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lz-didyounotice · 2 months

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Princess Babysitting

This gif does not belong to me

Heyy! Hope you lots are doing well! For this one, lots of fluff with the doctor. 10th discovering his companion can sing (at least decently). Also slipped some barbie tunes in there since it takes place in the 2000’s. Lots of fond memories. If I'm not mistaken, the next one will be a baking weekend with the 11th doctor. well, hope you enjoy.

Forggit-

Warnings : Comfort and fluff on the horizon. Barbie references.

—--------------------------------------------

Today was supposed to be uneventful.

For once, you had hoped to get a little time off on earth, but of course, your best friend had to have other ideas. Fanny had an important meeting for their wedding, and couldn’t take the girls with them. She needed you to play babysitter for the two little blonds.

And there goes your plans to go shopping with the doctor. Even if you were exhausted, you couldn’t turn her down. You were the godmother of the two little monsters after all, and the grandparents were too far from town to be called last minute.

Getting the girl's bag, you finally got out of the car, the two blonds already sprinting for the door.

“Wait up girls, the door’s not even open yet!” Key in hand, you let them in. Without doubt, you could feel this was going to be quite the afternoon.

Phone in hand, you tried to call the Tardis, watching the two kids going off inside the guest room.

“Hello ?”

“Doctor !”

“(Y/N)! What seems to be going on ?” The doctor let out, happy to hear your voice.

“Hum… Two little blond monsters scavenging my house… I am afraid our little afternoon out has to be canceled. Fanny had an important meeting, and I couldn’t say no to babysitting the girls.”

“Meh! The shops can wait, want me to drop by tomorrow morning ?”

“Could you also grab some coffee? I think I will need a lot of that.”

"Of course!"

It wasn’t the first time you had to turn down the doctor on one of your days off for the two little demons. You loved them dearly, and in the end you had always found your day more fun than if you had it alone. But spending less time with the timelord was always a bummer.

“So. Girls… What do you want to do ?”

“Can we play 12th princesses ?”

“Why am I not surprised ?” You said laughing lightly.

“Please?~” The little girls asked, wanting to put out their little dresses.

“Fine, go change, I’ll grab mine.”

—--------------

And just like that, morning rolled around. You, still covered in glitter as you had played dress up with the two princesses, pretending for there to be a magic portal in the main room.

The floor was still decorated with many floral stickers, all in the right order, as you were sound asleep on the couch. The two girls had been picked up late last night by their mom. You didn’t dare to take a wash before going to sleep, and instead wrapped yourself in the covers of your couch and slept as much as you could, not wanting to be unable to go through the day.

Soon, the whooshing sound of the Tardis, and an excited Doctor, woke you up, making you wonder at first why you were in such a state.

Coffee sent spreaded everywhere as you caught the circular pattern on your floor, and the lovely sand shoes standing on them.

“Well, morning Doctor….-”

“Good morning to you too (Y/N). How was your night with the girls ?”

“I’m sure you can figure this out -” You mentioned looking at the mess the room was in.

For now, all you could think of was getting into a shower as soon as possible and getting rid of the glitter in your hair. “Well, make yourself home, i’ll be back in ten minutes..”

Not waiting for an answer, you barely looked at the doctor. Trying to get out of the mess your legs were trapped in. After struggling a moment, he had offered his assistance to you. But letting out a frustrated sigh you dismissed him, tumbling into your room to pick some new clothes, the covers following close behind.

—--------------

You then went for the shower, still half awake. And as you turned on the shower, you felt every worry slip down the drain. Every sparkle trapped in your hair, finally escaping for the most part. Unforntunatly you knew you would find some on your pillow for the rest of the week.

And as you shampooed your hair, you only could think of that stupid movie the girls had you watch. "Barbie and the 12 dancing princesses". The main theme was still stuck in your head. There weren't any lyrics to it, just the melody. And as silly as it was, you couldn’t help yourself from smiling a bit as you started singing, enjoying the reverberation your shower was giving to your voice.

As you finished showering, taking your towel around you, you twirled, continuing to Derek's tune on the small carpet. And as you opened the door, finally clothed to go on a new adventure, you bumped into the doctor a few steps away from the door.

“Why are you standing there ?” Blush creeps on your cheeks as you realize he might have heard you singing.

“Nothing, admiring your decoration-”

“Against the bathroom door ?” You almost wanted to laugh at the awkwardness he found himself in.

“Now you’re making this sound a lot creepier than it needs to be.”

“It is!~” You mentioned in an exaggerated whisper. Passing by him, you took the coffee he had put on the counter, and directed yourself to the Tardis, the doctor following soon after.

“How come I didn’t know you could sing ?” The brunette asked while putting in the new destination.

“Because you never asked ?” Now you were even more embarrassed. You could sing decently, sure, you would have hoped that by this time in your many lives, you would have caught some tricks to pass as okay. But the Doctor seemed genuinely surprised by your talent.

Looking more into it, you could see there was something more, something he wasn’t sure he wanted to say.

“Something on your mind Doctor ?” You asked him in a softer tone.

“Do you think you could sing more often in the Tardis ?” The doctor feared for you to reject the proposition. It was in your very right to not do so. But the more he stayed in silence, the more his thoughts got loud. Even the radio wasn’t doing the trick anymore.

“I-I mean. If you're not bothered by it, I don’t see why not…” And finally, a beautiful smile brightened his face. As if something was just leafed from his shoulders.

“Brilliant! So, where to? Past? Future? New planet ?”

“How about the 20th century? Edwardian Era?”

“Allons-y!” He let out pulling the levers, you giving him a hand on the ones he couldn’t reach.

—--------------

And from this point on, you weren’t afraid to sing louder for him to hear, knowing it was something he appreciated. When in the mood he would even join you in your antics, sometimes, leading both of you to dance around the room, for it to be silly or plainly in each other's arms.

The tension built more and more, to the point both of you couldn’t help it. And you were becoming more and more in love with the man, your heart jumping every time he held you so close to both of his hearts.

You were becoming a mess when his hands reached for your waist, making you forget the lyrics to the songs you could sing by heart. It couldn’t have been more obvious, still, the Doctor doubted you felt the same, merely noting that some things made a small blush creep on your cheeks. He had supposed it was only shyness when infact it was him who was making you a blushing mess.

How thick the both of you were. Donna would probably have had both your head to not have said anything.

#Spotify #the doctor x reader #doctor who x imortal reader #10th doctor x reader #tenth doctor #noble reader #doctor who x reader #doctor who

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ladykatakuri · 3 years

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Escape from Senses

A Star Wars The Bad Batch One Shot for our dear Sargeant Hunter

Pairing: Hunter x F Reader

Word Count: 2017

Warnings: None it is a fluffy story for the man who needs a break sometimes.

Song Lyric based: John Denver - Annies Song ( a.k.a You fill up my senses )

Summary: “Listen, I told you I am not interested. Just let it go ok?” You sigh as you turn around to walk away and get some space between you and the obviously drunk clone. When he makes a grab for your arm, you stumble and bump into a man that stands out from the entire crowd.

Hunter never really liked to go to an establishment with many people around, especially not when there is alcohol in play. With his heightened senses, it meant that he would pretty much hear, feel, see and smell all, and with many people around that are drunk, let's just say that it made for a sensory overload most times. The sounds of people singing and talking and arguing over nothing and everything, the smell of stale alcohol and other scents fuming from the bodies around or the food that was left behind on and under tables, the people bumping into him, women touching him ( especially his hair ) it was all just too much. Now, just back from a mission, 79`s was not the place he longed for, but it was what his brothers needed the most. So, as a good brother and leader, he went to the bar with them to have some time off until the next mission.

He was not prepared for that night and all the nights after that.

You were invited by a friend to come and stay at 79`s for a couple of hours before her shift ended and the two of you could go for a nice night of holo, snacks and girltalk. With the craziness that has been going around lately, with the war effort and all, the two of you desperately needed some time together to just have a real girls night and so here you were, in a bar loaded with men in all stages of being drunk and women in pretty much the same situation. Most of the visitors were clones, soldiers of the republic who would be sent out into the frontlines and who would be most likely not to return again. It was only normal for them to party as if their lives depended on it and they surely did enjoy everything the night brought them.

From some of the men you met there and who befriended you, you understood that the veterans always called the new guys shineys. Their armor was still all clean and new and they would not be as battle hardened yet as the older generation of warriors. To you and most women in the bar it meant they would be the men that came on to you the hardest, more confident of their seductive skills. It also meant to you that when there were many of them around, you and your friend would be busy saying no most of the night. Despite the help from Rex, who noticed one particular shiney not giving up on having you as a companion for the night. you still were being bothered by the man after Rex had left with his brothers.

“Come on sweetheart. You know it would be a great night with me! I`ll love that sweet, soft body of yours all night long.” His drawling voice, almost singing the sentences, carries through to your friend currently pouring drinks behind the bar. She chuckles as she looks at you rolling your eyes at her.

“Listen, I told you I am not interested. Just let it go ok?” You sigh as you turn around to walk away and get some space between you and the obviously drunk clone. When he makes a grab for your arm, you stumble and bump into a man that stands out from the entire crowd.

You fill up my senses like a night in a forest,

Like the mountains in springtime,

Like a walk in the rain, like a storm in the desert,

“Sorry! I… I didn't mean to bump into you.” You look up and smile at the man currently gazing down at you. His deep brown hair held back by a red bandana falls on his shoulders, his brown eyes squinting and his hand on your arm holding you in place.

“No problem.” He smiles at you as he steadies you on your feet. “It happens.” When he looks around, you notice his stiff movement, almost as if he tries to seem casual while at the ready to run out of the place.

“Well, I`m still sorry. Hope I didn't hurt you.” With a wink to the man you are about to walk away when a hand lands on your shoulder and pulls you back.

“Come on sweetheart! Let's go to my place.” With a slur, the shiney from before takes hold of your shoulder and tries to pull you out of 79s with him, not noticing the soldier who curiously gazes at you and the shiney who does not seem to stand a chance at all.

You shrug his hand off of your shoulder and turn to face the young drunk. “I said no, can`t take a hint?” You smile at the long haired man once more and walk past him. “Some people should not drink and flirt at the same time,” you mutter.

When the shiney reaches out for you once more, the other puts a hand on his shoulder and pinches it. “Not a smart idea. Best leave the lady alone, she said no.” His friendly smile does not distract you from the warning in his eyes. Your knight in black and grey civilian clothes has come to the rescue. With a relieved smile you see the shiney shrug his hand off and move to the Twi`lek standing nearby. “Hello there gorgeous!”

“It seems your warning has helped. Thank you.” You touch his arm as you turn to thank him.

“A pleasure.” He already moves to go back into the crowd in the bar when you stop him.

“How can I repay your kindness? A drink? It's on me.” You motion to the bar where your friend is laughing and keeping an eye on you. When she gives you the thumbs up, you roll your eyes and grin. After her shift you will have to tell her all about what happened and how you did not try to pick up the man now looking at you.

“No need, just figured you could use a hand.” This time his smile does reach his eyes, though you also notice he still does not seem to feel right. He rubs his temple with his hand as he looks around, searching for something or someone.

“Are you ok? I mean, you seem to not feel so good?” You wonder if he had too much to drink or if he just does not like the bar as much as the other guests do. Sure, he is a clone and you are pretty sure he is one of the men that was different from all the others, as Rex had explained it to you when the topic of Clone Force 99 came up, but he seems to feel very much out of his comfort zone right now. Judging from his looks, he must be the sergeant and if your memory was correct it meant he had heightened senses. “ He must feel terrible with all these sounds and smells and all those people bumping into him! “

Like a sleepy blue ocean.

You fill up my senses, come fill me again.

The friendly smile combined with your apparent concern for his well being has him amazed and struggling for words for a moment. “Thank you, I will be fine once I can leave from here again.” He grins as he looks at you. The grin widens as he hears you chuckle and sigh right after that.

You put your hand on his arm and gently tug at it. “Don`t get the wrong idea, but please, come with me.” Guiding him through the bar, you carefully navigate the two of you through the crowd. From somewhere not too far from the two of you, you hear a gruff voice call for the man you are trying to help.

“Sarge! Nice going!” You notice a man waving a prosthetic arm at him and giving a thumb up with his other hand. Laughing, you wave at the man. “ He is lucky I am only trying to help him out a bit!” With a wink you turn around, a grinning man patiently waiting for you to take him to wherever you were planning on taking him.

It took a short ride in an air taxi to get to where you were going. During the ride there was a comfortable silence between the two of you, just looking around at the nighttime business all around. To Hunter's surprise it was not another bar or building, it was a park, still open to visitors, but none to be seen in the area. The two of you walk in through the entrance when you suddenly stop and sit down on a bench, tapping the space beside you. “Please, take a seat.”

Hunter sits down and takes a deep breath. The air is fresh, the sky is clear and the only sounds are of some of the native ducks and other avians. For the first time since he and his brothers came back from their last mission, he finally relaxes. “This is beautiful.” He looks up at the sky as he mutters the words.

“I figured you could use some space and time away from the hustle and bustle from the bar. Jesse and Rex told me about you and your brothers. This place is the last place you can actually take some time to calm down and just enjoy the view.”

Hunter closes his eyes and for a moment he just listens. The ducks and birds all singing their own specific songs in their own specific voices, the distant sounds of traffic, not loud enough to be completely recognisable and your soft breathing next to him. Then another sense takes over. The smell of grass and foliage, the fresh air that can only be found when surrounded by more nature than humans and something soft and fresh, mixed with a touch of sweetness and sharpness from alcohol. It takes him a minute to figure out the last smell is actually you. Your own scent mixed with that of 79s. It is mesmerizing and intoxicating and it is rapidly becoming his favorite scent. He has seen you around many times, might have even had some small talk with you, he could not recall to be honest, but already you have stolen a special place in his heart by simply being the attentive and sweet you. Thinking about his heightened senses and recognising his need for calmth.

Come let me love you, let me give my life to you,

Let me drown in your laughter, let me die in your arms.

Let me lay down beside you, let me always be with you

Come let me love you, come love me again.

Your soft sigh takes him out of his head and back to the moment. He opens his eyes and sees you staring at him. “Just what you needed?” Another sweet smile from you has him smiling back and nodding.

“It is perfect and just what the doctor ordered.” Without even realizing it, he slides closer to you on the bench until his leg gently presses against yours. “You have no idea how much I actually needed this and how happy you made me by taking me here.”

The two of you take a moment to just stare each other in the eyes. Slowly you lean your forehead against his and you feel him softly press his forehead against yours. Closing your eyes, you both know that right there and right then, you do not need an actual kiss, no lips crashing on each other and no passionate embraces. This is more than a kiss, it is a promise for the future. All the two of you need right now is this moment together where he carefully leans back while softly putting an arm around you. Your head resting on his shoulder as you both gaze at the stars and are lost in this silent moment together.

Let me give my life to you,

Come let me love you, come love me again.

So here you go, a little one shot about Hunter. I hope you liked it and any kind of comment or tips/idea`s are always welcome <3

@loth-wolffe@nahoney22@moonstrider9904@hellothere-generalangsty@kin-rokku@reluctant-mandalore@cyroku@zinzinina@catbustours@uponrightful

#Hunter x F Reader #Hunter The Bad Batch #TBB #Hunter TBB One Shot #Song Lyric Joh Denver #Escape from Senses

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anneimaginesundertale · 3 years

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For @pureangleda

Ray is having surgery today, so I had to write her something with her husbone. Read this beforehand, and I hope it sparks lovely dreams of Blue while you recover!

(I may not have all my terminology right, so forgive my ignorance on how getting surgery actually works…I’m just trying to write fluff…)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blue lifted your hand to his teeth and gently kissed your knuckles. “You’re going to be fine,” he said. “I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

You smiled at him. “Are you saying that to comfort me or you?” you asked.

“Both of us?”

You pulled him into a big hug. “Thank you, love,” you said. “I’m so glad to know you’ll be here.” You kissed him, enjoying the buzz of his magic on your lips and the sound of his soul. You could feel your soul resonating with his. Your wedding ring warmed on your finger.

Blue pulled back and brushed a stray lock of hair behind your ear. “Have I told you that your new haircut is beautiful?” he asked.

“Not today,” you laughed.

“Well it is,” he said, “and you’re beautiful. You’re so strong, Ray. I know everything will go well and the surgery will help you so much.”

“I hope so,” you said.

“I know so!”

Two nurses walked into the room pushing a rolling bed. “Time to go, Mrs. Gaster,” one of them said. “Mr. Gaster, you can come with us until we get to the actual surgical suite, but then you’ll have to wait outside.”

Blue nodded. “Okay. Do you mind if I help her to onto the bed? I can use blue magic.”

The nurse looked at her companion, who shrugged. “It should be fine.”

“Thank you.” Blue smiled at both of them. They held the bed steady while Blue carefully turned your soul blue and lifted you into the air. It was a strange feeling, being weightless for a moment. Then Blue set you on the bed and released your soul. “Ready to go?” he asked you.

“Ready,” you said, but you reached for his hand. You held it all the way up the hallway as the nurses carefully steered you to the surgical suite. There were chairs just outside. Your parents and sister were already there waiting.

“There’s our girl,” your dad said, getting up. He and your mom both came over to give you hugs. Your sister hugged you too, so hard that you squeaked.

“I’ll see you all soon,” you promised. “I love you!”

“We love you too,” your family and Blue said. Blue gave you one last hug and kiss and then went to sit next to your sister. The nurses pushed you into the surgical suite.

There was a little time before the surgery—the doctor explained what he was going to do, the anesthesiologist explained what she was going to do, and everybody reassured you that you would be fine. The last thing you remembered was a pulse of love in your soul. Blue was thinking of you and sending all his love to you.

You woke up feeling like your head was full of fluff and your body was made of lead. It took all your effort to open your eyes. You found yourself looking into Blue’s familiar eyelights. “Mmmzzzwha?” you mumbled.

“Hello, dearest,” Blue said. “I’m so glad you’re awake! How are you feeling?”

“Mmm…sore…”

“To be expected. The surgery went really well! The doctor said it went exactly the way he hoped it would, and you should make a full recovery!”

“Thas good…”

Blue stroked your cheek with one hand. “I love you, Ray,” he said.

“Mmm…I love you too…” You managed to lift your hand to cover his. “Thank you for being here.”

“I promised I would be,” he said, “and the Magnificent Blue never breaks a promise!”

#pureangleda #blue and ray #us sans #us sans x reader #I hope your surgery goes well #good luck ray!#we’re all praying for you!

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lisinfleur · 3 years

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Brauð

The inspiration: (link)

Author’s Notes | And of course I forgot to place it here haha, well first of all congratulations, honey! May this 600 become thousands and thousands! And for the record, the bun joke comes from @milbethmorillo‘s Chibi Hvitserk and his cute little loaf! I couldn’t miss this! Universe | Vikings Pairing | Hvitserk x Reader Info | Modern AU, produced for @flowers-in-your-hayr’s 600 followers celebration. Brauð is Icelandic for Bread Words | 858 ⁑ Warnings: None

"Are you sure you're ok?"

How many times in nine months did you hear that question?

And any time you would answer the same way, with a tender smile on your lips.

"I'm fine, love."

Hvitserk was the sweetest of the companions. The two of you weren't married yet, but when the pregnancy came, you knew it would become a thing between you guys: he was so happy!

You thought he would be scared, perhaps surprised, but the smile you saw forming on his lips was just the most beautiful you've ever seen.

"We're going to have a baby!"

It was party time for him. You could still remember the size of the barbecue he invited his whole family into just to announce you were his oven and the two of you had a bun being cooked.

"I made a bun!"

And then, the bun joke was everywhere.

"Look what I found!"

From the overalls with smiling loaves to the bottle decorated with different kinds of comic buns, Hvitserk made the whole trousseau of your baby with smiling cartoon references to bread. He even managed to get a mobile made of small cupcakes, buns, and cinnamon rolls little plushies!

In spite of his loaf obsession, Hvitserk listened to every one of your asks, from the baby's room position to the side crib you asked for your bed to keep the baby beside the two of you while it was too little. Always checking on the equipment, recommendations, safety measurements, everything to have your heart secure about your baby's comfort and safety.

You always thought he was sweet when speaking about children, but you were surprised by how good he was being a father. Although your child wasn't there yet, you found books about caring for children beside his bed and lots of research about pregnancy and what could he do to make you feel better on your computer.

Hvitserk bought you new pillows, he exchanged the heater of your bedroom, he learned how to massage your ankles to avoid fluid retention and you could still remember how happy he was the first time you melted under his skilled fingers.

After your pregnancy became closer to its end, Hvitserk became even more careful and tender, picking up everything you couldn't reach for you, training two or three times how would it be the moment to take you to the hospital, studying different ways to give birth with you and actively participating on your choice, respecting your boundaries and finding a place where nothing would limit him from being there for you.

He was such a good companion, such a sweet father! You couldn't ask for anything better and now the time to finally deliver into his arms what he had waited for so long had come.

"Are you sure you're ok, babe?" he asked again.

First on the car, then now on the bed where you were waiting to enter the birth room. You smiled.

"I couldn't be better," you answered, holding his hand, catching his attention.

The pain had started but you were fine with it. Hvitserk's hands were cold, on the other hand.

"It's fine, love," you said, causing him to smile when you gently warmed his hands between yours.

"I'm anxious," he confessed.

"Me too," you said, caressing his fingers.

"Do you think... We can do it? I mean..." he swallowed dry.

And you could see once again your sweet bun-boy, so afraid of not being enough, so anxious about the challenge that was about to start in your lives.

"Hvitserk," you said, calling his eyes to dive into yours. "You'll be the best father ever. And I couldn't feel safer about this. Our child is blessed..." A small grunt cut your sweet speech and you smiled. "And eager... Just like its father".

The two of you entered the birth room and Hvitserk never let go of your hand. And when your child was brought to rest on your chest, you saw his eyes becoming teary.

"It's a healthy little girl," the doctor said.

Finally popping the bubble of surprise the two of you wanted to keep until the last moment.

You saw a smile forming on Hvitserk's lips when his gloved fingers touched and caressed the little girl's face laid between your breasts.

"Hello, little bun," he mumbled, making your smile bigger.

The child's face reflexively essayed a smile and it twisted Hvitserk's face in a beautiful smile, breaking the dam of his eyes and pouring the tears of joy he didn't even try to hold back.

"She smiled at me," he said.

And you smiled back at him.

"Our little bun knows who the sweet baker is," you joked, caressing his face, making Hvitserk chuckle between his tears.

The next morning, his Instagram story had a picture of the three of you. Your little girl packed on her blanket, your face smiling and Hvitserk's proud and happy face between the two of you.

"The baker and the oven proudly introduce: The little bun!"

You would laugh forever with that, but nothing could be better than having Hvitserk's beautiful smile and his most pure happiness.

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seasonsofeverlark · 3 years

Text

$1 Smooches

Author: @alliswell21

Prompt: Everlark and a Kissing Booth [submitted by @mandelion82]

Rating: G

Author’s Note: Modern AU. ~1600 words _____________

“That game was rigged!” Katniss seethed.

“Lower your voice, Brainless! Do you want the carnies to curse you? I don’t, I’m standing right next to you!” Johanna hissed, slapping a hand over Katniss’ mouth.

“I’m sure carnival workers consider that a derogatory term,” Prim sighed, done with her companions silliness.

“Anything is offensive nowadays,” said Johanna, winded, after Katniss shoved her away.

Katniss scowled, giving another shove for good measure, “Cut it out, Johanna!”

Prim rolled her eyes. “You are aware, this is a charity event benefiting the hospital I work for, right? all booths are operated by volunteering hospital employees, which means the ring-the-bottle game wasn’t rigged,” Prim stared pointedly at her sister, “and nobody is getting cursed!” She glared at Johanna next, “Behave!”

There was nothing Katniss hated more than disappointing her baby sister. “I’m sorry, Prim, we’ll be better,” Katniss glared at her friend, “Right Jo?”

“Fine! But I demand a greasy, deep fried treat, and a big sugary drink to go with it!”

“Yay!” Primrose clapped, hooking her slender arms through her sister and friend’s elbows, “Lets have some fun!”

The trio came to a food booth, Prim piped in, “I’ll ordered us a funnel cake and two giant lemonades, you guys go find another game, I don’t mind waiting in line,”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah…and then we can go to the booth my department set up. My favorite nurse in the whole world is manning it!”

Katniss and Johanna walked past the inflatables and the bouncy castle, trying not to bump into families with rambunctious children, and then, they saw a ridiculously loud-excuse-of-an-eyesore-shack painted in pepto pink, decked to the gills with giant red and pink hearts sprouting from every corner of the stand, and a large, white sign crowning the top, announcing: “$1 Smooches”, spelled in blinking light bulbs, with a neon yellow arrow pointing downwards.

“A kissing booth?” Johanna arched her eyebrows, curiously.

The queue to the booth was very long and to Katniss’ surprise, composed mostly by female patrons.

“What. Is. that?!” Gasped Johanna, pointing to the booth while fanning herself with her free hand. Without further comment, Jo grabbed Katniss’ hand and marched straight for the kissing booth line.

“What—?”

“Come on Brainless, I have two singles in my wallet and a tube of chapstick ready for the hunk selling kisses!”

Katniss was momentarily confused, until she saw a muscular man with a boyish, lopsided smile, taking a crisp dollar bill from a very enthusiastic woman; a second later, the man puckered up his pink lips, and leaned forward, just outside the big window of the booth, forearms flexing deliciously against the sleeves of his polo shirt; a wayward curl of his ashy blonde hair fell over his forehead in just the right way.

“Oh!” Katniss gulped, falling into step with her best friend.

The line advanced impressively fast, for how long it was. In a matter of minutes, which was truly appreciated, since nobody particularly enjoyed being sandwiched between the baking sun and the suffocating blacktop of the lot. The girls were second to next line, but Johanna started sneezing uncontrollably, thanks to the cigarette smoke of a passerby.

“Ugh! This is a hospital’s parking lot! A no smoke zone!” Jo rasped angrily, “Here!” She shoved a balled up wad of cash into Katniss’ hands, and before her friend could stop her, she went after the smoking a-hole, to rip him a new one.

Katniss found herself at the front of line very suddenly, and the man beckoned her forward, lopsided grin, so inviting, she stepped up without consciously deciding to.

The man studied her quizzically for a moment, “Hello, there,” he greeted, “Are you an employee at Panem General, or are you a guest? You look familiar,” he said.

“Guest,” Katniss answered, a little too fast. She stepped backwards, rethinking her situation, the woman directly behind her, gave her a weak push forward, to keep her from stepping on her toes.

The man looked at the ball of cash in Katniss’ hands and smiled brightly. “Would you like to make a donation to Panem General’s pediatric wing? Every dollar counts,” he said softly.

Katniss nodded bashfully, not really understanding his words, too preoccupied with how velvety soft the man’s voice was. She handed him the whole wad, which apparently was $5 in crinkled $1 bills.

The guy took only one, and placed the rest of the money on the counter, next to Katniss’ hand, before leaning forward to brush his lips against Katniss’.

There was no telling how long the kiss lasted, but judging by the aggravated buzzing of complaints coming from behind Katniss, it had been long enough to warrant an annoyed calling out.

“Hey! Stop holding up the smooches!”

Katniss opened her eyes, shifting down to the ball of her feet. She hadn’t realized she’d closed her eyes and stretched on the tip of her toes during her kiss. She stared at the guy, who looked slightly dazed as he admired her back; his smile seemed even more crooked than before.

“Oh my gosh, you found our booth!” Prim cried out, startling Katniss. “Oh, and you met nurse Mellark!”

“What?!” The crowd behind Katniss grew restless and annoyed by the second. “I haven’t met any nurses—“

Katniss peered back at the booth suspiciously, expecting to see this nurse her sister spoke so much about, but the only person currently in the booth was the kissable blonde man, watching his sister with arched brows and surprise in his deep blue eyes.

“Hi, Peeta!” Prim waved, the guy in the booth waved back, but the next person in line stood in front of him, blocking his view.

“Wait…” Katniss pulled Prim further out, before the mob of angry women throttled them, “That man is nurse Mellark?” She asked, pointing back as discreetly as she could; the man was looking at them with badly veiled concern, while still trying to do his job, as host of the smooching booth. “You mean to tell me, the handsome man kissing half the fair is the nurse Mellark you’re always gushing about, with the home baked cookies and the cute little drawings for the oncology patients?” Her gray eyes x-rayed her sister.

“Uh, yeah,” Prim sounded a bit too nonchalant. “He’s amazing, let me tell you,” she sort of mumbled, studying her cuticles.

“Hey! What did I miss?” Johanna came back munching on a box of nachos, swimming in melted cheese. “Oooh! Elephant ear!” She said, snatching the funnel cake Prim was holding awkwardly.

“Primrose forgot to mention that her most favorite nurse in the whole world is a HE!” Katniss snapped.

“What?!”

“What’s so wrong about that? Men can be nurses,” Prim shrugged.

“But you didn’t tell me he was a man!”

“Well, you didn’t tell me you were a sexist pig, Katniss.”

“I am not!”

Johanna giggled, stuffing her face with fair food.

“Nurse Mellark is a great care provider who loves children and does his absolute best to bring joy during the worst time of our patients’ lives…What does it matter if he’s a guy? He’s great! What did you expect anyway?” Prim countered defensively, stubbornly.

“I don’t know! An elderly lady, with lots of motherly wisdom or something… I mean, every time you talked about nurse Mellark, you mentioned delicious homemade pastries, and finger paints, and sweet bedtime stories… I never pictured nurse Mellark to be so…”

“Manly,” Johanna finished, looking at the man in the booth, dreamily, finally having caught on. “He’s more of a tall tree trunk I’d like to climb like a koala bear in heat… now where’s my cash, brainless, my lips are ready for some smacking,”

“Johanna!” Katniss growled, but her friend waved her off. A thought occurred to her just then. “Prim…” Katniss whispered into her sister’s ear, “Are you…okay with this?” She said motioning to the 20 or so women in line. “Are you okay with all these people kissing nurse Mellark?”

Primrose’s lips twitched, “Why wouldn’t I be? This booth was sort of my idea… it was actually more about Doctor Odair selling the kisses, but nurse Mellark was very good sport, volunteering, ” She rolled her blue eyes.

“Mmm… I just thought, maybe you had a thing for him?”

“For Peeta?!” Prim said loudly, before laughing hysterically.

Katniss’ eyes shifted everywhere, and to her chagrin, the man in question— Peeta, apparently— looked up at his name.

“Not so loud!” Katniss hissed, but got interrupted by a booming voice.

“Ladies, it is time for me to take a break.” Announced nurse Mellark— Peeta— A chorus of disgruntled patrons filled the air, but the man raised his hands placatingly, “Not to worry everyone, my pinch hitter, Doctor Odair, is ready to take over!”

As if by magic, the most attractive man Katniss had ever seen in her life— besides the beautiful male nurse, of course— popped from beside nurse Mellark and a collective swooning sigh rapped over the small crowd.

Prim laughed. “Come on, I’ll introduce you guys properly. You’re going to love Peeta!”

“Hell no! I’m paying double for the new guy! You gals go ahead,” Johanna called, wolf whistling at the newcomer, waving two dollar bills in the air.

A moment later, Prim had dragged Katniss to meet her most favorite nurse, secretly crossing her fingers as she made introductions…she thought Peeta and Katniss were perfect for each other, and she wholeheartedly hoped they would kick it off right away, so when she was wrinkly and white haired, she could tell her grand nephews and nieces the story of how their grandma paid a dollar to kiss their grandpa for the very first time.

#everlark #everlark fanfiction #winter 2021 #Valentine’s Day #alliswell21 #submission #prompt

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the-moon-prince · 3 years

Text

The Last Of us~Kurapika x Reader ~Chapter I

AN: Hi my lovely fellows! I’m making a Kurapika x reader! This will be the first chapter. Overall I’m trying my best for you to insert yourself in the story as good as you can. However, some point who are going to be relevant in the plot a little further, like (Y/n)’s age, Profession and first language have been modified.This is my debut as a fanfiction writer here on tumblr!

As now, I wish you a pleasant read, and I hope you’ll enjoy the first chapter of my story. (Second coming soon!)

Paring: Kurapika Kurta x GN! Reader

Word count: 2 783

TW: None!

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5 am The buzzing sound of the alarm loaded Kurapika's ears. The same noise as every morning. Another day to go on. He woke up with this peculiar feeling, but so familiar to him. That unnamed pain hit him again as his senses started to stir. The bed beneath him felt cold and foreign. The morning was dull to him. Seeking to shake the feeling away, he sat up and stretched. His limbs felt heavy, his eyes burned. Just another morn after a terrible night with limited sleep and disagreeable dreams. That tiredness was omnipresent in his life for the last months. He immediately saw the space that wrapped him. Empty, just the drawer, nightstand, a lamp, and blank white walls. Finally, getting up from the bed and arranging the also white sheets. Going to the drawer and pulling out his work uniform; a white shirt, black trousers, black tie, and a black jacket. Taking his loose pajama pants and shirt off and starting to button the white shirt. Thinking annoyed at how he had to abide another day Neon dramatically said how sad, miserable, and lonely she felt. The fairly frustrating attitude she had been insisting on the last weeks. What did she know about misery and solitude? Once dressed, he left his bedroom to the tiny hall of his apartment. Leading to the small room alongside his. The big black door remained in front of him. He stared at it for a moment. A certain doubt in his mind made its presence. Lastly, he opened the door, glancing at the scarlet eyes floating on the jars displayed in the room, and closed the door. The emptiness seemed greater than the last morning. He wondered one more time while putting his shoes on, what did he yearn? What did he lack to feel once more this abyss? He stepped outside his home and took a deep breath, the swampy air feeling his lungs. And head straight to the Nostrade mansion. He passed the big entrance gate, the security of the Nostrade's residence, and arrived at the main room. Unlike what Kurapika might have thought moments ago, there was something new that morning. An unknown person was sitting on one of the multiple couches, apparently waiting. Wich piqued his curiosity. Their guise was quite formal and unique, white cigarette bottoms and a moss-green long-sleeved sweater with a white dress shirt underneath. However, the shirt's collar was embroidered with a peculiar decoration. A botanic motif of tiny red, yellow and blue flowers plus green leaves was along the tip of the collar. Naturally, Kurapika carefully observed the intruder to determine if it was a possible menace. The individual had (long/short/medium/ with bangs) (curly/straight/wavy)(hair color) hair; it was loose and a bit messy. Some strands were framing their face. Their body had a juvenile apparent, around one or two years younger than him however their face looked more childlike. Their gaze was lowered into the book, so Kurapika was unable to see the eyes. He just saw the (long/short) eyelashes moving with the occasional blinks the person gave and some eye bags from fatigue. They were sitting with their legs crossed, one hand was holding the book, and the other was rubbing the green fabric of the sweater between the index and the thumb. They gave an overall serene aura. It wasn't long before a butler came near Kurapika. -"Mr.Kurapika, Sir. Nostrade requested to have the young guest to his office. For security reasons Sir. Nostrade wants one of the bodyguards to watch over the guest. Please take them there." Kurapika agreed with a quick "understood" and made his way towards the outsider. Kurapika stopped in front of the sitting figure. "Excuse me, Mx"- The person reading gave a slight quiver in surprise to immediately put the book down and look up at him with a subtle and soft smile. Despite looking up at him, they didn't look directly into his eyes, fixing more in his mouth.- "Mr.Nostrade charged me to take you to his office, please accompany me." he addressed the outsider with a secure tone. "Hello, and thank you" was the quiet response the stranger gave him. Getting up and ranging the book in a black side bag. "This way." The person quietly followed behind him through the hallway, examining the distinct decorations and pieces of furniture all over the mansion. Once the both of them arrived at the office's door, Kurapika gave a knock, letting their attendance be known, followed by a grave "Come in" from Light Nostrade. Kurapika rapidly opened the door and entered the room. At the center of the room was Light Nostrade, sitting at his big wooden desk. Accompanying the desk, a coffee table and matching sofas were placed over a luxurious carpet. In one of the sofas, Neon was sitting playing with one of her stuffed toys. Mr. Nostrade without a word gave the guest sign with his hand to sit down in one of the chairs in front of his desk, as the foreigner obliged. "Neon, this is (Y/n), they're your new companion and therapist. As you have let me know lately, you've been feeling bored and alone. As your dad, your welfare concerns me. So I searched for one of the best professionals to improve your state." -The man addressed the young girl next to him, to take the phone to his desk right away and address it to someone on the other line-"Let the rest of Neon's bodyguards in" -In an instant, the rest of the bodyguards entered the room- "Mx. (Y/n) present yourself to the rest" Mr.Nostrade finally ordered. (Y/n) got up in a unique move from the chair, and facing the rest of the company in the chamber, with their hands clasped in front of their body, they declared "Hello, I'm (Y/n) it's a pleasure to meet and work along with you."-(Y/n) presented themselves with a small politeness reverence, then they turned to faced Neon-"Neon, I am a Doctor with a specialization in psychiatry medicine. I, moreover, am a certified Hunter and I'm here to take care of your psychological and physical integrity. If required I can protect you in case of aggression. Besides I'm here to treat your loneliness and improve your mental health. I honestly hope my faculties will help develop several health skills!" they finally finished, all the discourse was made with the same quiet and kind voice tone, with the subtitle smile never leaving their face. After the quick initiation, Neon's face went from attentive to a worried grimace to shout "DAD!!! AM I SICK?!?" (Y/n) tilted their head and stepped to Neon softly reassuring her "No Neon, don't worry, you're not sick. I am here just to prevent you from being sick. I'll take good care of your mental and physical state and keep you amity so you remain as happy and healthy as always! In other words, I'm your private psychotherapist." Following those words of reassurance Neon's face lights up in a smile "YAY, So you're my new companion! Finally, I won't be so bored around here! I'm Neon, but you seem to already know my name. You look strangely young, you know? Plus you have a weird accent when you talk!" Of course, Neon added lacking discretion as always. (Y/n) just tilted their head once more, without changing their friendly air they responded "Of course I have an accent, Neon, all chic and elegant people have one, like David Bowie or Kate Bush. And regarding my age, It's judged preferable to have someone closer to your age to establish a more organic cooperative relationship." -The response to the rude observations of Neon was devoid of any malice, it was rather merry and kind, giving Neon the sensation of friendship and calm -"If you'd prefer to consider me your "companion" is fine. As planned with your father, I will be with you every Tuesday, Thursday from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm and Saturdays from 2:30 pm to 7:30 pm. But today as being our first day, I'll be entire with you!" The grin on Neon's face just became wider "YOU'LL SEE, I AM GONNA HAVE SO MUCH FUN FROM NOW ON!''-Neon called once more, grabbing (Y/n) from their arm and dragging them somewhere. The (hair colored) didn't protest, just flinched to the sudden touche-"COME TO MY ROOM, WE HAVE SO MUCH TO DO!" The stranger's identity and intentions finally became clear for Kurapika, letting him discard (Y/n) as a hazard. We followed them into Neon's room to guard the Nostrade's teenager. Hours passed by. Neon talked about all the nonsense she could think of, as (Y/n) seemed to pay special attention to every word the girl spitted out. Sometimes making some comments and writing down in a little (fav color) notebook with a little cat they took off their said bag. Kurapika was just sitting on one of the couches, some sort of relieved to have someone else to take care of Neon's heavy personality and tantrums. "She even seems calmer today, having some entertainment will be profitable to her. " he thought. Even if Neon was, in fact, calmer that day, you could still hear her from across the room. "Your notebook is really cute, you know? Where did you get it? Cats are SOOOOO cute! I want one like that!" "Thank you Neon! I got it at the novelty store in the Mall that's in the center of the town. I go near there quite often, I can get you one if you'll like. Also, I think I'm going to take my break now if you don't mind. I will go make some tea, would you wish some, Neon?" (Y/n) actively added to the chat, even if it's their first day, they seemed to fuse nicely with Neon, rather odd due to Neon's personality. "Nah, I don't like tea" the teen finally responded, getting a soft nod in agreement as an answer. (Y/n) got up from the chair they were sitting on and headed to the employee's kitchen. Not much time later, they came back with a cup of tea and a bottle full of tea. To Kurapika's surprise, (Y/n) handed him the cup of tea with the soft smile of always. They simply added an "I made you some tea, you appeared a touch worn, I hope it's okay". That was the first of many little acts of kindness (Y/n) had with him. They would make him some tea regularly in the day or ask about his day during the breaks. During the following weeks in which (Y/n) was going to give therapy to Neon, a lot of things could be perceived. The first was the improvement in Neon's attitude. Being gradually more used to friendly human interaction, and having a better understanding of her frustrations. The second was about (Y/n), they were a rather nice person, gaining some sort of (or what was the most resembled) sympathy from Neon, which was a feat considering the lack of empathy of Neon. They were polite to everyone in the Nostrade's mansion, and their job as Neon's special doctor was their 4th job. Melody, during a casual chat, learned that (Y/n) worked Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturday mornings as a Psychoanalyst between a Psychiatric ward and a Private Doctor's Cabinet, and the mornings of the days she came to assist the Nostrade's daughter as an intermediary liaison psychiatrist (basically someone who gives psychiatric supportive treatment in non-specialized unities) in the YorkNew General Hospital Center. This explains largely the eyebags and exhaustion for which (Y/n) has earned comments from Neon such as "You know you have eyebags?". Also, that (Y/n) has 18 years of age (sorry dear readers if it's not your age, but this will be relevant for the plot, so please let me this one pass), remarkably young to be an accredited doctor. And they were "precocious" on their own words- as Melody said- And the third and last thing, noticed essentially by Kurapika was about (Y/n) comportment and personality. Even if (Y/n) was kind and polite to everyone, they were incredibly discreet. They acted with prudence in virtually all aspects, from their appearance to their very presence. Like if (Y/n) was hiding and acting from the shadow (Melody also commented about this borderline anxiety). Additionally, all the movements (Y/n) made were prudent and meticulously planned, which made Kurapika realize the intelligence (Y/n) had. He also could tell English was not (Y/n)'s first language. They had a peculiar pronunciation and spoke with a large and fancy vocabulary. Those things greatly aroused Kurapika's curiosity, but the part of (Y/n) that triggered that curiosity the most was related to (Y/n)'s eyes. They were very careful with the subject. So careful indeed that they were even subtle with the care they treated the subject. Were tiny and nearly unimportant actions from (Y/n) that made Kurapika realize the importance of their eyes. (Y/n) never looked anyone in the eyes. Sometimes, during the break, when feeling exhausted or overwhelmed, (Y/n) would close their eyes and cover them with one hand. The biggest event of all was one time he listened to Neon through the door curiously ask "Hey (Y/n), what happens with your eyes?" and, when he opened the door to see if everything was correct, (Y/n)'s eyes were normal. As if nothing had happened. Kurapika had for sure some inquiries regarding (Y/n). However, all of his suspicions became more prominent with a precise action from (Y/n). One day, Neon decided to show (Y/n) her body part collection. "(Y/n) You're a doctor, I'm sure you're going to love this! You know about these things, You'll be able to appreciate my glorious collection!" Neon was bragging about how happy she was with her various articles. "I have hearts, livers, fetuses, all the parts of the brain, some left and right lungs, and a pancreas. And my favorite of them all! A pair of beautiful scarlet eyes!" Neon made a special address on how rare the scarlet orbs were and how proud she was of them, she even played with them a little. And for the first time, (Y/n) didn't say a thing. Their perpetual smile even faded a little. During the whole episode, Kurapika remained sitting on a chair. Hearing that kind of discourse about his clan's eyes was hurtful and infuriating. How could she talk in such a manner of his fellow Kurtas? With no compassion, like if they were a mear object. It was sickening. A dull and hurt expression plastered on Kurapika's face. He was so immersed in his thoughts, he didn't notice it already was break time. If it wasn't for (Y/n) who came to sit beside him in an attempt to comfort his sorrow. (Y/n) had their gaze lowered and, for the first time, wasn't smiling. It wasn't a gloomy face, more like a flat expression. They didn't say a word and just stayed near him. Similar as if they seemed to comprehend. It wasn't until Kurapika looked at (Y/n) that they gave him a tiny smile. Nevertheless, this smile wasn't like the usual one. It was more caring, full of empathy and kindness, but also pain. None of them said a single word. And even if he never stated a thing about the subject, Kurapika felt a little comforted. At the end of that day, where everyone was heading to their own houses after such a hard working-day, (Y/n) came to Kurapika. He deduced they would just wish him a nice night. Except it wasn't the case. "Kurapika, pardon me, may I speak to you for a bit, pretty please?" (Y/n) mumbled to him, with the identical smile as always. A bit confused by their request, Kurapika responded, "Sure (Y/n), how may I help you?" forthwith to its answer (Y/n) made him follow them to a more private place behind the Nostrade's mansion. (Y/n) looked down as they had their hands in front of their chest, similar to the pose of a meerkat, and was fidgeting with their fingers. "Kurapika"- then they looked up to him-"I know I'm putting my life on the line. Yet, what I'm about to do is an act of desperation wholly motivated by my conclusion. Are you somehow related to the scarlet eyes?"

#kurapika x reader #kurapika hxh #hxh #hunter x hunter #kurapika #hxh x reader #hxh scenarios #hxh drabbles #kurapika kurta #kurapika imagine #kurapika kurta x reader

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chaoticpuff17 · 4 years

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A Dangerous Game

part 10

masterlist

Hello darlings! This one goes out to @the-darkest-starr ! She was my first like and my first follow. Love this girl so much, and hope it brightens her day! This one’s for you babe!

The weeks of isolation had made her ready to climb the walls. Jin came to visit when he could, but he was still a doctor and that kept him very busy. They no longer had the excuse of her stitches to prompt a visit. This left Namjoon as her only constant companion, and she didn’t know what was worse, the isolation or the fact that she was beginning to look forward to Namjoon’s visits.

They had established a sort of routine. In the mornings Namjoon would come and have a light breakfast and tea with her bringing her new reading material, and then she’d be left alone to her own devises for the day. She’d read whatever book he had brought her and play solitaire. If she had to play another game of solitaire she was afraid she was going to lose her mind. It had gotten to the point where she was even beginning to debate throwing another vase at Namjoon, consequences be damned. And then he would return in the later evening and share late supper with her. This was her life now, every day the same, and it was driving her insane. That was the point though wasn’t it?

The isolation was a punishment, but it was also a very effective tool for breaking down the will of your opponent, and Namjoon was nothing if not a smart man. He knew exactly what he was doing. She had to give him credit for that, the sneaky bastard. That was the game though wasn’t it? It was a new game and an old game all at once. And Namjoon had one the first round. She couldn’t allow him the final victory though.

It was a waiting game now. Who could hold out longer? Namjoon unfortunately had the upper hand. He had all the resources after all. He held all the power. And she wasn’t stupid. She knew that he would only put up with her insolence so long before he took to more drastic measures. It all depended on how patient of a man Namjoon was. If she was lucky, and recent history had proven that she wasn’t, she could outlast him. He’d grow tired of her, of this game, and he’d let her go. Or maybe she’d just annoy him into killing her. It wasn’t a great plan especially considering she would much rather make it out of all of this alive, but isolation can make people do and think crazy things. And maybe Namjoon sensed that. Maybe that was why he came to her room that afternoon.

“Jagiya,” He began watching her with a smirk playing on his lips.

“What do you want?” She groaned from her position sprawled across one of the sofas with her arm thrown across her eyes, a position she’d taken out of boredom upon finishing the latest book Namjoon had brought her. “Don’t you have other things to do than to pester me?”

“It’s the weekend, jagi, and you’ve been left to your own devices all morning. I thought we might go for a stroll in the garden, but if you don’t want to…” He trailed off watching with veiled amusement as she perked up.

“The garden?” She asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “Outside? Outside this room?” Her eyes were blown wide as she gazed at him hoping beyond hope that this wasn’t some cruel trick on his part. She wouldn’t put such a trick past him, but he nodded a small smile pulling up the corners of his mouth. “You’re not shitting me are you?”

“You’ve been so good, and you’ve taken your punishment so well. I could do without the attitude, but we can work on that.” He definitely had plans to rid her of the attitude.

He could practically see the cogs turning in her head as the realization hit her, when the hope settled in. “I can leave this room. I won’t be locked in anymore?”

Namjoon couldn’t have been more pleased by her reaction. There was something so fragile and vulnerable about her in this moment, having those doe eyes focused on him filled with so much hope. And he was the one who gave her that hope. “That depends on how you behave today.” He mused. “If you behave well, I see no reason why you can’t have free reign of the house and the gardens. But if you don’t behave I have no problem keeping you here in these rooms.”

The effect of those words was almost instantaneous. Her eyes grew even more impossibly wide and her face paled at the implication. It was clear to him that her punishment had been effective. Even if she didn’t realize it, there was a shift, the smallest of change. He was wearing her down, settling her into her new role.

“Do you understand, jagi?”

She nodded quickly scrambling up and scampering to the closet in search of shoes. As much as she hated depending on him for anything, especially her freedom, she wasn’t about to give up the chance to go outside. She would be the sweetest girl in the world if it meant she was going to be released from her god forsaken house arrest.

She emerged shoes in hand and a bright smile on her face too big to conceal. The excitement of being released from her room outweighed her will to remain grumpy in the face of her captor, and in this minute she couldn’t bring herself to care even taking his hand without a fuss when he extended it to lead her out of the room.

She was practically vibrating with excitement by the time they had reached the door that would lead them outside to the garden. Freedom was just a few steps away, or at least a semblance of it was, but before she could step outside, Namjoon pulled her back, and she couldn’t help but look at him in confusion.

“This is a privilege, Y/N.” He repeated, dark eyes serious as he stared her down. “If you pull any sort of stunt today, I will lock you away for so long you will forget how the sunlight feels on your skin. There are worse prisons than your rooms, jagiya.”

The threat kept her frozen in place as she stared up at him. How could he speak such harsh words so sweetly?

“Jagi?” He prompted squeezing her hand tightly. She nodded slowly unsure of how to respond to him after that. The man was giving her whiplash. “I need words, jagi.”

“Yes, Namjoon.” She sighed impatient to get outside and put his disturbing smiling threats out of her head, at least for the moment.

“Good!” He smiled brightly dimples popping out in full force. “Let’s enjoy the garden then.”

To say that the gardens were beautiful would have been an understatement. They were gorgeous, enchanting even as they sprawled out from the house. Clearly someone had put a lot of time and effort into them. It looked like something out of a fairy land to her, but then again, she was used to cramped city apartments with rag tag parks filled with litter. This was another level entirely, and she was instantly in love.

Namjoon didn’t even protest when her hand slipped from his as she wandered further into the garden. While she was enamored with the garden, he was enamored with her. He’d never seen her this soft. Her eyes had a sparkle to them that he had yet to see as she trailed her fingers across the petals of some of the flowers almost reverently. Everything about her in this moment seemed gentle.

Her eyes wandered further into the garden as she took everything in. It was sculpted into a very traditional fashion with bridges and gazebos and what appeared to be a large koi pond further from the house all connected by a series of winding paths.

“Can we go there?” She asked her voice filled with breathless wonder as she looked out towards the koi pond.

“Of course, jagi.” He replied just as softly placing a gentle hand on her back to lead her down to the pond.

He was almost afraid that if he spoke any louder or made any sudden movements that the moment would shatter and she would return to the acid spitting hellion he had come to know. He would have to savor this more gentle version of her while he could. He knew it wouldn’t last long. She would be a fierce little hellion again before long, but he enjoyed seeing this softer side of her as well.

He had chosen because she was intriguing, because she was strong, but this was something he wanted to see from her more often. As much as he enjoyed sparring with her, her constant venom was beginning to become tiresome. Yes, she’d followed his rules, but she had done it with a bitter reluctance that didn’t sit well with him. He was a man who was used to complete obedience without question. He was lenient for now though as she was still adjusting, but his patience could only hold out for so long. But for today he would enjoy the softer side of her while it lasted.

They reached the bridge that stretched across the koi pond, and settled there. Y/N leaned over the rail to gaze down at the fish that milled about in the pond a soft smile playing on her lips. She was entranced by the fish, wishing she had brought something out to feed her with. Next time she told herself. If she played her cards right, she’d be able to go out into the gardens as much as she’d like. All the while they stood there in peaceful silence, Namjoon stood guard just to the side his attention solely focused on her.

Looking at her now, Namjoon found her to be the most lovely woman in the world. Illuminated in the afternoon light with the late summer breeze stirring her hair, Namjoon considered himself very much in love with her, and he had to congratulate himself on his catch. Summoning her to that late night meeting all those weeks ago had been on a whim, purely out of curiosity to see who he was dealing with, and now he was grateful that he had. She was a dangerous woman to have around. She was capable of tearing down the empire he had built from the ground up if he wasn’t careful. But that made their game all the more exciting. It made her all the more exciting, and once tamed she would make an exquisite queen for his empire. All that was left to do was to break her to his will.

part 11

#bts #bts fic #yandere bts #namjoon #namjoon x reader #yandere namjoon #mafia namjoon #rm #rm x reader #mafia #dark romance #mafia au #soft yandere #fanfic

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jessefandomunited · 4 years

Text

Secrets

Spencer Reid X Reader

You and Spencer were nervous about getting into a relationship so you decide to hide it from the team.

Me and Spencer had been dating in secret for a while now and we liked it that way. We knew how much everyone would tease us if they knew so we kept quiet. We were also both very nervous about getting things right so we wanted this relationship to be as straight forward , fun and painless as possible. We wanted to be friends first and lovers second and it had been a blast. I think the sneaking around made it a bit more exciting too. I would always smile a bit when someone commented on how happy Reid had been lately. We had always been close at work so our casual debates on the best companion in doctor who and me leaving him random riddles on his desk flew below everyone's radar. None were the wiser, till one day.

“ OMG GUESS WHAT,” Garcia whispered in excitement as I entered into our tech cave. I set my coffee down and asked, “ what what is it?” “ Spencer has a girlfriend,” She almost squealed. My stomach dropped and I stuttered, “ o..oh?” “ YES, so he told Derek he was too busy to go out to dinner with us, well you didn’t know you had probably fallen asleep by the time you got my text if you wanted to go, but while we were there, we saw him in a restaurant with another girl. He was wearing this almost Victorian looking outfit, I've never seen him wear it before and he met this girl who had this long black hair all put up in a bun and this fancy looking dress.” I shook my head trying to look surprised, “ wow I...i never thought this day would come.” I blushed a bit thinking about that night. We liked planning themed nights, for this one I suggested Sherlock as the theme knowing how much he loved the books and I loved the show. Of course I suggested we dressed as Sherlock and Irene Adler. “ You know,” Garcia said cutting into my thoughts, “ I always thought you two would be cute together.” I smiled, “ ehhh we’re buddies, I don’t mind.” “ OMGGGGG I just want to know who she is,” Garcia huffed, “ is she nice is she cool does she make him happy, is she cute?” I chuckled ,” well he has seemed to be in a nicer mood that normal.” “ I know but… oh hello Doctor,” Garcia said making me almost fall out of my chair . Spencer stood there looking a bit nervous and blushing, he looked a me and gently tilted his head out the door, “ a moment .” I nodded and whispered to Garcia as I left, “ ill see if I can get anything out of him.” She gave me a sly smile and a thumbs up.

“ We’ve been compromised,” He said when we were out of earshot. I made a big show of straightening my collar in mock superiority ,” excuse me YOU’VE been compromised, Garcia only noticed you .” His eyes narrowed trying to look angry but I saw a slight smile at his lips, “ oh okay you think that you’re more stealthy than me.” “ No! I know I am, I’m the master of disguise,” I said seriously before bursting out laughing, “ we should lay low tonight, The Good the Bad and the Ugly , my house tonight bring your guns.” I whipped my fingers out of my pockets and fake fired them. He blushed , “ alright.” We quickly hugged and I walked back to the room.

I was setting everything out for movie night when I heard a quick three knocks on my door. I jogged over and opened it to Reid with a bottle of wine and his overnight bag. “ That better have PJ’s in it because I can’t be the only one in them,” I spun around to reveal my doctor who shirt that I stole from him and my plaid pj shorts. “ Don’t worry I did,” He reassured kissing my forehead, “you know I believe I've seen that shirt somewhere before.” I smirked mischievously, “ I cant help what my hand finds when i’m packing my things.” He shook his head fondly and said, “ did you make popcorn?” “ OBVIOUSLY,” I said running into the kitchen to get the popcorn and a couple of wine glasses. I set them on the table as Reid went into my room to change, he was so shy , My phone rang and I picked it up, “ hello.” “ Hey so I have an update on Reid’s mystery girl,” Garcia rambled . “Oh have you,” I said looking out on of my windows. “ YES, so at the restaurant that Reid went to I asked for any reservations for that specific time and I cross checked all the names but one stuck out the name was Irene Adler, can you believe it, they’re using code names, i’m getting so close I can feel it in my bones,” Garcia sighed. I noticed Reid had emerged in a black shirt , Tardis pj pants and his glasses, I put a finger to my lips and smiled knowingly, “ code names wow she must be one smart cookie.” Spencer rolled his eyes and I playfully punched him in the shoulder. “ Yes, i’ll let you know when I get more ,” She said thoughtfully. “ Alright great because I have a bottle of wine with my name on it,” I chuckled. “ Ohhh can I come over,” She begged. My eyes went wide and I bit my lip before saying, “ listen Penelope, you know I love you but remember what I told you about me needing alone time, I don’t get energy from people like you do and these cases have really been wearing me out, but maybe on the weekend okay?” She sighed loudly, “ fine FINE go enjoy yourself, I will do more digging.” I laughed, “ thank you , see you tomorrow, love you.” “ Yeah yeah,” she said then hung up. “ When did you become so masterful at lying,” Spencer asked as I hopped onto the couch next to him. “ Years of pretending my mom said no when I got invited to parties,” I said with a smile, “ now, do you want to know how cleaver she thinks Dr Reid’s new girlfriend is.” “ Oh I already know,” He said pulling me into a hug, “ I know how cleaver and beautiful and cute she is.” He always did this to make me all flustered. I pressed my face into his shirt so I didn’t have to look at him,” no fair, that’s cheating.” “ I am just stating facts it is my favorite thing to do, now are we going to watch the movie,” he asked . “ Obviously,” I said gently sitting myself up so I could grab the remote and hit play then I snuggled back into his arms.

When we started dating he was so nervous, he always was scared of doing the wrong thing, he apologized a lot. Luckily for him I was just as nervous and now look at us! Pros who talk during the entire movie either about random facts or making stupid jokes and have competitions on who can throw more popcorn in their mouth.

We stayed up later than we should have last night, it could have been the wine, it could have been me refusing to let Spencer win against me, but either way we were both at the coffee maker at work. “ Wohh, long night,” Derek asked me. Spencer seemed to naturally look tired all the time so I guess it was more obvious with me. I shrugged, “ I thought wine on a Wednesday was a good idea.” Derek laughed, “ no it is not, so Reid, any update on that girl of yours , when are we going to meet her?” “ Yeah come on,” I chimed in just to see him get a little flustered. He blushed ,grabbed his coffee then just walked out. I shrugged, “ oh well we tried.” Derek sighed, “ I thought you guys were close , you haven't heard anything.” I rolled my eyes, “ you know Spencer, he is a pretty tightly closed book.” He nodded and waved as I walked back to the tech corner. Garcia was typing a bit intensely on her computer. “ Good morning,” I said carefully. She didn’t turn around she simply said, “ I have an update on the mystery girl, it’s in a file on your desk.” I looked over and sure enough there was a case file that said “ Reid’s girlfriend” . I opened up to see my face, I bit my lip, “ how?” “ How, how,” She huffed, “ I decided to track Reid’s phone which is know isn’t necessarily fair but I was curious, and you know what it led to , your apartment complex. So I did some investigating and went to your apartment and I hear two voices in your living room and one sounded oddly like one Doctor Reid.” I sighed, “ we just wanted to make sure it was real before we said anything and Reid didn’t want to be teased by Derek.” “ Well,” She asked. I blushed a little and looked down, “ three months.” “WHAT, HOW how , I don’t understand how you have been keeping this from me for so long,” She gasped, “ I’m enraged you just lied to me!” “ Please it wasn’t anything personal we just didn’t want the extra pressure it’s kind of both of our first real relationship,” I mumbled. “ Noooooo really,” She said shocked. “ Penelope I was in MARCHING BAND in highschool, no one was lining up to date me,” I laughed, “ and in college I was more focused on getting out of college.” She nodded, “ fine….does he make you happy? Is he different outside work?” I smiled, “ I can only give away so many secrets in one day, but yes he makes me very happy hes smart and incredibly handsome, what is there more to ask for.” “ Awww i’m so happy for you two, but mad you hid it, but so happy,” She sighed then hugged me tightly, “ When can I tell everyone.” I rubbed my neck, “ not yet, please.” I knew that wouldn’t last but I wanted to give it a go. “ My lips are so sealed,” Penelope promised. I gave her a side glance then went back to my computer. I texted Spencer, “we have 12 hours of secrecy left Penelope tracked you last night.” “Are you nervous,” he replied. “ A little but , actually meet me in the hall 2 minuets,” I said, I couldn’t text this out.

I leaned on the wall tapping my fingers nervously. “ What is it ,” Spencer asked looking a bit worried. I smiled , “ Spencer I love you, from the moment I joined the BAU, from the moment we became friends, I loved you.” His eyes welled up with tears and his face was bright red , “ I, love you too.” He leaned over and kissed me I wrapped my arms around his neck and then we heard a light cough. We quickly separated and saw Penelope looking sheepish with Hotch, Rossi, Derek , Emily, and JJ all gathered around we were going to say something but they all just smiled, “ congratulations.” We let out a sigh of relief, guess the secrets out.

#spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #criminal minds

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thelittlesttimelord · 3 years

Text

The Littlest Timelord: The New Doctor Chapter 11

TITLE: The Littlest Timelord: The New Doctor Chapter 11 PAIRING: No Pairing RATING: T CHAPTER: 11/? SUMMARY: With the Doctor newly regenerated, he and Elise must now navigate their new relationship. The Doctor is an old man and Elise is a headstrong young woman. She is no longer the scared little girl the Doctor saved all those years ago. Will Clara be able to keep them from killing each other?

[A/N - This one’s a bit longer, but there was no good ending point.]

Clara opened the door to her bedroom, only for it to collide with something.

“You just have to squeeze through,” the Doctor told her. He was sitting at her vanity.

“Doctor?”

“Why do you have three mirrors? Why don't you just turn your head?”

“What are you doing in here?”

“You said you had a date. I thought I'd better hide in the bedroom in case you brought him home.”

Clara looked at Elise who was lounging on her bed. “I tried telling him, but he didn’t listen,” the redhead told her.

“Bit early, aren't you? Did it all go wrong, or is this good by your standards?” the Doctor asked.

Clara collapsed on the bed next to Elise and put her head on the redhead’s stomach. Elise played with the ends of Clara’s ponytail.

“It was a disaster and I am extremely upset about it, since you didn't ask,” Clara told them.

“Fine. I need you, for a thing,” the Doctor said.

Clara sighed. “I can't.”

“Oh, of course you can. Come on, you're free. More than usually free, in fact.”

Clara pulled out her phone. “No, it's just possible that I might get a phone call.”

“From the date guy? It's too late. You've taken your make-up off.”

“No, I haven't. I'm still wearing my make-up.”

“Oh, right. Well, you probably just missed a bit. Come on, come on, come on, come on.”

Clara groaned and rolled off the bed, while Elise elegantly stood up. Clara walked into the TARDIS carrying her shoes. “I haven't actually said yes.”

“Yes, you know sometimes when you talk to yourself, what if you're not?”

“Not what?”

“What if it's not you you're talking to? Proposition. What if no one is ever really alone? What if every single living being has a companion, a silent passenger, a shadow? What if the prickle on the back of your neck, is the breath of something close behind you?”

Clara looked at Elise, who shrugged. The Doctor lead Clara up the stairs and showed her the blackboard with the word “Listen.”

“It looks like your handwriting,” Clara told him.

“Well, I couldn't have written it and forgotten, could I?”

“Have you met you?” Clara walked over to a table covered in books. “What's all this?”

“Dreams. Accounts of dreams, by different people, all through history. You see, I have a theory.”

“I'll bet you have. What theory?”

“I think everybody, at some point in their lives, has the exact same nightmare. You wake up, or you think you do, and there's someone in the dark, someone close, or you think there might be. So you sit up, and turn on the light. And the room looks different at night. It ticks and creaks and breathes. And you tell yourself there's nobody there, nobody watching, nobody listening, nobody there at all. And you very nearly believe it. You really, really try and then…” The Doctor reached out a hand and made a grabbing motion. “There are accounts of that dream throughout human history. Time and time again, the same dream.”

“It’s called Universal Consciousness,” Elise said.

“Don’t interrupt, Elise.” The Doctor turned back to Clara. “Now, there is a very obvious question I'm about to ask you. Do you know what it is?”

“Have you had that dream?”

“Exactly.”

“No, that was me asking you. Have you had that dream?”

“I asked first.”

“No, I did.”

“You really didn't.”

“Okay, yeah, probably. Yes. But everyone dreams about something under the bed.”

“Why?” The Doctor led her down to the console and placed Clara’s fingers into a squishy section. “Just hold on tight. If anything bites, let it.”

“What is it?”

“TARDIS telepathic interface. You are now in mental contact with the TARDIS, so don't think anything rude.”

“Why not?”

“It might end up on all of the screens. The TARDIS is extrapolating your entire timeline, from the moment of your birth, to the moment of your death.”

Clara leaned in towards the rotor and whispered, “Which I do not need a preview of.”

“I'm turning off the safeguards and navigation, slaving the TARDIS to you. Focus on the dream. Focus on the details. Picture them, feel them. The TARDIS will track on your subconscious and extract the relevant information. It should be able to home in on the moment in your timeline when you first had that dream. And then, we'll see.”

“What will we see?”

“What's under your bed.” He gave her a crazy grin and put the TARDIS in flight. “Okay, now don't get distracted. Remember, you are flying a time machine.”

Clara closed her eyes and tried to focus, but her phone starting ringing. Clara gasped and flinched, trying to refocus.

“No, no. Don't you dare. No, don't. Don't, don't. Just ignore it.” He grabbed her phone and tossed it behind him.

The TARDIS finally landed.

“Okay, that's good. That worked. We're here.”

“Sorry, I think I got distracted.”

“No, no, no, no, no. The date's fine. Come on.” The Doctor walked over to the doors.

“Come on where?”

“Your childhood.” The Doctor left the TARDIS.

Clara tried pulling her fingers out of the interface, but she was stuck.

Elise walked over and wrap a hand around her wrist. She gently pulled Clara’s fingers from the interface.

“Thanks,” Clara said.

Elise shrugged. “No problem.”

Clara was suddenly aware of how close Elise was to her. She looked into Elise’s green eyes, so much like her father’s previous regeneration. Clara blushed as she pulled away from Elise. “Come on. We should go before he gets himself into trouble.”

They left the TARDIS, but not before Elise looked back at the interface. She shook her head. No, she could try later. She didn’t want to leave Clara and her father on their own.

They found themselves standing outside a building at night.

“The West Country Children's Home. Gloucester. By the ozone level and the drains, mid-nineties. You must have been here when you had the dream,” the Doctor explained.

“Never been to Gloucester in my life, and I've never lived in a children's home.”

“You've probably just forgotten. Have you seen the size of human brains? They're hilarious. Little you must be in here somewhere, with your little brain.”

“Isn't it bad if I meet myself?”

“It is potentially catastrophic.”

Elise rolled her eyes. “The last time you met yourself, the universe ended.”

“Of course you’d bring that up now.”

“So why did you bring me out here?” Clara asked.

“I was still talking. I needed someone to nod. Probably best for you to wait in the TARDIS.”

“Doctor, I…”

“See you in a minute. TARDIS.” He pointed at the blue box.

“Doctor. If I had have been distracted, what would have happened?”

“We would probably have ended up in the wrong place. But don't think we have, because the time zone's right. I won't be long.”

The Doctor walked away.

Clara looked up and saw a little boy in a window.

He waved at Clara and Elise. He opened the window. “What are you doing down there?” he asked them.

“Nothing. Er, we’re just. What's your name?”

“Rupert.”

“Oh. Okay. Hello, Rupert.”

“Rupert Pink. It's a stupid name.”

“No, it isn't. I know somebody called Pink.”

“I meant Rupert. I'm going to change it.”

“Why are you awake? Are you scared?”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Clara and Elise quietly snuck past the office where the Doctor was talking to the caretaker.

They wandered upstairs and down a long corridor. They entered a room and saw Rupert sitting on the floor by the window.

“Hello,” Clara said.

“Hello,” Rupert echoed.

“Nice room.” Clara pulled up a chair and sat in it, while Elise stood next to her. “You know, you should have more than one chair. What do you do when people come round?”

“Sit on the bed.”

“Why aren't you sitting on it, then? Do you think that there's something underneath it?”

Rupert nodded.

“Hey, everyone thinks that, sometimes. That's just how people think at night.”

“Why?”

“Did you have a dream? A hand grabbing your foot? You have, haven't you? You've had that exact dream.”

“How did you know?”

“Do you know why dreams are called dreams?”

“Why?”

“Because they're not real. If they were, they wouldn't need a name.”

Clara got up and walked over to the bed.

“What are you doing?”

Clara looked underneath it. “Do you know what's under there?”

“What?”

“Me!”

Elise laughed.

Clara rolled under the bed and laid on her back. “Come on, it's perfectly safe.”

Rupert laid next to her.

Clara put her hand out and wiggled her fingers. “C’mon Ellie! You know you want to.”

Elise playfully rolled eyes, before crawling under the bed with them, lacing her fingers with Clara’s.

“See? Nobody here, except us,” Clara reassured Rupert.

“Sometimes I hear noises.”

“It's a house full of people. Of course you hear noises.”

“They're all asleep.”

“They're all dreaming.”

“Can you hear dreams?”

Clara nodded. “If you're clever enough. But they can't harm you. You know, sometimes we think there's something behind us. And the space under your bed is what's behind you at night. Simple as that. There's nothing to be afraid of.”

The bed creaked as if someone sat on it. It sagged under the weight until the mattress nearly touched Elise and Clara’s noses.

Rupert started panting softly and Elise squeezed Clara’s hand.

“Who else is in this room?” Clara asked, softly.

“Nobody,” Rupert answered, just as soft.

“Someone must have come in.”

“Nobody came in.”

Elise and Clara rolled out and stood up. Something was sitting on the bed, covered in a red crocheted blanket.

“Hello?” Clara asked. She helped Rupert stand up. “Who's this? This is a friend of yours playing a game.”

Rupert shook his head.

“Playing a trick, are you, hey? A little trick on Rupert here?”

The bed creaked as the figure sat up taller.

“Okay. It's not funny this, you know.”

A light switched on. They all turned to see the Doctor sitting the chair by the desk flipping through a book.

“Where is he?” the Doctor asked.

“Doctor?” Clara asked.

“I can't find him. Can you find him?”

“Find who?”

“Wally.”

“Wally?”

“He's nowhere in this book.”

“It's not a Where's Wally one.”

“Well, how would you know? Maybe you just haven't found him yet.”

“He's not in every book.”

“Really? Well, that's a few years of my life I'll be needing back.”

Normally Elise would have been happy that the Doctor was acting like his silly self again, but there were more pressing matters. Like what the hell was sitting on Rupert’s bed for instance.

“Are you scared? The thing on the bed, whatever it is, look at it. Does it scare you?” the Doctor asked.

“Yes,” Rupert answered.

“Well, that's good. Want to know why that's good?”

“Why?”

“Let me tell you about scared. Your heart is beating so hard, I can feel it through your hands. There's so much blood and oxygen pumping through your brain, it's like rocket fuel. Right now, you could run faster and you could fight harder, you could jump higher than ever in your life. And you are so alert, it's like you can slow down time. What's wrong with scared? Scared is a superpower. It's your superpower. There is danger in this room and guess what? It's you. Do you feel it? Do you think he feels it? Do you think he's scared? Nah. Loser. Turn your back on him.”

“What?”

“Yeah, turn your back on him. Come on. You too, Clara, Elise.”

Every instinct was telling Elise to keep her eye on the thing.

“Elise, your back, now.”

Clara grabbed Elise’s hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

Elise finally turned around to look out the window.

“Do it. Just do it now. Turn your back. Do it now, turn your back. Lovely view out this window.”

Rupert came to stand between them.

“Yeah. Come and see all the dark.”

“The deep and lovely dark. We'd never see the stars without it. Now, there are two possibilities. Possibility one, it's just one of your friends standing there, and he's playing a joke on you. Possibility two, it isn't.”

“So, plan? Plans are good,” Clara said.

“You on the bed, I'm talking to you now. Go in peace. We won't look. Just go. If all you want to do is stay hidden, it's okay. Just leave.”

The figure came closer to them.

“Is it gone?” Clara asked.

“Don't look round. Not yet,” the Doctor told them.

“I can't hear anything,” Rupert said.

“Don't look round.”

Rupert started to turn around.

“Look away! Look away now! Don't look at it! Don't look round. Don't look round. Don't look at the reflection.”

“What is it?” Rupert asked.

“Imagine a thing that must never be seen. What would it do if you saw it?”

“I don't know.”

“Neither do I. Close your eyes.”

“What?”

“Close your eyes. You too, Clara and Elise. Give it what it wants. Prove to it that you're not going to look at it. Make a promise. A promise you're never going to look at it.”

“I promise never to look.”

“The breath on the back of your neck, like your hair's standing on end. That means, don't look round.”

The door slammed shut, signaling the departure of the thing.

Clara and Rupert spun around, while Elise reached out and grabbed onto the window to keep from collapsing.

“Gone?” Clara asked.

“Gone,” the Doctor confirmed.

Rupert frowned. “He took my bedspread.”

“Oh, the human race. You're never happy, are you?”

#Twelfth Doctor #twelfth doctor imagine #twelfth doctor fanfiction #doctor who #Doctor Who fanfiction #doctor who imagine #clara oswald #clara oswald imagine #the littlest timelord #the littlest timelord: the new doctor #listen

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oneofyatosfollowers · 3 years

Text

Yatori Week 2021- Day 3

@yatoriweek2021

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32090953/chapters/79500055

Fanfiction: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13905660/1/Yatori-Week-2021

There was a cherry tree in the new neighborhood Hiyori moved to.

It sat alone at the end of a small park, tucked away in the green bushes and trees. That’s where she met him. It was the day after the moving truck dropped off the last of their things at their new house down the road. Her mother had asked her older brother, Masaomi, to take her to the park since it had a playground. When he wasn’t paying attention, he threw the ball they were tossing too far over her head and it rolled towards the tree.

“I’ll get it!” She called. Masaomi, who was too invested in his video game, just waved. With a huff, Hiyori followed after the yellow ball, approaching the cherry tree. Once the ball was safely in her tiny hands, Hiyori stood. Suddenly, she heard sniffling. Alert and concerned, Hiyori looked around. She peeked around bushes and under benches until she realized the crying was coming from above her. Within the leaves and pink blossoms of the cherry tree, someone was crying softly. Hiyori’s heart sank when she realized it sounded like a little kid, just like her. Turning on her toes, Hiyori ran back to her brother with the intention of telling him, but she remembered her brother made fun of crybabies.

“I don’t want to play with you anymore!” Hiyori declared as she set the ball down at her brother’s feet. There must have been a break in the game because her brother gave her a look of shock and offense.

“Oh, uh, okay,” he said. Satisfied, Hiyori spun around and dashed towards the tree.

“H-hey!”

“I’m going to climb that tree!” Hiyori announced over her shoulder. She watched her brother pick up the ball and sit on the bench. Approaching the trunk, Hiyori slowed, feeling an odd sense of forbidding. She shook it off and stepped towards the tree, hands against the bark, and listened. Whoever was crying must have heard her yell her intentions and stifled their weeping. She huffed and looked around, spotting a rock right next to the tree that would make her just tall enough to reach the lowest branch. As she hauled herself onto her knees, nice oxfords scraping against the wood, Hiyori wondered if the person was nice. With a grunt she looked to the ground, furious with her mother for insisting she wear a dress to the park, then looked up. At first she couldn’t see anyone so she pouted.

“Hello!” Hiyori called into the pink, “I know you’re up here!” Her shout caused the leaves above her rustle. Someone flinched and was trying to readjust to make themselves smaller, instead the person had moved out from the branch they were hiding behind. Hiyori opened her mouth to point out their mistake, but thought better of it. As she continued her way further into the pink wonderland, Hiyori realized this person could be hurt. With another grunt, she sat on the branch and fretted; wishing she brought her capybara toy doctor kit. It would have been just like she practiced! Eventually Hiyori managed to climb up, and up, and up around the cherry tree until she was just under the crying child.

“Excuse me!” Hiyori’s shrill voice startled them and they whipped around to look at her. The boy’s eyes were a startling blue that stood out against the pink surrounding them. His long black hair was a major contrast too, it stalled Hiyori long enough for her to blink a couple times until she remembered her original goal.

“It’s mean to not answer, you know,” chided Hiyori as she settled more comfortably on the branch below him. When she met his eyes again she realized he hadn’t looked away the entire time. Did even blink those big blue things?

“Hello? Can you speak?” Hiyori tried again, this time a bit kinder. He hadn’t stopped crying since she sat down, tears rolled down his red cheeks in thick waves. No matter how he sniffed at his dripping snot or wipes under his eyes, he still looked just as miserable. She noticed he was wearing an off-white kimono, tied shut with a navy ribbon.

“Y-yeah I c-can talk,” the boy whimpered.

“O-oh.” Hiyori didn’t know what to say. Now that she heard his voice, his sorrow, Hiyori’s own lips started to tremble.

“No one -hic- asked y-you to come up he-re,” he hiccuped. That’s when Hiyori realized his eyebrows were knitted. He was annoyed with her.

“I thought you were hurt!” Hiyori defended, “I heard you crying!”

“I’m not crying,” the boy lied, pathetically. The challenge was clear on her face but the boy just let out a loud sniff and turned back around, pulling his knees tighter to his chest. Hiyori pouted again, which turned into a frown and she looked down. Up here, she couldn’t even see the ground. They were surrounded by nothing but pink and brown, the sounds of the world outside were muted as wind drifted through with a sweet scent. It was nice. She would have never come up here on her own- her mother did not condone rolling around in nature- but in any other circumstances this would have been amazing.

“Are you hurt?” Hiyori asked gently. There was a long pause before he shook his head, bangs wagging side to side, then he re-buried his face in his knees. Unsure of what to do, Hiyori played with her fingers, watching her legs swing back and forth. The thought of leaving crossed her mind but instead Hiyori crawled up next to him.

“H-hey,” he sputtered. Hiyori ignored him and situated herself right next to him, their legs dangling side by side. She watched patiently as he wiped his blotchy red cheeks then looked at her with that mild annoyance and baby pout. When he didn’t say or do anything more, Hiyori rubbed his back, hand moving up and down like her grandmother did for her.

“What’s your name?” She asked.

“Yaboku,” the boy said, “but my mom called me Yato.”

“What should I call you?”

“Um, Yato is fine,” he sniffed, “what’s your name?” He watched her pull back and stick her hand out to him with a smile.

“I’m Hiyori Iki!” She smiled as he took her hand and shook it. Yato’s fingers were sweaty and Hiyori wiped her hand clean on her dress.

“That’s a nice name,” Yato eventually said.

“Thanks,” Hiyori smiled. Her happiness quickly fizzled out when Yato just sniffed again and frowned at the ground. From this close she could see his eyes were puffy, his nose and cheekbones rubbed raw. It hurt her heart to see. No one should be that sad. Hiyori reached around him again, and pulled Yato into a hug.

“Shh, there there,” Hiyori comforted, “don’t cry. It’s okay.” The moment Yato’s head rested against her, his eyes instantly watered. She rocked him slowly, holding him tight as she shushed his sobs.

“What’s wrong?” Hiyori eventually worked up the nerve to ask.

“I miss my mom,” Yato lamented. He hiccuped and buried his face in her clothes, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

“Where’d she go?”

“She’s dead.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. My grandpa died recently too. Everyone was sad, I cried a lot too.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Hiyori sighed, “So, what are you doing up here?”

“I don’t want to be home, but I have nowhere to go,” he sniffed, “this is my mom’s tree.”

“Oh, did she plant it?” Hiyori asked. She leaned back in surprise and Yato moved away from her, but just slightly.

“No. She just liked it. A lot. We used to come here all the time.” He wiped his eyes even though he had stopped crying.

“That’s nice,” Hiyori said, “my family just moved here. So I’ll come here a lot too.”

“Really? You will?” Yato sounded so hopeful Hiyori couldn’t help but smile.

“Yeah! Do you come here a lot too?”

“Everyday,” he sniffed, “if you want to play together, we can.” His face looked considerably clearer, he even smiled slightly. Meanwhile Hiyori beamed at the thought of having a brand new friend. Just as Hiyori opened her mouth to gleefully agree, her name was called somewhere below them.

“Hiyori!” Masaomi shouted, “come on, mom said we have to be home by four!” His voice echoed through the leaves and the two children watched his shadows dance against the pink. Hiyori’s mouth opened and shut before she looked at her new companion. Blue met brown as they communicated their reluctantness.

“Hiyori!” Masaomi shouted, a bit more panicked.

“Coming big brother!” Hiyori finally called back. Not wanting to worry him, Hiyori spun around and draped her stomach over the branch, kicking her feet until they met a foothold. It took her a lot less time to climb down but she looked up just before she vanished through the flowers.

“Yato!” She called up to him. It wasn’t necessary, he had been staring at her all the way down, but Hiyori just wanted to say it. Especially when- from below him- he looked like a spirit that belonged among the blossoms.

“I’ll see you tomorrow!” She promised. The last thing she saw before she left was Yato’s smile and a wave.

The two become steadfast friends, closer than Hiyori had ever been with anyone her own age. They were practically inseparable; Hiyori making her way to the park at least once a day. Yato would always be there, it didn’t matter what time of day it was, he was always waiting for her at the bottom of the tree. For a while, Hiyori never questioned it, instead enjoying her time with her best friend every day, making up stories of pretend. Until she started her first day of elementary school and she passed by the park.

“Yato!” she called to her friend sketching in the dirt. His head popped up and that beaming smile instantly appeared at the sight of her.

“Hiyori!” Yato charged towards her. They met with their usual big hug, her backpack hindering his advances.

“Are you here to play?” He asked.

“No, Yato! It’s time to go to school!” Hiyori huffed. Confused, Yato cocked his head.

“School?”

“Yes! It’s this way, come on!” Hiyori grabbed his hand and tugged him along the park fence.

“But! I don’t go to school!” Yato fretted.

“Of course you do! Mom says all little girls and boys go to school at six years old,” Hiyori recited happily.

“I’m seven,” Yato informed. This surprised Hiyori, since the boy was much smaller than her, but there were more pressing matters to address. Yato didn’t have a uniform- still wearing that dirty kimono- but missing school was a big no-no.

“We have to go or we’ll be late,” Hiyori huffed. She continued to pull him but when they reached the end of the park,Yato gripped the fence and brought them to a halt.

“No, I mean I don’t go to school. My dad teaches me and my sister at home.”

“You can do that?” Hiyori gawked. She finally let go of him and watched his expression turn to a pout.

“Yeah,” Yato sighed.

“Hey that’s okay,” she rubbed his shoulder, “I’ll see you after school!” Hiyori promised. That seemed to cheer him up and he returned her wave as she jogged away from him. That promise stayed as they grew, Yato would be there when she walked to school and when she walked home. Hiyori’s mother let her stay at the park after school until dinner time.

“When do you go home?” Hiyori asked him once. He was covered in bruises and cuts again- apparently trying dangerous tricks on the playground- and his kimono was getting short and worn.

“When the lights come on.”

“Lights?” Hiyori questioned. Yato pointed to the streetlamps and Hiyori laughed.

“That’s called a street lamp!” She giggled.

“Well I didn’t know!” He huffed, suitably embarrassed.

“You don’t know a lot,” Hiyori said. She wasn’t trying to be mean, it was true.

“You should listen to your dad more when he teaches you,” she lectured. Yato just hummed and continued building their castle in the sand pit. Two springs later, Hiyori saw Yato wear something different for the first time. Just like their first meeting, he was sitting on his favorite branch. However, this time he faced her with a smile and a bruised cheek.

“Look at you!” Hiyori squealed. Climbing up the tree with the practiced ease of a squirrel.

“Me?” Yato cocked his head, holding his swollen cheek.

“You’re wearing clothes!” She exclaimed.

“I always wear clothes.” Yato was suitably confused this time and Hiyori rolled her eyes.

“Yeah a kimono.”

“My mom liked kimonos,” Yato said haughtily. That made sense. The one time Hiyori met Yato’s twin sister- shy to the point of avoiding all other people- she wore a matching kimono.

“Well you look good,” Hiyori complimented. She tugged on the orange capybara shirt and looked at his cargo shorts.

“Thanks! I found them!”

“Found them? In the store?”

“Uh,” Yato looked down, “yeah.” Despite how close they were, there was so much about Yato, Hiyori didn’t know about. But Hiyori wasn’t stupid, she tried to ask once she caught on, but he wasn’t a fan of that. But that didn’t stop them from getting closer.

“So, a haunted house, huh?” Yato snickered, “and what are you dressing up as?” As per tradition, Yato met her under the tree and walked her to school. Even when they -she- moved on to middle school a year ago.

“I’m not. I will be doing the entrance,” Hiyori stated. Spring brought on an annual happiness that could not be explained but Hiyori knew the sweet smell wafting through the air was all Yato.

“Come on Hiyori! No cosplay for me?” He teased, nose coming in far too close.

“Wha-? Cosplay!” Hiyori shoved him away, “And what’s for you?” She turned her burning face away as he laughed. They continued to playfully bat at each other until the school fence was reached and Hiyori fully pushed him away. Cherry trees were budding on her campus as the decorations for the culture fest were in full display. She stopped and stared at it, looking back at the boy who couldn’t even leave the park fence until a little while ago.

“Why haven’t you talked to your dad about coming here?”

“Hiyori,” his smile dropped and he looked to the side, “it’s fine. You know it’s for the best this way.”

“How can it be for the best? You want to, don’t you?” Hiyori pressed. As always Yato squirmed, shoulders sinking in.

“You know how he is, Hiyori. He’s just strict. It’s fine.”

“But-!”

“You’re gonna be late, you know. And so am I,” Yato shrugged. Hiyori pouted as he turned with a lazy wave over his shoulder. He thought he was so cool wearing all black and tying his hair up. With a huff, she rolled her eyes.

“I’ll see you later! Don’t forget what class I’m in!” Hiyori called after him. Turns out she would be seeing him during the culture festival, with the delinquents of her middle school, vandalizing the side and some storage sheds. They were squatting under a cherry tree under the window of her hallway, beating things they weren’t supposed to, laughing at whoever tried to stop them. This was not the Yato she knew. The sweet boy who sat next to pink flowers did not laugh while bullies beat those weaker than them. She had abandoned her post, running down the stairs, out the front door and around the building.

“Yato!” She hollered at him. He stopped, wide blue eyes stark against the Cherry Tree behind him. He looked just as shocked and fearful as the first time she saw him, but her face held more fury. The boys were just as shocked at the sight of a girl glaring at them with her fist balled. She was shaking, but the frightened boy beaten against the tree trunk caused her to march forward.

“Uh,” one of the boys faltered.

“Looks like his girlfriend came to save him.”

“Hey girlie, whatcha up to?” Another jeered. Hiyori kept her head down as she reached for the stuned victim’s arm and pulled.

“She’s kinda cute.”

“Yeah, check it out,” the boys were musing in a frightening way. Hiyori could feel their eyes on her as she and the victim stood but she was most aware of Yato. They didn’t do anything as Hiyori turned and tried to walk away, until one of them grabbed her arm.

“Hey, where ya goin?” one of them gibed. Hiyori’s lips tightened as she forced herself to look away.

“Let go of me,” she said.

“Come on, I just wanted to know why a cutie like you was hanging out with this loser,” the boys around her laughed and she felt tears well up in her eyes. Then, it was cut off.

“She said let go,” Yato growled in a way Hiyori had never heard.

“What? Dude what’s your deal?”

“Yeah, back off! I thought you were cool,” the boy holding her hand squeezed and jolted, causing Hiyori to gasp slightly in surprise. That might as well have been a wrestling bell because all hell broke loose. The hand was pulled off of her and Yato was pushed, leading to three other students on the ground. Before Hiyori could even catch up, the main bully was beaten and held against the tree. Two other boys tried to help their friend- to stop Yato from hitting him so much- before their noses met with his elbow and fist.

“Yato!” Hiyori cried, “Yato, stop it! Get off him!” She finally gathered herself and grabbed his cocked elbow. Those blue eyes flashed to her again and Hiyori gasped. She had never seen him so angry, they were alight with terrifying fury under knitted eyebrows. His face fought to smooth out at the sight of her, guilt filling in the tight lines, Hiyori realized for the first time: Yato was much stronger than he looked.

“Hey! What are you kids doing?” A teacher hollered around the corner.

“Run! Scatter!” The bullies immediately took off. Yato dropped the student he was holding, letting him slide down the tree, taking the same position as his victim. Hiyori watched her friend spin around and move towards the fence.

“Wait!” Hiyori tightened her grip on Yato’s arm.

“I can’t let my dad find out!” Yato spoke rapidly when he whipped to face her. For a moment she was shocked by the sudden flip in emotions but her jaw clicked shut as irritation boiled.

“You have to face the consequences of your actions! You can’t just leave!” Hiyori shouted. At one point the victim she helped tried to hold Yato too, only to be shoved off just as quickly. By now the teacher was marching over with two more in tow. Yato struggled against Hiyori, pulling so strongly that her heels dug in the dirt.

“Hiyori, I’m not kidding, let go.” Yato demanded with a low growl.

“Yato-”

“Stay right where you are!”

“I said get off!” With a final push, Yato sent Hiyori to her rear, flat in the dirt. They stared at each other, a mix of shock and hurt rolling across their features. Then, he was gone, up the cherry tree and over the fence by the time the teacher reached them. Hiyori was not like Yato. Hiyori would listen to the teacher, Hiyori would end up sitting in the office and telling them everything, Hiyori would meet her parents after they got a phone call. Hiyori would still go to the Cherry Tree to face him at their usual time, only to find it and it’s branches empty and silent.

Unable to break a promise, or a tradition, Hiyori prepared to meet Yato under the park Cherry Tree that weekend for the viewing. They watched that tree bloom every year before Hiyori left to go with her family or friends. But that short time they spent together was as nostalgic as it was precious. Yato was waiting for her, kicking up against the bark like usual. Except he wasn’t smiling at her with that crooked grin, in fact he wasn’t even looking at her. She didn’t approach him, just stood there with her fists balled. She wanted to yell at him, slap him across his bruising cheek but she was waiting for him to speak first and he knew it.

“I’m sorry.” He said. It was lame and pitiful and he knew it but it was enough for Hiyori to march over to him.

“You better be sorry. How could you? Beating up on someone weaker than you,” she jabbed her finger on his chest, “is that why you’re always beat up?” The realization seemed to strike her just as strongly as it did him. Boys were crazy; what if those bullies have been fighting with Yato the entire time?

“No,” Yato spat at the ground, “I just met them. Couple months ago.” He shared her scowl and Hiyori felt her eyes water with frustration.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t realize I had to. You’re not my only friend, you know. Besides, you have other friends too.”

“They’re not good friends, Yato.”

“I can hang out with whoever I want,” he suddenly glared at her. It shocked Hiyori enough for her to let out a short gasp which caused Yato’s face to drop again with guilt but he looked away before she could glare. Up close Hiyori saw all the bruises littering his face. He seemed to be favoring his right side but Hiyori can’t tell if it’s because of his foot or hand. Honestly Hiyori couldn’t bring herself to focus on street fight bruises.

“Fine then,” Hiyori sighed. She watched her friend pout for a couple moments longer before looking above them. This tree was beautiful, it’s petals completely covered it in the most breathtaking shade of blush and magenta. Despite herself she smiled, this was her happy place but only when the boy in front of her was there.

“You look really pretty,” Yato mumbled. When Hiyori looked back at him, she noticed he was staring at her again. Drinking in her appearance with a blank expression.

“Th-thank you,” Hiyori blinked. Her mother put her in a pink and purple kimono with butterflies sewn around her ankles. Her fingers reached up to play with her hair, the majority of it tied with a hairstick. Damn him for making her forgive and forget her anger so easily. With a hum, Yato watched her for a couple moments longer before he looked back at the ground.

“You should go. Your friends are probably waiting.” This was about twenty minutes earlier than when she usually left but her friends probably were already there. Still, Hiyori didn’t want to leave, even if Yato was okay with it.

“Come with me,” said Hiyori.

“What?” Yato yelped, head popping up. Hiyori didn’t bother elaborating, she just grabbed his hand and pulled him off their cherry tree.

“Wait! Hiyori!” He stumbled but didn’t pull away as she walked him out of the park.

“That boy you beat up is going to be with us. His name is Manabu and I expect you to be nice,” Hiyori huffed. She held her breath as they headed towards the end of the fence. Of course they left the park more often than not these days but it still worried her. She sighed with a smile when he just continued to follow after her as they left the park behind.

“Are you sure this is a good idea? Won’t they hate me?”

“No,” Hiyori giggled, “why would they hate you?” She looked back at him for a moment. Eventually she let go of his hand but was happy to see he still followed. It had been awkward at first, Yato practically hid behind her while her friends gaped and teased. Poor Manabu was terrified and wouldn’t even talk to her unless Yato was distracted. But it ended up okay, everyone had fun and her female friends cooed at how cute Yato’s smile was.

Unfortunately, Yato couldn’t hover around her all the time. It was next spring, before middle school graduation, that Manabu asked her out. He had been so attached to her after her little rescue attempt that Hiyori had a hard time saying no. Fortunately, boys had a habit of falling out of Cherry Trees.

“That’s why Hiyori Iki, please,” Manabu bowed, “please go out with-” He fell to the ground with a thud, squished under another body.

“Yato!” Hiyori gasped. Her friend was rubbing his butt with a pout, refusing to look at her or the boy he now sat on.

“What are you doing?”

“I tripped.”

“Out of a Cherry Tree?” Hiyori huffed at him as he stood, stepping off Manabu as politely as he could. The two friends couldn’t look at each other’s red face but Hiyori at least had the dignity to help Manabu back up with Yato watching her, just like that day. Manabu too, looked suitably embarrassed. His face rivaled that of the apples on an apple tree rather than the pink of the blossoms above them. Before Hiyori could nicely turn him down- and let Yato have it- someone gently weaved their arms together.

“Sorry, but Hiyori has plans with me everyday after school forever. Give up,” Yato stated nonchalantly. He led her away as Manabu and Hiyori worked to close their mouths. The two children didn’t look or say anything to each other, even when they reached the park.

“Forever?” Hiyori repeated.

“Yep. Forever and ever,” Yato said in the same tone he used when they promised that as kids. He was completely turned around but Hiyori could see his red ears.

“And what if I wanted to date him?”

“You didn’t,” that got Yato to turn around, “I could tell.” There was nothing she could say, even with both their faces rising in temperature, he was completely serious. And he was right.

“That and you looked like you wanted to drop through the floor,” Yato finally snickered. With a gasp she whacked him, hitting him more the more he laughed at her, trying to mock her horrified expression.

“I keep telling you to stop spying on me at school! They’re getting ready to cut down that tree!” Hiyori said. At some point, Yato caught her hand and twined their fingers together, grinning despite her embarrassment.

“Come on! Let’s get some ramen. Your treat,” he started towards their favorite noodle bar. Hands swinging, she walked right next to him, refusing to let go or look at his proud smirk.

“You just don’t want to lose your meal ticket.” She muttered.

“Oh come on,” Yato scoffed, “you know you love me!” He cackled at the terrible joke and Hiyori struggled to smile. He meant it as a joke- right?- but that little comment resonated in Hiyori all the way through her middle school graduation. It kept her up at night, bounced around her skull as they walked around town, and vibrated in her chest when he waited under their Cherry Tree with a bouquet of flowers after her graduation party.

The more aware she was of her own feelings, the more aware she became of his. The attention, the neediness, the jealousy, the more-than-friendly affection. Hiyori was almost sure Yato liked her too. But no matter how much she pushed and pried, the first year of high school coming and going, he never did anything more. And if Manabu was anything to go by, Hiyori was still on the market.

There was another boy, Fujisaki, in the grade ahead of her. He had been one of her first friends in highschool and often hung out with her group of friends. Somewhere along the way, they had exchanged phone numbers, spent time alone together outside of school, and talked everyday. Even Yato knew more about him than he should, scowling as she recounted her stories about Fujisaki. There were even a couple times Fujisaki walked her home, staying with her and Yato at the park until she had to go home. They argued, right then and there under the Cherry Tree, over who would walk her home. Fujisaki’s charisma and Yato’s temper had Hiyori pick the former; something she regretted for days but never apologized for. Instead, Hiyori tried to keep their interactions and knowledge about each other to a minimum. But the fact was that Fujisaki was much more determined than Yato’s stubbornness. Before she knew it they had gone on a date, then two. Something Yato saw on social media.

“You’re really going out with him?” Yato had been late, for the first time, to the Cherry Tree one day, marching towards her just as the sun was setting. When he finally did come, he wore a storm cloud over his head and opted to shove the cheap phone he got in her face.

“I-I am not! We just date sometimes!” Hiyori shoved the device away.

“That’s called going out, Hiyori!” Yato all but shouted. His hand slammed against the tree truck right next to her head. Hiyori flinched but she was too offended and embarrassed and guilty to do anything but narrow her eyes up at him. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Hiyori wondered when the tiny boy she met grew taller than her.

“It was twice and what does it matter! I’m not doing anything wrong! I can date whoever I want,” even to Hiyori’s ears it sounded forced. Like she was trying to convince herself of something.

“Do you even want to date him?”

“I wouldn’t have agreed to a third date if I didn’t!”

“That’s not an answer, Hiyori,” Yato leveled her with a more serious gaze. Not a jealous, emotional teenage boy, but a concerned friend. She hated when he did that. How he could get so dramatic, get her angry, then make her heart quiver with nothing but honest concern.

“Who says it's not an answer,” Hiyori muttered to the ground. She heard Yato take a deep breath through his nose, sensing he didn’t believe her.

“You don’t see us at school. We hang out all the time,” Hiyori continued, “he’s really nice and we get along.” She had said this line many times to many people and while she felt comfortable acting around her friends and family, it was harder with Yato.

“I can too,” Yato mumbled. When Hiyori returned her glare to him, she saw this time he was the one looking off with embarrassment. No, that wasn’t right, not embarrassment. Fear maybe?

“I can, uh, apply? Go to high school too. With you,” Yato said, rather uncomfortably. He started twitching again but Hiyori took a moment to indulge in old daydreams. Ones where Yato would sit next to her in class and laugh with her friends, play a sport or join a club, let her know more about him.

“Why would you do that?” Hiyori hushed, “Just so you can hang out with those bullies again? You tell me who I can and can’t hang out with while never telling me anything about you!”

“I can’t tell you! There’s nothing to tell! Besides I wouldn’t,” he bit his lip, “I wouldn’t say anything if you actually liked him.”

“I never said I didn’t!” Hiyori argued.

“You never said you did.”

“Well maybe I do.” Hiyori shot. Her declaration rang through the air, it seemed to strike through Yato and his shoulders slumped. Next to her ear, his fist curled, scraping against the bark.

“Then say it.” He dared with a low growl. It hurt to hear, why couldn’t he just grow a pair and give her a straight answer? Or was she wrong and he really was okay with her dating someone else?

“Why should I? Who cares whether or not I do or I don’t, it’s dating. That’s what dating is. And it’s not like you ever-!” Her rage was cut off harshly. She couldn’t bite her lip fast enough and Yato’s eyes whipped up to hers before she could look away. They stared at each other again. The Cherry Blossoms had bloomed over a week ago and it’s brown, rotting flowers had already started to shrivel up and fall around them. But their sweet smell still wafted around Hiyori, mixing nicely with Yato’s cologne and natural scent. They were so close. During their yelling both of them had leaned closer, bangs almost brushing. Yato had bent to her eye level, which made their blushes that much more apparent.

“Would you-” his voice cracked and he cleared it.

“Would you have? Uh,” Yato couldn’t get it out and Hiyori could barely listen.

“Yes.” Hiyori said. She had always been braver than him, even though she didn’t know exactly what she was agreeing to. But when Yato didn’t talk, didn’t look at her, for a long time, Hiyori’s worries boiled over and threatened to spill over her lashes.

“I’m homeless.” Yato said suddenly.

“Huh?” Hiyori blinked, “You’re homeless? You’re kidding! You don’t actually live here?” Her voice took on a hint of a plea as her hands came up between them.

“Well, no, I can go home, when I’m not kicked out. But I don’t, uh, don’t like my dad when he, uh, bullies me.” Yato stammered. As he spoke a dying blossom fell on his head and stuck there.

“Oh, Yato.” Hiyori mourned. Taking in a sharp breath Hiyori reached up to remove the flower, dropping it on the ground and resting her palm on his cheek.

“And I’m not ‘homeschooled’ so much as I’m ‘self taught.’ He did the basics but, uh,” Yato swallowed and let out a painful laugh, “I have no future, Hiyori. All I really have is you, as sad as that is. But, uh, you do. With someone good.” His words were met with silence. Hiyori wanted to be mad, to shout, to apologize, anything. But she couldn’t. All she could do was let the tears fall down her cheeks and sniff as Yato stared. Eventually he pulled her into a hug, slowly and cautiously, resting her head in his chest.

“I’m sorry. I know you wanted to know but,” Yato sighed against her head, “I’m sorry.”

“You have a future.” Hiyori sniffed.

“Hiyori,”

“You have a future here. With me.” She asserted. He offered everything to her yet she wasn’t all he had. Yato had strength, Yato had kindness, Yato had perseverance. But no matter what, Yato had her and Hiyori had him. It was just as dependable as the tree they stood under and just as beautiful. Yato’s smile was sweet like the scent of blossoms as his eyes got a wet sheen to match hers.

“I’d like that.” He hushed. Her own breath hitched as he reached up to wipe her tears and held her face, gently. Moving slowly, ever so slightly, with nervous, jolting movements, they got even closer.

“Only if you want to,” Yato’s nose brushed her cheek as her eyes drooped, “if you want me.” Instead of answering, Hiyori used her hand to push him the final centimeter, squeaking when his lips pushed against hers. They took turns letting out soft sounds as they struggled to figure out how to kiss properly. It was awkward, their clumsy movements sloppy and off-beat while they tried to figure out how to breathe. But it was as sweet as it was addicting. Regardless, Hiyori was giddy and couldn’t help but snort at their inexperience, peaking one eye open to see a very passionate Yato with more dead flowers in his hair. Suddenly, Yato’s eyes popped wide open and he looked directly into hers. That did it and she couldn’t help but laugh. He gasped in offense and mortification and Hiyori thought it served him right. Just in case she grabbed his face and pecked at his scowl. In retaliation, Yato kissed her hard, pressing her so tight against the tree her nice shoes slid up the root and onto the trunk.

“Wha-? Hey!” Yato protested as Hiyori spun in his arms and crawled up the tree, limbs moving without thought. She took a moment to look down at him and stick out her tongue, before she disappeared into the leaves.

“Oh no you don’t!” Yato was up the tree in seconds but Hiyori was already straddling his branch, smiling triumphantly. Of course, she wouldn't be for long as Yato managed to re-claim his spot while kissing her senseless. The tree hid them well into the night, the old cherry blossoms falling off, making room for the new yet forever precious beauty.

#yatori #yatori week #yatori week 2021 #noragami #yato #yatogami #noragami yato #noragami hiyori #iki #iki hiyori #hiyori iki #noragami fanfic #noragami fanfiction

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vanillapie-80 · 3 years

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The Road To Recovery Chapter 2: Filling In the Gaps

Chapter two boisss. I suprised myself with this chapter because I thought it’d be shorter. So there’s that, anyways. Here the aftermath of last chapter as well as some new problems.

AO3

As the rain poured through the streets of Arcadia, the police station was crowded with officers. Detective Scott had some paperwork he had to fill out after finishing a case of his. After that, he hoped to go home and spend some time with his daughter, if she wasn’t out with her friends. But he knew that Darci was at home since both Claire and Mary were said to be in detention for most of the day, so surely there was nothing to worry about. From a few desks away from him, an officer saw that their phone was going off and answered it.

“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?” They asked.

“Hello? Me and some students were in a car crash and one of us is missing.”

The officer tensed at what they heard from the person’s voice on the other line, they began writing down the details they were given. “What’s your name?”

“C-Claire Nuñez.” Crap, the officer knew that was the councilwoman’s daughter.

“Okay, and where are you?”

“Uh. I don’t know, somewhere around the campsite- Toby! Did you find Jim?”

The officer continued to silently listen to the other line. “Yeah, but he got seriously messed up! I- I think he might be dying Claire. Please tell me you called for help!”

Then, the other line hung up. The officer immediately began to contact dispatch to anyone who was close around the area and began to call an ambulance. By that time, Detective Scott was done with paperwork and was heading home.

Barbara looked up from her phone as someone announced that there was trauma incoming. She had been trying to contact her son for a while but to no avail, calling lead to voicemail and texting lead to no response. With a sigh, Barbara tucked her phone away and got ready to return to work. She anxiously waited for the ambulance to arrive, and in a matter of a few minutes, they arrived.

As the paramedics swung the door open, Barbara made her way to assess the patient they brought in. But when she got close enough to see who it was, the doctor froze in complete shock. The sight of her son bleeding out in a gurney made it feel like Barbara’s entire world was going to shatter right then and there. Her baby boy, her ray of sunshine, was now dying right next to her. No, she thought. This was the irrational part of her mind speaking, Barbara did not know the full extent of Jim’s injuries. But, she had to let another doctor take care of her son. Holding herself as tightly as she could, Barbara watched her co-workers take Jim away. They did not question why she didn’t treat him, because practically everyone in the hospital knew it was her son, and Barbara knew that because of this fact, they would do everything they can to save him.

“Dr. L!!” The doctor snapped out of her train of thought and turned around to see Toby making his way towards her with tears in his eyes. Barbara braced herself as the teen came to her for a hug.

She stayed quiet and let the tears stream down her face while allowing Toby to break down. A paramedic came through the entrance and spotted the teen. “Hey! You can’t go running off like that without a doctor examining you.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of that.” Barbara muttered, her voice sounding dull and hollow. As more patients came to the ER, she began to recognize them to be students from her son’s class. “Come over here Toby, I need to examine you.”

“But Jim-”

“There’s nothing you can do right now except allowing me to make sure you’re alright.” Toby silently agreed, slowly making his way to one of the gurneys that were in the ER.

Barbara couldn’t do anything to help her son, but what she could do was to make sure these kids were alright and healthy. That’s all she could do, and the doctor hated that fact so much. As Barbara examined the redhead teen, she heard some commotion in the waiting room. The doctor saw Ophelia, shouting at one of the nurses to let her see her daughter while Javier was trying to calm his wife down.

Babara let out a tired sigh and told Toby, “Your injuries seem to be minor, but I want to run more tests to make sure you don’t have any internal injuries. For all of you.” She took a quick glance at the other teens before walking toward the waiting room. “Mrs. Nuñez, there is no need to cause a scene.”

“Cause a scene? My daughter was in a car accident! Do you know how common it is for someone to die in a car crash?!” Of course, Barbara did, she was a doctor. That’s why she was always anxious at the idea of her son riding a vehicle.

“How can you say such a thing? Your child wasn’t the only one in the accident and yet you don’t see us shouting at others like they own the place.” Detective Scott interjected, obviously offended by how the councilwoman was acting.

“Claire wasn’t supposed to be out there! None of them should have!”

Soon enough the other parents joined in on the argument while Barbara watched them with a tired stare. The doctor drowned out their voices with her own thoughts, not wanting to take part in this pointless bickering.

“Don’t tell me you’ve never broken the rules before! Going behind your parents’ backs for the sake of rebellion!”

It was very apparent that Jim needed surgery, but to what extent? She didn’t have enough time to see all of his wounds.

“Not when it comes to risking my own life for it!”

Should she call her family? They never gave the effort to be a part of her son’s life but that didn’t mean they never care about him. Barbara wasn’t sure how much of a support system he would need after this.

“Oh don’t give me that-”

What about his mental state? The traumatic experience will very much affect him in more ways than one. Does this mean she’ll have to get a counselor of some kind, or would her son be more comfortable with someone close to him? When it came to therapy, it was hard for Jim to adjust to such a change at a young age. But what if it wasn’t enough? What if thinking ahead was a pointless endeavor in the end? Jim not making it was still in the realm of possibility.

“People please.” The parents went silent by Nana’s stern voice, something that even Barbara rarely heard. “Arguing among each other will lead us to nowhere. Our children are hurt. This is not about you, so you must let Dr. Lake and the others do their jobs.”

Once the silence filled the room for a few moments, all eyes were on Barbara. “Some of them appear to have minor injuries as far as we know, and while others have more serious wounds, none of them seem to be fatal.” The doctor explained bluntly. She couldn’t have any emotion in her voice, otherwise the grieving mother in her would come out and that wouldn’t be so professional of her, she had to keep her emotions in check. “I will let you know when you’ll be able to see them.”

Each parent began to calm down and some of them took a seat. The doctor noticed someone she didn't expect to see from the waiting room. Coach Lawrence sat amongst the other parents. She only knew him as one of the teachers of the public highschool of Arcadia and nothing more. Barbara took a shot in the dark and guessed that one of the kids was one of his. She didn’t dwell too much on it, after all, their children were going to be fine.

Barbara took a deep breath and went back to the ER. The doctorly mask she’s been struggling to keep was still intact, but it was inevitable that it would have to come off, and she knew that.

After further testing, it is safe to say that Toby wasn’t suffering from any internal injuries, rather some lacerations and small head trauma. Barbara told him and the other students that some of them would stay here overnight for observations, just in case. The redhead didn’t want to leave with his nana just yet, he wanted to be there with his friends for support.

“You alright Claire?” Toby asked anxiously as he sat next to her.

“Yeah.... just the morphine that’s all…” She answered, her speech slightly slurred.

“Don’t worry Toby, in a few hours the drug will probably wear off,” Darci reassured, taking a seat on the right side of the bed. She had her in a cast on her arm and had a sling around her to support it. “Though I get the feeling that it isn’t Claire who you’re about.”

The redhead teen looked at the person next to him, her expression hesitant but still determined to obtain answers. He let a dry but quiet chuckle and said, “I would think that would be obvious by now.”

“Sorry. But you haven’t talked about it. I’m just trying to make sure that you’re alright, well that everyone is alright mentally, but for you specifically. Jim is your best friend and anything can happen. You might even have to brace yourself for the worst-case scenario.”

Toby cringed at the thought of losing Jim, grabbing the fabric of his pants with a tight grip. “Jim’s a fighter. You’d be surprised how much he can take.”

Darci couldn’t help but pity him, but she did not understand the true extent of Toby’s words. She did not know the countless fights the trollhunter faced with creatures that were twice his size.

“Did...did you see what attacked Jim? You and Steve are the only ones that found him and he won’t talk.”

The redhead’s eyes were glued to the floor with an intense stare. The image of one of his companions, his friend’s protector, slamming Jim deeper into the ground and leaving him there with no remorse. “I-it looks like a bear.” He muttered.

“A bear?” Darci repeated, who was having doubts.

“I think so. Look it was dark and I was still in shock, but to me, it seemed like it was a bear.” Toby couldn’t handle more of his classmate’s interrogation, he just didn’t want to replay the awful images in his head.

“Hey. Where are you going?”

“I’m going to get something to eat.” He responded.

“But we’re at a hospital.”

“I’m sure I can find something around here.” With that, Toby left before Darci could continue their conversation.

The girl’s eyes then wandered to the blonde bully. Like she said to her departed classmate, Steve refused to speak with anyone the moment the ambulance came. He just stood frozen, sitting in one of the gurneys with a blank stare. Darci cautiously shuffled towards the unresponsive student.

“Um. Toby told me what happened.” She said nervously. As much as Darci wanted to believe Toby, the girl always liked to double-check her facts. It’s helped wash the worries away.

“Why do you care?” Steve asked, his voice quiet but somehow intense enough that it made Darci uncomfortable. But she stayed persistent because if today meant anything, it was that Steve was like everyone else. That there were people he thought mattered and wasn’t so terrible, or at least that was what she hoped.

“Police get involved in this kind of stuff, so they ask questions. I thought It’d be easier on all of you guys if I asked first so there wouldn’t be any added stress on talking about it with a stranger. ” She explained before continuing with, “Toby said it was a bear that attacked Jim. Is that true?”

The blonde teen blinked, then said, “A..... bear?”

Darci only nodded. She could see how Steve was reeling in this information. “Yeah. That’s what I saw, probably the biggest bear I’ve ever seen.” The intense tone of his voice never left, but only grew. What would Steve be mad about? Unless Toby’s statement was false. “Where ‘s Domzalski?”

She didn’t want to tell him, cause it felt like that would only stir the pot. But they were at a hospital, so Darci had nothing to worry about, right? “He said that he was going to get something to eat but-”

Steve immediately got up and pushed his classmate aside to leave the ER. Darci groaned in frustration, already feeling her regret. The young student looked around and saw the police. She took a deep breath and tried to shake off her nerves, Darci needed to be there with her friends for this. She tried reassuring herself that there was nothing between the two boys.

Toby sat on the floor next to a vending machine, all while staring at the amulet that dimly glowed a blue light. The redhead managed to grab it just before the ambulance took him away. He dreadfully waited for the small object to do something, for better or for worse. Suddenly, someone grabbed Toby by the collar of his shirt and began dragging him into a secluded area in the hospital.

He was then shoved into a wall and dropped the amulet from his hand. The redhead gazed upwards to see Steve in front of him, who had a furious expression. While rubbing his neck, Toby muttered, “Oh come on…” to himself.

“A bear? That’s what you went with?!” He shouted.

“So I see you’ve talked to Darci,” Toby remarked, trying his best to smooth-talk his way out of this.

“Are you stupid?! No one is going to believe that a bear caused all of this!”

“You’d be surprised. There’s a lot of bears in California, you know?”

“Oh, my bad. I didn’t realize bears had enough strength to flip a car over, let alone breaking trees in half!” Toby wasn’t sure why the blonde teen was so mad at him for doing it, it’s not like he did anything better or anything at all when Darci asked him what he saw.

“Listen. It’s a lot more believable than what actually happened. I’m trying my best here so cut me some slack alright.” The redhead tried to leave but he was shoved back again, only this time Steve didn’t let go. “Urgh! What is your problem?! I was trying not to make us look crazy and yet you’re mad at me?! You have no right to treat me this way!”

The blonde teen faltered and let go of Toby. Jim’s words began to echo in his mind, “You just have a reputation okay? And not a good one, but you already know that. I know you are capable of being a nice person.”

He was doing it again, and Steve didn’t realize it. He was going back to the school bully that tormented others, going back to the person that everyone hated. “I.......I’m trying to be a better person....” Steve muttered, but more to himself than to Toby. “Sorry....”

“Well, at least you got it out of your system right?” The redhead bitterly said back.

Of course Toby didn’t forgive him, why would he? The blonde teen would’ve probably hurt him if he continued.

“Steve Palchuck....”

Both of them froze at the new voice, Steve wasn’t able to recognize it. “Steve Palchuck.....” He turned to the right to see a small object on the floor, the hands ticking away.

Toby quickly fell to his knees and snatched it from the floor, his hands shaking. The redhead looked absolutely terrified. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!” He got up and ran out of the room they were in, with Steve following behind.

This isn't happening. Jim was fine, he was fine. What Toby heard was just his mind playing tricks on him. His best friend wasn’t dead, he can’t. But the amulet said Steve’s name, that wouldn’t have happened if...... if......

The redhead stopped at a screeching halt at the sight of doctors blocking his path, one of them being Barbara. “What are you two doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at the ER?”

“Uh,” Toby looked back to see Steve, who was glancing away at the group of people. “We... just wanted to grab something to eat Dr. L, but we got lost. It’s a big hospital you know.” He couldn’t hold back the tears, as the idea of Jim being gone finally settling in. “Sorry about that.” Toby sobbed.

“No. Don’t apologize, this all must be very hard on you.” Barbara took one of his hands while wiping her tears away. She then took him to a few corridors until they made it to the ICU. When Barbara led Toby to one of the rooms, he quietly gasped. “He’s still in critical condition. But there’s hope that Jim will make it.

The redhead felt a tidal wave of relief wash over him. He wasn’t dead, his best friend was still here. But if that was the case, then why did the amulet call for Steve. Toby began to worry, was the amulet just preparing for the inevitable. Can it even do that?

Barbara left the room to go talk to the doctors again. She saw Steve standing outside of the room like he was afraid to even enter with Toby. The doctor had heard a lot about him, with none of it being good. However, Steve was just a child, and just like the rest of his classmates, he was terrified about this ordeal. So, despite her hesitance, Barbara silently allowed the blonde teen to stay.

Steve had expected Lake’s mother to kick him out, he wasn’t close to her son, not by a long shot. Now that it was just him and Toby, he felt intrusive and out of place. Steve was about to leave until the redhead spoke.

“Something’s wrong.”

“What?” He asked while seeing Toby holding his friend's hands.

“The amulet. It won’t call someone unless the previous user has died.” Oh. Steve sensed a chill slowly running down his spine.

“But Lake’s fine. He has tubes in his mouth, but he's still alive.” The blonde teen rationalized.

“I want to believe that too. But there has to be a reason why the amulet said your name.”

“Maybe it’s broken.” Toby raised an eyebrow at Steve's suggestion. He showed the small object in his hand and tossed it at his classmate.

“Does it look broken to you?” Steve inspected it, there didn’t seem to be any cracks or anything out of place as far as he knew.

“It’s magic, right? It’s messed up and we don’t see it.” The redhead groaned in frustration and pulled his hair back.

“Look man, I don’t have all the answers. I’m just spouting stuff other people told me.”

The blonde teen was unsure if this was the right time, but at this point, he couldn’t stand being in the dark anymore. “S-so, you know what caused this?”

Toby stayed silent for a moment, the lump now in his throat made it difficult to get the words out. “Yeah..... I guess I do.”

“Then can you please tell me what is going on? Because you can fool everyone in this hospital, but you sure as hell can’t with me.” Steve was able to control himself from shouting this time.

Once again, there was a long pause from Toby. All he wanted to do today was to get his peers to enjoy themselves. He wanted Jim to have one day, one day where he was at peace and didn’t have to worry much about his responsibilities. The redhead had never expected this to blow up on his face this hard. Now Steve was the trollhunter while there was a huge possibility of his best friend dying.

“Well then, you might want to sit down for this part. Cause it’s a lot to take in.” Toby said with a sigh, his eyes focusing on Jim. Hoping that the universe will be kind enough to keep him alive.

After a few hours, the sedative the doctors gave Claire wore off. She began to feel extremely sore in some parts of her body, most likely where the more severe injuries she suffered were treated. At some point, her parents were able to see her when Claire was moved to her own room. Most of the time it was just her mother scolding the young teen while her father watched with a sympathetic look. Like always, the councilwoman had to make it about her instead of her own daughter.

At this point, Claire had learned to just tune out the lectures. She had heard it enough times to understand her mother. That she’d be disappointed in her no matter what if Claire didn’t fit the perfect image the councilwoman envisioned. Soon, the young teen had the room to herself. As she waited for some of her friends to come, her phone began to vibrate from the counter on the right side.

Claire picked it up and that it was Blinky. She took a deep breath and braced herself. “Hello?”

“Ah, Lady Claire. Is Master Jim with you? There is something important we need to discuss and he hasn’t been answering my calls.” The troll greeted, his voice sounding somewhat relieved but still worried.

The young teen bit her lip, before saying, “Blinky. We were in an accident and-”

“Great gronka morka! Are you alright?!”

“I’m fine, Toby is too, but Jim...... he..... he was hurt pretty badly. I don't know what happened to him yet but I'll let you know as soon as I find out.” Claire explained nervously. She had started to wonder where the redhead even was since there was no sign of him despite being hours since Claire last saw him.

“Oh dear. This.... this is not good. What are we going to do now?” By the sounds of it, Blinky was talking about something completely different.

“What’s going on Blinky?” She asked.

“I’m afraid that this night will not get any better. The Tribunal has requested for the arrest of Master Jim.”

“What?! Why?”

“Apparently Usurna has evidence that Master Jim has released Gunmar into the surface.” This could not be happening right now. Jim was not in any shape of getting out of this hospital, but knowing how stubborn trolls could be, there was no telling what the Tribunal would do if the trollhunter didn’t show.

“Can you just explain what happened and just postpone it?” She knew all too well that trolls weren’t so kind to humans, especially for Jim’s case, but surely they can give him some form of sympathy and stop this.

“I’m afraid with an accusation as severe as this, it cannot be dropped so easily for the Tribunal are very adamant for punishment. If it’ll not be Master Jim, surely they’ll find someone else who was involved in it to take responsibility.” Claire quickly dropped her previous sentiment once Blinky clarified that this situation was not going to be easy to get out of. “Telling the ordeal you’ve been through tonight could give you for a few days at the very least. However, that’ll make the Tribunal restless which might not help your case.”

The young girl pinched the bridge of her nose, their options weren’t great, but there wasn’t much they could do. “Well, you’re doing your best. That’s really all I can ask for. Me and Toby will try and be there as soon as possible.”

“Very well then. I wish the best for you all.” As Blinky hung up, Claire sank herself further to the mattress of the hospital bed. Too much, there was too much going on with little time to actually process it. She then heard a knock on her door and saw Toby standing in the middle of the door frame.

“Hey Claire.” He sheepishly said.

“Toby, you just missed a call I got from Blinky.”

That caught the redhead’s attention as slowly walked closer to his friend. “Really? What did he say?”

Claire sighed as she began to fiddle with her phone. “Nothing good really, but before I tell you, any word on Jim?”

A tired smile formed on Toby’s lips. “He survived the surgery. Dr. L says that he has a long way to go but he’s doing fine all things considered.” The young teen felt a lot of her anxieties washed away and glanced at her phone.

“That’s.... that’s good to hear. I’m going text Blinky about right now.”

“Uhh sure you do that, but while you’re at it, there’s just one more thing I need to say, or show you in this case.” Toby didn’t make it seem like it was anything bad, but he was good at sugar coating things.

The redhead looked outside from the room and made a small gesture to someone to come inside, and that someone was Steve.

Claire blinked in surprise. “Oh. Hi Steve.”

Toby scratched the back of his head while saying, “Sorry I didn’t come sooner. I was giving out some good ol’ exposition to our “buddy” over here.”

The tension then came back to her and lifted herself out of bed. “You told him?”

“Easy there. He saw Draal the moment we found Jim, so there was no point in lying.” Toby was leaving something out, she could tell by the tone of his voice.

“The stupid amulet called my name,” Steve muttered. “But I guess the person who had it before is supposed to die.” It was obvious that he was uncomfortable at the thought, and who would be?

Claire stayed silent with a blank stare before saying, “I thought you said that Jim was alright,” with a frantic voice

“He is! It’s just that the amulet picked Steve for some reason, but before you take the chance to freak out more, mind telling us the not-so-good news Blinky gave you?” Right, there was also that. Man does this day keep getting better and better.

“Uhh, he said that the Tribunal wants to arrest Jim for releasing Gunmar.” Toby’s eyes widened in shock while Steve’s shoulders tensed up.

“That’s bad, right?” The blonde teen asked.

“Yeah, it really is. So what do we do now?” The redhead moved closer to his friend and sat next to her.

“We have to go to Trollmarket as soon as possible. Or least until I get discharged. If we don’t show, things will probably get worse.” Claire explained with a sigh.

“Do I have to come?” Steve didn’t want to ask that question, he really didn’t. But this was starting to sound serious, and maybe there was a small chance that he could help. How exactly? The blonde teen wasn’t sure.

“It’s really risky, especially since you never had any combat training.” As much as a frustrating person Steve was, she would never wish any harm on him. And if what she heard about Trollmarket’s reaction when they found out that Jim was the trollhunter was true, then bringing him along could lead to the exact opposite of what Claire wanted.

“But what if the Tribunal thinks we’re lying about Jim? We’re not someone who they really trust, and he could be backup, a fancy sword made of magic can do much wonders as a defense.” Toby suggested with a shrug. “And if something goes wrong, he has you, me, and Aaarrrgghh to help him out.”

The two boys watched the young girl weighing the options. Sure, it was two out of one, but Claire was smart. And at this point, she was silently placed as leader until further notice. “I can’t believe I’m going through with this, but we’re all pretty much screwed right now. So, do you have any trouble sneaking out of the house at night Steve?”

“Not at all.” He had successfully snuck out a few times to go to some late-night parties, this shouldn’t be any different.

In one of the private offices of the hospital, Barbara laid head first on the desk. She was on break and finally had time to let all of her exhaustion set in. The information given to her about Jim’s condition and the outcomes it might lead to.

The worst of her son’s injuries was the one on his spine. The doctors stated that most likely that he will have permanent damage to his nerves. There was no telling he would regain complete function of his limbs or would have to deal with something else. Either way, Jim’s body won’t work the same way as it used to.

As Barbara put her hands above her head, an elderly voice called to her. “Ah, there you are. I’ve been looking for you everywhere.” The doctor straightened herself and turned her chair around to see Toby’s grandmother. “Mrs. Domzalski-”

“Dear please, how many times do I need to remind you to call me Nana.” The old woman teased as she entered the room.

Barbara let out a tired laugh, removing her glasses to rub her eyes. “Old habit I guess. Though why were you trying to find me? I discharged Toby a few hours ago.”

“He wants to check on the councilwoman’s daughter. They’ve been friends for awhile you know.” Nana explained. “And also wanted to see how you were doing.” “What you’d expect I suppose.” She wanted to grieve, to let all of those raw emotions free, but Barbara just couldn’t at this point. And she knew that there wouldn’t be enough time even to do that if she could.

“Dear, I don’t believe I know the answer to that. Only you do.” Nana placed her hand onto Babara’s left shoulder. “And if you’re willing to talk to me about it, then I’ll know. It’s never healthy to keep everything bottled up.”

Barbara allowed the old woman’s word to sink in. “ I will give anything to do that, but I’m just so tired right now. I don’t have enough energy to even fall apart and cry for hours.”

“You know for someone whose job is to take care of people, you don’t seem to do that for yourself.” Nana never understood that. She could forgive those who didn’t have any extensive knowledge of health, they just didn’t know any better. Doctors, however, did. The old woman could remember the countless times she has seen medical professionals ignore their health.

“Well, I’d like to think that we’re the biggest hypocrites on earth,” Barbara explained with a quiet voice.

It took two days for Claire to get discharged, the doctors told her parents that she just had to take it easy for a few days. That statement made the young girl second guess herself about going to trollmarket but pushed the idea aside. Sooner the better, because there was no telling when the Tribunal’s patience would wear thin. When the night came, Claire took her shadow staff and created a portal while a small changeling watched from behind.

“Remember NotEnrique, you have to keep watch to make sure mom and dad don’t know I’m gone.”

“I hear ya. And I’ll let ya know if they come running over here.” The changeling added. Claire smiles at him before entering the portal.

In Arcadia’s canals, Toby and Steve stood below the bridge there waiting for the young girl to arrive. The two never said a word to each other for a good while now. Something about being alone with Steve made the redhead uneasy, bringing back the memory of him and Claire trying to retrieve the bridge pieces. Meanwhile, the blonde teen was too anxious about seeing trolls to even talk to Toby. He tried to play it cool at the hospital when learning that there was an entire society hidden underground in their town, but when Steve made it home, that’s where he took the time to openly show his nervous breakdown in his room.

Everything that felt out of place in Arcadia suddenly made sense. But very quickly he wanted to forget it, the mantle of being a trollhunter sounded too dangerous for his taste. Steve had no intentions of dying, and going through with this sounds like the exact opposite of what he wanted. However, the blonde teen would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious. And who wouldn’t? It’d be near impossible to just ignore the existence of magic and trolls and not look into it.

Steve’s were ripped away at the sight of a dark portal appearing in front of the two boys. Claire then hopped out of it and it quickly disappeared. She pulled her hair back and exhaled.

“Okay. We’re all here, now it’s time to face the music. Would you like to do the honors, Toby?” The redhead nodded and took out an orange crystal that had a wooden handle attached to it.

Toby made his way to the canal’s wall, with Claire and Steve following behind, and began to draw a curved line as big as he could. Once he was done, the redhead pressed his hand on the wall and in a matter of seconds, it began to break away into various pieces and disappear. Steve watched as Toby quietly went inside the glowy entrance. He extended his arm but pulled it away when it made contact with the magical wall.

“It’s now or never.” The blonde thought before jumping headfirst inside the canal’s walls.

What he was met with were massive blue crystal staircases that twirled around until they reached the ground. The blonde teen stared in awe by how beautiful the sight was, but had to divert his attention away to getting all the way down. Claire noticed her classmate’s reaction and decided to catch up to him.

“You know. I really wished this was under better circumstances.” Steve jumped at the sudden sound of the girl’s voice, almost falling off the stairs. He looked at her in confusion, so she continued as they walked. “Coming here for the first time, it’s a one of a kind moment. But the difference between now and before is that there were no lives at stake or trolls coming to arrest us. I just hope that when all this blows over, you get to share the same experience that we all had.”

It was very strange. Hearing someone genuinely talking to him, was it supposed to feel like this? First from Coach Lawrence, then from Lake, and now Claire, would he be able to get used to such a thing? As the three of them walked down the final set of stairs, two large creatures, which Steve assumed were trolls, pointed their spears at them. The trolls barely looked like the one he saw in the woods, but that didn’t make them less terrifying.

Toby and Claire stood in front of the blonde teen and took their weapons out with a defensive stance. It didn’t take long for more trolls to contribute to this ambush. They all looked the same except one, who came towards the group. Their appearance was formal and very fancy in Steve’s perspective.

“Where is the trollhunter?” Usurna hissed while glaring at them.

“Didn’t Blinky tell you? He’s at the hospital and is in no condition to come right now.” The troll scoffed at Toby’s notion.

“You could easily be lying. Trying to hide him from our grasp.”

The redhead glanced at Claire and muttered, “Told you they wouldn’t believe us.”

She turned to the blonde teen with a nervous expression. “Steve, take out the amulet.” He did as he was told and heard many gasps from the trolls at the sight of him. “Read the incantation.”

“Incantation?” Steve looked at the small object more closely and noticed there were words inscribed on it. “For the Glory of Merlin, Daylight is Mine to Command.” He read slowly.

The amulet began ticking and its blue aura shined. Armor then appeared out of nowhere and was placed onto Steve. It felt tight at first before the armor adjusted to his size. With a flash, Steve was holding a sword, which made itself slightly bigger than before.

“Holy shit.” He whispered, amazed by such magic.

“So..... the trollhunter died, and amulet dared chose another fleshbag to hold the mantle,” Usurna stated, disgusted at that fact.

“Did not listen to what I said. He’s still alive.” Toby quickly corrected, but before he could say anything else Usurna spoke.

“I believe it does not matter at this point. Arrest the human trollhunter.” She commanded before turning their back on them.

“What?!” The three of them shouted in unison.

The troll guards grabbed Steve by both arms and dragged him away. A fight or flight instinct came over Steve, an instinct that has been proven useful to him countless times. “Let go of me! Or else I’ll beat the hell out of you!” He thrashed and kicked at the trolls, yelling with all his might. But it was futile.

Claire ran for Usurna and blocked her path. “You can’t arrest Steve! He had no idea about all of this! Wouldn’t it make more sense to arrest the people who took part in the release of Gunmar?!”

“You have no authority over me, fleshbag. If James is unable to attend to his own arrest, might as well let this new trollhunter to fill in the role.” The troll pushed past the girl with such force to almost make her fall to the ground. “And besides, it’s more than Gunmar’s escape that will be put into question.”

As Claire helplessly watched Usurna leave, Toby sprinted to Blinky’s library for aid. Because this was not going according to what they planned at all. God, could there be one day where everything went smoothly without any issues?

#tales of arcadia #trollhunters #jim lake jr #steve palchuk #toby domzalski #claire nuñez #darci scott #nana domzalski #barbara lake #blinky galadrigal #jeves #vanilla writing

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avengersassemble-fics · 4 years

Text

Stark’s Girl

part 03/015 “i'll remind you of that everyday”

masterlist

previous part // next part

word count 3.9k

an: yes hello! this part is important for a certain relationship :) but I won't say which one to force you to read it lol I do feel like this part falls to that “gotta have a fill in part before the next important thing happens” but it’s still cute

Tony Stark has been looking forward to this day for the last 6 weeks. A whole 45 days have passed once you were discovered, since you started your reconditioning, and today he was finally looking at the chance to get you out of this place. He had the whole next week planned: you’d come back with him to New York and he would get you all settled into your own place in the Avengers Tower, and let you readjust to life in the city. Then, he would put out the idea of you going with him to help finalize the details of the facility he was working on just north from there, and from there he would just get to spend some quality time with his sister away from the watchful eye of SHIELD.

It was overbearing for him to have to sit there with you and be watched but you had handled those situations calmly. You were a lot more relaxed then he was, even going as far as to comment on it to him. Sure, you were joking around, which he found amusing, but they didn’t find it that much so. They told him that “those kinds of comments are cynical and harmful to the healing process.”

But they wouldn’t ever understand. It was a Stark thing. The demeaning sense of humor was like a coping mechanism for them. But you were just funny all around.

When they had given you what looked to be inedible food, you pushed it around with your fork and mumbled, “Being held captive by Hydra for that many years they at least never handed me a pile of trash to eat.” Tony had to cough into his napkin from laughter, and snuck you in a fattening hamburger the same night, and you both discussed the times your father bribed you both (especially you) with those kiddie meals from your favorite diner in hopes of not spilling to your mother of all his late work nights if she was traveling.

Another time was when it was Tony, you, and Steve, whom he had asked for his help on assessing your physical “attributes”. He watched as you were able to hold your own against him, until the last moment and Steve had you pinned against the ground, “My dad never told me you were so aggressive with women, Steve, but I can see the appeal,” to which Steve had loosened his grip on you and you’d flip him in a matter of second, “he did tell me that you were often intimidated by women. Guess that was right.” Tony had a shit eating grin that day, while Steve disappeared for the next few hours. You, on the other hand, didn’t even seem to be phased by his disappearance. But what Tony didn’t know about were the nights he wasn’t with you, Steve was.

That night in particular he had joined you with his laptop, as per usual, and the latest addition to his bucket list. You were slowly working your way through the Star Wars saga, even though you remember the original movies when you were younger, the details of them were lost to you. So you had eagerly sat up when the door opened, making room for Steve to sit with you on your bed. He didn’t mention the occurrence earlier in the day, and you didn’t either. Really, what could he say? You bested him with your words. He wasn’t upset about it.

That night, while watching The Empire Strikes Back, he got to see you in a new light. He watched you from the corner of his eye be completely immersed in this situation. Relaxed.

You.

It was a month since they had found you. And in that month Steve had learned a number of things. He learned that you were funny, you definitely shared that trait with Tony (although he would never admit that to him). He learned that when you were quiet you were actually analyzing the people around you, learning. You were smart and cunning, another thing you shared with Tony. He also learned that you don’t show your fear to others, not unless you trust them. At times, he felt you acted differently around Tony, and then around himself compared to others. Expected, yes, but he was . . . flattered in a way that you trusted him like that. But, on the other hand, you didn’t trust him as much as you trusted Tony. However, the nights where you two would spend alone time, it felt refreshing for him.

That night in particular, when the credits began to roll, he had never seen you react in the way you did. You had shot up from the bed, and had your hands rested on the side of your cheeks, mumbling to yourself, “Как они придумали это? Его отец? Джедай? (How did they come up with this? His father? A Jedi?)”

Steve chuckled to himself, and you shot him a daring glare, “Don’t laugh at me.”

“You didn’t see it coming?” He asked, to which you shook your head, and he laughed a bit to himself, closing his laptop. Something crossed your face, causing your brow to narrow and frown at him.

“So soon?”

Was that sadness he heard wrapped in your voice? He had tried to ignore it but it crossed his mind a number of times after that.

But today, Steve was looking forward to getting off this base once and for all. He was sitting in the meeting room, a number of SHIELD doctors entering, before Tony burst into the room, clapping his hands.

“Alright ladies and gentleman, let’s get this show on the road,” he greeted, earning not much of a response from the other agents, so he beelined for Steve. Tony sat next to him, resting an arm on the table and facing his companion.

“I’ve been looking forward to this day for the last 6 weeks,” Tony commented, and Steve crossed his arms over his chest, offering a nod.

“I’m sure you have, Tony.”

“Are you coming back to New York?” Tony asked, pulling a phone out from his jacket pocket. Steve shrugged his shoulders.

“Not sure, it’s time I got back to searching for Bucky,” he replied, earning a nod from Tony as he scrolled on his phone, typing every once in a while.

“Well thank you for these last few weeks,” he looked up from his phone, and smiled that toothy grin at him, “I needed someone here with me to help with her.”

“Of course, Tony,” he nodded, “how do you plan on introducing Pepper and her?”

“Carefully,” he sighed, sitting back in his chair, “Pep is in California right now, so it’ll give her a few days to settle in-”

As he was finishing his thought, the door opened up. Both men stood, as one shorter female agent entered, and followed shortly behind her was the new director (resurrected, or never really dead, that was classified). Phil Coulson looked just about the same, maybe a year or two older than the last time they saw him.

“Good morning everyone,” he greeted offering a kind smile as he pulled out the chair at the head of the table, “let’s get on with it shall we? Let’s start with the final evaluation.”

One of the doctors nodded and Coulson, Tony, and Steve all sat in their respective seats. The doctor opened up their file and cleared her throat.

“After careful evaluation, we’ve determined that Ms. Stark isn’t completely ready to be reintroduced to society.” Tony’s jaw dropped, and before he could interject she continued, “Over the last six weeks we have learned some things, but there is still much we aren’t aware of. She declines to share explicit details of her experience. When pressed further she goes silent and won’t speak further unless Mr. Stark or Captain Rogers are present, and even at that point in time, it’s casual. Not informative.

As far as physical evaluations, she appears to be completely healthy. Capable. The training she has and the little information we have determines she was trained similarly to the likes of Natasha Romanoff and—“ she paused to glance at Steve and then back to Coulson, ignoring Tony’s ever growing anger, “—and James Barnes. She’s proven to be able to hold her own against Captain Rogers. She could be dangerous if pushed too far.”

Tony saw his chance to interject, “This is such horseshit.” He motioned over to the doctors sitting across from him before his hand landed on the table. “We have done everything you’ve asked and you only spring up your concern now?”

“We have expressed our concern, but you have elected to ignore those--”

“Elected to ignore,” he mimicked and looked to Coulson. “The only thing they’ve complained about is how her humor is detrimental to the healing process, like they don’t know how I’ve coped in the past-”

“Tony,” Steve tried to cut in, but Tony kept going. This time, he stood, pointing at all of them.

“She was just a little girl, and you see her ways of coping as harmful when in reality, anyone can see that she is trying to hold onto that shred of childhood memory that she has left.” Steve knew better than to interrupt him, but one of the agents behind him didn’t. After trying to place a hand on Tony’s shoulder, Tony ripped his arm from his grip.

“She doesn’t belong here. Locked up and being ‘evaluated’. She needs to go somewhere where she can feel safe, and-and comfortable, you assholes are trying to take that--”

“That’s enough, Mr. Stark,” Coulson finally said out loud. Tony's attention went to him, as his chest heaved. “Please. Sit down.”

Tony looked back around the table before his eyes landed on Steve, who offered him a friendly nod to the chair he had shot out of. Tony grumbled something beneath his breath, and sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. Coulson leaned forward, his fingers lacing together on the table.

“I see the concern that they have,” he started and shot a warning look at Tony before he could interject. “I’ve gone over it myself. She is very skilled, and in some ways we didn’t get a chance to learn. But, Tony, you’re absolutely right. She won’t get any better if she stays here.”

“Sir--” one of the doctors tried to interrupt, but Coulson ignored them.

“I’m allowing her departure, with the agreement that you,” he said, pointing at Tony, “will be keeping a watchful eye on her while she is in your care. You can go wherever you want, do whatever you want, but she is your responsibility.”

“Thank you, Coulson-” Tony said before being cut off.

“I’m not finished,” Coulson said, and Tony nodded eagerly. His finger went to Steve’s direction, “I’m also allowing her care to fall upon you, Captain.”

“Sir?” Steve questioned.

“In the instance that Tony cannot be with her, I’m allowing you to be a responsible party. I need it to be understood where you go, she goes too.”

Steve was quiet, processing the plate practically pushed in front of him. Tony nearly whipped around in his chair to look at him, his eyes looking for some kind of answer on Steve’s face. Steve looked up from his hands, and at his friend. His mind trailed off to you, and that sad look you had given him the last night you spent time together. He offered a nod to Tony, who grinned and looked back to Coulson.

“Of course. We understand.”

----------

You had seen the pictures, you had pictured it in your mind but seeing it in front of you was like an out of body experience.

When Tony came to you in that room, leaving the door open for you, you felt a wave of happiness wash over your body. He smiled at you and wrapped an arm around your shoulders and placed a kiss to the side of your head. And you left. And you never looked back.

But in this moment, as Tony allowed you to unbuckle yourself and come to the front of the Quinjet (they called it that) to look out the front window, you were surprised. You held onto the back of his chair as the Avengers Tower stood high above the other building on the skyline. The sheer size made you mumble a wow beneath your breath, but he heard you and tossed a glance up at you. The kiddish amazement in your eyes made his heart soften. Tony carefully slowed the speed of the Quinjet before edging closer to the large platform on the building, and you steadied yourself as he brought the ship to a stop. On the platform, Steve Rogers awaited.

Tony took the time to flip switches off, and the back ramp opened, and you were eager to step out of the metal ship. Steve stood with his hands in his pockets, squinting against the blaring sunlight, but still offered you a smile.

“I hope Tony’s flying wasn’t too much to handle,” he called through the air. You shrugged your shoulders, and smiled back at him.

“I’ve experienced worse,” you responded back. You walked around the aircraft and looked out to the skyline before you. The edge of the platform had no end, and if someone wasn’t careful enough or paying attention, they were sure to fall right off. But you took steps closer and closer to the edge, mesmerized by the colors reflecting off the buildings of New York. It was a beautiful view. Your thoughts were cut short when a hand grabbed your arm, not too tightly, and you looked back at your capturer.

Tony looked at you with a hint of worry in his eyes, and you sighed, “Tony I’m just looking at the view.”

“I know,” he released your arm, and your eyes glanced between him and Steve who had followed around, “I know I just--”

“You’re just worried about me, yes, I understand.”

He didn’t reply but motioned back towards the looming modern building, and you felt as if you had to force yourself to walk past him and towards the glass doors that opened as you stepped closer. Steve joined beside Tony, both men walking behind you as you entered the building, the cool air conditioning hit your arms and you wrapped your arms in one another, looking around the room.

Tony had a very easy sense of design. Simple, modern, and mostly clean. It was appealing, but there wasn’t much sense of home here. You let him give you a tour around the place, before he showed you to your room. ‘Room’ was an understatement though, it was like having your own little apartment in this extravagant building. You sat on the bed when the two men were about to leave the room, before Tony spun around.

“Oh I almost forgot,” he spun around and clapped his hands, “I almost forgot to tell you about JARVIS.”

“JARVIS..?” you drawled out, and a voice rang into the room.

“Yes, ma’am that’s correct. I run most of the systems in this building,” the male voice said and you shot up from the bed, looking around.

“JARVIS is an intelligence system I created, over the years he’s been developed to run operations at Stark Industries, and now here,” he said. Tony moved his arms around to motion the building. “If you need anything, just ask him.”

You nodded slowly as he spoke, and settled back onto the bed. “Okay..”

Tony offered a small smile. “I’ll let you rest a bit, give you some privacy. I’m sure you miss that.”

“I did, yeah,” you replied. “Thank you, Tony.”

“Anything for you.”

But you never left your room. You never came back to the common area, or kitchen for dinner. The sun set, the moon rose, and Tony hadn’t seen you since he left you in your room. Of course, the only thing he asked of JARVIS was if you were okay.

“She’s fine, sir, just resting.”

He went to his room that night and couldn’t fall asleep for the life of him. The only sense of comfort he got was when Pepper answered his call, and her face filled his room.

“How’s it going?” she asked and he sighed, running a hand over his face.

“I don’t know. We got here and she’s been in her room ever since.”

Pepper’s eyes crinkled a bit at the side, and she nodded her head. “She just needs time, Tony, that’s all it is. She’s alone for the first time in years, that solitude sometimes it’s comforting.”

She wasn’t wrong.

You fell asleep shortly after Tony left you. You rested against a pile of pillows and pulled the blanket up to your shoulders, and slowly fell asleep while staring at a wall. When you woke up, darkness surrounded you, and you rolled onto your back. The lamp beside you came on and you rubbed one of your eyes. You blinked a couple times and furrowed your brows.

“What time is it?” you tested.

“It’s 11:06 PM,” JARVIS’ voice said. You sat up in your bed, and moved your legs off the side of the bed.

“Could you.. Could you show me the way to the kitchen?”

“Of course,” he said and you stood from the bed and moved to the door of your room. You pulled the door open and a small blue light on the wall was in front of you, and moved to your right. You followed, your bare feet quiet against the floor as you stepped along. You crossed your arms over your chest as you followed the blue light and it stopped at the elevator. You pressed the button and the doors opened up for you, and you entered. It moved on its own and you cleared your throat when it opened back up for you to exit.

The common area was larger than your room, but the kitchen was evident. You mumbled a thanks and quickly walked over to the fridge you could see and pulled the door open, grabbing a bottle of water. You practically tore the lid open and chugged half the bottle, walking back to the open living area. When you closed the bottle again, letting out a satisfied “ah” sound your eyes landed on the large TV screen on the wall.

You took a couple steps forward and the light in the room came on automatically. You sat down on the soft couch, and rested your arms on your legs.

“JARVIS?” you called out quietly.

“I’m here,” his voice said.

“Do you have any . . . personal videos of my family?”

He was quiet for a few seconds, and a part of you hoped he would say no, but that wasn’t the case.

“Yes, there is a number of footage I’ve found.” He paused as you sighed. “Would you like me to play it?”

“Yes,” you answered. The TV turned on and you set the bottle of water down on the coffee table and sat back on the couch, bringing your knees up to your chest.

Shaky, grainy footage started to play. The clicking of a camera sound was evident, and at first all you could see were feet. You furrowed your brows until the camera came up more, and there was Tony. His arm stretched out before him and he smiled at the camera.

“Dad didn’t see the point in filming,” his young voice echoed in the room, and he swung the camera around until your parents were visible, “but I think it’s important to film this.”

“Tony,” Howard warned, looking exceptionally disheveled as he was bouncing around a baby. You.

“Only a few weeks old and already taking your toll on dad, I gotta give her props,” Tony said again. A kissing sound came from close to the mic, and then Maria appeared.

“Tony, please, why don't you come and try feeding her?” her voice said, sweetness laced in it. The camera fumbled a bit, and the image cut out. You smiled, but the next one started almost immediately.

Happy birthdays filled the room you were in, and there in a high chair was you, already grabbing at the cake that was placed in front of you. Tony was beside you this time, not behind the camera. He was laughing as you smeared the cake around, flinging a small piece onto his cheek. The camera moved to show Maria, hurrying over to clean the mess, and a chuckle coming behind the camera.

“We’ve got a fiesty one on our hands, Maria,” his voice said playfully. She shot him a glare, and the feed cut out again.

This time, the next image was clearer and more colorful. Your face filled the screen, water surrounding you and your hair wet and glowing in the sun.

“And here we have the talented, undeniably prettiest girl in the world, little miss (Y/N),” as Tony spoke you swam backwards, giggling, “wanting to show off her handstand skills to mom and dad dearest.”

The camera swung around to show Howard and Maria, standing under a patio, and Tony zoomed in on their faces. You shook your head.

“Stop,” you whispered, and the footage stopped. At some point your eyes had watered, and a tear slid down your cheek. Your eyes were focused on the crystal clear image of your parents, alive, and looking on at their children happily. Another tear fell at the thought and you let it. You let the tears fall even when someone came over next to you and sat beside you.

They didn’t say anything, but just looked at what was on the TV. You rested your chin on your knee, staring ahead.

“Everything I told you I really do remember,” you whispered, “but there’s not a lot I recall, and everyday I feel like I remember them less and less.”

You shook your head and a tear slid down your cheek. “I can’t remember their faces without seeing a photo or--or this . . . Tony, I don’t want to forget.”

You were looking at him now, the tears on your face highlighted by the glow from the TV. Tony brought his hand up to your cheek and wiped away a tear, his hand resting there and you leaned into his palm. “You won’t forget them, you won’t,” he repeated.

His other hand went to your other cheek, cupping your face in his hands. “You won’t ever forget how much they loved you, the joy you brought to their lives--to mine.” He paused and smiled sadly at you. “And I’ll remind you of that everyday if I have to.”

You nodded a bit as he spoke, and he brought you closer to him, placing a kiss to the top of your head. You instinctively wrapped your arms around his chest, and nestled yourself into his side as one of his arms wrapped around your shoulders. You were curled into him, and he rubbed your shoulder slowly.

Neither of you said anything for the rest of the night. Tony held you until he could hear the even breaths leave your body, and he knew you were asleep. But he didn’t move. He stayed there and rubbed your shoulder until he fell asleep too, his head falling backwards against the couch.

----------

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#Steve Rogers #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers fic #captain america #captain america fic #tony stark #tony stark x reader #Tony stark fic #stark!reader #Avengers #avengers x reader #avengers fic

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timeagainreviews · 3 years

Text

My Series 10 Rewatch: Knock Knock

Hello, my fantastic friends! I am sorry I have been so quiet. I got coronavirus in February and it really wiped out my energy. I am finally starting to bounce back and feel like leaving the house once more. This beautiful Scottish spring we’re having has definitely helped. I also lost my grandpa this week, so I've been all over the place, emotionally. Obviously, such a big pause in the middle of a series 10 rewatch is disruptive, so I would rather just dive back in if it's all the same. When last we were gathered, I was talking about "Thin Ice." Since then, the ice has thawed and I am now up to series 10 episode four- "Knock Knock," by one-time Doctor Who writer Mike Bartlett.

An aspect of Doctor Who which I love about Steven Moffat’s era is that the Doctor and his companions didn’t spend every waking moment of their lives together. Unlike companions of the past, who basically left behind their family lives to galavant across time and space, the companions of the Moffat era had home lives. Not only did this make for some humorous moments, such as the Doctor landing his TARDIS in Clara’s bedroom on date night, it also set up the characters for something of an actual life. "Knock Knock," uses this separation of worlds to establish one of its central themes- can you have a normal life with the Doctor?

Being a poor student in London, Bill is forced to look for a flat with a group of people she only sort of knows. This is your typical group of students, eclectic and young. The biggest commonality they have is they can’t afford a place on their own. One of the ways in which this makes the episode suffer is that none of them has much chemistry together. However, it does enable Bartlett to explore deeper concepts, such as the fear of meeting new people. Our characters are forced to deal with a deadly situation with people who are basically strangers.

The other commonality they have is Bill’s mate, Shireen. I got momentarily excited the first time I heard her name, but only because I thought it was going to be Rose’s best mate Shareen. Also, it would mean that Rose and Shareen had like a 10 year age difference, which would be weird. Shireen is a bubbly sort that seems gung-ho about everyone getting on. This doesn’t stop 90% of their interactions from being a total cringefest. Not one of these characters is particularly likeable. Pavel, the musician of the group, and the one character with maybe a bit of culture becomes a wall pretty early on, so it’s a bland time from there on out. But that’s getting a bit ahead of ourselves.

After a montage of disappointing flats ("Oh my god, the toilet is is what room?") the gang stands defeated. But like a beacon of light, comes a glimmer of hope in the form of John, a man who clearly prowls the streets for groups of youths. The gang is willing to overlook the obvious stranger danger about John because he has something they need- a giant house at a reasonable price. It’s another one of those deeper concepts being explored here that I think Doctor Who does so well. The show operates well when it preys upon basic fears. In this case, it’s the fear of the creepy landlord. The fear that your home life may be dictated by a creepy man who carries a tuning fork and forbids you to enter certain parts of the house like it’s Beauty and the Beast.

Arriving as if to say "No, Bill, you can’t have a normal life," is the Doctor. After using his TARDIS to move her belongings, Bill is quick to send him off. She even foregoes the traditional six-pack of beer and pizza, the universal payment for friends helping one move house. Of course, the moment the Doctor enters the derelict abode, his Time Lord senses are pinging. The Doctor isn't just an embarrassing "grandfather," type, but also a threat to any semblance of a normal life Bill can hope to have. As I said, this is familiar territory in the Moffat era. A funny side effect of the Doctor's attempts at allowing his companions to live normal lives is it only adds to the sharp contrast between both existences. Perhaps this is immersion therapy on the Doctor's behalf. Letting his friend remember what the world is actually like so as to not disassociate her from her own time and place. Or perhaps it is the Doctor softening the blow of eventually losing his friend.

The Doctor leaves long enough for two things to happen. Firstly, Pavel is listening to some music and suddenly is eaten by the house. Nobody seems to notice. Secondly, the new housemates have a bit of a games night for their first night at 11 Cardinal Road. There's no cellphone reception and the house is nowhere near up to code. I applaud them for trying to build up these characters, but it never really gels. Their merriment is cut short after hearing a noise in the kitchen. Scooby-Doo style, Bill leads them to the pantry where she finds the Doctor never actually left. They decide to head to bed, but the Doctor decides he's going to stay up with Felicity and Harry and listen to music. He also reminds Bill to maybe check on Pavel who has not been seen all day.

Now back in the sitting room, the gang is surprised to find John present. He addresses their problems with the amenities and waxes strange about having a daughter to look after. The Doctor asks John who the Prime Minister is, but he is unable to answer. Before they can ask more questions, John disappears down the hallway, but not before sounding his tuning fork against the wood. On her way to bed, Bill has the most cringe conversation with her new housemate, Paul. Paul fancies Bill. Bill fancies girls. I get that they may have wanted a scene where Bill flat out says to the audience that she's gay, but Paul comes off as super creepy. I wouldn't have an issue with this, but I feel like we're meant to find Paul endearing. It's hard for me to place what exactly they were going for in this scene. Paul, mate, you just met her. You just moved in together. Maybe let the paint dry first.

Luckily, like a shot from the dark, the plot saves us from having to stand in the hallway of awkwardness. Paul, having gone to his room, screams. Thinking he's having a laugh, Bill and Shireen go knocking on his door, only to find the return knock sounding across the hallway wall. The house begins to creak and shudder while doors slam shut. It's like something from a haunted house movie. In many ways, it follows a familiar trope from Doctor Who. The house haunted by aliens. We've seen it in "Ghost Light," "Hide," or even Edward Grove from "The Chimes of Midnight." Though I would argue that here, there is less grist for the mill. "Knock Knock," is a more stripped back, simple story. And in that way, I find it begins to lose me as the mystery unravels.

As the housemates run through the house, trying to escape whatever is happening, they find Pavel in a state of flux. Something about the music on his record player skipping has kept him from being completely absorbed by the house. I will say, this is a great bit of body horror on the makeup department's behalf. Everything about Pavel looks like a guy getting eaten by a wall. As it turns out, the tuning fork and the music have more to do with what's going on as the Doctor discovers the house infested with alien lice known as "Dryads." Using his sonic screwdriver, the Doctor is momentarily able to draw the bugs out from the grain of the wood. The Dryad is not your common woodlouse, as it appears to move through wood like water. Even in my second viewing, I found myself wondering if this is kind of cool or kind of dumb. I vacillate between the two.

In many ways, this is both Doctor Who's greatest strength and its greatest weakness. The surreal nature of a time-travelling police box affords us things like sentient planets, talking chair frogs, and killer mannequins. On the other hand, it gives us farting aliens, gamma radiation in the form of lightning, and the Doctor screaming until a window smashes. I remember reading an Eighth Doctor book where horse people read books on their planet by licking them and tasting the story. Sometimes, Doctor Who is bloody brilliant, and other times, it's bloody embarrassing. But that's partly why I love it. This kind of freedom gives it freshness. One week we get a priest buzzing like a wasp as he talks, the next we get River Song and the Vashta Nerada.

Now, I'm not saying "Knock Knock," is bad, but it is a little dumb. I've already complained about the dopey kids nobody cares about, and the silly aliens that aren't that scary, but the end of this episode is where it really kind of evens itself out. As I said, I vacillate between this being a good and a bad story. We learn that the reason John doesn't want anyone up inside the tower of the house has nothing to do with safety, and everything to do with a dark secret. After discovering the unclaimed belongings of previous occupants over the span of decades, the housemates learn that they are just the latest in a long line of people being fed to the house.

I found the motivation of the Dryads a little hard to understand. It seems weird to me that a woodlouse would want to eat people, but here we are. As it turns out, John has found a way to keep his "daughter," Eliza, alive using the Dryads. After noticing they respond to sonic vibrations, John has been using the tuning fork the make them do his bidding. It's a simple arrangement- he feeds students to the Dryads, the Dryads keep Eliza alive as a wooden woman, hidden away in the tower like some forgotten ghost. Once again, the makeup department has done its job. You genuinely believe Eliza is a woman made from wood. I especially like how they used papery twine for her hair.

They do a good job giving reasons why the housemates can't call for help. No wifi, no reception. But it is hard to imagine that over the course of decades, nobody came looking at this giant house for clues of their missing loved ones. Maybe they did and the house ate them as well. All I know is that it's mighty convenient that not one prospective tenant said to their mum or dad "Hey, I'm moving into a giant house at 11 Cardinal Road." Hell, even the Doctor helped move Bill in. What was John's big plan for when the Doctor came around looking for his "granddaughter?"

By this point, several of the housemates have been eaten by the house. Honestly, I could care less about which ones. I think Paul got his, and of course poor wooden Pavel. Or would that be wooden panel? I can't stress how little I care about these characters. Am I cold? I don't think so. We never see them on the show again. They don't matter in the slightest. With the Dryads closing in, the Doctor and Bill have to think quick. Which is when they realise that the timelines don't match up. If John were Eliza's actual father, he would be long dead. Seeing as he is not also made of wood, they deduce that he is in fact not Eliza's father, but her son. Unable to say goodbye to his ailing mother, John has been preserving her. Eliza has been through so much trauma that she has completely forgotten this fact. It's all rather depressing if I'm honest.

Depressing is okay though. What's Doctor Who without the occasion trudge through misery? Of course, it's not all doom and gloom, as Eliza restores all of the young people, once again leaving me to question why they were eaten in the first place. Were they transmuted into energy and simply recombined? It's the best explanation we're going to get, which is fine. David Suchet gives a powerful performance as he begs his mother not to end their lives. His performance is, by far, one of the strongest elements of this episode. Eliza and John are both overtaken by the Dryads, who are off presumably forever. I suppose the threat of Dryads is no longer looming now that their puppet master is no longer pulling their strings.

All in all, I find myself without much to say about this episode. It's not bad, but it's not a banger either. Even writing this review has been a bit of a slog. I find myself hard-pressed to really have any strong feelings one way or the other, and sometimes, that's just how it is. I will say it is the brownest episode of Doctor Who I’ve seen since the ‘70s. The BBC really knew how to dull down colour back then. Sigh... The best I can say about "Knock Knock," is that it's fine, really. There's nothing really wrong with it other than being kind of dull. I think if they'd have tried harder to make the characters more relatable it could have helped. Not every villain needs to be the new Daleks or Weeping Angels. Unlike some of the other episodes in my series ten rewatch, my opinion on this episode has changed very little. I would be as equally surprised to hear someone say this episode was terrible as I would be to hear it's their favourite. This is the kind of Doctor Who you can have on in the background.

Much like we followed the lacklustre "The Unicorn and the Wasp," with the transcendent "Silence in the Library," I am very excited for the next episode in my rewatch- "Oxygen." Another anti-capitalist romp in the vein of "Smile," is just what I need right now. Now that I am back and feeling up to writing again, you should expect to see a bit more output. I wanted to cover the BBC's Youtube Dalek series, of which I have not watched a single frame. I've been putting it off because I wanted to talk about it on here. I have a few non-review articles in mind, but I don't like to promise too much. What I am saying is that you can expect more, soon! Take care!

#doctor who #series 10 #knock knock #David Suchet #bill potts #Pearl Mackie #Twelfth Doctor #Peter Capaldi #dryads #wood #bbc #tardis #rewatch #Time and Time Again

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dreamcatcherfication · 4 years

Text

Dreamers in Fantasyland - Part 1

*SCREECHES IN UNADULTERATED PAIN*

Ahem, anyway. Hello! Why am I starting a new series you say? Well because this was requested by the woderful @theatergirl06, who requested Parrlyn and KatAnna with lots of romantic rescuing. You have no idea what you’re in for with this series. Anyway, this is going to be four parts long and I’ve already written everything, so parts will come out whenever I have no other content to post. Sorry for any spelling/grammatical errors, I wrote this at 4 AM.

(You’re all about to be very confused with this series. Even I don’t know why this exists....)

Writing Masterpost

If you want to send a request or a prompt, my inbox is always open! I publish a story at 8:00 AM PST everyday, so I’m always in need of new ideas. If you want to be tagged in my works, just let me know and I’ll be sure to tag you!

Prompts | More Prompts | The Trifecta of Prompts | Original Prompts

Trigger Warnings: Descriptions of nausea and feeling sick

When Cathy Parr woke up, she expected to be in bed with her girlfriend Anne Boleyn. Instead, when she opened her eyes, she was immediately greeted with unfamiliar surroundings and unfamiliar sounds. Primarily, the heavy snoring of her girlfriend was gone, replaced with the quiet inhales of whoever was in bed next to her.

Rolling over, Cathy was even further surprised when she almost fell off the bed and onto the floor. Apparently this was a single bed, unlike the one she and Anne shared, and her companion was on a separate bed on the opposite side of the room. The sheets of her bed were coarse and rough, the bed itself barely held a foot off the ground. “What is this?” Cathy mumbled to herself, taking in the room. It was frightening how similar it looked to the peasant houses during Henry’s reign.

With the pottery along shelves and brown walls, this was either a really good model for a renaissance fair or - “Cathy, you’re awake!” Came the voice of the other person in the room.

Although her English accent was thicker than Cathy remembered, she instantly recognized Kat’s voice. “Kat?” she rubbed her eyes, hoping that the peasant home would fade away and she would wake up in Kat’s room. When nothing changed, Cathy asked, “Where are we?”

Giggling, Kat threw the blankets off her bed and made her way over to Cathy. Kat still retained the childish glint in her eyes, but she was more refined than Cathy remembered her. She no longer slouched when moving, but kept a perfect posture and a dazzling smile. “Well I’d hoped you would recognize your own house, but you did take quite a fall last night.” Cathy’s mind was spinning, unable to grasp what Kat was telling her.

“This is my house?” Cathy couldn’t help but feel slightly embarrassed at how dirty and beat up it looked. “What’s going on?” A dull headache had begun to throb in the back of Cathy’s skull, distracting her from her new world.

Without any real concern, Kat titled her head to the side. “You snuck me out of the palace last night, remember? I was hoping no one would notice a noble girl and her servant missing, so we escaped right under their noses!” she grew excited from just telling the story. “While we were running through the docks, you were tripped up by a drunk sailor and you hit your head in a nasty way. You said you were fine, but maybe something got knocked around up there,” she pointed to Cathy’s skull.

“Wait wait wait,” Cathy put her hand up. “I’m your servant?” This was a lot to handle, and Cathy needed a basic idea of how things worked in this strange, foreign world.

Playfully punching Cathy’s arm, Kat replied, “Only by official terms. We’ve been friends for so long, I can’t even remember a time when I considered you a servant and not a friend. Father doesn’t approve of our friendship, but he doesn’t have control over us.” Flipping her hands, Cathy stared at her dark skin. Was that why Kat’s father didn’t like her? This body she was in was similar (although minorly different) to her modern body and felt distinctly different from her Tudor body. This was clearly wrong.

A sickening feeling overcame Cathy and she put her hands against her stomach. Gagging, she leaned over as if she was going to vomit. “Cathy?” Kat frantically leaned next to her. “Are you sick? Should I fetch a doctor?”

“No Kat,” Cathy stayed hunched over, waiting for the pain to pass. It took a few moments, but the feeling faded. It must’ve been something to do with adjusting to her body and this new reality.

The noble girl bit her lip but didn’t move from beside her friend. “I hope you aren’t too unwell. We have to be back to the palace soon for the banquet celebrating Princess Mary’s return to court.”

Freezing, Cathy lifted her head to stare at Kat. “Princess Mary? Kat… who are the Queen and King?”

Kat must have assumed Cathy’s fall was causing her to act so confused, because she didn’t comment on the absurdity of the question. “King Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth! Their beautiful daughter Mary is set to inherit the throne. The King thinks she’ll make a wonderful ruler one day.”

This… was not the history Cathy remembered. In fact, King Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth had died long before Cathy and Kat were even born. And Edward V was supposed to succeed Edward IV, not Mary. What did this mean? “Kat, what year is it?”

Without missing a beat, Kat answered, “1465.”

This couldn’t be real. Cathy couldn’t accept that this was reality. She and Kat were alive in the past - as impossible as it sounded - but they weren’t their past selves. Kat was only a couple years younger than Cathy herself, not the early teens queen that she had been in the past. She had all her memories of the present - future? Cathy didn’t know, but she remembered the 21st century and her newfound family. Cathy remembered her girlfriend, Kat’s cousin, who she wanted nothing more than to be with right now.

But instead, Cathy was walking beside Kat as they made their way to the banquet hall where Princess Mary would be arriving. She and Kat shouldn’t even be alive during this time period, and it felt wrong to be in these halls. But Cathy kept her mouth shut and stayed beside Kat as they passed nobles she could not name. “Jane!” Kat called, running past Cathy to the woman in question.

Jane was strikingly different yet exactly as Cathy knew her as. Her blonde hair was the gone, now a wavy brown, but her loving eyes still sparkled whenever she saw Kat. The way she walked and held herself was identical to her future self, Cathy noted silently. Kat hurled herself into the woman’s arms, practically toppling her in place. “Hello Kat,” she ran a hand through the girl’s hair. “Awfully excited today?”

Pulling away, Kat bounced on her feet. “Yes! I have a wonderful gift for Mary, and I can’t wait to surprise her with it.”

“I’m sure it’s wonderful dear,” Jane replied, smoothing out Kat’s rumpled dress. Cathy put a hand to her forehead, the throbbing momentarily returning. Something about what Kat had said didn’t feel right, but she couldn’t place it, not with the pain in her skull. “Cathy, are you alright?” Jane reached a hand out but didn’t touch Cathy.

“She hit her head last night,” Kat explained. “Cathy can barely remember anything.”

It was strange how Jane didn’t seem bothered by this information at all. “Well, I’m Jane, one of the Queen’s maids of honor. I used to work at a famous pub on the Isle of Wights before I was lifted into court. I look after Kat while her father is away on business.”

Taking in the information, Cathy tried to hide her utmost confusion. This wasn’t the past. This was the future but… they were in the past? All of it was making Cathy’s head spin. “I remember you, Jane,” Cathy said as vaguely as possible. She wasn’t lying, and this way she could convince the two other queens - could she call them that? - that she was okay.

“That’s progress!” Kat cheered as if Cathy was a complete amnesiac.

Listening to the drunk calls of courtiers in the banquet hall, Jane sighed. “I’m going to have to leave you two and check up on the kitchens. The queen instructed me to keep an eye out for anyone stealing food. Things have been disappearing all over the palace recently, and she fears the thief will head for the food stores next.”

“While Princess Mary is visiting?” Kat questioned. “Wouldn’t they try to steal her jewels instead? It’s a much bigger prize than some bread.”

Jane shook her head. “It’s not my place to question the Queen.”

Her answer seemed to satisfy Kat who waved at Jane as she left the pair to go find the kitchens. Cathy watched her go, suddenly feeling empty without the third queen with them. Jane had always provided stability, something she still retained in this world, and it was something Cathy needed to latch onto as the world spun around her.

Kat grabbed her arm and pulled Cathy past the banquet hall and through the palace. “Kat, where are we going?” Cathy asked, noticing how guards became fewer and far between as they traversed the halls.

“Ssh,” Kat shushed her friend. Stopping in front of a door, Kat pushed it open and stumbled inside. “This is the common room for servants. You won’t remember, but we discovered a hidden panel that leads directly to the royal chambers!”

Frowning, Cathy observed the plain room. “So we’re the thieves Jane was talking about?”

“What? No,” Kat seemed horrified at the idea. “I would never steal from the royal family. And you never liked using the passage, so I don’t think you’re the thief.”

Balancing herself on the wall, Cathy felt another dizzy spell come on. This one was shorter, a sign that she was adjusting, and it passed quickly. “So why are we down here Kat?”

“Oh.” Kat moved across the room to the far end of one of the walls. She started fidgeting with a loose panel of the wall until it came off, revealing a dark hall. “Remember when I said I have a surprise gift for Princess Mary?”

“I might not remember much but that was five minutes ago, Kat,” Cathy rolled her eyes.

Clearing her throat awkwardly, Kat gestured to the passage. “Well I’m going to hide it in her room. We sneak into her bedchambers and hide the gift with a letter from you. With my stealth and your writing skills, it will be the best thing she’s ever seen!”

Kat seemed far too enthusiastic for breaking and entering, but Cathy let it go. What was the worst that could happen?

“Have you finished with the letter?” Kat was pacing around Mary’s room, poking at all the different antiques and riches spread about.

Glancing down at the blank page in front of her, Cathy nervously replied, “Uh, almost done.” Kat made a grunt of acknowledgement and continued to pace. “What did you get Mary?” Cathy asked in order to distract herself from her inability to write. Part of Cathy knew she could write the letter easily, but something was stalling her from actually putting her quill against the paper. It only served to keep them in the room for longer than was necessary as Cathy’s frustration grew.

Pulling out a small satchel, Kat revealed the gift to Cathy. It was a beautiful glass swan with a black pearl that served as the eye of the swan. “It’s beautiful,” Cathy murmured, staring at the miniature sculpture.

Smiling fondly, Kat nodded. “It was my mother’s. I hope Mary will enjoy it as much as I did.”

Recoiling from the swan in surprise, Cathy watched Kat with an open mouth. “This was your mother’s and you’re just going to give it away to the princess?”

“She needs a gift,” Kat scuffed her foot against the flooring. “The King requests jewels, and this is the only thing of value I have.”

Hatred filled Cathy’s chest as she was reminded of the ways of the English Court. How subjects of the King were forced to give up their greatest possessions only for the royal family to discard them amongst countless other ‘worthless’ items. But Kat didn’t know any better. So Cathy didn’t say anything. She returned to her letter, forcing her hand to put a small splotch of ink on the parchment. A gasp from Kat pulled her attention away once again. The girl had opened Mary’s trunk and was admiring the princess’s many gowns. When Kat started to reach into the trunk, Cathy stood up. “Kat,” she warned.

The wonderment in Kat’s eyes almost won the writer over. She was pleading with her gaze, and it was working on Cathy without her permission. “One dress? Please?”

Relenting, Cathy nodded. “You can try on one dress. Then we leave and return to the banquet hall.”

“Thank you!” Kat beamed. Cathy turned away so she could offer Kat a small form of privacy. She stared at the letter and continued to procrastinate actually putting something on the page. Why wouldn’t her hand just write the words? Quicker than she would’ve liked, Kat spoke up, “Cathy, do I look like a princess?”

Spinning around in her chair, Cathy couldn’t help herself from going slack-jawed. Her friend looked exactly as Cathy remembered her during her reign as Queen of England. It was a horrible sense of nostalgia, and Cathy felt pains in her heart from seeing Kat dressed up. “Cathy, are you alright?” Kat stepped forward, concerned with her friend’s silence.

“I’m fine, just,” Cathy steadied her voice, “change back into your clothes before someone finds you.”

Kat’s youthful glee was gone, replaced with worry for Cathy. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yes, thank you,” Cathy murmured. Kat stepped away, but before she could change out of her clothes, there was a knocking on the door. The two girls shared a terrified glance before Cathy started to improvise. “Pretend you’re the princess,” she ordered Kat.

“What?” Kat was against the idea.

“You’re dressed up as the Princess, you pretend to be her!”

Panicking when another knock came, Kat lowered her voice and spoke haughtily. “I’m indecent, come back another time.” Then she turned to Cathy and asked, “Did that sound like Mary?”

Without any actual way of knowing, Cathy gave her two thumbs up and whispered, “Couldn’t even tell you two apart.”

And then the door came crashing open, a woman in britches running in sword first. Kat screamed and launched herself at Cathy, grabbing her friend and holding her tight. The two of them backed up against the wall as the swordswoman approached them. The door swung shut behind her, shutting them in.

Cathy’s head darted to the side when she heard the window click open and another swordswoman climb through it. Once the woman was inside, she turned her back to Cathy and locked the window, obscuring her face. But when she turned around, Cathy cursed herself for not recognizing either of the women earlier. “Anne? Anna?” she asked, holding Kat against her chest.

Anne Squared, like Jane and Kat, were creepily akin to their 21st century selves. The biggest difference for Anna was that she was younger than her modern self. Barely twenty one, Cathy guessed, but she had the hardened eyes of someone who had been doing this for a long time. Anna’s skin was thick and dark, matched with the familiar air of self confidence she always had. Her outfit was a mismatch of a cheap red tunic and black slacks that complimented her fierce eyes. Her sword was sharp and threatening, but Cathy couldn’t picture her actually hurting someone with it.

“How do you know our names?” demanded Anne, stalking forward and pulling out the second sword on Anna’s belt. She pointed it at Cathy’s throat and spit at the ground. Anne’s voice was huskier than Cathy was used to, and it sent her for a loop. Her not-girlfriend was wearing a mostly black outfit, her belt and hat colored with her signature green. It was unnerving how similar yet different this Anne was to the Anne that Cathy was used to. “Eh?” Anne pushed, taking a step closer.

Hugging Kat closer, Cathy struggled for an answer. “You remind me of someone I know,” she offered lamely, hoping they would buy it.

For whatever reason, Anne chose not to push it. “Well it doesn’t matter, you’re coming with us.”

“What?” Kat poked her head out from under Cathy’s arm. “Are you kidnapping us?”

“That’s indeed what we’re doing,” Anna smirked at Kat, causing the girl to once again bury her head in Cathy’s chest. Holding her friend, Cathy tried to offer her a feeling of safety. She knew Anne and Anna would never hurt them, but Kat didn’t know that.

“Princess Mary,” Anne addressed Kat, “and her…” Anne looked Cathy up and down in a way that made her want to slap the girl that was supposed to be her girlfriend, “strange, yet beautiful servant.” Anne winked, “You’ll do quite well for ransom.”

By the way Kat froze in Cathy’s arms, she could tell they both realized their mistake. “I’m not Prince-” Kat started, but Anna cut her off.

“Please don’t make me hurt that pretty mouth of yours,” Anna waved her sword in a circle. “You two come quietly and no one gets hurt.”

Glancing down at Kat and then at the two swords pointing at her face, Cathy made the decision for them. “Okay.”

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