are you packing?"

"I have to go."

"You aren't coming to Kaer Morhen with us?"

"No."

He doesn't elaborate because he can already feel his chest contract and he has to be able to hold it together for a little longer. Ciri huffs and as she walks away, Jakier's hands still on his pack. He doesn't want to leave her and he feels bad about it, but it will be better for all of them in the long run.

Jaskier finishes packing and getting Buttercup saddled and he's just about ready to leave when Geralt approaches him. Jaskier hasn't spoken to him about leaving, but since he and Yen rarely talk to him, he didn't think he had to. But Geralt rests a hand on his forearm and when Jaskier turns to look at him, he seems conflicted.

"Ciri wants you to come with us," is all he says and Jaskier deflates a little. He was so close to making a clean break, but Ciri has lost so much and if she wants him there, who is he to deny her a little familiarity? He doesn't say anything to Geralt, but he unslings his lute from his back and leans it up against the tree and it seems to be enough.

But they travel to Kaer Morhen and once Jaskier is over the stunning scenery, it's just more of the same only warmer. The guest room in the keep is spacious and the fireplace is more than enough to keep him warm, but he stands at the top of the stairs and as he looks around, his shoulders slump. He and Geralt have always shared a room, even when an abundance of coin would have made it easy to rent two rooms. Jaskier didn't really expect to be sharing with Geralt after everything but knowing it wasn't even a thought hurts.

He reminds himself that he's doing this because Ciri wanted it and urges his feet to move, crossing to the bed in the centre of the room. At least when he needs a place to escape to, he can come here and not want for warmth or inspiration. His balcony has a beautiful view of the valley and so long as he's willing to fill it himself, there's a large tub to one side of the room. He's stayed in much worse places all in all, and he's grown accustomed to spending a lot of time alone. Maybe it won't be so bad.

But once everyone has arrived, he realizes he was wrong. The Witchers are friendly enough, even the two from other schools who Jaskier has never heard of before. Ciri tells him one of them is Lambert's boyfriend and it was a big scandal last year when he showed up. Jaskier's heart just sinks, realizing even Ciri is included in all of this and he knows nothing of them. He's not even sure which one Lambert is because Geralt has never been a very descriptive person. It’s just another reminder of what he’s lost and he forces a smile to keep from showing his feelings.

Watching them all finally gathered together in the main hall, Jaskier realizes he's made a mistake in coming. He felt like an outsider with their little group travelling the wilderness, but it's nothing to the way he feels now. Like an intruder, an interloper who's snuck his way in when no one wanted him. Even the reminder that Ciri asked for him doesn't help now because Geralt has his old family and his new family and what could a bunch of Witchers and a sorceress possibly want with a bard?

He has enough rations left in his pack that he skips supper the first night. He can't bear to listen to Geralt talking to everyone when Jaskier can barely get a few words out of him these days. Some things just aren't destined to be. Sometimes it's better to let something die than it is to suffer meaninglessly.

Jaskier slips away up to his room and goes to sit on the balcony. The weather is still fairly decent, warm enough that the cold doesn't get to him until after dark. It's only when he returns inside that he realizes he only has one lit candle and it's too dark to look around now. So he strips out of his clothes and climbs into the cold bed, blowing out his single candle before curling in on himself and shutting his eyes.

In the morning, Geralt and Eskel set out to clear some mine or other of kikimores. Jaskier doesn't come down from his room until later that evening and the only joy he gets from it is catching the tail end of Eskel's story about the mine. But that doesn't last long, so he makes his way down the halls because if he's going to be staying here a while, he might as well get to know the place.

But barely half an hour into his exploration and just as his nerves are starting to settle, Jaskier comes upon a room with an open door. He doesn't look in, but he hears Geralt's voice, grumbling about something or other and then Yen mumbling, just get in the damn bath so I can wash this shit out of your hair and something inside him that was just barely holding on shatters.

That one hurts more than anything. It had taken him years for Geralt to be comfortable enough to let him stick around while he was in the bath. Longer, even, to let Jaskier take care of him the way Yen apparently does now. Something sticks in his throat and as soon as he rounds the corner, he slumps against the wall, choking back a sob.

All he ever wanted was to love him, in whatever way Geralt would let him, but this is almost worse than being told to leave. This time, Geralt won't even do him the service of telling him he wants him gone, this time he'll just replace him slowly but surely, finding someone new to do all the things Jaskier once did for him. This time, Jaskier doesn't need to be told to leave; he can tell when he's not wanted.

He waits three days, ensuring he has enough supplies, before seeking out Yen. She won't care enough to tell anyone right away, but she cares for Ciri, so if Ciri asks after him, she'll know. Plus, if he tells Geralt he’s leaving, he'd have to see the utter lack of emotion on his face, and he couldn't bear that.

Jaskier makes his way down through the courtyard without interruption, stopping at the stables to bid farewell to his horse. He hasn't had her long, but she's been good to him and he hopes she'll be just as good for Ciri.

For hours, Jaskier walks, recalling the path from memory, then just as it gets dark, it starts to snow. And once it starts, it doesn't stop and he's forced to take shelter in the first place he can find. It's cold and hard to trudge through the deepening snow and he didn't consider how hard it would be to find food up in the mountains. But none of that matters because the only place he can find to sleep is a cave, the entrance just barely visible to him in the dark, and when its resident comes home, he's liable to be eaten before he has to set out again.

He tries to build a fire, but the only wood he can find are the small trees just outside the mouth of the cave and they're soaked from the snow. Bitterly, he thinks that it's never this difficult for Geralt and at once, something clicks into place.

This isn't his life. The reason he doesn't fit is because he doesn’t belong. He tried to make it work and maybe for a little while he did, but he belongs in the city, not out in the wilderness. The reason he doesn't fit is because he's trying to be something that he's not. He's a bard, not an adventurer.

With a sigh, he sinks to his knees and wonders if he'll make it through the night. Maybe he should have waited at the keep until spring. He's never been out on his own like this - not so far north in unfamiliar territory -, but even now the thought of staying up there with Geralt and Yen makes his stomach turn. So he pulls his knees up against his chest and wraps his blanket around him. He tries to sleep, but the wind howls and snow blows in through the mouth of the cave and he just ends up damp and cold and miserable.

Jaskier hadn't realized he was asleep until a sound near the mouth of the cave wakes him. Assuming it's whatever lives here, he's thankful that at least the cold will no longer be a problem for him. He doesn't want to die, but being eaten by a monster is better than slowly freezing to death. But when he opens his eyes, there's a person at the mouth of the cave, not a monster. The first thing he thinks is who the hell is out in this storm? but it doesn't take long before he has an answer.

"Jaskier?" Fuck. "Jaskier, are you in there?" He wonders if he's quiet if the monster might come back and eat him after all.

"Yeah," he mumbles and it's all he can manage, but he knows Geralt will hear. And he does. And he pushes through the snowdrift, breathing heavily as he drops to his knees before Jaskier and hauls him into his arms.

"What were fucking thinking?" he growls and Jaskier winces at the anger in his voice, but then he's being pulled forward against Geralt's chest. "Idiot. You're frozen."

"Snow," Jaskier mumbles, not quite sure what to do with his arms. He doesn't know what's happening, but it ages before Geralt moves again, though he never stops telling Jaskier he's an idiot. That much, at least, feels familiar.

When he does finally pull away, Jaskier can barely see him in the dark but he knows Geralt can see him. Which means he can see his puffy eyes and he probably knows how scared and confused he is right now. And he hates it. He wants to push him away, but Geralt is warm and Jaskier is freezing and he finds himself swaying back toward his body. And after a quick once-over, Geralt lets him.

Once he's apparently satisfied that Jaskier isn't in immediate danger, he settles against the wall of the cave and pulls him into his lap.

"Why didn't you light a fire?" he asks and most of the anger has left his voice, replaced with soft concern.

"Couldn't get it lit," Jaskier shrugs, "wet wood."

For a while, Geralt is quiet again, tugging Jaskier's blanket up around him and just holding him. It doesn't occur to him until much later that Geralt is trying to get his body temperature up.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Hmm?" Jaskier had nearly drifted off, wrapped in the warmth of Geralt's body, but the question startles him awake again.

"Why did you leave without telling anyone?"

"I told Yen," he offers, but he knows it's weak.

"You told-" Geralt scoffs, exasperated and Jaskier can't figure out what the big deal is. No one wanted him there, anyway.

"Why are you here?" he counters, "why didn't you just stay in the keep?"

Geralt stills and Jaskier turns to look at him, knowing he won't be able to see much in the dark, but it feels better having this conversation face-to-face.

"Why the fuck do you think, Jaskier?" And Jaskier just looks at him because he doesn't know. He can't fathom what brought Geralt out here in the storm. Because even if he did come to retrieve him out of some kind of sense of responsibility, surely he wouldn't risk leaving Ciri without a caretaker. When he doesn't answer, Geralt gets very quiet.

"Where were you going?" he asks, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Oxenfurt."

"You'd die before you got there," Geralt exclaims, the anger returning to his voice with a vengeance.

"I brought provisions. Where's Ciri?"

"With Eskel and Lambert. Why would you just leave without telling anyone?" Geralt asks and Jaskier realizes in this context, that anyone means me.

Jaskier pulls away from him, irritation winning out over the desire to be warm. "Because I didn't really think anyone would care," he says "I don't belong anymore, not since-" he sighs and readjusts so he's sitting across from Geralt. "What happened on the mountain can't be fixed, Geralt. And I told Yen, I figured she'd pass the message along."

Geralt lets out an exasperated laugh and Jaskier wants to slap him for it. He never should have come up here in the first place.

"Jaskier, if anything from that day is irreparable, it's my relationship with Yen. We only travel together because of Ciri, because it's beneficial for both of us."

"So why do you keep me around then? What good am I?" He doesn't mean for it to come out, but it does and he holds his ground, hoping he looks more determined than he feels.

"You're my friend, Jaskier. And Ciri loves you. You're the only one who feeds Roach those little sugar cubes she likes so much. You know, she gets snippy with me now if I don't have them for her. I even think Yen is beginning to enjoy your company." Geralt's voice softens and he reaches out, tentatively brushing Jaskier's hair away from his face.

"What about you?" Jaskier asks, trying to keep the unsteadiness from his voice.

"Do you really think if I didn't want you around I would have let you follow me out of Posada? Roach could easily have outrun you if I wanted to." His hand slips to cup his cheek and Jaskier barely resists shutting his eyes. It feels too close to intimacy, but he knows Geralt better than to think this is anything real. But he's forgotten what it feels like to be touched so softly and when Geralt bundles him back into his arms, Jaskier sinks into it despite his reservations.

"Jaskier," he breathes right next to his ear. "That day on the mountain, I was angry because Yen was right about me and I didn't want to face it. I had to take responsibility and then you-" he exhales deeply, tucking his head into the crook of Jaskier's neck. "I was struggling with my… feelings. I felt like I'd somehow forced you to stay with me the way I did with Yen. I couldn't bear to hear the same things from you so I-"

"Pushed me away?" Jaskier asks.

"Hmm,” Geralt says and his voice is tense with understanding. “You left tonight because of me."

"I didn't think you wanted me around anymore," he mumbles and it's not until Geralt shifts that Jaskier realizes he's got both hands fisted in his cloak. "I thought I'd save myself having to hear it from you. I didn't want anyone's pity."

Geralt hauls him up into his lap so the only way for him to sit comfortably is to wrap his legs around Geralt's waist. For a moment, that ferocity is back, but then Geralt tugs the blanket tighter around him, holds him closer.

"Why wouldn't I want you around?"

"You have Yen and Ciri and the other Witchers, what could you possibly want me for? Everything I used to do for you-" he chokes on a sob and curses himself for it before burying his face in Geralt's shoulder. "Everything I did for you, someone else does now."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just... everything. All the things I used to do for you. When you don't sleep because of your nightmares, Ciri goes to you. When I tried to get wood for the fire it was already done when I got back-" he sighs and shifts away from Geralt a little. "The other night in the bath, Yen-"

"Yen?"

"I heard you," Jaskier says, "you don't have to hide it now. I know. It doesn't matter that much I just... I don't know what I can do for you when everyone else is doing what I used to do."

"Jaskier you don't need to do anything. You're my friend. And Yen- that's not what you thought it was. "

Jaskier isn't quite sure what to do with any of that, but when Geralt tugs him close again, he lets himself be held and buries his face in his shoulder. Geralt allows it, letting one hand slip up between his shoulder blades and bringing him closer. They stay like that for some time and Jaskier's heart aches for more than he should want. This is so much more than he ever expected but now with Geralt wrapped around him, he wants more.

When Geralt finally pulls himself away, he regards Jaskier for a moment before running a hand down his arm.

"Are you warm enough," he asks and Jaskier nods because even if he wasn't, he can't take much more of this before he breaks and says or does something he'll regret. "We should get you back to the keep and into a warm bath."

The idea of a bath is tempting, but more so is the idea of staying here in Geralt's arms for as long as he's allowed. Stil, Jaskier lets himself be pulled to his feet and led toward the mouth of the cave.

Their return to the keep is quiet and Jaskier isn't sure anyone else even realized he was gone until Geralt pauses and doubles back on himself, heading toward his own room rather than the guest room.

"Eskel's got a bath ready," he says by way of explanation.

"How did he-" Jaskier starts but he realizes the answer before he can finish. They were probably keeping watch, waiting for Geralt to return.

"I told him to," Geralt says, approaching the door and stepping back so Jaskier can enter the room first. It's darker than the room he's staying in, but there's a balcony off the far wall that lets in a little light, and candles placed on every surface. The bath is at the right side of the room and Geralt guides him toward it.

"It shouldn't be too hot," he says, "so it doesn't shock your body, but there's more water boiling by the fire if you need to warm it up."

"Thank you," Jaskier whispers. Guilt curdles in his gut and he pulls the blanket a little tighter around his shoulders. He's still cold and eager to get into the tub, but more than anything he's dreading having to get undressed in front of Geralt. Luckily, he's spared that embarrassment.

Geralt claps a hand on his shoulder, lingering just a moment too long. "I'll find you something to eat," he says, "try to warm up."

Jaskier nods dumbly, waiting until Geralt has left the room to let the blanket slip from his shoulders. To say he doesn't understand would be an understatement. He's never seen Geralt like this, not even with Ciri, and a part of him wonders if he didn't freeze to death in that cave and this is some sort of weird afterlife. But the water is hot against his skin, a little too hot to begin with and his skin tingles as he slips into the bath and shuts his eyes. And Geralt's hands felt real, right down to the callouses. But it all seems a bit off.

Jaskier has been hypothermic before, more than once, and it wasn't like this. He's left Geralt in much worse ways than this and it's never ended with him in a bath drawn especially for him. But Jaskier isn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so he warms himself up without even having to use the extra water and upon getting out of the tub, realizes all his clothes are cold and soaked.

Frowning, he looks around the room and spots Geralt's pack dumped on a chair in the corner. Surely, Geralt wouldn't mind if he just borrowed some of his clothes. Just for a little while. Jaskier is the one who washes them anyway - or he used to be. His heart sinks again, but he pushes away the feeling, crossing to pull clean clothes out of the pack.

They fit him surprisingly well and they smell like Geralt which is both comforting and nerve-wracking all at once. The blanket is wet now too, so he hangs that with his clothes where they won't drip on anything important and heads down to the kitchen.

Geralt isn't there, but he can hear him shuffling around on the opposite side of the fire, so Jaskier settles himself at one of the tables to wait patiently. He doesn't hear Eskel approach, so he must already have been there, talking to Geralt, but their conversation suddenly gets louder before something crashes to the floor.

Jaskier keeps quiet, trying not to listen in because he knows it's not his place, but they're arguing in earnest now and Geralt sounds passive and ashamed in a way that's very unlike him. Then there's a grunt from Geralt and Eskel says, "you didn't fucking tell him," like he’s only just realizing this. Jaskier focuses very hard on a knot in the tabletop.

It's an accusation, not a question and it's followed by heavy footsteps coming toward him. He tenses up, not prepared to deal with an angry Geralt, but it's Eskel who comes through the door. He pauses when he sees Jaskier, gives him a sympathetic sort of look and mumbles something that sounds like goodnight before continuing onward up the stairs.

Jaskier sits and waits and eventually, Geralt appears through the doorway with two bowls of stew and rolls. He sits next to him, pushing one of the bowls toward him and Jaskier tries not to show just how hungry he is. They sit in companionable silence, which is more than he can say for the last few weeks and Jaskier settles. When they're finished, Geralt is the one to speak first, angling his body so he's facing Jaskier but not looking directly at him.

"It's getting late," is all he says but Jaskier understands. He moves to take their bowls away but Geralt rests a hand on his wrist and takes the bowls from him. "I'll meet you upstairs."

Jaskier nods slowly, not quite understanding. He makes for his own room, climbing up as far as the staircase goes and pushing the door open. He's quite frankly exhausted and doesn't even think to get changed before climbing up onto the bed. The snow on the balcony lights the room well enough, but he fumbles with a candle for a few minutes anyway before giving up on that idea. He's alone in the dim room for a few minutes before Geralt knocks on the door and Jaskier mumbles for him to come in.

Geralt comes to sit on the side of the bed and Jaskier's heart feels like it's pounding out of his chest. He doesn't know what to say or even how to process what they've already said, but in his need to fill the silence, he blurts out, "why do you and Yen share a tent?" And it's the last thing he means to say and he does want to know, but this is not at all the time.

Only Geralt smiles. It's a small thing, barely a quirk of his lips, but it's there and for the first time in forever, Jaskier feels comfortable in his presence.

"Because Ciri asked to share with you. You're a good memory for her, one of the few she has of home."

"Oh."

"Before you came back, she shared with Yen." Geralt looks down at him and the almost-smile turns to confusion. "You're wearing my clothes."

"Mine were wet, I can change if-"

"No," Geralt interrupts and Jaskier can feel his eyes on him, taking him in, "it's fine."

"Oh. Right. I'll wash them in the morning then."

"You don't have to, they look good on you. You should sleep now, though. Goodnight, Jaskier."

Jaskier's heart thuds. He doesn't want to let Geralt go before he gets a chance to finish their conversation from earlier. "Geralt?" he asks and the Witcher turns back to him in the dark. "If it's not too much to ask, could you stay? Just for a little bit?"

Geralt doesn't say anything, but he comes back, pulling off his boots before climbing up onto the bed next to him. He lays still and Jaskier doesn't reach out and touch, as much as he wants to.

Geralt is the first to move, shifting onto his side and reaching into the space between them.

"Can I-?" he asks and Jaskier nods without hesitation, unsure of what's being requested. Seemingly pleased with his consent, Geralt's hand slips over his side and around his back, nudging him a little closer as he gets comfortable. Jaskier doesn't know what to do with himself.

It's too much and not enough all at once and he wants to pull away, but he doesn't want to break this moment of trust. So he pushes through, presses into the touch and tips his head down to keep Geralt from seeing the mess of emotions that are sure to be plain on his face. Not that he wouldn't be able to feel them anyway, but still.

"I'm sorry things have been different since you came back," he breathes. "Sorry if I made you feel..."

"Unwanted?" Jaskier offers and Geralt winces at the word, his arm pulling just a little tighter around Jaskier's back.

"Mmm."

"Are we... okay?" Jaskier asks tentatively, finally risking a glance up at Geralt's face.

"As long as you don't do that again," Geraly mumbles, "you... scared me tonight. I've been thinking so much about how to protect Ciri that I didn't consider losing you."

"You won't," Jaskier promises. "I won't." He moves closer, testing Geralt's limits, but his guard seems to be down tonight; Jaskier presses right up against him before Geralt so much as moves. And then, it's only to hold him closer.

He must have been genuinely worried, Jaskier thinks, to allow this right now. Which is the only reason he says the next thing that comes out of his mouth.

"I didn't mean to worry you," he says softly, slipping one hand up to cautiously rest against Geralt's chest. "I didn't think-" he shakes his head, pushing away the thoughts, "well, I didn't think you would come out after me. I'm sorry."

"Maybe..." Geralt starts then turns his head away like the words are difficult for him. Jaskier braces himself for something he doesn't want to hear, trying hard not to pull away defensively, but Geralt surprises him. "Maybe we both need to be better at saying what we mean."

Instead of drawing away, Jaskier slips his hand up to rest against the side of Geralt's neck. This is absolutely uncharted territory for them and he's not quite sure what to do here. What do you do when the least communicative person you know says you should talk about things more. But he's not wrong and Jaskier's touch seems to relax him a little, so armed with that information, Jaskier presses forward.

"You're right," he says. "So if we're going to... say what we mean, I should tell you that all of this with Ciri and Yen and everyone up here - it scares me, Geralt." Geralt opens his mouth to speak, but Jaskier just shakes his head. "Please just let me finish. Yen is a sorceress. Even if your relationship with her is over, she will always be a part of your life. Ciri has powers I can't even begin to comprehend. Your brothers and the others- they're Witchers, Geralt. All of them will be with you for years to come and all of them have been with you - barring, Ciri - for years. How can I live up to that? How can I possibly find a place in your life when soon I'll be gone and they'll just-" he chokes on the last word and can't bring himself to continue.

Words are his livelihood and yet when he needs them the most, they seem to fail him entirely. Luckily for him, Geralt is accustomed to non-verbal communication and understands. But in the faint light of the room, he looks like he wants to retreat, to pull away and forget everything he said before. He doesn't and Jaskier realizes this is just as difficult for Geralt as it is for him.

"Jaskier," he shuts his eyes and Jaskier holds his breath. For one awful moment, everything is silent, then Geralt speaks again, quiet and soft. "Everyone else in my life has been brought to me by forces outside of my control. I never chose to become a Witcher, to be brought here as a child as raised with dozens of other boys who would never make it to adulthood. I never intended to bind myself to Yen - Djinn are tricky and bend wishes to their own amusement. And Ciri- how was I to know Pavetta was already with child when I claimed the law of surprise?"

Jaskier wants to remind him of the multiple other occasions in which the law of surprise has gifted someone a child, but he doubts this is the place to bring up Geralt's mistakes.

"But you," Geralt continues, speaking slower like each word is pulled unwillingly from his lips. "You came to me on a whim. I could have left you in Posada, ridden away and left you in the tavern." He sighs, tips his head up so his forehead presses against Jaskier's. "But I chose not to. I chose to let you come with me. And I regretted it, in the beginning."

"I certainly hope you said nicer things to Yen when you found each other again."

Geralt huffs a laugh, just the fainted sound in the dark, but his breath is warm against Jaskier's cheek. "Let me finish."

"Do you promise you'll say nicer things about me?"

"Hmm, maybe."

"Fine then, finish your story."

"I regretted it, in the beginning, but it was still my own choice, mine to regret. Over time I grew... attached. That first time you left me was the first time I really felt lonely since undergoing the trials."

"You leave your brothers every spring," Jaskier says, an attempt to mask the hammering of his heart.

"I do, but so is the life of a Witcher. It's the way it's supposed to be. There's no room for loneliness. There were no rules attached to you and so when you left it seemed too quiet."

"Are you... are you saying you like having me around?" Jaskier asks, the hopeful tone in his voice a backdrop to the thudding in his chest.

"Yes," Geralt replies, "I dread the winters when I come up here alone."

"Then why do you? And why did you say Ciri wanted me to come?"

Geralt makes a noise that sounds something like embarrassment and Jaskier's sure if he could see properly, he would be blushing.

"I'm sorry," he says again, "I couldn't ask because if you said no I- but I knew you'd never say no to her. She told me you were leaving and I knew if I let you go I wouldn't see you again."

"You idiot, you could have just asked me. I follow you into swamps and monster dens and worse- why would I say no to spending the winter here?" He shifts to run his fingers along Geralt's jaw and sighs. "You're my-"

"Friend?" Geralt offers and the sound of that word on his lips makes something warm swell in Jaskier's chest, but he remembers his promise to speak plainly.

"More than that" he admits. He ducks his chin, unable to look at Geralt while he speaks, this time. "I tried so hard to just be a good friend to you, but it's always been more than that. I don't expect anything from you, of course, but you said we should-" He's cut off by gentle fingers tracing the line of his jaw and he shuts his eyes, waiting for the inevitable downfall. But it doesn't come.

"Jaskier," he breathes, "if you're worried about your place in my life, this is it." Geralt tips his head up and their lips brush against each other just for a second, but Jaskier is certain his heart stops beating altogether.

"Geralt?" he whispers but it comes out as an uncertain whimper. Geralt hums in response, shifting to cradle Jaskier's head in one hand, and he presses in again.

This time Jaskier knows it's intentional. The lips against his own are warm and soft, whispering silent promises and asking for the same in return. Jaskier responds tentatively, but as soon as he does, Geralt is gathering him up against him and his uncertainty vanishes.

He's seen Geralt kiss before, but this is nothing like that. Geralt kisses him with a passion that speaks of years of repression and guilt, begging for forgiveness for something Jaskier hadn't realized he was even doing. And Jaskier forgives, tangling his fingers in Geralt's hair and submitting readily when Geralt rolls him onto his back.

Geralt gets a knee between his thighs and Jaskier's breath catches as Geralt's hand slips under the hem of his borrowed shirt. He'd be more than happy to lay here and let Geralt kiss him senseless, but when Geralt's teeth graze against his lip, Jaskier groans, effectively shattering the moment.

Geralt draws back, looking down on him and Jaskier slips his hands around the back of his neck. "Do you mean that?" Jaskier asks, “about me belonging with you?” Geralt nods.

"Of course, if you want to leave, I'll take you back to Oxenfurt, but I'd prefer if you stayed here."

"Right here?" Jaskier asks, sprawling under him against the mattress.

"Right here," Geralt confirms with a soft smile. "With me."

#geraskier #geralt x jaskier #jaskier x geralt #the witcher #rex writes

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henqtic · 3 years

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𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐖𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞 || 𝐃.𝐌

word count: 967

summary: You talk with Draco about your future the day before graduating from Hogwarts.

+ Masterlist || Draco Malfoy Masterlist

“I’m going to miss it here you know,” you said looking out at the distance from the bridge.

Tomorrow was the day you graduated from Hogwarts and then you would officially become an adult and have to be prepared to do adult things. A feeling of nostalgia came over you remembering all of the things that happened in the same place you were standing on now; the first time you came across this bridge in third year when you and Draco were exploring the grounds.

It was the same place where he awkwardly asked you to Hogsmeade on a date which you accepted gladly and the place you and Draco shared your first kiss of many. Now here you were five years later, packed up and ready to leave your second home of seven years.

“I don’t think I will,” he answered back shaking his head with a light smirk. “Oh yea? Why’s that exactly,” you challenged and turned your head to look at him with your eyebrows up.

“Well once we leave here, I’ll probably replace that ring for a much better one.” You both looked at the promise ring he had gifted you the summer before sixth year. A small laugh came from you as you encouraged him with an amused ‘Go on’. “Then, we’ll probably move away from the manor, I don’t think you’d like to live there for a long time.”

“I think your manor’s lovely Draco,” you lied, glancing back at the distance knowing he would be able to find out from the look in your eyes. “Darling you’re scared of it.” He leaned down slightly to meet your eyes as you scoffed, “Where do you suppose we’ll live then?”

“We’ll probably move somewhere big huge by a river maybe, with a lot of windows and sunlight. So you don’t get scared or anything,” he joked bumping his shoulder with yours. “You're an idiot, I like the sunlight because--it’s the sunlight. Who doesn’t like it?”

“That’s the reason, and not because in fifth year when you came into my room on the verge of crying and forced me to kill a small spider half awake,” he said in an unconvinced tone as you let out an astounded breathe, “Well you never know where the small ones may go. A big one would have been better at least they have the decency of letting you know where they-”

He pecked your lips to stop you from going on another rant about spiders and how the smaller ones are worse. “You’d start your career as a healer like you’ve always wanted to and I’ll work up the courage to tell my father I don’t want to work in the ministry and eventually start studying alchemy.”

“That sounds nice, living by a river in a sunny place with you,” you said leaning into his side, day dreaming about waking up to him everyday-

“Oh and we’d have at least five kids,” he joked trying to get a reaction out of you. Pushing your body off of his, you stuttered, “Draco what-- no. You can’t be serious.” Your faces were turned towards each other with yours wearing a look of astonishment and amusement that he expected you to have five children. “Oh I’m deadly serious, growing up as an only child is not fun. It’s quite lonely actually.”

“Alright but most definitely not five. Who do you think I am? Molly Weasley?” “How many do you suppose then,” he asked with a tone of amusement lacing his voice, happy that he had shocked you so much. “Not five-- way less than five. Three at most.” Going through the process of giving birth to one let alone three to five kids made you shiver a bit making him laugh before he regained his composure. “Okay then, if one of them is a boy I want to name him Scorpius. It’ll follow my family’s tradition of constellation names.” You snorted not even a second after, “Do you want the kid to be bullied?”

“Since you're so quick to judge, what do you purpose you’d name one of them?” He was obviously offended that you hadn’t given the name as half as much thought as he did. “Well, I’d still want to follow your family's whole tradition of constellation names so, for a girl it should be something pretty like-- Cassiopeia. Cass for short.”

He hummed in agreement not expecting you to think of it. “That’s an alright name I guess.” “Thank Merlin one of us cares about their future. Poor Scorpius’ll get bullied for life with a name like that.”

“I have a feeling you’ll warm up to the name and even then I won’t let him get bullied. And we won’t raise them how my parents did, they won’t have to worry about what being ‘a good pureblood’ is and all of the other things that come with that,” he said remembering all of the pressure he had on him through his school years, wanting to please his parents. The most he got out of it were ‘friends’ who only stayed with him because of his family's name.

“I think that sounds like the perfect life Draco.”

“I’m happy it’ll be with someone like you y/n, I think you're the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” “And you're the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Are you ready to go back to the castle now? I think Theo’s still nervous about whatever he’s planning for Luna.”

“Yea, he’s gonna go mad if he keeps going on like that.” Lacing your fingers together tightly you walked back to the castle sharing some laughs, reminiscing about all of the memories you made throughout the years in the castle, ready for the last ones to be made.

A/N- Feel free to leave any feedback or constructive criticism and have a great rest of your day or night.

#draco malfoy #draco imagine #draco x slytherin!reader #draco malfoy x reader #draco x yn #draco fluff #malfoy #draco fic #draco x you #draco x reader #draco malfoy fluff #draco x gryffindor!reader #draco x hufflepuff!reader #draco x ravenclaw!reader

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bunnys-beetlejuice-blog · 3 years

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a notification noise that alerts you to the fact that ITS OFFICIALLY FIC TIME! let's see what Barbara and Adam are gettin up to

The house in Winter River is a dream come true. Barbara loves her city, of course, loves the vibrant personality of New York, and especially loves the food, but loving it, and wanting to be there forever, are two very different things. Winter River is quiet. Sleepy. Quaint. Every morning, she wakes up next to her husband, and she and Adam brew coffee together, and they start their day. Maitland Hardware is the county’s only hardware shop, so business is not bad, not at all, but to supplement their income, she works from home, or the library, or the coffee shop, if she feels like sitting and listening to small down chatter, and uses her laptop to do some accounting for the company she left, back in New York. She and Adam always eat lunch together, her bringing him something, either from home or one of the few places around town, and everyone who meets the Maitlands tells them they’re such a lovely couple, so kind, so cheerful, such a wonderful addition to the community.

But something’s missing.

Sometimes, late at night, as she and Adam lay down to sleep, Barbara will get a feeling, one that makes her afraid. It’s not the fear that someone has come into the house, it’s the fear that someone has left it, only she can’t remember who. On those nights, after Adam has drifted off to dreamland, she rises, and goes from room to room, searching, trying to understand what exactly her brain is telling her is missing. She passes by unfinished rooms, a million unchecked boxes on their list of restoration for their beautiful historic home, and each time, her mind only settles and calms once she reaches the basement. There’s a striped hoodie down there, black and white and garish, one she and Adam had found in the house, after their return from Emily’s funeral.

They had put it down here, unsure of who it belonged to, but not wanting to throw it out. The garment is well loved, with a multitude of stains that don’t wash out, and sloppy stitches in black embroidery thread on either arm, like the person doing the mending was a very small child, or otherwise inexperienced with a needle and thread. She gathers it up in her arms, inhales the smell of it, which is like freshly turned earth and creeping moss, and tries to recall who it could belong to, but she’s never able to pull a name, or even a face, from any corner of her mind, and each time, she has to give up, and retreat back upstairs, back to bed, and she’s more exhausted the next morning than makes sense.

When she tries to express this to Adam, he can only frown, and cock his head. “It’s just nerves, from the move. The house is still new to you,” her husband assures her. “There’s no one missing, Barb. You’re alright. We’re together,” and he says it so softly, so sincerely, she tries to force herself to forget it. “What you’re missing is a baby,” their elderly neighbor tells her, over coffee and pie. Their house on the hill is lacking in neighbors, and Mrs. Cheatham doesn’t exactly live close, but the elderly woman had been the first person to welcome them into the community, and she’s clearly lonely, so Barbara makes time to talk to her, to invite her in, and to share the sweets she’s always bringing, the ones that Mrs. Cheatham is always happy to tell her are “from the store.”

“Nothing will fix your restlessness like filling this house full of children,” the old woman says, knowingly, and Barbara can only smile. “I’m not sure we’re ready for that. There’s still so much to do, around here. We don’t want to go jumping into things.” “You won’t be young forever, sweet thing!”

Maybe not, but isn’t twenty three young to start a family? They’ve got time, don’t they? Why do they need to rush into parenthood, like it’s a race? Maybe they’ll be ready next year, and maybe they’ll be ready in ten years, but either way, they want to be certain things are in order before they start trying to bring a bundle into the world. She lays awake, next to Adam, that night. He’s reading quietly, the antique, refurbished tiffany lamps on either of their bedside tables dimmed, and she studies the ceiling above them. Their bedroom had been the first thing the three of them-

She blinks.

Their bedroom had been the first thing the two of them had worked to restore, when they’d first bought the house, a year and seven or so months ago. It had been slow going, because they were interrupted often, usually by each other, and she remembers fondly the kisses, the playful pinches, the teasing, all of them so in love, so excited to have a place for the three of them-

She squints up at the ceiling, studying the wood grain, her train of thought running out of tracks, for a moment, before she’s able to resume it.

So excited to have a place for the two of them. Maybe three, eventually. That must be what she’d meant. Maybe a baby is what’s missing, maybe this is normal, for a person who wants to be a mother, to think about things in threes, to feel like there’s a third person they’re forgetting, because that person doesn’t exist yet. That must be it. But should she be feeling this sad?

Her phone buzzes, as does Adam’s, and they both reach for their devices, checking them at the same time, to see the message from Lydia, which the teenager had sent to their group chat. “I miss you,” it reads, simply, and then as they watch, a second one loads. “Can I come visit, please? It’s lonely here.”

Her heart aches, as she sits up, running a hand through her long blonde hair. She adores Lydia like a little sister, and she feels a stab of guilt, at how absent they’ve been from the teen’s life, lately. She’s going through so much. Emily’s recovery had been a miracle, and her death a cruel joke, like the universe had decided the only thing funnier than making a child watch her mother wither to nothing could be giving that mother back, in full health, before yanking her away, with a random unpreventable blood clot to the brain.

“Poor Lydia,” Adam says, softly, and she looks back at him. He’s put his book down, to focus on the texts, and he adjusts his glasses, before looking back up at her. “We should have her come stay. Maybe Charles, too. The guest room is almost finished, and she might like sleeping in the living room. That couch is comfortable.” They’ve got the space for multiple guest rooms, but only one is finished enough to actually accommodate someone staying. There’s also a space set aside for what will eventually be a nursery, a bright, sunny room that they’d very enthusiastically painted first, the actual week the house had become officially theirs. It’s where they’d found that strange jacket that now lives down in the basement.

She texts the teen back. “We love you. We miss you. You’re always welcome to come stay with us. Let’s talk details tomorrow.”

She puts out her light, and settles down next to Adam, curled into his side, and shivers, involuntarily, because the room feels colder than it ever has before.

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````

The house in Winter River does nothing but hurt him, reminding him that everyone he’s ever loved has moved on without him. Emily, in the most spiritual sense of the word, but Lydia and Charles, too, and even Barbara and Adam. He studies the picture of their wedding in the foyer. Barbara is in the perfect long white dress, Adam so handsome in his suit, both of them smiling at the camera, not a care in the world, not missing anything. Not missing him.

It’s not their fault, he tells himself, over and over, as he drifts through the house that was supposed to be their home. If they knew he was missing, they would go looking for him. They wouldn’t have settled into disgusting domestic bliss without him. They wouldn’t have been married without him. He floats up the stairs, and pauses, terrified, by the room they’d designated as the nursery, but when he peaks in, it’s still unfurnished, no crib, no toys. At least he hasn’t missed that, which he finds the barest measure of comfort in.

He drifts into the bedroom, and watches his partners sleep, and he curls up, between them, no doubt a chilly irritation, but for a while, he’s able to pretend things haven’t gone to shit. read the rest over HERE!

#beetlelands #goldenbeetle #beetlejuice fic #barbara maitland beetlejuice #adam maitland #beetlelands fic #goldenbeetle fic #my writing #beetlejuice the musical

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jamieatthebarricade · 3 years

Text

Maids to Wives / Chapter 5

In 1619, one hundred and forty-four English women from good families crossed the Atlantic in response to the Virginia Company of London’s call for maids “young and corrupt” to make wives for the planters of it’s new colony in Virginia. One in six of the maids could even claim gentry status. Although promised a free choice of husband, they were in effect being traded into marriage for a bride price of 150 pounds of best leaf tobacco, the profits to flow to individual investors

In 1619, Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp made the voyage to do one thing: marry a man she’s never met. But when she arrives, she comes to the startling realization that her heart belongs to someone else, a certain James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Fraser.

Chapter 5/? : A Known Stranger

Previous Chapters : 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Find Maids to Wives on Archive of Our Own!

May 22nd, 1619, Claire’s POV

“Dear diary,

As time passes by here, I find myself enjoying life here more and more. I’ve been less than a week, and since arriving I’ve made a goal for myself to discover something new everyday. Whether it’s a new tree I didn’t notice before or a currant in the river. Yesterday I discovered a field of wildflowers a little aways of me and Frank’s house. I hope to go back there one of these days, maybe take Frank there and have lunch.

Frank and I haven’t had too much time to converse with each other, aside from small pillow talk at night. I ask about his day and he asks about mine. Usually he’s away during the day, in town with peers or overseeing the farms. I suppose I had an unrealistic romantic idea of marriage, that we’d be with each other more.

That’s not to say I mind. Being able to think by myself is a privilege I’m happy to keep. This whole experience has been incredibly overwhelming, so not feeling smothered by my husband is somewhat of a plus, although I’m smothered by a different thought.

The man at the docks. His red hair. His tall statue that stood over everyone else. Since last seeing him I couldn’t stop thinking of him, and guiltily I don’t think I mind. The feelings I have for him aren’t like anything I experienced before. It’s the type of attraction you read about, but never live through. He was this erotic thought in the back of my mind I could pull out whenever I wanted to escape. He was the forbidden fruit, and I wanted nothing more than a taste.

I need to stop myself. As pleasant as those thoughts were, I had a husband. A good husband who was kind and gentle, and who provided graciously for me. I had a roof over my head, and all the free time to frolic and read. I’d been doing better than many of the other women, from what I had observed. Mary was the only other one who seemed happy to be married.

I am seeing Geillis tomorrow, so I’ll ask her then. Although, I can guess her answer. From what she told me of her dream man, her current husband didn’t fit the description. He was old, bald, and fat. From what I observed from far away, she always pulled back when he kissed her. It made me fortunate to have Frank.

I suppose I should stop for tonight. Frank will be home soon, and still have our bed to make. Thank you for letting me release my thoughts.

Love, Claire”

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May 23nd, 1619, Claire’s POV

“What are your plans for the day?” For the first time in weeks, Me and Frank were able to sit down together for breakfast. I had opted to prepare a simple meal of bread and milk, as I still had yet to learn to integrate recipes for my husband. I made a mental note to myself to start that.

“I’m visiting Geillis, my friend from the ship” Frank just smiled and sipped his milk, gazing between me and his food. I found his look charming, and I was happy to receive it. He looked at me with a nurture that was warm and inviting, that said ‘I’ll protect you,’

As he looked at me, I took the opportunity to look at him. Everytime we interacted, it seemed like I was noticing more about his features. His face was quite square, and he had these lines along his cheeks that trailed from the bottom of his jaw, and which became more defined when he smiled (thankfully, he did that a lot). He was balding slightly, but I suspected he’d be one of those men who balded nicely. He had a nice face, and I smiled to myself as I looked at him.

Suddenly the door opened, and Frank’s lesser twin came in. I hadn’t seen Jonathan for a while, as he usually kept to himself for the most part. Sometimes I saw him when I went out for a walk, but I always tried to avoid him. There was something about him that caused me to move away from his presence. It was strange, even though him and Frank looked the same, I knew deep down they weren’t the same person at all.

Frank was annoyed at his brother’s outwardly intrusion, and made no effort to hide it. “What can I do for you?” although the question wasn’t ill-spirited, the annoyed tone of his voice gave away his true feelings.

“There’s a shipment down at the docks. We need to help unload,” Jonathan returned with the same annoyed energy, and I saw the sibling tension between them. Growing up an only child, I’d always wanted a sibling of my own. Living with Jonathan and Frank rid myself of that dream.

Frank turned to me, giving a small smile. “I’m sorry our breakfast had to be cut short, we should try doing this more,” He smiled, and leaned in for a kiss. I happily returned it, and we shared a short peck before he was out the door. I hadn’t even noticed Jonathan was still in the room before I heard his voice,

“Goodbye Claire,” He said. I hated his voice so much, because it sounded so much like Frank. If any part of them shared likeness, it was their voices. Though, Jonathan’s always sounded like it was laced with something. Villainy? That’s what I suspected.

I gave him a short nod, and thankfully he was out the door. I let out the breath I didn’t know I was keeping in, and looked around the small room. Me and Frank’s half eaten breakfast, a small table with 3 chairs, and a hearth. It was quaint, but it was home.

‘I should meet Geillis,’ I told myself, taking off my apron and looking at myself in the window. My hair was pulled up, and I was hesitant to change it as my hair tended to be untamed down. It wasn’t like I was meeting the queen or anything, I kept it the way it was.

The walk to town was longer than I was expecting. I’d only ever ridden on horseback, but figured today was a good day to take a scenic route. It was sunny, and quite warm. Some of the wildflowers I passed were blooming, and birds filled the sky and sound with their presence. Everything was peaceful until it wasn’t.

It was like a dark cloud came over everything, and the perfect day turned to something worse. Behind me, I heard the rustling of bushes, and slowly the movement of feet. I didn’t even notice my own starting to pick up the pace. A part of me wanted to keep walking. I’d be to town eventually, it wasn’t too far away. I heard the footsteps getting closer and my other thought was to turn around and fight whoever this demon was.

I chose that option, turning around and screaming, at the same time punching whoever was my chaser one. The person fell to the group, clutching his nose in his hand. It was an old man, with a bushy beard and a smell of alcohol that filled my senses quite quickly. I didn’t recognize him, and surely thought that whoever it was meant to hurt me.

Before I had time to breath, I heard another pair of footsteps being him. ‘This can’t be happening’ was I being set upon by highwaymen? Were these a band of bandits intending on stealing or hurting me? I quickly ran the opposite direction to my house, but whoever was chasing me was faster. At some point I would need to fight and that time would be now.

I turned, and punched at whoever it was quickly. He doubled over, but didn’t fall like the other. When I looked at who it was, my breath caught in my throat. The man had bright ginger hair, and I’d only ever seen that color on one other person.

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A/N Thank you all for reading!! I’ve been in a writing mood lately so hopefully expect some new stuff out! Have a great day yall :)

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sierracolorstheworldofwords · 4 years

Text

Wilford Warfstache x suicidal reader

TRIGGER WARNING: THEMES OF SUICIDE, LOW SELF WORTH, AND DEPRESSION. This was a request on my wattpad, and I experimented with it a little bit. So, Im sorry if the writing style is confusing, but! Mainly everything in italics is a memory, which I wrote using present tense, because sometimes memories feel like they’re happening as you remember them so yee.

The edge of the roof tempted you, the ground below called you, and you wanted to answer its song.

You already left the note on his desk, there was no use trying to hesitate now, you could finally do it, you could finally jump.

You gulped, heart pounding as you put your foot on the ledge, carefully lifting yourself up, using your arms for balance. You looked down onto the hard ground below,which was cracked just like you were, old and broken. This was the perfect place. An abandoned building in the woods, where no one could find you. No one would have to watch you die. Everything would be fine. By the time Wilford got your note, you’d be gone. Everything was ready, you were prepared, you wrote the note, you gave everything away, it was okay. There was no point in living. There was no point.

You took a deep breath, heart pounding, guts churning, your thoughts whispering at you to do it, to jump. There was no point now. You could fall now..you could fall. So, why did you hesitate? Why did some tiny part of you feel so...afraid? Why was there a voice inside you whispering, don’t? Why? Why did you feel so sad at the thought of your own passing? Was it because of all the memories playing inside your head?

One seemed so similar to what you were going through...but oh so different too--

Wilford holds your hand, the two of you stand on a cliff, it’s not that high, only a few feet, but you’re still scared. Even if he reassures you. Before you can protest, he’s counting to three, making your heart pound. You feel so loved, so brave, even if you are afraid. He looks at you smiling, before screaming, “THREE!” The both of you jump, plugging your noses as you both plunge into the cold water.

WAIT! You don’t need this right now, you didn’t deserve these memories, these fragments of happiness and joy, glimmering glass shards against the darkness within you, you didn’t need them, you didn’t--

You’re alone, sad, looking at the sunny summer sky-- why couldn’t you feel that way? Like the sun, or the clouds? A sigh leaves your lips. The, he pops into view-- a bright bubblegum ray of sunshine, asking what was wrong. How can he help--

No! You couldn’t do this, you couldn’t!

You take a deep breath and close your eyes, trying to focus. You were worthless, stupid, an idiot. People always said that-- bullies, your family, until all the voices outside of you invaded your body, filled you, became you. You shook your head, taking a deep breath-- it was time. He would be better off without you. He would be better off--

“Oh cupcake, I wouldn’t know what to do without you--”

That was a lie! A lie! He would be so much better off, he would be okay!

“My life was so horrible, so dark..” he whispers, the both of you underneath the sunshine, flower crowns on the both of your heads, the sky shining with light, yet also raining gently, the rain drops looking like liquid gold. “But now, that I have you, I’m so happy--”

No! No! None of those things are true! You deserved the hurt, the pain that had been festering inside you for years. You deserved it. You deserved it. You deserved it--

He holds you so close, the both of you in a pink pillow fort, huddled against the rain. A movie plays on the screen in front of you, but for some reason, you’re crying your eyes out. Bawling. You sniff, “Wh-what did I do..what did I do to deserve you?” He looks at you, brown eyes holding the universe, holding you in them, “Oh bumble bee, I ask what I did to deserve you, and I can’t and.. I can’t think of a single thing, butterscotch.”

Your laugh is as watery as the tears falling out of your eyes, “Oh god W-Wilfy..I love you.”

He smiles, holding your hand, “And I love you, gumdrop.”

No, no he doesn’t love you, you don’t deserve him. These memories needed to stop invading your head, making you feel loved, worthy, they needed to stop! You didn’t deserve him!

Then..then why does your heart feel so heavy at the thought of flying away, of leaving him? Why? Why do you want to have another memory of his smile?

He’s smiling at you, the sunset cascading like rivers of water color behind him, filling your eyes with violet skies, and a rosy sun, clouds looking like sunflowers. He’s so happy, holding your hand, his nose red from the cold. It’s your first anniversary. One year. You lean on his shoulder, smiling, feeling so happy. He has a pink scarf on, and a yellow puffy coat, and you’re wearing the same thing. It’s near christmas time, the world covers itself with darkness, before adorning a cloak of colorful lights, blinking like rudolph’s nose, painting the world in circles of color. It is beautiful here.

You had never felt so happy before.

He’s asking what you want for christmas…

The memory hopscotches into another one, another one--

You both play in his backyard, shivering in the cold spring rain, he’s asking what you want for your birthday, even though it’s a while away. The rain is cold, yet so refreshing, so alive--

It hops into another..

He’s off from work today, and it’s raining, the sky looking as grumpy as you feel. You feel so angry. So mad. He wasn’t supposed to go in today, but he did, and now, you feel like the thunder outside as you look at him. He left in the middle of breakfast, and now, he’s at the front door, wondering why you locked him out. You turn up the radio so you don’t hear him. He frowns, poofing up a whiteboard and marker, writing why he had to go to work. ‘I was saving up for something.’ it says, ‘something important.’

You flick him off.

He scoffs, before erasing the writing, ‘something really important.’

You roll your eyes.

He erases the board again, getting on one knee, fishing something out of his pocket, before writing, ‘We’ve been together for years now..’ he erases it again, ‘and I’ve been wondering..’

You put your hands on your hips, ready to go back to the kitchen, instead of staring out the living room window like a stupid idiot.

‘Will you marry me?’

You gasp, your hands going to your mouth before you rush out the door, Wilford looks at you, standing up, a ring in his hand. You hug him, holding him tightly, “YES!” you shriek, laughing in the rain.

He gave you so much happiness, but what did you give him in return? Nothing. Nothing. It was time to do it. Nothing could stop you now. You heard the familiar sound of him poofing behind you, and cautiously turned, tears gathering in your eyes, your mind overcrowding with memories--

The both of you playing hopscotch. Dancing in the rain. Playing on the beach. His birthday, the both of you throwing cake at each other. The sound of music filling a disco hall, the disco ball glittering. There’s a party somewhere, sometime, and you are dancing--

“Cupcake!” You heard Wilford yell, “Get down from there, darling! O-oh sugar pl-please..” You turned to him, tears falling down your cheeks as you did. He extended his arms towards you, walking slowly towards you, until he stood behind you.

“P-please..please p-puddin…” You saw the tears falling down his face, and you sobbed as he said, “Please, get down, honey, please.. Don’t leave me.”

You turned towards him slowly, before falling into his arms, tears running down your face and staining his shirt as you buried your face in his chest. You sobbed into the soft fabric, taking in the smell of his cologne, feeling the comfort of his warmth. You felt water landing on your head, and looked up, expecting to see rain, but instead, you saw Wilford crying, begging you to never do that again.

“I-I love..I love you pumpkin!” He sobbed, “Please.. Please don’t do that ever again! Please! I was so scared of losing you.. I w-wanna spend the rest of my l-life with y--you.. That’s why I asked you to m-marry me..” he whispers, tears falling down his cheeks, his shoulders shaking as he sobs, taking your face in his hands, wiping away your tears, “I wanna be with you for-forever, cupcake, and I-I’ll remind you everyday-- what ever I need to do, I-I’ll do it darling! Pl-please.. Please don’t you ever try something like that again..I love you so much..”

Your eyes water and you nod, “I-I promise I-I won’t Wilfy, I’m so sorry..” “Shh,” he reassures you, “it’s okay, I’m gonna get you the help you need pumpkin, because I used to feel that way too, all the time, before I met you, but now..now I don’t, because I got help, cupcake, all for you. And you’re gonna do the same for me, okay?” You nod, and he wipes away your tears, a soft smile on his face, “Now let’s go home, alright?” “O-okay.”

He poofs the two of you home, placing you in your shared bedroom, tucking you in, and sitting on the edge of the bed, conjuring up a pink phone in his hands as he does. He turns it on and calls Doc, setting up an appointment for the next day. You felt so selfish, so stupid--why didn’t you think? The wedding was months away, you had things to look forward to but...but you couldn’t help but feel..unwanted. Unneeded. Like you couldn’t do anything right, like you wanted to die--no, you needed to die. There wasn’t a place for you here, and Wilford was making a mistake by wanting to marry you of all people.

Wilford hung up the phone and turned to you, still watery eyed, “You have an appointment tomorrow, sugar plum.” he whispered, blinking as a few tears rolled down his face, “I’m sorry, d-darling I just.. I-I’m sorry.”

“I-I don’t apologize, Wilfy.. I-I’m sorry, I-I should’ve talked to you, f-first..” you take a deep breath, “I just... I always figure you’d be happier without me--” “No! Never, sugar plum!”

He grabbed your hands in his, and noticed how.. You didn’t seem to believe him. It felt like.. Like no matter what he said would matter, so maybe..maybe he could show you. He closed his eyes, before taking a deep breath, concentrating. “Wilford, what are you--”

“Close your eyes.”

You shut them, and as you did, you felt sparks swirling around your wrists, snaking up your arms, like heated kisses, before reaching your head, your eyes became filled with the sight of bright pink light. Then, your eyes became filled with something else, a vision of a pink, slightly static, scene.

You’re in Wilford’s office, and he’s sitting alone, slumping in his chair, tears in his eyes.

“Wilford?”

He looks up at you, seeming as if he’s fading into the darkness that surrounds him.

“Are you alright?” No reply.

You walk in further, going to the large window behind him and pulling the curtains apart, letting in the sun, he still says nothing. He is a silent statue, he watches you climb on his desk, sitting in front of him. You lift his chin up, causing him to acknowledge you.

“What’s wrong, Wilfy?” His eyes water, filling with pink bubbles-- you know he doesn’t want to cry, doesn’t want to relive the memories, feel the pain of the wounds again, but you can already see the bubbles floating, floating towards the ceiling. It’s his way of coping-- since bubbles make him so happy.

“I-I dunno..” he says, his voice sounding so broken, like a wilting flower in a vase.

You stroke his face lovingly, before sitting his head in your lap, tears finally shedding from his eyes as he sobs, your soft coos bringing him comfort.

The last remaining pink bubbles float to the ceiling, popping one by one, filling your view with pink, before you’re in another memory, another time, another place-- his bedroom. The pink fades into grey, and he’s laying in bed, only in his boxers, staring numbly at the ceiling. He’s been like that all week. Unable to get up, unable to eat.

You can’t take it anymore. Him laying there like a lifeless doll, you can’t. He’s your friend, but you feel so much more for him.

You pick the lock of his door, he can hear it. He sighs, baggy eyed, hair tangled, and let’s you open it-- he doesn’t care, but you do. You tell him to get up, get dressed.

He doesn’t care. Just snuggles deeper into the covers.

You’ve had enough!

You stomp to his bed, pull off the covers, and grab his arm, rushing him out of bed.

“What do you want?” He asks.

“I just want you to -- to take care of yourself!” :”What’s the point?”

“What’s the point?” You ask, “What’s the POINT? I’ll tell you what the POINT is, you have people who love you. Babies who depend on you, friends who worry about you-- come on. You’re getting dressed, you’re eating. Don’t argue.” He takes a shower, he gets dressed, and he eats the meal you prepare.

The clack of plates and scrapping of forks fades into something else, into a fancy restaurant. You sit in front of him, nervous, sweating, biting your lip, “Wilford, I love you.” “I love you too!” “Not..not like that! More than a friend. I love you in a romantic way.” “You do?” You can see the surprise on his face, and he can see the fear in yours, he smiles, before leaning over the table and kissing you deeply.

The kiss feels like.. Like warmth in winter, like hot cocoa after a cold day in the woods.

The kiss fades into something else, the sight of him sleepily kissing you, looking at you so lovingly, saying, “You mean so much to me, sugar, you don’t know how sad I’d be without you. I was so sad without you..so sad..”

Before you respond, the memory breaks, shatters, revealing others, ones of Wilford alone at night, staring at a shot glass, crying softly. Others are of him smiling at the sight of you, laughing with you, there’s more of him crying alone-- crying, crying, crying. You don’t know where you are, but the tears are overwhelming, and you start crying too. Lost in the tears of the past.

You felt the tears on your cheeks, the soft sobs that came out of your lips as you snapped back into reality. He gripped onto your shirt tightly sobbing with you, “Please don’t leave me, c-cupcake-- I don’t wanna be alone again. Don’t you know how happy you make me? You make me so happy, so, so happy-- please don’t leave. You mean so, so much!”

The both of you hold each other, and you felt the pain inside you uncoiling, releasing, somehow, as you cried.

“You mean so much to me and other people, cupcake.” He whispers, “If you leave.. I wouldn’t know what to do without you, please-- promise me?” You swallowed your tears, “I promise.”

He smiled, tears leaking down his cheeks as he pulled away from you, cradling your face, kissing you so softly, and for a moment, when your lips met his, the edge didn’t call.

#trigger warning #tw suicude #dark themes #comfort angst #wilford warfstache x reader #Wilford Warfstache #wilford motherloving warfstache #xreader #iplier ego #iplier ego x reader #ego x reader #sierra’s writing

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lazylazyhowl · 4 years

Text

A work in progress— (sasusaku oneshot)

—because the Sharingan may let him copy a lot of things, but skills of the heart are not amongst them. [Sasuke. On, accepting himself. And her.]

AO3 Link

—

"Maybe next time."

His words are calculated.

Maybe, he's said, and given himself a way out. Given her a probability that, should the odds fall through later on, he can point at and absolve himself of responsibility. The same shit Itachi pulled when they were younger, really, except he won't apologize for it.

He sees the way her face lights up with hope and feels a mirroring force of optimism inside him that he has to clamp down to keep from bursting through the surface and muddying the reality of what he's doing.

His journey cannot involve her no matter what. He's not ready to be with her in any capacity of the words. Perhaps never. But he also doesn't want his last—but only for a while, he adamantly tells himself—memory of her to be a frown.

She's been burdened enough where he's involved. So he'll let her see him off with a smile, even if it's only self-gratification.

There is no guilt when he leaves her with his own smile and gratitude and goes on his way.

The day before his departure, she demanded a spar. He was bleary-eyed squinting at her, in her ninja gears, standing in the damp cold of early morning in front of his door, the flush of her cheeks of strange particular interest to him for a moment before he simply nodded.

She cited professional purposes ("I want to make sure you're in proper conditions for travel, Sasuke-kun.") even though he had already agreed. Even though her reason was crap and made no sense whatsoever.

He wondered if that was the only reason she thought he would accept, even if not believe; and if her request the only one she thought he was least likely to turn down.

He wondered if she was right.

Thanks to her he never had to find out. He only had to hurry and leave for the training ground with her, knowing Naruto would appear soon after, demanding the same of him. But not for the same reason. (Whatever that might have been.)

He helps people during his travel, but otherwise generally stays away from them. It's for both his and their good.

More for his.

People ask too many questions, and even the simplest ones dredge up far more than he's willing to deal with.

"Who are you?" they'd ask. "Just a shinobi," he'd answer.

But he's not just a shinobi. Avenger. Missing nin. Akatsuki. Terrorist. War criminal. The list goes on and he cannot in good conscience cross off any one of the items. Those personas, damned as they are, are still a part of him, and if he closes his eyes, he can recall them all in sickeningly vivid details.

"What's your name?" they'd ask. "Uchiha Sasuke," he'd tell them.

And then it's a coin toss on whether recognition and fear flit past their expressions. For the first few times, he's even considered using an alias, but that would have been such a meaningless thing to do in a journey of redemption.

And cowardly.

He's done with running away.

Or so he tells himself.

It's a calm, sunny day when he stops at a dango stand in a village near the border between Fire and Rain. The decorative flags caught his eyes, he supposes, but he still can't quite pinpoint what has possessed him to purchase a stick of dango for himself.

Itachi loved these (his chest tightens the way it does whenever he's reminded that he can only refer to his brother in past tense), and maybe that's it. But then what?

He isn't one to waste food (though it's debatable whether this is 'food') so he brings it to his mouth and slides the first ball of dango from the skewer.

And he flinches, not from the taste but from the smile that flashes through the front of his mind, innocent and genuine.

His throat runs dry. Too sweet. He makes it through the second ball of dango before leaving the rest behind on the table.

The night before his departure, Naruto finagled him into joining the rest of team 7 for ramen as his farewell party. There wasn't just team 7 at the party.

She was there, of course, with same the dark rings beneath her eyes that he'd noticed rather belatedly during their spar in the morning. Those hadn't kept her from giving him a few bruises and grazes, but he'd be a little less bothered by them if she hadn't also healed him up afterwards.

("But you don't like the hospital, Sasuke-kun.")

She was out like a candle before they even got to the main course.

Being enthusiastic neither for the people nor the ramen, he jumped at the opportunity and volunteered to take her home.

As he left the shop with her, Naruto called after him not to try anything funny and the table erupted into laughter and catcalls. He did not dignify any of that with a response.

She was completely malleable in his arms (Susanoo), her warm breaths seeping into the chest of his shirt, and he didn't dash through the air and over the roofs of civilian houses to get to the shinobi side of the residential district.

Abrupt movements could wake her, and she would fight to stay awake again.

Susanoo used enough chakra already and he needed to be conservative for tomorrow.

Reasoning ironed out, he took a leisure stroll to her apartment, occasionally glancing down to ensure her eyes remained peacefully closed.

He supposes he did attempt something funny that night. He called upon his Sharingan and committed to memory things that rightfully should be of no consequence to him.

He enjoys the long stretches of solitude in his travel, even if his voice will croak from disuse once he hits civilization again.

He likes forests best, especially after rain. The musk of earth and tree sap reminds him that clean air exists, and there is no curious gaze on his Rinnegan, no whispering except for the rivers and trees.

A heavy flapping of feathers reaches his ears, and he holds out his arm to receive the messenger falcon.

Letters from his team.

Naruto rambles, illegible at places, about everything and anything that has happened and then some more; and Kakashi includes some personal postscripts after a mission briefing.

He reads hers last, after feeding the bird and sending it away.

He's forgotten if he was the type to save the best or worst for last.

It's the first time she's written to him, and she's surprisingly succinct. Perhaps reserved. A greeting. Comment on the weather. Well-wishing. Her name. And that was all.

But against all logic, he felt her longing for him.

He isn't sure if it's the way the ink seems to tremble at certain strokes, or how the creases where the paper was folded adds a depth to the spaces she's left between the sentences, that seem to be filled with unspoken sentiments. Or if it's just his inflated ego.

He burns every letter he receives, as the information might get into the wrong hands, but can't bring himself to do the same for hers.

Fortunate, then, that she's written nothing that would be of interest to anyone.

(But him.)

The feeling of her eyes on him was calming, almost spiritual, like a brush of warm smoke at the back of his neck, downy feathers on his skin. He could have pretended sleep forever if she wasn't likely to figure him out the longer he kept up the charade.

It occurs to him one night, looking out the dirty window of an inn, that he has no idea who he is, if not war criminal, not terrorist or Akatsuki or missing nin; if not an avenger.

He's certainly no hero.

The more people he helps, the less he feels himself. There's a disconnect between what he's doing and what he knows himself to be. More often than not, he'd ask himself—what would Naruto do? What would Sakura do? What would Kakashi do? What would Itachi do—have done? (Damnitdamnitdamnit.)

And whatever he'd think they would do he'd do just that. It makes for surprisingly simple problem-solving.

But at his core he's not selfless like Itachi. Not faithful like Naruto. Not loyal like Kakashi. Not kind like Sakura.

At the end of the day, he still doesn't know what he would do.

He scarcely acknowledges it, but he keeps chasing after the back of these great people. He's running himself ragged trying to catch up, but he's so aggravatingly slow that it's a wonder he hasn't lost sight of them all.

He fears it's only a matter of time. And then he will once again be lost and directionless.

He's Uchiha Sasuke, and he no longer knows what that means.

"Oniichan, you suck." This statement is followed by chattering agreements of the other kids crowding around him on the dirt floor of the orphanage.

Children are vicious creatures, he's beginning to learn. He struggles to recall if he was ever this much trouble to Itachi as a kid. They are also incredibly unhygienic, and they incessantly tug at his clothes and hair, poke at the stub of his arm with such disregard that he almost misses the fangirl treatment from way back when in the village.

By the fifth time that they make him redo the voice for the rabbit-dog-cat-looking thing in the story, he's teeteringly close to setting Amaterasu-fire to the worn book in his lap.

His rescue comes in the form of the old matron appearing in the doorway announcing dinner. The children abandon him like one would a sinking ship.

"Thank you for playing with them, Uchiha-san."

He nods noncommittally as he receives his own bowl of food from one of the older kids. It was hardly his choice when the little ones ensnared him within their circle of skin and bones, threatening to cry if he didn't comply, so he thinks her gratitude is therefore unneeded.

None of these is needed. The feeding him, the lodging. He's only sticking around for at most a few more days to take care of the group of mountain bandits that has been harassing the orphanage. He would have been fine setting up camp nearby and not having to deal with the children growing attached (because he knows they will), but the matron insisted.

He's always had this inexplicable soft spot for the elderly, and he wonders if it's not in parts due to the fact that so few in his world get to be old and grey.

"So Little Piggy went to ask Mommy Pig."

The matron's lilting voice floats to his ear as he perches atop the roof of the orphanage, miles and miles of moonlit forest spanning out before him.

"'What is happiness, Mommy?'"

"'It's your tail, sweetie,' said Mommy Pig, and Little Piggy looked at her wiggling tail."

For the longest time, he's had an idea of what happiness should be.

It was the firmness of Itachi's back. His mother's warm meals, and his father's approving grunts. It was a compound brimming with powerful chakras, and memories of children play-training in the clan's private training grounds; and red tomatoes getting snuck out of his mother's garden.

"Little Piggy looked at her tail and began to chase it around in circles until she was out of breath. But no matter how hard she tried she couldn't catch it at all!"

Happiness was home, when home wasn't yet piles of bodies and dark corridors and slipping on cold blood.

He has no idea what happiness would look like now.

"'Mommy, how can I ever catch happiness?" asked Little Piggy."

"'Well, sweetie, your tail will always be there. Why don't you keep walking and let happiness follow you?'"

He closes his eyes and taps into the warm hum of collective chakra inside the orphanage, the tiny sparks flickering dimmer and dimmer as sleep slowly claims the children.

"And so Little Piggy listened to her mother. She walked forward without worry, for she knew her happiness is always wiggling right behind her. The end."

"Goodnight, my dears."

Matron closes the book and gets up from her squeaky chair to stand by the window right beneath where he is, likely to stare out into the forest.

"Goodnight, Uchiha-san."

If he didn't have his shinobi hearing he never would have caught the whispered words.

He's turned the bandits in to the authorities and said all goodbyes in the afternoon. She doesn't know he's there, and he's all the more puzzled.

He stands guard for the rest of the night and silently slips away from the orphanage's grounds at the break of dawn.

The weather in Tea is shifting into spring when he arrives at its border. After a few days of travelling in silence, he stumbles upon a cherry blossom tree that has flowered early, its cloud-like plumage colourful in a sea of solemn green; low-hanging branches swaying in invitation.

He tells himself it's as good a resting spot as any, and feels a decided sense of betrayal that the spilling flowers don't smell the way he thinks they should.

A letter arrives suddenly, informing him of her kidnapping, and he doesn't remember another time that he's been more desperate. She's not someone who'd just let herself be taken, and he fears the worst.

Her letters that he's saved in his pocket weigh like a ball of lead near his heart. He's running as if his life's at stakes. Perhaps it is. For the first time since getting the Rinnegan, he wishes he knew how to control it better.

Then, watching her take down her captors, he learns these:

She's grown so much, has come so far from that little girl she once was and no longer needs to be rescued, least of all by him.

He's the very reason why she's been taken in the first place, her weakness, just that kind of toxic existence to her.

After making sure she will be safe, he leaves and doesn't look back.

Just as she has been born into this life to love him, he must have been born with the sole purpose of bringing her pain.

He only needs all of two weeks in Konoha to have her crying before him again. The weather is grey as if matching the storm in his heart. They're standing in front of that bench where he's left her once upon a time, and he can't say he doesn't notice how history is dangerously close to repeating itself.

Every muscle in his body is coiled for battle, ready to cite the 'maybe' in his promise and gain the slightest semblance of equal moral grounding with her.

She's chewing on her lip in an attempt to bite back her emotions (probably more for his sake than hers. She needs to stop making things easy for him). The tears haven't spilt yet, but they are there, glazing over jewel-like green eyes.

"I thought this time surely—" She cuts herself off when her voice cracks and chews on her lips some more, breaking eye-contact. "What went wrong, Sasuke-kun?"

Before he could stop himself, he'd already slapped her hand away, shouting at her not to touch him.

She simply smiled, like a mother dealing with the tantrum of a child, and calmly finished changing his bandages while guilt still had him in its vice.

He went wrong, but what else was new? With her, he's both a madman and a smitten fool, angry and frustrated and thankful and disgusted and confused and elated and most of all scared. Terrified.

The way she hugs herself and seems to be on the brink of falling apart is nauseating to look at. He's getting worked up over what was supposed to be a simple goodbye. But that's the problem, isn't it? Nothing's ever simple when she's involved.

"You know that this is your home, right? You've never needed to earn any right to stay in it."

"…I know."

She raises a doubtful eyebrow. "Do you?"

It had taken him two years and countless good deeds to finally find the resolve to forgive himself and return to Konoha as someone he thought would be worthy of his friends.

Yet all it took was one smile from her to undo all the confidence that he'd built up like it was a house of cards. He realized immediately that no amount of atonement would ever redeem him enough to be worthy of her.

"Welcome home, Sasuke-kun."

And the worst part was that he wanted to stay regardless.

"Don't be annoying, Sakura." And he can see her visibly shrink back like she's been hit. He might as well have. His fist curls at his side, itching to do something just to stop her from further torturing her steadily swelling lip.

Instead of leaving him alone as he expects her to (and how senseless it is to keep expecting something that will never happen), she steps forward and grabs gingerly onto his mantle.

"Are you…unsatisfied in Konoha? With m—with us?"

He doesn't respond, and she seems to take his silence as agreement and starts to cry in true. Big, fat droplets roll down her cheeks as she matches his gaze. The raw hurt in her eyes startles him.

"What will make you happy, Sasuke-kun?" She tightens her grip, pulling him infinitesimally closer, choking on her words. "Please, please tell me how I can make you happy."

"That's not your problem." That's apparently also a wrong thing to say. She looks resigned now, and the sight somehow claws at him even more. The wind picks up suddenly, nearly drowning out her next words.

"Do you even want to be happy?"

He thinks for a length and honestly cannot say for certain he does. He can hardly picture what his happiness would be now that the old one is so drenched in blood, and misery is a lot harder to take away from a person.

It's ironic, then – or perhaps apt – that he would chase after something he doesn't really want. Because he's full of greed and self-gratification.

She once again takes his silence into her own narrative and lets out a long sigh. Meeting his gaze again, her eyes are already dry, red-rimmed, beseeching. Her voice is but a whisper.

"Is there something you want, Sasuke-kun? Anything?"

If she puts it that way, he wants a lot of things, as a greedy man should. Full control over the Rinnegan. Restore his clan. A tomato garden. Her. To name a few.

But he looks at her, her red eyes and tear-stained cheeks and bruised lip, and sees that she is all wrong compared to everything he's etched into his memory; and blurts out the single thing that floats up to the forefront of his mind right then.

"I want you to be happy."

It takes her a second to react to his words, her large eyes becoming impossibly larger as her mouth opens only to close again. He's not sure why she's so surprised. Of course, he wishes her happiness, even if that will be independent of his own.

A million emotions seem to flicker past her expression in a second, of which he only identifies disbelief, suspicion, melancholy and finally exasperation before she inexplicably bursts into a short fit of giggles. She lets go of his mantle and, before he can miss the anchoring hold, reaches for his tight fist and brings it up between her palms, squeezing.

"I can do that."

She's smiling that smile that unravels him to his core again, her eyes glittering. And he can blame his carnal desires for overriding all of his faculty, but he finds himself ensorceled.

"How about we work on it together, Sasuke-kun?"

His chest is strangely free of heaviness as he uncurls his fingers, almost in a daze, and encases her callused yet delicate ones.

"Hn."

A few days before his departure, he asks if she would come with him and she agrees easily, if not a little exasperatedly that he'd waited so long to ask, and he's mystified as to why he's stayed up all night worrying that she wouldn't.

Three months into their journey together, a newly formed part of him is startlingly assured that she will always have his back, and nothing—nothing can ever change that.

It takes a while longer, but the day finally comes that he figures it out.

He's Uchiha Sasuke, and he means everything to Uchiha Sakura.

—

Notes: I do not own the children story.

#sasusaku #uchiha sasuke #uchiha sakura #haruno sakura #blank period #pseudo character study #hurt/comfort #pining #denial of feelings #light angst #self-deprecation #Sakura just needs to give him a hug

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fanficshiddles · 4 years

Text

His ray of sunshine, Chapter 34

Tom was never away from Keira’s side for the following week while she recovered from her ordeal, and gave her body a chance to start recovering.

He put cream on her bruised face every day, angry whenever he thought about that bastard that hit her. The bruising was starting to go down well though. Her ribs were still sore, but they both knew they would take a longer time to heal.

She was pretty much bed bound, more so under Tom’s order than anything. He helped her through to the living room when she wanted so they could watch TV. And he brought her each meal and helped her with it.

She’d whine and grumble at him whenever he forgot about her cracked ribs and would make her laugh, because that hurt to do. But many apologies and kisses from him always made up for it. He was very attentive over her care, she couldn’t deny that.

And she wasn’t fussed about going outside… She was actually quite fearful even just thinking about it. But she was yet to talk to Tom about it. Unsure on how he would take that. Especially after Tom telling her she was likely an Alpha-omega. She certainly didn’t feel very brave or confident right now.

Tom wouldn’t even let the other pack members inside. He put Michael in charge while he was inside with Keira. But they still ran everything by him on occasion when he would step outside to see them. The other omegas just sent texts to Keira, keeping up with how she was.

One day, Tom was outside speaking with Charlie and Michael.

‘I’ve heard the police are still looking for David. There is no sign of his body by the river yet. But he can’t have gone far if he is alive, that wound that Keira took out of him was quite severe.’ Michael said.

They were just outside Tom’s cabin, standing below the decking.

‘I’d love for him to come this way so I can rip his throat out for what he’s done.’ Tom growled.

If he’d realised the extent of her injuries on the day, he would’ve gone after David and certainly not allowed him to run off into the river.

‘I think a jail sentence would be more beneficial than death. Ben got away lightly.’ Charlie said.

Tom reluctantly agreed. Prison for Alphas could be rough, depending on what they were in for. Stealing another’s omega was quite high up on that list. And with David being responsible for no doubt a lot of the Alphas in prison, he would definitely have a nightmare of a time in there.

‘Speaking of Ben, how did he and David get involved?’ Michael asked.

‘I’m not totally sure. But I wouldn’t be surprised if David had heard about Ben being kicked from the pack and approached him for help. Ben likely would’ve came sniffing around again anyway, whether he had David on side or not.’ Tom sighed and stroked his beard.

‘You really need a shave and haircut, man.’ Michael commented in jest.

Tom just glared at him, but he wasn’t wrong. Although Keira always said how much she loved his beard. He was sure she mainly meant when he went down on her.

‘They knew one another before, too.’ Tom continued to change the subject away from his appearance.

‘How?’ Charlie asked.

‘Ben was a very troubled kid. I met him through David, actually. He’d been abused by his omega mother. He had killed her, in self-defence. Or so I was told, anyway. From that, he always had a weird thing about making sure that Alphas were always in charge. And was why he didn’t like it when omegas were anything but weak and timid. David convinced me to give him a chance, because he’d had a rough past due to his mother beating him and he wanted a second chance.’ Tom explained.

‘I wonder if it’s true or a lie, if they’d planned this all along.’ Michael hummed.

‘I really have no idea anymore.’ Tom said as he ran his hand down his face. ‘I best get back in to Keira.’

‘Tell her we’re thinking of her.’ Michael gave Tom a pat on the shoulder.

‘Will do.’ Tom nodded.

‘Oh, by the way. The officer that was dealing with David’s case has asked if he can bring one of the omegas that was rescued from the house here, just temporary until they can find a pack for her.’ Michael said before Tom went back up the steps.

‘Umm.’ Tom put his hands on his hips and thought for a moment. ‘Yeah, I don’t see why not. Get one of the spare cabins prepared for her.’

‘Will do. I’ll give him a ring and give him the ok.’

Tom nodded and went on inside to his omega. She was curled up on the sofa watching TV.

‘How are you feeling, darling?’ He leaned over the back of the sofa and kissed the top of her head before walking round to join her.

‘My ribs don’t seem to hurt when I’m just breathing anymore.’ She said as she snuggled under his arm.

‘That’s good news indeed. Do you want anything?’ He started stroking her long hair.

‘No thanks.’ She said quietly and closed her eyes, concentrating on his breathing. It was calming just being with him. And the way he was stroking her hair was utter heaven, too.

‘Are the others all ok?’ She asked a little sleepily.

‘They’re good, everything is calm and as it should be… But Michael says I need to shave.’ He hummed.

Keira sniggered a little. ‘Well, you are starting to look a bit like a scraggy wolf.’ Keira said with a cheeky smile as he looked up at him.

‘Careful, you.’ He growled low. ‘You’re lucky I can’t tickle you right now.’ He threatened playfully as he tickled under her chin, making her scrunch her chin down to her chest.

‘Don’t make me laugh.’

‘Anyway, I thought you liked my beard?’ He purred and rubbed it against her soft skin.

‘I do, I do.’ She smiled and rubbed his beard. ‘I would be pretty gutted if you got rid of it.’

‘Glad to hear it.’ He chuckled. ‘But maybe it does need a tidy up.’

Later that day, Keira was standing at the window looking out. It was a sunny afternoon and she was watching the birds by the bird feeder on front of the cabin.

‘Do you want to go outside?’ Tom asked, coming up behind her and rubbing her arms.

‘Uh… No, it’s fine. Just watching the birds.’ She said quickly.

But Tom noticed something slightly off about her. He gave her shoulder a squeeze and went back to finishing off dinner.

‘How about tomorrow we have a picnic for lunch on the green? You could probably do with the fresh air, huh? Don’t want you getting cabin fever?’ Tom suggested, smiling sweetly at her over the table while they ate.

He watched her carefully, confirming what he was thinking. She shifted nervously and was just swirling the fork around on her plate, not really eating much after his question.

‘Keira?’

She looked up at him sheepishly. ‘Sorry… I uh… I don’t feel ready to go out yet, I don’t think.’

Tom put his cutlery down and moved over to her, he crouched down beside her and took her hand in his. ‘Keira, love. Why do you not want to go outside?’

‘I do. I just, am a bit nervous about it. But once my ribs heal fully, I’m sure I’ll be ok.’

He tilted her head up more and stroked her cheek gently with the back of his hand. ‘It’s natural to be feeling nervous after what happened to you. But I promise, you won’t ever be in danger like that again. I won’t let it happen.’

‘I know.’ Keira nodded.

But Tom knew he had a problem on his hands a few days later, after trying to coax her to go outside even just for a few minutes, when he came in from speaking with the others to find Keira missing. But he quickly sniffed her out and found her hiding in their wardrobe underneath their clothes. She’d made a little nest with blankets and pillows, somewhere she felt safe.

And she refused to come out.

#Tom Hiddleston #fan fiction #his ray of sunshine #omegaverse

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ariddletobesolved · 4 years

Text

Days We Spend Under the Sun (Chapter Two)

Written for @helsa-summer-event

Fandom: Frozen

Genre: Romance, Family, Fluff, Whump

Rating: T

Summary: Summer is not her favourite season, but a certain Admiral from the neighbouring kingdom is going to change that.

Perhaps we should call this a collection of Helsa fluff drabbles. External links (including some links to the prologue and chapter one) are in the notes. Enjoy!

Prompt 2: Blue Skies and Dandelion Fuzz

—

Chapter Two

One of the best things about the forest is the serenity it offers, this pretty much she knew.

Standing near the river bank, Elsa had been staring at her own reflection for a while. It was still early in the morning when she sneaked out of Hans's warm embrace and out of her own hut in the village. Not that she didn't want to stay and cuddle—despite the fact that the weather was rather hot, but she would like some space for her to think, and the river bank being one of her favourite places in the Enchanted Forest could offer that.

Her mind began to wander to the event that happened the day before. Hans was indeed full of surprises when it came to wooing her, she was aware of that fact. But the trick he pulled, when he broke into a gallop instead of stopping to let her summon the Nokk, was one she didn't see coming. Nonetheless, she still found the journey quite enjoyable. Even during a few stops did she not try to summon the Nokk. The way he held her close to his chest was something she found comfort in. Eventually, they arrived in the forest when the sun went down, and Yelena was the first one to greet them, accompanied by Honeymaren. After having dinner, they stopped by the stable-like area in the village to give Sitron an extra bag of carrots. Tired from the long journey, they finally turned in and Elsa, of course, had to share her hut with Hans.

Sighing in contentment, Elsa began to stretch her muscles. It had been quite some time since the last time she was back in the forest, she almost forgot how different the place was from Arendelle. It was really quiet in the morning. There was no sound of people trading or arguing, no sound of hooves clicking against the pavement, nothing but the serenity of nature. She smiled, still looking at her own reflection, before a familiar set of eyes stared back at her. The Nokk.

The water spirit rose from the river, standing tall before her in the form of a majestic horse. Elsa looked up with one hand reaching out to gently caress the spirit. Affectionately nuzzling its face close to hers, it was as if the Nokk tried to tell her that it missed her. Elsa let out a chuckle, for she was amused by the spirit.

"I've missed you too, Nokk." She said. "Sorry about yesterday, but Hans had another plan. At least we're here now."

The horse walked around above the river, and Elsa tilted her head in confusion.

"Are you complaining, now?" She raised her eyebrow. But before she could react, she saw a flash of fire. It danced from stone to stone, before stopping beside her feet. Bending down, Elsa smiled. "Hello, little guy!"

The fire died down, and a blue salamander crawled upon her open palm. Elsa conjured a small rain of snowflakes to the creature's amusement, as it poked its tongue out to catch some fallen snowflakes.

"You like it, huh?"

Blinking and tilting its head, Bruni, the fire spirit, stared at her with something like glee. It was obvious that the fire spirit was glad to have her back. The blonde grinned, finding the gesture adorable. Looking up, she saw the Nokk staring at her intensely.

"What?"

The water horse motioned at the path towards the village.

"You want to see Hans?" She inquired. At the mention of the former prince, Bruni smiled wider. "Why, so you can try to drown him again?"

If Nokk could laugh, it would certainly roll onto its belly, Elsa was sure of that. The unspoken tension between the two brought back a memory of their first meeting. It happened shortly after Hans was released from a three hour long questioning, in which the decision sparked a brief tension between her and her sister. Anna, being the wise queen she was, decided that she found nothing harmful with his presence back in Arendelle. Hans was there to deliver an invitation under the Crown Prince of the Southern Isles' order. Elsa, refusing to accept it, mounted on the Nokk and rode across the ocean towards where his ship was in the harbour. They had a quarrel which resulted in him slipped on Elsa's ice and fell into the water. The Nokk, that was offended by Hans' accidental name calling 'water horse' did try to drown him, leaving Elsa standing on her ice.

"He is not the same man, you know." She sighed, making her way towards the majestic horse. Bruni crawled up and rested on her shoulder. "He has grown to be a better person, don't you worry about it."

Elsa smiled at that thought. It wasn't easy to get where she was, but time had given them a chance. Then, faintly, she heard some footsteps walking closer. She turned, only to see Ryder walking with a smaller reindeer.

"Morning, Elsa."

She smiled. "Ryder! I didn't see you last night. How are you holding up?"

The young man returned the smile, half shrugging sheepishly. "Well, I'm fine, I guess? I've been taking care of the reindeers." He nudged the reindeer standing beside him, who nudged back. "This one is John."

"Oh," Elsa tried to bite back a laugh, "that's quite a name for a reindeer."

"I know." Ryder brushed it off as if it was nothing, certainly not aware of Elsa's amused face. "Oh, and one more thing, Hans is looking for you."

"Sure." Elsa turned to the Nokk, who was tilting its head. "I'll be there shortly."

"Great! I'll head off to the meado now." He said. "Also, the breakfast is ready, so you better go back soon."

Nodding, she looked back. "Sure. I'll see you later, Ryder."

"See you later, Elsa." With that, he took off with the reindeer.

Once again, she was left alone with the spirits. "You're coming, Nokk?" Instead of answering, the Nokk turned around and dived into the water. "So, it's just us." Elsa turned to the excited salamander, that was now crawling onto the top of her head. "Fine, it seems like you really are excited to see Hans."

She made her way towards a familiar path that led her back to the village. Taking a deep breath, she let the clean morning breeze fill her system. She looked up to the blue sky and sighed. Nothing topped a nice breezy summer morning. It was rather warm in the forest, since summer had arrived up north, but she liked it. Unlike Anna, Elsa wasn't a huge fan of summer. She couldn't really stand the heat, and would take every opportunity to take shelter under the shade. The reason why she agreed to Hans' suggestion to ditch the carriage—other than to spend more private time together on the journey—was because of her ability to conjure some clouds above them should the weather be too sunny.

The sound of children playing around and people starting the day got louder as Elsa walked closer to the village. From afar, she spotted a familiar auburn haired Admiral sitting on the ground with two bowls of steaming food beside him. He looked far too engrossed in a conversation with a brunette sitting before him, he didn't see her coming.

Elsa saw this as an opportunity to surprise him, but before she could do such a thing, Bruni already beat her to it. The salamander hopped from her head and landed safely on the ground, before it crawled towards the Admiral. Upon the tiny element of surprise, Hans almost jumped on his seat. Bruni settled on his shoulder, causing him to turn and saw Elsa standing nearby.

"Elsa." He looked a little taken aback, before flashing her a smile. "Have you been there for a while?"

"No." Taking a seat next to him, Elsa pecked his lips shortly. "I have just arrived." She then turned to the brunette. "Morning, Maren."

"Good morning, Elsa." Honeymaren smiled. "Did you see Ryder?"

"Yes, I did." Elsa nodded, taking a bowl Hans offered her. "Thank you, Hans." Turning back to her distant cousin, she continued, "So, what were you two talking about? You both seemed engrossed."

Honeymared glanced at Hans, before replying, "Nothing that would interest you, really. Hans was asking about the crops, yeah."

Hans smiled. He didn't say anything, instead, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. But something told Elsa that it wasn't exactly their main topic of discussion.

"Okay."

"Where were you?" Hans asked. "I woke up this morning and you were nowhere to be seen."

"I was at the river bank, talking to Nokk, before Bruni came." She smiled at the beaming salamander. "They missed you."

Hans playfully rolled his eyes. "Yeah, as if the water horse misses me. I wouldn't be surprised if the little guy here did, or maybe Gale, since it greeted me earlier before deciding to play with those kids." He gestured at the wind spirit swirling around two giggling children.

Elsa grinned in response. "What did I tell you? Nokk doesn't like it."

"What will the Nokk do anyway, try to drown me?" He raised a brow, before shrugging. "Anyway, you should finish your breakfast. Are you going to visit Ahtohallan later today?"

She shook her head no. "I'll go to Ahtohallan tomorrow."

"Great! Because I have a plan for the two of us later." Hans beamed, briefly glancing at Honeymaren, who shrugged slightly.

Elsa narrowed her eyes. "What is it?"

"That, Kaere, is for me to know," Hans poked the tip of her nose, "and for you to find out."

"Fine."

Elsa beamed. Excitement surged through her, as her mind began to think of a few possibilities. She might look as if she wasn't expecting much, but deep inside, anticipation was building up. She looked forward to whatever adventure he had in store for her.

#helsa #helsa summer event #helsasummerevent #helsasummerevent2020 #hans x elsa #elsa x hans #iceburns #days we spend under the sun #helsa post frozen 2 au #helsa fanfiction #mary's writing

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babeejeon · 4 years

Text

“I know you think we aren’t right for each other, but we’ve run into each other too many times for you to tell me that this isn’t fate.”

57. “I know you think we aren’t right for each other, but we’ve run into each other too many times for you to tell me that this isn’t fate.”

-Kim Namjoon angst, fluff-

---

You have known Namjoon all your life. You heard his name a lot, you went to the same schools with him, see his face maybe even more than your family. But it was all from afar. You were never friends with him, your families were rivals, so you two.

Your family and his are the top two business firms of South Korea. As expected, they have a big competition between them, smiling to each other in front of cameras but using every way against each other. Thus, it was only natural for you to feel the pressure of this competition. Namjoon doesn’t seem like a bad guy at all, but you couldn’t trust him. He was the only heir of their family. They have been raising him for his position to manage the firm since he was in diapers. So, you know better than being friends with him.

On the other hand, you had an older brother, so you consider your self as lucky. After you graduate from college, you are planning to go abroad to study, more like for running from all these dramas. Your older brother has studied business and had his seat as CEO in the company, so you had the chance to study what you dream, English Literature and Creative Writing.

Fast forward to your graduation day, you finally felt like you are finally free. After the ceremony and a family dinner, you would be on plane to fly to London. Everything was ready and going according to the plan. Finally, you receive your diploma and throw your graduation cap. You could see your family smiling and clapping in the front row of the audience. After taking photographs with your friends and professors, you left the stage. The exit was in the behind, a narrow hallway and before you realize you hit to someone. Thankfully that someone hold you to prevent you from falling. You mumbled a quick ‘thank you’ in embarrassment. But when you look at that someone’s face, your heart felt like stopping. It was Namjoon and he was looking at you in worry. You quickly got a hold of yourself and separated from him.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes, I am. Thank you.” You give him a half smile. He pointed the diploma in your hand.

“Congrats on your graduation, Y/N” He smiled.

“You too.. I mean congratulations.” You bowed slightly and left. ‘Shit, why do I have to act so awkward’ you thought to yourself.

Finally, that night on the plane you were trying your best to sleep, but something heavy in your chest was preventing you from falling to the arms of sleep.

…

Two years later, that feeling decided to visit your heart again. It was a lovely Sunday and you were out for breakfast with your friends. After the breakfast you decided to walk home to enjoy the sunny weather. However, all of the good feelings were gone when you heard a familiar voice call your name.

“Y/N?” you turned to the owner of the voice and it was no other than Namjoon. You couldn’t say anything for a few seconds.

“Oh, Namjoon! Hi! What are you doing here?” you asked, trying to sound as kind as possible.

“I came here for a business meeting I will have tomorrow.” He explained.

“I see.”

“Would you like to drink some coffee together? It has been a while.” He asked.

And you found yourself sitting with him in a coffee shop. Your ice latte was long forgotten, the ices were melting already. The conversation was flowing easily, as if you used to do this together. He was telling about his life and you were telling about yours. But the feeling in your heart wasn’t easy, at all.

…

Next time you meet Namjoon, you were visiting your family in Seoul. It was six months later that coffee shop. That day you talked for a few hours and bid your farewells. Then both of you were back to your own lives. The heavy feeling stayed in your heart a few more days, but you forget it eventually.

The visit back home was nice. You missed your family, your home and Seoul. First few days you spent time with your family and fulfilled your longing. But you also missed Seoul, so you decided to spend a day alone to visit your favorite places.

After having a morning walk on Han River, you chose your favorite bookstore as the next destination. Actually, it was a small bookstore with a little coffee shop inside. The moment you entered; the memories came to your mind. The familiar scent of the bookstore’s air freshener was so sweet. You take your time to walk around the aisles, grabbed all of the books that catches your interest. Actually, you missed seeing books in your mother tongue. You opened all of them, peek insides and read the backs of them. The basket in your hand was already heavy with the books you have chosen. You decided to stop for now, but at that moment another book caught your interest. It was on the top shelve and you were a little too short to reach it. You put your basket and get on your tiptoes to reach up. But still you were struggling to reach it.

“Let me help you!” you heard someone said behind you and reach to the book easily. You turned around to look at the person who helped you and your eyes went bigger when you see Namjoon.

“Namjoon?”

“Y/N?” you said at the same time. You were staring at each other in surprise.

“I didn’t know you were in Seoul. Did you come to visit your family?” he asked.

“Yes, I missed them and Seoul.” You smiled. Silence takes place while you both were staring each other.

“Oh, right, your book.” He handed the book.

“Thank you.” You smiled.

“If you don’t have any other plan, would you like to drink some coffee? There is a coffee shop in this bookstore.” He offered.

“I know.” You said. He looked at you in surprise.

“I mean, I know there is a coffee shop here. And I would love to drink some coffee.” You said. He grinned and showed you his dimples. You felt your cheeks getting red.

“But first, let me check out these.” You said and walked towards to the register.

After buying your books, you went to the coffee shop. He insisted to buy the coffees, so you sat in the table waiting him. You were staring at him while he was buying coffees and wondering what you are doing right now. But before you can get lost in your thoughts, he came back with two ice americanos and cake in a tray. He was smiling cutely, and you realized that you are in a dangerous state. However, it was already started, so you let yourself enjoy it.

“You bought cake too?” you asked with a smile.

“I thought you won’t say no to a little sweet.” He winked at you. You internally prayed that your face doesn’t show your feelings so openly.

“So, do you come here often?” you asked to change the topic.

“I do, since found here a few years ago. I was feeling tired of everything and walking aimlessly around to free my mind. Then I see here and love it. It is cozy, sweet like home.” You smile at his words.

“How about you?” he asked.

“I used to come here back in college. It is my all times favorite. Buying some new books and reading here, it has a therapeutical effect on me.”

...

You talked to him for hours that day. Sitting in that coffee shop till the closing time. Talking about anything and everything. Then he drove you to home. You got off the car a little before your house, reminding him that your family wouldn’t like to see you getting out of his car. His smile is wiped from his face for a second. But you told him that you enjoyed his accompany and thanked him.

After seeing his car moving away, you were left alone with your thoughts. Why did you enjoyed his accompany this much? Why does he have to be the kindest man? You were supposed to hate him, but he is making it impossible for you. Coming to think of it, you never even once hangout with him before that Sunday back in London. How it is possible for you to feel like this only in two times?

That night you couldn’t sleep because of thinking and the next morning you bought the earliest flight to London.

…

You tried to continue your life, tried your best to not to let your mind dwell on your thoughts about Namjoon. But each time you start to not to think about him, life decides to put a coincidence to make you meet him. Each time, your heart aches more because you weren’t that blind to the blossoming feelings in your chest.

…

You decided to visit Rome on September. Having a week as a break from work, you took a flight to Rome. You have been wanting to visit Rome, since you moved to London, but didn’t had a chance before. So, you hoped to have a nice trip. The first night, you decided to eat out to ease your tiredness from flight. But to your surprise it started to rain after you leave your hotel room. You didn’t have an umbrella with you, so you run to find a shelter, but before you realize you hit someone.

“Fuck!” you cursed under your breath.

“Fuck??” the person said in surprise. You were also surprised to see that the person knows Korean. You looked up and you saw Namjoon in front of you.

“No way! Namjoon?” you asked in disbelief.

“Y/N?” he asked, narrowing his eyes to see you clearly. He was wearing glasses but couldn’t use them because of the sudden downpour.

You grabbed his arm to drag him to the closest shelter.

“I can’t believe that I run across to you here.” You said. He was trying to wipe his glasses. You took out a handkerchief from your bag and took his glasses to wipe them.

“Here.” You handed him his glasses.

“Thank you.” He said, looking happy with a clear view now.

“Your welcome.” You smiled.

“Are you here for a trip?” he asked.

“Yes, and I just arrived this evening. I was hoping to have a nice dinner but look at me now.”

“We can have dinner together after rain subsides. I know a nice restaurant close to here.” He said.

“I mean, if only you are okay with it?” he added nervously.

“Sure, I am really hungry.” You smiled.

While waiting you had a small talk. Watching rain and hearing his gentle voice were making you feel in peace. Later that night, you had a nice dinner with him. He walked you back to your hotel and for the first time you made a promise to meet again next day. You didn’t expect this coming but that first time repeated and you spent most of your trip with him. It wasn’t his first-time visiting Rome, so he showed you around. You get to eat in the best restaurants, visit museums and see beautiful sights. You spent beautiful six days with him, but the last day wasn’t feeling as good as them. In the breakfast you didn’t talk a lot. Both of you were silent, thinking about your departure.

You never talked with him about your relationship. It was like you had an unspoken agreement. You know, he feels the same feeling with you, you can see it in his eyes each time. But you know it is impossible for you to be together. That is why you always separate after one day. It was the best for both of you. Spending this week together was bad for both you. You knew it but you couldn’t resist it. Now leaving is more painful than previous ones. What are you supposed to do now? Hug each other before leaving? Tell each other that you will miss each other?

After the breakfast you went your room to pack your luggage. Your heart was getting heavier each second. A few hours later you will be on the plane getting away from him. But you didn’t know how to say goodbye.

You called the Airline to buy an earlier flight. If you don’t see him before leaving, it will be easier for you. So you took a deep breath and left the hotel. Taxi was waiting for you to drive you to the airport. Just before getting in, you heard him calling your name. You turned back to see him running to you. You feel like freezing in where you stand. When he was in front of you, he cupped your face.

“Y/N!” he was trying to catch his breath. You were looking at his eyes.

“Don’t go!” he said with pleading eyes.

“I know you think we aren’t right for each other, but we’ve run into each other too many times for you to tell me that this isn’t fate.” He said. He breathed heavily.

“You can’t say you don’t feel what I feel right here.” He took your right hand to put it on his heart.

“I know everyone would be against us, but I know fate is on our side.”

“Don’t you think we meet each other a lot? It is not coincidence, it can’t be. Every time I told my self it is impossible, you come out of nowhere. I told my heart to pull itself together, but it wouldn’t stop beating for you.”

“I love you and I am ready leave anything and anyone behind, for you.”

“Please don’t leave me, Y/N.” he said, and a tear rolled from his eyes. Your hand reach to wipe it before you realize.

“Namjoon!” you said.

“I love you, Namjoon. I love you so much. But what will we do? How will..” he hushed you.

“Just hold my hand and we will be okay.” He extended his hand to you and you didn’t hesitate to hold it. He pulled you to himself and hugged you.

“We will be okay, I promise we will.”

#kim namjoon #namjoon #rm #bts namjoon #fluff angst #namjoon angst fluff #namjoon angst #namjoon fluff #bts angst #bts fluff #prompt #non-idol au #namjoon x reader

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thelucyaddams · 3 years

Text

Inseparable

Part 1

I just found and read my very first KuviraxOC ff again and decided to put it on here. You can also read it on Ao3. I'll definitely continue it now 🥰

Kuvira mostly was a lone wolf. She didn't need anyone and never truly opened up to someone until she met Ryoko who had a special place in her heart. From then on Kuvira had a reason to fight for something, to protect someone forever. But will their relationship withstand being apart for a long while and Kuvira becoming a dictator?

It was a beautiful sunny day when Kuvira went outside of Zaofu to play around on her own. Su doesn’t want her to leave the city on her own since she was just a child. But Kuvira did it anyway.

She enjoyed being alone and Kuvira just loved the nature around the metal clan. It felt good to feel earth under her feet and between her toes instead of metal.

Kuvira walked through rich green pastures and felt the grass around her ankles. A rare smile formed on her lips. She has always been a very serious child as she hadn’t that much to be happy about. It was different in moments like these.

It didn’t take long for Kuvira to find her favorite spot. It was further into the mountain pass at the river that runs through Zaofu. Here she could train without anyone to bother her. Except for today. There was someone in the water floating around like they were dead. Kuvira paused and looked at the body with widened eyes. It was a girl and she looked like her age! Without thinking Kuvira jumped into the river and tried to save her. She grabbed her by her armpits and pulled her out of the water with all her strength.

“Hey, can you hear me?”, Kuvira asked loudly and checked her breathing. It was there but weak.

“Please, wake up!”

Kuvira shook the girl. Her eyes fluttered open a little. A painful sigh escaped her lips and she closed her eyes again.

“No, please, don’t leave me!”, Kuvira panicked a little as she never was in such a situation. She didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t strong enough to carry her all the way to Zaofu to get help from the adults. That’s when she got an idea. Kuvira closed her eyes to focus. As she opened them again she tried to bend the earth under the girl. She thought she could carry her that way. But it was very difficult and exhausting. Kuvira managed to barely move her and let her down again before she made it worse. She sat down beside the girl again who moved her head a little. Her eyes fluttered open once again. This time it seemed like she would wake up for real.

The girl coughed and threw up some water. A groan escaped her lips as she rolled back on her back. She gained consciousness and looked up in Kuviras bright green eyes. For a moment nothing happened as the girls just looked at each other until the girl sat up all of the sudden.

“Where am I? Who are you?!”, she asked with panic in her voice.

“Calm down. I’m not hurting you. In fact I saved your life by pulling you out of the river.”, Kuvira said her voice was a little serious like it always were.

“The river?”, the girl looked like she was trying to remember what had happened to her.

“To answer your questions, my name is Kuvira and you are in Zaofu.”, Kuvira said.

“Zaofu?”

“The independent city of the earth kingdom and the city of the metal clan.”

The girl held her head as if she was in pain.

“I barely remember what happened. Only… only that I ran and there was smoke and then… rain... “

Kuvira watched the girl curiously but also with caution.

“Do you remember your name?”

“Ryoko. My name is Ryoko.”, she answered, “Thank you for saving me.”, Ryoko added with a thankful smile.

Kuvira nodded as if it was nothing.

“You were lucky I was around! I’m actually not allowed to leave the city.”

“You’re not? But you are here.”

“This place is way calmer than the city. I enjoy training here.”

“Training?”

“I’m an earthbender.”, Kuvira explained and made a small rock rise up in the air to demonstrate her skills, “Are you a bender?”, Kuvira asked.

Ryoko swallowed at that question. It triggered a memory of hers, making her remember what happened, at least a part of it. She looked to the ground not knowing what to say.

“Don’t be ashamed if you’re not. I’m not judging you.”, Kuvira said.

“No that’s not it… I.. I’m a firebender.”, Ryoko replied with fear in her voice. She behaved like someone would be mad at her or something like that which Kuvira didn’t understand. Didn’t she like being a bender?

“But that’s awesome isn’t it? If I could choose another element instead of earth it would have definitely been fire!”, Kuvira said.

“No you wouldn’t. Fire hurts people and destroys everything. There’s nothing good about it.”, Ryoko said and turned away from the other girl, “I’m a monster."

“Stop! Don’t ever say that!”, Kuvira was angry about Ryoko’s attitude.

“But it’s true! It’s my fault!”, Ryoko cried, “I killed them.”, she added in a lower voice. Tears streamed down her face. Kuvira looked at her startled. She didn’t expect that and could understand Ryoko’s self-doubt now.

“Who?”

“My parents… I had a nightmare and was so afraid that I lost control and set our house on fire… I was able to run outside but… my parents never came out of it.”, Ryoko explained. Kuvira truly felt sorry for Ryoko. Now that she understands she is certain that she would probably feel the same way about her abilities… like a monster. The one feeling she couldn't truly share was losing her parents. She knew it must be hard for Ryoko but she couldn't feel it. Kuvira herself was glad to be away from her parents. They abandoned her and Su was the one she called "mum" now. But then again she didn't. She never dared to call her that although Su told her everytime that she could do so. For Kuvira it didn't feel right to call her that which doesn't mean she doesn't care about Su. Of course she'd never admit it.

"So, you have nowhere to go?", Kuvira stated.

Ryoko shook her head.

"Then you should come with me. You can sleep in my room. I should find a second mattress in the palace. There's just one condition. No one can see you! Don't walk around without me and try not to grab anyone's attention.", Kuvira instructed.

"I promise! I'll do as you say!", Ryoko said a little desperate but excited.

"Okay, let's go…"

"Wait… I interrupted your training didn't I? I mean if you still wanted you could train first. I can watch."

"Nah, I actually have enough training with Su at the palace. This is just a little extra to clear my mind."

With that Kuvira grabbed Ryoko’s hand and led her through the mountain pass to Zaofu. Ryoko’s eyes widened at the sight of the great city. She hasn't seen anything like it before. Kuvira couldn't help but to smile mildly at the other girls expression. It felt like she impressed her with something. As a matter of fact she actually was the one impressing her by showing her the city. It definitely felt good.

Sneakily the girls made their way to Kuvira room. The earthbender knew all the guards routes which was an advantage. She knew when to wait and when to go. Soon they actually made it without any problems.

"You're not bad.", Kuvira said. She was quite sure Ryoko would cause at least a small problem by being too loud or clumsily.

"I just followed your lead. You were like an expert.", Ryoko replied.

Kuvira smirked, "I actually am, I guess… Please make yourself at home. It's not as big as the rooms of my siblings but… "

"I like it.", Ryoko interrupted the earthbender, "It's at least twice as big as my room was and it looks cozy.", she added.

Kuvira looked around for a second realizing she should appreciate her room more often. There was a time when she hadn't much either. Her real parents were commoners not nobles like Su. Kuviras gaze paused as she looked into the bright blue eyes of the firebender. A smile crept on her lips. Maybe she could finally make a friend, a real friend. Ryoko returned that look and smiled sheepishly. Her cheeks turned red as her stomach began to grumble.

Kuvira chuckled, "I try to get you something to eat. I have to go to dinner now anyway. Maybe I can sneak something out. If you feel like someone's coming you can hide under my bed. Gladly the sheets are long enough to cover it up. The wardrobe is also an option." Without waiting for an answer Kuvira was about to walk through the door. Ryoko stopped her by grabbing her wrist gently. Kuvira turned around a little startled.

"Thank you for everything you did and do."

Kuvira tried to act cool and just nodded. With that she finally left the room to meet the rest of her family in the great hall for dinner.

"Kuvira, you're late.", Su greeted her adopted daughter.

"Just like always.", Opal said rolling her eyes.

"I went for a walk and lost track of time. I'm sorry. It won't happen again.", Kuvira apologized quickly and sat down beside Opal.

"I hope so. Well I don't want to make a fuss about it. It were just five minutes anyway. Just make sure to be punctual next time."

Kuvira nodded and filled her plate with the delicious food Su's chef provided. Her adoptive mother explained their plans for tomorrow. In the morning the girls would have dancing lessons. After that Su would work on Kuvira's earthbending and metalbending. Suyin was sure Kuvira was ready to learn the basics of metalbending. She was a fast learner and ambitious. Later she'd have to take care of political things.

Now and then Kuvira would hide some pieces of bread and cheese in her pockets for Ryoko. She never had such a feeling of responsibility to someone before. But she truly cared about that girl although they just met. Kuvira couldn't explain it but she knew there was something about Ryoko that made her trustworthy and somehow special. At least to Kuvira. She would do it. She would take care of her and if someone would find out she would stand up and fight for her.

Sometimes Opal would give her a sceptical look which Kuvira ignored by eating like nothing happened. Opal and Kuvira didn't really hate each other but they also didn't trust each other. It was like some kind of jealousy towards the other was in between them. Maybe it was. Kuvira was jealous of Opal for being loved by Su like she would never receive it while Opal might be a bit jealous of another girl getting her mother's attention.

Wing and Wei were different. The twins actually liked Kuvira and liked to fool around with her in the backyard. They sometimes get her to join them while pulling a prank on someone. It was always fun with them.

Huan on the other hand was like a lone wolf. Not really socializing with the others and doing strange things to random objects by using his metalbending abilities. He still had a lot to learn though. Kuvira could relate to his behavior a little. She liked being alone too. Although she didn't mind to be among people every now and then.

After eating dinner Kuvira headed back to her room. Her pockets were full of bread and cheese. When she arrived in her room it seemed like no one was there.

"Ryoko? It's me, Kuvira."

After a moment the black haired girl left her hiding spot under the bed.

"You're back."

"Of course. I promised and I bring you food."

Kuvira handed her the bread and cheese, "Nothing special but the only thing that I could put in my pockets."

"It's okay. I'm grateful, really.", Ryoko answered as her stomach grumbled once again. She couldn't wait any longer and ate what Kuvira brought her.

"Tomorrow I can look around for a mattress. For now some blankets must be enough or…"

"Or?"

"... or you could just sleep in the bed with me. We're small enough to fit in there together.", Kuvira said.

"If you don't mind.", Ryoko answered shyly.

Kuvira shook her head and took out a second blanket from her wardrobe. She also gave her some sleeping clothes.

"Ryoko tell me about you. Where do you come from?", Kuvira asked as the girls lay in the great bed together looking up at the ceiling. It was cozy and warm under the sheets thanks to their body heat. But it was comfortable.

"I… come from a small town that's here in the earth kingdom. We really weren't many people. But most of us were sceptical towards benders. They said benders are dangerous and unpredictable. After… after I lost control… I left. I was afraid of what they'd do to me."

"I see. They are stupid to say that about benders. And you just need to learn how to control it. I bet your own fear of your ability is holding you back. You need to accept it to make progress.", Kuvira said.

"You sure seem to know a lot about that.", Ryoko said in awe looking at the earthbender beside her. Kuvira smiled being proud of herself by impressing that girl again.

"I learned that from my mother. She teaches me."

"That's awesome. I wish my parents would have taught me. But they were non-benders. My grandpa… My father's father was a firebender. But he passed away from a disease when I was very young."

"You have experienced a lot of… losses."

"Hm.."

"You're not alone anymore. I'll help you. Just tell me if there's anything you need."

Ryoko smiled and snuggled up to Kuvira, an arm around her waist. Kuvira felt herself tensing up at the touch but tried to relax. It didn't feel so bad. Nope it wasn't bad at all she thought and allowed another smile to form on her lips. She was pretty sure that she had never smiled that much before. It meant for her to protect what causes that happiness in her from now on. No one would take Ryoko away from her ever! That's a promise.

So this was part 1. Feel free to tell me what you think. Also my English isn't perfect. If you notice anything language-wise just let me know 😊.

#kuvira #KuviraxOC #avatar the legend of korra #legend of korra #I love kuvira #Kuvira needs more love #kuvira fanfic

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every1studio · 5 years

Text

“falling in love with a florist” [ateez]

(genre: FLUFF

ficstyle: bulletpoints + reactions

prompt: ateez falling in love with a florist (you)

note: what is your favorite flower?

The boy frustratingly pouted as he found out that his favorite place, the park, was too crowded for him to relax. He decided to go on a little adventure through the hidden boutique street near his place. Everyone was outside on this warm, sunny day, it made him want a lemonade of some sort. The breeze carried him to your flower shop which was right next to an outdoor cafe. He was staring at you as he stood in line; you look so effortlessly beautiful.. more beautiful than the flowers you were tending..

HONGJOONG

(flower: lilacs)

would probably hold up the line

people would loudly ask him if he was trying to order or trying to get your number

you looked up to see the commotion; boy was he embarrassed

wouldn’t be able to look at you until he was done ordering

pretended like he was busy on his phone when he slowly walked by your shop

“are you interested in learning about the meaning of flowers?”

if flowers had voices, it would sound exactly like yours; he thought to himself

“flowers have meanings?”

your laugh chimed in his head that reminded him of flowers flowing against the wind, “of course they do!”

you took his hand and dragged him to the bundle of colorful lilacs

would be a blushing mess; seeing you so excited over flowers made his heart swell up

you tucked your baby hairs as you turned to look at him straight in the eyes, “white lilacs means youthful innocence.. these violet ones symbolizes spirituality and these ones? the blue ones? they symbolize happiness and tranquility! and these? these are the OG lilacs.. they symbolize the first emotions of love..”

he was in awe the whole time you were explaining this one type of flowers; intrigued that the different colors had different meanings and fascinated by your enthusiasm for flowers

it was hard to come across someone who was invested in something other than modern trends; he found this quite romantic

Hongjoong picked up the original lilac with the tips of his fingers and handed it over to you, “I don’t need to say anything else do I?”

you smiled through the blush that flushed your face, “th-that’s quite sweet of you...”

“I’m Hongjoong,” he takes your hand and gives it a quick peck

you had the flowers covering your wide smile and blushing cheeks, “Y/N..”

he’s just as smiley and blushy as you were, “can I call you, my lilac instead?”

SEONGHWA

(flower: red roses)

he remembered that it was his brother’s promotion so he wanted to buy him some flowers to congratulate him

he also thought that it would be a good idea to get some sort of chance to talk to you

he forgets about the lemonade and walks straight over to your shop as you were assembling a bouquet

“excuse me...” he calls out to you

when you turned around he wanted to choke in surprise, you looked way better up close and he was getting flustered

“what can I do to help?” you asked as you were slightly surprised by the appearance of this prince charming

he ruffled the hair on the back of his head as he looked at the abundance of flowers; he felt himself get all shy and nervous

even though he was feeling this way, he wanted to look confident; like he knew what he was doing

he points to the one in your hands, “how much is that bouquet?”

you were slightly sad, he was probably getting this bouquet for someone special

but you smiled anyways as you began to find materials to wrap it up, “what’s the occasion?”

“it’s for my brother.. wanna congratulate him on his promotion..”

you couldn’t help but laugh, “you want to get red roses for your brother to congratulate him? you do know that red roses symbolize “passionate love? I don’t know your relationship with your brother but for this occasion, I would gift him with a bouquet of daffodils instead..”

Seonghwa’s got wide as he shook his head and placed his hand over his mouth, “whoa really?! I didn’t know flowers had meanings... I wouldn’t get him those if I knew what they meant...”

you quietly and genuinely smiled as you were assembling his bouquet of daffodils, “flowers hold more meanings than you think..”

he paid for the bouquet and before he left, he made sure to look at you, face to face, “do you mind if I stop by sometime to learn more about them? the flowers?”

you nodded as you felt butterflies fill up your stomach

he thought to himself, maybe one day, he’ll be able to gift you red roses

YUNHO

(flowers: morning glory)

it was the month of September; it was suppose to be a chilly day but the warm breeze said otherwise

Yunho had just ordered a blueberry lemonade as he caught you in the corner of his eye; you were holding up some dainty, periwinkle flowers that matched his drink as he walked over to your shop

he’s always liked flowers but he was scared to buy them because he was bad at taking care of flowers and plants

just like he was scared of making the first move, but he felt like you were different than most people who he was interested in

“what are those called?” he pointed to the potted plant that was in your tiny hands

your smile was something he could get addicted to, “these? they’re called the “morning glory,” they are a climbing plant.. I was planning to plant these along the walls inside the shop.. hoping it would brighten up the place..”

“even though, you’re the brightest flower here?” Yunho didn’t mean to say that out loud, it was just suppose to be under his breath, but it made you laugh

“that’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard, thank you,” you couldn’t look at him eye to eye

his ears started to flare up red, “s-so is it possible to take care of this flower in a pot?”

“do you know anything about this flower?” you were surprised that this guy wanted to take care of this crazy vine of a plant

he shook his head, looking like a golden pup; you went over to the soiled roof lining inside of the shop, Yunho followed you after

you stepped up onto the top of a ladder as he stood near the ladder making sure you don’t fall

“well, in the Victorian era, these flowers signified love and affection. sadly these flowers have a short lifespan, so they could also symbolize unrequited love.. but it’s different through traditional Chinese tales, two people fell in love while neglecting their duties. this angered the gods above so they separated the two to live on the opposite side of a river, only to have them see each other once a year...”

Yunho didn’t know that flowers could have such a backstory

“these flowers can also grow really fast so that’s why I’m planting them up so high.. so these would be impossible to tame in a pot..”

you looked back at him and the flower, “I guess you like the color blue?”

his hair was a muted blue while he was holding a blue drink and asked about taking care of a blue plant; he showed a surprised smiled as he realized the coincidence, “oh, I didn’t even notice-”

he sees the ladder shaking as you misplaced your foot; maybe he was too over the top, but he swung his arm around your waist, supporting you with his chest as you were only a couple of inches from the ground

Yunho swore he saw glimmers of blue in your eyes as he placed you down

“t-thank you... I’m so clumsy.. I’m s-sorry about that...” you felt your heart racing like it was a roller coaster dropping down the rails

“oh don’t worry about it.. do you..”

you looked up at him waiting for him to ask a question to distract you from your beating heart

“do you think I could come by and help take care of the morning glory? you know, I was thinking that... the lovers in the Chinese tale don’t have to see each other just once a year if they know how to cross the river...”

you weren’t expecting him to listen to you babble about flowers, it touched you, “yeah.. you’re right. I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

you asked him a little too suddenly but he was quick to answer himself, “the only river between us is waiting for tomorrow to come..”

YEOSANG

(flower: daisies)

Yeosang was always fascinated by flowers especially daisies; they were such simple yet beautiful flowers

he remembered when he was younger, someone made him a flower crown made of daisies every summer until they moved away; they were his first love

but it was so long ago, he had forgotten their name and can vaguely remember their face

so the sight of you sprucing up a bundle of daisies made him feel nostalgic

he forgets about his want for lemonade and walks over to you

the moment his eyes were locked onto yours, he swore your face was familiar but he couldn’t put his finger on it

“hey, welcome~ how can I help you?”

you got up from your squat and wiped the dirt off of your hands; even doing something as that made his heart flutter like bubbles

“um.. these daisies...” he started to sweat out of nervousness

you looked at the dainty flowers and back at him, “want to learn more about them?”

he just shook his head yes; not knowing what he wanted to say but he wanted to continue to talk to you

“did you know that daisies were made from two different flowers? blended together like they were made for each other... giving daisies to someone can mean many things.. like innocence, purity, new beginnings and even true love..” you caressed the flowers as you were explaining about the flowers of his childhood

“I remember when I was little, I was OBSESSED with making flower crowns out of this.. I even made it for this boy that I like every summer after finding out what they symbolized... but then I moved to this area..”

he thought it was too good to be true that he found his first love; right here in this flower shop

that was when you took a closer look at him; you two locked eyes

suddenly it clicked

“Y/N?”

you remembered that faint scar on his face, “Yeosang?”

he felt like all in the time in the world stopped for the two of you, “it’s been so long... I never thought I’d see you again..”

you really bloomed into a beautiful person; it was like he didn’t know how to fall in love with anyone else

“me too..” you echoed

he squats down to be leveled with the daisies, “will you finally teach me the magic of making a flower crown?”

you smiled back at him and squatted down next to him, “better watch carefully because I’m not going to repeat myself”

SAN

(flower: camellia)

San was bored out of his mind waiting for his lemonade; so he was just be looking over at your flower shop

(do people even go to the flower shops anymore if it’s not for aesthetic instagram posts?) he thought as he was eyeing your backside

that was until you turned around with a blended two-tone red-pink camellia in your hair; you were the one flower that stood out in a field of flowers

right when his order was called, he rushed to grab it and briskly walked over to your shop

but abruptly stopped when he walked right in front of you

because he didn’t know what to say to someone as beautiful as you

you cut him to the chase, “hi, welcome! can I help you?”

“oh. yeah. uh. I’m good. I mean..” San clears his throat as he noticed it got a pitch too high, “I like the flower in your hair..”

“oh this? I put a flower in my hair everyday and the flower of the day is the camellia..” you hadn’t put down the pot of the baby camellia tree yet and you could feel your arm tingling of tiredness

San sees that and he puts down his lemonade on a nearby windowsill to help you

his hand grazes over yours, “I’m San.. let me help.. where do you want this?”

you pointed to the inside of the shop, “oh thank you! i’m Y/N.. well I want to take it before it gets too hot.. camellia trees grow better in cooler weather..”

he nods as he walks over to the area you pointed to

“by the way, are there any meaning behind camellias?”

when he turned back around, he saw your eyes lit up

the camellia really brought out the colors of your eyes, making them sparkle

“they have different meaning across different countries and colors of the flowers hold different meanings as well..”

he points to the one in your hair, “what does yours mean? it has different colors and all..”

you could feel his breath tickle your baby hairs

“its to express romantic love..” you blushed at your explanation

San got very intrigued with the conversation; he wanted to find out who you were expressing romantic love to

“someone special?” he sounded worried

you shook your head no, “I’m hoping to find someone.. I don’t have any plain pink camellias around.. those signified longing..”

he turns the pot of the camellia tree around and plucks a pure pink camellia hidden under the leaves and puts it in his hair

“well, Y/N.. look no further..”

MINGI

(flower: jasmine)

this boy had his lemonade spilling out of his mouth when he saw you making a bouquet of white jasmines

he thought you looked like an angel with the white flowers against your skin, your eyes; it was like it was God’s gift to make these flowers for you

“that’s very sweet of you,” you smiled at the man as he took the bouquet you handed to him

the old man that bought the flowers saw how Mingi was looking at you; you absentmindedly went back to work

he handed the bouquet of flowers to Mingi, ”go get em, son”

“w-wait.. I.. but I didn’t-”

“actions speaks louder than words,” the old gentleman winks at Mingi as he holds a single flower to give to his wife at the cafe

Mingi took a deep breath and walked over to you

he was breathing heavily; taking deep breaths to calm down his heart that was trying to escape from his chest

the scent of the flowers helped calmed him down more than he thought; it distracted him as you approached him

“I really love the smell of jasmines...” somehow the gentleness of your voice startled him

his hands started to get clammy and trembling as he handed you the bouquet

“for you... I’m..um.. Mingi,” was all he was able to muster

you recognized the bouquet that you had just made for the gentleman that came by a couple minutes ago; you noticed that the same gentleman and his wife were waving at you and giving you the thumbs up

you giggled at them; Mingi turned around to see the same thing

he was flushed red from head to toe in embarrassment, “they encouraged me to...”

you felt inclined to teased him, “encourage you to do what?”

he couldn’t look into your eyes, he became shy, “to give you the flowers...”

“well.. I’m Y/N..” you smiled as you looked at the bouquet you had assembled, “did you know that jasmines are associated with love? they also symbolize sensuality and beauty... they hold so much meaning.. it varies depending on the culture and setting..”

Mingi was daydreaming if this was what it would look like if he was standing at the alter with you, “I did-didn’t know that they had kind of meaning.. they suit you well.. the flowers...”

you were completely flattered by him, “aren’t you quite the charmer~”

“hmm?” you caught him out of his daydreaming

“what were you thinking of?” you smiled as you saw how flustered he was

“n-nothing!” he shoves his hands in his pocket, he looks behind his shoulder and the old couple encourage him to do more

he turns back to you with a little bit more confidence, “are you free?”

“I will be in 15 minutes..”

he takes in the scent of jasmine for a stroke of good luck, “can I ask you on a date right across the street at that cafe in 15 minutes then?”

he asked you so politely; you could tell how nervous he was.. “see you in 15 minutes, Mingi..”

he held it in but he wanted to squeal in excitement; no need for him to do it out loud since the elderly couple behind the two of you squealed in adoration

WOOYOUNG

(flower: heliotrope)

Wooyoung’s mother told him to freshen up his room with a potted plant of some sort

so he was in the hunt for a flower shop

after looking at a couple reviews in the cafe, he noticed that there was a highly-reviewed shop right in front of him

at his convenience, he went to go check it out

he was glad he did; the moment he saw you, he knew that it was meant to be

a couple of days ago, he went to go to a fortune teller with his friends; for the heck of it

the fortune teller told him to look for someone with purple flowers that had sweet scent; vague he thought but he kept it in the back of his mind

you were holding a potted scrub with purple flowers, maybe it was all of the flowers in the shop but he knew that the ones you were holding were the sweet ones that filled up his nose

it smelled of cherries, or almonds, or vanilla; just as sweet as the way you looked

“what plant are you holding there?”

you were startled by his appearance out of nowhere you almost dropped the pot

thanks to his quick reflexes, he quickly placed his hands over yours so that the small to medium pot wouldn’t shatter onto the ground

you flutter your eyes up at him with surprise, “thank you-”

“Wooyoung.. I’m Wooyoung...sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you out of the blue..”

usually customers don’t tell you their names, unless they are customers and they are mostly older people

they come in for what they need and then they leave

“it’s okay.. I’m Y/N..” you placed the plant onto the counter, “what can I help you with?”

he points to the shrub with dark green leaves and bundles of tiny purple and white flowers penetrating the air with the sickly-sweet yet addicting scent, “I want to buy this plant”

it was more of a gentle demand which caught you off-guard but it made you smile, “this pot of heliotropes?”

he nods as he digs for his wallet, “are they easy to take care of?”

“they do well indoors; you should place it in an area that is sunny yet shaded area.. you know what these flowers signify?”

Wooyoung had his undivided attention on you, “the meaning of heliotropes? I haven’t the slightest bit of idea...”

“eternal love..” you spoke softly

and that was the moment that Wooyoung fell in love with you

cliche to call it love at first sight? maybe, but for you? he’d wouldn’t give a second to any other guy who would try to swoop you away from him

he took his time to sign his receipt as he added his number to it

later that night, he didn’t think that you would contact him so he planned to see you the next day before you assume he was a one-time customer

but once he heard the sound of phone go off, he just had a feeling it was you

-Wooyoung? it’s Y/N.. let me know if you have any questions about the heliotrope~ (:

he shoot back a text with a wide smile

-what if I have questions about you? ((;

he looks over at the new addition to his room, deeming it to be his new good-luck charm

JONGHO

(flower: peonies)

Jongho was suppose to hang out with a couple of friends; but he wasn’t in the mood since he was just going to be a 5th wheel

being accompanied by two couples wasn’t his plan he had on his off days

“I’m gonna be over here...” he mumbled to his friends as they were taking lovey-dovey couple pictures for instagram

they nonchalantly nodded as he made his way to the flower shop; not thinking that he was going to discover anything that would change his life

he saw you sitting at the counter; focusing on perfecting the lively, voluminous flower vase in front of you

it was covering most of your face so he let you quietly concentrate on your work

he looked around the shop

it look like he was walking into a magical fairytale book

“how can I help you?” your voice magically fit into the whole vibe of the shop

that was when he finally saw your face

you were like the prince/princess that everyone in the far off lands would travel to catch a glimpse of

he felt like a knight who had no chance of being with the most sought-out of all the land

“I’m just looking around..”

“are you looking for anything in particular?” you saw the lonely look in his eyes and you felt like you needed to turn his frown upside-down

he shook his head; clearly unable to look at you, especially into your eyes

you thought you weren’t able to change his mood until you looked back at your flower vase

you swore he looked away as soon as you looked back at him

“would you like to help me with my flower vase?”

he rubbed the back of his neck, “I feel like I would mess it up..”

but you held his hand and dragged him to the counter, “nonsense! here!”

you handed him a peony

he looked around and strategically placed it into the vase, “see? you got it!”

you left the peonies to him as you added other assortments of leaves and flowers to enhance the peonies

“did you know that peonies can represent the romantic attraction between two strangers?”

he had a straight-face but he was trembling in nervousness; it was like he could feel bubble wrap continuously pop inside of him

“re-really now...” he says calmly but his hands frantically tried to grab for another peony

the moment he accidentally grabs your hand, he pulls away, feeling the heat of his face rise up to the hottest than that hot summer day

you couldn’t help but smile at how heart-shaken he was; he was easy to read, like a book.. it was cute

“really.. I’m Y/N..” you tilted your head so that you could look at his face

“Jo-Jongho..”

“Jongho.. do you believe in destiny?” you asked watching his movements with side glances

he wanted to answer as cool as possible but he said the first thing that came into his mind, “if I didn’t believe in destiny then, I do now...”

he was glad he went out with his friends; it was a blessing in disguise

[ masterlist + guidelines ]

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mystargreen · 4 years

Text

Hey! this is Cholula. Environmental practices: drop of peace.

Angy:

I went to help to San Pedro Cholula because I’ve always wanted to make a difference, it is not too far away from my house so it was really easy to arrive here. Also I like to help people and animals, I want to see people take their normal lives again. I’m staying at a house.

The weather is strange, sometimes it is cold, sometimes it is rainy, sometimes it is sunny, it is so strange.

I have helped to clean the river, I have helped to clean the sewers,I have helped to clean the streets, I have saved lost pets, I have taken the water out of the affected houses.

On the next days I think I will help to make a filter for the water, I will help affected people to put their things back in order inside their houses and I think I will throw away the garbage we took away from the houses, streets, and sewers.

I want to enjoy this soon in an other place.

Montserrath:

This blog is a space dedicated to the Municipality of Ocoyoacac specifically in the colony of San Pedro Cholula, aims to inform about the problem that the community is currently experiencing is the recent floods presented that affected their homes where they suffered material damage. The recorded rains caused parting and overflowing drainage, the population claims that these affectations them suffer every year for lack of repairs to the drainage.

That is why we hope to be able to solve the affectations that caused in the community, please join this wonderful project, where we will learn many things!

o Hi I am Montse, I am currently doing environmental practices so I am in San Pedro Cholula, located in Ocoyoacac, Mexico I stay in an apartment of a friend of mine is warm and fresh.

o The average climate in san pedro cholula mexico: In San Pedro Cholula, the rainy season is cloudy, the dry season is partially cloudy and comfortable all year round. During the course of the year, the temperature usually ranges from 1oC to 24oC and rarely drops to less than --2oC or rises to more than 27oC.

o I am in San Pedro Cholula in order to continue the maintenance of the drains so that I can prevent the strainers from inging the flooding and cause flooding within the community

o The activities that are being carried out in the campaign are as follows:

a. One day cleaning in streets, he picked up all the rubbish he had and disaffected himself

b. Application of trash cans on every street corner, were decorated according to tastes

c. A course was held to implement environmental education

d. Pantry support was provided to low-income families

e. And finally we send a report to the Municipal President in support of the campaign

o The activities that will take place in the following days will be

a. Make more propaganda to the campaign

b. Implementing clothing to distinguish

c. Perform a protocol for drain maintenance

Marco:

We went as volunteers to san pedro cholula to help people affected by the floods that occur in the region to carry out relief activities.

The weather when we arrived was a bit rainy which caused a little water to accumulate in the streets

The trip was not so long since I live something near the place where the program called "a friendly hand" was developed

Upon arrival they let us stay in an area where there were small tents

In the days that I have been here I have helped to bring supplies such as food and water bottles to people who were affected, I also went to help by putting bags to stop the water somewhat and also help people evacuate the places where the flood hit the hardest

I have also helped keep the streets clean to prevent the drain from clogging.

Likewise, I have also helped to partially clean the drains and finally help to get water out of the homes

In the days that remain here, it will probably help to give the drainage a better cleaning, maybe it will support the families to return to their homes after giving the necessary follow-ups and finally I will do a garbage collection to prevent it from clogging the drain in the future

Joshua:

During the visit made to San Pedro Cholula in order to support the environmental practices "Drop of Peace".

They took us to a lodging in the center of Ocoyoacac which had four rooms and we started our activities the day after we arrived. We carried out activities such as planning an automated drainage system and generating our own energy in which a whole team collaborated, we also formulated hypotheses and objectives to make the plan a success. A team of scientists worked with us on a solution made of non-harmful chemicals and experimented several times. We proceeded to speak with the corresponding authorities to obtain legal permits. After that we proceeded to expand our campaign and try to find permanent collaborators. For this purpose we first obtained permission from the inhabitants by signing formulas. Before exploring the terrain, we placed wooden boards and supports in places that were difficult to access.

After some hard work we were invited to taste the traditional food of the place which we found as interesting as fascinating, with it came its history and meaning.

Josué:

Hi!, my name is Josué. I’m a student of Anthropology. I’m from Metepec. When I listened about the project “San Pedro Cholula needs your help!”, I thought that I have never been to an environmental internship, so I said “come on”, and did the online registration. I went on a bus from Metepec to Ocoyoacac, and walked to Cholula today morning. When I arrived at Cholula I asked from the Green hostel, where I´m staying. At 12 o’clock, we started to survey locals about how the floods affect them, it was sunny. After that, I met with other volunteers in the lagoon to analyze it, and take out trash. When we finished, we distributed pamphlets about the river and the lagoon, and received more volunteers. Finally, I went to eat near the hostel and go around the town. I’m very excited ‘cause tomorrow we are going to visit the Ocoyoacac’s registry to study the actions that the government has done. Also tomorrow we are going to study the people’s habits about the floods and the trash. Is a warm night, and the internet says that tomorrow will be sunny too, so today Cholula’s people won’t be worried about floods tonight. Tomorrow, in the afternoon, I’m going to visit the Cholula’s Archaeological area.

Edgardo:

San Pedro Cholula, needs your help! 2020. The objective of the environmental practice "A drop of peace" aims to help in a voluntary and transparent way the people who live affected in the community of San Pedro Cholula due to the increase in water in the "Cienegas de Lerma" lagoon, therefore house, streets and drains have been affected.

The destination of the trip is San Pedro Cholula is located in the Ocoyoacac Municipality of the State of Mexico Mexico. Length: -99.486111 Latitude: 19.263889 The town is located at a medium height of 2570 meters above sea level. The place of lodging was decided in small departmental rooms that are for rent, located on the avenue "Cuauhtemoc" in the town.

The weather in San Pedro Cholula has been unfavorable, there is rainfall and rain from 11 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon and during the nights from 9 at night to 2 in the morning there are electrical storms and hail falls, the average temperature recorded has been 8 ° C.

In the time that we have been in this place we have witnessed the increase in the water level in the streets, houses and sidewalks, for which we have carried out some voluntary actions.

• Some activities that have been carried out voluntarily are the cleaning of garbage on the main avenues.

• Donations were granted such as basic basket foods, coasters, boots and mats.

• They were collected from signatures of those affected to apply for financial assistance from the municipality which belongs to the community.

• Delivery of drinking and bottled water for those house that were affected by the high level of water.

• Placement of wooden boards on clone stool difficult to access by water.

In the next 3 days we have scheduled actions such as:

-Volunteer help to fill and place sacks around the sidewalks to access the streets.

-Volunteer station to help neighbors bring products they need to their homes.

-Fence streets with high water levels to avoid the passage of cars that could get stuck.

It is great to be able to help people who need it, despite the cold, rain and a lot of water and being a small project, it becomes something very big.

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valkirsif · 4 years

Text

Unthinkable CH 35/???

Word 3200

Warning: nothing

She entered the terminal and see around looking for the flight panels, some people stopped with the phone in their hands probably hoping to see Tom appear too, saw the gate number and went there, passed the backpack and bag in the metal detector and pulled out the phone to show the ticket before sitting down waiting for the boarding call,

¥ I am already at the airport waiting for the flight, see you soon, I should land in Athens at 2 o'clock this afternoon ¥ she wrote to the group

¥ Excellent we go to the beach when we get up, warn when you are in town that we reach you ¥ replied Niko

¥ Well, although I think that I will collapse in the hotel, I had not reckoned with the 10 hours of flight ¥ replied Y/N with a smile, she was standing from 11 in the evening even though could have slept on the plane,

¥ Take a nap while you arrive, just in case we go to the hotel for a refresh before going for a ride ¥ said Marco,

¥ I leave tomorrow morning with Roby and Phil ¥ Gian ¥ How are you getting married? Nervous? ¥

¥ We are already in Skopelos and try to breathe .. everything is perfect as we wanted it! ¥ wrote Jack, the woman laughed to herself if she imagined the tension in her book, they announced her flight and followed the other people on hold, a hostess led to her place and brought her a coffee, found an envelope in her bag while she put out the phone, immediately read the note written with the elegant handwriting of her man

¥ My queen I thought that a boat ride would make your trip more pleasant, I love you ¥ in the envelope there was the number of a mooring outside the city and the name of the boat, still with the sheets in hand turned on the phone again and called Tom,

"Good morning Darling" the man replied cheerfully, "I deduce you have found my gift" he laughed,

"Thomas didn't have to, it's a beautiful gift but it didn't matter, you spoil me too much my king" she answered excitedly,

"I wanted you to appreciate the beauty of the islands and coves with your family .."

"Thanks you are always so thoughtful .."

"Don't you dare say anything" he threatened laughing, even the woman laughed, now he knew what she would say and remained silent,

"I'm already on the plane I'll call you as soon as I land," she said greeting him, the captain said good morning to the passengers, Y/N fastened seat belts and tried to relax by lowering the backrest to get comfortable, shortly after take-off she fell asleep.

She opened eyes when the stewardess called her kindly to get in position for the landing, as she felt weak and out of tune on the way out but was happy to have arrived, turned on the phone

¥ Landed !! See you at the hotel with me? ¥ wrote to his family,

"My love, I just landed, there is a beautiful sun, are you all right?" she asked Tom

"My queen, have fun and don't worry about me, I eat something and I think I'll go back to bed" the man replied laughing, "I'm waiting for the photos"

"Have a good sleep my king, call me so I won't disturb your sleep .. I love you" found a driver waiting for her near the exit, smiled and followed him to the car, luckily it wasn't too flashy,

"Where am I taking Miss?" He asked politely,

"Thanks in the hotel," replied the woman, once she reached destination sent the position to the rest of the group,

"Welcome, Miss Hiddleston, take her to your room," said the receptionist, smiling, gesturing to the elevator boy, "Room 301"

"I'll take your bags, follow me"

"I only have a backpack thanks" she replied,

¥ We arrive in 10 minutes Poppy ¥ wrote Niko

¥ I'll be waiting for you !! Room 301 ¥ answered, the room was beautiful and sunny, the sitting room had the typical Greek colors and looked out onto a terrace overlooking the whole city, went to the room, threw the backpack on the bed and waited for the others.

The reception advised her of their arrival, ran to open the door, Niko and Marco were dressed in the beach, Marco had red skin as always when he was too much in the sun, "

“Welcome!" chirped the woman running to meet him hugging them, "Haven't you learned how to put cream yet?" she laughed

"I did not think he beat so much" Marco laughed back, behind them Simo was smiling almost embarrassed to the woman went up the bile, Niko noticed

"Er" he began, "he joined us on the beach .."

"I imagined," she replied trying to smile, "Come in," said leading the way,

"Wow beautiful room" Marco said looking around,

"I take a shower to get the ol jatlag off me," said Y/N, moving towards the room, "If you want to have breakfast call the room service, for me coffee in rivers!"

shook her head looking in the mirror, it was just a couple of days could do it, she decided not to consider the problem, was with her family and had a boat available she would have fun .. maybe even to make Simo mad with envy, after the shower she felt better, put on the costume and dressed , she heard a knock on the door and joined the others on the terrace,

"Something was missing in the room .." she laughed reading the note attached to the flowers,

"Does it make you find flowers every time you travel alone?" Marco asked in amazement,

"He likes to spoil me, now I'm getting used to it .." she smiled dreamily, ".. and the vices are not over" said mysteriously sipping coffee, the others looked at her waiting but Y/N didn't add anything else, they ate all together

"I ..." Simo said in a low voice, "Poppy .. I want to apologize .. I'm really sorry for what happened ..", the woman stared at him for a second, not convinced at all,

"I don't believe in a single word coming out of your mouth so you can spare yourself the scene for those who believe it," she replied dryly, "I will pretend for nothing for the happiness of the couple but don't expect me to forgive you", even if the man seemed genuinely sorry Y/N knew him well enough not to trust,

“What are your plans for the afternoon? Are you going back to the beach? " churches,

"If it's not a problem for you, we'll go back to tan," Niko replied with a half smile,

"We thought we would visit the city after the wedding"

"No problem .. I thought I was going to get some sun too, I'll take you in the car" said the woman smiling putting on a large hat and taking her bag,

"Aren't you with us?" Marco asked

"It doesn't seem appropriate ..." she smiled closing the door, they went down to the hall

"Miss Hiddleston can I help you?" Asked the girl at the reception,

"Can you call my car please" Y/N replied, the group came out the car was waiting for them, two men got out of a car behind them and joined them, the woman looked at them dumbfounded,

"Miss Hiddleston" said one of the two reaching out to introduce himself, "I am Jason and he is Stefano, we are her bodyguards"

Y/N smiled embarrassed did not expect such a thing, "As an excuse?" She asked thinking had misunderstood, Stefano explained that Tom had hired them to look over her shoulder,

"We will stay away do not worry" concluded the man, the woman looked at the group and explained who they were, Marco burst out laughing

"Hell things get serious," he said getting into the car with the others,

"Where am I taking Miss?" Asked the driver, Y/N turned to Niko

"Let's go to the pier there is a boat every 15 minutes to the beaches" he replied, they left in city traffic.

The city full of life and tourists darted beside them the woman had no idea what she would find waiting for her at the pier, the only boat she had taken as a young girl was a simple rubber boat at the sea, after half an hour the car stopped near the sea,

"Poppy sure you don't want to go with us to the beach?" Niko asked,

"Well actually it's a shame not to enjoy the sea .." the woman replied ".. if instead of rolling on the sand did you keep me company on the boat?" concluded smiling,

"By boat?" Marco replied, "Do you have a boat?"

"Thomas has booked one to let me enjoy the islands and my family as much as possible .. even if I don't know what boat it is, do you go ?!" she laughed, the group accepted and followed her on the pier looking for the boat,

"Oh my god !!" she shouted when they found the right one, the "boat" was a huge yacht anchored at the bottom of the pier, a boy came down the ladder and met her when they stopped,

"Miss Hiddleston?" asked, Y/N nodded in surprise, "Welcome I make your way follow me" he said helping her to board

"Cabbage Poppy when you said boat I didn't think of a floating palace" Marco said laughing, the woman laughed in turn shaking her head, she didn't even imagine such a thing, they walked around, there were 2 bedrooms with bathroom, one internal room and a kitchen complete with a cook, the swimming pool with hydromassage on the deck surrounded by sun beds and a mezzanine with what looked like a large bed covered with colored cushions,

"Next to the mezzanine there is an intercom to call the kitchen, if you need me just press the 2" said the boy before leaving them alone,

"I'd say get comfortable," said Y/N undressing

“Poppy how wonderful, are we ordering something? I'm starting to get hungry, "Niko asked as he lay down, the captain came down to introduce himself

"Hello Miss, I'm Sebastian the captain, we are about to sail your boyfriend has planned an itinerary around the islands"

"Thanks, for today I thought I was enjoying some sun and sea" replied the woman,

“Shall I send for your bags? Do you think you're sleeping on board? ”Sebastian asked

"If possible I would like it!" She replied cheerfully, the captain sent one of the men on board to take her things to the hotel,

"Niko, Marco, why don't you stop to sleep too ?! It will be fun !!" Y/N proposed," In the evening we will bring you back to earth Simo "

"Ok" was his reply, the woman suspected he wanted to say more but did not "Rice joins me after work", the boat took off, ordered lunch, the woman seemed so strange not to cook all together even if she appreciated being spoiled like this, after a couple of hours they dropped anchor in a deserted cove she was about to follow the others in the water she heard the phone ring, it was Rice .. again, she decided to answer by now had spoken and was tolerating Simo could also bear he

"Hi," she said seriously,

"Hey finally answer," Rice replied laughing, "I left you alone but I wanted to talk to you if you let me."

"I'm a bit taken but tell me" Y/N tried not to give in but Rice missed him very much,

"How did the flight go?" He asked to break the ice, they were both clumsy,

"Well, I slept the whole trip" she laughed, "Now we are somewhere in the middle of the sea"

"Are you taking a ride?" Rice asked

"As if Simo hadn't told you .." said more brusque than he wanted, "..Thomas has rented a yacht for me for these days, he wanted us to be all together"

"Listen .. uh .. I'll be at Simo's tonight .." he began "You think you can take some time, you know we have to talk .."

"Ok, when we bring Simo back to the ground you could go up," she replied, they agreed and the woman joined the group in the water,

"Are you all right, Poppy?" Niko asked

"Rice called me, he joins us when we download Simo"

"Oh, do you want us to leave you alone?" He asked

"Nhaaa don't worry there is a lot of space we can put in the living room to talk" she replied nervously, "I'm glad you decided to clarify, it was strange to see you so far" laughed embracing her, they remained to bathe and sunbathe until sunset and they returned to Athens.

Rice was waiting for them at the dock, Y/N smiled nervously as the boat was moored

"Poppy, let's go down too," said Niko, embracing her "So you two can talk in peace"

"Are you sure?" Asked the woman "I'll call you before going back to the sea" said, embracing them, she reached Rice and they greeted each other awkwardly,

"You're in great shape," Rice said tightly, "The LA air is good for you."

"Thanks," she smiled back, "Let's go to the hotel, would you like me?"

"Sure, I have a lot of things to say to you," he replied, following her to the car, while on the way Tom called her

"Darling disorder?" He asked cheerfully,

"My love, don't say nonsense," she laughed

“How's the cruise going? Do you like the boat? "

"Oh Thomas, everything is perfect, only you are missing" she smiled "We have just returned to the port .. I am with Rice at the moment" said

“You have finally decided to clarify yourself !! I'm glad to hear it" he replied "The situation was wearing you out I hope you will solve it" he said seriously,

"It is a step forward, we are going to the hotel" replied the woman, "We will go back to sleep on the boat, I like being lulled by the waves"

"See you tomorrow my queen, don't be too hard on Rice .. I love you" Tom greeted her, Y/N smiled to herself if perhaps she had been too rigid with her friend even if deserved it, before deciding what to do she would listen to him .

They went up to the room and ordered drinks, the woman felt nervous she really wanted to forgive her best friend but, at the same time, she was afraid that he might betray again, they sat on the sofa on the terrace, Y/N remained silent waiting for Rice spoke first

"Sorry ..." the man began in a low voice

"You are an idiot you know it?" Y/N interrupted

"I realize it and you're right to be angry" he continued "I think your new life has displaced me"

"And it doesn't matter that Chris and I are friends .. or that I don't run anymore when you feel like it .." she replied acidly laughing

"As you said .. I'm an idiot" he laughed relieved "It took me a while to understand that I had done a shit and I didn't know how to let you know since you committed yourself to ignoring me .."

“Do you have a vague idea of how I felt? Should I have pretended nothing and made it go smoothly? In case you didn't notice I changed I am no longer willing to be treated like your toy" she said seriously," You hurt me .. but I forgive you ... I missed you " reached out and squeezed him,

"Oh Poppy I missed you too, I felt lost without my friend" he answered holding her tight, they remained embraced to tell each other the last month in which they hadn't spoken

"... you would have loved Sammy's wedding party, there were a lot of sexy, sweaty and kilted guests" she laughed, describing the games to his friend,

“Don't have any photos? I'm curious to see you in a bridesmaid dress !!" he replied cheerfully, Rice apologized again after telling her how he mediated with the rest of the group in favor of Simo,

"I really thought you were exaggerating before I realized I was just jealous"

"Let's not talk more about partner, everything is forgiven .. at least as far as you are concerned, Simo is another story I don't think I can forgive him and I hope you don't try to make me change my mind" she said seriously looking at him,

"I don't even try, if he did something like me I would have reacted like you, only that you would have supported me .. not like I did with you" he replied as serious as she,

"Are we going to sleep on our yacht tonight?" She asked hopefully

"Of course he did," Rice replied immediately, "I just have to warn Simo that I won't go to him" he got up to call his friend, Y/N took the phone to give the news to Tom

"Are you all right darling?" Asked the man as soon as he replied,

"Yes my king, we solved everything is fine"

"Excellent, I was sure it would end well," he replied laughing, "Darling I was thinking of extending the rent of the boat .."

"Why?" She asked anxiously, "I'm happy to be here and attend the wedding but I can't wait to come back to you"

"Not for you my love, I thought that the couple would have liked a private cruise as a honeymoon" he replied "Do you think it could please him?"

"I'm sure, they put everything in the wedding not thinking about the trip .." she said excitedly, "..Thomas .."

"Then I'll call right before you try to make me change my mind, I know you think it's too much but it's not" he laughed, sticking the phone in her face, Y/N was amazed with the cell phone in hand

“Poppy what's going on? Are you okay?” Rice asked, seeing the expression,

"He slammed the phone in my face," she replied

"Who?"

"Thomas," replied, "I was going to stop him from spoiling me and he closed the call for me." laughed,

"He figured out how to win against you," Rice said, joining the woman, "What other surprise did he reserve for you?"

"Not me, he stopped the yacht for another 20 days as a wedding gift for Franc and Jack" she said

"Typical of Tom, accept your friend's advice .. don't try to change it, you would fail" he laughed

"I really struggle, I admit it," said the woman, shaking her head, "It's something so innate in him that sometimes petrifies me, I'm sure the kids will have fun"

"Tell Niko and Marco that I'll see you at the pier in the meantime I'll call the car" they reunited with the others and set sail, the woman was happy as the day was over, she fell asleep exhausted in Rice's arms, the next morning they would welcome the others to spend the day before the wedding.

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