#me tossing this bit out the window now that allie is back and i don't have her spellbook anymore: Good riddance!!!

[bekahdoesnerdshit]

Scrawled on the first blank page of a stolen spellbook:

Day 1: Already working on a way to get you back; some rich old lady knows a way to get the magic we’re gonna need. She reminds me of that shitty “migration and language” professor you had, so you can imagine how much fun dealing with her has been.Met a weirdo in a mask who you’re gonna hate, and a little illiterate wizard who’s gonna give you a heart attack. Also been dealing with the burgermeister’s swaggering little attack dog, and you know how I prefer to deal with guys like that. I’d say you’ll hate him too, but I’m pretty sure you’re not gonna have the chance to meet him. Shame.

Stupid how quick I forgot how to not miss you. I hated you for decades, and having you back for a week was enough to ruin all that hard work. Really appreciate that, Hugh.

Day 2: Almost died today. Figured you’d want to know, so you can yell at me about it later. In fairness, it was because I was trying to be a good person. I could have just taken Kai and left, but I didn’t.…thought about doing it, though. Didn’t fucking matter in the end, but I guess I wanted you to know that too. That I tried to do the right thing. Anyway. Ireena’s dead. Turns out vampires here only know one trick; pick a fight nobody wants, kill one person, and leave. Izek’s(1) dead too though at least, so let’s count our victories where we find them. And then. And fucking then. That rich old bitch who’s supposed to help me get you back? Decided that our deal is off, because she got Strahd to do her dirty work for her. And then she had the fucking audacity to lock me up in her stupid, ugly house. I’m writing this now to keep from going to town with my crowbar in here until something happens. You’ll have to excuse me if my handwriting is shit right now; I’m fucking furious.

…I can’t believe this smug, entitled dickhead is keeping me from spending the night with you.

…I’m gonna pry up a floorboard and take a shit down there.

(1)Sorry. Izek is the ‘swaggering little attack dog’ from before. Dropped his name with a lot of confidence there before remembering I’d given exactly zero context. Thank god I had so fucking long to sit and proofread this thing tonight!

Day 3 Got screwed over for having a shred of empathy for someone who just lost someone they cared about. Started to forget that I’m the only one here who gives a shit about saving you but don’t worry: I got a swift kick-in-the-dick reminder and now my head’s back on straight. Not making that mistake again.

Strahd showed up in Vallaki which, I cannot stress enough, is not my fault. Not for lack of trying! But I didn’t get to help kill the burgermeister or hand over the anti-vampire bones. This mess is deeply, entirely, not my fault. Anyway. He made it clear that he calls the shots there now, and you know what? Say what you will about the guy, but he knows how to make a fucking entrance and command a crowd. I bet his Lang201 students never fall asleep during his lectures.

At least one good thing came of today: got to see one of the consorts(2) beat to shit and left to die. Other than that we picked up another stray (this one had a huge book of Barovian history; you know I started tearing through it immediately), fought some fucked up werewolves, and… oh yeah! Got backed into a corner and forced to waste a day helping out this random family and their vineyard, instead of going to Krezek after dropping Uke off. Like we had planned. Like I said, kick-in-the-dick reminder.

I don’t care what anyone has to say about it; I’m going to Krezk. Alone, if it comes to it. I’m not chasing after some fucking- gem, or whatever. They can figure it out on their own.

(2)Not Antonio. The one who killed Ireena, who I would have loved for you to meet. God, that would have been great. …great for me, that is. You would have hated her. And I would have loved that.

Day 4 I won’t admit that it was a fun fight. You’re going to be the only person who ever reads these, but I still won’t give them that satisfaction. As far as they get to know, I was mad to be forced to go and grumpy the whole time I was there. And to be clear; I was. Mad about it, that is. But it’s…fine. Because I’m so fucking nice, I’ll be the bigger person and let it go. We’re heading to Krezk in the morning, so at least we’re back on track.

Oh by the way, I took Dylan to get a tattoo for her last birthday. She said she wasn’t gonna tell you until she moved out, but she told me I could tell you if we ever spent twenty minutes together without fighting. She was obviously joking, but here we are. We’re well past twenty minutes, I think. It’s a little rainbow beetle on her bicep. It’s pretty cute, I think she did the sketch herself. She handled the whole thing like a champ.

Day 5 Spent most of today traveling to Krezk. Spent the rest of the day in Krezk. Great stuff.

Going to see the Abbot tomorrow. Supposedly he's the guy that can fix you, and I’m gonna knock him around until he does. See you soon, hopefully. I’m getting bored of journaling.

Day 6 Fuck them. Fucking spineless, brainless, self-righteous cowards. Sanctimonious hypocrites. Bastards.

I don’t answer to them. If they think that I’m going to bow down and let them rip this chance away from me without fighting back, they got another fucking think coming.

I’m not leaving Krezk without you. And I’ll burn the bridges I have to to make it happen.

forget he exists when you look away stay focused

writing in notebook. about us? followed us

[The writing is jumbled, scattered and hard to read]

puts thoughts in your head

Forget he exists when you look away

[Crosswritten with the previous line, illegible]

trades in secrets? knowledge? have to assume he takes it. BAD IDEA

Day 7 I didn’t write that.

No. Obviously I did. I hacked through my t’s at that annoying angle I picked up from you, and looped the l’s together in that way I picked up to annoy you. No one else has breathed on this thing in the last week. Obviously, I wrote it.

But I don’t remember doing it.

Am I going

Alright, alright. No point freaking out about it; let’s take it one step at a time. Way I see it, there’s three explanations:

Someone took and wrote in your spellbook since the last time I opened it, which was earlier this afternoon (found your weird Elder Tongue transcription by the way. You’re gonna be so mad if I crack it without you)

I’m not I’m starting to My mind isn’t reliable. Unlikely.

I wrote it, I’m right, and there’s a creepy little pervert skulking around the shadows.

Number one’s impossible, the only time your spellbook isn’t in my holster is if I’m writing in it. Leaves two and three, and between one where I’m losing my mind and I’m not, well. If there’s one brain I trust, it’s mine.

Day 8 You’ll never guess who showed his stupid, ugly face again.

Mhm. That’s right.

Y’know, I’ve been thinking about it the last few days, what I’d do when we ran into him again. I thought I might try to play it cool, not give him the satisfaction of having got to me. Get in some quips about not having to pay alimony anymore, or about getting full custody of the kids. I don’t know. But when I saw him, I just- I saw red. I didn’t hear a word out of his mouth, I just. I just shot him. And hit him. Over and over and it felt

Did it feel good? We didn’t kill him. I don’t think we came close. He almost killed Zavisza. Would have too, if Strahd hadn’t shown up to monologue at us again. He wants one of our tagalongs (both of them, technically, I guess. We gotta stop taking in strays) and instead of just letting him have the guy he wants (So sorry to see you go! Best of luck! We’ll miss you! Etc.) our stupid, self-important paladin and his dumbass little savior complex—

I can’t even put how stupid it is into words. Thank fuck I’m lucky enough that you’re going to be unlucky enough to have to sit through it with me. You’ll see. You’ll be just as annoyed as I am.

But. Apparently, there’s a scroll of Raise Dead in the ruins of a swamp town south of Vallaki. This is it, Hugh. This is- It has to be. It has to be. We’re going to go to this stupid swamp, we’re going to find this woman and take her scroll, and I’m gonna fix you.

See you soon.

Day 9 Another travel day. You should be proud of how responsible I was, even with Flips trying his hardest to get us killed by goading us on into the swamp tonight. We’re camping out here on the edge, and we’ll head in fresh in the morning. If nothing else goes wrong (one can dream), I’ll get my hands on that scroll and have you back tomorrow.

And, well. When something does go wrong, let’s at least hope it’s a quick detour. Because otherwise, we’re going back to Plan D(3).

(3)The “D” is for “De-face”, of course. Look, it made me laugh. You can lecture me about that joke being in poor taste tomorrow.

Day 10 Berez is, uh. Was, I guess. Berez was It was a shitshow. Who cares.

Almost got myself hanged when we went back to I mean. Who fucking cares.

Hugh, I’m scared. Terrified. Everything has gone wrong every step of the way to get you back, and this is going to be the same. Borris was dead when we got here, the scroll was gone. Who’s to even say it’ll actually be in this stupid tower when we get there? What if someone else has used it? Burned it? What if it doesn’t work, if resurrection just doesn’t work here? What if it does work but you come back wrong? Hurt? Broken? A rat?? What if this was all for nothing?

If I keep saying “tomorrow”, eventually I’ll be right.

#when your wife is killed in front of you and you're handling it soooo so well. ahah #ransom kitwell #cos2 #mine #word count: 1792 #me tossing this bit out the window now that allie is back and i don't have her spellbook anymore: Good riddance!!!

[khaosrealms]

oh, EXCUSE me? your writing is spectacular and i'm not exaggerating!! - the way you wrote and described the first meeting between syzoth and the princess was so good that it left me wanting more!

i beg and still on my knees for more!! 🥺

LACERTA’S GEM. (PART THREE!) / SYZOTH X PRINCESS! READER.

a/n: thank you so much for the receptive response! you beg and what am i to do but give to you more content? your wish is my command! also, for any of those who see this without reading the previous parts, here you go! the first two parts + the intermission and the conversation with the princesses !

- It's been a whirlwind, the ascension from jailer to free man-- but every step of that way for Syzoth, you are there. His closest ally, his first friend, his princess. Of course the gossip is plenty even before his induction as emissary. Whispers aplenty of the moment you two had shared at the end of the battle for Outworld and the Empress' acceptance to allow a Zaterran to hold a court position. Insistent on screeching and yelping about matters that held no importance to them. Of your relationship with Syzoth and the matter of the green shifting fabric wrapped around your right arm. But you don't allow their words to poison you. You have two wonderful sisters-- and they are there for you as Syzoth is given the honor of emissary for Mileena's court. There to look amongst the court and speak of his achievements; and to challenge anyone who might speak ill of someone revered by the Empress herself.

- Pulling Syzoth and yourself away from one another becomes an impossibility from that point onwards-- in equal measure intentional as it is unintentional. Drawn to one another like song birds. Sharing your walks in one another's company, spending his nights at the door of your chamber, never entering, but leaned against the door frame. Minutes turning to hours as the two of you conversed. Wasting the time you could spend sleeping instead talking with the Zaterran whom you'd never would have met had you not parted into that alley that night of the festival. Not wasting, no, reveling; the both of you.

"It's getting late, Princess." As if either of you care. He's smiling as he speaks it; arms folded over his chest where he stands. He knows it distracts you. Brushing past him to grab your tomes for the small touches it gifts you of his biceps, gently slapping his forearm when you laugh; innocent gestures of hidden desire. Syzoth indulges it. He indulges it knowing it brings your touch, your warmth. Even now, as you gently shove his shoulder at his words, rolling your eyes, he doesn't move away. He anticipates it. You'd be blind not to notice. You've never been more thankful for the privacy your Umgadi guard has gifted you both-- or, well, was rather ordered to.

"Late? I see no sun on the horizon, Syzoth." To a nearby window, you gesture and his eyes remain on your own despite it. Not allowing himself to rid himself the sight of you for even a second to look away. It makes something hitch in your throat; and even as you laugh to cover your pause, it does nothing to hide it. Warmth swimming itself up to your cheeks as he stays there in the silence between you two. His verdant gaze briefly flitting to your lips and back up to your eyes. "Is that so?" Even when he whispers, Syzoth's voice rumbles. Resonating off his chest and into your ears; and straight down to the bottom of your stomach. "I hadn't noticed, Princess."

- Syzoth can't take his hands off of you when you finally take the leap and pull him into your chambers, shutting the door behind you both with his tail. Tossing every bit of formality and restraint in his body out to meet your hungry lips. Desperate for his touch, his taste, his cold skin, his everything. Even as his hands slip as they clutch onto the fine fabric of your bed, your body laid across, he catches himself. Standing over your willing body, gaining his breath back.

"You're beautiful, Syzoth." Shifting between his Outworlder and true form above you, his tail wrapped around your thigh, his sharpened teeth and tongue. All stained in the dark green hue of his beating lifeforce. You might just be the first person in all the realms, so full with so many lives, who has ever called him beautiful. And you might be the first person, in this cruel terrible world, he'd ever believe was telling the truth with such honeyed words. "Be true for me." "Are you sure, Princess?" He could hurt you, Syzoth thinks. His acid, his size; but all you do as he despairs is capture him into another kiss. Melting his worries, dissolving away his shifted form-- and parting to meet his crimson eyes. His scaled chest rumbling with a hissed, deep groan. "Certain."

#mortal kombat x reader #syzoth x reader #syzoth x princess! reader #mk1 imagines #mk1 #syzoth #khaosrealms #HIIII #it's 6 am and i'm taking my ass to BED #i'm so excited 2 drop this on y'all #you all deserve it :heart:

[moonsugar-and-spice]

⃤ So, if I can be frank, Lu Dao, don't take too much offense to what I am about to say but you come off as a ladies man.

I have to know, is any one woman capable of your having your devotion or is the sea your only lover?

If you've met this woman already what makes her so special? And if you haven't, what does she have to have to make you turn your ship around?

Send a △ and ask my character(s) a really invasive question.

2/10. He is not easily offended, it’s a beautiful day in Harbor City, and this should be an easy enough question for him to answer.  You’ve caught him walking en route to his ship alongside his first mate, Rizo.

Your footsteps thunk out of sync along the docks, the scent of hot coal and fish guts ripe in the briny air. “A ladies’ man?” echoes Lu Da, as if the notion is preposterous and you’ve just nicked his ego with a blade. 

Rizo meets your eye, only shakes his head, as the three of you stop before a magnificent vessel, all strong lines and gleaming metal, boasting power and resilience, red-tinted windows studding the bridge like jewels.

Her captain grins, extending an arm toward the waiting ramp, the ship’s name glinting in the noonday sun. Revenant's Forge.

As you’re led up to the deck, starting to wonder whether he means to dodge the question, Lu Da counters, “I prefer to think of myself as more of a ladies’ ally…” 

The words hang as he exchanges cheeky greetings with the motley, formidable group that snaps to attention. Then, he turns back to face you, extending his arms slightly as he walks backward, palms open, lips slanting in a smile. Genial. Contagious.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he prompts on your behalf. “Well, it’s true I’m a lucky guy who’s had the pleasure of knowing some pretty remarkable women. Even learned a thing or two from most of ‘em. But, more importantly, I aim to be a man who appreciates and respects the women in my life.” 

Lu Da reaches the sun-warmed taffrail, leaning back against it. A salty breeze musses the fringe of his mohawk. “And y’know, I think that’s what a real ladies’ man is all about. It’s not about collecting conquests or playing some kind of smooth charmer—”

A muffled snort at your side. Rizo clears his throat, throwing on an innocent look.

“It’s not about a silver tongue or irresistible charisma—though those things have their place. It’s about valuing and supporting the women around you. And if all that makes me a ladies’ man?” Lu Da offers a shrug of one brawny shoulder. “Yeah, then I guess you’ll have to count me in.”

“That’s sweet and all, Cap’n,” Rizo cuts in, his amusement reflected amongst the crew. “And while true—you know the lot of us’ll vouch for that—I think our friend’s more referring to the way you busted outta your mama’s womb flirting.”

Raucous laughter ignites and Rizo turns to you, lips splitting in a lupine grin. “Legend has it he winked at the midwives, babbled one of his witty one-liners, and had the lot of ‘em swooning like a bunch of romance scroll heroines. He is a smooth charmer, but the sneaky kind—you don’t see it coming, ‘cause all you can see is the inkocalypse he’s got goin’ on, and then, bam.” The sharp clap of his hands rings in the air. “Slip on it like a papaya rind.”

There is a playful twist on Lu Da’s lips, a laugh huffed through his nose, but even you know well enough that there is no room for real indignation.

“Alright, so maybe I have a bit of a reputation,” he admits, then tosses you a nod. “But, look, if you’re gonna be frank, well then, I guess I’ll be shittily honest.”

The bustling harbor drones and clatters as Lu Da sighs, shifts, sunlight scattered by his rings as he anchors strong hands on either side of him along the rail. His attention drifts and narrows on the distant seam of sea and sky.

Whoops, the dial is ticking up now. 3/10… 4/10…

“Never really admitted this to anyone out loud, save for a few souls,” he begins haltingly. “I enjoy good company, that’s no secret. You could say I’m a people person, half of the time anyway, and the other half I just like fucking with ‘em. Flirting?” His gaze does not slip from where it is moored to the horizon. “Good seventy percent of the time for me it’s a game, another ten percent accounting for boredom. The fun of catching ‘em off guard with a smile, and sure, a smooth word, betting with myself on who’ll respond with disgust or suspicion or desire, which ones’ll turn tail and which’ll catch spark.”

A rueful smile flickers across his face as he drags his gaze back to yours, taps a ringed finger to his temple.

“‘Ah,’ you’re thinking, ‘there’s the shitty part.’ And yeah, probably.” A shadow of something crosses his face, etching a faint furrow between his brows. “But here’s the thing. As a mercenary pirate, my life isn’t exactly conducive to deep romantic connections. Always on the move, never knowing what might happen from one moment to the next, so fleeting encounters are the currency of my existence.

“Then we factor in that among the pool of people undeterred by…” a pause to gesture vaguely at the tattoos, the piercings, the strip of dark hair running down his head, a man who carved his name into the annals of ill-repute, “...there’s a half-dried puddle of the ones who see beyond it. Most’re just down for the thrill, the forbidden, the seductive danger or the usual fetishized attraction, you know. Not much worth taking seriously when you know most of them don’t see you or don’t care to.”

A shimmer of wings slices the air as a gull swoops, diving for a cart. The fisherman lunges but the bird is faster, its prize winking silver as it makes off.

“All that to say, when it is more, the rare times it has been—”

“Put it this way,” says Rizo, “when Lu Da stops playin’ games, you know shit’s got real.”

The acknowledgment tugs at the ink on his face as Lu Da shrugs his head toward his first mate: What he said. “Over the years, there’ve been a few. One or two that mighta stood the long haul even, had it not been for shitty luck or circumstances. Took to joking that the only lady I really need is Soraya, my crossbow, or my ship, and yeah, even the sea herself, and all of it was true. It was easier that way.”

The landscape shifts, his expression softening into something tender and earnest. “And then I met Rinna.”

“Man got obliterated by a love comet, and ever since he’s been orbiting in a cosmic haze of heart-shaped stardust. Just look at ‘im.” 

Lu Da only grins. It should look misplaced, this depth of warmth and affection radiating from a man of such an aspect and infamy. “She’s pretty damn awesome. Strong. Whip-smart. Head-turningly beautiful. But I’ve been around, and that stuff may be great, but it plays second erhu to what really matters.”

There is the clank of metal and low chatter, a sighing groan as the vessel rocks. Most of the crew has dispersed to their various tasks. Only Rizo stays behind, sinewy arms folded across his chest. 

“Rinna… she’s the kind of person who makes you feel alive, makes you believe in yourself, not just who you are but your potential, that your life might actually be worth a…” The words tangle in his chest. Lu Da starts again, his voice huskier, infused with the salt and grit of a life at sea. “Well, she’s got this… supernatural knack for seeing people. I’m talking seeing past all the surface-level and even mid-level shit, straight through to the core of who you are, for better or worse. 

“The first time she called me a good man, I shot it down. Forcing a puzzle piece where it didn’t fit. Done too many bad things, I’d told her. It was true. But she wasn’t convinced. Doesn’t like to define a person by their past, she says. ‘Uh, okay…’” he drawls, a mirror of hesitancy, the fragile dance between hope and trepidation. “I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. Because it will, of course, it always does. And I’m waiting, and waiting. And slowly, I stop, and I realize she’s for real.

“And it’s not just about the faults and imperfections, how she embraces all of you, no. Somehow, this woman is armed with the power to zero in on the absolute best parts of you. She can see qualities you might not even be aware of yourself, and then she holds them up like precious gems for you to marvel at.” Lu Da swallows thickly, composes himself with the huff of a laugh. His hand slides from the sun-drenched rail to run through his hair. “It’s a bit uncanny at times, actually. But Rinna changed the game. She’s a beacon of light. In this whirlwind life, where the only constants are chaos and change, she’s my north star.”

#invasive character asks #lu da #rinna #oc shenanigans #apologies for dropping off #got knocked all the way out by the archdemon of colds #but i’m back (on my bullshit) #can’t believe this needed a readmore #but with pirate king it’s a complex question to answer - especially when he's the one talking #so rizo was there to help out #there is more to the iceberg but that’s the gist #and since he’s answering this from later on (sometime post-storms) i decided to play with his fancy new ship #obviously rinna hasn't had a whole lot of screen time yet #but lots has gone on behind the scenes and the curtains of my mind #peeking a little of it here #oc ask game

[omarvel-comics]

Issue 1

@mikkokomori

Throughout the night, that venom from the spider bite did its thing. Circling through his blood stream and altering his blood and DNA. Hero tossed and turned in his sleep as this happened. Hero woke up with a start.

"W-what happened?" He thought. He tried to get up but, his hands were stuck to the bed!

"AAAAA!" He yelled, waking Kel up.

"Hero? What's going on?" Kel asked.

"I don't know!" Hero screamed as he tried to unstick himself before tearing the bed and falling.

"WHATS GOING ON-" Hero shot something out of his wrist. A web. A look of fear crossed Hero's face.

"No! No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no WHATS HAPPENING TO ME?! WHATS GOING ON?!" Hero screamed, backing into the wall before getting stuck again.

"H-Hero?" Kel asked, before a web shot at him. Hero looked horrified and climbed out the window, running off.

"WAIT HERO!" Kel yelled before running out of the house. Hero ran away, getting scared by a car honk and shooting a web, which then dragged him forward after it hit something. Hero hit a clothesline and a tree. His face was obscured by clothes, leaves, and sticks. In his blind panic he ended up heading towards the city, while Kel took the car and tried to follow him. As he drove, Sunny called.

"Hey Kel. A supervillain, the Octo girl, I dunno, Doc Ock, is attacking the city and this weird web slinging guy is freaking out and breaking things. Can you pick me up and take me to Faraway?" He asked. He did that whenever a villain attacked.

"Web slinging guy? THATS HERO!" Kel said and hung up on a confused Sunny. He slammed on the gas. When he finally got to the city, police cars were everywhere. There were destroyed buildings, and webs everywhere. Kel had to park and get out. Kel ran in the direction of an explosion. His brother was in danger probably!

Running past police, through the webs and rubble, as he tried to locate Hero!

Eventually, Kel saw the Supervillain, ties up in a web. She looked PISSED! As she was taken away, Kel saw something fall into an ally. He ran over there. Running past a camera facing him on the ground, he saw Hero. Tangled in his own web. He looked scared.

"H-Hero?" Kel asked.

"Get away! I don't know what's going on! I'm a freak!" Hero yelled, trying to get away.

"No you're not, you're my big brother! And I mean, you beat a Supervillain!" Kel said.

"I did?" Hero asked, starting to calm down a bit.

"...You defeated a Supervillain on accident!" Kel said. A car pulled up. Aubrey, Basil and Sunny got out.

"You're lucky I was able to steal this car. Otherwise we wouldn't have made it!" She said. They then noticed Hero.

"It's not safe here! Get him in the car, before Molly's sister come for revenge!" Basil said, looking around nervously. Sunny approached Hero, and took out a steak knife.

"Why do you have that? Didn't Kel take it away?" Basil asked. Sunny said nothing as he cut through the web.

"OK Hero, just stay calm. When you get free, get in the car. PROMISE me you'll get in the car!" Kel said. He only just noticed how tear stained Hero's face was. Once free, he got into the car, as the kids drove off. Hero was silent as Kel sat next to him.

"Hey Hero. You know, you've got superpowers now! You could be a Superhero! Y-you could stop those bad guys from attacking us!" Kel said. Hero looked away. Kel understood. Waking up to having the abilities of your worst fear must be hard. He gave Hero a hug as Aubrey pulled into Sunny's house.

"We'll figure this out! It'll all be just fine!" Kel said, a big smile on his face. Hero couldn't help but smile back. Once they got to Sunny's house, Hero collapsed on the couch. Sunny's mom was never home, it would be fine.

Meanwhile. The camera in the ally was gone. And none of the Faraway friends took...

#Omarvel Comics Issue 1

[trinity-mia]

a story as endless as the ocean

the lightning thief

1.5 las vegas' most normal hotel and casino

warnings : animal abuse, casinos, cussing, allie gets sexualized

word count : 5.1k

1.5 If I Were to Let Temptation Control Me Just a Little Bit More, the Entire World Would've Ended 

The war god was waiting for us in the diner parking lot.

"Well, well," he drawled. "You didn't get yourself killed."

"You knew it was a trap," I accused, glaring venomously at him.

Ares gave me a wicked grin. "Bet that crippled blacksmith was surprised when he netted a couple of stupid kids. You looked good on TV."

"I always look good on T.V. And movie screens. And magazines. And large stages," I bit back. "Why do you think Hollywood has kept me around so long?"

Luke shoved his shield at him. "You're a jerk."

I grabbed his arm, a silent warning, and Grover gulped but Ares just smirked. He grabbed the shield and spun it in the air like pizza dough. It changed form, melting into a bulletproof vest. Then he slung it across his back.

"See that truck over there?" He pointed to an eighteen-wheeler parked across the street from the diner. "That's your ride. Take you straight to L.A., with one stop in Vegas."

The eighteen-wheeler had a sign on the back, which I could read only because it was reverse-printed white on black, a good combination for dyslexia: KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT. WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS.

My head snapped back around to stare incredulously at him. "You're kidding. I'd rather do the whole raise-my-hand in Walmart tactic."

Ares snapped his fingers. The back door of the truck unlatched. "I just gave you a free ride west, punkette. Stop complaining. And here's a little something for doing the job."

He slung a blue nylon backpack off his handlebars and tossed it to me. Inside were fresh clothes for all of us, a pouch full of golden drachmas, and a bag of Double Stuf Oreos.

"We don't want your lousy—" Luke began hotly.

"Thank you, Lord Ares," Grover interrupted, giving us both his best red-alert warning look. I wasn't really against the arrogant deity getting told exactly what this little thing called reality was, but Grover wasn't as suicidal as Luke and I apparently were. Maybe it was a demigod thing. We knew we'd probably die before turning twenty so we amputated our survival instincts.

"Thanks, bub."

I gritted my teeth. It was probably a deadly insult to refuse something from a god, but I didn't want anything that Ares had touched. Reluctantly, I slung the backpack over my other shoulder, succeeding only in making myself look stupid with two backpacks.

I knew my anger was being caused by the war god's presence, but I was still itching to punch him in the nose. He reminded me of every bully I'd ever faced: Nathan Bobofit, Gabe, random dudes on the streets anywhere I went who would catcall me, the gross people on the internet.

I looked back at the diner, which had only a couple of customers now. The waitress who'd served us dinner was watching nervously out the window, like she was afraid Ares might hurt us. She dragged the fry cook out from the kitchen to see. She said something to him. He nodded, held up a little disposable camera and snapped a picture of us. I could've turned away, but I put on my best terrified look and stared right into that camera's lens.

"Thanks," I turned from terrified to angry in half a second, thanking Danny for all those years of forcing me to perfect my facial expressions.

Ares smirked at me, fiery eyes flickering over me with a familiar look. I shifted uncomfortably. "I'll see you around Punkette," he declared, slinging his leg over his overly-large bike. "Never know, what with your looks, give it two months and maybe I'll sweep you off your feet once you become legal."

I choked in shock, while Grover grabbed onto Luke who had started forward with a furious expression. Ares gave a dark laugh and sped off, dust being kicked up behind him.

"That no-good, sonova—" Luke began to snarl as soon as Ares was gone.

"Yeah, no kidding," I agreed darkly, remembering all of the other grown men who'd said that to me and feeling the need to claw my own skin off. "I can't believe—"

"Uh, guys," Grover cut in anxiously. "I hate to interrupt but."

He pointed toward the diner. At the register, the last two customers were paying their check, two men in identical black coveralls, with a white logo on their backs that matched the one on the KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL truck.

"If we're taking the zoo express," Grover said, "we need to hurry."

I didn't like it, but we had no better option and after that crap, I didn't want to test what might actually happen if we refused the ride. The next train wasn't until tomorrow night and it took too long. Besides, I'd seen enough of Denver. We ran across the street and climbed in the back of the big rig, closing the doors behind us.

The first thing that hit me was the smell. It was like the world's biggest pan of kitty litter. I felt like I was going to throw up from it. But the smell wasn't half as disgusting as the sight of the inside.

The trailer was dark inside until I brought out Riptide. The blade cast a faint bronze light over a very sad scene. Sitting in a row of filthy metal cages were three of the most pathetic zoo animals I'd ever beheld: a zebra, a male albino lion, and some weird antelope thing I didn't know the name for.

Someone had thrown the lion a sack of turnips, which he obviously didn't want to eat. The zebra and the antelope had each gotten a Styrofoam tray of hamburger meat. The zebra's mane was matted with chewing gum, like somebody had been spitting on it in their spare time. The antelope had a stupid silver birthday balloon tied to one of his horns that read OVER THE HILL!

Apparently, nobody had wanted to get close enough to the lion to mess with him, but the poor thing was pacing around on soiled blankets, in a space way too small for him, panting from the stuffy heat of the trailer. He had flies buzzing around his pink eyes and his ribs showed through his white fur.

I put my hand over my mouth in horror at the brutal scene.

"This is kindness?" Grover yelled. "Humane zoo transport?"

He probably would've gone right back outside to beat up the truckers with his reed pipes, and I would've helped him, but just then the truck's engine roared to life, the trailer started shaking, and we were forced to sit down or fall down.

We huddled in the corner on some mildewed feed sacks, trying to ignore the smell and the heat and the flies. Grover talked to the animals in a series of goat bleats, but they just stared at him sadly. We were all in favor of breaking the cages and freeing them on the spot, but I reluctantly pointed out it wouldn't do much good until the truck stopped moving. Besides, I had a feeling we might look a lot better to the lion than those turnips.

I found a water jug, used my powers to remove the dirt and refilled their bowls, then used Riptide to drag the mismatched food out of their cages. I gave the meat to the lion and split the turnips between the zebra and the antelope.

Grover calmed the antelope down, while I used a throwing knife to cut the balloon off his horn. I wanted to cut the gum out of the zebra's mane, too, but we decided that would be too risky with the truck bumping around. We told Grover to promise the animals we'd help them more in the morning, then we settled in for the night.

Grover curled up on a turnip sack; Luke opened our bag of Double Stuf Oreos and started to nibble on one half-heartedly; meanwhile, I tried to cheer myself up by concentrating on the fact that we were halfway to Los Angeles. Halfway to our destination. It was only June fourteenth. The solstice wasn't until the twenty-first. We could make it in plenty of time.

On the other hand, I had no idea what to expect next. The gods kept toying with me. At least Hephaestus had the decency to be honest about it— he'd put up cameras and advertised me as entertainment. But even when the cameras weren't rolling, I had a feeling my quest was being watched. I was a source of amusement for the gods. And though that was essentially what I was made for, especially in the eyes of the internet, I wasn't being paid for this type of forced entertainment. 

After a few minutes, Grover started to snore, and I marveled enviously at his ability to fall asleep so easily. We rode in silence for a few miles, bumping around on the feed sacks. The zebra munched a turnip. The lion licked the last of the hamburger meat off his lips and looked at me hopefully.

Luke rubbed his necklace like he was deep in thought.

"That pine-tree bead," I said, breaking our silence. "Is that from your first year?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Every August, the counselors pick the most important event of the summer, and they paint it on that year's beads. I've got Thalia's pine tree, a Greek trireme on fire, a centaur in a prom dress— now that was a weird summer..."

"I need to hear that story at some point," I grinned. I reached up to touch my locket. Luke's gaze followed my movement.

"It's a family heirloom," I explained. My eyes went to his scar and I chewed on my lip, debating whether to ask about it or not.

Luke realized what I was looking at and sighed, pulling me to rest my head on his shoulder.

"My mother has mental issues," he revealed. "She gets these fits and I ended up running away when I was nine. Met Thalia a while later. Annabeth a few months after that. Before we met Grover, Thalia got badly hurt while we were near my house, so we ended up going there to patch her up. Hermes was there, and he told me after I got to Camp, he would organize a quest for me. And he did. I was assigned to steal the Apples of Immortality from the Garden of the Hesperides. I got my scar from Ladon, the dragon who guards the tree. Not very interesting really." He cleared his throat. "How does it feel being one of the most well-known names in the world?" 

I got the hint and let him change the subject, telling him any story about my career that came to mind. 

Soon enough, the rocking of the van and the thumping of Luke's heart in my ear let me drift off into sleep.

My nightmare started out as something I'd dreamed a million times before: Walking around the streets of Manhattan, getting catcalled. I'd keep my head held high and didn't say anything, but on the inside, I felt terrified.

Then the dream strayed from the usual.

I looked over to my side and a girl was there, walking with me. She was my age, with unruly black, punk-style hair, dark eyeliner around her electric blue eyes, and freckles across her nose. Somehow, I knew who she was. She was Thalia, daughter of Zeus.

She glared and flipped off a few guys, got frustrated, and snapped, "Well, Kelp Head? One of us has to get out of here."

She's right, my dream-self thought. I'm going back to that cavern. I'm going to give The Voice a piece of my mind.

The voices didn't stop, but I fell through the sidewalk. The catcaller's voices changed until it was cold and evil, echoing from the depths of a great chasm.

"Astraea Jackson," it said. "Yes, the exchange went well, I see."

I was back in the dark cavern, spirits of the dead drifting around me. Unseen in the pit, the monstrous thing was speaking, but this time it wasn't addressing me. The numbing power of its voice seemed directed somewhere else.

"And she suspects nothing?" it asked.

Another voice, one I almost recognized, answered at my shoulder. "Nothing, my lord. She is as ignorant as the rest."

I looked over, but no one was there. The speaker was invisible.

"Deception upon deception," the thing in the pit mused aloud. "Excellent." He said it in that sinister movie villain way. You know, egg-sal-lent.

"Truly, my lord," said the voice next to me, "You are well-named the Crooked One. But was it really necessary? I could have brought you what I stole directly—"

"You?" the monster said in scorn. "You have already shown your limits. You would have failed me completely had I not intervened."

"But, my lord—"

"Peace, little servant. Our six months have bought us much. Zeus's anger has grown. Poseidon has played his most desperate card. Now we shall use it against him. Shortly you shall have the reward you wish, and your revenge. As soon as both items are delivered into my hands... but wait. She is here."

"What?" The invisible servant suddenly sounded tense. "You summoned her, my lord?"

"No." The full force of the monster's attention was now pouring over me, freezing me in place. "Blast her father's blood— she is too strong-willed, too unpredictable. The girl brought herself here."

"Impossible!" the servant cried.

I need to wake up, I thought, feeling The Voice 'turn' towards me. Now! My eyes snapped open, and I gasped frantically for breath as my adrenaline crashed.

"The truck's stopped," Grover warned me. "We think they're coming to check on the animals."

"Hide!" Luke hissed. He had it easy. He just put on Annabeth's magic cap and disappeared. Grover and I had to dive behind feed sacks and hope we looked like turnips. At the same time, if someone ever dared to compare me to a vegetable, they'd get to Hades the quick way. 

The trailer doors creaked open. Sunlight and heat poured in.

"Man!" one of the truckers said, waving his hand in front of his ugly nose. "I wish I hauled appliances." He climbed inside and poured some water from a jug into the animals' dishes.

"You hot, big boy?" he asked the lion, then splashed the rest of the bucket right in the lion's face.

The lion roared in indignation.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the man said.

Next to me, under the turnip sacks, Grover tensed. For a peace-loving herbivore, he looked downright murderous. In fairness to him though, I would happily have held them down while he bludgeoned them both to death with his pipes. It seemed like a good way for them to die.

The trucker threw the antelope a squashed-looking Happy Meal bag. He smirked at the zebra. "How ya doin', Stripes? Least we'll be getting rid of you this stop. You like magic shows? You're gonna love this one. They're gonna saw you in half!" Sick, twisted, disgusting bastard.

The zebra, wild-eyed with fear, looked straight at me.

There was no sound, but as clear as day, I heard it say: Free me, My Lady. Please.

I was too stunned to react.

There was a loud knock, knock, knock on the side of the trailer.

The trucker inside with us yelled, "What do you want, Eddie?" Always knew I hated that name.

A voice outside— it must've been Eddie's— shouted back, "Maurice? What'd ya say?"

"What are you banging for?"

Knock, knock, knock.

Our guy Maurice rolled his eyes and went back outside, cursing at Eddie for being an idiot.

A second later, Luke appeared next to me. He must've done the banging to get Maurice out of the trailer.

"This transport business can't be legal," he declared. I nodded in agreement.

"No kidding," Grover said. He paused, as if listening. "The lion says these guys are animal smugglers!"

That's right, the zebra's voice said in my mind.

"We've got to free them!" Grover said. He and Luke both looked at me, waiting for my lead. I stayed calm on the outside, but inside my thoughts were racing by too fast to process them properly.

I'd heard the zebra talk, but not the lion. Why? Maybe it was another learning disability... I could only understand zebras? Then I thought: horses. Hadn't Poseidon created horses? Was a zebra close enough to a horse? Was that why I could understand it?

The zebra said, Open my cage, My Lady. Please. I'll be fine after that.

Outside, Eddie and Maurice were still yelling at each other, but I knew they'd be coming inside to torment the animals again any minute. I grabbed Riptide and slashed the lock off the zebra's cage.

The zebra burst out. It turned to me and bowed. Thank you, My Lady. If Luke or Grover found this weird, they didn't find time to say. 

Grover held up his hands and said something to the zebra in goat talk, like a blessing.

Just as Maurice was poking his head back inside to check out the noise, the zebra leaped over him and into the street. There was yelling and screaming and cars honking. We rushed to the doors of the trailer in time to see the zebra galloping down a wide boulevard lined with hotels and casinos and neon signs. We'd just released a zebra in Las Vegas.

At least he wouldn't stand out.

Maurice and Eddie ran after it, with a few policemen running after them, shouting, "Hey! You need a permit for that!"

"Now would be a good time to leave," I said as I snatched up my bag, Luke grabbing Ares' one.

"The other animals first," Grover insisted.

Luke and I cut the locks. Then Grover raised his hands and spoke the same goat-blessing he'd used for the zebra.

"Good luck," I told the animals. The antelope and the lion burst out of their cages and went off together into the streets.

Some tourists screamed. Most just backed off and took pictures, probably thinking it was some kind of stunt by one of the casinos.

"Will the animals be okay?" I asked Grover. "I mean, the desert and all—"

"Don't worry," he said. "I placed a satyr's sanctuary on them."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning they'll reach the wild safely," he said. "They'll find water, food, shade, whatever they need until they find a safe place to live."

"Why can't you place a blessing like that on us?" I asked.

"It only works on wild animals."

"That sucks," I complained.

"Cheer up, Angel," Luke said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Come on. Let's get out of this piece of shit."

We stumbled out into the desert afternoon. It was a hundred and ten degrees, easy, and we must've looked like deep-fried vagrants, but everybody was too interested in the wild animals to pay us much attention.

We passed the Monte Carlo and the MGM. We passed pyramids, a pirate ship, and the Statue of Liberty, which was a pretty small replica, but it still made me homesick.

I wasn't sure what we were looking for. Maybe just a place to get out of the heat for a few minutes, find a sandwich and a glass of lemonade, make a new plan for getting west.

We must have taken a wrong turn, because we found ourselves at a dead-end, standing in front of the Lotus Hotel and Casino. The entrance was a huge neon flower, the petals lighting up and blinking. No one was going in or out, but the glittering chrome doors were open, spilling out air-conditioning that smelled like flowers— lotus blossom, maybe. I'd never smelled one, so I wasn't sure.

The doorman smiled at us. "Hey, kids. You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?"

I was always wary of strangers, but I'd become full-on paranoid in the past week or so. I figured anybody might be a monster or a god. You just couldn't tell. But this guy was normal. One look at him, and I could see. Besides, I was so relieved to hear somebody who sounded sympathetic that I nodded and said we'd love to come in. Inside, we took one look around, and Grover said, "Whoa."

The whole lobby was a giant game room. And I'm not talking about cheesy old Pac-Man games or slot machines. There was an indoor waterslide snaking around the glass elevator, which went straight up at least fifty floors. There was a climbing wall on the side of one building, and an indoor bungee-jumping bridge. There were virtual-reality suits with working laser guns. And hundreds of video games, each one the size of a widescreen TV.

Basically, you name it, this place had it. There were a few other kids playing, but not that many. No waiting for any of the games. There were waitresses and snack bars all around, serving every kind of food you can imagine.

"Hey!" a bellhop said. At least I guessed he was a bellhop. He wore a white-and-yellow Hawaiian shirt with lotus designs, shorts, and flip-flops. "Welcome to the Lotus Casino. Here's your room key."

I stammered, "Um, but..."

"No, no," he waved me off, laughing. "The bill's taken care of. No extra charges, no tips. Just go on up to the top floor, room 44001. If you need anything, like extra bubbles for the hot tub, or skeet targets for the shooting range, or whatever, just call the front desk. Here are your LotusCash cards. They work in restaurants and on all the games and rides."

He handed us each a green plastic credit card.

I knew there must be some mistake. Maybe they thought I'd already paid. Maybe Danny had called ahead and booked us a room? I convinced myself he had, "How much is on here?"

His eyebrows knit together. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, when does it run out of cash?"

He laughed. "Oh, you're making a joke. Hey, that's cool. Enjoy your stay."

We took the elevator upstairs and checked out our room. It was a suite with three separate bedrooms and a bar stocked with candy, sodas, and chips. A hotline to room service. Fluffy towels and water beds with feather pillows. A big-screen television with satellite and high-speed Internet.

The balcony had its own hot tub, and sure enough, there was a skeet-shooting machine and a shotgun, so you could launch clay pigeons right out over the Las Vegas skyline and plug them with your gun. I didn't see how that could be legal, but I thought it was pretty cool looking. The view over the Strip and the desert were amazing, though I doubted we'd ever find time to look at the view with a room like this for the rest of the quest.

"Oh, gods," Luke breathed, slack-jawed. "This place is..."

"Sweet," Grover said. "Absolutely sweet."

There were clothes in the closet— all designer— and they fit me. I frowned, thinking that this was a little strange. Then I shrugged and I threw Ares' backpack in the trash can. Wouldn't need that anymore. When we left, I could just buy more supplies at the hotel store. I went ahead and shoved all of the clothes and shoes into my bag, certain Danny had called ahead and told them to prepare everything for our stay and had paid for them all then.

I took a shower, which felt awesome after a week of grimy travel. I changed clothes into a vintage Chanel top and skirt, ate a bag of chips, drank two waters and a coffee, and came out feeling better than I had in a long time. In the back of my mind, a small problem kept nagging me. I'd had a dream or something... I needed to talk to my friends. But I was sure it could wait.

I came out of the bedroom and found that Luke and Grover had also showered and changed clothes. Grover was eating potato chips to his heart's content, while Luke had turned on Game of Thrones.

"Boys," I snorted. "You had to choose something I act in?" 

"It's awesome. That waitress was right— your character is sick as hell," Luke defended his T.V. show choice. "And you look hot— do you have any of those dresses still?"

"I feel good," Grover said. "I love this place."

I had to agree. This place was better than pretty much everywhere else I'd ever slept in. "I can't believe I've never stayed here before."

"So what now?" Luke asked. "Sleep?"

Grover and I looked at each other and grinned. We both held up our green plastic LotusCash cards.

"Playtime," I grinned.

I couldn't remember the last time I had so much fun. Despite the places I went, there was no comparing to this place. Really, why had I never stayed here before? 

I bungee-jumped the lobby five or six times, checked out the waterslide, snowboarded the artificial ski slope, and played virtual-reality laser tag and FBI sharpshooter. I saw Grover a few times, going from game to game. He really liked the reverse hunter thing— where the deer go out and shoot the rednecks. Frankly, it was kind of weird.

Luke was playing various theft and battle-related games, as if that wasn't how he spent his regular time as well.

I'm not sure when I first realized something was wrong.

Probably, it was when I noticed the guy standing next to me at VR sharpshooters. He was about thirteen, I guess, but his clothes were weird. I thought he was some Elvis impersonator's son. He wore bell-bottom jeans and a red T-shirt with black piping, and his hair was permed and gelled like a New Jersey girl's on homecoming night.

We played a game of sharpshooters together and he said, "Groovy, man. Been here two weeks, and the games keep getting better and better."

Groovy? Who the fuck says groovy anymore?

Later, while we were talking, I said something was "sick," and he looked at me kind of startled, as if he'd never heard the word used that way before.

He said his name was Darrin, but as soon as I started asking him questions he got bored with me and started to go back to the computer screen.

"Hey, Darrin?" I said, a feeling of unease in my stomach, and a pounding in my head.

"What?"

"What year is it?"

He frowned at me. "In the game?"

"No. In real life."

He had to think about it. "1977."

"No," I denied, getting a little scared. "Really."

"Hey, girlfriend. Bad vibes. I got a game happening."

After that he ignored me.

I started talking to people, and I found it wasn't easy. They were glued to the TV screen, or the video game, or their food, or whatever. I found a guy who told me it was 1985. Another guy told me it was 1993. They all claimed they hadn't been in here very long, a few days, a few weeks at most. They didn't really know and they didn't care.

Then it occurred to me: how long had I been there? It seemed like only a couple of hours, but was it?

I tried to remember why we were there. We were going to Los Angeles. We were supposed to find the entrance to the Underworld. The world... the world was going to end if we didn't stop it! I rushed around the room in search of the boys.

I found Luke robbing the White House.

"Come on," I told him. "We've got to get out of here."

No response.

I shook him. "Luke?"

He looked up, annoyed. Frankly, I'd never seen him giving me a look like that, and it only reinforced my stress level. The way things were going, I'd be on blood pressure tablets by the time I turned eighteen in two months.

"What?" Luke snapped at me.

"We need to leave."

"Leave? What the fuck are you talking about, Allie? I've just got past the third level—"

"This place is a trap."

He didn't respond until I shook him again. "What?"

"Oh for the love of Olympus!" I cried, frustration bubbling in my stomach, along with a little fear at the furious look on Luke's face. Then I slapped him. Hard.

That jarred him. His vision cleared. "Oh my gods," he said. "How long have we—"

"I don't know, but we've got to find Grover."

We went searching, and found him still playing Virtual Deer Hunter.

"Grover!" we both shouted.

He said, "Die, human! Die, silly polluting nasty person!"

"Grover!"

He turned the plastic gun on me and started clicking, as if I were just another image from the screen.

I looked at Luke, and together we took Grover by the arms and dragged him away. He fought us, but considering Luke and I were taller and stronger, it wasn't a fight he was going to win, "No! I just got to a new level! No!"

The Lotus bellhop hurried up to us. "Well, now, are you ready for your platinum cards?"

"We're leaving," I told him matter-of-factly.

"Such a shame," he said, and I got the feeling that he really meant it, that we'd be breaking his heart if we went. Well, he'd just have to deal. He'd have no guests at all if Zeus and Poseidon tore the world apart in the midst of their temper tantrum. Probably no wifi either.

"We just added an entirely new floor full of games for platinum-card members."

He held out the cards, and I wanted one. But, I knew that if I took one, I'd never leave. I'd stay here, happy forever, playing games forever, and soon I'd forget my mom, and my quest, and maybe even my own name. I'd be playing virtual rifleman with groovy Disco Darrin forever.

Grover reached for the card, but Luke yanked back his arm and shook his head with a firm, "No, thanks."

We walked toward the door, and as we did, the smell of the food and the sounds of the games seemed to get more and more inviting. I thought about our room upstairs. We could just stay the night, sleep in a real bed for once...

Then we burst through the doors of the Lotus Casino and ran down the sidewalk. It still felt like afternoon, about the same time of day we'd gone into the casino, but something was wrong. The weather had completely changed. It was stormy, with heat lightning flashing out in the desert.

Ares' backpack was slung over Luke's shoulder, and mine from Camp was over mine, still filled to the brim with the designer clothing I'd put into it. Both of which was odd, because I was sure I had left them in room 44001, but at the moment I had other problems to worry about.

I ran to the nearest newspaper stand and read the year first. Thank the gods, it was the same year it had been when we went in. Then I noticed the date and moaned in horror: June twentieth.

We had been in the Lotus Casino for five days. We had only one day left until the summer solstice. One day to complete our quest.

*    *    *

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SERIES M.LIST | MAIN M.LIST | TIPS

#asaeato #a story as endless as the ocean #alliejackson #female percy jackson #lukecastellan #lullie #trinitymia

[bemylord]

ᴏᴠᴇʀʜᴇᴀʀ ᴏᴜʀ ꜱᴇx

synopsis: levi had accidentally listened to you and erwin having sex and gets super turned on. he starts to notice all the subtle touches you give one another through the day, he thinks that you don't know that he sees it, but both of you just want to see how far this can go until levi snaps.

thanks @gipumar for an idea, i hope you'll like it!

pairings: levi x fem!reader x erwin.

warnings: nsfw, exhibitionism/voyeurism, threesome, oral [both fem and male receiving], cigarettes and alcohol mentioned, upprotected sex, size kink, double penetration.

w/c: 3.6k

the room is illuminated with a muffled light from the trembling candle in the corner, which barely burns by reason of an opened window. the captain levi has been stuck here since he came up from the escapade, trying to deal with the stack of paper. he's smoking the cigarette apathetically, frowned and clench the cheekbone, reading the next article.

levi lazily rubs his eyelids, straightens his legs, taking a comfortable position. erwin gave a massive heap of different articles and direction, saying: 'we lack chaste people here who can deal with it, would you mind do it?' levi couldn't say no - the question formulation will hit on his ego if he rejected the task.

the head tossed back when the flame of the candle had faded out from the breeze outside. the ackerman is out of composure, not having the force to maintain an urge deep inside his soul. sitting in a semidarkness room when only the faint light of the moon illuminates the office.

he stood up from the chair, coming to the window. outside the building only drunken people are speaking loudly about nonsense. the captain snorted, exhaling cigarette smoke he'd lost count of. third or fourth, maybe seventh - he doesn't know; all he knows is to deal with a paper and take a warm shower after all.

'he probably busy or sleeping, erwin' he hears a female voice from erwin's office. first, he thought is his hallucination awaken due to the work he's been doing.

'wait for me in our bedroom, honey, i've practically done with it'

'i want you now, my captain'

he overhears the dialogue he shouldn't have to listen to, break into the intimate relationship. that's counting as voyeurism, hearing as his commander, although he rarely calls him the commander only among the people to be respectful, spending his time with you. levi recognized your voice by the little whine you put at the last word; you did it seldom when erwin prohibits to do your requests. levi isn't the type who would spying or pursuing insofar as heard someone voice in the erwin's cabinet.

he took a puff from a cigarette, wiggling his head as he's trying to deal with an obscene thought in his mind. levi is used to be stern and rectilinear, but currently, his clarity of mind hammered with one question: they'll be doing intimate intercourse in the office?

nobody's gonna find out the captain of the survey corps being listened to how his allies are having sex. how would they know? he crossed his arms on the chest, holding the cigarette with his teeth, prick up his ears.

it's inappropriate to be listening.

in the next room reached out chair squeak and some heavy objects, probably books that being on erwin's desk, fall onto the ground. perhaps his hearsay has improved, thanks to the dead silence in the town. people are peacefully sleeping, only a few drunken people are wiggling among the alley. he extinguished his cigarette on the wooden table, leaving it there as well, and left the room. a clock is reading far past midnight: cadets are sleeping, even though several people guarding the building, probably lurking in a secluded area and taking a nap. whilst levi is scrutinizing through the papers, erwin is having a ravishing night.

the hallway is illuminated by few candles, the atmosphere is electrifying: getting caught by spying at the erwin's and his lover isn't the wonderful feeling he'd like to feel. the door is closed, but sounds are still coming from the room: smooches and squelches, the quiet whimpers you're trying to quell, are knocking out from your hazy mind. if there would be an opportunity to have a peek on you, levi'd take advantage of it, scorching the image of you and smith naked deep in his mind.

not that levi couldn't please him by himself or find a girlfriend, what happened if he'll take a quick peel on both of you? clearness of his mind is dazzling by the cigarettes he had been smoking. he's declining the thought it may be because he hasn’t gotten a possibility to masturbate in a few weeks. presumably, the momentary expedition had taken more days than it should be, leaving levi in a desperate state. naturally, he can go without masturbation for months but he is a grown man with needs, as silly as it may sound.

'captain, slow down if you don't want to be heard'

'he probably busy or sleeping, have you forgotten your words, dear?

the sudden way of arousal covered him, levi has gotten barely prominently shiver, as he heard your conversation. obscene squelches are increased and levi should be gone, if he doesn't want to be declassified. it was obvious from the sounds that you're having a climax, as your previously whimpers turned into the purr reaching it. levi swallowed with a certain breathlessness, looking down: it must those days without touching himself.

'i'm not done with you, naughty girl. do you think you dare interrupt me from my work? leave the room after me'

it's the moment when levi shall pace back to his office and mind his business but still standing there, wait for erwin's appearance. he takes some steps back, pretending he left the room contemporaneously with erwin, without knowing it. proofs of being worked as hell are his sweet on the hairline and bags under eyes: he has made an excuse. why he must make excuses for leaving the office at the midnight? erwin went from his cabinet covered with a little bit of sweet on his forehead and an unbuttoned shirt.

'levi? aren't you supposed to sleep? it's ... quite late for awakening'

the ackerman snorted, rolling his eyes. the erwin's appearance instills him he had been pleased for the time levi's been doing the task. smith yet is regaining breathing, closed the door.

'i'm doing your task, erwin, you forgotten? anyways, can we talk in your office?'

'i'd like to, but i'm exhausted as you. why don't we both come to our rooms and take a nap?'

the levi's mind issues a telltale signal to stop talking and do as erwin told him: he needs to remove the bulge in his pants. light illumination in the hallway concealed a levi's problem.

'yeah, you should take a nap, you look really exhausted. come to my office as soon as you'll wake up, erwin'

as soon as he turned around toward his office, the commander quite exhaled, button his shirt. as he closed the door, he tossed his head back against the door, unzipped the pants to release the problem. what happened in the hallway, why he acted like a moron if he can go back to his chair and scrutinize papers. something snapped in the mind to dare to talk with erwin after his quick sex unawares him and declassified. he should have been gone when he overheard as both of you reached the climax, wanting to have aftercare in the bedroom or kiss each other there without being exhibited. the clarity of mind was full of dirty thoughts he was incapable of deal with, still having a dizzy mind. those days without even touching the area he wanted, might put him in a trouble.

levi is melting when he spat in his hand, making strokes on his cock. a blissful moment of delighting. he never thought that spying on someone who is having intercourse will set him on the pleasure. with the other hand, he clutches his shaggy hair, imaging erwin and you in his office having sex. erwin spinning you around to face the desk, going inside you without a warning, stretching your walls. you could feel his curves and every vein in his dick, you swear you could: erwin's dick is hot and hard of the anticipation. foreboding the orgasm which will come over him with a wave after a few minutes being inside you - marvelous.

'i'm gonna deal with papers, not imagining them being closed'

he has your hands behind your back, squeezing your wrists hard 'till you can't fill your fingers, leaving on your soft skin half-moons, subsequently will turn on into small bruises in the morning.

'i shouldn't have to think about it, it's obscenely'

the climax makes you and erwin melting: you're squeezing his dick, making him lose the vestiges composure.

'maybe i'm gonna think about it once'

- - -

the next days were less troubled: levi was training new soldiers, trying not to stay up too late, so that he won't have repeated incidents. he was trying to read a book but failed up by caught himself thinking about that night. levi couldn't help himself every time he looks at you or erwin side. it wasn't a big deal - getting caught isn't a good memory, but levi thinks both of you didn't know he was listening to it.

it was less troubled until he started to notice all frisky touches you gave to erwin. those touches were clearly aren't purposeless or aimless, you rub his shoulder when you see nobody's watching. you look around, ascertaining everyone is busy, ruffle your lover's hair, laughing as he takes your wrists, mildly leaves kisses from the wrist to the knuckle. it doesn't bother him - conversely, he smiles when sees the way erwin raises the corner of his lips ogling at you.

being in love is cool, especially when the feelings are mutual. once levi peeks, not that he was spying all the time on both of you, he went out from his bedroom to have a glass of water. you and erwin were at the dining room, chatting and laughing over some situations, maybe you had been planning your future together. suddenly, erwin hoisted you up by your waist as you were enclasping your legs around his torso - you're a perfect couple, aren't you?

light touches when erwin checks up on new soldiers, you lightness conducted at his spine with your finger, perhaps feeling as he got tensed by your unexpected touch. ackerman isn't jealous but deadpan - why you kept touching him if there's a risk to be declassified. you aren't children to hide your relationship, no one dares to acknowledge to discover your secret as if it can be called a secret.

the night he awakes isn't a specific one, levi has sort of nightmares of war and titans inside the wall, demolishing and killing people, soldiers, crushing everything on their way. a small walk around the building may help him takes a brief nap. apprehensions about you and erwin disappear well, yeah, he has gotten both of you, but it won't happen again. although, he got turned on that night, masturbating lately at his bedroom, scorching an image of you at smith's lap bouncing on his dick, sort of deviated thoughts he couldn't get out of your head.

the hallway is illuminated by candles, guards are sleeping or chatting at the roof because no one could make debauchery due to levi and erwin are here. soldiers basically scared of being beaten by levi, knowing his passion to learn dissidents to be respectful and know their place.

levi walks among rooms in a leisurely way, enjoying the silence and solitude of a warm night. the wind isn't exhausted the candle in the building - calmly summer night without any accidents.

for the time being.

sitting in the cellar by his own, drinking the sturdy alcohol, attempting to recover from thoughts: it's sort of drug he is addicted to. addicted to sounds and imagies in his mind. regardless of how many shot glasses he has been drinking, he could feel the intoxicated state, a certain state of being wobbly, but his mind keeps being clear.

returning back to his bedroom, thinking that alcohol might help him take a short nap, he overhears your voice from erwin's room. he's losing his self-restraint as your voice is quieting down for a second, again he hears your purr and mumbling, not being unable to understand what you're muttering. levi coming close to a small gorge between the door and the frame, swallowing, before have a peek at you.

just as he was contemplating: you're half-naked, wearing only pants, baring your upper body to your lover. heartbeats are increasing when he takes a look one more time, seeing as the commander stroking the bulge through the trousers. he shouldn't have to be here, ogling at you and erwin but he couldn't move, only stares at you squeezing your nipples, quelling your moans by biting your lips.

it won't happen again, it won't happen again, but it's happening right now, levi is substantially is peeping at you. the commander is sitting at the edge of the bed, smirking at your naked body, perfect and well-tightened body.

he should run away from your bedroom, it isn't correct to barge into your intimate life or relationship at all but one look at your body is melting him, overwhelming the mind. you moved on his lap, slightly push your lover into the bed, sat on the bulge. you're squirming on it, making round movements on it, unbuttoning the shirt.

pads of your fingers are feeling the muscular erwin's body, running over his abs and chest, breathing out heavily. you stood up only to tug your trousers down to the floor, stay completely naked moving again into his lap.

'for how long you're gonna stand there and watching us having the fun, not joining?' the question you uttered was addressed to levi; you turned toward the door, having an absolutely accurately he is standing behind the door. 'levi, come and play with us, we know you've been listening to our sex in our office'

he acts childish but opened the door, entered the room. the atmosphere is arousing captain, seeing woman's body like it his first time. you aren't hiding your body though. levi absentmindedly stares at you, closed tight eyes trying to make an excuse yet not having enough time. his hairline his hairline is covered with sweat as evidence of his excitement. your taken body is beckoning him to touch your curves, leave on your neck a couple of hickeys as if you were taken by him. levi might be listened to by your sweet moans but not touching you.

'come and touch her, levi, it's alright'

erwin's permission makes levi moves to the bed, stood by your back as his long fingers running over your back to the nape.

'i-i won't be soft with you as erwin does, y/n, you get it?'

you laughed at his warning while smith rolled backward, providing you a bulge.

'wanna feel two dicks in my cunt'

you uttered the phrase frivolously like it's the basic phrase you say every day, not worrying what will be in a few minutes. your words were like a red cloth for a bull released from the corral. he's losing composure when staring at how fastly you unzipped erwin's trousers, quickly going over the glans of the penis with a tongue. before you could put his cock inside, you felt on your head levi's palms, holding your by temples, swiftly forcing to place your mouth into the dick.

you'd lie if you tell you don't like it.

with one hand, levi makes a fist of your hair, regulating the pace and the depth of penetration of the penis inside you, controlling every your movements, adjusting everything on his own. with another, he reached down to your already willing pussy, as you were sopping for hours, finally getting what you've been needy. your wetness is overwhelming, you're constricting when he entranced with one finger inside, massaging spongy spot deeply there, knocking out a serial of quell whimpers from your mouth.

levi kneels, wobbling for a second, shall he continue or stop. the answer to his unnamed question was your shift back in levi's face, kinda begging for initiating from his side to lick or press his fingers on your swollen clit. you're definetely been playing for some time before he interrupted their foreplay.

he tugged your hips on his face, lick from the clit to the wet entrance, making a serial of an acute moves on your hole, burying his face deep as far as it's possible in your pussy. your willingness and desire to be fucked by two thick cocks makes levi's cock twitched in the fabric, speeding up the shift of the tongue, keeping thinking about the future events.

'wanna feel two dicks in my cunt'

an echo of your phrase is on replay in his mind as a reminder that he should make you cum before giving you a double penetration. you're melting by receiving and giving oral, attempting to focus on sucking dick and wiggling on levi's face, when he slaps your booty. levi slightly bite your inner things, kissing the mark immediately back again to your drooling cunt.

ackerman put inside two fingers, stretching sticky walls, kissing your legs and ankles. being soft, retaining the remnants of composure, for now, to show the dark side afterward. afterward, he makes you cum on his fingers. you squeezed fingers when he's massaging that spot, feeling how your legs are shaking.

'keep sucking my cock while cumming'

erwin's severed voice didn't give it a chance to pull out cock, but you don't want to disappoint your commander. levi masterfully uses his fingers to make you shiver and bringing your knees together to climax as you're tensing and dripping. he didn't miss the opportunity to walk on the moist crotch, licking your juices.

levi is blossomed by your quelling moans and your willingness to obey a commander, though you wanted to stop sucking and scream erwin's name in delight. your desire you pronounced at the beginning levi couldn't forget, standing up from knees. you're still shaking and being mild from an orgasm you've gotten.

the thought of being flattened by two hot and muscular bodies, covered in sweat and those dicks are twitching, wanting to feel and stretch your cunt. you moistened commander's dick last time, moved your body between his member, leading his cock in your soggy hole, putting his cock inside with a squelchy sound.

the goosebumps run down your skin and your heart beats at a frantic pace. you gasps for the air, regardless of the opened window, it's hard for you to breathe. because of their bodies and fingers, because of the thought have your first penetration with the strongest men.

'i'm going inside, y/n'

a spontaneously levi's warning makes you bend over closer to erwin, kissing his lips, feeling the second dick inside you. you don't regret what you've said, digging your nails into the blond's strong shoulders as levi going inside, stretching you to the max.

at first, they give you a few seconds to adjust to the new feeling, before erwin did a slight thrust in you. he did it purpose: he wants to see his chest and shoulders dotted in the half-moons and patterns from your nail in the morning, so he could be mocking all day, telling you how dirty you were.

ackerman words 'i won't hold back, y/n, i'm going to be rough' come into reality, when he pulls your hair back, makes you arch your back. he holds your waist, going higher to clench your hard nipple. ackerman is closed to your ear, kissing under your earlobe to the jaw, moving in a very tight hole.

being flattened by two hot and muscular bodies is mind-boggling as their tips are reaching to the inner lump. smith's hands are running over your hips as he's ogling you and levi having a deep and humid kiss. sharing the lover is inappropriate but turns him on even more. the friction of two cocks going in and out, obscene squelches spread throughout the room. it's too much - incorrectly be fucking by the captain while you've got the one who can put on high, although two dicks feels too good to deny anything.

the shiver again caught your body as you're feeling your soon climax. both of them are feeling it too.

'cum one more time, constricting your cunt on our cocks'

the tense between your legs, and your orgasm crashed in an instant wave, creaming their dicks. the mess down there and your licentious attitude erwin's gonna remained you for weeks, telling how slutty you were, tightening over cocks and creaming on the length.

what happened next was like a fog - both of them yet took out their dicks to cum all over your body. the fluttering on your body is feeling perfect, had been fucked by two captains.

'how do you feel, sweetie?'

not giving a damn about formalities and the fact that you are his property or girlfriend, levi affectionately kisses your back, caressing your hips. erwin kissing your stomach, pressing your chest against his, tugs your face close to his, left a soft kiss on your lips. you didn't answer, there was no need for that: your contented expression was the evidence of your wonderful well-being. he lay down on the bed without strength, covering the blanket bodies, holding your waist, burying his face in the back of your neck. erwin holds your tiny hands in his, staring at how you falling asleep, smiling.

still, your request was admirably was made.

//~~//

:3

#aot x reader #aot smut #aot oneshots #aot scenario #aot levi #aot fanfiction #levi x reader #levi smut #levi ackerman x reader #levi ackerman smut #erwin smith x reader #erwin smith smut #erwin x reader x levi #levi fanfiction #erwin x reader #erwin smut

[whump-a-la-mode]

Um hi, I don't normally send prompts but I had an idea, so…anyway, basically the prompt is a villain's young sidekick who shows up at the villain's doorstep in the middle of the night (villain is a nice person; more unlawful than evil, idk) really injured, and when the villain patches them up, they end up accidentally revealing that they live with an abusive family? Idk, sorry if this is a weird idea.

With ideas as good as this one, you should send prompts more often ^^ It's not weird at all, I absolutely love this. I tried really hard on this one, so I really hope you enjoy!

Please note that this work contains descriptions of the aftermath of physical child abuse. If this would upset or distress you, please avoid reading this work.

CW//Child abuse, physical child abuse, verbal child abuse, being called a 'freak', death of a spouse, blood, bacteria (in a scientific setting)

Villain had never been much of a fan of children.

They wouldn't exactly describe it as a dislike. Kids were... fine. Annoying on occasion, and endlessly confusing with their new trends and habits, but fine. Those who brought them into the world and raised them provided a precious service, but their talents were far more useful elsewhere.

They squinted their eye, the eye pressed up against the lens of their microscope. With a tiny twist of a knob, the image below focused, displaying in full detail a million squirming lifeforms.

The culture was developing as expected. They removed the slide and returned the bacterial colony to its petri dish.

They'd thought about having a family, when they were young. A juvenile, clueless thought, but a thought nonetheless. There was something that warmed them about the concept of a home that was never empty.

Nowadays, they shared their home with no one but the bacteria, and they weren't exactly the best conversationalists.

Villain moved across their lab, soft socks muffling the thudding of their feet on the tile. With practiced accuracy, they returned the petri dish back to its tray, where it belonged.

They couldn't help but glancing just to the right. To the rabbit cage, sitting empty as it was. The light above it was still glowing bright, illuminating the stale hay below, and the toilet paper roll where the cage's inhabitant's teeth had once gnawed.

Now, the habitat sat empty.

They couldn't bring themself to clean it out. That was Spouse-

That was Spouse's job.

Villain bit their lip, taking another petri dish from the tray and returning to their microscope.

They growled and swatted at the thoughts that fought to enter their brain, but it was no use. No weapon could have fended them off.

Because... Because...

Because Spouse had loved kids.

They had always talked about the concept in dreamy, wistful tones. The idea of having a family, of creating something together that wasn't borne of chemicals in a lab. And Villain had agreed. But it was always simply a plan. Something that would be done sometime in the future. When the world wasn't so hectic. When there wasn't work to be done. When...

Villain bit their tongue hard enough to draw blood, gazing as intensely through the microscope's lens as they could manage.

Now that Spouse was gone, the laughter of children would never light the dreary home. There would always be a spare bedroom.

Their home would always be empty.

Maybe that was why they had taken Sidekick in.

It was something they'd wondered so often, not that they'd ever admit it to the teen they had taken under their wing. The relationship had started so uneventfully-- a powered kid with just enough spunk and reckless abandon to find their way into the world of heroes and villains.

At first, Villain hadn't even thought of them as a sidekick. They were just a kid that they trained in their free time. A future ally who needed someone to show them the ropes.

Then, they'd started coming with them on missions.

And fighting at their side.

And now, Villain couldn't help wondering, whenever they laid in their large, empty bed, what Spouse would have thought of their protege. If they were still around, then Sidekick's 16th birthday cake wouldn't have been so shitty. But, hey, no one could say that Villain hadn't tried.

Damn, did they miss that kid. Even when they called them a dinosaur and laughed when they didn't know what Tock-Tic was, or whatever they'd said. They'd been gone almost a whole week, now.

It wasn't the first time, of course. No teen had the time to be a full-time sidekick. They had their own life. They needed to go to school and hang out with their friends and be a kid. And do whatever kids did on Tock-Tik. Villain was certain that they would come back when they were able.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

By the time the knock on the door came, Villain was almost done with their inspection of the bacteria colonies. Their tired eyes flitted to the clock on the wall: Three in the morning. Had it been that long?

And who the hell was at their door at three in the morning?

The knock sounded again, yet, this time, it was distinct. Three sharp taps, then a fourth two seconds later.

Sidekick's knock. The one they'd practiced, to notify Villain when they arrived. But... They looked at the clock again. Their eyes had not deceived them. It was the dead of night. The kid should have been asleep hours ago!

Without care, they tossed down the petri dish in their hands on the nearest countertop, not so much as bothering to shrug off their lab coat as they hurried to the front door. They expected to hear the knock again-- the kid was always so impatient-- but there was no such noise. Only heavy, shallow breathing.

Other villains would have bemoaned their recklessness, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that their kid was here.

Villain flung open the window. Sidekick leapt back.

Sidekick...

They stood in the doorway a moment, liquid shock and terror battling for dominance within their bones. When they finally recovered, they spoke no words, only bustled their protege through the door and locked it behind. The kid stumbled all the way to the lab's exam table, which Villain practically threw them upon.

The terror in their bones had settled firmly in their stomach.

"What in the world happened to you?"

It was with the gaze of a parent rather than a doctor that they scanned the kid from head to toe.

The sheer volume of blood made it difficult to pinpoint their wounds. Yet, it was clear to see that the side of their head was still pumping scarlet, and the crimson dribbling down their leg was already dripping onto the pristine lab floor.

Villain gulped. The idea of taking their eyes of the kid for a split second was petrifying, but they relented, rushing off to returning a moment later with handfuls of rags. They shoved one into the kids hands.

"Hold this to the wound on your head, as tight as you can. I'll clean off your leg."

Even with trembling hands, the kid obliged as Villain knelt down , drenching rag after rag in blood until the leg was finally clear. At the very least, the wound upon their knee seemed to have stopped weeping scarlet. It was a messy thing, blunt trauma with enough force behind it to tear straight through the skin. The villain's practiced fingers tied a tight wrapping of gauze around the joint, standing to their feet.

Blood had seeped between Sidekick's fingers, but it seemed to have begun to dry. The head wound had stopped bleeding.

"Good." Villain pried the soaked rag from the kid's hands, tossing it aside. They could clean up later. "Where else?"

Sidekick averted their gaze, shoulders winding up taut.

"You need to tell me where you were hurt. Please."

After a few moments of trembling like a leaf, the kid gestured to their side.

"Okay. Can you take your shirt off for me, please? I need to get that cleaned."

"Okay..." The kid whimpered, obliging. Villain tossed aside the bloodied garment with little care, adding it to the pile of dirtied fabric.

Their torso...

The wound on their side, just above the hip, did not bleed nearly as bad as the other two. But...

With the sheer amount of bruises littering their flesh, Sidekick's skin may as well have been blue.

Villain took a clean rag, pressing it to their side.

"Who." They spat. "Who did this?"

Their mind began to run with such speed that, had it been a computer, its fans would have been on overdrive. What heroes were active around Sidekick's neighborhood? A few came to mind, at least one or two that were far enough outside the law that they wouldn't have put much thought into doing this to a kid.

But Sidekick did not speak, instead staring at their own shoes, dangling off the exam table.

When the hip wound was dried and wrapped, Villain whirled around, grabbing their phone and flicking to the contacts page. Which of their fellow villains was near the kid's home? They could think of at least a couple. Even if they were little more than acquaintances, someone who would hurt a kid was the common enemy of all.

"I need a name, kiddo. A name. Was it Viper? Sunstorm? The Twilight Reaper? I have friends, lots of friends. We can make them regret this."

No reply. Villain bit their lip, selecting a contact, moving their finger towards the call button-

"Wait!"

The kid at last cried.

"It wasn't a hero. My dad's not a-"

Villain whirled around.

"Your dad?"

Sidekick flushed.

"U- um, no, I, um-"

"Did your father do this?" They stormed to the exam room where the kid sat. "All of this?"

"I- I-" Their voice was choked by tears, carving down their scarlet-stained face.

Villain placed their hands on the kid's shoulders, turning their gaze towards them.

"Please. Please, kid."

The falling tears turned to full-on sobs.

"H- He said I was a- a freak!" They wailed. "I was training, I- You said I needed to practice my flying, in bird form. And I was practicing, and I didn't think anyone else was home, and then he walked in and-"

A sob broke their voice.

"They told me never to use my powers. He doesn't know that I- I stopped taking the pills. The ones that suppress them. And he got m- mad, and, and-"

"It's okay, it's okay."

Villain threw their arms around their child, embracing them while taking care not to disturb their wounds.

"I didn't know where else to go." Sidekick's words were strangled. "I'm sorry, but I didn't want to go back home and..."

"No, no." They tightened the embrace. "No. You don't have to go back, never. Not if you don't want to."

They broke off the hug, picking their phone up again once more.

"Talon has kids your age, she would take you in. Alya, too. Swan Dancer is a teacher..."

"Um." Sidekick seemed to have run out of tears, leaving them with only a broken, low voice. "I... That's all fine. But, um, I thought you mentioned having a spare room?"

Despite their parental terror, Villain let their face break into the smallest smile.

Spouse's room.

In a way, maybe they would get to meet Sidekick, after all.

#whump #hero villain whump #villain caretaker #whump prompt

[sharraus]

Tag: First Line

Tagged by @writeouswriter thank you! I haven't seen this tag in a while and I have acquired new first lines that I'm happy to share (it's not 20 of them, I don't write that many stories XD )

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favourite opening line, then tag some of your favourite authors!

Question of Trust, Chapter 04

The Baron, Baltasar decided, was a fool. Nothing else could be said of a man who considered three hunters a capable enough party to take out a fully grown lindworm. He watched them depart from the village early in the morning and massaged his temples.

Cursed Twins

‘Our names are Leia and Luke Skywalker and we live with Owen and Beru Lars. They own a moisture farm past Anchorhead.’

Old Times' Sake

18 years in Volisport is a lifetime, Lilith knows this. Still, it’s a bit disappointing when she writes to her old acquaintances and none of them write back. More disappointing is when none of her old allies write back either.

Downtime

Kasimir has been a criminal his entire life so he’d be forgiven for thinking he knows exactly how this business works and what sort of people get into it. Sure, letters are not the usual way of hiring people for a new crew, but it’s not the most outrageous one. And if Eleanor is not a name any self-respecting criminal would choose, it’s at least a very rich name. And he does need money.

Best laid plans

Alina does not sleep very well. She keeps tossing and turning, guilt sitting in her stomach heavily. It was much easier to ignore when Mal was in danger. Now it’s nearly impossible and her mind conjures up images of her comrades, bloodied and dead, at the board of the skiff. She hides her head under the blanket, but that helps nothing against the only kind of darkness that scares her.

Hogwarts Elite, Chapter 38: Reconsideration

Harry sat in a carriage sullenly, huddled in a thick coat, and glared out of the window into the snowstorm happening outside. His breath froze into unhappy clouds of mist that fogged his glasses.

Forgotten Cult, Vahid's POV

Vahid prizes himself on the fact there are very few things left in the world to surprise him. It comes with being marked by one of the Chaos Two.

Forgotten Cult, Atria's POV

Atria stares at the metal ceiling, lit lamp swinging just out of her peripheral vision with angry waves slamming into the hull. Thunder crackles above them menacingly. Moments later, Ned’s chosen profanities echo down to her.

Unnamed Supernatural University WIP, Chapter 03: Varvara of Karlievo

Adje spends the rest of his day staring at the computer screen. No news channel mentions anything about the missing spellbook. Yet. Sooner or later the information will leak and then everyone will try to bend it to fit their agenda. The Abbey will have a field day.

---

I seem to start a lot of these with a statement of something that is objectively true. Or a tidbit about the main character, especially if it's the first line in the WIP and not just the chapter. I gotta admit my favourite is probably from Question of Trust, followed closely by Downtime.

If you've read this far, tell me which one is your favourite!

going to tag... @writingonesdreams @the-finch-address @fayoftheforest @writeblrfantasy @magic-is-something-we-create and @diphthongsfordays

no pressure! also an open tag if anyone wants

#tag game #tagged #question of trust #hogwarts elite #star wars #oxventure blades in the dark #shadow and bone #forgotten cult

[beetlegoose01]

stolen whispers: chapter 1

AN: this fic isn’t a request, it’s a story i’ve been preparing for a lil while and I’m so excited to share this with you all <3

I’ll link it on my Archive if you prefer to read it there. Also warning, there’s quite a few OCs.

Time: 2028 (Scorbus have been married for two years)

Summary: When a new generation of Death Eaters kidnap Scorpius, Albus and Rose put aside their differences to rescue him.

TW: Kidnapping/Language/minor violence

~~~~

Two witches wearing shadowy black robes entered the tavern, finding a table near the back. They ordered their mead, waiting for their third partner impatiently. It was a crowded area, so thankfully there was a small chance they would be overheard.

"We don't want more mead." The first woman growled, tapping her long nails at the table. The bartender, a tall man with a mustache put the drinks down.

"I didn't think so." He lips curled into a grin as he morphed into a younger man with wild dusty brown hair, wearing matching robes. He was handsome, but had an eerie presence to him. Any reasonable person would have at least flinched at the transformation, though neither witch did. "Hello ladies." He grinned cheekily.

"Soren, enough playing games." The second woman said, though she was smirking.

Soren barked out a laugh. "It was funny, Mara. And you know it."

The first woman, Lilith narrowed her eyes. She pulled down her hood, revealing cascading inky black hair down her shoulders. A scar that showed no sign of mending was down her cheek. "Your skills are impressive, but useless if you don't use them for our own gain. Don't forget that." She pulled her hood back.

"Understood." He murmured, taking a seat.

"We have much to discuss," She continued, flicking her wand idly. "Our current plan in action. Our...act of revenge. It's been thirty years since The Tenebris was wrongfully killed. I am sick and tired of his name being tossed around in history like he was some monster. He was on the right side."

"Are you certain we want to call the Dark Lord that?" Mara asked suspiciously.

"Shh! You know if anyone hears us, they'll lock us up for good. For speaking our minds." Lilith said. "It's safer we call him by his code name."

Her companions nodded.

"Because of his loss, we have mudbloods in positions of power. Our siblings that fought for his cause are locked up. Or worse, dead."

Mara and Soren looked grim.

"If we had more allies, perhaps we would have had a chance." Soren noted. "We weren't even alive then but...I have a feeling if we were..."

"Just because we weren't alive then, doesn't mean we don't have opinions over the lives stolen!" Mara argued. "That damn Harry Potter."

"Correct. And Soren is right too. For once. If we had more allies, or better yet...certain allies didn't betray us. The Malfoys for instance." She took a sip of her drink.

"Are you suggesting something?" Mara asked.

"Of course I am, don't be so daft." Lilian said, deadly calm. "I want to make that family suffer for what they did. My uncle Vincent Crabbe died for their selfishness. Draco Malfoy had a chance to save him, and he refused like the coward he is. His mother Narcissa lied to Tenebris' face. They are backstabbing filth that besmirched the Sacred 28. No, it isn't just about their betrayal or avenging those we lost in the war. Think of the big picture. They have the capabilities to join our side. To...respawn a new generation of Death Eaters. But that's not all...

"The Malfoys have lots of gold." She drawled. "Surely, they'll spare a few for us in exchange for something important. Or rather...someone."

"Someone?" Soren paused. "What are you suggesting?"

"Regretfully, Astoria Malfoy has passed on." Mara didn't sound the least bit sympathetic, instead stated it blandly. "So using her as a ransom for Draco is a no go."

"Ah, but there is still someone left." Lillian said, removing a small photograph from her cloak, she slid it across the table.

A young man with platinum hair was pictured, beaming brightly in Healer Robes.

"Scorpius Malfoy."

Soren and Mara exchanged a look of satisfaction.

"Bring him to me."

~~~~~~~~~~

The best thing about mornings, at least to Albus, was waking up beside his husband. The sun's bright rays peaked through the window of their cream colored bedroom, slowly stirring them both awake. If it was up to him, he would stay in their warm bed, arms wrapped around Scorpius until noon.

Scorpius rolled over, so that they were facing each other. His eyes fluttered open, and Albus felt his heart melt at his sapphire eyes.

"Hi." He yawned. His voice was slightly croaky, no doubt from the morning.

Albus replied by nuzzling his nose, then kissed his cheek. "Hi honey."

Scorpius laughed lightly. "Let's get up then. Start the day? It's a Saturday. We have the whole weekend to spend together."

"I'd rather spend it here with you."

Bathilda mewed from the kitchen.

"But our child is hungry." Scorpius teased, stretching as he slid out of bed. Albus begrudgingly slumped after him, not eager to wake up before ten am. But his own stomach was growling too.

"Speaking of children," Albus said, starting to work on their breakfast as Scorpius poured Bathilda's food. "Iris is pregnant again. James told me through a Howler yesterday."

"Really?" Scorpius' eyes widened. "That's great news!"

"Yeah, not for my ears." He commented dryly, still traumatized by James' excited screeching in his ear. "Baby number three." He whistled. "Do you think they're trying to make an entire quidditch team? With Teddy and Vic's lot included, they're on their way."

Though he was joking, Scorpius noticed that Albus was glowing, happy for his brother and sister in law. That was one of the many reasons he loved Albus. His love for his siblings.

"Perhaps. When are they due?"

"September. Which means...that's where they scurried off to last Christmas party." Albus quipped. "To have a little fun."

"Albus!" Scorpius scolded. "Honestly, only you would make a beautiful moment gross."

"It's life, Scorp!" He chuckled. "You're a Healer, you should know these things."

"We'll have to visit. Maybe bring a gift basket to congratulate them." He mused, smiling fondly. "I can't wait to meet our new niece or nephew." There was a wistful look in his eye that Albus caught.

"You've got that look on your face." He noted, amused. He served the plates of bacon sandwiches on the table.

"What do you mean?"

"That Scorpius 'I want something but I'm not going to spell it out for you' face."

"Oh."

"Yes, oh." Albus said, forest green eyes brightening in amusement. "What's up?" He took a seat, tucking into breakfast.

"Well," Scorpius started, staring at his food. "I was thinking..." He stopped himself, hesitant to continue his train of thoughts.

"Yeah?" Albus nudged him gently.

"I want a child." He said, his voice quiet, but firm. "I love my nieces and nephews so much, but they aren't...ours. I want to start a family with you, Albus. Raise a little one of our own to be bright and wonderful and brave and..."

Albus' expression softened. "I do too. You know I do, Scorpius. It's just...difficult right now." He stared at his wedding band. "You know it's harder for us than any hetero couple." He waved his hand vaguely. "Adoption is hard, surrogacy is expensive. Maybe once we settled into our careers more, we can talk about it."

"I think we're ready to go beyond just talking about it, Al."

"We're still young. We've still got time. But...I definitely want to work it out. Somehow, we will. We always do."

Scorpius beamed, reaching to kiss Albus' knuckle. "Thank you." He sat up abruptly. "Oh, I almost forgot- it's the farmer's market today."

Albus snorted. "You're exactly like your dad, you know?"

"Yes yes yes, but we should go!" Scorpius said, levitating the plates to the sink and it automatically was clean due to the floating sponges.

"We? I've got some work to do. I'm not very fond of small talk with old people selling fruit."

"Al, it's really good fruit." Scorpius said seriously. "And it's not all old people. I've seen some of our old schoolmates there."

Albus cringed. "That's even worse."

"Don't be so dramatic. Are you still coming?"

"Mm, but I should really finish this article. Go on without me."

"If you're sure...do you want me to bring anything back?"

Albus thought for a moment. "Those strawberries Ms. Beaker sells. Please? Strawberries and cream sounds so good right now."

"Brilliant, I'm on it." Scorpius did a mock salute.

"Have fun." Al waved as Scorpius appatered, leaving the kitchen empty. Albus went straight to work on his article.

~•~

The market was lively and merry, despite the early hour. Scorpius had stopped by the strawberry stand first, in case he forgot.

Ever since they had moved two years ago, Scorpius had found himself drawn to the quaint farmer's market. Not because of the delicious, fresh food, but to socialize. He made quite a few friends with the muggles who lived around there...mostly old ladies. The early days of their marriage, Albus would join him. Before life got in the way, and work had to be done.

Not that he wasn't busy himself. He only had two days off as a Healer, sometimes less. He didn't know how they would manage childcare, but like Al had said, it was best not to dwell on the future.

"Scorpius? Is that you?"

He turned around, following the voice from behind him. "Polly ...Chapman?" He uttered blandly, praying he wasn't mistaken. He didn't have the best memory- even with old schoolmates who bullied him.

"Yep." Polly said, laughing lightly. "It's me. Been a while."

"It has." Scorpius shifted his weight. "How are things?"

"Great!" She smiled, swishing her blonde ponytail, the same air of confidence from when she was a teenager. "Yann and I are engaged."

"Oh! That's wonderful." Scorpius said, pretending to sound pleased. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you. I proposed to them last month. It was just as I had dreamed."

"How is...Yann?" Scorpius did not actually care how Yann was.

"They're good! Brilliant actually, since they passed Auror training." Polly looked genuinely proud of them, which he had to admit was adorable. "Are you and Albus still..."

"Yes, yes. We um, er- we've been married almost two years actually." He added.

"Aw, that's very sweet. You two were always very close, yeah?" Polly looked at him, and Scorpius nearly walked backwards, intimidated by her stance. She still was extremely scary, like a lioness but with a great sense of fashion. "I know...Yann, Karl and I weren't the best to you two but perhaps we could..." She trailed off. "I'd like you both to come. To the wedding. If you'd like."

That...wasn't what he was expecting. He half expected her to invite him to another Blood Ball.

"Pardon?" Scorpius asked, dumbfounded. "I mean- yeah, that sounds great! Fun! Yes. That sounds nice. I'll bring it up to Al."

Polly was glowing. "Brill! I've got to go, but we should all hang out sometime. Like old times."

Like old times? Scorpius thought. When did they ever hang out?

Nodding mutely, he walked away from Polly with a puzzled, but cheerful expression. He hadn't completely fucked up the conversation, which was always a plus. It still felt odd that Polly Chapman of all people was talking to him, let alone inviting him to her wedding. It was bizarre.

He passed the final vendor, and was surprised and amused to see a tiny girl, no more than seven standing behind it. She had a Brownie uniform on, bright rosy cheeks and pigtails included.

"Would you like a biscuit?" She squealed.

It had taken him a moment to respond, he was still thinking of Polly being kind to him "Oh erm- of course." It was impossible to say no to an adorable small child. He reached for some muggle money, handing her the pound notes. "Just the one box please."

"Okie dokie!" She said, handing him the box. She waited a moment, pouting. "Go on, try it." She urged.

"I really shouldn't I-"

"Please?" The little girl gave him the most pitiful expression. "It's for a good cause, mister. We're helping orphaned puppies find homes."

"Well, alright. For the puppies." He fumbled open the box, taking a polite bite out of the cookie. It was a classic lemon cookie with powdered sugar, one of his favorites. But the second he swallowed, he felt dizzy all of a sudden. "What..." He stumbled back. "Oh my," He gulped, the entire market swirling around him. Something wasn’t right. "is there something in..." 

He would be damned if he let this happen without some sort of fight. Throwing his basket aside, he collapsed, slipping into unconsciousness.

"We've got him."

#Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy #Albus Severus Potter #Char Fanfics #Scorbus #Married Scorbus #LOTS of OCs #James Sirius Potter #Polly Chapman #Yann Fredericks #Scorpius Malfoy #Albus Potter #Fanfic #Writing #Kidnapping

[jinxthequeergirl]

The new hero on the block (pt.1)

Peter Parker x reader (mentor! Doctor strange x student! Reader)

Summary: you never really looked up to any hero growing up until two specific hero's changed that

Warning: none

Note: ok imma be straight up with you guys this is the written version of a comic sorta thing for my spidersona so is this going to suck? Yes! Am I gonna regret writing this series? Hell yes! Am I praying this goes well. Yup! So enjoy!?

~~~~~~

Living in New York was something you didn't really enjoy as much as you did when you where younger.

Though things where easier back then. You didn't have to worry about much as you did now.

You huffed and pulled yourself onto the top of the building putting those thoughts aside and looking at the shorter building below.

You pulled a grappling hook from your bag and swung it onto the ledge of the building and pulling it securly in place.

You pulled your hood over your head along with your cheap smiley face mask over your face. Though the bright yellow color was faded by now along with the upwards smile you recently went over it with a perminate marker going over the eyes and marking the smiley face a frown.

You pulled your bag over your shoulder before grabbing the rope and leaping off the edge swinging yourself to the building. You planted your feet firmly on the side of the building next to the window and pulled yourself up the rope to reach the window better.

Hey what you up to?

You looked at the message that poped up on the screen of you phone from Peter.

Nothing much! You?

You tucked your phone back into your coat pocket and set work opening the window.

It opened with a solid click and you pushed it open and stepped inside softly.

Your phone went off in your pocket again and you crouched down to read it.

Not much either...hey I was wondering if when I was finished with the internship tonight you wanna grab something to eat?

You smiled at your phone and hovered your fingers above the key pad ready to respond until a loud sound caught your attention.

You shut your phone off and dove behind a large case. The lights came on momentarily causing you to cring.

There where heavy footsteps from across the room followed by a sudden shutting of a door then the lights went out. You exhaled releved and peered around the case looking past the multiple others finding no sighn of a person.

You got up roaming around the room you entered passing an assortment of cases. You stoped to look at a red cape in one of the cases stepping back so your reflection would fit it.

You smiled from under your mask making heroic poses in it for a bit before remeberong what you where doing.

The place was huge and everything in it looked ancient. You stroled over to the large book case on the other side of the wide stairs.

The moon was the only thing illuminating the building at this point. It's light flooded in through the large round window at the top of the stairs. You passed it slowly stopping seeing a large book sat on a table in the light.

You pulled it off the table and tucked it into your bag. Books sold for a fair amount but from the looks of it that's all you where going to get was a handfull of old books.

It was a rule for you to never take anything from a case it was to obvious that someone took it if you even got past opening it. Lose things like change,books,jewlery, etc. Where the only things you stole. They sold for good money and the person rarely knew what was missing.

You sighed picking up a piece of metal with two holes under it. You looked at it placeing two fingers on it and punching the air. Assuming it was a pair of poorly made brass knuckles you shrugged putting it in your bag with the book next you picked ul a clearly used plate and looking it over. You didn't want to be doing this stuff. You had too.

Your Mother got involved in a bad bussnies in hopes to make your family more money. In turn she went into bebt with her "bussnies partners" and lost everything and went on the lamb leaving your family to deal with her problems. She was found dead a week after leaving.

You where the only one able to take care of your family or the only one willing to. Your dad did work as much as he could be he spent so much time collecting the money and building it up to pay them he forgot to take care of you and your little brother.

So when a job was only enough to pay for grocers that lasted a week you resorted to plan B. Which was what you where doing now. Though you loved your family it was hard to go home to nothing most nights.

Your dad worked both earily in the morning and late into the night only coming home in the afternoon while you where at school. And he sent your brother to spend time with your aunt most days.

So Peter offered you the world it seemed And May was more than willing. She set up your own room in there apartment in case you wanted to stay with them. You did most of the time. They felt like the only good left in the world. And they where the only good left in YOUR world.

There was a sudden pownding on the front door down stairs. You jumped placing the plate back down on the table and running across the room to the window you entered. The door that had previously shut swung open letting the yellow light of a lamp bleed into the blue light of the moon. You jumped out the window and grabbed hold of the rope and climbed up it in time to see the whole building light to life.

You groaned and fell flat on the roof remembering Peters text.

You pulled your phone out and hurried back to his apartment.

Ya know that sounds great...I'm actually on my way over now, see you then?

...

:)

You ran down the back ally of Peters apartments and stuck your mask in the hidden compartment of you backpack. You scaled up the diet escape finally tapping on his window.

"Hey there parker!" you grined at him as he opened the window and you slithered through. "You can come through the front door you know." You shrugged pulling your shoes off and carrying them out of his room. "I know...but I don't want to ask for a key and I don't want to deal with your neighbors...they judge me."

"Oh they do not!" may smiled at you from the kitchen. "Hi may!"

She made her way to you and hugged you. "Oh here. I know you didn't ask for it but you need one at this point." She dangled a key in front of your face. "Wow...thanks!" you grinned at it.

"So where are we eating?" you asked her heading to your small set up of a room and dropping everything.

May looked at Peter urging him to tell you something.

"Oh uh well may actually has plans so I thought maybe we could go out?" you put the key on a necklace chain and hung it around your neck and smiled up at him. "Of course!"

"Cool...cool ok! So like around 9:00?"

"Sure!"

Peter smiled and left your room allowing you to change into something better. You shut the door and sat on the bed pulling your coat and hoodie off and pulling your bag in front of you and rumaging through it to find the book.

You flipped through it a bit before getting up to grab a sweater from your dressers. Your room was small a bed sat in the middle of it and a dresser sat across it along with a book shelf on the oposite wall and a few small house plants littered a few spots. It wasn't much but it was more like home than home really was.

You pulled a shirt on not taking your eyes from the book. Illustrations of the brass knuckles you lifted littered the page along with people wearing them and step by steps on how to use it. You pulled the brass knuckles out and slid it onto your finger and followed the steps.

You waved your arm in a side circle multiple times until sparks appered.

"(y/n)!?" the Peter knocked on the door before coming in you quickly tossed your bag into the corner and the book And ring under your pillow.

"Yea?"

"Ready?" you nodded sliding a pair of shoes on and grabbing your jean jacket and followed him out.

As you followed him to the resturant all you could think about was the book.

#marvel x reader #peter parker x reader #doctor strange x reader #spiderman x reader

[lostinthe-pines-blog]

Olivia - Ch. 7 - A Celebration

BACK FROM A 6 MONTH HIATUS. I’m going to try to give this story its proper ending.

Catch Up by reading 

CH. 6 Here

Masterlist Here

A multi-chapter story that follows Liam and MC as they spend their first year ruling as King and Queen of Cordonia. As they rule together they realize their strongest ally is the one person from the one place their people have rejected. Questioning why Liam and MC still support Olivia and Lythikos they work together to restore her reputation.

Story-lines from The Royal Romance books have been altered slightly.

NOTE: This is a fictional story based on Pixelberry’s Choices App. *The Royal Romance books. I am not affiliated with Pixelberry nor do I own the rights to their original characters.

TAGS: @katurrade @emerald-bijou @speedyoperarascalparty @captain-kingliamsqueen@purplegreyshrimp@museofbooks @blznbaby

The thick clouds of storms cleared in perfect time as the day of the celebration came around. The air was crisp and left behind the smell of fresh rain. This was an early morning for everyone. The celebration in the kingdom would begin on the palace grounds by noon but there was still so much to be done.

The article (which ended up being a well written 5 page booklet that was passed out with daily newspapers and was free to acquire at any local convenience store.) was doing exactly what Liam needed it to. Maybe his people didn’t quite trust Olivia but the whispers of her arrival stopped and it was clear the gossip of the town was far more welcoming than ever before.  

The thick sheets of the bed were comforting as alarms started blaring, there was no sun peeking through the windows, for there was no sun in the sky. It was still to early but it was time to begin. As if the alarm going off was not enough only moments later the knocking at the door woke Olivia even more so.

“Duchess Nevrakis, your breakfast is ready will you be joining everyone?” a small and weak worker of the palace spoke.

Olivia did her best not to be to harsh to the girl, she was only doing her job. “Yes.” she spoke sternly holding her tongue on the topic of why she thought an alarm was not enough to wake her. Olivia could hear the girls footsteps trot away as she turn in bed hoping for only a few more moments of comfort, and there they were staring back at her. Olivia’s heart skipped a beat seeing his eyes. She did not come to the palace expecting to leave smitten, especially not by the stable boy she’d often forgotten.

“Morning.” Drake’s deep voice rumbled.

Hiding how excited she actually was Olivia nodded and responded with a soft “Good Morning.”

Drake was still unsure of the intentions of the red headed ruler in bed next to him, but he’d felt lonely for so long he didn’t question her much further. Something in him wanted to ask her who he was to her and why all of a sudden she’d been drawn to him. But he stayed quiet in fear that the answer would be similar to MC’s from those years ago.

“Drake..” Olivia began through he saddened voice.

“Yes?” he responded sweetly

“Will you accompany me today…” she trailed

Drake knew what she meant, if he stayed by her side today then he’d been documented there. Known as the man behind the mind of Lythikos. Was this truly the title he wanted? Was it not too soon? He pushed the questions of his mind aside hearing the pleading of her voice. “Yes, of course Duchess.” he mocked a bit at the end watching as a smile spread over her white teeth. She laughed with him now to make up for all the time she’d spent laughing at him.

Olivia took in his smile one last time before rising out of bed, fully nude. Olivia had no shame and she intended to let Drake get a final look at the shape of the girl who’d left him in pleasure all night, and it worked. Her long red hair trailed down stopping just shy of the small back and it seemed to dance for him with every sway in her step.

“You’re a tease” Drake yelled tossing a pillow at her from behind.

Missing the soft attack she giggled and looked back at Drake one last time before stepping into the bathroom. “I’m glad it’s working.”

In the dining hall MC sat next to Liam in silence, reading over the article published for the first time. Her fingers intertwined with Liam’s as he read over pages of documentation on how the day would run, what his speeches would say and who the notable attendees would be. MC was impressed by the article, Janessa had done a lovely job of keeping it about the basics of the friendship. Filling in the stories told with actual quotes from her private interview with Liam and Olivia. MC read the quotes over and over excited for the attitude it would bring to her people. Change was coming, she could feel it.

“Elizabeth was the mother I wish I’d been blessed with. She was a mother to all as I think anyone in the kingdom would agree. I was too young at the time to recognize how truly lucky I was to not only know that remarkable woman but to have been trusted with the betrothal of her son. Be it for alliance or be it for love; Elizabeth’s intentions were correct. She ruled nobly and it is my goal to take the lessons I learned from her in her short life, and continue to learn even after her passing, and apply them to the people of Lythikos. Elizabeth believed in every single person under her power, commoner or not; and I hope the people of Lythikos know that through these dark times I feel the same for them. In return, I also feel the same for the many surrounding lands and especially the people here, in Cordonia.”

“Olivia is a fire, she is strong willed, and she will spread her burning passion with everyone. I’m lucky to have known her as long as I have, to have trusted her and seen her through so many hardships. I trust she will stand by my side as we reunite Lythikos and Cordonia as the pair of strongest allies.”

Many things stood out to MC in this article but one quote shocked her, and warmed her spirit. A small quote placed under the photo of Olivia and MC at the Royal Wedding.

“MC has shown me nothing but absolute kindness since her arrival, even in the courting season. She is Liam’s perfect match on a level I never could have been. I see in her, and I know Liam sees in her, a piece of his mother. They are cut from the same cloth those two, and Cordonia will be the luckiest country on earth have received both remarkable woman as their Queen.” - Olivia Nevrakis

Reading the words again and again to ensure they were really true MC eventually tugged at the hand of her husband pointing to the quote.

“She said this?” MC questioned.

Liam smiled and nodded beginning to speak before being interrupted by the entrance of the duchess herself. Bold Olivia entered in nothing but a robe as her wet hair was braided down her side. Drake followed in after her. Liam was still unsure about who was following who in that new formed relationship.

“It’s true.” Olivia spoke referring to the quote that was straight from her voice. “Don't’ let it go to your head dear.” She winked adding some of her signature spite.

MC giggled to herself pushing the pages aside and looking crossed the table, the dark sky from the windows slowly lighting as the sun was only minutes away from its arrival. Her gaze broken by the entrance of Maxwell Beaumont.

“Hey everyone!” Maxwell beamed loudly, too loudly for the time of the morning. Following quickly behind him was Hanna, hiding her feelings behind her porcelain face just as she always had. The sight of them together now tugged at MC’s heart. She remembered in that moment what the day would hold for this Beaumont couple.

“Big announcement today, and we thought we’d out closes friends first” Maxwell smiled looking around.

“We’re not friends.” Olivia chiming as she sipped a cup of coffee.

Ignoring her sentiments Maxwell continued “Hanna Lee has accepted my proposal and will be the future Mrs. Beaumont.”

The groups heads turned toward him in shocked and Olivia slammed her glass down in laughter. MC was the only one of the group not staring at the couple. She felt horrible endorsing this marriage in any way.

“So it doesn’t bother you that she likes girls?” Olivia spat as Drake turned toward her.

“Liv!” he snorted asserting more dominance over her now than at all in the last 48 hours.  

“What Drake? It’s weird isn’t it?” Olivia whispered to drake as the room continued in awkward silence.

“Hanna… can I speak with you?” MC said looking up to her.

The pair of girls stepped into the hallway, Hanna never letting her eyes reach MC’s as they spoke.

“Hanna, why are you doing this? I love Maxwell, adore him even and I know he’ll take care of you but he’s not what you want nor what you need.” MC explains quickly and sternly.

“My parents will abandon me, and I’m not like you. I’m not good at handling myself alone. I need them.” Hanna speaks letting tears form in her throat “This is the only way for me to be free.”

MC sighs knowing that this is truly what Hanna believes. She reached her arms out and pulls Hanna close. She’d always regretted not being able to give Hanna what she’d wanted from her. The pair of them stayed together there for a while before Hanna pulled away wiping tears from her face.

“I know you’re worried about me MC, but please don't’ be. Max and I, we have a plan. We know what we want to be, he’s helping me just like he helped you. Look around, without Bertrand or Max you wouldn’t be here. But now you don’t even need them to stay. Please just let me do this…” she trails.

MC nods holding her tongue knowing she still doesn't agree with what's actually happening.

Upon returning back to the dining hall the morning commences, the breakfast is short as everyone leaves to begin their duties before guests started arriving. 

MC sits now before her gaudy vanity that so many queens before her have stared into. She lets the crew of people assigned to make her look beautiful do their work. Sitting before her on the ground reading still over his papers is her ever loving husband.

“Can I read you this?” Liam asks, “I want to make sure it sounds right, I trust you.” he smiles his eyes staring into hers seeing her visible acceptance. He begins to read from a page that is clearly half memorize.

“I thank the many leaders who have traveled far to be here today, and I am grateful to everyone who has attended as Cordonia celebrates another year. I want to share quickly the accomplishments we hope to achieve over the next 12 months. Firstly, we will strengthen our natural resources so that we can work closer with our allies, creating more jobs and less debt. Secondly, we hope to expand our borders once again by bringing Lythikos back into our walls.” Liam pauses now knowing the audience will have its own say in this moment. He looks to MC above him as the assistants around her work quickly enhancing her already striking features

“Well?” MC’s smiles “I think it will get a reaction for sure.” she nods

Liam closes the files of papers and continues to search her face. He’d done as much practicing as he could at this point, he didn’t know where to go now. His eyes on her he’s calmed by her warming smile.

“You’ve got this Liam” she offers nothing more than a smile, worrying that if she moves she’ll upset her team. “I love you” she mouths silently to him watching him rise from the marble floor.

“I love you too” he speaks audibly before heading to his own team of people assigned to make him look presentable, though MC didn’t think he needed any help.

As the afternoon began, peeking from behind a curtain on the third level of the palace Olivia let her nerves settle in. She can see thousands of people in the courtyard and fields of the palace that are now filled with tents, shops, dining areas and even a carnival for the children who came to celebrate Cordonia. Just outside the palace steps she sees Liam and MC greeting noblemen and women from all over. Olivia has even begun to admire the way MC holds herself around dignitaries. She truly encompasses a royal now, Olivia hides her smile for the friend she’s made as she closes the curtain.  

“Oliver Nevrakis is more than just a name on the Treaty of Accords, he’s my namesake, a friend to the Rhys family, and he’s the reason Cordonia and Lythikos stayed in harmony for so long..” Oliva begins to whisper to herself pacing back and forth in the hallway. She knew her speech would be prompted for her, but she refused to rely on technology. Her reputation was on the line.

Pacing up and down the hallway she was easy to spot, Olivia’s hair was braided perfectly as it laid crossed her right shoulder. She wore a signature vibrant red dress with a deep neckline. It was patternless, simple and striking. She was hard to miss as Drake approached from behind her.

“Olivia” he spoke softly pulling her from her nervous speech, “Wow, you look, beautiful.” Drake wore a simple grey suit, Liam had loaned him a perfect satin red pocket square to match Olivia.

Olivia looked up from the floor and smiled at Drake, “Hi” she said with relief, “Thank you for joining me.” she took steps toward Drake. Her harshness was gone with him now, she was only curious for him.

“Olivia, I have to ask” Drake sighs, “Are you sure about me joining you, I won’t be offended if you aren’t, but it’s a big thing, you and I” he began to ramble. “I just don’t want to be something you regret tomorrow.” he finished as her hands found his.

“Drake, I’m sure.” she giggled leaning up and pressing her lips to his quickly. “Besides, being with a Cordonian can only help my case right?” she nods.

“Oh so we’re together now?” he raises an eyebrow.

“If you want to be…” Olivia trails, knowing she’d like to give these budding feelings a chance.

Drake squeezes her hand, “Why don’t we just start with today.” he offers, “We need to get out there before this event ends and the conference begins.”

Silently nodding Olivia follows him down the hall. Of course she was terrified of what would happen out there, peoples loved ones had died because of the things that her mother had done. Now she wasn’t just sneaking into Cordonia at night, she was presenting herself to everyone.

As they walked out the steps of the palace Drake moved to let go of her hand, but she insisted it stay connected to hers, and so it did. The few allowed members of the press snapped photos of Drake and Olivia together. The sounds of questions being yelled at her drowned away until the voice of one spoke up.

“My brother is dead because of you!” a woman with common clothes yelled from the back of the crowd. The sentence hit her ears like a bullet to her chest. She could not continue to smile for pictures, or even move on. She froze her eyes locked with the woman who’d spoken up. The world was moving around Olivia, but she was only watching the hate in the eyes staring back at her.

Liam stepped up grabbing Olivia’s other hand moving to help escort her but she fought back. “No!” she whispered yanking her hand back forcefully. She didn’t care if she made her King look bad in front of the press, she needed to meet this woman. Still holding on to Drake she brought him with her as she walked to the blockade keeping commoners and press back.

“You” she said, knowing the woman would know who she was speaking too. “Come here, please.” she spoke softly though her hand was squeezing Drake channelling every ounce of fear in her, to him.

Liam watched from the upper steps, MC by his side. Knowing Olivia’s short temper he feared for how this would go. No speech about history could save her from attacking a Cordonian.

The woman followed directions and stepped to the front of the crowd. The sounds around her quieting as people wondered what would happen next.

“What is your name?” Olivia questioned quickly.

“Melissa” the woman responded.

“What was your brothers name?” Olivia continued

“Aaron” Melissa answered with anger, “He worked in the Cordonian Apple fields, he wasn’t fortunate enough to escape the fire your family started.”

Olivia never broke eye contact with Melissa, but her eyes did sadden. “I can not replace what you lost” Olivia began “My heart aches for you and your family. I take responsibility for what my family made of yours. But it stops with me, the tears in Cordonia caused by my family end now. I am so sorry for the pain I brought to you, but I will spend every hour of the rest of my life showing you, and everyone here that your families mean more to me than mine ever did. Your King will be in touch with you, Melissa” Olivia nodded before quickly dragging Drake away from the press. Still in eyesight of Liam and MC, they took a few steps back to let the ceremony begin. Olivia wanted so badly to go back inside, to be alone forget everything that had and would happen next. “Liv” Drake whispered, “that was good, really good” he seemed shocked, though he hoped he could reassure her. He knew this day was only just beginning to be hard on her.

Liam looked to MC and gave her a nod, releasing her hand as she approached the crowd. “To all our guests, no matter where you are from, we welcome you” she pauses with a smile for photos. “Before your King speaks with you we want to announce some exciting news. Please join me in welcoming my dearest friends Maxwell Beaumont and Hana Lee” MC had gotten used to how fake she’s have to be with people these days. Here she was announcing to a crowd of people an engagement she wanted no part of. MC fell back inline with Liam and shot a caring glance to Olivia. Though her composure was stern, MC could almost feel the anxiety flowing off of the red head behind her. By the time she pulled her attention from Olivia she realized she was missing the announcement.

“Joining the Beaumont and Lee families will be the honor of a lifetime. We’ve remained allies for years but now we can celebrate the love, freedom and support that will come from the joining of houses” Maxwell explains to the crowd. Joining his hand in Hana’s they step aside and allow Liam to begin.

The pages and pages of drafted speeches he’d been reading were all out the window now. He’d need to be solid in what he was saying. He started with a welcome, celebrating the birthday of Cordonia and everyone who has made this land into what it is today.  He delicately used this as a segway to introduce Olivia. The two of them spoke together as if their words were dancing a smooth ballet. The stories of their families history they’d practiced only a day before in the early morning were articulated with genuine amazement. The crowd began to receive Olivia in exactly the way that Liam wanted them too. He was stern with his people, making it clear that Olivia was going to play part in Cordonia’s history from here on out, regardless of peoples opinions.

When Liam finished it became time for Olivia to speak freely. She straightened her stance filling with falsified confidence.

“Elizabeth Rhys” she stammered “Elizabeth, she was the greatest Queen any country has ever seen, and that is because she ruled with only kindness. But when her family, or her boarders were threatened she stood up for them. I can only imagine how differently the past few years would have been with her around. I’d like to quickly share a story of the compassion Elizabeth gave me.” As Olivia began speaking again, her words painted and image so real, it was frightening.

“You two will be married, the Duke and Duchess of both Cordonia and Lythikos” Olivia’s mother announced to the young boy and girl.

“Married?” Liam, almost 10 years old now questioned. “To Olivia?��� he added almost disgusted with the thought of it.

“Like it’s so horrible?” Olivia sneered. It was only that morning that the two of them were playing in the snow together. Now their futures seemed to complicated.

Elizabeth stood by watching the reaction of her son, “Liam, apologize” she ordered. You always knew when the Queen was commanding something because her voice was stern, and harsh. It was so different than it was normally.

“Sorry Olivia, it’s just… you’re like my sister” he shrugged.

Elizabeth lowered herself down to look her son in the eye before speaking. “Liam, Olivia is your best friend is she not?” Elizabeth smiled toward the young girl waiting for her sons nod of approval only moments later. “She is smart, kind, beautiful and she knows your heart” she continued, “who else knows your heart?” she asked her son.

“Only you and father.” Liam answered his mother

“Olivia, will protect your heart Liam, because I know that you would protect hers. No matter what happens Liam you must always protect Olivia, do you understand” Elizabeths voice turned harsh at the end.

“Of course mother” Liam nodded, though his young mind couldn’t quite grasp that his best friend would one day be, his wife.

Elizabeth turned her gaze to Olivia, “And you must promise me darling, that you’ll look after Liam” Elizabeth’s voice caught, and while they didn’t know why at the time tears filled her eyes. “When I can’t be there anymore, one day far from now when his father can’t be there either it will be up to you. Will you protect him?” she asked fighting back the water pooling in her eyelids.

“Of course” Olivia nodded.

“Thank you” Elizabeth kissed the girls forehead before sending the two children off to play.

“Elizabeth knew then that she was dying, she knew she only had so much time left and yet she took the time to speak to me with respect and love that my own mother had never shown me.” Olivia explained to the large crowd. “As I mentioned before, MC is the one and the same with Elizabeth, and while 10 year old me would have been so disappointed, MC is the queen you deserved. But please” Olivia paused looking at the listening faces of the crowd, she couldn’t get a good read on what they thought of her, so she continued hiding her fear. “Please, let me be the Duchess that Elizabeth always believed I could be.” Olivia finished and the crowd stayed silent as she walked away.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught the woman she’d spoke with earlier begin to clap. Melissa, a woman who had lost everything at the hands of a Nevrakis was now cheering for one and the entire crowd joined in.

Liam watched the joy from the crowd as Olivia found her way back to Drake’s side. And for a moment Liam thought of the three of them as children playing on this same field. As he turned to take in his surroundings he swore he could almost she his mother standing on the balcony above them.

#the royal romance #choices #choices fan fiction #king liam #liam rhys #liam x mc #drake x olivia #xoempine

[missouris-googlehistory]

Chapter III | Towards the Stars

//TW: Mentions of PTSD episodes and suicide

The day Francis so anxiously awaited finally came. “FRANCE!? FRANCIS!” An English voice called out, jarring him from his sleep. That's when he knew.

“Here..here! Angleterre!” He tried to sit up from the cot. Suddenly he heard dogs barking. The ones he knew Germany had put in front of the door so he couldn't escape. “Arthur the do-!” Before he could finish he heard gunshots and canine whimpers. England barged in through the door.

“FRAN- BLOODY HELL.” He laid eyes on his neighboring nation. Now bruised and bandaged. France looked away in shame as England averted his gaze and cleared his throat. “Come on now. You get to go home.” He came over and helped his Allie stand up. Francis wrapped his arms around him and sobbed.

“Oh Angleterre I'm sorry for the horrible things I've ever said about you! I'm sorry for all of our fights! I-I!”

Arthur looked at him stunned. “Oh well..it's alright you..I mean old chap.” He decided now was not the time for teasing. “Come on. Someone wants to see you.” Francis sniffled and nodded allowing himself to be helped down the stairs.

Once outside England wrapped a blanket around his shoulders. Francis hadn't noticed as he paid close attention to America shouting at Germany and Prussia. Both were on their knees in handcuffs, guards surrounding them so they couldn't escape. The younger brother noticed France and glared at him. Francis shied away feeling Ludwig's ice blue eyes dig into his very soul. “Nevermind him.” Arthur turned him to another direction, immediately he saw Belgium who was wrapped in a blanket as well.

“Emma! You're OK!” She looked up and came over.

“France!” The Belgian smiled. “You're OK too!”

Those were a few pleasant memories. Unfortunately for France though, the bad outweighed the good.

It had been nearly twenty years since then. One day, England had decided to come over and check on him. “France?” He unlocked the door with the key Francis let him have. He heard sobbing coming from a distance. So he decided to check upstairs. “Oh no..” He went towards the noise, which was his bedroom. “France?” He asked again, peering into the room. “It's alright-” Francis tossed and turned in his sleep. Arthur realized. “He's having another night terror..” England sighed and suddenly jolted from his thoughts as the Frenchman began to scream. He knew you shouldn't wake someone up but he couldn't leave him to recall such dark memories. He rushed over and immediately helped him sit up. “Sh. France it's OK. You're home now.” He spoke softly as the other man continued to cry. England noticed him beginning to wake up. “Here.” He went into the next room to grab something, he knew this was Francis’s gallery. He saw something small enough to grab and rushed back in. He handed him his sketch pad that had a drawing of Joan d'arc on it.

Francis clung to the drawing and began to calm down. “Look at all the marvelous stars you drew.” England tried to cheer him up as France looked down at his art work. “You know you'll never see the same star twice. Each night is fresh with different kinds of stars of all shapes and sizes. This is your chance to meet new people. Get out and see the world. If you're up to it you can start attending the world meetings again.”

“Merci Angleterre.” He wiped his tears as he came to his senses.

In the neighboring country, unlike France, Germany had no one to comfort him. Everyone was still angry at him. And the only person who did care about him was locked away behind a brick wall.

Ludwig held his ears in agony. “I'M SORRY I'M SORRY.” He shouted, he couldn't recall when the episode started, all he heard were countries shouting and screaming at him. Calling him names and teasing him. He slid to the floor. “I KNOW I KNOW..I'D BE BETTER OFF DEAD!” He suffered until the voices finally left him alone.

A few months later, Francis was doing much better with the help of his friends. The doctors told him it would be long lasting but he knew he had support. He heard his phone ring and ran to pick it up. “Salut-” America cut him off.

“Yo French fry could you go check up on Germany for me? We got into an argument a little bit ago and he said he'd call me back and the dude hasn't yet.”

“Maybe he just needs some space America.” After all this time France had found it in himself to forgive Ludwig. He had thought long and hard about what he had said the first day of his captivity. “Besides it would take me awhile, even by plane to get from my house to his.”

“Aw come on dude! You do this for me and I'll stop calling you French fry!”

“DEAL!” France shouted, he hated that nickname with a passion. He slammed the receiver down and went to pack a suitcase.

“He better keep his promise!”

It took a few hours for Francis to actually get to Ludwig's house. He finally made it however and knocked on the door. “Lud..Ludwig..?” When he received no response he rang the doorbell. Nothing. He grew concerned and looked around. The car was parked in its place. “Strange..” He decided something was wrong, and it needed investigating. Francis walked around the house, he was in luck, a living room window was open to let in some fresh air. “This is crazy but..” He climbed through.

“Allemagne. It's me, France.” He announced his presence. “Maybe that was a bad idea..he's probably still remorseful.” He walked into the kitchen, remembering that Ludwig liked to cook. Maybe he was distracted. He stepped in and looked looked around. “Ger-” He let out a girlish scream. ��GERMANY!” He rushed to his side. Ludwig was unconscious on the floor. “Wha..what? How did this happen!?” He looked around for an explanation. He noticed a pill bottle on the counter. “Please..don't tell me..” He looked in the bottle of Bayer aspirin. Empty. He ran to find a phone. Luckily the operator could speak French and understand the scared and rambling man.

An ambulance came and took Ludwig. Francis was sure to follow in his car. The thought dawned upon him as to why he should care at all. He should be happy shouldn't he? But he wasn't. Quite the opposite, yet he didn't know why.

Francis stayed at the hospital right outside his room while they tried to drain the drugs from his body. Once he got the OK from the nurse he went inside. He looked over to see Ludwig's side of the room had a window. Francis smiled. “Good. Now he can look up at the stars and have hope.”

A policeman came up to France. “Sir?”

He turned around. “Oh. Oui?”

“We found this on the counter. It was addressed to you and an Emma.” He handed Francis the note which was inside a plastic evidence bag. He promptly took it out and read it.

“Oh Ludwig..”

#aph #fanfics #germany #hetalia #France

[thesixswords]

Six Swords:

The San Angelo Shake

1.

       Six days. Six long, hot, miserable days with little food, practically no ventilation, and a rather unkind host that made it feel like twice that time had passed. But Titus knew his role, and so he stuck it out. There had better not be a seventh, he grumbled to himself as he moved from his hay bale bed to rise for breakfast, the day's only meal.

       After much deliberation amongst his fellow nuisances, it had been decided that he, the tallest, strongest, and - to face the truth of it - darkest of the bunch would be best for this position. But here, in this hot and damp hellhole of an undersized cell where he had sat for nearly a week awaiting the arrival of officer John Montgomery, he was beginning to wonder if they were right.

       They were a stone's throw from the new fort at Concho, an outpost thrown up in the naive hope that native attacks down into the area would be deterred. Despite it not having the desired effect, it did lead to the first voluntary all-black units of the struggling Confederacy, which had all but shirked its more propogandic ideals in the face of retaliation attacks for the death of General Grant. But that didn't last long, Titus thought as he finished his small portion of biscuit and sausage. With a burp and, he hoped at least, an infuriating grin of nonchalance, he swept the shallow tin pot across the rudimentary bars of his home away from home and called for the bailiff.

       "Come on now, you sleepy slackoff, I want seconds!" The young man assigned to watch over him, a thin and hairless fellow a full foot shorter than his towering charge, ambled over in a fit and snatched the small dish away from Titus. "Jerry, you'll never grow this place into a real business if you keep treating valued patrons this way," the prisoner continued to taunt the gangly man. "And where's colonel Montgomery already? I've been waiting a full week on his lazy ass, and yet here I sit. Slackers, all of you."

        As if waiting for his cue, the blue-clad and sun-bleached officer opened the creaky wooden door to the jailhouse, nearly pulling it off its misaligned hinges in the process. "Well I'll be," the hardened old man said with a voice that sounded like gravel under a bootheel. "They told me there was a boy waiting to be escorted back to my fort, but I don't believe I recognize you." He scratched his head for a bit, looked at the young bailiff, then back to Titus. Eager to move forward, Titus offered the best bluff he could come up with on the spot. "Like you'd recognize me anyways, just one of a hundred in a barrack you'd never scuff those shiny boots on."

       It seemed to work. The old man's gaze hardened and the cane he propped himself up with snaked off the ground almost too quick to spot. Titus felt its steel tip smash hard into his ribcage, and he went down involuntarily in a coughing fit. "You son-of-a-", he started, but another look at the raised cane stopped him short. He stood back up, straightened off the poorly fitted uniform that identified him as belonging to Fort Concho, and looked through the bars to the hills beyond where his small band of mounted men should have been. Come on, Pierce.

       "Mr. Montgomery." The younger man was holding out a piece of paper and a fountain pen. "If we can just get your mark here to show you have indeed picked this man up." The old officer turned his attention to the bailiff momentarily, and Titus took the time to look the old man up and down. He wasn't particularly stout by the looks of it, but this was going to be harder than he had expected nonetheless. He was well-armed, booted, and covered in more layers of clothing than anyone in this climate should be.

      "Come now, young Marlow," he was hollering without turning to face Titus. "Let's get you back to the tents and a hot meal." Desertion was fairly normal in these times, an irregular phenomenon turned into a staple of military service as the funding dwindled and the opposition and its allies grew. They expected the behavior; it had become so common there was no real punishment for the act in place anymore. The local authorities would just round you up and hand you off to be ferried back to wherever you'd been conscripted to.

       So, when the old man pulled chains from within the large bag at his side, a cold chill went down Titus's spine. This wasn't supposed to be in the cards at all, and he did not do well with chains. Taking a deep breath to steady his voice, Titus inquired, "Come on, now, what's all this? Ain't we just headed up the road a ways?" The old man smiled at him again, and this time the prisoner saw something a little too malicious in his stare. "Ahh," Titus sighed, holding his arms through the bars to be restrained, "There's the man I've been looking for."

       This time it was the colonel who stopped short, and Titus stuffed down his distaste as best he could and smiled warily. With the chains around his forearms and the two lawmens' hands on their guns, the bars swung wide and he stepped beyond the confines of his small cell for the first time in days. "Gentlemen," Titus swooned in mock hysteria as he addressed the several other shackled young soldiers awaiting transport, "Do you feel that?" His eyes centered on the colonel and left him feeling even more uneasy. "Freedom."

2.

       Once they'd saddled up a spare gelding from the Colonel's tiny convoy, Titus was led over and hopped up of his own accord. His chains rattled around as he tried to settle in, causing the whole assortment of horses to stamp about nervously. In the midday heat of the Summer sun the streets were empty as far as the eye could see. It hadn't rained for almost two months now, and the dust kicked up by the stamping hooves hung in the air, heavy and unrelenting. Where were Pierce and Iain?

       Despite his growing concern, and despite the growing heat, Titus relinquished himself to finding what little pleasure there was to be had in his current predicament. The smell of the horse beneath him; the scent of the wood and dirt and alcohol that flooded his nostrils from the nearby bar. It genuinely was a relief to be out of that hotbox, granted it would be considerably more relieving if he weren't wrapped in iron links.

He decided those links would be his escort's undoing before this was all said and done.

       After an obligatory goodbye, the grizzled colonel Montgomery hoisted himself into his saddle, tucked his cane into its own sheath at his side, and gently kissed the mares into motion. And... everyone started down the road uninterrupted. Titus looked from window to window and scanned the building tops in search of his companions. This wasn't supposed to be the course of today's events, but then even the most clever plans rarely lasted the duration of their enactment. Hopefully his rescue attempt would be underway soon.

       By the time they had passed between the last set of buildings and were turning toward the fort, the unrest had grown into a full-scale panic. Titus shot his eyes from left to right, trying to keep his mood hidden from the others around him. Perhaps the two young outlaws had found some new distraction to impede their focus on the task at hand. Maybe they were just hungover and sleeping it off, or still drunk and God-knows-where gambling away the last of their meager earnings. All were just a tad too possible for comfort, and he was already a far cry from anything resembling comfortable.

       When they had been on the trail for what must have been more than ten minutes, Titus decided he'd had enough. If his partners couldn't be relied upon to show, he would have to take matters into his own hands. He looked down at them now, creased heavily from a life of hard labor and wrapped in metal rings. Then he looked up to John Montgomery and around and back at the handful of fellows in his position. All in chains. All miserable. Not one with an ounce of fight in their eyes. So be it, he told himself, and took a few quick breaths to force a little life back into his starved and fried brain.

       In one deceptively quick stroke, he kicked free of his stirrups, crouched deftly on his saddle, and sprung straight for the colonel. In a fray of neighing and jumping and scattering equine, they both crashed to the ground. Titus could feel his shoulder hanging out of place as he painfully worked his way back up, and seeing his adversary do the same took the extra effort to kick his feet back out from under him. The old man cursed as he fell again and scrambled around in the dirt, but Titus was standing now and headed straight for his throat. 

       Their eyes wide, the handful of shackled men worked in silence to settle their horses, perhaps unsure whether to join in or run for the hills. Titus didn't stop. He pounced on the now furious officer and held him down as he patted him over for keys. Finally successful, he slammed a fist down on top of the straining man's noggin and left him in a stupor long enough to turn defiantly to his newest rescuees and toss them the oversized keyring. Turning back to Montgomery, he grabbed his own chains and pulled them taught like the world's nastiest garrote. 

       Montgomery was on his feet finally, grabbing blindly for support in lieu of his cane, and so Titus made a point to find it for him. Picking it from where it had been initially flung, he dusted it off and tossed it gingerly to the stunned colonel. Then he walked over to the edge of the path where the other captives were freeing themselves and found a sizable branch to wield. Walking slowly back to his would-be captor, he gave a warm smile and hoisted the large hunk of wood over his head. "It's good to see you've regained your senses."

       The old man hacked up a bit more dust, knocked himself in the head a couple times, and twisted the handle of his cane. From within he pulled a blade as long as the cane itself and narrowed it at Titus. "I suppose that's not entirely unwarranted," the big prisoner said and started forward suddenly. He had always been too quick for his size, or so he was frequently told - it all felt rather natural to him. Nonetheless it was obvious he caught the colonel by surprise; the size of his eyes as the thick branch was broken in two between them said as much. Without even the opportunity to realign his thin blade for the oncoming attack, John Montgomery fell to the ground in a pile of bark and chips.

       Still clawing to regain his footing, the damaged man couldn't find his voice to beg for mercy. Which was just as well, Titus figured as he circled around behind him and stood him back up - he wasn't planning on showing any. He wrapped his metal restraints around the defeated officer and reared back with all his might. It took a few minutes, and it wasn't a pretty act to behold nor even hear, but every one of the freshly unchained men stood rubbing their wrists and looking on in wonder as if all the kicking and slobbering was the most beautiful sight of their young lives. It was done.

3.

From a patch of old mesquite behind them a familiar voice cut through the final gasps of the late Mr. Montgomery. "Aw, are you beatin' up that poor old man Titus? I thought you had more self respect than that." He wanted to be mad. He wanted to curse the two jackasses for sitting by while he helped himself to the solution. But, at the sound of Pierce's rude remark, Titus couldn't help but grin. He took the cane from the ground in front of him and shot it like a spear at Iain as he stepped from the brush. "I swear, even when you're on task you're useless!" the big man countered.

       They closed distance on eachother and shook hands heartily. Pierce went to work unlocking the shackles still in place around Titus's wrists, and Iain lost himself admiring the scabbard that had just rapped his skull. His hands finally free, he held them out eagerly and added, "I can't believe you let me think I was going solo." Pierce gave a quiet chuckle and hoisted the oversized blade Titus had grown fond of into his waiting hands. "We had you covered the whole time. You know how it goes though, had to let you sweat a bit."

       "I've been sweating for seven days straight," He shot back. "It was only six," Iain cut in, walking between them and pushing the blade of his newly-acquired sword into its sheath, "and this is mine." Titus threw another haphazard fist Pierce's way for good measure, but the nimble cowboy just dipped beneath it with a grin and was already stepping past him with hat-in-hand waving. "Finish up and come get you some hot food already."

       With a final nod to usher off the few soldiers who'd lingered since the colonel's death, Titus stopped grinning and turned back to the corpse. "Let them know who did it, eh boys," he growled in his deep voice, and thrust the tip of his longsword straight through the chest of their latest target. With a sigh that released more tension than he'd realized he was carrying, he walked back over to the horse he'd been supplied and began checking over its girt, bridle, and blanket. It would be a relief to be back home. 

       Philema still didn't approve of all of what they did, he knew. But his sister knew as well the importance of their call to action, of providing a sense and symbol of unity for the masses of impoverished and war-torn in what was the bloodiest time anyone had ever known. She would be waiting for him at the inn, taking care of everything as always while he shirked his chores to roam abroad. "She's a gem, your sister," Pierce broke through his thoughts as if reading his mind. "She knows you do only what you must, old friend. You're not a wretch like me." His companion gave a knowing wink and rode up towards the crest of the nearest hill. 

       Iain was already mounted as well, and so Titus swung up into his saddle and cinched his great beast of a blade firmly behind his back. But by the time he had lumbered around to match Iain's gait, shots rang out. Turning to find the source of the sounds, they could see smoke rising from Pierce's rifle as he aimed and cracked another round off over the hill. Shoving it into his saddle, the veteran horseman kicked his mare hard and came racing towards them.

"Move! Move! Move!" he was shouting as he barreled through them, and so they tore off behind him hooping and hollering to the cracking brush and popping rocks of armed pursuit.

#Short #Story #Civil #War #Western #Fantasy #Six #Swords

[himbowelsh]

Prompt for Bill&Babe team: Frannie makes Babe and Bill sit and talk after a fight (because they're both miserable without each other and act like love sick dogs). They fought because one of them is feeling unloved. Either Babe because Bill is focused on Frannie or Bill because Babe started dating Gene. Frannie tells Gene that he better get used to this while they're watching Bill and Babe almost sob into each other arms because "I've missed you", "Don't leave me". Anything about their friendship

“This is ridiculous.”

“Shut up,” Fran retorts, leaning forward with her elbows braced against her knees. Red lips are pressed into a thin line; her eyes are trained on the bathroom door, intently enough to burn holes clean through the wood.

Julian sighs, lowering into a crouch as he, too, glowers at the door. Crossing his arms over his chest, Spina turns the key to the door over in his palm and tries to push a growing sense of unease to the back of his mind. The silence from within is eerie. There’s no reason it should be so quiet in there, considering the two guys locked within are anything but.

There’s always the fear that they might have killed each other. Well, if it came down to it, he figures Bill would be the one to kill Babe, unless Babe got the jump on him. Babe’s endurance, however, is a scary thing. Even if Bill got him good, Babe might be able to bounce back and deliver a fatal blow in return before --

Spina shakes himself, leaping from that train of thought. Theorizing about his friends killing each other isn’t nice, nor is it particularly healthy. There are better things to worry about right now; like what the hell is actually going on in that bathroom.

The banging stopped a few minutes ago; the arguing stopped soon after. Now it’s just... silent.

It’s unnerving the other two as much as it is him. He exchanges an anxious glance with Julian, whose throat bobs as he swallows. Fran doesn’t look at either of them. She’s stone-still, barely breathing, focused on making out whatever is going on behind the door.

Suddenly, a loud shout shatters the silence.

“No! Heffron, don’t you dare climb out that fucking window!”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Fran buries her face in her hands. Julian topples from his crouch, cackling even before he hits the ground. A clatter rings out from the bathroom, followed by a renewed bout of shouting, and the sound of something hitting the wall.

“He’s gonna get stuck,” Spina (the only one who’s retained his wits) states. He aims a kick at Julian when the hysterical boy rolls into the wall.

Indeed, only a few seconds pass before a loud “Aww, hell,” sounds in Babe’s unmistakeable whine. The three friends exchange glances before sighing in unison. Fran slams a hand down on her knee. Julian sits up, still snickering. Spina tosses the key in the air and catches it.

“New plan?” he asks, raising his eyebrows. Julian nods while Fran just shrugs, discouraged. She’s not used to her schemes not working; when they do, she always gets dejected, then frustrated, then fired up all over again. Spina has no doubt that by dinnertime she’ll be drawing up new battle plans.

Of course, they’ll only get to have dinner once they manage to pry Babe from the bathroom window.

“We could shove ‘em in a closet together!” Fran exclaims, looking like she’s just struck gold. “No windows.”

“Yeah, just things to beat each other with,” Spina points out. “Pass.”

“We could lock ‘em out of the house tonight,” pipes up Julian. He doesn’t cringe back even as two heads swivel around to gape at him, but he does look a little surprised by the reaction.

“It’s winter,” Fran enunciates, looking torn between horror and incredulity. “What the hell’s the matter with you?”

Spina waves her off before Julian can start up an inevitable argument. The last thing they need is two more people fighting in this house. That could send them spiralling into full-on civil war, and Spina isn’t sure he can take it. “His brain just works like that. Don’t ask him for ideas and we’ll all be fine.”

He’s become a master at subverting catastrophic arguments before they get the chance to happen. Living with Bill and Fran, who scream at each other as much as they scream for each other, and Babe and Julian, who frankly have all the self control of poppies, he’s learned to be the calm in the storm. He’s the level head. The mediator. The one everyone else goes to when they have problems.

He hates it. If that’s what it take to keep peace in the household, however, Spina is willing to do it. If only to prevent a homicide, which would seriously interrupt his schedule, and that’s something anyone studying medicine really can’t afford.

It would just be so much easier if he weren’t living with four of the most stubborn people on planet earth.

He doesn’t know what the hell is going on between Bill and Babe, but whatever it is has been building up all month long. The two best friends have been distant, shorter with each other, argumentative for no apparent reason. The other day, they finally snapped. Babe swung first, Bill swung last, and Fran broke up the fight with threats of kicking them both out on the street if they ever have it out in the living room again.

Since then, they haven’t been speaking at all. While Bill and Babe on the same page can be holy terrors, witnessing the two of them reading entirely different books is something Spina could have gone his whole life without. It’s not natural. It’s a little terrifying, to be honest. The wall of ice that’s come up between the two of them is ready to shatter at the slightest touch, and the second it does the house will descend into chaos.

They have to get Bill and Babe back together before that can happen.

Since locking them in the same room together didn’t work, there’s only one thing left for them to do. They have to make them talk it out.

He clears his throat, drawing both sets of eyes in the room to him. “How about this? An intervention. We sit both of ‘em down, watch so they don’t kill each other, and get ‘em to talk. Whether they want to or not.”

“It’s no use,” Fran sighs. “We can’t try anything like that, cause they’ll just get pissed off and start fighting and try to kill each other again. Sitting ‘em down will just be a disaster.”

Now it’s Julian’s turn to clear his throat. Alarm bells start ringing in Spina’s head the second he sees the renewed brightness in his friend’s face. Anything that excites Julian is rarely good for anyone else.

“I have an idea,” he says, and a slow smile spreads across his face. “I know just what will work.”

It is surprisingly difficult to tie someone to a chair.

Or maybe it’s just difficult to tie Bill to a chair. Granted, things probably would have gone over better if Spina had waited to ambush him when he was caught off guard -- like during a nap, or while he’s busy eating. Calling Bill’s name from the kitchen and hiding behind a door until he walked in and then jumping him might not have been the best plan.

But, well -- it’s not like he can undo it now.

He finally gets the last knot tied, and steps back to survey his work. Bill is strapped securely to a kitchen chair. A mass of rope constrains his chest, while his arms and legs are fastened to the chair’s wooden limbs. The knots Spina has tied have employed all the knowledge he still retains from his one summer at Boy Scout Camp, but they’re large and secure. This doesn’t stop Bill from bucking like an enraged bull, of course.

His face is bright red, a vein throbbing in his temple. He’s spitting curses that would make Spina’s mother slap his teeth out; his muscles strain from his struggle to escape, but it’s to little effect. The rope holds. It’s clear that Bill isn’t going anywhere. (Spina sends up a prayer of thanks; he’s not ready to die today.)

“What the fuck? Let me out, you little son of a bitch, or I swear to god I’ll strangle you in your sleep --”

“Give it a rest, Bill,” Spina sighs. “You’re gonna be here for a while.”

The chair next to Bill is still empty. Spina doubts it will be for long.

He steps around Bill and begins to make himself a sandwich. He considers bologna, but goes for cheese instead; then mustard, then sausage leftover from dinner, then a bit of lettuce. He sits down in front of Bill and begins to eat it, staring him dead in the eye.

His friend, self-proclaimed “master chef”, looks nauseated by Spina’s concoction. “I fuckin’ hate you.”

“Yep.” Spina pops the ‘p’, and takes another large bite.

He leaves Bill for just a minute to use the bathroom, and when he comes back Fran has a squirming Babe confined to the other chair.

Babe is cursing a blue streak. Next to him, Bill looks fit to kill everyone in the room. Fran steps back, placing her hands on her hips, and nods to herself. A part of Spina really wants to know how she did it, but he realizes it’s better if he doesn’t know.

Bill looks to his girlfriend, desperate for an ally. Fran only shakes her head, lips quirking up in a victorious smirk.

“You,” she says as Spina comes up behind her, “are going to sit your asses down and get along.”

“Get this guy away from me, Frannie,” Bill says in a low voice. “I mean it. I dunno what I’ll do.”

“You’re not doing anything, genius. You’re tied to a chair.”

Fran’s eyes swivel between the two combatants for a moment. Bill and Babe glance at each other; their gazes lock, and quickly morph into heated glares. Spina feels the flicker of hope inside of him sputter.

If this doesn’t work, he has no clue what else they can try. He might have to move out. He can’t stand living on a powder keg, and when these two explode it isn’t going to be pretty.

This needs to get sorted out today, and this is the safest way to do it.

“Talk,” Fran orders, taking a step backwards. “The both of you work this out, and that’s when we’ll untie you. Until then --”

She makes a broad gesture to their current predicament, then steps out into the hallway. When Spina catches her eye, she nods at him to move it.

He scampers out of the room, leaving Bill and Babe alone to settle whatever the hell is going on. He just hopes the house will be left standing once they’re finished.

After ten minutes, it becomes obvious that no one is coming back. Babe and Bill have been left alone.

“So,” Babe begins, tentative.

“Don’t even try it, Heffron.”

Babe’s mouth shuts with a click. He huffs out a sigh, and goes back to counting the flowers in the wallpaper.

No one is expecting visitors, so when Gene Roe walks into the house to find Fran and Spina crouched outside the kitchen door, Spina’s first thought is that somehow Babe must have managed to call for help.

“No way,” Fran hisses, springing to her feet. “I have both their phones in my pocket! What are you doing here?”

Gene, for his part, looks unimpressed. His eyes flicker from Spina (still on the ground) to the enraged Fran, then scan the house as if looking for someone. When he doesn’t seem to find what he’s searching for, he settles back on his heels with a frown. 

“Well,” he says, “I’m looking for my boyfriend. I’ve been waiting for him in the car for fifteen minutes, and now I’m pretty sure we’ve missed the movie we were gonna go see.”

Spina and Fran both deflate at the same time, exchanging guilty glances. They hadn’t counted on Babe having plans tonight. They assumed he came home alone.

Gene raises his eyebrow at the duo. “Somebody wanna tell me what’s going on here?”

“Look, if you would just talk to me and tell you why you’ve been so pissed then maybe we could figure this out!”

“There’s nothing to talk about, Babe!” Bill spits back. Anger colors his voice, words stinging like a hornet’s needle. Babe grits his teeth, muscles tensing against the rope that binds him as he turns as far as he can to face his friend.

“Clearly there is! Get over yourself, huh? You think you get to act like an asshole and not even have a reason?”

“I’ve got a reason! A damn good one!”

“Oh yeah?” challenges Babe. “What is it?”

Fran’s hiss of “they’re talking!” drew everyone to the door. Now Gene has joined Spina and Fran in the ranks of shameless eavesdroppers, and looks as baffled by the conversation as the rest of them.

No matter where this is going, Spina couldn’t be more relieved. Finally, they’re getting over themselves and just talking it out. It took forever, but if they manage to straighten things out then everything might be okay.

“This is great,” Gene murmurs, “but when am I gonna get my boyfriend back?”

The answer doesn’t need to be stated. The sharp look Fran shoots him makes it obvious. They’re only leaving those chairs once they’re ready to kiss and make up, so even if it takes all night, they’re staying where they are.

“Sorry, buddy.” Spina claps his fellow medical student on the back. “Guess you’ll have to miss your movie.”

“You sunuva bitch! You didn’t think it affected me at all?”

“There’s no reason it should affect you!” Babe fires back. Now all of his anger bleeds from his words, exposing the hurt he’s been trying so hard to cover up. “Just because you’re jealous of me and Gene --”

“I ain’t jealous!” Bill exclaims indignantly, but Babe raises his voice over him.

“Yes you are, and just because you’re jealous you think you can kick me around? No! I’m not your mother, I don’t have to look after you! I’m allowed to have my own life! You think it hasn’t bothered me when you’re mackin’ on Frannie while I want to talk to you about something! Sure it has, but I don’t take it out on you, because I’m not an asshole!”

“I didn’t --” Bill starts, but cuts himself off. Babe steamrolls on as if he hasn’t heard a word.

“So, you’re jealous. Okay. Ever tried talking to me? It’s not like I’m trying to ignore you! Jesus Christ, Bill, you’re my best friend! You’re the best pal I could ask for, but if you feel that way, say something to me! We can work it out! I don’t get jealous of you and Frannie because I know you love her, and I know she’s your girl. You love her, but that doesn’t make me not your friend anymore! Gene’s the guy I love, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you anymore! Christ, it’s not that hard, is it?”

For a moment, Bill says nothing. When he does speak, his voice sounds tight. “I never said it was hard.”

Spina is treated to a sharp elbow in the ribs from one side, and fingers digging into his shoulder from the other. He winces under both assaults, but neither one lets up.

“Is this it? Have they done it?”

“There’s been enough yelling. Ain’t they ever heard of indoor voices?”

“What do you think?”

Spina forces himself to his feet, popping out from under both Fran and Gene. He’s in no hurry to be buried by nosy friends, especially not before they find out if a resolution has really been reached. He strains to see around the doorway without being noticed -- a challenge when there are two bodies at his feet, threatening to tip him over any second.

“Hey,” a voice from the kitchen calls. “Quit stickin’ your head in and come untie us already! We’re done!”

At Spina’s feet, Gene has gone very still. “Is Babe -- it sounds like he’s crying.”

Fran takes a moment to consider this, before suddenly springing to her feet. “Oh, thank god!”

The entire assembly barrels into the kitchen, only to be greeted by the most welcome sight they’ve seen all day. Babe and Bill are still sitting in their chairs, side-by-side. Now, however, neither one is struggling, and no one looks murderous. In fact, Babe is smiling ear-to-ear. His eyes are glistening. There’s a few wet streaks rolling down Bill’s cheeks, but he does his best to maintain a tough front as he regards them.

Fran exhales a laugh. “Oh my god, you two are such babies.”

“You worked it out!” Spina cheers, fistpumping in the air. He starts to round Bill’s chair; Gene is already behind Babe, working to free him from his restraints. 

As soon as the ropes fall away, Bill and Babe are out of their chairs. They take a second to stretch their limbs and make sure everything is still in working order; then they embrace each other.

“You rat bastard,” Babe huffs against Bill’s broad chest. “You got something to say to me, say it next time, huh?”

Bill claps Babe on the back, hugging him like a kid who’s just rediscovered his favorite toy. “And don’t you go forgetting about Ol’ Guarnere anymore!”

It’s a heartwarming, if somewhat baffling scene. Maybe he just doesn’t get it. Spina’s never had lifelong friends. He’s definitely never been a part of the same bond that Babe and Bill have with each other. He probably just doesn’t understand the way their brains work, or why this was such a thing, but he’s glad it all worked out anyway. “You know,” Fran pipes up, “double dates are always an option!”

The two don’t reply. Maybe they didn’t even hear her. Gene glances over at her and shakes his head. “Let ‘em figure it out for themselves. They’ll wanna think it was their idea.”

Fran sighs, placing her hands on her hips as she surveys her two favorite idiots. “Gene, I hope you’re prepared,” she says. “You’re part of the family now. You better get used to all of this.”

Gene huffs out a low laugh, crossing his arms. As he watches his boyfriend and his best friend hug it out, there’s a smile on his lips. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

#THIS GOT LONG #but i loved this prompt #the philly squad is so much fun to write #and anything baberoe is always my jam #bill guarnere #babe heffron #ralph spina #frances peca #gene roe #my writing #Anonymous

[joonievjones]

Grace

Grace 🌼

Status: ongoing :)

Future Mature content 💞

Text Copyright © JoonieVJones & Miickiye.

Please do not copy or repost my stories, I post on Tumblr as JoonieVJones and on Wattpad as Miickiye but those are my only two accounts.

🌻summary: You always knew of your parents wish for expansion of their kingdom, however you never expected you'd be the key to their fulfillment. Being thrown into a sudden engagement with a faraway prince never seen of previously while having your childhood best friend act in ways also never seen before can leave a girl in complete confusion with a lot to lose and one choice to make.

🌻pairings: readerxNamjoon, readerxJungkook

🌻topics: romance, fluff, eventual smut, angst

🌼 Grace

🌼🌼🌼chapter 3

"A unity?" Jungkook looked away angrily.

"I guess our kingdoms are now allies."

"Y/n… you know what this could possibly mean."

"I refuse to believe they'd marry me off."

Once again, like a couple of days earlier, silence surrounded you guys, this time it was suffocating.

"Let's run away together." You said seriously.

Jungkook's face paled while his eyes simultaneously lit up.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

You both stood up and grabbed the already packed bags, immediately setting them back down two seconds later.

You let out a frustrated grunt.

"If only it were that easy." He mumbled.

"You're telling me."

Tossing yourself onto the bed you scratched your head.

Usually it'd be styled into some sort of braid but today you had it loose and natural as well as instead of wearing a fancy dress you wore a lavender off the shoulder dress with a deep plum lace up corset belt.

Jungkook also wore casual clothes instead of his usual uniform.

"Imagine the headlines. At first we'd be assumed lost or kidnapped."

"Then I'd be suspected of treason."

"And don't forget the romance rumors." You quipped.

He laughed, making sure the windows were fully shut and covered before laying down next to you.

"I can read them already."

"Me too. It'd be the dream of many if we're being honest. I've seen a lot of people speculate on our relationship." You used his arm as a pillow and nuzzled up close to his chest.

"Do they?"

"Mhm." You nodded your head.

"They're idiots." He mumbled.

Your heart panged.

"They scrape at whatever to get some sort of drama from your family."

"Yeah…" A sigh escaped you, closing your eyes and breathing in his scent usually helped you yet today you couldn't help but be hurt by his tone of voice.

You didn't mind the rumors. Sometimes you even purposely fed them hoping they'd soften your parents up, why did he seem so annoyed by them.

"The trees were whispering today." Your voice was low.

"What did they say?"

"They told me about my future engagement." Your words were sour, immediately the atmosphere dulled. He stared intently at the ceiling.

Kook didn't say anything for a couple of seconds.

"Did they mention anything else?"

This time you took time to collect your thoughts. You couldn't tell him the full story, so you settled for trying to lighten the mood once more.

"They said I looked gorgeous as always."

Finally he turned to meet your gaze.

"Well, that sucks."

You gasped. "What the hell?!"

"Because-" He stopped your hand as you were about to smack his shoulder lightly. "Now we know they're right."

Your eyes met his, you swore your heart was suddenly pounding way too loudly. What was that about? Suddenly you were too aware of your position, when had you guys gotten so close? Your faces were mere inches apart, his hand was intertwined in yours and half of your body was atop his. This close up you could see the small scar under his left eye and the way his lashes lay ever so gently on his pretty doe eyes.

You took in a deep breath and released it slowly, closing your eyes and settling down. You needed a nice nap.

🌼

You stared wearily at the sight before you. You swore you recognized the man in front of you but also had absolutely no idea who he was.

Jungkook had left to go to the bathroom and had told you to wait at a table nearby but you'd left your post to order something for the both of you, and now you stood impatiently behind a man who seemed to not know what to choose. Abruptly he turned to look at you. He didn't seem much older than you, and was very handsome.

"What would you recommend?" He said shyly. His voice shocked you, causing you to stare widely at him just like a deer caught in headlights.

It was deep and melodic and seemed to pull you in.

You froze.

"Um…"

"I'm new to this kingdom and don't know what I should get." He awkwardly scratched the back of his head and looked away, a light pink coated his cheeks and as you looked up you noticed the tip of his ears were reddened as well. Although he towered over you in height, at that moment he seemed to make himself small and childlike.

That. Was. Absolutely. Adorable.

Immediately your eyes lit up and you sprung with life.

"Anything you get will be amazing!" You smiled brightly. "The chef here is the best in the whole kingdom."

"I don't doubt it. My father's friend recommended this place specifically for their baking abilities." He paused and met your gaze. "What will you be getting?"

His voice once again completely lulled you. It was so beautiful. The way he spoke was calling to you and it made you want to have hours of conversation with this man.

"I'm getting cinnamon tea with some mini strawberry puff tartlets."

"I'll get that as well then." He smiled at you and you nearly swooned.

Two dimples popped out as he smiled and turned to order, a slight frown overtook your face however when he turned to ask you how many tartlets you wanted.

"Uh, I'd like six?" Was he ordering for you?

"Okay." He turned to the cashier. "I'll take two cinnamon teas and nine mini puff strawberry tartlets." He smiled at the boy, who you recognized as Seungmin, you frequented this cafe, and reached in his pocket for his wallet.

What about Jungkook?

"Umm-" You were at a loss for words.

"Of course!" Seungmin grinned and rang up your total.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but could you please add one more tea and charge me for it." You smiled kindly at the boy and immediately pulled out your card.

The man beside you gave you a confused look.

"No, it's fine. I want to pay." You said to hopefully answer his internal question.

"I don't mind paying at all." He said. "If you wouldn't mind sir, take my card instead."

He offered the cashier his card and the poor boy stared at you both with panic.

"Umm…"

"Please take mine Seungmin." You smiled as you said his name. "He is new to town and I think this should be my treat."

Seungmin carefully reached for your card instead and then also grabbed the man's card.

"How about I shuffle them behind my back and whichever arm one of you chooses is the one who'll pay?"

You bit the inside of your cheek.

"That sounds fair." Both you and the man spoke up at the same time.

After a couple seconds of shuffling Seungmin gave you both an expectant look.

"Which arm do you choose?"

"Left."

"Right."

Your eyes flew to the man.

"Right."

"Left."

Again your eyes met incredulously.

"Rock, paper, scissors?" You said.

He nodded and you both immediately began the game. In the end you won and chose the right arm.

Seungmin swiped it and then handed you both cards back.

"Kim Namjoon?" You asked.

He smiled shyly once more. "That one's mine, I believe."

You handed him his card back as he handed yours as well.

"Princess!" You turned to meet the wide eyes of Jungkook.

"Oh hey Lieutenant-"

"You weren't at the table?" He said as he finally reached you and scanned your body for injuries.

"Oh yeah, I was getting us dinner. You're cool with strawberry tartlets rights?"

He straightened his posture and turned to stare at Namjoon.

"This is Kim Namjoon." You offered. "He is new to the kingdom so I recommended one of Chefs Felix's best dishes."

"Of course. Good evening Mr. Kim." Jungkook stood rigidly by you.

This wasn't going well.

"Could you please make six of those tartlets and two teas to go?" You asked Seungmin.

"Of course."

"Thank you so much. Please pass my greetings to Felix. I wish I could stay longer but I'm sure I'm needed for something." You then turned to Namjoon and extended your hand. "It was very nice meeting you, and I hope you enjoy your stay here. I truly wish our kingdom doesn't disappoint." You smiled brightly at him as you shook hands and then immediately pulled Jungkook away to sit back at the table he had asked you to while you waited for your order.

"What was that about?" You asked as soon as you were seated.

"I'm not supposed to leave you alone for long, I just panicked when I couldn't find you."

You laughed.

"I doubt that counts as a long time. Besides, I enjoyed my time."

Jungkook raised an eyebrow.

"The guy I was talking to was alright." You smiled and lay your head on the palm of your hand while you looked out at the setting sun. "He seemed cool."

"He's not from here you said?"

You nodded your head.

Kook looked around the café and spotted the man. He seemed to be fully enthralled in the book he was holding and didn't notice the glares Jungkook sent.

"Stop glaring, it's rude you know?"

"I don't know… I didn't like how he looked at you."

You frowned. "All he did was smile. I don't think that's a valid reason-"

"That's not what I mean y/n."

A small, mischievous smile spread across your face.

"Jealous?"

His eyes immediately left Namjoon's form and flew to yours.

"No!" You laughed at how loud he was. Looking around and apologizing for his outburst to the other customers, he turned to give you a small scowl. "Why would I be jealous of a random stranger?"

You simply shrugged and kept a smile on your face. He was jealous, you were sure of it.

#namkook #royal #btsau #bts smut #bts fluff #fiction #romance #kim namjoon #eventual smut #angst #bts namkook #jeon jungkook #bts fic #kim seokjin #min yoongi #jung hoseok #park jimin #kim taehyung #bts royal au #royalty #fluff #smut