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pitchsidestories · 7 months

Text

Pumpkins & Picnics II Laura Wienroither x Reader

masterlist I word count: 1771

Your girlfriend Laura and you were already about to leave Beth and Vivianne’s home which you visited earlier in the day when the Dutch woman put on a serious face: “Wait a second. Bring her home safely, okay?” “Of course, Viv.”, you reassured the older teammate not without a little eye roll at her direction. Home was not their place anymore for the Austrian home was the appartement you shared together. Smiling Beth scolded the dark-haired forward: “Viv leave the children alone.” “Sorry, Viv can be such a dad.”, Laura apologized.

But you just waved it off with a small grin on your lips: “It’s fine, I’m used to it by now.” “They’re really just looking out for me.”, the defender told you. With a sigh you admitted: “That’s in equal parts adorable and annoying because they should trust me by now.” “They do. Really.”, your girlfriend told you in a comforting tone which put your mind at ease.

“Girls, you almost forgot your coats. You’ll need them for your outdoor picnic!”, Beth said making both of your heads turn as she handed you the coats. “It’s not even that cold Beth. You’re such a mum.”, Laura laughed but the way she looked at the older forward was full of love. Nonchalantly the blonde shrugged her shoulders: “I don’t want you two to get sick that’s all, she stopped for a second before adding with a wink, Besides Arsenal needs your girlfriend let.” “Yes, yes I know.”, the Austrian mumbled.

Softly you tapped your girlfriend on her shoulder: “Come on, let’s go, Lau.” “Coming.”, she replied. Beaming you waved at the older couple: “Goodbye, Viv and Beth.” “Have fun, girls.”, the English national team player hummed.

It was a beautiful autumn day outside. The leaves were turning into all shades of yellow, orange and were softly falling from the trees. The lake to which you went was mirroring the colourful trees. “I think we can do our picnic here.”, you pointed to a place from where you had a perfect view at the water. While Laura and you were unpacking your things the Austrian whispered:” That’s beautiful.” “It really is, do you want a hot drink now?”, you asked her cheerfully. Excited your girlfriend nodded: “Yes, please. What have you got? Tea? Hot chocolate?” “Actually both.”, you confessed. The smile which appeared on her face warmed your heart as she stated: “Oh my god, you’re the best.”

“Only the best for you, Lau.”, you grinned as you handed her a cup of hot chocolate. The defender took it with both hands and breathed in the steam with closed eyes; “If I weren’t in love with you already, I’d be right now.” You fondly rolled your eyes as you poured yourself some hot chocolate; “Cheers.” Carefully, Laura clinked her cup against yours before taking the first sip; “It’s delicious.“ A comfortable silence settled in while you enjoyed the view with your hot drinks.

You quietly cleared your throat to draw your girlfriends attention back to you; “Lau? I’m so proud of your first run yesterday.” Her excited smile was the same as yesterday when she took her first steps out of the gym; “Thank you. It felt great to be back on the grass.” “I can imagine…”, you replied quietly, your gaze subconsciously shifting towards your own knee. One hand was tracing circles on your jeans in the places where your own knee surgery had left scars. “I can’t wait to play again.”, Laura went on, the longing for the football pitch now overshadowing the pride for her achievements. You nodded slowly; “Me neither. Something’s missing when you’re not on the field.“

With a mix of genuine light-heartedness and self-deprecation, she laughed; “I didn’t play that much anyway.“ “Right before your injury you did.“, you corrected her, biting your lip for bringing up the other injuries in the squad. Laura patted your knee; “Don’t worry, I’m okay. The ACL Squad is taking good care of me.“ “I’m glad they do. Because I can’t always be there like they can…“, you could not avoid the slight hint of sadness in your voice. At the same time you loved the team for it. Beth and Vivianne let Laura stay with them whenever she wanted and Leah was always in the gym when Laura was, celebrating every small progress. “I know.“, Laura answered with a soft voice. “Sorry.“ “It’s okay. Really.“

You could feel the mood shift and didn’t want it to affect your date, so you started to unwrap freshly baked cinnamon buns and offered them to your girlfriend; “Cinnamon bun?“ Lauras eyes went wide as soon as the smell of cinnamon and butter met her nose. Delighted, she took one; “Sure, thank you.“ “You’re welcome, love.“, you smiled warmly and took one for yourself. Laura took the first bite and hummed happily; “They’re so good.“ “Yes, I made them with the other Swedish Girls.“, you explained, satisfied with how much your girlfriend enjoyed the taste.The Austrian’s beamed: “Nothing better than real Swedish cinnamon buns.” “Agreed.”, you winked at her. Sheepishly smiling Laura admitted: “I could eat all of them.” “Seems like we need to make some more before Jonas team meeting.”, you observed amused your girlfriend’s hunger for the Scandinavian treat. The taste and scent of cinnamon buns always put a smile on your face because it reminded you of your home country.

The blonde could not help but to tease you: “Are you trying to convince him to let you start?” “Rude!”, you playfully slapped her upper arm. Innocently she smiled back: “What? It was just a question.” “Maybe I should them to Lina.”, you thought out loud. Your teammate really shined in recent national team games so it would have been only fair for her to get more game time in the club aswell. Confusion was in Lauras voice as she asked: “What?” “So, she is able to start?”, you explained. Determined the defender shook her head, holding the baked goods close to her chest:” You keep those delicious cinnamon buns right here.” “Okay, got it, Lau.”, you giggled. Pleased about your answer your girlfriend replied: “Thanks.”

A leaf slowly fell from the branch on to your light hair.: “Huch.” “Oh wait. Let me get this one out of your hair.”, Laura offered while carefully removing the leaf from the top of your head. It was those small gestures that made you fall more in love with her everyday: “Thanks, Lau.” “Cute.”, she remarked. Grinning you suggested: “Maybe we should take that leave with us as decoration?” “To put it in your hair?”, the defender joked. You could not help but laugh: “No for our appartement.” “Oh. Right.”, Laura blushed.

Curiously you watched her walking around your blanket:” What are you doing?” “Picking up more leaves?”, the Austrian replied with an adorable smile. Immediately you stood up from your cozy place:“Wait, let me help you.” “Lia would be proud of us.”, she exclaimed delighted by that task which was something different to her monotone rehab days. You had to agree with your girlfriend’s observation: “Yes, except she wouldn’t let us take the leaves inside a house.” The Swiss woman was known in your team for always cleaning of her front porch as she did not like them there. Still, she was one of your closest teammates despite her peculiarities because let's be real everyone has them.

“I guess that’s true.“, Laura nodded thoughtfully. “She’s missing out on that though.“, you laughed. You looked up as your girlfriend didn’t answer. She was looking up at the exceptionally blue sky and the colourful trees, breathing in the crisp air. “It’s such a nice autumn day too. What’s more autumnal than colourful leaves?“, she finally said. “Very true.“, you agreed. “Oh, I know something.“, the Austrian answered her own question all of a sudden.

You cocked your head in surprise, waiting for her to go on; “Yes?“ “Pumpkins would be perfect right now.��, she beamed at you. Your jaw dropped; “Oh my god. Yes.“ Nothing screamed autumn quite like pumpkins did. “We could carve them. Or make pumpkin soup.“, Laura suggested, her eyes bright with excitement. “Or both. What do you think about that?“ Eagerly, your girlfriend nodded; “I’m in.“ “So, time to get a pumpkin.“, you said, starting to pack up your picnic. “Or two.“, Laura grinned while folding the blanket. “Right. One for carving and one for the soup.“

Holding hands, you left the lake side and made your way to a farmers market. Laura let out a squeal of delight when she saw a pile of pumpkins displayed. Carefully, she touched the smooth, round surface of one. You knew she had already decided to take this specific pumpkin home. “Maybe Viv and Beth want to carve a pumpkin too. What if we do an Arsenal themed one?“, you asked. “We should!“, she agreed. Together, you picked out some pumpkins. They were probably more than you would need but Laura was convinced to take them home.

At Beths and Viviannes house, you dropped off the pumpkins. Vivianne was eyeing the amount of vegetables on her kitchen tables while Laura and Beth immediately got to work to cook a pumpkin soup. The soup was slowly simmering on the stove, filling the kitchen with a delicious smell. Beth looked at the left over pumpkins on the table and grabbed a knife for carving; “So, Arsenal themed, huh?“ “Yeah, why?“, Laura asked innocently. Beth turned the pumpkin, trying to find the perfect side to work with; “Should it be the Club’s Logo?“ Amused, Laura shrugged and gave the older player a challenging look; “If you’re artistic enough for that.“

“Do we have something easier?“, Vivianne asked, not convinced that any of them would be able to reproduce the intricate details on a pumpkin. “We could do Win, the dog.“, Beth suggested. She and Laura had taken a particular liking to the team dog, so Laura nodded; “Oh yes!“ “As if that’s easier.“, Viv rolled her eyes but finally gave in. Happy with the outcome, you took out your phone and snapped a picture of the dog-themed pumpkin; “We finally made the pumpkin! Let me send this into the team group chat.“ “It looks like a cat though.“, Vivianne criticized with a smile. Beth nudged her; “Oh shush. The pumpkin soup is ready too.“

The sun was setting and your carved pumpkin illuminated the kitchen while you were crowded around the table enjoying the warm, comforting taste of the soup. You smiled to yourself. It was the perfect cozy autumn night to end the day.

#woso x reader #woso #woso fanfics #laura wienroither x reader #woso imagine #laura wienroither #vivianne miedema #beth mead #awfc #awfc x reader #woso oneshot #arsenal wfc

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underoossss · 2 years

Text

let me look at you for a bit . s.h

pairing: steve harrington x f!reader

hurt/comfort

warning: season 4 spoilers, angst, descriptions of a nightmare, blood, an injury, tw death mention. THERES FLUFF I PROMISE.

AN: first time writing for steve but i had this idea and just started writing so here we are, i hope you enjoy! feedback and reblogs are always nice✨✨ thank you @sunflowerspidey for always being my cheerleader and cheering me on to post my stories🥺💖

masterlist

---

Steve doesn’t know how he ended up in the woods, but he is, barefoot, muddy and running around trees. He gets a terrible sense of dread in his chest, like something is missing, something is wrong. Thunder booms in the sky, it makes him pause and look up. He sees red thunder, dark clouds and particles swirling in the air, all collectively telling him he’s back in the upside down. Maybe that’s where his dread comes from but knowing where he is doesn’t calm him down. No, there’s something else to it.

STEVE! He hears you call somewhere to his right, and he’s immediately on high alert. But the woods are too dark and he can’t see you. Everything clicks in a second, he was running because he was looking for you, you’re lost in these woods with him –though he doesn’t know why or how the two of you got there. It’s enough to get Steve running again, in the direction he heard you from moments before. He runs and runs, calling your name, minding the vines, and wondering if he ever told you about them. He really hopes so.

STEVE!

This time his name sounds closer, and after running past some trees ahead, he finds you. He stops abruptly, taking in the scene in front of him. You’re muddy, just like he is, but you’re struggling to shake yourself away from a tree –it’s pulling you towards it, holding on to one of your legs and an arm. Dark and gory vines circle your wrist and ankle, and your face is contorted in pain, as you try to pull yourself free. Steve says your name again, and your head snaps up from your struggle. Your eyes widen immediately when you hear him. He rushes to your side in an instant, kneeling in front of you.

“Steve.” You say his name in wonder, like you thought he wasn’t going to find you.

“I’m here, baby. Stay still, let me help you.” His eyes roam your face for any other injury before getting to work on your wrist.

The two of you work together, both squeezing and pulling on the vine to create enough space for your hand to slide free. Steve helps you stand, then starts stomping on the thick vine pulling on your leg –hive mind be dammed– until it loosens just enough for you to pull your foot up and away from the vine.

You stumble forwards to him and he’s quick to catch you, arms around your waist to hold you to his chest. “Are you hurt?” You ask, looking up at him —there are tears in your pretty eyes, and he is quick to wipe them away.

His worry won’t stop his eyebrows from furrowing deeply but he shakes his head nonetheless. “No, but we need to get out of here. Now. Can you walk?” He lets go of you and holds your hand instead.

You look down at your ankle, moving it tentatively and only wincing slightly, “Yeah, my ankle doesn’t hurt too much.”

“Ok let’s go, there should be a gate on the lake.”

Steve starts to lead the way to where –he hopes– the gate is still located, when he feels your fingers abruptly slip from his. He looks over his shoulder to ask what’s wrong only to find you floating a few feet away from him. Your hands are clutching at your throat and you’re gasping for breath, struggling to breath. The figure standing behind you makes his blood run cold.

“Steve.” The figure speaks in a deep and chilling voice. “Did you think you were going to win twice?”

As the creature takes a step closer, where the red thunder shines some light on his face, Steve comes face to face with Vecna. He is just like how Max had described him –slimy, scarred, and terrifying. Steve feels his hands shake, he has nothing to fight with, no fire and no weapon, so he decides to trade. You’re becoming purple by the second, and if anyone should get away from here it’s you, not him.

“Take me instead. Let her go and take me instead.” Steve says, trying to keep his voice from wavering but his fear isn’t for himself. It’s for you.

Vecna growls but moves his hand so that you’re able to breathe. Steve steps forwards then, ready to catch you in case the not-quite-a-man in front of him just drops you to the ground. You manage to let out a series of coughs followed by a broken –Steve, no– before Vecna pulls you backwards again. The sound of broken skin and a scream pierces Steve’s ears.

Steve can’t register his own scream as his time with you comes to mind in tiny glimpses of his memories. All while he sees one of Vecna’s claws piercing your back and protruding from your front. He sees you in his car, wind blowing your hair as you sing along to Blondie at the top of your lungs, one of your hands clutching his in the center console. Another flash and there you are, stargazing with him, the stars reflecting on your eyes as you point different made-up constellations to him. Another flash and he sees you dancing to yourself in his kitchen, prepping snacks for a picnic with the kids. Now, though, the you that’s in front of him seems to lose color with each second that goes by. He realizes then that those past moments –barely two years– are all he’ll get to have with you.

Vecna disappears and you fall to the ground, coughing and clutching your bloody front. “No, no, no, baby, you’re going to be okay.” Steve says. He falls to the ground next to you and pulls you into his lap. He discards his shirt and presses it to your bleeding wound grimacing at its size —you’re losing too much blood.

“Steve.” You say breathless, wheezing like each breath is a battle. Tears gather in your eyes and run down your cheeks, two shiny streams that make Steve’s own eyes water. “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be. I’m going to get us out of here and we’ll fix you up.” He moves to stand with you in your arms, but you whimper in pain at the movement.

“Steve, you have to leave me and go.” You raise a week hand to his cheek, move your thumb to his trembling lip. “Save yourself, please.”

He lets out a shaky breath and shakes his head no, but you shush him as best you can. “I wish we could have had more time.” You say, so softly he almost doesn’t catch it, your eyes falling closed.

Steve breaks then, whatever was left of his composure gone, his tears fall freely, and a sob shakes him from head to toe. “I can’t leave my girl behind; you know that. Baby…” He let’s go of the shirt to gently hold your face, smiling shakily. His whole frame trembles with fear when you can’t find the strength to open your eyes again. “Baby, please stay with me. Don’t– Don’t leave me.”

“I love you.” You whisper, and Steve feels the way your last breath leaves your body. It breaks something in him he doesn’t think anything will ever fix.

A soul wrenching sob escapes him as he leans down to press his forehead to yours. His tears mix with your drying ones as they fall on your cheeks. He hates that he feels the warmth of your body disappear with each passing second, and it only shatters him even more.

“Come back to me, please, come back.” He repeats over and over again as darkness starts to engulf both of you, blinding him, and filling his whole body with even more fear than before. It should have been him… It should have been him instead of you.

----

“Steve.” Your voice is soft as to not startle him further, but your grip on his shoulder is firm. “Steve, please wake up.”

Steve wakes up with a gasping breath, eyes opening wide as he sits up. It takes a few seconds for reality to sink in. His eyes scan the room, the lamp on the nightstand that’s casting a soft golden glow over everything, the blanket covering him, and then you; looking soft and worried and alive. The relief is enough to make tears blur his vision until they’re falling down his cheeks. He looks away, relieved but embarrassed. It had all been a nightmare and it had woken you up.

“Hey.” You whisper, placing delicate fingers under his chin and gently turning his face towards yours. You press your forehead against his and you move your face gently to brush your noses together. “You don’t have to tell me, but it’s okay to cry Steve. What’s that you always say? Don’t hide from me.”

Steve leans back and looks into your eyes, melting at the sight of them, of you. So pretty and worried and caring. His eyes want to take you in and memorize you all over again, memorize the healthy glow of your skin and the soft smile on your face. The way your breath is so close to him and how it still makes him shiver. He nods and uses one of his hands to brush his tears away. “Just… come here, please.”

He beckons you closer and you go to him, happily providing the physical comfort he needs. Your arms go under his and around his waist as you climb into his lap, where Steve holds you like you might disappear any second. His arms are around your shoulders, keeping you as close as he can. His breath is warm against your neck, where he buries his face, breathing you in and matching his breaths to yours.

“You’re okay.” You say, placing kisses on his shoulder when you feel a few silent tears fall onto your skin. “We both are.”

“I dreamt I lost you. I thought I was back in the Upside Down… it felt so real.” He says after some quiet moments, his arms tightening around you. “But you’re here.”

“I am.” You tell him. “And in Steve Harrington’s arms no less. I’d say I’m pretty safe.”

“Pretty safe huh?” A soft chuckle escapes him, and he kisses your neck in quick succession. “Sorry for waking you up.”

“Shh.” You shake your head and hold him closer. “You don’t have to apologize, baby. I’m always here for you.”

Steve nods against you, his shoulders slowly relaxing with every breath. Your hands move from the top of his back, down to the bottom, drawing a path along his spine. You want to take all his worries away, like he does when you feel scared or anxious. Steve always shows a brave and barely shakable exterior, but you know he can’t always be like that –no one can. You’re thankful he lets himself be vulnerable with you, so that you can comfort him at times like this, so you can let him know he’s not alone. A soothing touch has always calmed the two of you down, even if it’s the squeeze of a hand –it’s a comforting reminder that you have someone on your corner.

You soak up his body heat despite the warm summer night, breathing him in, until his body starts to go limp with exhaustion against you. “Come on, handsome. Let’s lie down, we can leave the lamp on.” You tell him softly before a yawn makes it way pass your lips.

Steve maneuvers you both back into the mattress so you’re both comfortable but he’s still holding you close. He props himself up on one elbow and rests his other arm around your waist, while you lie on your side, looking up at him with sleepy eyes. The fear and sadness that had shone in his eyes when he woke up are long gone, replaced by nothing short from reverent adoration as he looks down at you. He moves the hand on your waist, to you face, running the back of his knuckles down your cheek before he places it where it was before.

“You should try to sleep.” You whisper, battling against the sudden sleepiness that tries to shut your eyes closed.

“Nah,” Steve shakes his head and smiles softly. “Let me look at you for a bit.”

You get the urge to hide your face against the pillow but decide to indulge him with a sleepy smile. “Alright.”

“You still like Blondie, right?” He asks, keeping his voice low. His thumb rubs circles over your sleep shirt, the soothing motion pushing closer to sleep’s arms.

Despite your drowsiness though, you catch a hint of worry in his words that makes you think back to his dream and subsequently the Kate Bush loving teenager that brings her Walkman wherever she goes. He wants to know if he’ll get you back with Blondie if you end up cursed.

You open your eyes to meet his cedar brown ones and smile. “Yeah, I do.” You say, before your eyes fall closed once more and you hum your favorite song. Color me your color baby, color me your car.

Steve chuckles and ducks down to press a fond kiss against your forehead. “Good.” He mutters. “I love you.”

You move closer to his side, and you hear Steve sigh at the comfort. “I love you too. Sleep, okay?”

The last thing you feel is another kiss on your skin –this time on your cheek– and Steve settling next to you. He doesn’t turn off the lamp, and you don’t mind.

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington fic #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington angst

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ghostlyforxst · 1 year

Note

This might be a fun idea

What if one day naga Bakugo and kirishima's little one managed to sneak out only for them to come back with food?

I know how to hunt and fish thanks to my parents, I just think it would be cute. One day our "fathers" just wake up to breakfast. 🤭

Idk

A/N- That would be so adorable, so here you go!

GENDER: Gender Neutral Reader

WARNINGS: Toothe-aching sfw and a Kiribaku scolding

CHARACTERS: Kirishima Eijirou and Katsuki Bakugo

The sun poured into the hollow tree, waking you as it shone into your eyes.

You glance down at the two resting nagas; Kirishima's soft snores and Bakugo's drowsy murmurs were still perceivable, thankfully, since you had managed to detach yourself from the grasp of their twitchy tails. You smiled, short of breath, and ambled towards the entrance of the tree.

At the beginning it was tough, your parents being slaughtered by the two grieving serpents, but the three of you worked through it. You were content with them, you had your awful days when your mind dwelled on what they had done, but you had accepted that you wouldn't be able to slip away from their obsessive clutch.

Your stomach grumbled and churned with hunger, "breakfast for all of us wouldn't hurt!"

Since they've done plenty for you, why couldn't you?

You stepped out of the tree and into the morning air, fetching your makeshift spear and a woven basket before, and mosied your way to the lake.

༻༺

You struggled, but you've managed to catch a few fish. You've already cleaned them and currently you are plucking a few fresh vegetables and herbs from the garden to serve with breakfast, throwing what you needed into the woven basket. You gather your stuff, nearing the kitchen bakugo had fixed together. But before you did you poked your head into the tree, checking on the slumbering nagas, and you got to work.

Whilst you were setting up the dishes, you heard Kirishima's panicked cries and Bakugo cursing underneath his breath. The both darted out the tree, they went rigid when they caught sight of you.

Bakugo spoke first, expressing what he thought. "Y/N, how many fucking times do we have to tell you? Never leave the nest unless you're with one of us."

You frowned as you quietly cried, "I wanted to make breakfast for us."

Kirishima gasped before embracing you in his tight hold, squealing, and pulled away. "Wake us next time, you made us worried!"

"I wanted to surprise the both of you, sorry." You sniffled, smearing your tears away.

"It's fine, we enjoy it more if we do it together," Bakugo assured as he ruffled your hair, "now let's eat!"

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itsagrimm · 9 months

Text

He Who Comes from under the Water

Chapter 11 - The Dive

Monster!König X she/her afab Reader

CN: Mentions of possible death and injury, fear of water, nearly drowning, mentions of possibly getting hurt, inappropriate use of an axe, depression and bad mental health, on character is passively suicidal, cannibalism, fear of being alone, fear of separation from a loved one, lack of self-confidence, kissing, making out, partial nudity

Notes for better understanding at the bottom!

Beta-read by the equally afflicted @queenquazar. Unhinged writing and editing sessions in the dead of night wouldn't be the same without you.

6.0k words

Masterlist

Hope you enjoyed your summer as I have but now as it's getting colder, darker and most importantly weather outside, I am fairly sure updates will roll quicker now.

also I need to do more trips with my camera, I am running out of decent looking header photos.

I made a playlist for this series. Enjoy.

The fresh morning breeze caressed over your slowly warming up skin. Branches of trees danced a lazy rhythm and the late birds of summer sang their song. Ghost stood next to you, wrapped in his coat made of leaves and moss and sturdy solitude, as you both looked up to the window of your bedroom. König was in there, still asleep and out of your reach.

“Let’s try to wake up König one more time.”

Hope reared its head as you heard Ghost’s words.

But not too high.

“How?” You wondered out loud. “I am sorry that you feel stuck here with me, but König did not wake up last time you tried. Why should he now?”

“Maybe we need to try harder,” Ghost replied and grabbed Königs axe.

Your eyes widened.

“Hold on!” You tried to stop what was unfolding before you, only to witness Ghost grow in size, taller than the trees, taller than the house, and far away from your little human words.

“Enough, little brother,” Ghost groaned from high above you and you had to shield your ears from the loud thundering voice “It is time to wake up. I am tired of guarding your Bride in your stead.”

Birds took off, the earth shook and trees froze as in fear of the giant that was said to be their guardian.

Ghost straightened up and turned to the house.

“Hey!”

Like an animal on the hunt that got caught, Ghost froze and turned back, staring down at you with an oddly blank expression.

“What are you up to, Ghost?” You called, trying to ignore the little voice in your mind telling you that shutting up and quivering in fear before the giant was a smarter strategy to survive.

“Why the axe?” You squeaked as you tried not to squeak.

Ghost blinked, confused by this little being that was his future sister in law. Such a flimsy thing of flesh and bone, shouting at him from her place in the dirt. Ghost glanced at the axe, shaking his head.

“Right. I am sorry. I am not used to explaining myself but you have every right to ask,” Ghost admitted, and fell back into a shape more approachable to you, like a shadow growing smaller by the change of light.

“You can do it.” Ghost said. “Hit König with the axe to wake him up.”

You blinked, it was your turn to stare confused.

“He is just the Vodyanoy napping in water. Swinging an axe against him is like hitting the surface of a lake, stirring up a few waves but nothing else. He will be fine. And hopefully he will wake up from it.” Ghost explained and passed you the heavy axe before growing in size again.

You looked down onto the massive wood axe in your hands, the wooden handle old and used.

“Are you sure that will work, Ghost?” Uncertainty creeping up in your mind and voice, worry and frustration manifesting about your fiance’s wellbeing and actions.

“Have you ever heard of running water getting cut?” Ghost answered. “I am not saying König will like it, but it won’t harm him. Trust me.”

You swallowed, feeling uneasy. Hitting a human with an axe in their sleep was murder. Plain and simple. But, König was as much a human as you were a fish. His skin shifted and shaped as he pleased. He ruled the waters and even summoned them in his dreams after not sleeping for who knows how long, destroying your room. And his eyes…

“I understand this might be a lot to ask,” Ghost paused. “You will have to trust me on this one, Vodyanitza.”

His words danced through your mind like willow branches in the wind. If Ghost would have wanted to and this was ill-intentioned, he could have harmed König without bothering to talk and convince you of this plan. Maybe there was a point in trusting Ghost even if the thought of König getting hurt made you grow colder inside than the cooler morning breeze ever could.

You looked up to the giant and nodded.

“Let’s do this.”

“Hold on tight,” He stated and grabbed you to place onto the window sill to your bedroom. Like a leaf he tumbled into the room after you, turning himself small again and landing in the splashing water on your bedroom floor.

You cried out, first in surprise than dreadful fear from all the water suddenly around you as the heavy axe slipped out of your fingers and landed in the water, sinking down with a shallow ‘clunk’ against the wooden planks.

“Ghost. I-” you eyed the water splashing around the room like a lively river. Or a dark river, a deep river, deep enough to drown. “I am afraid of water. I can’t get down from here. I can’t do it.”

Ghost made a sound that could have been a grumbled curse whispered by a tree before being hit by lightning.

“A Vodyaniza who fears the water,” He stated. “Sounds right like the mess my brother would cause. Alright, I’ll do it then.”

“Wait,” You looked at König as you tried to calm your nerves as you took deep calming breaths. He was still deep asleep. A mess of tangled unhuman limbs and scales and hair and skin in the waters of your flooded room. Panic and fear surged from all the water, but you forced those emotions in you aside as you tried to commit his sight to your memory, just in case something was to go wrong.

“Okay,” You finally agreed and nodded to Ghost.

This was it.

Ghost picked up the axe from the water and raised it high before swinging it down onto König.

The impact of the axe connecting with Königs head sounded like thunder rolling over you.

Loud and painful and final.

Suddenly, like a storm, the water rose and reached high before you, waves building and crashing at your feet as you held onto the window frame for dear life while trying to see through the room filled with fine droplets of water and foamy waves.

A groan rang through your ear.

Königs voice - strained and painfully familiar.

Another groan as you heard a second hit from the axe through the wild waters before you … like…

…like a yawn before having to leave bed, yet still feeling tired.

“König?” You hoped aloud, your voice being drowned out by the rushing water and Ghost’s deep voice.

“Wakey-wakey, brother! Stop making your Bride wait for you!”

“Urgh.”

A massive wave crashed right next to the wall with your window, breaking the glass and causing the house to shake from the impact.

“Get up, little brother.” You could not see through all the splashing water before you, only hearing the sound of Ghost’s deep voice. “Stop being dramatic and flooding your girl’s room. It’s rude.”

A third axe hit thundered through the little space before you. More water rose and a wave finally hit you. You wailed as you tried to fight against the dreadful flood, with desperate fingers you reached for safety. Catching the clammy window frame, the sill, and finally just the thin fabric of the curtains until the pull of the retreating water consumed you and took you in to the deep waters.

The silence of being underwater was more unbearable for your mind than the loud crashing of waves and shattering sounds of the hitting axe above.

For a moment fear froze your body and you could not help but stare as you floated impossibly downwards at the sight of König, coiled up like a serpent snake and shifting scales reflecting the light. His eyes were closed except for a sliver of that beautiful blue peeking into the world as if the king of everything under the water was about to wake up. Bubbles of air fought their way out of your lungs and you felt panic as you watched the axe hitting König from above.

Would he be fine?

No blood came out of the wound that broke as the axe connected with Königs sleeping shape. You watched König being unharmed and lazily stretching his long limbs and body as you floated downwards, taken by a strong current in the impossibly deep waters of your bedroom.

Wait, would you be fine?

König did not notice any of it. Instead, his eyes only slightly fluttered, as if merely being tickled awake - lazy, unfocused blinking of blue eyes before sharpening up. Still sleepy, he looked around as if confused if he was still dreaming or awake. Finally, König locked eyes with you and smiled. It was a beautiful smile, toothy and life-savingly-relieving to see him coming back to his senses.

You did not smile back. The air bubbles in your mouth were too precious a cargo to smile for König, opting instead for an unhappy grimace and some waving motions that hopefully spelled out: ‘I don’t want to be here and need your help to get out’.

For a moment, a very long moment as you struggled, König blinked before the realisation kicked in. He was far away, so far away from you in the waters that he had dreamed up. Yet, unbelievably quick the serpent body moved and changed as König headed for you. With hands, not scaled claws anymore, König reached out as he fought his way through a whole ocean between you and him as a last air bubble left your mouth.

Your head was spinning and you started to lose sight as you felt hands on you that lifted you up and out of the water.

You coughed, ungraciously spitted out water as König tried wiping out hair and tangled clothes out of your face.

“Bride! Are you okay?”

You vomited water at his feet and chest while he held you like a cat that got rescued from the floods, close to his body and patting you like a little animal.

“She looks fine.” Ghost’s gravelly voice sounded through the air as you still tried to blink and see. “You better worry about this flood you caused.”

“Oh. Right.” You felt König shift and then the sound of water draining away as if someone had pulled a plug.

You coughed again for good measure, still feeling weak and miserably wet. The cold was starting to set in as the rush of fear and panic started to run out.

Shivering, you tried wiping away the water from your face and opened your eyes.

Your bedroom was a mess. But not in the way your mother would have disapproved of but in a way she would have questioned whether or not it was still habitable. The water was gone, but the signs of the flood were catastrophically clear with nothing being dry, in pieces or not where it ought to be. Your bed was a pile of torn fabrics and splintered wood. The chest with your clothing, tipped over and empty, looked like a sad hungry animal no one had bothered to feed. And your few personal possessions, kept toys from your childhood, gifts from friends, clothes lying around the floor. Ghost was standing before you on something that might have been pieces of your wedding dress, leaning on the axe with the same skull-covered expression as always, yet appearing somewhat amused under it.

And König - he was holding you up to his chest, his hands still patting you helplessly as if that could help you. He looked human. Mostly. The hair was as messy as the first day you saw him, covering most of his face except for blue eyes burning through with worry.

“I-” you rasped despite the storm of emotions waging through you. “I was so worried about you, König.”

Another cough.

“But I have never been as angry as this before. What did you do with my room? And my wedding dress. Also-”

You felt like there was still some water in places of your body where none was supposed to be, wheezing and shaking your head from the uncomfortable feeling.

“-put me down. You are so cold and I feel like I am freezing in your arms.”

Guiltily, König put you down, mumbling something that could have been an apology while Ghost choked on something that could have been a laugh.

You paid no attention to them, concentrating on your weak legs to hold you and carry you to the torn pieces of your wedding dress. Ghost stepped aside and watched you with open curiosity as you held your dress in disbelief of how quickly your work had turned into rags. Holding back tears, you let the fabric fall back down with a wet squelching sound and turned to the door. If you were lucky the hinges still worked and you could walk out on your own and warm you up again downstairs, away from the left battlefield that used to be your sanctuary.

You stumbled, reaching for the handle and opening the door only to face another cruel adversary.

The stairs.

There was no way you were able to make it down the steps without breaking your neck with how wobbly your legs felt and how ridiculously shaky your hands twitched.

You turned around, the pleading frustration in your eyes too visible for König not to step closer and peaking at the obstacle in your way.

He nodded while trying to control whatever emotions attempted to govern his face.

“Allow me, Bride.” He asked and lifted you up again before carrying you downstairs and into the kitchen, setting you down before the warm oven.

Ghost followed and started preparing tea and a hot stone before leaving the room as König returned with dry clothes for you, magically found somewhere in a part of the house that hadn’t been flooded. You looked at the pieces offered in his hands, only to see that it was a mix of mostly your fathers and brothers clothes from the storage. You did not care. They were dry and the village would judge you no matter what you wore. Might as well just do the best for yourself.

Unceremoniously, you stripped out of your dripping clothes. König held and steadied you where you needed it and grabbed the discarded pile of fabrics to put it up on the laundry line outside once you were done.

You stayed where you were, leaning close to the oven in the hopes of warming up quickly, and refusing to do anything before feeling less miserable.

Ghost was still a guest. And König was your fiance. A good hostess and bride would have started serving them the food that you had previously prepared.

A good hostess and bride would not have been dipped into a pool of dreamed up water in their own bedroom either. You thought bitterly before adding a relieving Fuck it.

Someone knocked at the door and you called them in.

Ghost reappear from the outside with a blanket of moss and leaves, wrapping it around you and placing you in the nearest chair to the oven before passing you a cup of the freshly brewed tea.

“Thank you,” You rattled through cold lips.

König returned with more wood for the oven and added a large log to feed the fire. You had shown him how to care for a fire, never expecting he would ever find a need for it. Both brothers hustled and moved around your little kitchen, hardly speaking and only every once in a while giving you worried glances as they made sure all work of a proper household would be done while you rested and warmed yourself. You closed your eyes, letting the feeling of being safe and cared for, seep in.

This day, even if it was slightly past midday, had punched all energy out of you while also confronting you with every possible emotion a human heart could feel. Waking up in the flood, alone and confused, next to your water serpent like fiance, meeting your future brother-in-law who thought you would die soon, nearly drowning once again while your fiance woke from the literally deepest nap possible in your now destroyed room. You sighed, not even bothering to bring order into your mind.

Instead, you gratefully thought how you finally weren’t alone even if it was scary at times to share your life with beings so different from you - König, Ghost, Farah, talking animals and murderous Rusalkis. Yes, this had been another moment where you could have been harmed. And mourning your room and things destroyed by the flood, was one of many things in the curled grey corners of your mind. There was still anger and confusion in you why it all had happened. But you weren’t alone anymore to face those things on your own. There were people around you now that noticed you and cared for your well-being. Clearly, not all of them to the same degree or out of the same motive. You understood that. But your lost room and wedding dress, your fears and secrets and longings felt more like a coherent song than a desperate cry for help when it wasn’t just your voice.

Someone touched you softly on the shoulder and you opened your eyes.

“Hey.” König stood before you with his blue watery eyes and wild hair.

Both brothers had paused their busy work and stood with their attention turned towards you.

“How are you feeling?” Ghost asked gravely from his far away spot at the door and reached for more tea for you with his long unhuman arms without moving.

You shivered, unsure if from the cold or from the odd reminder that neither of the men were human.

“Better,” You replied. “Thank you for giving me time to recover.”

Your eyes wandered to König, craving to hear his voice again and feel his warming eyes on you. He looked away, avoiding your gaze.

Your little heart dropped deeper than the waters in your room had been, fighting hard to soldier on.

You cleared your throat.

“Well,” you squeaked, your voice still feeling thin and fragily human as you addressed the giant men. “I am starving. This is not how a host normally does it in this house since all I did was sit and rest now. But how about we eat?”

The rabbit stew that you had made this morning smelled tempting and promising from its reheating spot in the oven and you heard your own stomach growl.

“Thank you for the invite, Vodyanitza,” Ghost declared, slightly bowing his head. “But we will have to do that another time.”

“Oh,” You huffed, slightly disappointed.

Ghost stilled, as if thinking before taking a deep breath.

“It has been lovely meeting you, my dear sister-in-law. It’s been a pleasure. Also- ” He paused. “I may have treated you rougher than necessary and I do apologise for that. If you ever need help, just send for me. I may not appear to be the most, let’s say, approachable. But I do hope that there is nothing but the best for you and I am looking forward to your wedding.”

“You are coming after all?” König finally spoke, surprise ringing in his voice as he turned to his brother.

Ghost nodded. “It’s not every day a brother of mine gets married. I need to make sure you don’t drown your own wedding guests.”

König forced a smile.

“Graves marries someone new every couple of years,” He interjected.

“Graves married and remarried so much, he hardly needs his elder brother to tell him how to plan a party. He knows what he is doing.”

Both brothers chuckled and you smiled at the sight, remembering your own brother.

“Before I go, dear sister, allow me to give you something.”

Ghost reached into his coat. From the depths of his pockets he produced a huge leaf, rolled up into a package and bound together with a simple string.

“I suppose you have none yet, but a future queen should wear one. It would look good on your wedding day.”

You took the package from his hands and pressed it slightly, trying to guess what was inside.

“Thank you, Ghost. Why-“

“Open it.”

Obediently you opened the little knot holding the leaf together with slow, cold fingers and unrolling what was inside.

You gasped.

In your hands was a Kokoshnik, large and covered with fine embroidery and colourful stones of green and blue. It felt firm in your hands. And it wanted to be worn. Like a crown, proud and bright for a special day. At least one thing you would have for your wedding day.

You thought back a sob at the thought of your torn wedding dress, your fingers still holding the precious crown like an anchor.

“I am sure König will gladly help you put it on. But don’t lose it. I made it for you and there is no other like it. It will protect you when you walk in the forest.”

“I…”, you huffed, “…don’t know what to say. This is very beautiful. Thank you.”

Ghost just waved with his hand like it was nothing.

“Don’t say anything and just wear it to keep you safe. Do me that favour.”

You nodded, out of words.

“Well, I’ll be gone then. The forest calls me.” Ghost turned to the door and you started to get up to send him off. “Don’t you dare get up, sister. What’s the point of the Kokoshnik if you fall sick from the cold and exhaustion. No, stay right where you are.”

You fell back onto your spot, the moss blanket encasing you like a cocoon of earthly smell and warmth.

“Save travels then, Ghost.” You spoke. “Thank you again.”

“Don’t mention it.” He waved and stepped outside, followed by König.

You sat there, hearing them talk and laugh and wishing each other well without making much out of it.

Then, finally, Ghost was away.

The rest of your day was spent alone with your own thoughts. König, aside from making sure you ate and rested, hardly spoke to you. His distance confused you. It gave a feeling of newfound loneliness when you stared at the unfamiliar ceiling with the wrong knots in the wood and the wrong bedding around you as you leaned against the oven. Ghost’s reassurances just a couple of hours ago now felt like a lie. You were no queen. And there was no way for you to live long enough to ever learn how to be one for König that was good enough. No standing on a box or life saving spells could change that. The finality of your fate was devastatingly simple. You would drown and König, your beloved König, would find himself a better queen. Why else did he withdraw himself like that?

The mauling insecurities inside of you stopped you from asking.

Instead you listened to König rummaging upstairs while you dozed under your moss blanket, practised drawing letters in the ashes of your oven or thought about how you could fix your wedding dress. It was pointless but you had little else to do and so you continued like you had always done.

König had brought the dress out together with the rest of your wet belongings, hanging it up to dry in the sun. The liberating concentration kept you from your dark thoughts: you had watched the dress through the window, mentally placing one piece of rag over the other in the hopes of possibly having a saving idea as the rags swayed gently in the breeze. It had worked until the light grew low and the trees around the house in the garden had started to spawn more unpleasant shadows than welcome distractions.

You got up from your cosy spot and started preparing dinner. Still feeling weak, your legs carried you with a slight tremor as your whole body was plagued by a deep tiredness. It came from all those times not resting. It felt like all those tears not shed. It was a tiredness that wasn’t fixed by sleeping longer one night because it was deeper than the soreness in your muscles and bones. It was the dark abyss of water calling for you. But you could lie to yourself. Opting to go to bed and calling it a day in the hopes that tomorrow would be better. Sometimes, giving up was actually a smart thing.

You huffed, once again forced to consider the reality of your situation.

Going to bed? Where? Your bedroom was destroyed. And the other rooms in your house had been packed up and sealed when your family died. Back then it was too much to bear seeing their things and looking at the places they used to rest. Even now, under no condition were you ready or willing to disturb those rooms. The easiest for you would probably be to sleep here in the kitchen.

But what about König? Would he need to sleep too? Flood the rest of the house and destroy every last bit of habitable space as he took you out in your sleep? Or would he leave you tonight and watch as the human-monsters and monsters-monsters finally had their feast with you. The thought nearly entertained you. Maybe that was better than drowning and at least some poor Tschort would enjoy a bit of your precious meat.

You chuckled at your own morbid thoughts.

But it was not night yet, and maybe there was a bit of queenly pride inside of you yet as you decided to brace yourself for an overdue conversation with König, leaning against the kitchen counter for support.

You opted to make some food. Since it might be your last chance to enjoy a meal before you became a meal, you took your time. There was not much to be done for dinner: heating the left-over stew, cutting some bread made of acorn flour, setting the table. After you finished, you steeled yourself for the hardest part.

“König?” You called upstairs. “Would you like to eat dinner with me?”

You held your breath and waited as the rumbling from upstairs stopped.

“It’s fine if you are busy, but I am hungry and would love your company,” You coaxed.

Heavy steps sounded through the wooden house, causing the old stairs to creak under the weight of the Vodyanoy.

König emerged into the kitchen, bowing down slightly under the marginally too low ceiling and looking at you sheepishly.

“Are you sure, Bride?” He asked. “I haven’t finished repairing your room.”

You raised your eyebrows in surprise, too stunned to speak before you swallowed down a good chunk of your raging insecurities.

“So that’s what you have been doing up there,” You finally said. “I did not know.”

König looked to the ground like he had been caught stealing goodies from the pantry. It was a look that made your knees weaker than even a day facing terrors could.

“I wanted to repair it. I wanted to apologise with more than words. It’s what good kings ought to do.” He explained looking immensely guilty.

Your breath hitched.

He cared?

You looked down, still thinking of your room and your ruined wedding dress. It did hurt you.

But there was hope because he cared. You nearly hated yourself how desperate you were from the affection of someone who you could never have.

“It’s fine,” You said, after a few moments of heavy silence as you fought the storm inside of you. “It’s fine for now. We will make it work and repair it together. It’s, ah, fine.”

He looked relieved as you looked up from your hands.

“I also want to apologise,” You continued. The words in your mouth felt relieving to spit out like bitter medicine. “I thought about this. I was really cross at you. Not entirely sure how much nicer I could have been considering the moment. But I don’t strive to talk to others like that, especially not my fiance. I just felt hurt and alone.”

He turned his head like the Heron when hunting little fish in the water.

“You have every right to be angry, dear,” König stated

“I...” You tried before stopping and starting anew. “That does not mean I am proud or okay with my words. Especially after Ghost explained to me that you probably overworked yourself on my behalf. I am not sure how to feel about that yet but it does not make me feel good. I don’t want you to suffer because of me. I feel so guilty. And like a burden.”

König stared at you.

“Dear,” He said softly. “I know you want to be good and kind. I know you are. But please give me your bad as well.”

You blinked at him.

“What?”

He raised his arms like a man at a loss of word, stumbling around the room until he turned back to you.

“Guess how I feel failing you over and over again when your reaction to me is kindness and surrender? I feel bad. The worst! Don’t do this to me. Be a burden. Be angry. Be the biggest inconvenient person wherever you go. Please be angry and demand better of me! I want all of you. Not just the nice parts.”

Your head was spinning. Was he…? Did he really…?

“I am not good enough!” König continued his tirade with a voice rising louder and louder like a tea kettle that had reached its boiling point. “I am who puts you in danger over and over again. I hardly protect you from the dangers of the world. I am a danger of the world. I am making a poor husband for you. But the reality is, I am not good enough to step away because I am selfish. So, how dare you make yourself feel any less than you are.”

His eyes gleamed with a madness you had never seen before in him as he lowered his voice with the last of his words. It was dangerous. A sign of warning that told you to step back and run as far away as you could like a good girl should.

But you were just invited to leave that behind you.

“I don't want you to leave either!” You hit back, squaring up to the challenge. “I just don’t want to feel like I am a constant problem. I am just a human! A peasant! And a bad one at that since I will likely starve next winter without help! I know nothing of how to be a queen! I nearly drown all the time! How can you not understand that I don’t feel like I am allowed to be a problem when my reality is that no one cares if I live or die!”

“Because you are wrong! I care.” König's eyes gleamed as he hissed his answer.

“Why?” You spit back, the fire in you burning and ready to torch any bridge behind without thinking.

“Because I love you.”

Königs words hung in the air, irretrievable and powerful enough to break whatever you two had.

You looked at him. His face was frozen in fear and panic. Like he had admitted to a crime he’d sworn to keep a secret.

He loved you. The thought raced through your mind, unsure where to be put and what to do with it now.

“I am sorry,” König said. “I understand. I will make sure you are okay as promised anyway and-”

“Please…” you managed to your own surprise.

“Please?” König asked with his eyes shining down at you.

You took a deep breath and all the courage in you that was left, “Please lean down so I can kiss you.”

König looked at you, too stunned maybe or unsure how to touch you without breaking this human body of yours, before finally kneeling down in one, not so smooth, motion. You stumbled forward, colliding into his chest and tangling in his arms before lifting your head and kissing him.

It was all teeth and desperation. König met your lips with a hunger matching yours, and an anger challenging your long hidden fury. He moaned and you wanted every bit of air you could get from him as you roamed his back and shoulders and arms and chest and neck, and at a certain point you got lost in him. You bit his lips and tasted blood. He snarled and pushed you back, catching your head before you could fall and hurt yourself. You stumbled and fell back anyway, taking him with you. The crash rumbled loudly as König caught himself on his arms, hovering above you before continuing where you had left off. His mouth was addicting, and willingly you answered his salty lips and tongue. A bit of revealed skin at his neck here, a tug at your shirt there. You scooted up feeling hot and needing that damn old shirt off your body because you were burning up with it. Instead of getting it off quickly you got yourself tangled in the large sleeves, nearly ready to just tear it off your body as you felt Königs hands pulling at the fabric and freeing you. The kiss of the cooling air on your skin made you still. For a moment you felt shy, making you cross your arms in instinct before your chest.

König looked at you from a position that was something between kneeling, sitting and lying before you, also half out of his clothes with his Rubacha hanging around his neck and head.

“Not sure why I feel like this is new, now.” You admitted. “You have seen me naked before.”

“That was a different nakedness,” König offered and finished getting the shirt off. “This is new.”

You nodded, understanding entirely what he meant, and continued to feel vulnerable. What were you supposed to do? You had no idea what you wanted now except being close to König.

“We don’t have to continue, my love.” Your fiance said.

You nodded again, reassured yet still utterly lost on what to do.

König scooted closer and slowly raised his hands, “Can I touch you? I just want to hold you.”

Instead of bothering with words or another creative and variety serving nod, you leaned into him. Königs warm hands caught you, pressed you closer to him and embraced you.

You hummed.

“Is this good?”

“Yeah, I am sorry-”

“No,” König shut down instantly. “No more ‘sorry’ for you tonight. Or ever. I really meant that.”

You knitted your eyebrows together in confusion.

“But what if I do something bad?” You countered as you enjoyed feeling close to König. “Shouldn’t I say sorry at some point?”

“To me? Always.” König grinned teasingly before growing serious. “The rest of the world, however, has a lot of apologising to do before you ever get back into a situation to be sorry for something, dear.”

“You just want me to be as bad as you are,” You teased back half-heartedly.

“Naturally.”

You stayed silent, not sure what to say or do except enjoying being safe and loved in Königs arms as you mindlessly explored his back and chest with your fingers, drawing little circles and charms into his wonderful skin.

“We should talk about the sleeping situation tonight.” You finally spoke, breaking the silent spell over you.

“Yeah.” König agreed. “I have an idea.”

Cultural Context Notes:

The theme of the unkillable giants as beings connected to nature can be found in the Edda, but it’s not the only place this theme is explored. It’s just the most clear one I thought of, and can be put into words as a place to maybe start researching if your are interested in that. The idea of hitting König as something akin to a giant to wake him up, comes from the tale of Thor and Skrímnir.

Generally, the idea of paralleling gods/godlike beings, humans and giants, escalated into a bit of a philosophical excursion at the kitchen table when I mentioned how the story is unfolding, leading to the question what exactly the difference between godlings, giants and humans is and if there even is one. In plenty of pre-Christian European tales, there aren’t boundaries between godlike beings and humans. If a human stays with a godlike being, they kind of tag along and don’t die like they would have had when staying with their fellow humans. Sometimes there is an explanation for it (godly ancestry, nectar or Idun’s apples, magical blessings), sometimes there isn’t (Thialfi and Röskva as Thor’s entourage, general trope of humans in service of or in marriage with a non-human being).

Warming stones or using ceramics is an old practice when hot water bottles weren’t available.

There are several legends and myths associating the water or waters generally with snakes. Naturally, there is the saga of the Midgard snake, encompassing the world in Norse mythology. The theme of a great water snake or mermaid-like half-fish, half-human body encompassing the world also comes up in Greek mythology in the figure of Oceanos as the great river god and father of river gods. Since we don’t have plenty of sources about old Slavic beliefs, I am taking the liberty and filling some gaps here from geographically closer regions where we do have more sources on mythology.

Acorn is edible and can be made into a fine flour from which it is possible to bake bread. However, do not just make flour from acorns. It’s a huge process to disinfect and debitter acorns before grinding them into flour. There is a reason why nowadays most cultures opt for utilising cultivated crops like grains and legumes instead of using low yield giving nuts and seeds. (Also, we really need those acorns as food for wild animals and for reforestation!) Cultivation of plants is a huge game changer for human life quality and communal living. It’s really cool. But it does require more cooperative systems of labour since harvesting and processing plants like grain requires sharing of work, space to do it, and natural weather & ground conditions to grow. Plus the grain in itself needs to be cultivated first. And these amazing food sources can be exploited by having control over places in which one can grow certain high yielding crops which can trigger war and oppression. Most noticeably in the Central and Eastern European region, which is obviously what I write about a lot, this is the case with Ukraine. This now independent country has good climate and ground conditions, yielding great harvests of wheat grain and sunflower, leading to the region being dubbed the Granary of Europe. Ukraine was fought over not just today but also occupied in historical moments like WW2 by the Nazis or under the Russian Empire precisely to have access to these high yielding conditions. So, food and where food comes from, is an important angle to understand plenty of conflicts, imperial oppression and cultures. I invite you to read more about the history of grain, why Ukraine has a flag literally depicting a grain filed under the blue sky or maybe learning how to make bread yourself. To return to my point: Bride lives in an area which has seasons. However, the climate is cooler with lots of swamps and waters around. The forest takes most of the shore space in her immediate vicinity. She has a garden in which she (tries to) grow buckwheat, a very climate-resistant pseudo grain. And technically she owns fields, but has no way to work them on her own due to the lack of manpower, possible lack of seeds, as well as timing issues for the sowing. But common grains like wheat require a warm and steady dry climate which is not the case here. Other grains like rye are historically common in Central and Eastern Europe, however one needs to plant them first and after the harvest it still requires labour to dry and deshell the rye first, a luxury that Bride does not have because she has been on her own for most of the year. So, to finish this long excursion on grains and flours - she uses acorn flour for bread because she was isolated and on her own. Also, agriculture is really cool and maybe you will think about the amount of labour, logistics, politics and historical development when biting into something flour based.

Vodyanitza is just the female version of Vodynoy

Rubacha is the name of the traditional linen shirt worn by historically both men and women but nowadays mostly associated with male clothing traditions. This shirt is often loosely fitted and bound at the hip with a belt. Having embroidery, especially red embroidery on a Rubacha is very common as red natural dye was widely available in the region. The embroidery and introduction of other colours is dependent on the exact time and place a Rubacha comes from. Even nowadays the Rubacha is part of plenty of Eastern European traditional dresses.

Quick reminder: a Tschort is a type of evil spirit.

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stardustsorbet · 9 months

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𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐍𝐄𝐔𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄 ― ♡

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 ⁞ mentions of unrequited feelings, mentions of death and lost loves, kitsune!reader, there’s a little bit of poetry I lowkey pulled it out of my ass

“Escort me, my memory is a bit hazy,” she lied. She knew the path like the back of her hand, allowing her friend to take the lead. (Y/N) loved to tease him, the silver-haired judge, Neuvillette. He wasn’t gullible per se but sometimes oblivious to jokes.

He couldn’t help but feel his heart flutter, you really wanted to go back. To that lake where you spent your youth. When you were just a young kitsune and he a youthful dragon. His horns were so petite, and your tails were so small, yet soft. Where there was so much unresolved tension, unanswered questions he had.

“That lake holds many of my memories,” he spoke, trying to keep his words to a minimal, just small talk. With his arm hooked in hers, he couldn’t help himself from trying to appear to others as maybe being her lover. The press would sure milk this for all its worth, but he almost wanted that. Fontaine’s dearest kitsune, a sweet woman, and the cold Chief Justice.

“Wouldn’t you think it’s rather romantic to go somewhere like this, especially so late at night?” He whispered, leaning down so she could hear. His height was quite different compared to yours. A smile crept onto his lips; this was his way of flirting with you, and you knew that better than anyone.

“Aren’t you presumptuous?” A laugh escapes her lips, playfully shoving her friend, not enough to hurt him. “Just.. take me there, okay?”

The walk from where the two had dined to their lovely lake was not too far, and he could not pretend like he didn’t enjoy being with her in pure silence like this. It had been years since their falling out, but now? Things were so much different. They’d both grown, both changed in so many ways.

She took a seat in the rustic swing hooked onto a branch of a cypress tree, swinging gently as she gazed into the water. The pale moon reflected Neuvillette’s features so beautifully; she had forgotten just how beautiful he really was. She couldn’t help but notice in such an intimate moment like this.

He sat himself next to her, worried the swing wouldn’t be able to support them both, but alas, it did. It was rather old, much more used to supporting two young teenagers and every conversation they had. “You look most beautiful tonight. I’m not sure I told you that already.”

“Thank you.. and you look just as beautiful. This moon makes every feature of yours that much easier to see and therefore appreciate.”

“Hah, thank you, (Y/N). I wonder, do you still remember every moment we shared here just as I did?” He asked, gently taking her hand and placing a kiss on her knuckles.

“My kitsune mind betrays me.. you’ll have to remind me.” She knew he wanted to tell the story, but of course leave out his embarrassing moments. If she brought up how he’d fallen in the lake all those years ago after kicking a rock out of anger, he’d become a blushing mess.

“I remember how we’d enjoy the morning sunlight reflecting on the lake, hiding under the ripples of the water as the wind blew and storm clouds thundered. Things were so much different then… Do you still care for me as much as you did then?”

“Time decays the friendships between mortals, and though it has been centuries now since we’ve crossed paths, I feel like nothing has changed between us. I could reminisce in these moments forever and still hold the same comfort I’m bathing in now, despite all that has happened. If only time could pause, how kind would that be, Neuvillette?”

Her eyes were tired and emotional, every memory she had flowing through that bright mind she held.

“Pausing time, we could never find a way. But, I wouldn’t mind spending all my time with you, dearest (Y/N).” His eyes watched her so lovingly, his old friend. His friend he’d messed things up with so badly.

It was nice to sit in silence, your fingers intertwined. No romantic connotations, at least on your end, he just enjoyed being comforted like this. The touch of his warmth next to you made everything feel okay again.

“I remember I buried my book of poetry around here, I’d like to read you some of my writings.” He knew exactly what she meant, smiling at her. It didn’t take long for them to find the book with the leather cover, the dirt covered pages, and the writings of all (Y/N)’s feelings.

“Do read me some of your writings,” he spoke, helping her into the swing again, sitting beside her with admiration beaming from his blue eyes.

“Ahem… gosh, this is embarrassing, haha. Vintage clothes, antique catches. All the cracks and burns from matches. I love the imperfection of these things. Humanity, so precious, like diamond rings. Everything about you is so raw, so real. So unrealistic how you appeal to me.”

He smiled at her words, they were beautiful and vulnerable. With each word, he knew there was something in her heart when she wrote them down. “Who was this about?” He questioned. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

“A general. I fell in love with him. He died in the cataclysm.” Her breaths weren’t shaky, and her eyes weren’t full of tears. Enough time had passed now, it wasn’t something she dwelled on. “He was a very dear friend of mine.”

“Ah, I’m very sorry. I’m sure you were very dear to him, you’re so bright and beautiful.” He had a hard time comforting people, according to Navia (he’d taken that very personally).

“It’s okay, these things don’t haunt me anymore. I’ve moved on. I hope that lived up to your expectations. It was just my younger mind, all very real with her feelings.”

“Is there any more?” Neuvillette inquired, resting his chin on her shoulder as you flipped through the pages.

Flipping over the pages, scanning the words quickly, she found one she’d be okay sharing. “Beautiful, even when you’re wrong. You are like the static and crackle in lightning. Please, just give me time to leave. Your soul is old, but your thoughts are new. Your mind is bright, but your heart is blue.”

He listened to the way she wrote about this mysterious general, her heart was dedicated to this man. His mind wandered astray, wondering if maybe one day she could think of him like that. Alas, he was too shy to ask her something like that. He wasn’t as bold as he was when he was younger.

“Have you ever been in love with someone other than him?”

“Feelings are so complicated. They change, just like weather patterns. In our youth, things were different, but now… I’m too work oriented to care about romance anymore. I see it as just a distraction.”

Neuvillette understood that notion, and in a way almost felt similarly. It was hard to find time for your heart in a world like this, where they were both always so busy.

He fell quiet for a few moments. Perhaps the alcohol from dinner earlier had gotten to him, but there was so much he wanted to say now. “Could I ask something of you? It may be a bit invasive and awkward, so don’t be afraid to shut me up.”

With a nod of her head, she allowed him to continue. “Have you ever felt affectionate toward me?” His face was almost sad, nearly desperate. She knew her answer would break him, and it was awfully inconvenient she didn’t bring her umbrella.

“I know our feelings.. changed. You grew to prioritize your profession more.. And I respect that. But, I can’t help but wonder. Did you ever feel anything.. for me?”

“I… don’t know what I feel. Feelings are just so complicated to understand. I just don’t like dedication. I enjoy the feeling of freedom and independence, not being tied down by housewife work and kids running around!”

“I understand. I feel similarly. But, that’s not the key to a relationship, it’s the love you feel for one another.” He smiled, feeling her head against his shoulder.

“But the distractions become just that.. distracting. It’s hard to be close when there are things leading your attention astray.”

“It’s just additional effort, I suppose. But, it’s not for us all. That I can most certainly understand.”

Their hands were still intertwined, her peace sinking into him as well. She was quiet, breathing slowly against him. Letting him do all the talking was easier, especially on tired nights like these. “My thoughts are hard to understand, I’m sorry.”

She spoke after a long while, biting her lip almost uncomfortably. “I find it easier to not love then to love and lose it.” Her way of thinking was clearly damaged, but he’d wait. He’d done it this long, he would do it longer. Because, at the end of the day, when the moon went behind the lake, when the bugs lurked around the shoreline, the chief Justice was sure of one thing. Neuvillette was most definitely in love with his dear friend, (Y/N).

Sorry about the corny ass poetry I thought it would be nice to add. I’m embarrassed whjdsjdb

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katarzynakrzysztofa · 4 months

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Kokushibo x Reader fic

Smut, non-con but she consents at the end?, aphrodisiacs, kidnapping, blowjob, riding, he calls her pet once, mild injury, yandere if you squint.

Description: Reader goes out to train, gets kiddnapped, gets injured, healer demon gives her aphrodusiac and she gets fucked :))) thats all.

I've always wanted to become a swordmen or more specifically a swordswoman, Watching my father training was one of my favorate activies! even though my father focused on my older brother in teaching the art of swordmenship I alwasy listen thoroughly. Despit my efforts to convince my father of teaching me aswell, I was rejected "A young lady such as yourself shouldnt be thinking about swords!" My father scolded me and force me to take lessons with my mother in cooking, cleaning, sewing and ect. While I enjoied these activities I didnt want this to be my future! So going against my Fathers wishes I went and took one of the spare wooden swords and went to the forest.

It felt amazing! Being able to wield a sword even if its just a wooden one is like a dream come true! I picked a location within the forest near a lake with lots of fresh fishes swimming within it. I practiced hard with my stance, remembering my fathers words towards my brother... "Keep a tight grip on your sword and legs, spread them apart and bend your knees slighty", as I recall all those intructions I put them in motion, and swing my arms towards a tree I choose as my spare buddy, I strike the tree with all the forces in my body... A scratch! I did it, I was actually able to successfully strike my 'opponent'! while I was celebrating, I didnt notice how much time went on, and while time flew on I continued to train without a thought in the world. While training a sharp branch stab her arm, "AH!" the woman shouted, she looked down and saw the branch pierce through her arm thats when she noticed how late it was "Father will get mad.. espcially after having a branch stab me.."

I looked through my bag that I brought with me and tried to heal or atleast stop the bleeding, I did so wrapping my arm in a bandage, was it good? no, did it stop the bleeding? yes. I thought it was enough as I ran through the forest to get home faster.

While running I heard footsteps... silent but it was so quiet in the forest it was noticible, I got worried at that.. someone was in this forest with me at at this hour. No, It might just be an animal, I thought to reassure myself and my safety.. I increased my speed just in case...

The footsteps sounded closer.. louder.. faster than mine, This cant be an animal, no.. I looked behind me to find a tall figure running towards me, A figure 2x my size running at me at full speed made me worry but when it came closer.. I saw no ordinary man.. no, I saw a man with six eyes staring right at my own eyes with the word number on written on the middle ones. My eyes widden in horror as my body freezes like a dear being hunted by a lion. The figure noticed my sudden stillness and stoped aswell, we were just staring at each other for a momment.

My mind went wild on what to do, If I ran I wouldnt be able to out speed it. I cant fight it with a wooden sword. All thats left is... death.. As the forest stayed silent I spoke out "What are you? Why are you chasing me!" I said, almost at the verge of crying, It was the end this was demon she was sure of it, She heard stories about monsters that hide within the shadows in morning and hunt at night, her own mother believed and told her about this but she believe them.. who would? The mans voice broke my thoughts "your blood caught my attention.. Rare blood". Attention? Her thoughts ran wild that she didnt notice the demon disappeared, and in the end she was knocked out.

It was no use, she was now somewhere unrecognizable, maybe a room. It had a bed and night stand in the corner, I was tied to a chair and had a gag in my mouth to keep me from screaming, I was scared as the demon left me alone for while.. I hope.. I hope were not in demon teritory!! As I was worrying about my stituation The six eyed man came back.. with another figure.. A demon perhaps?

"This person will.. heal your injuries.." The six eyed man said, injuries..? right. The thing that attracted the demon towards me. How could I forget

The demon walked towards me with a vile, A pink slimy substance was inside. "Now this will heal your injuries my dear.. but, it does have some side effects.." the demon said with a smug look. Side effects? I looked at him confused as the demon continued " you will feel some.. difference with your body, you might feel sick or.. aroused, it depends on the person taking the vile after all". What.

he took my gag out and forced the vile down my throat and left afterwards, leaving me and the six eyed demon alone. It felt.. weird.. VERY weird. "How are you feeling? feeling the side effects already?" he questioned. Dizzy.. and inflamed.. "I dont.. I feel hot.. is that normal..?" I said with a flushed face, "Ah." the demon sighed.

"You feel sexually aroused no..?" The demon said quietly, "No! I feel fine!" I obviously lying, moving around trying to free my hands, rubbing my thighs together to stimulate the heat I was currently feeling. The demon walked towards me, ripped the ropes that tied me and lifted my onto his strong arms, "Oh.." I sighed.. The feeling of another person let alone a demon felt amazing.. "I can smell your arousal.. theres no need to lie"

No! I cant feel such things for a demon! He might be attractive but that doesnt change the fact that he is a man eating demon that kiddnapped you! I tried to move away from his body "Are you rejecting me? Are you sure you will be able.. to handle yourself?" He said with a smirk, rubbing your thighs "...No.." I said quietly as I buried my face on his shoulders accpeting the faith I had. "Thats what I thought... Let me make this a special night for you as he kissed me passionately, I wrap my arms around his shoulders as support as I return this kiss.

He was bitting my lip gently as I opened my mouth allowing him access to my thoart, he quickly enters his tongue and took over my mouth, my body felt like it was on fire, A fire that would burn brighter until someone put her out, and this man right infornt of her, dominanting me and my body is the only one who can help me.

Before he took my clothes off he asked "Are you sure about this? This will definately change your life if you do... give yourself"

"Yes! please I cant handle it anymore.." I whimpered out as I felt my panties dampend.

He smiles gently before his smile turned into a lustful one, he ripped my clothes off in a swift motion, This night will DEFINATLEY change things.

(time skip)

I was moaning over and over again as my back was pressed on his sheets, he was pounding my pussy roughly "Do you enjoy this, pet?" he asked in a low dark voice, all I could respond with was a whimper that sounded like a yes as he laughted softly at that response, I've never had a man take me like this before, so passionately and rough. His dick was Big.. very big it hurt, but it also felt so good..

I was drooling as he changed our position, leaving me on top, I quickly bounced up and down to feed into my heat, the heat that didnt go out. I held onto his chest as support as I rolled my head back and let out a loud moan. "Nghh.. Ahh..! Its too muchh..!~" I said in a maon, I felt his hands grope my chest and play with my harden nipples.

He took my left breast on his mouth, licking, biting, pulling. It was an experience indeed.. The stimulation of riding his hard dick while he was playing with my breast brought me to my climax. "Im cumming! Im cumming! I cant hold it anymore!" I screamed, "Then cum" he said looking straight into my eyes while licking my breast, I squirted all my juice out leaving my pussy juice all over his dick, pelvis, and thighs with the loudest moan. I collapse on top of him panting.. he held my body tight.. I too hugged his body, I was about to fall asleep until "No,no no.. dont fall asleep now.. the night has just began, we have so much to do."

We fucked all night, he put me in so many different positions I thought I was a whore being bought and used.. like I was his play toy, maybe I was.. Im happy thought I loved it.

At the end, I was covered in his semen as was my insides aswell.

I was currently cleaning his large dick with my mouth sucking him gently as I ran my tongue on his cock, He was grunting softly, holding my hair up and pushing my me deeper than I already was, I moan softly as I closed my eyes, my jaw was sore and tired from having been stretch for so long.

I looked up and saw the demon with all his eyes lightly shut and he looked dazed, it was cute and hot at the same time honestly.. He then trusted into my mouth gently and slowly until he got a rythm, I stayed still talking it like the good pet I am, pleasing her master. Oh I feethe heat is starting to light up again.. He started pounding my mouth, his dick bulging on my throat and finally after a few thrust he came inside my mouth, the feeling of his thick, sticky, hot cum going down my throat was so arousing, I started touching my pussy as I stared at his moaning. Fingering myself and atlast came too.

I took his cock out of my mouth, kissing the tip of his dick before letting it go, He then laid down on the bed panting, I crawled up to him and laid on top of him pushing my body on his and wrapping my arms around his neck. He then placed his hands on my waist holding me. Our sweaty body mixed with cum were embracing each other. "I still dont know your name, mister.." I said quietly as I buried my face on his chest.

"Kokushibo" he answered quietly, "You may call me Kokushibo."

Does this make sense? No. :))

#kokushibo x reader #kimetsu no yaiba #kokushibo #kokushibo smut #smut #x reader

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fourstarsoutofnine · 8 months

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I would like to humbly request a fluffy fic for Wind where the reader and him are having fun at a lake or similar so he can get his mind off of something very stressing that happened to him recently 🥺 The dynamic I had in mind is reader being kinda like an older sibling to him

Ur fics are soooo good and so cute <3 hope you don't mind this request.

A/n:heyoooo! Im gonna combine these two. Wrote this in one go with Long Story Short bc Taylor Swift playing on repeat and my cat half asleep on my arm. Wind is one of my favorites and I really enjoyed writing this :) not proofread btw

Warnings:none!

Lake Shenanigans with the Hero of Winds.

You’d all been traveling for hours and hours with seemingly no end in sight. It had been a very taxing night before—a particularly difficult fight had left everyone, especially the sailor, in disarray. Every part of you ached as you walked beside the young boy, and you begged Hylia, Din, Nayru, and Farore—anyone who would listen—for a break. You needed to sit down and let your feet rest. Your body cried for it in the way it creaked and popped with each step as though you were an old tree rocking with the wind. And then you saw it in your periphery. A lake.

“Hey old man!!!” You were suddenly met with a new sense of energy with the idea of rest just on the horizon. You ran ahead to walk next to the man. “Can we go to the lake??? We’ve been walking since four AM… it’s…” you didn’t even know what time it was, and your face scrunched in confusion as you tried to throw together the hours that swirled in your memory like paint mixing into a deep, ugly gray hue. You didn’t have a clue how long it’d been. “I—I Don’t know what time it is now, but that makes my case even more urgent—we need to rest…”

He looked up to the sky as he thought. It had been a while… he looked back to the group of men and boys behind him, exhaustion radiating from them like heat waves from a sheet of metal. “…alright. I don’t see why not. Detour, boys. We’re going to the lake.”

“What’s a lake?” The youngest hero, the hero of winds, asked.

“What’s a lake???” You exclaimed with surprise written on your face. It hit you then. The sailor was from a time where Hyrule was surrounded by oceans, its once vast lands reduced to mere islands. “Well—….” You went to walk beside the boy as you followed the old man’s new path towards the body of water. “It’s….like a small sea… and it’s freshwater instead of saltwater… and they’re *really* nice to swim in.”

He seemed even more eager to get to your destination after that. It brought a pep to the step of everyone in the group and in a matter of mere minutes, you all arrived. The sailor lit up once he saw the water. “Whoa!!! It is like a mini lake!!” He shouted with a smile that could light the way even in pure darkness. His eyes sparkled at the waterfall dumping fresh water into the lake. It was more the beginning of a River, really, but you weren’t complaining. It was cleaner with moving water. Not like you were extremely worried about that, though.

“Uh-huh! Told you!” You smiled and slipped your shoes off, putting your feet into the lake and sighing in relief from the cold water that eased your aches in a chilled embrace you welcomed graciously. You watched the champion strip himself of his armor and jump in with caution thrown to the wind, as it always was in his case. You supposed, if he could face death and return victorious then there wasn’t much for him to fear.

Several links followed his lead and swam around with each other, playing chicken fight, and diving to the bottom to see what treasures may lie there from days past. You remained where you were until the sailor came up to you with a devilish look that only told you he was up to no good.

“Uh oh. What trouble are you getting into?” You grinned.

“Now why would you think that??? I’m a good boy I do no harm.” He smiled and batted his eyelashes, to which you gave a scoffing laugh.

“Yeah, right—okay.” You rolled your eyes. “What’s the agenda, sailor?”

“Look at the vet.” He said and you turned your head. The vet laid with his feet in the water and his hat over his face. His arms acted as a pillow behind his head. He was virtually defenseless and far too at your mercy for his own good. You knew what the sailor had in mind without him having to tell you, and the evil smile you returned to the boy told him exactly that. You were on the exact same page and spoke the same language of mischief as he did. The two of you snuck off to grab one of the buckets the group carried. You scooped water Into it and snuck as silently over as you could. Thankfully, he was too deep into sleep to notice you at all. You silently counted down from 3 on your fingers. Once reaching zero, you dumped it on him and he shot up with a gasp as you threw the bucket and ran for your lives. He whipped around to see your retreating forms and leapt up to chase after you. You two split up and ran back around him, jumping into the lake with little regard to your clothes. They’d dry, you’d be fine. And so would the vet, even if he’d pout and scowl the rest of the day. It was funny, he had to admit(even if he wouldn’t). All hell always broke loose whenever you and the sailor teamed up for shenanigans, but the group needed that sometimes. They were a serious bunch when they went too long without fun. You two would always be there to bring it back.

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #linked universe x reader #lu legend #lu four #lu hyrule #lu twilight #lu wind #lu sky #lu time #Lu wind & reader #wind and reader #Lu wars #Lu wild

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talkintrashcann · 1 year

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Campout - Xavier Thorpe [pt. 2]

summary: the friendgroup is going on a camping trip and miscalculated how many tents they needed, so now you have to share a tent with your least favorite person.

warnings: slow burn, enemies to lovers, multiple parts

word count: 1.4k

a/n: everyone has really been demanding part two so here it is, might not be what everyone wants but i promise i got a lot more stuff up my sleeve for the next couple parts

[part 1] [part 3] [part 4] . . .

——————

As soon as the sun started to appear from behind the horizon the sunshine of the group was wide awake and ready for another day, playing loud music to wake everyone else up. She opened all the tents and peaked inside to see if anyone was still asleep, singing along with the songs that were playing at the top of her lungs. You let out a loud groan as you heard her pulling at the zipper of your tent, Enid looking at you with a wide grin as she saw how you and Xavier were laying as far away from each other as possible.

"Time to wake up lovebirds, we're on a tight schedule so we have absolutely no time to waste."

She wasn't joking when she said you were on a tight schedule today, during breakfast that day she explained her very detailed planning of the next couple of days. This was really starting to feel a little bit like a bootcamp, today already having a very tiring activity waiting for the group. Hiking. You didn't mind it actually, you quite enjoyed walking through the woods up a mountain. But with these extreme temperatures it sure was going to be a bit more challenging than you preferred. What kept you motivated was the very promising view that would make up for it, according to Enid at least.

"Keep it moving guys ! We're almost there.", the girl with an endless amount of energy yelled out. She was hopping up and down, clearly excited to reach our destination.

"She's been saying that for the past hour or so, I don't understand how she isn't exhausted like the rest of us. Does she ever get tired?", the boy with the beanie on replied while wiping the sweat off his forehead. He must be dying with that thing on his head, you thought to yourself.

You were too busy with your thoughts that you weren't paying attention to where you were going, accidentally stepping on an unstable rock and twisting your ankle. Just as you were about to hit the ground, the person behind you wrapped their arm around your waist to keep you from falling.

"Are you okay?", the all too familiar voice said in a surprisingly worried tone. Finally looking up to meet the eyes that match to that voice, your eyes locking with Xavier's. It felt like things were going in slowmotion for a minute. No one said anything and everyone was standing still to look at you, waiting for you to answer his question. Once you both realized how close you were standing to each other you quickly pushed the other away with disgust, looking the opposite direction.

"Im fine, I didn't need your help."

"Most people would say thank you but whatever, should've just let you fall down the mountain."

"Why didn't you, huh? How come you suddenly care about me falling down a mountain or not? Wouldn't you love seeing that happen, knowing it would hurt so much."

"Where's the fun in seeing you suffer if I'm not the one that caused it?"

You rolled your eyes at his comment, slightly limping as you continue the incredibly long climb. All you wanted was for this suffocating tension to go away and finally see the pretty view that was promised to you hours ago. For the rest of the climb, it was uncomfortably silent. No one dared to say a word after your little encounter with Xavier, everyone wanted this to go over quickly. Their prayers were answered once they reached the promised destination, and the view was absolutely breathtaking.

You could see the lake near your campsite from up here, the tall trees completely surrounding it. The reflection of the sunlight on certain spots made the lake appear to have multiple shades of green, some lighter and some darker shades. As you were admiring the sight, you could hear a camera flashing right next to you. Looking to see who made the sound, the smile that was plastered on your face a few seconds ago immediately disappeared. Xavier was taking pictures of his surrounding to use for his paintings later. He had visions sometimes but he wanted to remember every detail about momens like these, at least that's what he said on his way here. Although he was planning on using them to paint back home, he also used it as an excuse to take pictures of his friends too so he can remember the fun times they had here.

"Time for a picnic!", Enid snapped everyone out of their trance by opening up a picnic blanket and placing it on the ground. Eventually the blanket was getting covered with some of the food and drinks you had prepared in the morning, the group enjoying their sandwiches in complete silence. The only thing you could hear was the sound of a river somewhere near you and the birds singing up in the trees, it definitely helped calming you down after your little encounter with Xavier. He had also found something to get his mind off your discussion earlier, being focused on taking pictures of his friends while they were chatting with each other.

As he's looking through the lens of his camera, he finds himself taking a picture of you. Once he realizes what he just did he shook his head and put the camera away, convincing himself he only took that photo because he thought the background was beautiful. He'd never admit how pretty you actually were, but no matter how many times he would call you ugly to your face or behind your back it always felt wrong. Many people found you good-looking, he was the only one to disagree. But the question is, why was he so eager to deny that?

After finishing up your little picnic and making your way down to camp again, everyone was knocked out in their tents by now. They needed to recuperate for a while because of the very exhausted activity they just got back from. You on the other hand were resting in one of the hammocks while making a bracelet, not wanting to share your tent with mister douchebag during the day as well. But while you were focused on the strings in your hands, you didn't notice someone sneaking up behind you. Soon enough you were aware of their presence as you felt a a stream of cold water being squirted on the side of your head, causing you the squeak at the sensation You could already tell who it was without having to look behind you, his annoying laughter confirming the speculation. You snapped your head back to look at the culprit, seeing him stand there with a watergun in his hands and the biggest smug face you've ever seen. Getting up from your spot and picking up one of the pillows from the hammock, you aimed it at his face but unfortunately he was able to dodge it.

"You really gotta stop hitting me with pillows, you know they don't hurt right?", he chuckled while squirting a little water at you again. You knew he was testing your patience right now, but you have had it with him.

"Fine, I'll just use my fists then."

Before he could properly process what you just said you stormed towards him and tackled him down, his head hitting the hard ground. He let out a laugh when you positioned yourself on top of his chest, finding it amusing that you thought you could hold him down. You were about to punch him in his face, but right before you were gonna smack him he gripped your small fist in his large hand to stop you from doing so. His smug face returning while he flipped you over, holding both of your hands above your head with one of his hands.

"Not gonna lie, you didn't look that bad on top of me.", Xavier chuckled when he saw your angry expression. But that annoying smile he had on soon disappeared as you kicked him in the nuts with your knee, resulting in him letting go of your hands and instead going down to his precious manhood.

"DO I SERIOUSLY HAVE TO PUT BOTH OF YOU IN TIMEOUT RIGHT NOW?! What is this, fucking summer camp with a bunch of annoying 10 year olds?", Enid had to yell out once again. You shoved him off you and got up on your two feet again, walking back to your hammock as if nothing happened. She really was starting to regret bringing the two of you on this vacation, it was beginning to feel more like she was babysitting you instead of a nice relaxing outing with her friends. Luckily that would soon all change when the neverending war between you and Xavier might finally come to an end. Or will it stay like this forever?

To be continued . . .

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Taglist !¡ @wintrr13 @hayleematyas16 @deepblueoceanwaters @purexfuego @loriasposts

if you would like to be added to the taglist for campout please let me know in the comments or through asks/dms!

#xavier thorpe #xavier thorpe x reader #xavier thorpe fanfic #xavier thorpe x you #xavier thorpe imagine #xavier thorpe wednesday #xavier fanfic #wednesday imagine #wednesday #wednesday fanfic

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pas-de-duex · 12 days

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The Black Swan

Hey everybody! This is my first Sanders Sides fanfiction. It’s Intrulogical (Remus x Logan) and based off of the ballet (well… and the Barbie movie…) Swan Lake! Fair warning, this fic will have a LOT of swearing, so if you don’t like it, don’t read it! I hope those who do read it, enjoy!

Prologue:

“You can’t catch us Remus!” Roman and Patton laughed as they ran away from Remus, who was struggling to catch up.

“Wait! Please! Ro-“ He cried, deep, heaving breaths between each word.

Roman stuck out his tongue as he and Patton disappeared into the woods. Remus raced towards them, but was unable to catch up. He stopped just outside the woods, catching his breath as tears began to form in his eyes.

Why did he always have to play the bad guy? He didn’t mind so much but, Patton and Roman always seemed to leave him behind.

“We’re heroes! It’s our job to stop the bad guy! Or, at the very least get him lost!”

That’s what they always said when Wolfgang asked why they left the (slightly) younger prince behind.

Remus hated being left behind.

Remus looked around, trying to see which way his brother and their friend went. He saw several broken branches to his left. He followed the trail of broken branches, scattered leaves, and upturned earth until he eventually reached a clearing. Remus stopped in his tracks, taking in the beauty of the area around him.

The trees seemed to stop, leading way to large piles of stones that seemed to glitter in the sunlight. Fireflies and moths seemed to dance in the air, as odd looking animals gathered around a shining lake.

Remus took a small step forward, as all the wildlife seemed to turn his way. He took a few more steps towards the lake, and laughed with glee as the fireflies and moths started to swarm around him. The odd looking animals slowly started to approach him as he moved closer to the lake, dancing to music only he seemed to hear. Eventually, some of the squirrels and smaller animals began to climb up him, joining him in his strange dance.

After a few moments, Remus flopped to the ground, still laughing, still covered in odd looking creatures.

“Oh thank you, thank you little friends! You’ve made me feel… better.”

He took a long breath and continued to watch as the fireflies and moths swirled around him. He eventually turned and watched a small purple spider crawl close to the lake. He grew worried, and scooped the poor thing up before it could get too close to the water.

“Careful little guy, I don’t…”

His sentence was interrupted by a large, grey owl descending from the sky. The air seemed to be sucked out of the clearing as Remus watched most of the animals run and hide. He cradled the small spider close to his chest as he felt a snake start to slither up his back. The owl seems to circle a few times, before eventually landing right in front of Remus.

“Well well well, what do we have here? A little human?”

The snake, now coiled around Remus’s right shoulder, hissed as a bright light emitted from where the owl stood. Remus closed his eyes, and when he opened them back up, before him stood an elderly man.

“Who are you? What are you doing in my woods?”

“I-I-“

“Speak up boy!”

The snake let out it a final hiss before launching himself at the man. The old man caught the snake and started to squeeze him in his fist.

“Hey! Let him go!” Remus gently let the spider go, and launched himself at the old man. He managed to knock him into the lake, causing him to release the small snake, who slithered towards the purple spider.

The old man stood up, shaking water from himself. He locked eyes with Remus, then held out his hand and chanted something Remus didn’t understand.

That’s when the pain started.

Remus doubled over, clutching his stomach. His screams filled the air. He caught sight of his snake friend, who seemed to be looking away with grief. He felt his limbs twist and shocks run up and down his body. When the pain subsided, he was still on the ground, trembling in fear.

The old man laughed. “There. Maybe that will teach you some respect.”

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melloween-candie · 10 months

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Ink stain [P.P]

Peter Pan x Sexual Abused Survivor Reader

Image: Overprotective Peter finds out you have a tattoo of a Medusa head.

(If you guys don't know. A medusa tattoo symbolizes people who were once victims of sexual abuse.)

A/n - Just thought this was a really interesting idea for a fic. This fic is basically about how sexual abuse is not okay!

Warning! Mentions of Sexual abuse, overprotectiveness, cussing, slight aggression and worry

Word Count: 1,435

[H/C] (AKA Hurt/Comfort)

Once Upon A Time Masterlist

Fandom Masterlists

/"Talking"//Thinking//Muttering-Whispering/

***Narrator's Pov***

You were always covered, head to toe, with clothes. And Peter never really minded that. In fact, no one ever questioned it. Even on the hottest days, you were always covered.

However, this day was particularly very hot, so Peter decided to tell everyone that they were all going to have a beach day!

It was the hottest day of the year, after all, so everyone was really stoked!

Time Skip!~

You, including everyone else, got into their bathing suits. Your bathing suit didn't show much skin at all. You wore black swim shorts and a crop top that matched. (If you picture Y/n as a guy, then they can be topless)

While everyone ran towards the lake, you stayed behind with Peter. As you both took your time getting there.

You both chose not to say much as you walked, enjoying the sounds of nature. Though, mid-way of walking there, something caught Peter's eye. It was behind your neck. You had your hair up (If you picture Y/n as a guy with short hair, you can ignore that part), so it was easier to see, but some of your baby hairs were still covering it.

Peter, with his hand, gently brushed them away.

What he saw -

It was a tattoo of Medusa. It was centered just behind your neck. It was small, easily covered by your hair when you let it down. (If you have short hair, then you just used something to cover it up because you didn't want people to question it) Peter questioned why you had never mentioned it before, let alone how he never realized it.

A few seconds later, you brushed his hand away, covering your tattoo.

"What are you doing?" You questioned.

"That tattoo... You never told me you had one."

"You never asked...?" You spat back.

"No need to be touchy. Does it have a meaning?" Peter asked somewhat playfully.

"Um- no... I just- thought it was cool!" You tried brushing the conversation off, but you both know how bad you were at lying.

"So, there is a meaning! What is it?"

"I-it not important... Come on! We need to catch up." Then Y/n jogged off.

Peter just watched you run. "Not important- If it's not important, then why have a tattoo in the first place...? Shadow- come here."

Time Skip!~

You made it to the beach, where you found everyone swimming and already having fun.

You didn't even hesitate to jump right in!

A few minutes go by, and you question why Peter has still not arrived. You knew that he'd be okay, but you couldn't help but wonder what could possibly keep him delayed.

Now thirty minutes went by, and you started asking around. No one had seen him around the lake at all. So, you decided to go back to where you left him in hopes that he'd still be there. He wasn't...

However, you saw his shadow heading toward the direction of his thinking tree. You followed.

Time skip!~

***Peter's Pov***

I snapped yet another twig. Trying not to release all my anger on my tree itself. It was quite hard, honestly. To think that there's a possibility that this might have happened to my Y/n.

I remember how they used to visit Neverland in their dreams when they were younger. When I first met them, they were absolutely frightened. As if I was going to do something to them if they didn't do exactly as I say. At first, I liked their obedience, but soon enough, I started getting a little worried for them.

They never wanted to leave, and every time they had to go, they always cried. I'd always be the one to comfort them, and if not me, then Felix.

But then they grew up, and soon enough, they were my age. Even though they have begged me a thousand times to let them stay, I couldn't... I don't know why but soon enough, my shadow brought them back.

They must have hit a really deep low that day when they learned they could no longer visit. So deep to where they truly became lost enough to actually stay.

Then my shadow arrived. "Did you learn anything else? Anything about their past in specific? That could explain why they got a tattoo like that. Or why they'd get it to begin with?"

My shadow only told me that your mother had died a long time ago and that their father wasn't the best man, but when his wife died, he became worse.

It frustrated me to my core knowing that a man could have done that to you... I didn't want to ask or bring it up for clarification- I made my shadow search for any clue in your house that could explain why you'd get a tattoo with that meaning.

All I know is that there is a meaning behind it... If only I could ask them without them getting defensive.

After all, they'd always get defensive when anyone tried asking them about their home life. When they were younger, they'd always lie and say everything was fine, and sometimes they'd add white lies when their days were a bit better than most.

I'd like to think that they were actually okay, but deep down, I always knew something was wrong. That's why I like to believe that they are better now- no. I know they are.

Suddenly I heard a tree branch break. Clearly, Y/n was listening. That's okay... I need to know.

I quickly disappeared and reappeared behind them. This startled them, like always.

Though without a chance of uttering a word, I grabbed them and teleported to my hut.

***Narrator's Pov***

You looked around quickly to realize that he had teleported you to his room.

"Peter- wha-whats going on?" You questioned, still a little baffled.

"What's going on is that you shouldn't feel the need to hide your past from me!" Peter flung his arms around in frustration. "I'm your boyfriend for Pete's sack. Don't I get the chance to know stuff about you that others don't?!"

"Peter, you do know me-!"

"WE BOTH KNOW DAME WELL HOW YOU ALWAYS LIE!" He yelled.

And there it was. That face. The face you always make when something scares you. And once again, Peter felt the waves of guilt.

This wasn't the first time Peter had scared you or made you cry.

Peter took a deep breath and sighed. "Look, Y/n. I just really care about you. Okay? I know it can be a little overwhelming, and I can be a bit controlling and possibly even a bit overprotective. But I just can't live with myself if I knew that there was a possibility that you were..." Peter then quickly stopped talking when he realized that you started crying.

At that moment, he knew what he was about to say was indeed true. That it really happened to you. Tons of emotions rushed through Peter as he cuddled you. Hugging you tightly as he kissed you on the cheek.

It felt like forever just went by when you finally stopped crying. Peter, not once letting you go. Finally, Peter broke the silence-

"Who was it." He asked blankly.

You looked down onto the floor. You felt so ashamed for letting this happen. You were so discussed with yourself. You didn't want to say it for fear that he might start thinking of you the way you think of yourself.

"Y/n." Peter gently held your chin up so he'd be able to look you in the eyes. "Please. I need to know."

"R/n" (Ra*est Name)

And with that, you saw a glint in Peter's eyes, but it quickly vanished as he continued to hold you. He didn't stop. You two stayed like that for the rest of the evening going on to that night.

Throughout that time when that was happening, everyone was looking for the two of you. Some gave up, and some kept going; however, they all eventually gave up and retreated to their huts. After all, they were sure you two would eventually show up.

The only person who had any sense of where you two might have been was Felix, and he was absolutely certain that you two were in Peter's hut.

Time skip!~

It was now midnight. Everyone, including you, was asleep.

Peter stood outside at the very center of his base.

"It was R/n. Find them and make sure they pay!"

Then his shadow was off to create some hel*.

A/n

Hope this made people's lives a little better in any possible way! I love each and every one of you, no matter what kind of trauma y'all went through! 💕

Stay safe and stay strong!! 💪🫡

#once upon a time #peter pan #ouat #ouat peter pan #peter pan x reader #trauma #traumatized reader #overprotective peter pan #ouat felix #beach day #once upon a time fanfic #once upon a time fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfic

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samiiy20 · 1 year

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♡ 𝐇𝐚𝐧 𝐉𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐠 ♡

𝑃𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔: 𝐻𝑎𝑛 𝑥 𝑓𝑒𝑚!𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑒: 𝑆𝑚𝑢𝑡 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡: 𝟸.𝟻𝑘 𝑊𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠: 𝑀𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑏𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑢𝑛𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑒𝑥 𝑆𝑦𝑛𝑜𝑝𝑠𝑖𝑠: 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑢𝑝 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑝 𝑤𝑖𝑡𝘩 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑡 𝑐𝑟𝑢𝑠𝘩 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝘩𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡.

masterlist II tag list

This content NOT is for minors!!!

This is merely entertainment, this does not represent any real person.

It is forbidden to copy or translate my work.

English NO is my first language.

The music on the radio was stronger than your nerves, but you couldn't control them. Your friend had invited you on a double date with her boyfriend and her best friend, and even though they already knew each other, it wasn't like they were very close. Also, she lied to you that it was a quiet thing, but when the car slid into the mountains you knew.

You couldn't make a racket in the car, but you were constantly thinking about what you could say to him once they stopped. You hadn't said a word and the boy next to you noticed it.

“Are you okay?”- His voice erased your thoughts and you looked at him for the first time on the trip “you look a bit strange”

“I'm fine, I think I forgot something. “

“We bring everything- Minho said behind the wheel, looking in the rearview mirror with a smile just like your friend's- “don't worry about it”. You let out a fake laugh trying to get your friend to hear you and even though she did, she didn't look at you.

The further they advanced and you realized that they were further from the city, you did not stop questioning many things. Why didn't you notice? Why did you two get invited? What will they get by taking them? Why didn't they go alone? What were they really planning?

By the time you realized it, you had already reached a place surrounded by trees, but in front of you there was what looked like a lagoon, there were some rocks piled up like signs of a campfire.

“Have you come before?” the lovers asked

“A couple of times” he answered

Minho holding your friend's hand- “it's very calm, I'm sure they like it too”.

You couldn't help but look at Han who was seriously looking at his friend. He didn't know anything either? You tried to talk to your friend, but she knew you would claim her, so she stayed with her boyfriend the whole time until night began to fall and they decided to set up some tents.

“We will also sleep here?”Han asked

“Why not?” His friend answered. You weren't bothered by the idea of spending the night away from home or coming to the woods and having to spend the night with your friends, what was bothering you was that they didn't ask you even though you knew each other I would say no, but maybe I might have changed my mind. You thought about taking the car and leaving them alone, but Minho took the keys and you couldn't face him.

You sighed once they finished laying out the wood for the fire and decided that the best thing to do was enjoy the situation a little. You saw the sunset and ate a bit, even drank some of the alcohol they had brought along and also agreed to play for a while with the lovers and the other victim of it all.

"Okay, it's your turn," said your friend. - Truth or Dare?” The alcohol in your system made you talk fast without thinking.

“dare”

“I dare you to jump into the lake” If you had been in your five senses you would have rejected it, but you were a little sick and that gave you the courage to run to the shore and take off your pants, but then you realized you couldn't swim.

You turned to where the firelight fell on your friends and saw them run half naked into the water. The splash of two of them made you take courage again, but as much as you wanted to accompany them you were not stupid. You didn't want to drown.

"Are you afraid?" Han's voice made you turn to look at him, finding him only in his underwear. You felt your face heat up, but you didn't expect me to see it because of the darkness.

"It's not that" he took a step towards you causing you to step back touching the beginning of the water.

“So what is it?

"I do not know how to swim". Han let out a small laugh and you gave him a little shove, but he took your hands holding them over his chest preventing him from laughing. You noticed his serious face and you were suddenly surprised by the change in mood, but you realized that your hands were on his naked chest. He was handsome and you knew it, you had seen him more than usual a couple of times letting your mind think what could happen if...

“I'll show you how to do it” You let him drag you into the water, but the more you felt the liquid take over your body, the stronger you held onto his hands, and when your feet stopped feeling the ground you became a little alarmed.

“I'm afraid” Without saying anything he brought you closer to his body and wrapped his arms around your waist.

"I already have you" his breath tickled her neck, but your hands didn't let go of his shoulders “relax” .

You were so beside yourself thinking about the proximity of his bodies that you didn't realize when they had arrived with the others who were laughing at something.

"But what is going on here?" Minho asked, looking at them with a smile.

“Ohh it's true- your friend said when she realized your situation- it's not what you think, she can't swim.

"It doesn't matter, that's why she's her prince." You felt Han's hand on your waist, squeezing you a little more, and you just stuck your tongue out at them.

"Shut up, you were the ones who brought me without knowing anything" you finally told them, but before they could defend themselves someone else spoke.

“You too?” The bride and groom laughed and swam to shore laughing and yelling as the two of you floated in the water.

“What did they tell you?

“What would we go to eat, and you?

“A walk in the park.

They looked at each other for a while, but then they started laughing, those two were planning something and even though they didn't know, it was funny that they were tricked into bringing them here. At his laugh, Han let go of you for a moment and you jumped in alarm, wrapping your legs around his waist and hugging his neck.

“Calm down, I was just going to hug you better- despite his confession you didn't move from where you were -”do you want to go out? The truth is that you don't want to, but you thought it might be awkward for him to take care of you.

“Would you mind hugging me a little more?

“Not at all, but I think you should stop hugging me like that- He put one of his hands on your back and you untangled your legs from your waist but without separating from his body. You felt good close to him and for a moment your mind again imagined what would happen if... But this time you didn't think about it too much and you just let your hands caress his hair admiring his eyes shining from the moon.

They didn't speak for a while, but you could feel his hand running down your back, moving your shirt up and down a bit.

"If you had known we were coming here, would you have accepted?" you asked lowering your hand around his neck.

“And you? Would you have said yes?

“I don't know, maybe if...

“if, what?

“If you kissed me- You thought you believed that the alcohol was still in you, but the cold water had lowered your drunkenness. Han laughed, but didn't say anything, despite the cold water a warmth ran through your entire body and you wanted the water to take you away, but the boy's hand still held you.

You closed your eyes and hugged him putting your head on his shoulder, you felt how he moved slowly to get out of the water. Once you could get your feet on the surface, you wanted to run, but Han still had his hand on your waist. You managed to get away quickly and took your clothes that you had left before entering, you did not turn back and you only sat by the fire to warm yourself. did you hear Han's footsteps He entered the camp house and then a towel fell on his shoulders.

"You're going to catch a cold, let's go inside.

“Where are the others?- They no longer heard the laughter, but they noticed the other closed camp house.

-I don't know, I guess they were asleep or maybe...

-Don't say it.

You entered the house dragging your feet with goosebumps without knowing if it was from the cold or from nerves. Han had wrapped the towel around his waist and let his mind figure out a little of what she was hiding. He walked over to you and took the hem of your shirt.

-If you leave it on you will get sick. He lifted up the wet clothes a bit, but before he could continue you stopped him.

“Why do you reject me but try to take care of me? Stop playing.

"I couldn't control myself if I gave in."

-Do not do it.” You took off your shirt and threw it on the floor, you approached him and put your hands on his neck. -kiss Me.

He didn't laugh again, he took you by the waist and together with his lips you let your mouth follow the rhythm and let his tongue pass. His hands went to the clasp of your bra and your breasts released, his kisses ran down your neck and his fingers wrapped around your nipples causing you to bite your lips to seal your moans.

"Let me hear you," he whispered into your neck as he marked your skin. You refused the request and that made his hands squeeze your breasts a little more and his teeth sank into your skin causing you to let out a small moan. Your hands held onto his shoulders as his kisses trailed lower and lower until he reached the edge of your panties.

He kissed your abdomen and bit your thighs before removing the cloth that prevented him from touching you. His hands quickly lowered to your released moisture and his fingers explored the area making you squirm a little with each touch. His lips went up to your mouth again, but with his free hand he took one of your wrists and brought it closer to his member. You reached over the top of the towel he was wearing, but plucked up the courage to push it away and touch his skin. You wrapped your hand around the length of him and he moaned, but he drew his fingers deeper as well, touching your clit.

They began to massage each other, and they moaned when their eyes met, the other's fluids were more evident and you didn't know who was more desperate to achieve his pleasure. Your hand was running up and down his member, but you couldn't concentrate because his fingers wrapped around your clit. His bodies were almost glued together and their breaths mixed. The cold in your body had been gone for a while, but now it was burning all over the place, especially in your belly. You let go of his member and he was surprised, but when he saw you go down and open your mouth to receive him he smiled.

You played with the tip of your tongue as you looked up, his hand holding onto your face and pushing the length of him down your throat.

He was delighted to see you receive his entire member and it motivated him to fuck your mouth, your eyes couldn't stop seeing his satisfied face and you felt that this warmed your body more, his voice repeated your name over and over again. But he wasn't going to let this end up in your mouth, so sooner than expected he broke away from you. You got up again, facing his face and your mouth came closer to his ear, letting out what was on your mind.

“Let me feel your cock in my pussy. Han smiled and took you by the waist leading you to the mattress on the floor, he turned you upside down and lifted your butt up. I massage your skin and then the pain in it was present before his blow. You grabbed the blankets that were thrown away and hid your face in the pillow. He began a small series of caresses until leaving your skin red and your pussy even wetter than at the beginning. You looked over your shoulder as his member touched the entrance to your interior.

-Don't look at me like that baby, soon you will have it.

-but I can't take it anymore.

-shhh- he said taking your hair and inserting the tip a bit- “let me enjoy the view”. He took the time to torture you as he slowly relaxed the length of him. When he finally hit bottom, he leaned in to kiss your back and make the wait longer, he wanted to see you beg and you knew it, but you didn't want to give him that pleasure so you bit your lips while his movements tortured you.

His hips moved slowly without following a rhythm and his kisses came and went all over your skin. You closed your eyes when his hand went to touch you again trying to make you lose your composure. The combination of his caresses accompanied by his kisses was exquisite, but when he finally began to take rhythm on his hips you let out a moan with his name.

-Han...

-Yes? -His voice was mocking, but that only turned you on more.

-Faster. A blow to your butt made you sigh, but her movements turned as you asked.

Your body tensed and you felt your legs gradually losing strength, you felt that you were on the edge of your limit, but suddenly you stopped feeling it. You turned to claim, but he just grabbed you and in one quick move you were on top of him, you looked down, his smile on his face and his hands on your hips.

-What do you want? -Your hands rested on his chest and you began to move your hips, making his member caress your clitoris- Take it.

Your hand went down to align his member at your entrance and without taking your eyes off him you went down expanding your interior.

You started moving as you wanted following your rhythm and directing his member to hit that sweet spot inside of you.

You followed your own pleasure carrying Jisung with you, you could feel how your walls slowly embraced the boy's member and how it began to throb, letting both of them begin to despair. Jisung's hands were all over your body, but they had gotten stuck on your nipples that he squeezed every time he wanted to listen to you.

Your legs were weak and your hands on his chest had begun to mark his skin, but you forced yourself to continue until your pussy touched his member and the sensation you gave him filled your walls. You let yourself fall on his chest to get some air and you could hear his heart thinking that at any moment it could come out, one of his hands combed your hair and with the other he held your waist so you wouldn't move away.

-Why did we wait so long?- I ask more calmly

-I don't know- you answered without moving. Then the switch in your head connected to your brain, those two had planned it. Your friend knew what you thought of Jisung and if he had said the same to Minho, surely they had planned it knowing them.

"Do you think that was his plan?" You questioned by letting your thoughts out.

-surely yes.

"Do you think they heard us?" You moved a little to look at him and he smiled.

"I'm sure they did the same." After a few laughs and a cleanup session, they snuggled into the sheets and hugged. What you thought would be a disaster trip ended up being one of the best.

#han jisung #han jisung smut #han x reader #stray kids x reader #skz smut #stray kids imagines #stray kids #skz hard hours #han hard hours #han x y/n #kpop imagines #jisung smut

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heartfullofleeches · 2 years

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i feel like they’re just twins, not the same person. you wouldn’t date twins at the same time, would you? no. anyway, more gemi content please

-🌕anon

"Hey. Let me have another."

Gemi holds your face bewteen two fingers; your lips and skin traced with the feeling of theirs as they press against your cheek. You sit their lap, their wings cradled around your smaller form, as you both relax in the park near their home. Contrary to the beliefs of many, the hell in your universe was not all fire lakes and red skies. It was a chain of islands where demons and damned souks resided; the void below where the truly tarnished lied. It had its beautiful scenes - like the sea of purple trees before you.

Gemi kisses your forehead. It was their turn for total control of the body they shared with their other part and they were being far more needy than usual. They normally were the reserved and quiet type. You wondered what changed.

"Gemi?"

They pause, lips seconds from yours. "What is it?"

"Why are you acting like this today? Not that I mind- but you aren't usual this outgoing."

Gemi looks away, letting go of your face. "I just want to enjoy my time with you more. While they are definitely the... odder one, there's no mistake that Gemini is the host personality. I know it isn't true, but I sometimes worry you prefer them over me."

You hug their torso. "Of course that isn't true, Gemi. I care about you both equally and would never choose one over the other."

Gemi hums. They don't doubt the truth behind your words - but it's so much more fun to tease than admit the weakness in their heart. They smirk.

"That so? Well, you still spend more time with them than me. Let me leave my mark on you so I can stick around in another way. Either that, or you let me continue this little date longer with a marathon of a new cartoon I've recently started."

#Gemini my oc #yandere demon #yandere #yandere x reader #yandere imagines #yandere headcanons #yandere insert #yandere x you #yandere blurb #yandere scenarios #yandere oc #yandere teratophilia #yandere monster #yandere drabble #yandere x y/n #soft yandere #Yandere fluff #🌕 devil

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itsagrimm · 1 year

Text

He Who Comes from under the Water

Chapter 9 - Of Moons and Monsters

Monster!König X she/her afab Reader

CN mentions of death, mentions of murder, mentions of cannibalism, arranged marriage, disrespecting and displaying a corpse, ableist language, internalised toxic masculinity, creepy observers with no understanding of boundaries, warning for those who have issues with paranoia, König has issues and needs fairy tale therapy

Not sure how the phases of the moon work? Click here.

Notes for better understanding at the bottom!

Partly beta-read by the amazing @queenquazar. There are typos in there but I need to publish this asap before spiralling into another round of rewriting this for the 10th time. also, thank you so much for baring with me.

6.9k words

Masterlist

this is a hit or miss chapter. love it or hate it. i am ready to throw out my laptop bc this chapter was hard to write.

Oh and I made a playlist for this series. Enjoy.

As the King of Everything from Under the Water, König never grew tired.

As a man, König felt like he was grinding his bones into dust.

The never-ending work started to get to him, eternal weariness was wearing him down like a stone getting chipped away in the currents.

He yawned.

During the day König worked on the Half-Palace. The Half-Palace was getting close to being done, rising up into the sky as high up as it reached down low and deep into the waters. It was a marvel. But König was not done yet, working tirelessly to finish his new residence to finally marry and bring his fiancé home safely.

During the night König guarded his Bride. With his axe in his hands, he stalked her garden, carefully avoiding her strawberry patches and making sure no villager or malevolent creature harmed her. The rumours of a human maiden marrying the Vodyanoy had made its rounds, and König started to see more unusual unwelcome guests creeping in the shadows. Sometimes he found villagers too, boys who turned on their heels just at the sight of König’s giant frame, axe, and piercing deep blue, ever-seeing eyes. Not all the trespassers were clever enough to run away at the sight of him. Twice König used his axe and spilled blood. First time it was a Tschort trying to sneak through the kitchen window. The other time a Kikimora nearly made her way to the Bride’s window. König got to them both in time, killing the intruders with quick blows of his axe and hanging them up in the alder tree around the bride’s house for the night as a warning. The first time his bride cried out at the sight of it, the second time she did not cry anymore.

During the few moments in between when he walked at the lakes beach with her or closed his eyes for a moment, worry consumed any thought in König’s mind. His Bride was fragile. The creeping beings in the shadows wanted her blood, her tender flesh, her inheritance. There was danger everywhere and König started to feel on edge from being on the lookout all the time. In all his life he had experienced worries and insecurities. Now he had learned to fear - for her.

In those moments König wished he could just ignore all tradition and carry her to the half-finished Half-Palace before the wedding to keep her out of the hands of those that wanted to tear and bite and kill and devour her. But then he looked at his own hands - long clawed fingers that could wrap around her neck and break it like a twig or drag her down the deep waters until she was nothing but a lifeless body. The first time that realisation hit him, it had mortified König. He was a danger - just like all the others. And she was just a girl. A girl that managed to get tangled up with him. Baba Jaga’s words still hung over him, telling him he had to sacrifice something to keep his Bride safe. Something deep inside of him knew he had done it wrong, all of it so far. Her fear of water was testimony of it. And so he sacrificed everything for her. But one question remained.

Will it be enough?

Feeling tired and drained, König sighed and made another round to check for danger. For now, no one was there but the moon, rising over the gable of the Bride’s house.

Peaceful, calm, familiar.

König nodded in greeting to the silent lunar wanderer. At least the moon was not out for his Bride. For now.

Of course, the thin slice of the waxing crescent did not nod back.

It was the moon after all.

König let himself fall onto the grass again, leaning against her door and closed his eyes.

A moment, just a moment of rest.

Rest.

Rest…

Sleep was alluring. It called to him like the Rusalkis called for him to return to just being in the water.

Just a little bit...

Just a bit closer…

No harm in it…

With a low “thud” the axe slipped out of his hands, waking König back up from his light short slumber.

König shook his head.

No! He had to stay up. Another Tschort could try to crawl in any moment or Ivar might wipe up the village into a frenzy and come for her. His Bride was so frail in comparison to him, a little maiden and nothing more. Just yesterday she cut herself with a kitchen knife. Or was it tomorrow? Does not matter! One day she would hurt herself again and he had to make sure that would not happen. He could take it, not sleeping and working every moment. His body will withstand. He was a king after all! He was her guardian, her fiancé and soon-to-be husband, her man.

And she was worthy of König to grind himself down as a payback for the life he had condemned her to and the pain he would cause her with his huge hands and sharp claws. Sleep and labour was a necessary sacrifice.

“You are an idiot.”

König looked up, searching for the source of those words.

“Oh, don’t look so surprised. You are an idiot and deep down you know it already.”

König got up from his spot, taking up his axe.

“Who is it! Come out! Show yourself!” The king called.

“I am not hiding myself. You just don’t see what is in plain sight like the fool that you are.”

Confused, König's head whipped around, searching for whoever was talking to him.

“Here, little king. Up!” The voice called. “You are not used to looking up when speaking, aren’t you?”

As told, König looked up while raising the axe in expectation to see a new threat, a new danger, a new assailant.

What he saw instead was the moon.

“Hello.”

König blinked, not understanding how and why the thin lunar sickle was smiling down at him.

“Don’t look so surprised!” the moon scolded with a laughing tone. “You greeted me yourself.”

“How?” König asked, lowering the axe.

“You are asking me how I can speak?”

König considered the moon's words before smiling shyly like a kid getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“Okay, that’s fair. You can speak just like I can.”

If the moon could nod it would have done so. Somehow König felt like far out in the interstellar realm of implausibility the moon indeed did nod at him.

“Why after millennia of not speaking to me you do now, moon? I greet you twice a day.”

“I grew to like you, little one. And I got bored watching you self-mortifying yourself. It was entertaining for a while until it became the most pointless thing I have witnessed in a long time.”

“What do you mean, Moon? I am not mortifying myself! How would you even know.”

The moon raised an eyebrow at König. Somehow it did that.

“Please. I have better eyes for that than you, little king. I do nothing else but watch and witness.”

Unconvinced, König crossed his arms.

“What do you know about me and my worries?” He countered.

“Only about half of it. I just see you at night.” The moon admitted. “Shame really. You doing everything else but talking to your fiancé is quite the sight.”

“What is there to talk about?” König replied. “Spare me. Everything is clear. She is just a nice girl who ended up engaged with me, so I have the duty to protect her.”

“Sure, little king. Then you would have no issue just crossing that doorstep of hers and telling her that. Sacrifice the facade and just take her to that Half-Palace of yours and be done with it. It’s all just formalities and traditions at this point. You are just concerned for her safety.”

“I am concerned for her safety.”

König gazed around the dark garden. There was the spot where Ivar had threatened his Bride. And the alder tree König had strung up those that had wanted to harm her. And the axe with which nowadays he did as much killing and fighting as he did building.

“That’s all?”

“That’s all.”

XXX

König looked at the Bride’s door. The familiar wooden frame she walked through every day. It would be easy to just open it and go in. Or knock? König felt like she would appreciate a knock before getting dragged out of her family home in the middle of the night in the name of her safety and his pragmatic marital claims.

Up in the night sky the thin moon sickle was grinning at the sight of the fool calling himself King, silent and expectant to watch something - anything - happen.

But it did not.

Not every night was calm and spent in solitude.

A bunch of laughing and giggling Rusalkis decided to join him and the occasionally appearing fox on his guard post. König looked around, seeing the half-moon rise above the horizon. It had been silent ever since that night a while back.

Of course, the Bride was still sleeping in her own house.

Of course, he had not even attempted to move her from it.

They were still unmarried.

It was tradition König told himself.

She would not want to be in the nearby finished castle with him anyway.

“Why so grim dear Vodyanoy?”

Startled, König spinned around, teeth barren and the axe in his hands.

“Easy.” A rusalka straying behind soothingly replied, her hands up.

König stilled.

“Oh it is you, Lada.” He said and lowered his axe, “I am sorry. I thought someone had crept up to me.”

Lada leaned forward. Her pretty eyes gazed up at him as she lowered her hands.

“You know, not everyone is out there to get you or the Devitsa, Vodyanoy. Take a rest. We can guard her in the meantime.”

“No.” He grumbled. “It’s nice that you are here to help, but she is my responsibility to carry. I brought this upon her.”

Curiously, she leaned forward.

“Oh, you do that a lot these days, König.” Her words splashing down her lips like a lively spring, unimpressed by the near display of violence moments before. “Always responsibility. Always offering yourself up like that makes a difference. Tell me, is this spectacle for you or her?”

“It’s not a spectacle.” König replied, moving back from her and crossing his arms before him.

Lada grinned.

“Alright. Sure. Good luck.” She declared and waved a goodbye at him before, jumping back like a firefly raving in zig zag over a pond's water. König watched Lada return to the other Rusalkis, giving a sharp, toothy and nearly careless smile to flirt with the Fox. They seemed so content with chatting in the moonlight. As if stalking and hunting intruders was a Rusalki past-time. Knowing the Rusalkis it probably was.

König suppressed a yawn, unwilling to admit Lada was right. He really needed to take a break. Soon, when he was married and the bride was safe. He would have given anything he had in him then. But until the wedding there was no point of even thinking about rest or the life leisure he had known before.

Was he really that busy all the time?

Unapproachable and lost in his own thoughts nowadays?

König remembered how much time he used to spend with the Rusalkis. Oh, he did. They had played, filling the air with splashed water, with laughter, with moans.

It felt so long ago.

He hadn’t even thought about it.

Would his marriage remove him forever from that part of his life?

He stilled as the realisation hit. It hurt. But only a little.

Thinking about the Bride's little human fingers that tangled his hair, asking him how his day was, telling him about hers pleased him. König had gotten used to the Bride in his life so quickly, he wanted more of it.

But enough to stop lust and satisfy his more carnal desires?

She…

You promised to guard her, protect her, make her your Queen. Nothing else. König reminded himself unhappily and looked up, searching for answers in the night sky.

There were none, only the looming moon.

It was as if the half-moon was watching him with mockery, observing König’s thoughts and temptations.

König grunted.

Fine, maybe she was charming in many ways. He had to admit that to himself. But maybe that was another sacrifice he had to make for the sake of her. König was sure they could find an arrangement at some point. There was little he promised nor expected from her outside of their marriage. But that was for a moment in the future when he had the right words for it.

Until then, his tasks were easy: No sleep, no leisure, no lust.

König tapped on the hilt of the axe. It’s been a couple of days since he had to use it as a weapon and the calm waiting was wearing him down nearly as much as thinking about his forbidden Bride - her clever remarks, her unrelenting will to life, her careful steps around water. If he asked her opinion about his sacrifices she would say something wise. She always seemed to do, giving him little knowing looks over tea cups, over the lake, over hot puffs of breath escaping her lips. And when she spoke her words rang in his ear like music. Melodic syllables falling from her mouth like raindrops and teaching him of the world.

Now the bride's words were siren songs to him.

He sat down into the grass and watched the house of the bride. There she was, sleeping her well earned rest. And he was outside where he belonged with his claws and flaws and desires. He looked up to the sky. Cold stars and the unmoving moon grinned down at him, silent and calm unlike his thoughts. König wondered if it was easier that way, just to watch and never to do. Just to witness but never to participate.

No wonder the moon is a judgy creep.

König frowned, wishing he did not feel drained, unsure and like he had made the wrong decision.

Let them see. I will do right by her - König promised to himself.

XXX

The night was pleasant but cold. It had rained and the now cleared sky and fresh breeze added to the unusually cold summer weather. König was sitting right under the ledge of the roof, watching drops of the previous rain roll down from the leaves and running into little pools of water. It was calming. And with humid weather like that he knew at least no villager would show up, giving him one thing less to worry about.

König heard her steps before he saw her step out into the night. He looked up.

“König.” She greeted with a blanket around her shoulders. “Would you mind company? The full moon is so bright, and the rain kept drumming against the roof. I cannot sleep.”

He nodded before suspiciously eyeing the massive, silent luminary above them.

Creep.

She settled next to him under the dry roof, facing the dark garden and treeline with him.

“Are you okay?”

Her words reached into him and laughed at his convictions. Just hearing her voice made something stir in him.

“There was so little time these past days and we hardly spoke.” She continued. ”Can I help with something?”

König shook his head before even thinking.

His burden, not hers.

“No, Bride. You cannot fight the monsters lying in wait. You can’t even lift my axe.”

The thought of her facing another Kikimora, a Tschort or an angered, disapproving Rusalka terrified him. She did not even have teeth to tear and bite.

“Is fighting the only way to help?”

He looked down at her, the little pretty thing that he spent the day admiring while working and the night desperately trying not to think about.

She pressed her thighs closer to her body for warmth.

Tangled limbs, desperate touches, heated kisses. He could warm her up.

Instead, he lifted his arm and silently invited her closer. No point in keeping her cold.

“Yes, it is but it is unpleasant work, my Bride. We will marry soon, and you will be safe in the Half-Palace. Do not worry yourself.”

She moved closer, pressing herself into his warm body. With a stern look more for himself than to others König commanded the last of the drops on the grass and from the dripping roof not to touch his shivering maiden.

Of course, she did not notice, only purring like a cat before the warming fire.

For a moment they stayed like that as if she was thinking about his words while König closed his eyes for a moment, indulging in it.

“What will happen with my family’s house? I am fond of this place.” She asked finally.

König sighed and opened his eyes.

“Whatever you want, Bride. It is yours and it always will be.” He chuckled grimly. “Maybe you want to stay here every once in a while, when you grow tired of my company.”

“Do you think you are an unpleasant presence to be around?”

“At times.” He admitted.

“I do not.”

“You are too kind.”

“I doubt that.”

There it was again, the banter. She met him exactly at his level, hitting him playfully where he would never expect it. There was a lightness in her words that made him nearly believe her. König could not help but grin to himself while pressing her slightly closer.

“Any idea about the sacrifice?” She asked while leaning into him to cover his massive frame with what was left of the blanket. A cute but pointless gesture.

“I have some ideas,” König resigned. “But there is no way to be sure it is working and I doubt you want to test it.”

She shivered.

“No.” Her voice was thin and frail, hitting him with guilt.

“I think I need to ask my brothers for help.” König continued. ”But I'm not sure that is wise. It could be dangerous.”

She nodded. “I suppose dealing with family can be like that sometimes.”

König stilled, thinking about her words and listening to the drumming sound of the rain.

“Hmm, I suppose you know a lot about that,” He hummed and paused before daring to speak again. “May I ask … are you angry at your family? For marrying you off to me?”

It was as if he was asking the bravest question of all.

She shifted around.

“Sometimes,” She admitted. “It’s hard because till this day I love my family. But to be fair, marrying me off to a stranger was just the last thing of a long line of things that weren’t as well thought through or kind as they might have told themselves. Who knows. They are dead now and I am here. Could be worse.”

He nodded, trying not to feel too much about her words. Marrying him was bearable. König hardly blamed her. Still, it hurt more than he had expected. Was that pain another sacrifice?

“Could be worse.” He repeated flatly.

“Well now you make it sound bad. That’s not what I meant.” She muzzled into him as if she truly wanted to be there.

König closed his eyes, reminding himself not to lie to himself. This was just a practical arrangement for her. For him.

He cleared his throat.

“So, what do you think we should do?” The Vodyanoy changed the subject. “One brother you already know of is Simon. We used to be close but something happened and since then he is like a ghost of himself, moody and withdrawn but capable of kind and terrible things at the same time. It’s hard to know with him. He never formally claimed his kingdom, but everybody knows not to cross the master of the forest, the Leshy.”

The forest turned silent as if knowing that König talked about its master.

“What are the things that make him dangerous to be around?” Her voice was so little in the woodland's silence, so brave to speak.

König swallowed, remembering his days with his brother. They were long gone, lost in a sea of blood.

“Simon taught me how to kill.”

The forest stayed silent, as if trying not to breathe like an animal of prey sensing a possible predator.

“Oh.” Brave like a single flame in the dark she whispered into the night, breaking the silence, and releasing the forest from the dark grip of its master.

“I have other brothers but the one who could help is the deathless one - Koschei, the master of bones and battlefields. Nowadays he goes by the name Graves.”

“Charming. Leaves little to the imagination why he could be dangerous.”

He grunted in agreement.

“That’s quite a family I am marrying into.” The bride paused. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“Scared?”

She shrugged.

“Only a fool would not fear a brother-in-law who is called deathless or for whom the forest dies down.”

Brave one.

“You do not have to marry me and into this family. You know that, right my Bride?” It felt right to say it and offer her a way out from the terror that was his presence.

She stared into the cold wet forest, unmoving and expressionless.

König wished he knew what she truly thought of right now.

“Do you not want me as your bride?” She asked finally with a flat voice.

Her lips singing the siren song. What does marriage even mean at this point?

“I promised it, did I not?” He said instead.

She nodded, a stony expression on her face.

“So, we stick to it.”

“Aye.”

König felt tired. Like he had run out of words, keeping it short and safe instead of pouring out his heart and burdening her. If only he could rest, lay down next to her and close his eyes.

“You say Simon was here?” The Bride mused. “He was the one to point out the danger to me. If he knew how to get rid of it or wanted to help, he would have done it. But he did not. I don’t think we can count on him here. Which leaves…”

“Koschei.”

König felt the corners of his mouth drop down into a disapproving frown.

He knew she was right. Still…

“Maybe there is a safer, cleverer way to engage with him?” The Bride continued. “He is the Deathless. I am sure he might know something and maybe a simple letter or a messenger will be enough. What do you think?”

Still unhappy, König considered her idea. It was sound. Yet the mere thought of having to ask his brother for help and being in debt to him worried him more than he wanted to admit. Graves always had a thing for pretty girls. And for his Bride to draw the attention of Koschei the Deathless did not only feel like asking for disaster but evoked new fears in König.

What if Graves would like her and do as he had done with many girls before?

A new ugly thought roared its head up.

What if the Bride would prefer Graves over him?

“If i keep practising my writing I can write to him.” His dearest Bride added. “I could ask for his council as a bridal gift. What kind of man would refuse or violate that?”

König took a deep breath. He hated how right she was.

“I could work but-”

“Perfect. Let us do it soon.”

Her voice left him as little room to argue as there was left under the blanket between her and König.

“Fine.” He surrendered like driftwood to the currents.

Instead of pushing for more she just sighed herself, relaxing into him and staring into the dark.

She will just be my Queen. König thought to himself, surprised by his own possessiveness. As long as she is safe, it will be fine. No need to worry more than usual.

She was here, at his side and safe.

Nothing more than someone like him could expect or ask for.

He closed his eyes again to enjoy the feeling of the Bride so close to him before straightening up and concentrating on being on guard again.

She yawned, muzzling closer.

“I might fall asleep here.” She admitted. “Is that a problem?”

“Not at all, Bride.” König replied with a feeling he wasn’t familiar with, “I’ll be there.”

xxx

It felt ridiculous how much König loathed the thought of his Bride meeting Graves. He knew it was unfair, hating what his own insecurities and worries did to him. The Bride had suggested a plan and he was the one not sticking to it, that odd feeling in his stomach stopping him from teaching her how to write or write Graves himself. Instead, König could not help but make excuses.

It’s late…

I am busy right now…

Maybe tomorrow…

König told himself that his worries and reservations were justified. He was just cautious. It was Graves after all, the Deathless, the one called master of bones and battlegrounds. And the Bride was so fragile in comparison to all those monsters and men.

“Just talk to her, boy!” The moon nearly shouted down from its high place one night right before vanishing behind a cloud.

König only shook his head.

The Bride was his responsibility and it was his duty to protect her from the world. That was his sacrifice. It had to be the answer. But then doubt whispered again to him.

Not good enough, Graves will be better for her.

A day passed, a night, another day. The Half-Palace was shaping up and König was dreading to be finished. He would bring her home then, far away from all those who were out for her blood.

But then she would be alone - with him.

Suddenly the axe was looking tiny in his hands, just a simple twig in clawed fingers made to rip and tear and drown.

He felt stuck - he was the reason for her troubles but also the key to her safety. He wanted to keep away but then how was he supposed to guard her? He wanted to marry her and be done with it. But what did marriage even mean for him? For her? Was it the delight in her presence he felt? The excitement of just talking to her? The secret longing to take her deep into the waters and embrace her with everything minor that he was, feeling her bare skin and tangled limbs and bubbles of air escaping her moaning lips and reminding him it would be the death of her.

Confusion dripped more into his tired and worn mind.

He was scared of himself and what he was capable of doing.

But no one could understand what he was anyway.

And so König kept it to himself.

That night he was alone. The Fox had gone home. He had young to play with tonight, he had said, and König had only nodded.

Yeah, yeah, sure, I understand.

Lada and all the other Rusalki left for some rest in the ponds, and rivers and lakes.

Deep down König knew that he needed some break as well.

But he was afraid of leaving the Bride alone or staying alone in the house with her. He was a danger too after all.

Defeated, he sat on his regular spot next to the door, gazing through the garden and hoping for nothing and something to happen at the same time.

The axe in his hand had started to rust a bit from all the blood it had spilled. A long time ago it had been a gift from his brother Simon, back when they were close.

“It does not have to be this painful, you know?”

König looked up, searching for the source of the voice. The garden with its tidy strawberry patches and attempts of growing buckwheat and sunflowers was as untrodden as it had been the last time he made his rounds.

“Still up here, little king.”

König looked up and the thin crescent of the waning moon smiled down softly at him.

König leaned back against the wall of the house.

“What do you want, Moon? I am tired. I don’t need a lecture or getting shouted at again.”

The grand luminary of the night sky stayed silent. König wondered if that was all then and prepared to get up again for another patrol round.

“I am sorry. I should not have done that.”

The Vodyanoy blinked in surprise.

“Is the mighty Moon apologising? To me?”

“Don’t make this harder than it is, little king.”

König crossed his arms but nodded.

“Fine. Your apology is welcome. What do you want, Moon?”

“I just want peace between us. Of all your brothers and the old beings walking this earth I feel the closest you. The waters and I… There is some magic working between us and I felt responsible to say something but I overstepped. That is not how good-”, the moon paused, “Neighbours, let’s say neighbours are supposed to be.”

König huffed.

“You are a creepy neighbour, you know that?”

Moon in its interstellar ways giggled.

“I am the watcher in the night. What else did you expect?”

“Maybe, but I don’t have to like it.”

The moon kept smiling.

“If you ever have children I will watch them and keep them safe just like I watch you and just like I watch your Bride.”

“I don’t trust that. And I doubt I will ever have children.”

“Who knows. That’s not up to me.”

They stayed silent.

Nervously, König grinded his teeth and considered what he had heard.

“You watch her too?”

“Yes.”

“Is she okay? Clearly all of this must get to her. And the arranged marriage…”

“Little King”, the moon whispered near softly, “Isn’t that something you should ask her yourself? Be brave. Talk to her.”

“You keep pushing me to talk to her!” König cried out in frustration. “Why? It wouldn't matter anyway! There is nothing to say. Our marriage is just a facade. I am the one most likely to harm her and there is nothing I could say or do to remedy that.”

The anger of the past months, bottled up and pushed down, made their way out of König. Like a hurt animal he howled his words up to the moon.

He jumped up. The axe was ready swinging in his hands, clawed and ready.

If he could, König would have picked a fight with whoever crossed his path just for the sake of it. But there was just the moon - cold and far away.

He screamed in anger.

“I do everything! And it’s not enough. I AM NOT ENOUGH!” König stalked around the grass and felt his anger dissipate with every step getting heavier and heavier.

“I am not enough.” He repeated with finality and came to a halt. “And I never will be.”

It was silent.

Conscious about his outbreak he looked around. Not a leaf dared to move around him. Ashamed he fell into the grass and covered his face.

“I am sorry. It was too much.” König mumbled as he tried to catch his breath and fight the tears. “I am not like that normally.”

“I know, König. It’s okay.”

The moon's words felt like the last push. König cried. He did not know why. Some of it he understood. But a lot were just tears he had to shed years, months, nights ago and now he did not know why he cried.

Heaving for air in between his sobs, König hears the moon's soft words.

“Oh it’s okay, König. It’s fine, little king. It’s fine…”

He was the water and the water him. Köng’s tears flowed endlessly until he was done and only a tired void was left in him.

He looked up to the moon, staring down at him. The soft smiling crescent unchanging and familiar, surrounded by a countless number of stars shining down at him.

“I am sorry for … this.” König started.

“No.” the moon interrupted. “Don’t you dare to apologise for crying. I mean it. It’s okay. Next time, just leave the axe out of it, okay?”

König looked at the axe a bit off in the grass. He had let go of it at some point, feeling like failure again - even in his sadness he was intimidating.

Vodyanoy nodded.

“Listen König, may I say something?”

Another nod.

“You breaking down like that was inevitable. Don’t torture yourself like that. You don’t need to carry it all alone. And I guarantee your the Bride would be the first to listen to you.”

A tired smile made its way up to Königs lips. “There it is again - you want me to talk to her. But she is so fragile. She can never do what I can. What’s the point?”

“You build her up in your mind as mighty as that castle of yours. She is the most fragile, the most worthy, clever and beautiful - don’t deny it. I watched you yearn for her for too long. But she is just a person and not your dream of her. And all your sacrifices are great but the one that truly matters you did not give.”

“Which one?”

“Honesty - with her, with you. You two need to talk with one another instead of silently offering yourselves up. She is not as weak as you make her out to be. And you, little king, are not always strong. It’s painful to watch.”

Defeated but not yet passive, König tried to reason. “You don’t understand. Besides, what is there to talk about?”

“That you care about her maybe? And that you care so much, that’s close to twisting into a mindless adoration suffocating both of you. Let her be strong and be to you what you are for her instead of sheltering and keeping her away. She is an ocean worth discovering, not a cup of water that needs to be kept out of the sun to not evaporate.”

König looked down at his hands. The same claws as always.

“Don’t start that again, boy. Get up, knock at her door and ask if you can sleep there. And tomorrow you can talk.”

Slowly, König eyed her door.

Disturb her? Be a burden to the one he wants to keep all burdens away from?

“Be brave, little king.”

The moon was wrong. Nothing could be fixed with talking. But what if the moon was right?

The door drew him in like nothing before.

And he was so tired.

König got up, collected his axe and stepped forward.

Should he really do it? The moon stayed silent, waiting for König to walk to the door and knock.

He took a deep breath, wiped his hand over his face and stepped forward.

This was it. It felt like the bravest, hardest thing he had ever done.

He knocked.

Cultural context

Tschort (literal translation: devil) can be both a plural and singular. It can be translated as demon or devil. But that only captures the word in its Christian context and not its presence in mostly in pagan traditions in folk and fairy tales. It’s easiest to understand a tschort as a type of evil or at least ill-meaning supernatural male being.

A kikimora is a bad female house spirit known for haunting dreams or generally the household. I know her as an entity that drives humans insane by whispering, stealing eggs, spinning spider webs and confusing her targets but there are other tales about her in which she has other abilities. There are proposed links between the Kikimora and the ancient Greek Moiren, the Germanic Nornen, and obviously the old Slavic goddess Mokosh. Funnily enough in the game “The Witcher 3” the kikimora is a type of giant spider.

Erle / alder is a very important tree in central European folklore and especially German speaking folk. Alder trees are part of the birch tree family, making them very resistant trees. The alder grows on very humid soil, often appearing close to bodies of water or moorlands. Since moors were associated with the dead, alders were considered a bit spooky. Alder trees ‘bleed’ a reddish liquid when being cut, adding to their spooky association. There are several rites around alder and alder twigs. The Erlenkönig or Alder king is a very famous German poem about an elven king trying to seduce a sick child to come and live with him. A german – English translation can be found here https://www.ogn.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/bellcogo2015.pdf All in all the alder tree is just a cool spooky tree with plenty of pagan-Christian connotations around it.

There are a few stories about the moon and as far as I am concerned, they all coexist in a semi plausible way. In the 1964 soviet, kids’ movie ‘Морозко’ the sun does not rise out of kindness to give the protagonist time to finish her nightly chores. The man on the moon or the moon face is a story drawing from German speaking tradition that the moon is a single wanderer watching out for those that cannot sleep or work late at night. It’s a kind presence and there are lullabies for kids about the nice man on the moon guarding them. Also, the moon as the cause of ebb and flood would be of interest to a water being like the Vodyanoy even though many Slavic folk traditions come from landlocked places therefore not noticeably experiencing the tides. At last, the moon is a way of keeping track of time, not just for eastern or central Europeans.

The Rusalkas name is Lada. Lada is a name used till this day. The origin of it is interesting. There are conflicting theories about ‘Lada’ being a possible Slavic goddess of marriage, fertility, love, spring and much more. Since primary sources on beliefs before Christianity in eastern Europe are basically non-existent, I would be careful with set ideas about the goddess Lada. The word лада appears to have further linguistic roots and connotations in old eastern Slavic and modern spoken Slavic languages like significant other, fret, lover, maiden, husband, etc. However, my Russian is far from good enough to get into this and I also don’t speak any other languages from this region. So please be mindful of that. If someone feels like educating me here, I would be very interested in learning more.

Little reminder – Rusalkis are something akin to mermaids or nymphs. They are loaded in symbolism as being promiscuous but also connected with children and childbirth, playful but also dangerous as they kill and drown those who harm them, spinning and washing clothes but also leisure, very much alive but also connected to suicide by drowning. In the stories I am familiar with, Rusalkis can leave the water if they want to, however there are stories where they don’t. Since Rusalkis are a staple in a lot of eastern European folk traditions, there is no one set idea what the right Rusalka is.

Koschei / Коще́й in Russian is the recurring male bad person in at least Russian Slavic folklore. Koschei is also called the immortal or the deathless. The name Koschei translated literally can mean something along the lines as the one of bones. Supposedly he is unkillable because he keeps his soul or heart secured in a separate place than his body. Often that is an egg which is placed in other animals which are guarded. Stories about Koschei tend to place him as the antagonist or love rival. Koschei is supposed to be rich and likes gold. He tends to kidnap, enchant, or marry unwilling young beautiful women (which require rescue of course). He is a sorcerer. Often, he is named as head of a castle or larger hall which indicates a ruler position. This is stressed with many tales naming him tsar / царь / ‘king’. There are links between Koschei and the other classical bad girl in Slavic folklore – Baba Yaga. That is symbolised by helping each other or being related somehow. However, they rarely appear together.

Addition by 'Uroo7kuro0': "Кощей" can come not only from the word "кость"/"bone". Also perhaps he's the prototype of another god whose name is "Карачун"/"Karachun" who was in charge of the cold. Interesting fact in some fairy tales Koschei and Baba Yaga were equally negative characters, while in others Baba Yaga helped the main characters kill Koschei

Devitsa is a transliteration from the word ‘девица’. It’s not well translatable but means something along the lines of maiden, mistress, damsel, maid or lady. Here, it is used like an honour title but like all honour titles the word Devitsa can and is used ironically. Nowadays in spoken contexts

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