#seeing him dance around and away when people try to reel him in | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

abibliophobiaa · 10 months

Text

Summary: You’ve never been one for love. Especially after your last round with it. Halloween rolls around and in comes Eddie Munson. He’s only in town for a couple days, you’re looking for no strings, and chances are you’ll never see him again anyway.

Easy, right?

That is, until you end up with an unexpected party favor.

mini series masterlist

next chapter

——

warnings: alcohol; smut; unprotected p in v; unplanned pregnancy and associated symptoms; major miscommunication. eddie munson x afab!reader(7k words)

——

“You’ve been staring around for hours. No one is catching your eye? Not even slightly? You’re not doing brain surgery, you’re just trying to get your toes wet.”

You knew this. But the music had been too loud, the room too heated, your body tucked away against the bar as you sat beside your best friend, sipping on a watery margarita that the ice had long since dissolved into.

All around you people bobbed and swayed to ‘Monster Mash.’ Cliche by all means, and yet it felt fitting when you appraised the crowd once more and noted the mummy dancing with his zombified partner. Further out you caught a werewolf in a particularly compromising position with a vampire, and a group of clowns crowded together hosting what looked to be a meeting.

“What about that Westley guy?”

Right — the one everyone had been talking about all night. The man who had the nerve to dress up as the direct counterpart to your own costume. With a huff, you hiked your leg up, crossing one over the other against the stool. The red dress around you shifted and moved, fingers reaching to adjust the belt around your waist.

“I haven’t seen him.” You shrugged, taking another sip of your drink. “For all I know, he doesn’t exist.”

Micah glanced about the room once again, her makeshift halo wobbling on her head. Somewhere in the distance her boyfriend, Jeremiah, was invested in a deeply riveting conversation about football with some of his friends from college. All of which had dressed in their old football jerseys, dark lines drawn haphazardly under eyes, helmets covering heads. She lingered on him for a moment, and then glanced further over your shoulder, lips tugging upward into a devilish grin. Oddly fitting for the girl dressed as an angel.

“Actually, he’s right there.”

Gravity sent your heart tumbling into your gut. Silly, when you’d thought about it. Just because he’d worn a costume from one of your comfort movies didn’t mean he’d be anything special. Multiple pirates, doctors, and the occasional Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger had already attempted to rouse a conversation, only for it to fall flat. This could very well end up the same, and this night was lost to the turmoil of the inner workings of your mind, still reeling from the sting rumbling in your chest over the past few months.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

But it wasn't a joke when you swiveled around on your stool and faced him. Not at all. In a dimly lit bar, packed too tight with too many bodies bumping you to and fro even as you presently sat, you spotted him. Found the guy people had been mentioning all night as the other half of your ‘couple’s costume,’ saying you both looked amazing together, despite the fact none of them knew he was quite literally a stranger to you.

He sat at a lonesome table. Leaned on an elbow with a cheshire grin spread across the prettiest set of pink lips. His dark curly hair was tied behind his head, tucked into the mask that covered the upper half of his face. Even partially obscured like that, he was handsome, freezing you in place with those piercing brown eyes that were locked unwaveringly on your silhouette.

So he’d noticed you too. Inwardly, you were beaming. After two months of couch surfing and feeling sorry for yourself after a failed relationship wherein you’d walked on your partner of two years with someone who most definitely wasn’t you, you’d decided tonight was the night you’d get back out there. A night of fun, a night to meet someone new, to let loose a bit.

“What are you waiting for,” your friend Micah asked, shoving you forward with a hasty push. “He’s your Westley. If this isn’t some weird ass fate, I don’t know what is.”

Your Westley’s smile grew wider as you approached. Corners dragged upward to form that broad grin, bracketed by the sweetest set of dimples you’d ever seen on a man. Heart pounding a bit, you leaned up against the table, letting out a noncommittal huff. Puffed out a deep breath that caught his attention and had those chocolate brown eyes solely on you.

“Is this space taken?” you asked, and he dipped his head in greeting. “So you’re the guy everyone has been talking about all night.”

“Ah, yes,” he laughed, and you couldn’t help but to smile at the very sound. It’s a lovely, hearty sound. The kind of laugh that seemed dangerous, because you might like it too much. “And you’re the girlfriend I didn’t know I had.”

“You too, huh?”

“Yeah,” he echoed, taking a step closer. “Though it’s all very flattering. Prettiest Princess Buttercup here.” He dropped the lowest part into a whisper, “Definitely a compliment because, if I’m being honest, you’re way out of my league.”

Your cheeks burned with the compliment, feet fidgeting beneath you where you stood. He reached over and slid a chair beside his hip, patting the surface so you could hop on up and join him, a hand of his reaching out to steady you when you wobbled a bit. Another round of drinks were ordered and you learned quickly his name was Eddie and he’d been in town only for a couple weeks now. Had a few gigs in the city for the band he played in and would be off in another two days. Blew in and out like the storm that presently raged outside, wind howling, rain splashing against sidewalks, lightning painting the night sky in a shock of white before leaving it dark once more. He’d grown up in a small town, but realized he’d only ever had dreams that were too small for the walls he’d been raised in.

So he’d ended up on a short tour and would head off to California to start laying down tracks for the band’s first ever album. He sounded so hopeful and eager, so rejuvenated and excited about life, and it had you endeared to him. Drifting closer as the night went on and he asked you about your own life. Learned you grew up here in the city but craved something quieter, very much unlike him. You’d studied creative writing and English in college and wanted to write the stories people would one day know and love and shelve in their homes, but in the meantime you worked at a library. It wasn’t the most thrilling job, but it kept you abreast, and he regaled you with the endless fantasy titles he’d known and loved through the years.

It wasn’t long before the hours trickled on by and Micah approached the two of you with a sulking Jeremiah in tow. The latter of the two a little too inebriated based on the slight sway in his form and the hand Micah kept firmly planted around his forearm.

Her blue eyes flickered up at Eddie’s face, then drifted back to yours. “I’m taking this idiot home. He’s in time out —”

“Noooo,” he moaned, forehead pressing into the crook of his girlfriend’s neck.

“Are you coming back with me or…?” Micah’s eyes trailed back upward to Eddie once more, brows arched curiously.

Eddie looked at you and shrugged. “Up to you, Buttercup.”

“I’m gonna stay…actually.”

Micah nodded, giving you both one last glance over before tugging her boyfriend along behind her in the direction of the door. As she passed, she leaned up against the hollow of your ear and said loud enough over the music, “Be careful. Have fun. You’re beautiful and I love you and you deserve to enjoy yourself tonight, okay?”

Once they were gone your attention returned to the man swathed in black standing before you, shoulder bumping his. “It's too loud in here,” you shouted for emphasis, insides nearly rattling from the music booming from the speakers positioned about the room. “Is there somewhere we can go that’s a little more…”

“Private?” he asked, leaning down toward your ear. Chills skittered along your arms as his lips nearly brushed your skin there, gooseflesh pimpling in its wake. “I have a hotel room two blocks over. How do you feel about running?”

“Let’s go.” You grinned.

“As you wish.” He beamed, holding out a gloved hand for you to take.

Outside, the two of you huddled up beneath the small awning growing smaller by the second with the other patrons who had similar ideas of waiting for their rides and cabs or braving the fall storm head on and taking off into the soaked streets in their full Halloween costumes.

Laughter bubbled up from your lips as a particularly hard jolt against your back sent you tumbling into his form, a quick hand of his reaching out and curling low around your back. He tensed, eyes locked on yours, awaiting your response and you leaned further into him, relishing in the heat of his form.

Moments skittered by under the awning. His eyes roamed your form, dark and beautiful, ringed with those little crinkles that appeared in the corners whenever he smiled. He’d been smiling all night — at you, a thought that has little butterfly wings quivering low in your belly, and lower still at the suddenness of the desire ramping up in your bloodstream.

The glowing lights from the bar filter out onto the street. Flashed orange and red across Eddie’s features, painted him in vibrant color, highlighting the plushness of his lips, the curve of his jaw, the bump of his chin. Hesitant fingers reached up to brush at the curls tied behind his head, curled one of the ringlet strands around and around a fingertip, your forearm spreading over the space between his shoulders, around his neck until he pressed in closer to you. Those chocolate brown eyes flickered southward. Lingered on your lips briefly before traveling back up, asking that question without words. Your only answer was the upward tip of your mouth, leaning into the space, waiting to feel him warm against you.

Electricity danced in the moments shared between you. In the fingertips that pressed into his shoulder and gripped tight as his nose nudged at the space beside yours, your mouth tipping up closer to his. From here, you could smell the mint he’d tossed in his mouth on the way out, could feel the tremble of his breath against your sternum, feel the heat of it fanning over your lips.

But the kiss never came. Behind you, a group of friends pushed and shoved toward the front door, nearly sending you and Eddie into the sidewalk and out of the shelter provided by your awning. It dawned on you then, however begrudgingly, that maybe you should move, give others a space to wait for their vehicles, and start to head in the direction of his hotel room.

He seemed to agree, sliding his palm down your forearm to twine his fingers between yours. “Guess that’s our cue, huh?”

“Bet you’re glad you wore the equivalent of tights for pants today, huh?”

“Suppose it makes it easier for me to whisk you away in the night, now doesn’t it?” He barked out a laugh, and clutched your hand tighter, dragging you out onto the street and into the rain.

——

You were presently in the midst of what was officially the weirdest, most endearing hook up you’d ever had. Moments after rushing out into the busy city streets and getting absolutely drenched from head to toe, Eddie tugged you toward a grocery store, suggesting he had nothing back at the hotel. Had looked a little bashful about it, even when you reassured him it was fine and you’d manage without, though he wouldn’t hear any of it.

As a result, you trailed behind him, dress sopping wet and clinging to every inch of your body, helping gather some things you might need in between what you hoped would be an eventful afternoon. Water, snacks, and the like. He seemed so giddy with it, and you hated the way his dimple in his cheek had your heart and thighs clenching. You preferred only the latter of the two, and couldn’t afford yourself the emotional aspect that came along with the former.

Eventually you had both found yourselves in the frozen food aisle, his shoulder bumping yours, your fingers dancing in the spaces between the two of you, the anticipation of after burning brighter with every minute that passed.

“How do you think they know what…oh, I don’t know…Moose Tracks taste like?” Eddie asked, turning his head over his shoulder.

Fortunately for you, he’d removed his mask, revealing more of his features. Those curls that dangled along his brow line, the smattering of freckles along high cheekbones, the crinkled corners of his eyes whenever he smiled at you.

“What?” you asked, once more reminding yourself of just how differently this night was going than you’d originally anticipated.

“Like what makes a Moose Track a Moose Track?”

“I think it’s just a…mix of things that remind them of…you know what?” His eyes twinkled, and you shifted a little closer. It really sucked that he was cute — obnoxiously so. “I actually don’t know. But, I do think we have more than enough stuff here to feed an army. And I think the rain finally let up.”

“You want to head out?”

“I think we should,” you agreed, tugging him along behind you down the aisle, in search of the nearest check out line.

The walk to the hotel room reminded you both of what you’d intended for that evening. The curious glances you would catch him shooting your way, the way you’d do the same when he focused his attention ahead. It increased with every step closer to the looming building, the desire for closeness, to feel, to touch, to taste.

Burned brighter when he swiped his key card and you started shoving the things he’d brought inside of the mini fridge, before snatching two water bottles and placing them down on the bedside table. He whistled as you walked around the room, fingers snapping, one of his curls tucked against the fullness of his mouth.

“You know, we don’t have to do anything,” you reassured him, sensing the nervousness radiating from his form.

Those dark eyes settled on yours as you approached, palm coming up slowly to rest against his sternum, right where you could feel his heartbeat clanging against his ribs.

“It’s been a while,” he settled on, voice softer than it had been all evening, a tremorous quality catching your attention.

“We’ll go slow,” you promised, leaning up to finally, and happily, close the space between the two of you.

It felt like a long, shared exhale. The way he immediately knew which way to turn his head, how you liked for his calloused fingers to rest against your cheekbone, that you wanted to be as close as possible, pressed flush against his form. Your head swam as he turned you around and walked you backward until your backside thumped against the edge of the dresser positioned against the wall opposite the bed. Grunted as he reached a hand up the back of your neck and sought out that pesky zipper you wanted so badly pulled down.

As if he’d read your mind, the man in question gave the zipper a nice, hard tug and the fabric shifted and dropped around your shoulders, baring the similarly colored bra beneath. So maybe you’d gone shopping for your first foray back after your break up? Based on the darkened eyes honing in on the lacy fabric, you’d picked correctly.

“Such a shame,” he groaned against the curve of your collar bone, fingers pushing the dress down and onto the floor, “really liked that dress.”

“My turn,” you mused, fingers reaching forward to tug the tunic free from his obscenely tight pants.

He helped you with ease, arms lifting just enough to help pull it over his head, giggling as his endless mane of curls sprang free. Tattoos jumped to life before your eyes. The multiple on his arms and torso, some looking faded and older, likely done in someone’s house, and others freshly inked, leaving a tapestry of stories he’d likely tell you if you’d only had the time.

“Fuck it.” He reached down and cupped your jaw, bruising kiss after bruising kiss laid upon your mouth, your toes digging into the carpet below as pale fingers trailed down the center of your chest, and then lower still, pausing at the hem of your panties. “Can I touch you?”

You might burst into flames if he didn’t. “Please.”

“Never have to say please with me, Buttercup,” he said, fingers pushing past that lacy barrier until they met your flesh, knowing exactly what he’d find there. “Sweetheart…this all for me?”

“Don’t tease.”

A broken sigh spilled from your lips, fingers clutched tight around his forearm as those expert fingers dragged a slow circle around your clit before sliding back to your center, pushing in. Your head rolled back against the wall, heat blooming anew as he stepped closer into the circle of your thighs, watching the rapid rise and fall of your chest, enjoying the sounds made only for him, the slickness of your center practically pulling his fingers back in with every perfect thrust curled in that spot right where you needed him the most.

“Fuck, just like that, sweetheart,” he panted, mouth pressed tight to yours, grinning against your skin as you keened high and tight, creeping closer and closer to your edge.

And just when you’d thought you were about to explode into dozens of tiny stars like in the night sky above, Eddie stopped. You nearly cried out his name in your frustration, only to find him dropping down onto his knees in front of the dresser, capable hands tugging you closer to the edge, before he pushed the dainty fabric back to the side and swapped his fingers for his tongue.

One long stripe from center to clit was all you'd needed for the rubber band to snap. For the shaking to start, the chanting of his name like a mantra or a prayer to rouse the neighbors likely next door and alert everyone in the building to what magic Eddie had worked between your thighs.

“Not,” you gasped, leaning your head forward to rest against his heaving chest, “fair.”

“What’s not fair, sweetheart?”

“Too good at that.” Another rasped breath pooled from your lips, quieted by the sound of your lips pressing to his chest. Hazy eyes lifted to his face, a satisfied exhale slowing the rise and fall of your chest. “Get on the bed.”

“What do you —”

“On the bed,” you repeated, grinning wickedly as he backed up just enough so his kneecaps hit the mattress. “I want to look at you.”

And god, what a sight he was. Once you’d finally managed to tug his pants down, revealing the boxers beneath, you were rewarded with the fullness of Eddie Munson in the flesh. The narrow waist, the smattering of hair you kissed along his abdomen, the curve of his chest, the freckles along his chest and shoulders. Traced along the tattoos on his chest, the sides of his ribs, the one on his upper thigh, before dragging upward to slide over the increasingly — and massively impressive — hardened cock peeking out from the waistband of his boxers.

“Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck,” he blew the words out on a shaky exhale as you squeezed a little tighter, gauging what he liked.

Your grin grew as you wiggled the remnants of his clothing off his hip and cupped the weight of him in your palm. Perfect. He was absolutely perfect, and you wanted so badly to show him just how much you thought so, sliding down further onto the edge of the bed, tongue dragging a long line up the underside, along that prominent vein that had him bucking upward off the bed.

“Can I, Eddie?”

He watched through hooded lashes as your eyes zeroed in on his leaking tip, thumb sliding over the pre-cum there, before gliding your palm in a slow downward motion around him. He nodded, breath nearly cutting off completely as you finally, and blessedly, welcomed him into your mouth, immediately knowing nothing would compare to this moment and this girl.

Ruined. You’d ruined him for others, your pretty smile around his cock driving him too swiftly to a precipice he didn’t want to see the end of. Not yet. “Wait, wait, wait. Fuck. Your mouth is perfect, sweetheart. But — mmm — I need you.”

He pulled you upward with a gentle hand on the back of your neck, rolling you over beneath him, tongue marking a path along your chest, the peaks of your nipples, the delicate skin of your abdomen. With each pass of his lips over your flesh, you sank deeper into the mattress, knee bent, foot digging into the space above his hip, drawing him close enough that you could feel his glistening, wet hardness brushing your abdomen.

“Someone’s impatient,” you teased, moaning as his finger circled your wet entrance. “Want you inside me.”

“Patience, Buttercup,” he practically purred, reaching over into the bedside table to find…nothing. “No. Oh shit. We didn’t get condoms. I’m such an idiot, I —”

“Shit,” you whimpered, jolting upright and nearly smashing your skull into his as he double checked the inside of the drawer. “What about your suitcase? Wallet?”

“I told you I don’t exactly do this often.”

Those dark brows knitted together on his forehead, fingers pinching at the bridge of his nose. You remembered then the fortunate and recent development of starting birth control after Micah suggested she could never live without it, and suddenly you wanted nothing more than to clasp your hands together and thank the heavens for the little pills you had back home in your friend’s bathroom.

“I’m on the pill,” you told him, swallowing the nervousness that grew with every beat of your heart. “And I’ve been tested recently. I’m clean.”

Maybe it was stupid. Maybe you should have known better.

“I’ve been tested since my last time too. I’m good,” he said, unmistakable desperation filling his voice.

“I don’t want to stop,” you whispered as he rolled onto his back.

“Me neither,” he agreed as you clambered over his lap and bracketed his hips with a thigh on either side.

Lured with the wonderful bliss that was Eddie Munson’s lips warm and plus against yours, you gripped him in hand and slowly lowered yourself down onto him, completely bare. There was something so raw about the moment. About the shuddered breath you both released, the way his hands cupped your hips as he pushed in deeper than you ever thought possible, his voice a broken mix of ‘that’s a good girl,’ ‘taking me so well,’ ‘look so good full of my cock,’ as you move over him.

You wanted to hate that you end up doing something between fucking and making love. For something so casual, it feels almost too intimate, the way you collided together like two pieces fitted together of a puzzle that had only been missing those parts.

And it wasn’t gentle, his fingers clutched in your flesh, feet planted on the bed as he eventually pounded up into you — but it was also somehow tender. A complicated mess, just like the shattered pieces of your heart as he groaned one last time and urged you to come with him, pulling you closer in his arms. His fingers circled your clit until you cried his name and clenched down around him, whimpering at the warmth of him spilling inside.

As you both drifted back to reality, he maneuvered around the bed and washed himself from between your thighs. Cooed when you winced at the cold contact, dropping a kiss against your forehead and telling you that it had started storming again. He could either call you a cab or you could stay the night, he’d suggested. You hadn’t anticipated spending the night with him, but after he dug around for the ice cream and M&Ms you got from the supermarket, you found you couldn’t say no to him.

Especially when he turned on the television and, funnily enough, The Princess Bride was on. Fate, or something more, seemed to laugh in your face. Gleeful as you sprawled out beneath the covers naked as the day you were born beside the man who you quickly learned enjoyed handfuls of popcorn mixed with his sweet chocolate treats.

It didn’t take long before he’d grown hard again, the lights dimmed and the food forgotten, your soft sighs and pleasured peals filling the room as he pushed in and watched as your eyes rolled back and back arched prettily for him.

And later, after you were both satiated and satisfied, you fell asleep to the sounds of Inigo Montoya’s famous speech, and the gentle inhales and exhales of the man sprawled out beneath you.

——

Daylight streamed in through the olive curtains positioned against the wall across from you. You hadn’t noticed them last night. Hadn’t noted the wooden walls, the pale ceiling above, nor the cream bedspread across your hips. Hadn’t noticed a lot of things, it seemed, other than the man who dozed behind you, tattooed arm slung low around your waist, keeping you in close.

Fallen asleep — you’d both fallen asleep watching The Princess Bride, much to your grunted amusement as you shifted up and into a sitting position. Eddie’s arm thumped onto the bed, leaving a wrinkled mess around his sinewy forearm. Sparing a glance over your shoulder, you took in the curve of his jaw. The way he looked more boyish than his nearly thirty years, lips parted in a sleepy breathing pattern, curls strewn all about his face. A smile graced your lips, fingers of yours rolling over the curve of his back, the heft of his shoulder, the breadth of his bicep.

Part of you craved curling back up beside him. Wanted to feel his mouth roving over yours, across your skin, between your thighs once more. Would probably dream about the way his face had scrunched up in pleasure before he came apart beneath you last night for weeks to come. But your eyes noticed the time ticking on the far wall, alerting you that work started in two hours. Some weekend reading activity for the children in your town you’d volunteered to work weekend hours for; hindsight, as they say, was twenty-twenty.

“She’s running away in the night,” he grumbled beside you, mouth rolling over to press into the pillow you had slept soundly on for a shocking eight hours, letting out a loud yawn. You couldn’t recall the last time you’d done so. That curly head of hair lifted, too-long strands falling into his gaze as he pinched one eye shut and glanced toward the giant bedroom window. “Or…morning, I guess?”

“I have work,” you said, reaching over to snatch your underwear from off the floor.

He watched with rapt attention as you whirled around and clasped your bra into place, cheeks burning despite the fact he’d seen every inch of you merely hours ago. The man propped himself up onto one elbow, your eyes catching the bat tattoos on his arm as his fingers reached over to curl around your hip, dragging you back down into bed.

Soon enough it was loud giggles, his fingers dancing along your sides, noisy kisses against your own. But it didn’t take long before you were reduced to breathy sighs. His fingers against the span of your hips, his chest pressing yours into the mattress. Lips over yours, against your cheek, the curve of your throat, the hollow between your breasts, the valley of your abdomen. He stopped with a nip along your hip bone, tongue laving over the sensitive skin there.

“Do you have to go?” he groaned against your stomach, placing a final kiss there before crawling back up your body and cradling the back of your head with one hand, his body weight perched on the other elbow, face hovering over your own. Pretty, he was so damn pretty and you wished you could hate him for it.

“I guess I have a few minutes,” you suggested coyly.

And it was all Eddie needed before he had you beneath him once more singing a tune he knew he’d never forget.

You dressed in silence after. He pulled on a fresh pair of jeans and a thin sweater while you glanced at the wrinkled heap of your dress from the night before. It hadn’t dawned on you the complications of getting your feet wet on Halloween — at least, not until now.

“I can’t walk back to Micah’s in that,” you groaned, pointing to the messy ball of fabric on the floor.

“Wait — I have an idea!”

Eddie rummaged around a box in the far corner of the room and tossed a tee shirt your way. Across the front was ‘Corroded Coffin’ in a messy font that reminded you of how your brain often felt after one too many cups of coffee in the morning.

“Your band?” you asked, turning the shirt around to show him.

“Yeah.” He nodded, white teeth flashing with his smile. “You know, you could see us some time.”

You quickly slipped the dress over your head and let the skirt ruffle messily along the floor, then moved to roll up the billowy sleeves to your shoulders.

“I can’t say that I’ll be in California any time soon,” you told him, pulling the tee over your head next and draping it over the belt. Like this, it looked more like an oddly fitted skirt and a top. You already decided that was much better than a Halloween costume, so it would do until you got home and could change.

He nodded rapidly, like he knew that, but hadn’t realized that you’d be coasts apart in only a couple of days.

“Well…” he trailed off, searching around the bedside table for a moment.

Once he procured a pencil and a piece of paper, he scribbled down a string of numbers you immediately knew were the hope for something more from a boy with kind eyes, a beautiful smile, and a heart of gold. Your chest ached. If only you’d met him two years ago, at a better time, in a place where you were more open to whatever this could not be.

“My number — for the place I’ll be staying at for the next couple months,” he explained, tucking it into the exposed circle of your palm, closing your fist within his fingers. “Maybe, I don’t know…we can talk?”

“I can do talking,” you conceded, already hating the fact you knew you wouldn’t be utilizing the number.

It was better this way; he was better off this way.

You both parted with a kiss in the doorway. With his arms looped low around your waist in a way that felt too familiar. A way that suffocated, heart twisting at the soft smile that graced his pretty mouth when he wished you a good shift and you wished him a safe flight.

The walk home was all inward grins that flowed on your face until it hurt. Waves to random strangers passing on the street, curious gazes from onlookers at the billowing sleeves you kept shoving up into your tee shirt as you passed. Memories of the night before flashed in your mind. Of his fingers tugging the zipper on the dress, tossing your underwear alongside his on the floor, mouth on yours, hands learning the contours of your body, the way he fitted perfectly inside you.

Another time, another place, another day maybe.

And that day was not today.

Micah was sprawled across the kitchen island when you entered. You shut the door as quietly as possible behind you, only to find she’d already been awake anyway. A cup of likely long gone cold coffee rested beside her along with a bottle of painkillers, her forehead pressed against the cool tile, nursing what you imagined had to be the headache from hell.

“You’re home late,” she grumbled, pushing her head up into her hands. Blonde hair spilled around her forearms, face covered behind her palms. “I’m assuming you had a good time. Which will at least make one of us. Jere passed out as soon as we got home and snored all night.”

“Sorry, sweetie,” you apologized, stepping further into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator immediately for some water. “I…we had fun.”

“I’m going to need you to spill, because he was cute even with the mask. Don’t think I didn’t notice,” she mused, suddenly healed of her headache, what with the way she looked at you like she’d received the best news of her life.

“I accomplished exactly what I wanted to. I got my toes wet.” You shrugged, lathering some butter onto a freshly toasted bagel.

“You like him,” she screeched, making her own self wince at the sheer volume of it.

You did. You do. But those feelings would fade. Your resolve had already hardened because he wanted romance and flowers and you needed no strings. He deserved that much — he deserved so much.

“We had sex, that’s all. And he’s leaving for California in a few days. I’m never going to see him again. So it doesn’t really matter, now does it?”

——

It hadn’t felt real. For days, you’d doubted every symptom. Every inkling that might have alluded to your present condition.

First, it had been the realization that your period was late. Not even the one or two days you would have pushed aside as a result of stress, the extra hours you’d taken up at work to try and save a little money here and there for a new apartment, or your severe lack of sleep. Then, the nauseousness started. In waves, most days, and definitely not only in the mornings like you’d been led to believe your whole life. Your chest ached next; a fullness that felt unlike your normal, monthly symptoms. Chalked it up to your oncoming period. The same period by that point was nearly two weeks delayed. There was also the fact that no matter how much you slept, you’d still felt like it wasn’t enough. Found yourself dozing off at work, yawning standing in the line for groceries, losing focus while out with friends.

There was also the fact statistics were on your side. You’d done all the right things and were on birth control at the time. So it couldn’t be…that, right? Statistically improbable, unlikely, unwarranted. At least, that was what you had chosen to reassure yourself with, quieting the shouting in your skull that suggested otherwise.

It wasn’t until you were sprawled out against that obnoxiously crinkly white paper in the doctor’s office a little over a month after Halloween that you’d even allowed the thought to enter your mind. It also happened to be the first moment you wondered if you were about to have the entirety of your life changed by a night with a boy in too tight pants you’d definitely not thought about even once since you’d spent the night with him. And you most definitely didn’t picture his dark pupils expanding in the night as you rolled over him, his palms gripping your hips, your hands on his chest, heads thrown back in shared ecstasy.

No.

Not at all.

Six weeks, they told you, with sympathetic looks and uncertain smiles as you exhaled shakily and stared up at the ceiling to stop the room from spinning out of control around you. Six weeks pregnant and undoubtedly so, based on the rapid thrum of the baby’s heartbeat on the screen before you. Strong, they’d said. Perfectly healthy for someone at this point in your pregnancy. They printed pictures up for you of the tiny gummy bear with arms and you held it in trembling hands as they began to speak. Words strung together to form sentences you’d barely understood. Options for next steps, vitamins to take, habits to stop, foods to eat and foods to avoid, how much caffeine to drink, how much weight you could lift and what activities you should start to limit—your head spun with it and continued the whole quiet walk home back to Micah’s place she shared with her boyfriend, Jeremiah.

She welcomed you with open arms as you entered their apartment with a pamphlet on pregnancy in one hand and your pocketbook in the other, whimpered cries of not knowing what to do soaking through her knitted sweater. She’d accepted it without hesitation, just as she always did and would. Held you close to her chest — and hissed at Jeremiah to leave when he’d eventually poked his head in — as you processed the emotions swirling like an endless kaleidoscope in your mind.

And later, when your tears had dried and she’d plopped a freshly opened box of ice cream in your lap and demanded you eat, she asked, “Please just…tell me it’s absolutely Westley’s and not Paul’s.”

“Six weeks,” you sighed, watching her shoulders relax. There was no mistaking who the baby’s father was, and at least that brought you some comfort, “Definitely Westley’s.”

Though you weren’t sure if that made it any better.

“I just want you to know it’s going to be okay,” Micah reassured you, reaching over to rub at your forearm. But did she really know that? How could she? Because to you, it felt like the earth had fallen out of orbit, spinning dizzily now with no signs of stopping any time soon. “I know we don’t have the most space right now, but the couch turns into a futon. It’s yours until you find something otherwise, you know that.”

Telling Eddie his world was (potentially) about to change happened two weeks later. You needed some time to process, is what you’d told yourself was the reason why you’d delayed. After hours of debating, you decided to keep it, and knew that there was always the chance Eddie didn’t want kids — always the chance he’d want to pretend it never happened and that he didn’t want to be a part of its life. Regardless of what he chose, you’d set your mind on being a mother, and you’d do it alone if you had to. But he at least deserved to know; deserved the option of choosing them, even if all you’d had was a night fueled by lust, because you weren’t interested in anything more than that.

Fear had clamped your mouth shut, preventing you from forming those two words for fourteen days. Just two simple words that would have opened the dam to let in the floodgates for the conversation that needed to happen.

Eddie, I’m pregnant.

I’m pregnant.

You’d rehearsed it all afternoon, pacing a certifiable hole in the ground from how rapidly you’d moved. Had even stood in front of your friends and had them listen to it until you felt confident enough to do it for real. Gripped Micah’s hand tight as you swiped the man’s number from your pocketbook and dialed. It rang once, then twice, and you worried he wouldn’t answer or you’d caught him at a bad time when the line exploded with sound. Voices. Dozens of voices spilled through the other line, and music along with it.

You winced. “Uhm, Eddie? Is this the right number?”

A long pause extended, drowned out by guitar strings and drum beats. “Uh — uh, yeah. This is him.”

He sounded gruffer than you remembered — voice tinged with a smokier quality that seemed almost unfamiliar to you now. Not that you’d spoken much that night. Maybe he’d caught something, maybe he was sick. Maybe it was merely the weeks that had grown on since you’d seen him, and he'd become another person in the crowd already — someone you knew if only for a night. Heart pounding, you gripped Micah’s hand tighter and wound the phone wire around a pointed fingertip.

“Hi…I’m sorry I’m only calling now. Busy, you know?” A lie, because you’d never intended to call. It had been one night; that was all it was ever meant to be. “It’s the…girl from the party. The Buttercup to your Westley costume on Halloween.”

He chuckled in reply, and you wondered if maybe he was shy. He’d been looser the night you met — louder. Boisterous and passionate. Carefree and fun. But you wondered briefly if that was the glass of whiskey he’d drunk before you slipped away to his hotel room hearing him now. But you remembered that next morning, too; his splendid affection, the kissing, the exuberance of his persona, the way he’d made you fall apart around him again.

It seemed…strange now. Cut off, cold even.

“I’m…pregnant. I just —” You swallowed the knot of fear forming in the back of your throat and continued, “I just thought you should know…because it’s yours.”

There was another prolonged pause.

Nervousness welled up in your throat the longer it continued. Joined that roiling nausea that had become your friend and foe these weeks. Swallowing thickly, your fingers pressed over the span of your abdomen, over the knitted sweater and skin protecting your tiny secret — still not visible to others yet, but wholly your own all the same. You’d already decided you would love them fiercely enough for the both of you if he didn’t want anything to do with it, just so they’d never feel like they were missing out.

Then, after what felt like decades, he asked, “Who is this again?”

You repeated your name, nervousness rattling your bones, fingers trembling in Micah’s. Micah mouthed out ‘Breathe,’ even though you were doing anything but.

The line went dead, and your heart along with it.

——

let me know what you think! 🩷

#lunaloveseddie #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson fanfiction

900 notes · View notes

scribble-dribble-writes · 8 months

Text

Moonlight's solitude

<<<Prev (Circus ghosts) (Like old times) Next>>>

Pairing: Buggy x female mermaid reader

Word Count: 2600

Warnings: none

Content: Don't you smile at me and ask me how I've been. Don't you say you've missed me if you don't want me again.

---

The infectious energy spread through as the orchestra began to play a waltz and the performers concluded their acts as they began to perform a choreographed dance. Their hands clapping to generate a rhythm, a few stomping their feet to add to it and the crowd broke into pairs. All the attendees joining in as the sudden stillness was broken, everyone began to move, except for one. His eyes lingering on you as the crowd moved around him.

You waited. For a sign, for anything. But you didn’t get one. Buggy dipped his head and moved away but it was like a thread had been tied around your waist that connected you only to him. Because for every step he took away from you, you took one towards him.

You picked up the edge of your gown, your eyes straining to keep your focus on his moving shadow amidst all the laughs and music. You trailed down the stairs with feather light steps, floating through the smoke and confetti as you searched for him. But the joyful chaos engulfed you within the moving crowd that before you knew it, you had lost sight of him.

You caught your breath, pretending to turn around elegantly as though you were just pulled into the dancefloor having seen the performance but the truth beneath the surface was the desperation you could not let show on your face. He couldn’t just appear and vanish like a magic trick.

But that was his element. He was always a trick to the rest. But when you could see the cards up his sleeve, after all this time, how could he now decide to hide from you?

You couldn’t see him, you couldn’t feel him and it felt like you were grieving him all over again. Cause he was here calm as day, and you were being pushed around. The opposite to how eachother had been. He would reveal himself only if he wanted to and now it was clear. You had been banished from his heart. To not be let close again.

You felt the pang in your chest and the tears began to brim, so you closed your eyes and stood still, to let the thunderous beat of the music spread through you. To search for him in your mind’s eye, to find that thread, that pull you felt towards him and tug on it. The more you did, the more you could reel him back, like pulling all the coloured cloth from within his sleeve till it ran out and revealed his hand.

The smell of the smoke, the confetti softly falling across your face, the rhythm, oh the rhythm that felt like a sea shanty you would dance along with his arms locked with yours. It made you feel alive after months of holding yourself back. Of telling yourself that you had to accept a life that was never made for you.

Maybe you were your mother’s daughter, in the way your heart belonged to the freedom of being on a ship.

But the music came to a slow pause as the orchestra reset for the next dance number when you opened your eyes. The slightest tug on your heart pulling at you like a compass, pointing towards where you had to be. But the person you saw first was Helge, walking up to you as the crowd disappeared to the sides. Making way for your first dance. You grew nervous.

You had spent hours in dance lessons trying to get the steps right to the Neptunian Ballroom but it just wasn’t your style. No matter how many times you were told to practice or get it right , it didn’t make sense in your mind. The Ballroom dance was famous amongst the people of the court and higher classes. But there was another, ‘The dance of the moonlight’, translated from a folklore in the language the native people, ithyib , that was spoke outside the castle walls.

The story was that every time the moon rose up at night, it’s light, Meluminera, was free to roam the surface of the sea. She would walk when the waves were quiet, humming a tune that the mermaids knew well that lulled them to sleep if ever they caught her foot prints tread above the water.

But she given the peace she held, she was lonely, when she came alive, the world was asleep. However to her surprise, one day, as she danced above the cold water. She heard another voice call for her. As she walked towards it, she found a silhouette. A man who sat by the rocks on the shore, his eyes were stars and his body was osidian, merging away into the dark sky when he stood.

He was the dark sky that held the moon up, Tenebrius, without him she could never descend down to the water to enjoy her time. But while she was regarded for her beauty amidst the people, he was written into the bed time scares and nightmare inducing stories that people told their children, causing everyone to fear him.

And yet all he did was exist, to sit by the rocks and watch from the shoreline, without ever coming to hate your presence.

She was drawn to him, how could she not, he was the canvas, she was the painting. Only she could love him the way he craved. The loneliness was the same. So as she reached for him, he took her hand. The only person to hold her when she could never be contained, when she slip through every finger that tried to catch her.

He brought her to life and she was the only one who could see him.

So people drew her into pages, as though she had gone mad, to laugh into the night as she danced alone on the waves. But she wasn’t alone. She wasn’t mad. She was dancing with him. They couldn’t see it, but her joy had a source and he was there. Every night, for ages to come.

It was told that when you walked the shores of the city at midnight with your lover, if your love was true, you could still here her laugh. But the dance was the retelling of that story, a folk dance that was much easier to pick up cause in some way it was a part of you. It felt like instinct, to know it even before you understood it.

You were sure Helge would insist in the Ballroom dance. But the tug in your heart grew, it’s pull unable to push aside.

“It's admiring to see my efforts have finally paid off.”, Helge smiled and you had to fight off a retort, because your happiness was not something he could take credit for.

It was only because of a man with blue hair.

“Well all this joy will wash away the moment I go back to my room. The circus will leave and I will be here.”, you let your shoulder slump a little as you said watching the pink light fade.

“Oh but that’s were it gets better. They’re here to stay. The showman, the clown, is to be in charge of making sure you are never once bored from henceforth.”, Helge spoke, his silver eyes vivid with excitement. But it felt like a trap. All this looked too good to be true.

“The smallest glimpse of a frown on your ethereal face and I will have him punished.”, he drew closer, his cold finger tips taking hold your jaw slowly. It felt like a threat, his eyes pining you down as though there was more behind this illusion.

“A little too much don’t you think?”, you held his gaze as you asked him.

“Never, not when I wish to get what I want.”, he said a hidden grin on the side of his face. From the corner of your eye, you saw Theodora stand with a proud smile as though this was all her doing.

You pulled your face from his touch.

“What do you want?”, you asked him to which he shrugged his shoulders.

“You.”, he said as though there was nothing else to it but his finger set right the pin you wore that held the Nerrocean crest.

Atleast his answer was truthful, he wanted what you represented. He wanted the throne.

You frown was evident, the tug on your heart more strong than ever as you looked up at him. It felt wrong, you were certain your heart was not beating for him. It was a constant reminder, the nets with which people stood around you, the first person to catch you was the first to win. Though you knew you could withstand these hurdles on your own, it became exhausting to keep fighting on your own.

“Did I say something wrong?”, he asked to which you wanted to respond but someone else did.

The reason why your heart had been beating faster for so long. You could still sense him, he had revealed himself to you again.

“Obviously.”, Buggy interrupted.

Helge's gaze slithered towards his direction.

“You lack finesse.”, Buggy stood by your side. His nearness alone quenching the void in your heart.

“What does a clown know about ‘Finesse’?”, Helge asked in an irritated tone.

Buggy clenched his jaw. A comment like this anywhere else, his blades would appeared in his hands. But here, he stood his ground.

“Oh nothing, you’re asking the wrong guy, ghost eyes.”, He played his part as he gestured at his outfit and got the whole crowd laughing. You hid your smile as you looked at Helge’s confused expression when you saw Buggy sneak a glance at you.

“Now that you’ve made the sweet lady sad. I think it is only right I cheer her up.”, Buggy stood taller as he leveled Helge’s stare, to which the aristocrat couldn’t say no, if he did, it would only contradict his own statement.

“That is my purpose after all.”, you heard next. Now that was more mellow and real, Buggy's mask slipping away for a second. You turned to catch his gaze but Buggy looked away.

However, his hand was stretched towards you, just as Helge’s was. Both of them asking your hand for the dance.

Helge widened his eyes at Buggy’s confidence. His snicker loud as he turned to the crowd.

“The joker wants to dance with the queen to be.”, Helge looked around for company to share his joke as the mercourt laughed along with him.

You watched Buggy’s eyes fall, his fingers shying away from you a little. The laughs working it’s way through your system that it sparked your anger. You knew it took twice his energy to be in a place like this, to put up a brave front amongst people who looked like they were known for their beauty. But he still stood strong, as his eyes finally caught yours.

Why was he putting himself through this?

You held up your hand and silence fell quickly. Helge’s anxious gaze following your every move. You extended your hand and took the only gloved hand that fit perfectly in yours.

“This has never happened before. The first dance is always for the royal pair.”, Helge reached out to grab your wrist when Buggy tugged you to him, a brilliant smile on his face, that looked a bit more genuine than the one before.

“I thought the Sylvester’s knew how much the Nerrocean's loved tradition and rules.”, you smiled as Buggy whisked you away leaving Helge behind to the corner.

His hand on the small of your back, his body solid under your touch, his blue green eyes sparkling in the light. Magic. He was the magic you longed for.

The walls of this place fell away, dancing like the woman in the folklore. No one else could see his brilliance but you did. So you stepped to the rhythm but switched his lead when you began the people’s dance.

He was a performer but it was the way he read your mind. You slipped from his hold when the orchestra stopped but you continued in the silence as though you were dancing above the waves. Hushed murmurs broke through the as the strings began to play. The music now adapted to a more local tune, the tune you heard at the festival from up the roof.

Buggy eyes studied you, your footwork, but he also took you in as your dress spread around you wonderfully. The only pair in red. As you got close to him, he reached for you, like the man who embodied the night sky. You couldn’t shine without him.

He met your steps, twirled you around effortlessly. And the floors of this ballroom began to feel like the creaking floorboards of his ship. The smile on his face now as he held you close, was just for you. As if he couldn’t believe it himself.

“Are you pleased with my ability to make you smile?”, he asked as he pulled you flush against him, hearing his voice up close after only hearing it in your dreams. You didn’t want to stop dancing if that meant he would be here with you.

“Very much.”, you said, your sadness seeping through as you read his eyes.

“Is this just for show?”, you asked, to be clear. To which he pushed you away as a part of the dance, to separate before you got back together, just like the story.

The music brought you back but the pause was convenient, it was certain he was keeping something hidden. His curt responses and the distance he maintained, he had walls around him now.

“That’s what I do best.”, he said as his hand traced up your arm, pulling you close such that your back pressed against his chest. You gasped softly at how loud his heart thumped.

“Craft a perfect illusion.”, he whispered, his lips hovering over the skin above your neck.

You drew in a sharp breath because this had turned from being wonderous into being painful. To have him and yet not be his.

“Buggy, you’re more than your smoke and mirrors.”, you reached up to hold his face but he held your wrist to hold you off. And it killed you deep within. His eyes bored into yours and it was like the swirling sea. He didn’t let you touch him. He didn't want you to.

“Don’t.”, he said with a lot of effort. All this unlike him.

“Don’t say these things like you’ve missed me.”, he said, his voice holding back his emotions. So you pulled away your hand and he pursed his lips as though he had nothing left to say.

All the bliss came crumbling down. His appearance, his now constant presence in your day to day life. Trying to make you smile and then face punishment if he didn’t.

Why was he doing this if he never wanted you back?

He was going to be the needle that broke your back, with all the pain you were facing as is.

“Have you missed me?”, you asked, the music beginning to slow down as it neared the end.

But he looked away, plastering on his mask as he evaded your question. You couldn’t bear to leave this room without his reason. Without an answer. You held onto the lapels of his coat, your eyes begging him to look at you.

“Tell me you missed me.”, you stated and he pulled away your hands as he led the last part of the dance. His lips sealed tight as you broke into a mess.

“Tell me you missed me, Buggy.”, you demanded, the music reaching the crescendo as he pulled you to him, your face an inch away from his, Almost as is he was about to break, his lips parting as though he wanted to say something. But then he twirled you away and let you go.

When you came to a stand still, you were facing Helge once again, his face telling you that he was unimpressed.

You whirred around quickly, to see Buggy. He gave you deep bow and when the lights grew brighter, to your surprise, the mercourt erupted in cheers and applause. But you didn’t care for the claps. It was how he walked away leaving you behind and it felt like you had lost him once again.

You held onto the sides of your dress, to contain your anger because it felt like your fingertips were on fire having touched him. His indifference was humiliating, when you were desperate and he wasn't.

Why was he here if he was so certain he didn’t want you anymore?

#buggy #one piece buggy #buggy thoughts #op buggy #captain buggy #buggy the clown #buggy one piece #buggy x y/n #buggy x oc #buggy x you #buggy x reader #opla buggy #one piece fan fiction #one piece #op fluff #one piece fluff #one piece fanfiction

123 notes · View notes

incandescentlysomething · 2 months

Text

Lady of the Ashes: Chapter 2 P.2

House of the Dragon Season 1

Aemond x TargaryenOC

Chapter Word Count: 7390 (both parts)

She was his everything… For her…he would do anything.

From the moment of her birth, Aemond Targaryen swore himself to the protection of his niece Aelinor Velaryon. As the two grew up inseparable, they find themselves entangled in the Dance of Dragons, battling to stay together even as their families try to pull them apart.

A/N: Canon compliant but things change around. Currently cross-posting on A03. Will be approximately 12 chapters aligning with season 1.

Let me know what you think!

Masterlist A03

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 P.1 P.2

Footsteps sounded behind her, coming from the tunnel. She hurried into the cave, determined to stop whoever was coming from seeing Aemond. But it wasn’t guards investigating, as she had hoped, but rather her brothers and new cousins.

“Aelinor?” Luc asked. “What are you doing up?”

“I was taking a walk,” she lied badly. “Cousins, it is good to finally meet you. My condolences on—”

“Did you see it?” Baela interrupted. “We could see it from our window. Someone stole Vhagar.”

Aelinor’s eyes widened. “I…did not see that.”

Only Jace eyes her suspiciously. “How did you not? She was resting just over that hill, you would have heard her.”

“I was distracted and I—”

“Lina! Lina, did you see? I was flying and I—” Aemond came running around the corner, skidding to a halt when he saw the group.

“It’s him!” Baela shouted.

“It’s me,” he confirmed.

“Vhagar is my mother’s dragon!”

“Your mother is dead, and Vhagar has a new rider now.” He countered.

Aelinor whipped her head toward him. “Aemond, that was cruel!”

He didn’t respond, still staring defiantly at the others.

“Aelinor!” Jace glared at her. “You knew? You stood by and let him steal Vhagar?”

Aelinor took a step back. “He didn’t technically steal her. She’s a dragon and she—”

“She was mine to claim!”

“Then you should have claimed her!” Aemond shouted back at Baela.

“Lina? Are you going to let him do this?” Luc stared at his elder sister, obviously confused.

She bit her lip. “He…Baela, dragons are fickle creatures. Chances are if he was able to claim Vhagar, she would never have accepted you. It’s just the—”

“You’re a traitor!” Baela spat back at her. Aelinor tried not to let it sting. She barely knew the girl after all, and she was complicit in her being robbed of her mother’s dragon.

“Don’t talk to her like that!” Aemond snapped.

“It’s fine,” Aelinor reached out to grasp his sleeve. “It’s alright.”

“Even now you stand with him?” Jace shook his head. “Honestly, Aelinor, him of all people?”

“What does that mean?” She shifted closer to Aemond. She didn’t like this, not one bit. Aelinor hated confrontation, and there was a reason that Aemond had grown up fighting her battles for her. She might argue with Jace, but she didn’t want to truly fight with him.

“What am I going to do now?” Baela turned to the others. “That was supposed to be my dragon.”

“Maybe you could claim another?” Aelinor suggested helpfully. “There is still—”

“I wasn’t talking to you!”

She felt the moment Aemond snapped, taking a step forward and pulling her with him. “Maybe they can find you a pig to ride, it would suit you.”

Aelinor barely had time to reach before Baela was running at Aemond, and he was shoving the girl to the ground with one arm. “Stop it!” Aelinor shouted.

Rhaena came next, landing an impressive punch to Aemond’s face. Aelinor was crying now, trying to pull him away. But she knew he was too far gone, and he reeled back and punched her cousin in the face.

“Stop it! Please stop it, all of you!” She cried.

Jace came next, and Aemond shoved Aelinor hard, pushing her out of the way as he started fighting her brothers. Soon they were all on him, fists flying and screams echoing through the cave. Aelinor jumped up, trying to pull them away, but Jace — her own brother — was the one to reach back, plant a hand on her chest, and shove her away. She landed awkwardly on a rock, a sharp pain cutting into her collar bone, crying out in pain.

Suddenly Aemond was standing, one hand around Luc’s neck, the other clasping a rock. “You’ll die screaming just as your father did, bastards!”

“Aemond!” Aelinor shouted, crying loudly. She wanted to be brave, she should have been brave enough to go and get help, but all she could do was sit there, sobbing and in pain, as her family fought each other.

“My father is still alive!” Luc choked out.

The sound of metal being drawn rung sharp through the cave, and Aelinor stared with blurry eyes as Jace pulled a knife. She knew the knife, it had been a gift from Ser Laenor — their supposed father — for his last nameday. It was pretty, she remembered thinking, but in that moment she had never seen anything so horrible.

“Stop it, Jace. Please, please stop it! He was going to hurt Aemond, or Aemond was going to hurt Jace, and she just wanted it all to be over.

And then it nearly was. The knife was on the ground, Jace and Aemond were throwing sand and fighting, it should have been over.

She watched Luc’s arm arc through the air, heard the horrible sound it made, heard Aemond’s screams as he clutched at his face.

“Aemond!” She screamed, scrambling to his side as guards filled the room.

“What’s happening?” Captain Westerling shouted.

Aelinor grabbed at Aemond’s hands, blood flooding between them. “Aemond? Please don’t die. Please don’t die.”

She wailed as hands grasped her by the waist, lifting her up and away from him.

Aemond was in agony.

The maester was stitching up his eye, or what was left of it, in a crowded hall, and it was all he could do not to scream. Part of him didn’t want to give those Strong bastards the satisfaction, but mainly he didn’t want to upset Aelinor. The girl was clinging to her hand with both of hers, and she hadn’t stopped crying since they brought him in. Even once she was assured that he wasn’t going to die, she just kept crying and refusing to let anyone draw her away from his side.

She was also bleeding. Aemond had tried to insist that the maesters see to her first, as there was a nasty cut just below her neck that was staining her long braid and dripping onto her necklace, but no one had listened to him. So he had resolved to be as quiet as possible and hope that the maesters would be quick, so that she could be seen to next.

He couldn’t help but note that her brothers, if they could even be called that at this point, had yet to check on their sister. It only added to the rage simmering in his gut.

Another sharp pain struck his face, and he winced.

“Aemond?” Aelinor asked anxiously, squeezing his hand.

“Can it be saved, Maester?” His mother asked. She had taken his other side, and it was a testament to how worried she was that she had not asked Aelinor to move.

“The flesh will heal, My Queen, but the eye is lost.”

Aemond gasped, and Aelinor started to cry hards.

People were flooding into the room. He saw Aelinor’s mother, along with Prince Daemon and then the King entered as well. There was shouting, questions being asked and accusations being tossed about, but Aemond leveled his gaze on his uncle. He was just standing there, observing everything with an arrogant smirk on his face.

And Aemond thought, if he removed some of the maliciousness from that smile, he looked an awful lot like Lina.

“What happened?” His father demanded, and all of the children, save Aegon, who knew nothing and Aelinor, who was still crying, began to shout.

“My children were defending themselves, Your Grace,” Princess Rhaenyra insisted. “Vile insults were levied against them.”

That was true enough, Aemond supposed. But in the moment he had just been so angry. Why did they have to be there to ruin what should have been the happiest moment of his life? Wh y did they feel that they had to remind him that he didn’t deserve it?

“I will have the truth from you boy,” his father clapped a hand on his arm. “Where did you hear these accusations?”

It was little effort for Aemond to mutter, “It was Aegon,” as he had no great love for his brother and was irrationally irritated that Aegon had been off chasing chambermaids when this happened to him.

Could he fly a dragon with only one eye?

He felt a bit ridiculous for letting that worry irk him. Wasn’t he always urging Aelinor to fly, even though she could not properly use one hand?

“It doesn’t matter, Your Grace,” the Queen protested. “They attacked him!”

“Aemond attacked us!” Jace shouted.

“Will no one give me the truth?” Viserys looked around. “You, girl. Tell me now, who started this unacceptable affair?”

Aelinor looked up, tears and snot running down her face, and Aemond felt a twinge of resentment toward his father. Lifting his hand, he carefully wiped away some of her tears, giving her a soft smile to let her know it was alright. It was alright for her to tell the truth. He wouldn’t ask her to betray her brothers.

Though his smile probably wasn’t all that comforting, with blood and gauze covering his face.

Aelinor sniffled. “What?”

“Who started the fight?” Queen Alicent was shaking.

Aelinor swallowed. Everyone was staring at her, and she hated it. She just wanted to go to sleep, and wake up and have all of this be a dream. It wasn’t real. Her brothers and cousins and Aemond hadn’t fought. They hadn’t said horrible things to each other, and Aemond hadn’t lost his eye.

And…Aemond didn’t have a dragon.

But everyone was staring, and she knew that it wasn’t a dream, and she did have to answer the question.

She wasn’t stupid. She knew what the Queen and King were asking. But she was so young, and she was angry to have seen her friend hurt, to have seen him so quickly turn from exhilaration to rage as accusations were hurled against him.

And her brothers….they were standing across the room. Not with her. Never with her.

“Baela his Aemond first,” she said quietly. “And then everyone was fighting.”

Everything erupted in a single moment. The adults were arguing, people shouting and screaming at each other, but Aemond didn’t care. He just looked down at Aelinor, who had immediately latched back onto his arm and wouldn’t meet his eyes. Eye. Fair enough. He probably looked terrifying.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” he whispered, leaning close so she could hear him over the noise.

“It was the truth,” she replied.

“I will have one of her children’s eyes in return.” Every head whipped up as the Queen spoke.

Aemond shouldn’t have been surprised. His mother had always been impassioned, but demanding the eye of one of her stepdaughter’s children seemed excessive even for her. The King wouldn’t allow it, no one would, but the question was a shock nonetheless.

And then his mother had a knife, and everyone was screaming and shouting.

Aemond wrapped an arm around Aelinor, drawing her into his chest. “It will be over soon, I swear it.”

If anyone had seen them, they might have laughed. Why was the boy without an eye comforting the girl? Why was she sobbing louder than anyone in the room, even when her mother was sliced with the knife and her younger brother screamed in terror.It was almost comical. But no one noticed them amongst the chaos. Or…almost no one.

Princess Rhaenyra did. In that moment when she felt the world cleave in two for everyone to see, she found herself and her sons on one side, and her daughter on the other, in the arms of her Alicent Hightower’s son. And fear flooded her, as she foresaw a chasm growing between her and her daughter.

And Prince Daemon, he too saw them. He saw the bold little girl who had declared him to be her father, he saw her pick a side. Perhaps unknowingly, and certainly without knowing the gravity of that choice, but he could see it plain as day. If he were to step into this fray, he could not be assured that his daughter would be with him.

The chaos ended, and slowly the room broke apart. It took both Princess Rhaenyra and her grandfather, Lord Corlys, to pull Aelinor away, and they carried her kicking and screaming from the room. Aemond only let her go because he knew there was still work to be done on his eye, and he didn’t want her to see it.

“We should leave immediately,” his mother declared.

“We’ll leave in two days’ time,” the King countered. “Or have you forgotten that your son is injured?”

His mother looked a little hurt that he had scolded her.

“It is alright, mother,” he stood warily from the chair. “I may have lost an eye, but I gained a dragon.”

That was little comfort to his mother, who would never understand what it meant to be a dragon rider, or the void in his soul that had been filled when he had soared through the skies.

But his father did, and the man offered him a tight smile. “I am glad for you, Aemond. Now take care.”

It was as close to praise as he had ever received from his father.

“Aelinor is hurt too,” he coughed, leaning a little on his mother for support. “Can you have someone go to her?”

Viserys nodded. “She will be taken care of.”

“Come,” his mother guided him from the room. “We must look after you, as our paramount concern.”

Aelinor’s brothers were not speaking to her. For an entire day, as people came and went from their rooms, no one spoke to her. Her mother only offered her a pat on the head as her wound was taken care of, and Ser Laenor was gone almost immediately, distracted by something else. Luc and Jace ignored her. She was almost glad of it, for she felt that if ever there was a time she would truly lose her temper, it would be now. She knew they were angry because of what she had said to her grandfather, but it had been the truth. And she knew, most of all, that they were angry because Aemond had been right. Why shouldn’t he have Vhagar? And they were bastards, all of them. They might have different fathers, but they were all bastards. And it wounded her brothers so much more deeply than it hurt her. It was daybreak on the second day after the funeral when Aelinor looked out her window and saw trunks being carried down to a ship bearing royal standards. They were leaving. Aemond and his family were finally leaving. She wouldn’t let it be without a goodbye. Bursting from her room, she hurried past her brothers and their maid. “Aelinor, where are you going? You’re forbidden from—” “I’m going to say goodbye,” she declared, giving Jace her dirtiest look. “So don’t even try to stop me.” He didn’t, though he would have failed regardless. Aelinor ran through the castle, the way unfamiliar but marked by the parade of belongings being carried away. “Princess!” Servants shouted as she rushed by, but she didn’t stop. At the top of the stairs, all of the rooms had their doors open, bar one. Up, up and then she was bursting through the door, only seconds later wondering if it actually was Aemond’s room. But there he was, still sitting on his bed, bandages wrapped around half of his face, staring out the window. “What are you—” he turned angrily. “Aelinor? What are you doing here?” She flung herself across the room, enveloping him in a hug. “I didn’t want you to leave without saying goodbye.” He squeezed her tightly, but when she pulled away, she saw how he kept the injured side of his face turned away. “Why won’t you look at me?” she asked, tilting her head. “It’s ugly,” Aemond said quietly. “So? It’s you,” Aelinor laughed. “And my hand is ugly, but you never have a problem with that.” “Of course not, it’s—” He was going to say it’s you, which of course was the exact logic she had used. Letting out a little laugh, he turned to her in acceptance. She could always do that, make things seem so impossibly simple. “Anyway,” Aelinor moved to sit next to him on the bed. “You were so dramatic the other day, claiming a dragon and all,” she gave him an affectionate nudge, “that I didn’t get to tell you my news.” “Your news?” he asked, grateful for the distraction. “Mmhmm,” she leaned forward, voice dropping to a whisper. “I know who my father is now.” “Your father?” He almost said Ser Laenor, but they both knew that to be false. Even if they had never said it, even if he would have died before calling her a bastard, they knew that Ser Laenor was not her father. “Who?” “Prince Daemon,” she said with wide eyes. “He’s very scary. I don’t think he likes me.” “Everyone likes you, Lina. It would be impossible not to.” She grinned at that. “Well, that doesn’t matter. Because I like you best of all.” His cheeks warmed. “Really? Even now, when I’m not your handsome prince anymore?” Aelinor’s face turned serious. “You will always be my handsome prince, Aemond. Always.” Words caught in his throat, but he reached down and grabbed her injured hand. It was ungloved, for she had run too quickly to catch

him. He traced the scars on her palm carefully. “Our mothers really hate each other now, don’t they?” she whispered. “I think so,” Aemond nodded. “I think…I think things might be different now.” There were a thousand things wrapped up in that statement, and somehow both of them understood perfectly. “I’ll miss you,” Aelinor’s lip quivered. “I don’t want to have to miss you.” “And I’ll miss you,” Aemond didn’t want to cry in front of her. “But even if…even if it’s a long time before we see each other, you know nothing will change, don’t you? I’ll love you, same as ever.” “And I’ll love you,” Aelinor leaned her head onto his shoulder. Aelinor meant it the way any nine-year-old could mean it. She loved Aemond as her protector, as her friend, with all of the passion that a girl her age could muster. Aemond…perhaps he meant it only a little differently. “We could write?” she said hopefully. He knew that would not be allowed. “Perhaps I’ll fly by Dragonstone on Vhagar. And once your saddle is ready, you can visit on Darrax.” “I would love to,” she gave him a sad smile. They both knew that it would be forbidden. Aemond suddenly felt the urge to change the subject. “The maester says I must have something fitted for my eye.” “An eye patch?” Aelinor asked. “Like a pirate?” She loved stories about pirates. “Well, yes,” it would be embarrassing, for him to have to walk around with a permanent reminder of that day. An eye patch, and a scar, and… “but something for my actual eye. Mother wants to commission a glass eye, but I thought I could have one made. Aegon suggested a diamond, but I thought something in Vhagar’s colors. What do you think?” Aelinor leaned back, lifting both hands to grip his face. One of her small hands traced the bandages, while the other gently brushed at his eyebrow. And then she reached toward her neck, and ripped her necklace free in one hard motion. “What are you doing?” he protested, already reaching forward to fix it. “Your necklace!” Did she not want it anymore? “You should use this,” she held out the pendant, chain dangling from her fingers. “for your eye. I think blue would look perfect.” It would never look perfect. He was always going to look scarred and horrible, but he knew then that the only thing he would ever accept for his eye, would be that sapphire. “Are you sure?” he asked quietly. “It was a gift for you.” “And now it is a gift for you,” Aelinor dropped it into his palm. “To remember me.” As if he could ever forget her. “You’ll be okay, Lina,” he promised. “And we’ll see each other again.” “We will,” she nodded. “I’m already counting the days.” “Me too.”

Aemond sailed away, the sapphire held tightly in his hand, his gaze set on the island fading into the distance. Aelinor attended the funeral of her first father, and the wedding of her second. She watched her mother wed her father in the Valyrian tradition, as their dragons circled overhead. But her gaze was on the south, where she knew he was waiting.

#house of the dragon #hotd #game of thrones #got #aemond x oc #aemond fanfiction #aemond targaryen #fanfiction #fanfic

38 notes · View notes

bootleg-parable · 6 months

Text

Guilty Tango ; A Parable Progression

It was another Tuesday.

Somehow, this book had yet to grow old, and here User sat, reading it for the seventh time since his arrival to the office. Something about the writing always reeled him in. Something about the atmosphere, the characters, the irony. It was a good book to get lost in. With ease, it always took his mind off of everything else when he needed it, and it kept him from constantly bothering–

“User?”

. . .Teller.

Two hands settled gently upon User’s shoulders and spun him 180 to be facing away from the desk at which he was sitting. User closed the book and rested it in his lap as he looked up to meet an expecting smile. He stared into the glowing opacity of Teller’s glasses as blankly as he could manage. He often wondered what the older man’s eyes looked like beneath the shining glass shields, but alas, there was no way around them, and User wasn’t one to pry.

“Did you need something?” He asked quietly, and briefly he turned his chair’s swivel to put the book on the desk. He had the feeling he’d be leaving it soon.

Teller took hold of User’s arms. “I am officially–” He paused to hoist the other to his feet. User did not protest. “Off the clock.”

“And only one hour later than yesterday. You must be so proud."

“Ahem. I. . .I apologise. Sometimes things get a little too busy around here.”

And yet User has never seen another person in this office building aside from Teller and-

...

He didn’t want to think about it.

“I’m here, now.” Teller’s glove brushing up against the unwrapped side of User’s face made him bristle. “Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?”

User squinted. “I was kidding, Teller.” He swatted the eldest’s hand away. “It doesn’t bother me.”

“The way that you looked at me said otherwise.”

User’s facial expressions didn’t typically change. He didn’t think it had then, either. But perhaps Teller saw something that User didn't feel or care enough to realise. Even so, nothing came to mind, and he knew that Teller was insistent, almost to a charmingly annoying degree.

He only shrugged. Teller frowned with nothing more to say, and User, admittedly, was growing cold under that empty stare of his. Another reason why he wished that Teller would take those glasses off at least once. It was uncanny to look at his face and see nothing but two strips of beaming white glass where eyes should be. Glasses didn’t come like that. . .But he supposed he wouldn’t really know. He couldn’t remember anything before the office, and any memory that sprung to life in his mind always died and vanished soon after. Nothing was left for him. Not while he was here.

Is this even the real world? Surely it couldn't be. Not if Teller was capable of "respawning" in every instance after death. But maybe all of these people weren't actually Teller. Perhaps it was a title. Perhaps User never met the man he thinks he has.

In his spiral of thought, User didn’t even notice that Teller had gotten alarmingly close to him, with a grasp on his arms again, and was humming a tune to the both of them as he swayed in place. User stumbled, startled, and once his mind kicked back into functionality, it only got worse. Teller was trying to dance with him. User didn’t fancy the idea all too much.

“No–” He stuttered, leaning back to put distance between them. His voice got closer and closer to a whisper the more that he spoke. “Teller, I can’t– I don’t know how to dance.”

Teller only grinned. “How painfully stereotypical of you.”

User had seen this before. Every reset followed the same set of events, no matter how much time it took to reach certain ones. They couldn’t do this. User was trying to stop the loop, not entertain it. Oh, but how was he going to explain this to Teller without just hurting his feelings? Or without spilling the truth of this reality to him? Was there any way around this without looking like the bad guy? Maybe that’s something he’d just have to live with.

“Shit.”

He was so bad at it, too. You’d think with how many times he’d repeated this exact moment that he might’ve been better at dancing. But he kept tripping up. He stepped on Teller more than once now, but as always, the other’s patience was endless. Maybe User could just step away. Maybe Teller wouldn’t be bothered.

But what if he would?

“Sorry–”

He stepped on his friend again. Damn it, why couldn't he get this down?

“You are a terrible dancer, dear boy.” Teller insulted, but he laughed, and in that, User knew he was only teasing.

He tried to hide his embarrassed smile in Teller’s coat. He didn’t need to be seen grinning like that. He didn’t want to get close to this version of this man. It would make his death a lot easier to take if User couldn’t prevent it- to know that they were never as close as his previous selves were.

Hm.

Teller was so warm. It never occurred to User that he’s never actually hugged Teller until it was too late. Every embrace was never returned. Instead he always spent his final moments in a loop hanging on to something dead. Someone dead. This might not have been a hug, per say, but it was a welcome change of pace. To be this close to Teller while he was still alive.

While he was. . .

“Let go.” He pulled himself free. Teller might have blinked with surprise, but User couldn’t tell. He tried to think of something to cover up his abruptness. “I told you, I can’t dance.”

“I can tell,” Teller shot back. User couldn’t read it as playful or not anymore. That made him ache. “I stopped counting your fumbles after the tenth one, snrk–”

Teller didn’t usually take things personally.

That was a relief, and User sighed to acknowledge that. Teller rubbed the other’s shoulder.

“Oh, I’m only poking fun at you, User.” He reassured, having taken the sigh as despondency. “You were doing fine.”

User gave him a look. There were far more troubling things to get twisted up about. Teller’s silly little insult was far from being one of them. And speaking of which, he had plans to write out. He couldn’t stand around humouring this game anymore. Lucky for him, Teller picked up on User’s wanting to be left alone.

“If you need me, simply shout for me,” He announced his departure as he started off down the hall. “I will be in the library, reorganising.”

User nodded once and watched him disappear around a corner. He didn’t like being alone very much, even less so knowing that Teller was alone. Anything could happen. He didn’t know if that damned 8-Ball would wait for everything to play out as it typically did. Maybe it had fun watching User scramble around for solutions with the time provided. Maybe it would catch him off guard and take Teller away from him while he wasn’t looking. There wouldn't be any light steps taken about this subject. Even if the end never truly was the end, User didn't want it to happen.

There were so many ways that this could all go wrong.

There were so many loops that all came to the same conclusion, no matter how hard he tried.

There were so many memories that only he retained and couldn't share.

User didn’t like being alone very much. . .

. . . There was a sound from the library. A loud, devastating sound. Something in User’s stomach dropped, and before he could even process the situation or his feelings, he was already mindlessly running down the hall. His heart was racing.

He was right.

The worst had come ages before the suspected deadline.

Teller.

#the stanley parable #tspud #narratorverse #bootleguser #tsp stanley #tsp narrator #bootlegstoryteller #writing

37 notes · View notes

thaboah · 1 year

Text

God Of War characters during a party!

Well I'm in class, bored as hell and tonight I had this idea. I haven't seen anyone writing something like this but it could be funny.

Here is almost every character mentioned, but due I'm going to mention alcohol, drugs and violence, and Trùd and Atreus are kids. I'm not going to mention them. Let's just say that they're on a "kids zone".

TW: Alcohol, drugs and violence mentions, please if you're minor do NOT read this.

🎟️,, ~ Let's start!

The night had just started and everyone still sober, the music starts playing and it's time to have fun.

Mimir, since he's just a head and can't dance, it's with Sindri taking care of people stuff, like the weapons. To make the party a safe place everyone has to leave their weapons at the entrance.

Brok is the one who attends the bar, he makes cocktails and give "advice" to drunk people.

Let's be honest, he's not the best person to ask for advice, but there's anyone more besides him.

His tips are simple, if you like someone, go ahead and kiss them and try to conquer them. If someone It's annoying, then punch them in the face!

Thor is the one who recieves this last advice, he has been annoyed by Heimdall like always, so now he's drunk, he finds that idea very interesting.

Well, Heimdall is leaning against a wall, he's not really drunk, but he's a little affected by alcohol, so when he sees Thor reeling towards him, he looks at his eyes and immediately knew what was going to happen.

Thor tried to punch Heimdall, but he dodges every single blow that Thor tries to give him.

H: "I'm sorry, did you just tried to hit me? You idiot."

T: "DOn't YOu dARe to CALl mE IDioT!"

H: "Okay! You drunk monkey!"

T: "WhaT DId yøU JÛsT CæLl Me?!"

At this point a good amount of people just formed a circle around these two.

Odin was staring at them like "What did I do to have this pair of idiots as sons"

Some people like Freyr were too drunk to understand what was happening and they were just screaming: "Fight, fight, fight!"

The fight was lame, and when Tyr (The real one) arrived, he really tried to make them stop.

Tyr tried to calm down Thor, and Heimdall just walked away.

And Sif, Sif was mad as hell at Thor, she and Thor left the party soon, as Sif said: "You have done enough"

And Kratos... Well, he's there, but he's not even drinking, he's just there making sure that his friends are okay and Odin doesn't try something when they're drunk.

He weren't planning to go but Freya ask him to go with her and he thought it could be interesting and maybe he could learn something about Odin or his plans.

Freya was enjoying the party, she's not the heart of the party, but, you know who it is? Freyr.

Freyr is having the BEST time of his life, he's drinking, dancing on the floor like he was at the end of the world.

Baldur was there too, dancing with Freyr, he can't get drunk, but he's trying really hard, he's drinking everything he sees (and doing some drugs) he really WANTS to feel something.

The party starts going out of hands, someone, ahem, ahem, Odin, put something on the drinks while nobody was seeing.

Everyone starts doing things that normally they wouldn't do. Even Tyr and Freya are giving everything on the dance floor.

Heimdall wasn't drinking anymore, he knew what Odin has done but he's not going to question the all-father's behaviour.

Kratos it's fine too, he haven't drunk anything on the entire night, but he's having a great time anyways. There's no need to get drunk, you can have fun without alcohol.

Sindri, Brok and Mimir once everyone is too busy doing things that they will regret tomorrow. They meet together at the bar, Sindri is worried, he thinks that the party has gone out of hands, but Brok tell him to relax, anyone is dying.

When the party is over everyone ends sleeping where they can. Kratos takes Freya to her house but leaves the rest to his own luck.

Freyr and Baldur during the party were like best friends and they wake up next to each other lying on the ground. (Nothing weird, they fell asleep dancing)

Odin left after Kratos, but Heimdall stayed there annoying everyone.

Heimdall wakes up on the entrance of the party, he was so annoying that when he fell asleep everyone agreed on getting ride of him.

Sindri and Brok left and gone home leaving Mimir on the bar.

Everyone left Mimir :(

The next morning everyone woke up with a headche.

Baldur, Freyr and Heimdall found Mimir on the bar.

Mimir would definitely tell them about everything that happened last night, everyone feels a little embarrassed.

But at the end was funny and nobody was hurt.

🎟️,, ~ End

(WHAT WITH THIS GIF I LOVE IT)

That was funny! I spend alomst 2 hours writing, maybe more, maybe less but I hope all liked it :)

And if someone read this and is a minor, bad! I told you this wasn't for kids! But don't worry I understand you, when I was a kid I did that too and I'm normal haha.

Jokes aside, you don't need of alcohol to have fun and this is a fanfic, it's not real and it's not a good example or parties!

Have a nice day :)

#god of war x reader #gow ragnarok #heimdall headcanons #god of war ragnarok #god of war #heimdall god of war #kratos #kratos gow #freya gow #freyr #tyr gow #thor gow #odin allfather #odin gow #gow x reader #headcanon #gow headcanons

224 notes · View notes

kimbappykidding · 11 months

Text

Imagine your boyfriend Heeseung getting jealous over how much attention you give his members

The two main beneficiaries of your kindness in Enhypen were Sunoo and Jake. You pampered Sunoo because you thought he was adorable and had the cutest cheeks ever. You favoured Jake because he'd moved here all the way from Australia and you wanted to help him feel welcome. So anytime you were with the group you doted on them and the boys noticed. The two perked up whenever you were around and would ask Heeseung if you were coming over each night. Heeseung began to suspect the two boys had a crush on you which made things even worse. If they were innocent babies who needed some mothering he'd be less bothered but they were two young men becoming fond of the beautiful woman showing them extra attention. So Heeseung decided it was time to play the hyung card and scare his maknaes a little.

Tonight, there was a party at the Enhypen house and Heeseung happily invited you to the event. He waited for you on the doorstep and when you appeared he smiled "you look hotter every time I see you". You blushed glancing down at your dress "so you like this huh?". "I love it" Heeseung replied quickly wrapping his arms around your waist and kissing you. It was not a typical welcome peck but was long and passionate, leaving you reeling slightly when he pulled away. "Hello to you too" you commented when he pulled away and Heeseung smiled "I've just missed you" and his hand firmly on your waist, he led you inside. "Hey everyone looks who's here" he called opening the door and the members all looked over before shouting out greetings to you. You waved to them all smiling and spotted Sunoo waving to you. You went to wave back when Heeseung patted your arm "want me to help you take your jacket off" and you smiled at him "thanks Heeseung" and turned so he could take it off. Heeseung deliberately brushed your back and pressed a kiss to your neck making you jump. "You certainly are in a good mood tonight" you said and Heeseung smiled "you have no idea". Heeseung immediately got you both drinks and joined the group. He kept a hand on your waist and followed the conversation, wondering how to draw attention to the two of you when it hit him. There was nothing more notable in a group than two people whispering. So Heeseung moved so he was behind you and leaned in so he could whisper in your ear. "You look so good I'm struggling to concentrate" he said and saw you pause. "Then closed your eyes" you replied and he shook his head "that won't work, I had a dream about you last night”. You smiled "how? I was literally over 2 nights ago?". "So? I always want you Y/n" he said his hands snaking up your waist. You shivered and Heeesung smiled. He saw several members notice the movement including Jake and Sunoo and couldn't be happier. To really send it home he snook his arms around you fully and rested then on your stomach, pulling your back flat against his chest. He stayed like that throughout the whole conversation and saw some of the boys look at their hands uncomfortably. Heeseung just smiled and kept going. Heeseung couldn't stay glued to you all night though and as more people arrived he let go but that didn't mean he couldn't still play. Heeseung thought another great way to remind the boys you were his was to show them how much you wanted him. So he went upstairs and changed into a tight top he knew you loved on him. Sure enough, when he re-entered, Heeseung saw you do a double take and he smiled gesturing for you to come over to him. You said some excuse to Jay and Jake and then appeared in front of him "okay if I wasn't sure you were trying to drive me crazy this top is the proof". "I have no idea what you mean" Heeseung said shamelessly stretching to make the top even tighter. He smirked to see your eyes firmly fixed on his body and a beautifully familiar look in your eyes. "Come and dance with me" he said and took your hand and he lead you into the dancefloor. You could tell from the look in Heeseung's eyes where this would lead to and were more than happy with that, you just wanted it sooner. Heeseung was moving his hips so wonderfully and seemed to touch you every chance he could. You were getting pretty antsy and so smiled "you never did tell me what happened in your dream". Heeseung smiled and came closer "didn't I?". You shook your head "and I want to hear it in every detail". Heeseung shrugged "well I could do that or I could show you". You smiled because that was exactly what you wanted. Heeseung still had some teasing to do though and so he carried on dancing with you...well if you could call it dancing. He basically pulled you as close as he could get you and then gave you the kiss of a lifetime. Heeseung didn't really do PDA, especially in front of his members and that made it so hot. He kissed you how he did when you were all alone without a care in the world and you loved it. Even though he had you tightly in his grip you still wanted to get closer to him. Your own hands were on his shoulders to steady yourself as he was kissing you with so much passion it was moving you both. Heeseung suddenly dipped you in his arms in time with the music and pressed some kisses to your neck before breaking away and stepping back a little. He looked at something behind you before smiling "is that enough of a taste for you to want the real thing?". "The real thing definitely!" you said and Heeseung smiled. He took your hand "then follow me" and he led you out of the room past all his members. When you reached his room Heeseung picked up where he left off but you noticed he seemed a lot tenser than usual. He seemed to be in a hurry and kept muttering things. "Nobody else could make you feel this way right?". You nodded "of course not" and Heeseung nodded "not even any of my members?" he asked. You froze "your members, what?". "None of those guys could ever make you like this...no matter how much they'd like to try you'd never like them! Never!". "Heeseung what do you mean? What members?" you asked pulling back and Heeseung sighed. He sunk down on the bed beside you and brought his hands to rest on his knees. You now realised he had been so hasty because his hands were shaking. "Heeseung!" you said taking his hands. "Are you okay?" you asked and Heeseung sighed before deciding to come clean "no". "What's up?" you asked and he pouted "I'm jealous". "Jealous?" you asked, "of what?". "You and the boys. You give them so much love and attention...and I know you also give me tons of love and attention but you have an extra soft spot for Jake and Sunoo and it made me...I don't know just want you all for myself. Does that make me gross and selfish?". You smiled "no it makes you a little needy but in a cute way" and you opened your arms pulling him in for a cuddle. "It also doesn't help that they're totally into you and see you as more of a hot babysitter than a mom". "What?" you gasped "but I'm like so much older than them". Heeseung laughed "3 years but yeah they're the same age as your younger brothers right?". "Yeah so anyone their age is a baby to me!". Heeseung laughed more than reassured by your response. "Hey they're young and I can't blame them. At that age guys struggle dissociating kindness and flirting". You shook your head "guys are weird" and Heeseung nodded "we are". "But you're okay" you said and he smiled "I am huh?". You shrugged "eh you have your good and bad days" and Heeseung gasped. "I'm kidding!" you said grabbing his arm as Heeseung pretended to turn away offended. Heeseung turned back to you and you smiled resting a hand on his face "you know I'm crazy about you" and kissed him. The kiss was everything Heeseung needed and he could feel how much you meant those words from how you kissed him. When you pulled away Heeseung let out a sigh and opened his eyes slowly. "I'm crazy about you too" he replied hugging you close to him. You stayed like that for a while before you asked "so what do we do?". "Do?" Heseeung asked and you nodded "about the boys, should I act differently or say something?". Heeseung shook his head "no let me handle it. I was trying to scare them tonight but I think I know a more direct way that will do the job". Heeseung walked back downstairs and all his members watched as he took a seat in the centre of the room. "You okay hyung?" Jake asked and Heeseung nodded "I am but I have something to say to you two, can the rest of you give us a minute?". The other members recognised the look in Heeseung's eye as someone not to be messed with and all hurried from the room. When it was empty Sunoo went to speak but Heeseung held up a hand. "I know the two of you fancy my girlfriend and if I ever catch you checking her out again I will leak every bad photo of you online...oh and kick your ass". They both began trying to deny they had crushes on you or had ever checked you out but Heeseung shot them a look. "Shut up" he said and his hyung powers worked because they did. "I'm not dealing with any lies just stop thinking about her that way okay?". Both boys nodded looking down and Heeseung nodded "great! Now if you'll excuse me, my girlfriend is waiting for me" and he strut out of the room.

120 notes · View notes

yandere-delulu · 2 years

Text

Eyes Like Rubies

Yandere! Platonic! Thranduil x Albino! Teen! Reader x Yandere! Platonic! Legolas

Summary: Y/N wakes up in a strange place. Thranduil makes a journey into the forest

Warning: Mention of main character death, talk of being killed, anxiety attack

A/N: I did not mean for this chapter to get this long, but whelp here we are. To clarify by teen! reader, Y/N is 13 years old. Old enough to understand what is happening to a degree, but young enough to be impressionable (easily gaslight ) , and young enough for Thranduil and Legolas to be like yes this is my child/sister. Hope that clears any confusion.

Chapter 1: A Strange World, A Strange Girl

Previous | Next

The energy came to a crescendo, whipping and crackling, the whole forest felt alight with the bizarre cascade of power, a strange pressure building in the forest. A pressure began to wane on the edges as it gathered, building into a tornado of unconstrained power, turning and twisting around itself, until it had become one focused mass of energy. Light began pouring out, rays casted brighter than the summer sun, glowing brighter and brighter. Tell suddenly it was gone. And all that was left was a girl, a child, laying asleep upon the woodland floor.

Sitting atop his throne, Thranduil went over the various reports that had come in over the past week, pouring over each detail, trying to find even the tiniest bit of information that could help identify this threat. Anything at all, yet there was nothing. And it frustrated him; no, it enraged him, his kingdom is under the spell of some wicked sorcerer who he cannot locate, the spiders are moving in patterns never seen before. While he sits here, behind his castle walls trying to decipher the puzzle that lays before him, and hope it is one that will lead to an answer.

Not will, it has to lead to an answer. He is the King, he must lead his people and he must ensure home and safety.

“My King!” A Guard shouted, running towards the thorn, Thranduil immediately standing up and descending. “There is something happening in the forest!” He cried, pointing in the direction of the main gate.

Striding forward, Thranduil grabbed his sword, “Men, gather together and head toward the main gate!” He ordered, his voice booming through the winding hall. Sounds of quick feet and arm clinking as his kin armed themselves and made their way towards the center of it all.

Thranduil could only take in a steady breath, and march ever closer with his head held high. Only giving a quick glance as his son fell in line with his steps somewhere along his path to the main gate.

Yet for all he could imagine, nothing prepared him for what he would see.

Feet coming to a halt at the kingdom's gate, icey blue iris struggling to comprehend the sight before him, senses reeling from what were once gentle waves of energy now felt like a suffocating blanket. Air alight with the same feeling right before a lightning strike, yet this scared him more than any storm from the heavens.

Rays of golden light dance through the trees, far brighter than the sun ever was, cutting between the spaces between trunks, it hurt to look at yet Thranduil couldn’t look away. It was enchanting, yet terrifying. Breaking away, he turned to face the captain of the guard, “When did this begin?”

“Only a few moments ago, My King.” Tauriel spoke, worrying, cressing her brow, hand clenching her bow in a vice-grip. “A buzzing had filled the air, and then the light appeared, but it wasn’t this bright initially.” She spoke.

“What do you mean?” He spoke, eyes returning to mysterious light. Only to widen as he watched it only grew brighter, forced to squint to maintain visual.

His ever impatient son began to step forward, only to be stopped, Thranduil swinging out his arm to block his path. “Father, shouldn’t we go out there and investigate what is causing the light?” His son strongly questioned.

Casting a stern look at his progeny, he returned his stare forward, hand returning to rest on his sword. “Until we know what IT is, we would be fools to charge in. For all we know it could be a trap meant to lure soldiers away to lay siege while their posts are depleted” Thranduil’s voice came out sharper then he would have hoped for, but his son must learn that charging into a battle without a proper understanding of one's enemy in foolhardy. “Guard patrols have already been sent out to survey the area, and report anything suspicious. If anything moves in this forest I will hear about it.”

Legolas had to hold back a sigh, staring at his father’s back. Sometimes he wished he wasn’t the crown prince.

That’s where they stayed, waiting for an attack, for the spiders, for the orcs, for anything to come charging through the trees. Yet nothing came as he stood outside, his army behind him, a sharp eye trained on the light that only seemed to grow brighter.

He could feel it, the energy; the magic, moving, shifting, gathering into a single point, and that worried him. It was beginning to change, alter ever so slightly as it gathered. This amount of magic alone was almost unheard of, very few had the ability to gather, let alone control such a plethora. But what worried him was if the magic was only being gathered right now,what spells would they be able to unleash across the woodland realm.

As his mind pondered the outcomes, the ways that the enemy could be manipulating the magic, it stopped.

It was gone.

All of it.

The magic vanished like it had never been there.

The light cut like a blown out candle, leaving only the forest as it once was.

Whispers began to swell amongst the elves, many raising their bows, and spears, speaking of how it could have just disappeared.

“Are they going to charge us?” One questioned.

“Maybe it’s a ploy like the king said to lure us out?” Another added.

Yet for all the questions that could be asked not a single answer could be offered.

No movement could be heard, only the gentle swaying of the trees and foliage, The forest was silent.

“Then we will wait, circulate that there have been no changes to the current orders, no elves are to leave their posts.” Thranduil spoke, “We will wait until our enemy realizes that cowardice and cheap magic tricks will not win this battle.”

Nodding, guards set out to deliver his orders, while the rest stay in their position, ready for whatever may come spilling out of the forest.

So they waited, and waited, staring out into the depths of the forest; he didn't know how much time had passed, but as the sun started to move to the west Thranduil ordered a squadron of elves to inspect the origin of the light.

“And where are you off to Legolas?” Thranduil questions, eyes trained on his son, the same cold blue eyes meeting his own.

Turning away the younger elf made his way to join the guard, the same guard who had been assigned to find the source of the light. “To find whatever may be threatening the woodland.” He spoke clipped, hassle walking away before his father could pull him back. Legolas had learned long ago that if he wanted to leave the castle walls, to explore the outside world he had to leave either while his father was busy, or around enough people, and far enough away that he could make an escape without his father's interference. His father had an image to uphold, one of a cold and dignified ruler, he could not be seen having to wrangle his own son.

Resigning to Legolas’ choice he bid him a farewell, “and if you are to find anything, or are encountered with the enemy's forces, inform me immediately. Do NOT engage the enemy.” Thranduil directed his son, only earning a nod. Watching on with worry as he disappeared into the depth of the forest to face an enemy unknown. “I want 6 squadrons of guards to be sent out to patrol the outer edges, and entrance to the forest. If you see anything, report to me immediately, and if you find anything, bring it to me.”before disappearing back into the winding halls of his kingdom.

Jumping through the trees, Legolas surveyed the area, bow clutched tightly in his hand. They had not come across whatever had made that light, but the more concerning thing was the spiders, or the lack thereof.

The group had already entered into territory that should have been infested with them, yet not a single one had been seen, only the remnants of webs, caucasus and eggs. Eggs that look burnt, as if they had been cooked, no melted, scorch marks ripped across them from the direction the light had originated from.

“Send a word to my father about our finding, whatever this light is or was, it might be on our side.” Legolas spoke, watching as one of the guards nodded before quickly sprinting off back to the forest to deliver his message. ‘Father will most likely be getting several messages from the different squadrons soon, or he has already begun to receive them. The light stretched far and wide, I would be surprised if it pushed all the spiders to the very edges of the forest.’ A sudden thought crossed his mind.

Turning to Tauriel, “Do you think the reason the light kept getting brighter was to keep pushing the spider back?” he questioned.

Tilting her head to ponder the thought, “It might be, it’s possible that whatever was making the light was hoping that the spider would charge the light, but instead they fled and it forced the light to get brighter. It still doesn’t explain the week before the light appeared that the strange energy had hung over the forest idley.”

“The closer we get to the source of the light, the more grotesque the spiders are. I fear that when we reach the center there may not even be any remnants of spiders left.” A elf spoke

“But isn’t strage?” Another chimed in.

“What’s strange?” Legolas spoke.

“Look around, for all the devastation that had come to the spiders, the forest is unharmed. I mean look, a spider is singed and melted against the tree, but not a single scratch is on the tree. That’s what’s strange.” They spoke.

“He’s right…” Tauriel whispered, astonishment coloring her features.

“No, that’s not it.” Legolas spoke, spinning around to fully take in the forest he had traveled in almost everyday, how had he not noticed it. The others looked at him in confusion, he continued, “No, it’s not that no harm had been done to the forest, it’s as if the opposite had occurred. Look at the trees, the forest floor, everything around you.” He spoke, as if he himself could not believe it.

Muted greens that had lost their luster now looked vibrant, full of life. Once sparse woodland floor was now filled with lush green grass; grass that had even been freckled with spots of color. Flowers. There were flowers, sprouting between the blades of grass.

Gasps were heard all around, elves running in every direction to inspect the forest they knew so well. Many stared at the ground in wonder and confusion, how long had it been since they had seen such a vibrant color in their once muddled forest.

Legolas couldn’t even remember the last time he had seen a flower bloom in this forest, and yet now there seem to be hundreds painting the floor. He wasn’t the only one, the other elves that had come with all stood transfixed by the beauty that they so missed, one that had always felt like a far off dream. Stories told to them about the once grand and colorful realm, overflowing with bright flowers and lush foliage.

His father told him he was named after the beautiful trees that filled the forest, ones you could feel the life emanate from, and as he places his hand against it; he can feel it, warmth and life, pulsating deep from within the tree, life that had always felt absent before. Flowing from the tips of its leaves and all the way deep down into its roots.

As he stares at the landscape before him he realizes, wherever the light had touched, life had returned. “Tauriel, do you notice the direction of the light, wherever it touches that’s where life has returned.” He spoke, gaining the attention of all the elves.

“And if the spiders have decayed more the closer we have gotten, but the green and more lush the forest’s become.” Tauriel Started.

“Then we can use it as a guide to find the source!” Legolas finished, a Bright smile filling his face. Maybe this is what they need, what the woodlands need in order to return to its former glory.

“Captain, up ahead there seems to be a larger gathering of flowers!” One shouted, pointing deeper into the forest.

Glancing down at the forest floor he noticed that the flowers began to grow in greater numbers up ahead, as if they were leading somewhere, leading to the source. “Look at the ground, farther back there was only a single color of flower, but farther forward they become more abundant, and not only that, there are several species of flower growing.”

“We might be closer to the source than we think.” Tauriel stated. “Alright, everyone stay focused, let’s move towards the grove of flowers, be ready for anything. As much as this light has given us some of the woodland realms' former life back, we are unsure of its allegiance, so we must approach with caution.” Pointing to three elves, “You three go into the upper branches, make sure to keep a visual on everything, we still don’t know what this thing looks like.” Turning to another four, “You lot, circle around to the otherside, I want to surround this thing, if it makes any sudden movements I want to be able to suppress it. The rest I want you to stay with me, we will approach this thing with the utmost caution.”

Nodding, they all spread to follow orders.

“I see you have gotten quite well at analyzing situations and devising a proper strategy to ensure the desired outcome, Tauriel.” A stern, cold voice that could only belong to one elven-king spoke. “Though your choice to go against a direct order to not engage the enemy is a bold one, what is your explanation for such?”

Whipping around Legolas and Tauriel were met with the arrival of Thranduil, saddled onto his elk, with a string of soldiers following behind.

“I’m waiting.” He sharply enunciated, staring down at the two, Tauriel with mild annoyance, and Legolas with displeasure at his son’s insurance to throw himself face first into danger with no forethought.

Clearing her throat, Tauriel chose her words carefully, “Well. My King, My squadron and I were only going to do reconnaissance. We have no knowledge of what the being that emitted the light looks like, or of their allegiance, we simply wanted to obtain information. After that we would have immediately come back with a report.” Bowing, she chose not to meet King Thranduil’s gaze.

“I see, so when you said ‘I want to surround this thing, and if it makes sudden movements I want to be able to suppress it.’, it was for reconnaissance, and not for a plan to apprehend the creature?” Thranduil rebuked, a sharp gaze settled on Tauriel’s head, one she could feel boring threw her skull.

Stepping up, Legolas leveled his gaze with his father’s, “Are you going to offer me an answer or an excuse for your actions, Legolas?” Thraduil swiftly cut him off.

Taking a breath, he readjusted the grip on his bow, it’s times like this where he feels like King Thranduil, not his father, “An answer,” pause, “father” just long enough to border on disrespectful, in a sly attempt to get under his father’s skin the same why that his father so effortlessly does to him. The subtle twitch in his left eyebrow tells Legolas that he was successful.

“Then let’s hear it.”

“The light had only harmed the spider, and left the forest untouched, that was our initial observation, but as we journeyed closer to the origin of the light, we realized that the light wasn’t just killing the spiders. It was healing the forest, and the closer we got the more healed the forest was.” Legolas spoke, geasutring to the forest around.

“The prince is right, look at the forest floor, flowers!” A soldier shouted, a tizy began to form as the soldier fully started taking in the forest.

“It’s been ages since flowers have bloomed in the woodlands!” Another cried.

“Maybe I should bring some home for my kids, I think they’ll be surprised.”

“SILENCE!” Thranduil boomed, a cold hush falling over. Finally dismounting, he began trending along the forest floor, before bending down, hands brushing against the soft petals of a white lily. He could feel the life in the plane, this was no mirage conjured by some sorcerer, this was real.

Standing up, he made his decision, even if he doesn’t have all the pieces to the puzzle he has enough to form a plan, and if this being has the power the push the spiders back and revitalize the forest, then they must be secured.

“Tauriel, you said the creature is in the grove up ahead?”

“Yes my King”

Turning to his soldier, “Secure the area around the groove, I want no chance of this creature escaping. Be ready in the chance it becomes hostile, but I want every effort to avoid harming it, it’s too much of a valuable resource to let it be killed.” Spinning back towards the grove, soldiers quickly split, beginning to form a perimeter around.

“And what will you do father?” Legolas questioned, quickly springing to follow his father, as he and a group of soldiers made a direct trek to the grove.

“Negotiate.” A short answer as always from his father Legolas mused, unaware of the turbulent thoughts that swirled within his father’s head.

‘What could it possibly be seeking? Most don’t do such great deeds until an agreement is in place for something in return. This could be a ploy to try to make the woodland realm indebted to them, but it’s not well thought out. We could simply reject them and throw them out after all this work. It’s truly strange what their motives are.’

Gaspes echoed around as their eyes came to see the grove, yet Thranduil stayed tight lipped.

“It’s beautiful!” “So many flowers!” “Is this what Valinor is supposed to look like?”

The trees gave way to a small sunlit meadow area, illuminated by the sun were thousands of flowers, flowers so plentiful you couldn’t see the woodland floor, you couldn’t even see the lush grass underneath. It looked as if a rainbow had painted the ground with its cascading colors, a calming smell of florals filing the air.

It felt so peaceful here, as if the whole world was separate from this lone piece of land.

“This is the center right?” A soldier beside Thranduil questioned.

“Wait, I see something!” Another shouted, pointing to the center.

Focusing on the center, he could see an ident in the pasture of flowers, it was small, but large enough to be something.

Taking strides towards the mass, Legolas a few steps behind much to his fathers chagrin, “Do not approach until I order it. I don’t want to risk any potential alliance because some fool mistakes another being's culture or mannerisms.”

The closer he got, the more he could make out of the creature’s appearance. At first he saw a pair of shoes, then legs that seemed to be covered in a tight black material, a red skirt with folds that seemed far too short with a strange white line along the bottom, a human’s formal shirt, with one of those obnoxiously large bows they seem so fond of. But when he saw their face he realized, this wasn’t a hobbit, nor a dwarf, this was a female human child, but as he gazed at the halo of snow white hair that fell around their head, he wondered if this creature was human. Whatever it was, it seemed to be asleep, chest slowly falling and rising with each breath.

As he gazed upon this creature, their beauty was notable, far too pretty to be lumped in with the species of man, yet his mind kept wandering to the age of this creature, it looked so small, laying in a forest completely defenseless. It…She couldn’t have been abandoned, far to clean, only a few flower petals litter her hair, her clothes looked to be of material he had never seen, but nevertheless the white formal shirt lay wrapped around her body as pristine in color as her hair. Her existence left him with questions only she could hopefully answer. Void of other options for answers, walking the creature up is the easy part, he was only hoping they were as peaceful awake as asleep.

Warmth.

Everywhere.

It felt so nice.

A gentle waft of florals filling Y/N lungs with each breath, she could,’t help but snuggle deeper into her arms, body shifting ever so slightly. A soft blade of grass ran across her nose, making it scrunch.

Wait….

Grass?

Eyelids shot open, ruby iris darting around in shock, turning quickly to lock on the figure that stood above them, one that held a…a sword. Mind traveling a million miles a second, yet body feeling a century behind. Jolting up to her hand, crying in horror, her legs too weak to stand, forced to desperately crawl backwards, away, anywhere but here.

But life isn't that easy, eyes scanning, in a frenzy for an escape, she realized there was none. Surrounded, she was surrounded, armored soldiers stationed along the tree line, there was no escape. Tears that had sat idle began to swell, spilling like fresh rain, muddled hiccups followed as her situation only became more real.

She was gonna die.

Again.

Turning to face her executioner, she noticed there were two of them, both with matching long blonde hair that sparkled in the light, if they weren’t here to kill her she might have asked them about their hair routine. Though she did notice the younger of the two did seem more weary, eyes casting a concerned look, but Y/N doubted it was for her. They were her to most likely behead her, judging by the sword, or at least she was hoping it would be that fast, her other death was.

She didn’t want to die, not again. Y/N didn’t want to die in the first place, if it was a perfect world she would still be back in her world and be at F/N home studying and laughing at some stupid teen drama they had found.

But no Y/N here in a forest surrounded by soldiers wearing weird armor; armor she had only ever seen anything remotely similar in a museum, with two people dressed differently standing only a dozen feet away. So Y/N did what any sane person did that wanted to live, and begged for her life, like her life depended on it, because it did.

Eyes cloudy with tears, she gazed at floral expanse beneath her, maybe they would have more pity on her if they didn’t see her eyes, she mused. Taking in a shaky breath, she spoke the question that she feared to ask, “You’re here to kill me, aren't you?” She tried to sound strong, but her voice only wobbled as tears fell on the flowers below.

“No.”

“Please just make it as painless as possibl-no? You said no?” Y/N mind was reeling, if they weren’t here to kill her, then why all the soldiers, or the weapons. Maybe they were trying to get here to lower her guard, that has to be it. Casting a questioning gaze to the sword resting on the hip of the older man, it looked ornate, far nicer than any sword she had seen in a museum. ‘Could this be a ritualistic killing!? I've heard about it on the news, people use blades like that.’ Y/N couldn’t stop the way her heart sped up, it was gonna burst from her chest, they were lying, it was all some sick game to lure her out, to trick her.

“Adar, megil lín (Father, your sword).” A hurried voice spoke, words she could not understand, only surviving to fuel her fear. Eyes widening in horror as the older man reaches for his sword, this was it, she was gonna die again.

“Please no! Don’t kill me!” She cried, curling in on herself, unable to watch anymore, unable to face the harsh reality. Broken sobs wrecking her form, choked whimpers filling the silence of the forest. She just wanted it to be over, for everything to be over, no more stares, no more snide looks, no more anything. Why couldn’t she have been normal.

Yet as she lay hunched over, sobs never ceasing, it never came, the slice of a cold blade never even neared her fragile neck as she laid with it exposed. For all she heard, a metal clank fell against the forest bed, the man had abandoned his sword, thrown it to the side far out of reach, while the other had moved back towards the line of soldiers. Gentle footfalls approached her, Y/N couldn't bear to look up, fearing what she may face, armor clad feet only stopping just out of reach, shadow eclipsing her small form.

Gaining the courage to look up, to look at the man she fears will take her life does she begin to comprehend just how much larger he was then her, he towered over her, frankly he has to be taller then any human she had ever met. Broad shoulders that blocked the setting sun from view, neck straining to even look at his face. Icy blue eyes stared deep into her, looking through her, as if the holder could see everything about her,but as she sat, eyes blurry with tears, their gazes every locked.

Surprise reshaped her face, as the tall man bent to her level (well as close as he could get), taking a knee in front of her, their faces much closer, yet he still kept his hands where she could see them, never once making a fast move.

Up close she could make out the strong features of his face, his eyes were so pretty, so blue, so unlike her own. He was handsome, handsome enough that he probably had loads of women following him around, but he also seemed old enough to have a wife. It was hard to tell his age, he looked old and wise, yet effortlessly ethereal and full of youth.

“Child” A deep timbard voice drew her for the examination of his features, after gaining Y/N attention he continued, “We are not here to kill or harm you, we are here to negotiate” he paused, “to talk.” he quickly added. His gaze looks honest, but looks can always be deceiving.

Nodding, Y/N steadied her voice, using her sleeve to wipe the remnants of tears, “What is there to talk about?” She questioned, but judging by the flash of confusion that crossed his face maybe that wasn’t the right answer. “I-I-I m-mean if i did anything wrong I don’t know, one minute I was somewhere and the next I woke up here!” She stuttered out in a rush, trying to clear the air. Oh god did she get reincarnated into the body of a criminal, but that’s not possible she’s still wearing her school uniform. “Please you have to believe me!” She cried, hands pulling at her clothes, trying to think of anything to make them believe her. Panic completely taking over, hands moving to her hair, pulling desperately, trying to come up with anything, anything at all to say.

Her skin felt too tight, her heart was in her ears, the tears were back. Please no, she was gonna have a panic attack in front of a bunch of complete strangers.

More words said in a language she couldn’t understand flew over her head. Voices were blurring together, everything was blurring together, air starting to feel thin, she was gonna pass out.

Clicks of metal echo in her ears, something dropped on the ground on a foot aways from her, she couldn’t look. This was the end.

A hand.

A warm hand.

A hand devoid of metal or cloth, sat on the crown of her head, stopping the harsh ministrations to her hair. It didn’t move, not at first, no it just lay there, heat emanating off, a warmth that slowed the manic pace of her brain. Until she lowered her hands, the stagnant hand began to move, a smooth circle across her scalp, gently threading her hair between its fingers, yet not one strand ever snagged. Muscles relaxing, she had been on edge and tense for so long, to finally come down, it felt nice. This felt nice. Y/N can’t even remember the last time someone soothed her like this, a brief flash, a memory of mother Melissa giving her head pats was the closest, but not like this. Closing her eyes, soaking in the warmth, unaware of how she leaned into the hand so generously calming her down.

Everything started to catch up to Y/N.

Being chased through the streets, getting mocked, dying, waking up and having to face death all over again.

She just felt so tired, and as the hand continued to massage her scalp, she felt herself slip into the world of dreams, body going limp and sliding forward, ready to fall.

Except this time when she fell, a pair of arms were waiting to catch her.

#yandere x y/n #platonic yandere #tw yandere #yandere #yande.re #lotr x reader #lotr #lord of the rings #the lord of the rings #hobbits #king thranduil #thranduil #reader is female #fem reader #x reader #yandere x reader #lotr fandom #lotr imagine #lotr films

401 notes · View notes

vampyrsm · 2 years

Text

cw; implied infidelity (not reader or bakugo), todoroki is an ass honestly, reader has a hero name & quirk. 2k word count.

A loud crashing sound bounced off of the wall followed by the shattering of china on the floor, the room was growing suspiciously colder with each second that passed by. Heavy breaths and wild eyes filled with fury, you just couldn't fucking believe what you had caught him doing. How fucking dare he. And he wasn't even trying to fight you on it, he didn't try to deny it or make up an excuse - he just stared at you with those uncaring eyes, so like his father you thought. You snarled again in anger, hand lashing out for another flower vase and this time launching it directly at him which he backhanded out of the way just in time.

"..please, calm down." Shoto tried to work with you, and you instantly recognised the heroic tone in his words. He wasn't even treating you like the disregarded fiancé that you were and just some person he had to calm down, you blinked in amazement at the audacity of this man.

"Calm? This is my fuckin' calm," you growled, getting ready to throw another thing at him when you were hit dead centre in the chest with something excruciatingly cold.

You registered the rough feeling of the concrete beneath your now bloodied palms, had he just hit you with his quirk?-- your head snapped up to see the windows of the agency Shoto owned shattered from the force of you being thrown through it. You could only imagine how he would start to spin this if you didn't get up quick and snap back at him.

The tell-tale sign of your eyes glowing purple caught everyone's attention as you splayed your hands at your side, the crackling of the plasma building up in your palms caused the purple lightning to curl around your fingers and dance within the centre of your palm.

If he wants a fight, he'll get a fight. "How DARE you," you yelled, earning a few gasps from the stunned civilians who had the misfortune of passing by at the time you were thrown rather unceremoniously through the window.

Shoto finally made his appearance out of the smashed window, eyes glaring in your direction - he had the audacity to be mad at you as if you were the cause of this whole thing. You ignored the clicking of cameras, the hushed chatter of what could possibly be going on between the number three hero and number twelve. You reeled one arm back, people scattering from behind you as the air grew tense and your hair began to flow upwards from the stream of plasma coming from your body.

Just as you were ready to throw your palm forward, to release the built-up energy, a hand caught around your elbow and reeled you backwards harshly into a solid object.

"The fuck you doin' fighting in the streets, huh Storm?" Dynamight growled from behind you, his tone was nowhere near the usual "soft" tone that he used for his friends when he wasn't in the public eye - this was full-blown number one pro hero Dynamight.

"Just a misunderstanding Dynamight, no need for you to get involved in this." Shoto snapped your attention back to him, and you pulled so hard on Bakugo's grip that his step faltered and he fell forward just in time to reel you back again and secure you firmly this time.

"Misunderstanding?! MISUNDERSTAN--" your glowing gaze snapped to the appearance of a head of black hair pulled in a ponytail, sheepishly emerging from the shattered window. Words didn't need to be said as Bakugo felt you grow hotter in his grasp, the smell of burning gas filling his nose and the pinch along his bare skin as your electricity bit at him. He knew what had happened.

"Too fuckin' bad, fighting in the streets like fucking idiots like this makes it my business." and with that he tugged so hard your feet left the ground and he whirled you around, forcing your legs to bend and move with his steps as he promptly dragged you away before you broke from your anger dazed stupor and started to scream bloody murder.

The sound of faint shouting of your name was nothing but noise in the background as Bakugo continued to direct your body further and further away from the area until you were stood in front of another set of glass windows and large doors, darkened from the outside looking in - Dynamight's Agency.

He continued to drag you around like a doll, lifting you when you stumbled over the large platform boots you insisted on wearing with your hero costume until he finally dropped you into a large room. The walls were tall, thick with concrete and steel that looked reinforced.

"Wanna talk about what happened out there?" he prompted from his position back by the door, arms crossed over his chest and gauntlets left to the side of him. He pushed the mask of his costume up onto his forehead as he glared at you, he looked like he was fresh onto patrol and had been called to a disturbance - you were the disturbance.

"Why." you snapped, eyes glowing again when you met his gaze and he just narrowed his eyes in a silent challenge. "Why the fuck do you give a fuck, huh? Want to rub it in how I managed to fuck up the one thing in my life? Go for it Bakugo. Do your worst." you didn't see the way he winced at you reverting back to his surname, your eyes snapping away to glare at the wall.

"Whatever then, see if I give a fuck when you inevitably blow up and destroy your hero career by killing Icyhot or some shit." he relaxed his shoulders back on the wall behind him, watching your hands clench and unclench - you were building something up big inside of you, he could see it, he was the exact same.

You just shot him a glare before the room exploded - quite literally. You released a scream that Bakugo had only had the displeasure of hearing when someone had witnessed a loved one die at the scene of a villain attack, it was gut-wrenching and made his stomach coil uncomfortably. Your head was thrown back as you expelled all the built-up energy in your body, yet he noted the control you still had over it as the electricity never strayed to his part of the room leaving him untouched except for the concrete dust and smaller chunks pelted against his body.

Truthfully, Bakugo had a hunch something was going on behind the scenes. You were more shut off from your friends, you seemed more exhausted whenever Bakugo worked with you on dual patrols or smaller missions, and he tried to not wince over the memory he recalled of both Todoroki and Momo leaving the locked toilets, together and in a state of undress. He should've told you that night, but when he went to approach you he saw the bright smile on your face as Todoroki slinked around your body with a long arm, pulling you into his body as they celebrated your movement up in the ranks - how fucked up it was that Todoroki was sneaking around behind your back even on the night that was for celebrating you.

"You done yet?" he said once the electricity stopped pouring from your body, the dust settling around the two of you like fine snow that fluttered around the two of you. He made a mental note to make sure his training room was re-enforced for shit like this, apparently, your plasma blew up concrete more than his actual explosions. You glared over at him, the thick black smears of black makeup around your eyes and down along your cheeks signal enough for him to know that you weren't in fact alright.

He crossed the room in quick strides, careful of the shake in your hands from quirk overuse as he reached down and cupped both of his hands on either side of your face, your breathing wasn't stable - it was far too quick, an oncoming panic attack his brain supplied. Everything that had happened and the aftermath finally hit you full speed like a freight train and all Bakugo could do was wrap his arms around your head and force you into the darkness of his chest as he held you tight.

Bakugo, no, Katsuki ran his fingers along your cheek, smudging the black mascara along your skin. He remembers how close the two of you were back in high school, you were volatile like he was, explosive in personality and quirk to back up the weight you threw around. He loved you, still does love you and it broke his heart when you were ushered off with Todoroki at the end of the third year of high school - he knew there wasn't anything real there, not with the way Icyhot eyed Momo every second he got and you were just unfortunately in the way of something inevitable.

He hated himself for never speaking up before then, never grabbing you before that rich prick got his hands on you and destroyed your spirit. Today he saw that spark of the old you, the violent side that he loved to go against in a spar & he knew that you finally discovered what had been going on behind your back.

Your eyes in turn wandered his face, Bakugo had grown up somehow more handsome than he was in high school, he towered over you now at 6 foot 1, he filled out perfectly in his shoulders and upper chest area, the baby fat of his cheeks had fallen off at some point and he looked every part of the number one hero - he was beautiful, truly.

Something started in Bakugou's chest as he looked down at you, his mind telling him to make a move but he was frozen in place as your eyes met his own with something else stirring deep inside of them. His hand twitched as his side, itching to reach forward—

The warmth on his chest was first to register, the static energy that was radiating from your palms spreading out along his chest and sliding up to hook around his neck and then came the warm—wet—feeling on his lips, your lips were on his. His eyes were wide for a second, staring at your closed ones before he practically melted into it, he had been dying to do this since the day he realised he had feelings for you back in school.

His lips continued to work with yours, the kiss growing rapidly out of control and messy as his lips parted your own and his tongue delved inwards. Your nails scraped along the back of his neck, carding up into the longer strands of fluffy hair. He was a better kisser than you ever imagined, he was attentive to your noises and the way you openly let him in without a fight.

His hands were tight at your waist, squeezing into your civilian clothes that he's now registering as being ripped and torn from the explosion of your own quirk moments ago. You shivered when warm fingers brushed against the exposed skin of your waist, squeezing and kneading at the flesh to make you more pliant in his hands.

The kiss broke off in a huff of heavy breaths, his eyes opening to find your half-lidded ones. He wondered if you regretted it with the way you were silent, mouth slightly agape as you caught your breath. But then you broke into a smile, not a smug one that might suggest you were using Bakugou as a rebound but a genuine smile like you were relieved.

"Took you long enough," he mumbled out, warm breath fanning against your wet lips.

You laughed at his words, "I could say the same about you." and at that moment he was aware that you knew he was aware of everything going on behind your back, his hands squeezed a little tighter in apology. But you just shook your head gently, pecking him on the lips not once, not twice but three times. "Don't worry about it, everything happened for a reason."

sorry for throwing shoto under the bus lol, had to pick one of them :( now has a short part two!

↳ [masterlist]

reblogs & likes appreciated!

#bakugou katsuki x reader #bnha fanfiction #bnha x you #bnha x self insert #bakugo katuski x reader #bakugou x reader #bnha oneshots #katsuki bakugo oneshot #bakugo fluff #bnha x fem!reader #katsuki bakugo x reader #katsuki fluff #bakugo katsuki imagine #katsuki imagine #bakugou katsuki x you #bakugo katsuki x you #katsuki x you

286 notes · View notes

forevfangirlwrites · 11 months

Note

One request or possible idea - annabeth practicing at home for a intimate, romantic dancing scene for a movie but needs a partner asks Percy, they end up dancing in their living room after midnight with just fairy lights on and they both blush and jts super fluffy 😭😭

There are moments when life feels like a dream, the ones that would play like a montage in a movie showing off a highlight reel. The moments he’d never put in this supposed memoir because they’re too precious, too close to his heart.

It’s a perfect night. The heat wave of the last few days has died down and the breeze is enticingly cool, leading them out to the patio. String lights illuminate Annabeth’s face as she reads through the script in her hands and he’s content to just watch her while sipping a beer.

“But think of what the people would say if I joined you in this dance,” she says in a British accent. Her tone is clear and concise but a moment after the line is delivered, she shoots him a grin that’s so blindingly her that he just stares.

She grabs the beer from his hand and takes a sip as she reads through the next part.

“But what of other people, my dear? You are the only one I see in this room.” She reads out, voice turning softer as she gets to the end of the sentence. When she looks up at him, he draws closer instinctually.

“And what do you think she says to that?” she asks, eyes sparkling under the glow of the lights.

Every detail is sharp, the way her hair is swaying in the breeze, the sound of a car passing on the nearby road, the hard stone beneath his feet. He’s never been so aware of life.

“I don’t know,” he responds, matching her tone. “But I can tell you what I’d say to that.”

“Please.” She sets down the bottle on the table by her side and leans forward, ready to hang on to every word he’s about to say.

But really, he doesn’t have any words. This moment is too engrossed in feelings to be quantified by any language, so instead he stands up and reaches for her hand.

There is no resistance as he pulls her up and within a second, she’s encircled in his arms.

He starts to sway, not really knowing what he’s doing but not caring either, as her eyes flutter close. Her scent fills his head the moment she rests her head on his chest, and he doesn’t think it gets better than this.

There is no music and they’re barely dancing, but it doesn’t really matter because they’re together. Annabeth moves away, just enough to look at him, and he’s surprised to see her cheeks bathed in a pink blush.

“Oh, and one more thing,” he says, picking up from where their conversation left off.

She just stares at him expectantly, so he stops swaying to make sure she’s not distracted by anything else when she hears what he’s about to say.

“I love you.”

It’s nothing new, he’s said it before and she’s heard it before, but there’s a truth in this moment that feels stronger than the everyday. He doesn’t even remember if she has anything scheduled for tomorrow or if he does. Everything feels out of time, out of pace with normal life, but he knows the moment’s going to end.

Something like this can’t last. But that just makes it all the more special when it does happen.

“I love you too.”

They’re going to move inside soon, he knows it when she leans up to kiss him. But it was beautiful, he thinks as he leans into the kiss. His eyes flutter close and darkness overtakes the golden lights around them, the space filled with the taste of her lips instead.

A/N: I hope you liked how it turned out! I decided to write it as a sort of vignette with focus on some of the details of the scene and it was a fun thing to try out (I hope it executed well too) Thanks again for such a cute prompt! (And also for coming to tumblr to leave it in an ask!)

READ MORE ON hthf and headcanons

#percabeth #percy and annabeth #actress anabeth #percabeth au #percabeth fic #hthf #how to handle fame

44 notes · View notes

inconsistentracoon · 11 months

Text

I was really happy with this particular scene so thought I'd share it here :3

Scene from Chapter 31 of my longfic. Sora gives Riku a gift, leading to a conversation that triggers a treasured memory.

Inspired by @blowingoffsteam2's Necklace Theory posts

----

"I never would have guessed, after this long, that you'd give me one too."

"Huh?" Sora tilted his head at him, confused.

"A charm."

"What do you mean?"

"This of course," Riku reached out and tapped the silver crown hanging around his neck. "I gave you this, what, 11? 12 years ago?"

"What?!"

"Yeah." Riku's smile faded as Sora stared at him, gobsmacked. "You don't remember?"

"I..." Sora looked down at his lap, mind reeling. "I don't remember where I got it..." He raised a hand to the necklace, only just now realising. "When did you give me it?"

"The meteor shower..." An uncomfortable feeling settled in Riku's stomach. "When you were scared that a falling star might hit the island." Did he really not remember?

Full scene below:

From the roof of the clock tower, they had a perfect view of the festivities. With night setting in the balloons hanging in the air had transformed into brightly coloured lanterns, and were casting a rainbow of lights across the square below, where the dancing continued. Occasionally one with the sun symbol of Corona would float upwards into the night sky.

The crowd had waned a little as presumably some people tired of dancing and began dispersing through the streets again, making last-minute visits to the stalls before they closed, or perhaps retiring for the evening after a long day of celebrations.

"When did you learn to dance?"

"I did some in Corona with Rapunzel, but I never really learnt, I just sort of jumped in."

"Well, you're really good at it."

"Thanks," he laughed. "Admit it, you enjoyed it."

"I guess I did," he conceded. "Today was fun."

"Yeah... it was." Sora stared up into the sky. The stars in this world were so much brighter than the ones he had been trapped staring at a year ago. "I'm happy right now Riku. I'm really, really happy."

Riku wasn't sure when he had last felt so happy himself. So at peace, hearing those words.

"That time after I first got back... These past few months were really hard, but I'm happy right now." Sora turned and looked up at him with his ridiculous grin, watching the light from the lanterns reflected in Riku's eyes. "Thank you so much Riku, I wouldn't have gotten through it without you."

Riku shook his head though. "I can't take credit for that, you're the one who did that. You should be proud."

"I know," Sora said, smiling to himself. "But I still don't think I could have done it alone... Everyone has been so amazing, and I couldn't have done it without you with me. Thank you"

He squeezed his hand and Riku felt his heart squeeze as well as he gazed back at him. It only lasted a moment though, before Sora was distracted.

"Oh yeah! I have something for you!" He twisted around, digging in his pockets, and Riku leaned forward, peering at him curiously and trying to see what he was doing. "Aqua helped me make it." He pulled his hand from his pocket and held it out, offering Riku the metal chain in his palm. "I've never made something like it before so It's not amazing, but I hope you like it!"

Riku stared at it, open-mouthed. He reached out and, as he took in from Sora's hand, saw a small silver charm hanging from the chain. It was the Dream Eater sigil he had once worn on his back.

"For keeping the nightmares away."

Riku gazed down at the necklace in his palm, his mind as blank as it had been in those first few seconds after Sora first kissed him. It was beautiful. "You made this?"

"Yeah, it's kind of cheesy..." He scratched the back of his head, his smile becoming timid and shy. "And I wasn't sure if a necklace would really be your-"

"I love it."

"-thing but, huh?"

Riku looked up from the charm, eyes round with wonder. "I love it."

"Really!" Sora's face lit up.

"It's amazing Sora."

"Put it on! I want to see how it looks!"

It took him a little while as he fiddled with the clasp, not used to fastening a chain like it. As Sora watched him he felt a nervous excitement, and when Riku took his hands away he beamed. Riku tried to look down at it, and even from this awkward angle, he thought it looked perfect. It felt right.

He grinned at Sora as well. He didn't have the words to thank him, so kissed him instead.

------------

They sat on the roof for at least another hour. Once the midnight fireworks were over and the streets below them emptied out, Sora turned to Riku, wondering if maybe it was time to head back to their room in Disney Castle, but Riku didn't notice. He was looking down and playing with his necklace, a contented smile on his face. Sora grinned again.

"You really like it then?"

"Yeah I do," Riku said softly. Then he turned and smirked at him. "I never would have guessed, after this long, that you'd give me one too."

"Huh?" Sora tilted his head at him, confused.

"A charm."

"What do you mean?"

"This of course," Riku reached out and tapped the silver crown hanging around his neck. "I gave you this, what, 11? 12 years ago?"

"What?!"

"Yeah." Riku's smile faded as Sora stared at him, gobsmacked. "You don't remember?"

"I..." Sora looked down at his lap, mind reeling. "I don't remember where I got it..." He raised a hand to the necklace, only just now realising. "When did you give me it?"

"The meteor shower..." An uncomfortable feeling settled in Riku's stomach. "When you were scared that a falling star might hit the island." Had he really forgotten?

"But wasn't- Wait, it can't have been her..." Sora frowned, staring at his knees again as the memories slipped in and out of focus.

"Her?"

"Naminè, I thought I was with her then... but that's not possible. Why did I think it was her?" He remembered Naminè crying, and then smiling at him as she held out a golden star on a chain. But that was wrong. The memory was wrong. He had been the one who was afraid, holding back tears and clutching someone's hand as he watched stars falling from the sky. "You gave it to me that night?"

"Yeah." Riku's voice had become small, mirroring the way he felt. "You were scared and I told you I'd keep you safe... I promised I'd protect you."

He'd always had this thought that part of why Sora wore the charm was it meant something to him, the fact that he had been the one who gave it to him. Even through that awful time when their friendly rivalry had become anything but, he'd thought maybe that promise had meant as much to Sora as it did to him, and that was why he never took it off. Even if he had been too young to remember that night, surely he'd remember he was the one who gave it to him?

"I promised I'd always protect you."

Sora was thinking hard, feeling the different flashes of memory slowly fitting together. That hazy image of Naminè beaming up at him and holding out a star charm began to swim, and an image he didn't know he'd forgotten glowed in his mind. A young Riku, only five or six years old, smiling down at him. There had been a hint of amusement on his face, but it was mostly an expression of affection. The face of someone who cared about him deeply. His eyes had been brimming with fearful tears, but Riku had taken his hand, held a sword to the sky, and made him a promise.

"I'm not sure where I got it," Riku went on. "I'd had it as long as I could remember and it was really precious to me, but you were scared... so I gave it to you. I told you something lame like it would keep you safe."

After Riku had promised he would protect him he'd clung to his hand, too afraid to let him go. Then Riku had dug into his pockets and pulled out a silver chain, with a crown-shaped pendant hanging from it. The one he had always carried with him. And he had given it to him.

A puzzle piece Sora hadn't known he was missing slotted back into place.

"I remember..."

From Riku's expression, it was clear he thought he was just saying this to make him feel better. "No, really! I remember now!" He grasped the crown tightly in his hand and a look of wonder came over his face. "It must have been one of my memories that got messed up, this is the first time I've thought about that night since she put my memories back together." He stared upwards, remembering the sight of meteors raining down. Hundreds of different colours painted across the sky, just like the lanterns floating above them now.

"If a shooting star comes this way, I will protect you. You swore it with a toy sword," and he raised his closed hand above him, just like Riku had pointed the wooden sword at the stars. "And then..." He lowered his hand slowly back to the necklace around his neck. "Then you gave me this, so I'd always remember that promise. That you'd always protect me."

He looked up at Riku again and, despite his enormous grin, his eyes were shining. He really did remember. Riku smiled back at him and nodded. "Yeah, I did."

Sora threw his arms around him, almost knocking him flat as he hugged him. Riku put an arm around him and gave a small laugh, but then stopped, as he realised Sora had started crying into his neck. "You sap," he said with a soft smile in his voice and pulled him on to his lap. But then he frowned as Sora began crying harder, clinging to him desperately. "Hey, what's going on?" he asked, voice suddenly worried, but Sora didn't reply.

He'd spent so much time wishing he had something, anything, of Riku's when they were separated, when he was trapped in that empty city. When he was more alone than ever before. When he was in so much pain. So angry. So miserable. So lost, and so, so alone. He'd wished for, needed, that connection so badly... and it had been there all along.

He'd been with him all along.

Riku began running his fingers back and forth through his hair, holding on to him as he cried, unable to explain how much this meant to him as he sobbed. His chest was burning in the most wonderful way, full of warmth and joy and wholeness. He was sure for a moment that those cracks in his heart must have healed, as he thought of that promise Riku had made him so long ago. A promise that had been woven throughout their lives.

"I'll always protect you too," he managed to choke through the tears. "I promise."

Riku smiled and kissed his temple. "I know."

Several minutes and many deep breaths later Sora lifted his head from Riku's shoulder, beaming at him with puffy red eyes. "I'm so glad I remember it now." He was bemused when Riku snickered at him.

"You're still a moron for forgetting, although you've never had the best memory."

"Hey, it's not my fault my brain got scrambled!" He pushed him away by the shoulders, crossing his arms and glaring grumpily, but smiled again as Riku laughed and pulled him back into his arms.

"I guess I can forgive you then."

#soriku #the necklace theory #kingdom hearts #If this theory isn't true I'll eat my giant paopu fruit plushie

24 notes · View notes

morganofthewildfire · 2 years

Note

enchanted

-------------------

So i know this was originally for a summary game, but - here you go!

based on the taylor swift song

~ 1k words

------------------

Rowan couldn’t keep the dopey smile off of his face, no matter how he tried. He was sure to be made fun of for it, his best friends were going to laugh at him relentlessly for this later, but every time he took a sip of his drink to try and hide it, it only made it worse.

Maybe it was because of the alcohol, maybe it was because of his promotion earlier that day at work, which was why they were out celebrating.

But he was really just fooling himself; he knew why he was smiling. He knew why he had that giddy feeling inside of his chest, like fireworks set off in his heart. It was because of her, the blonde woman up at the bar.

They’d said maybe three words to each other last time he went up there to get another round. Pretty much just the extent of her asking if his shirt had buzzards on it, to him being so dumbfounded by how beautiful she was that he never replied, to which she then laughed at him as she sipped on her drink.

Then the bartender had handed him his drinks and he walked back to his table, with his parting words -

“They’re hawks, not buzzards.”

But she’d just winked before turning to laugh with the brunette next to her, and he’d been left reeling.

Rowan hadn’t gotten her name, but he wanted to know it. He wanted to know everything about her. He already knew that her hair was the exact color of sunlight, that her eyes were like that same sun shining on the ocean waves. Knew that her smile lit up the entire room, and that her laugh was the most precious sound he’d ever heard.

There was something special about that girl, he could tell already.

Normally he didn’t like going out very much, he was much more of a have people over and chill and drink whiskey at his apartment rather than braving the loud, chaotic bar scene. And he’d been hesitant when Fenrys had insisted, to the extent where he’d been grouchy on the way there, and grouchy as they sat down. Really, grouchy until he saw her face.

“Your chances of getting her to come over here aren’t going to improve by staring daggers at her, you know,” his best friend Lorcan said as he took a sip of his beer. Rowan just looked over at him, pretending to be clueless. The brunette just snorted. “I saw her talk to you briefly at the bar, and now you’re smiling like a fucking idiot.”

“I’m not-”

“Just man up and go back over there,” Lorcan insisted, “if you’re really that interested.”

Rowan considered it for a second, before shaking his head.

“What if she has a boyfriend?” He asked, dread filling him at the thought. Gods, he didn’t even know her but that made him want to vomit.

“Well, you never know if you don’t try,” Lorcan said, exasperated, but Rowan still hesitated. “Here,” he sighed, before draining the rest of his beer. “Go get me another, now you have an excuse.”

Rowan frowned at his friend, but pushed himself out of his stool, fighting the urge to flash him an unkind gesture as he headed back up toward the bar, nerves dancing around his stomach. The blonde goddess was still there where he’d left her before, chatting away with her friend and generally making his heart flutter.

He had to muster the courage to walk those next few steps up to stand by her, tapping the bar top nervously, pretending like he was simply there for another drink.

“Hey birdman,” the girl’s friend called, and he froze, turning to look at her cautiously. She was stunning too, with those striking green eyes, but they weren’t the ones that had completely enchanted him. “Weren’t you just up here?”

“Stop, Lysandra,” she chastised, slapping her arm playfully.

“What?” the other girl, Lysandra, questioned. “I’m just curious.”

“I’m getting another drink for my friend,” Rowan answered carefully, chancing a glance at her.

“See?” She said, not looking at him. Lysandra rolled her eyes.

“Whatever, Aelin,” Lysandra said, and his heart fluttered. Aelin. It was unique, but not weird, and sounded like it would roll off his tongue perfectly. Because it was, perfect.

“Sorry about her,” Aelin said, turning to face him. He blushed as he met her eyes.

“It’s okay,” he managed to say, having to force the words out.

“She’s nosey sometimes,” Aelin said with a shrug.

“I’m right here!” Lysandra interrupted, with a grin, and Aelin laughed musically. She spun on her stool to face her.

“Am I wr-” she stopped mid sentence, her eyes going to the front door as it opened, a brunette man walking in and looking around. Rowan’s heart plummeted. Especially as Aelin got up from her seat, practically running over there and hopping into the man’s arms, leaving Rowan watching as he spun her around, both of them laughing.

Then they kissed and he looked away, clearing his throat, pretending once again like everything was fine. Even as his heart was breaking.

But he could feel a different set of eyes on him, and he turned, seeing Lysandra watching him, something like pity in her gaze.

“Cheers, birdman,” she said, lifting her cocktail in the air. “Better luck next time.”

He just forced a tight smile, swiping the beer as the bartender handed it to him, quickly heading back to his table.

“I’m sorry man,” Lorcan said, as he handed him the drink, and Rowan shook his head.

“It’s fine.” It should be fine. It was fine. She didn’t owe him anything, they’d barely even talked. But he couldn’t help but feel the hurt that that secret hope he’d harbored was undeniably gone.

----

taglist:

@shyvioletcat

@courtofjurdan

@leiawritesstories

@elentiyawhitethorn

@westofmoon

@mariamuses

@cretaceous-therapod

@rowaelinrambling

@foughtconquered

@swankii-art-teacher

@rowaelinismyotp

@live-the-fangirl-life

@sailorsassley

@claralady

@gracie-rosee

@theinfernalbookworm

@larisssss

@peppermint-fae

@charlizeed

@llyncooljones

@justreadertings

@backtobl4ck

@wordsafterhours

@story-scribbler

@mybloodrunsblue

@sexy-dumpster-fire

@dealfea

@whoever-you-choose-to-love

@tomtenadia

@house-of-galathynius

@1islessthan3books

@fangirlprincess09

@superspiritfestival

@fromthelibraryofemilyj

@rowanaelinn

@gwynethhberdara

@baxian-argos

@thewayshedreamed

@aelinchocolatelover

@emilyoftheshadows

@rhysands-whore

@gigglinggummybears

@shadowwolf777

@fireheart-violet

@firestarsandseneschals

@wishfulimaginings

@thegreyj

@fireheartwhitethorn4ever

@rhysandswingspan

@poisonous00

#rowaelin #ask #throne of glass fanfiction #rowaelin fanfiction #throne of glass #rowaelin au #rowan x aelin #throne of glass au

111 notes · View notes

emeralddoeadeer · 1 year

Note

Hi my love! Still reeling over the teenage jily Everlong sound bite(?) thing you posted last week 😍

Was wondering if you’re still doing directors cuts for Everlong? You know how obsessed I am with this story ( genuinely cannot get enough of it) it’s touched me in such a peculiar but heartfelt way. Like a lot of others, I do imagine stuff about this fic often

I’ve got two questions (if I may)

1. Do you have any more lockdown headcanons that you want to share? Like how 3 couples got through it all in once piece living/coexisting in the same house for so long etc)

2. Could you do a directors cut for either M&M’s party and lily and Sirius dancing to James singing TheirSong OR for Monty’s bash with the Emme showdown

Much love and hugs xxxx

Hello, 🥰 living for your Everlong enthusiasm, thank you so much

@funbunnypotter26 this got so long, shocker! I chucked it under the cut to keep it tidy 🤪

lockdown

So, I have thought about this. It's not fully formed enough to become something but... I don't know that I would have survived lockdown with that many people, especially in my twenties!

As a group, they get on really well, but I imagine them creating further bonds between them too. Their relationships all had more to uncover, this was their first real co-habitation and it happened to bring along some of their best friends too!

Who needs a week on the Greek Islands, they were holidaying for a big part of it, with the hot tub, theme nights, and new recipes to try out... they held a lot of virtual nights with their friends further afield, with live music/karaoke, quiz nights etc

Sirius joins the girls (and Mia) for yoga, takes up gardening with Fleamont and works his way through the Abercorn library.

James has his workshop around the corner, spends a lot of time exercising and enjoys making art with Dora, Remus and (his mum on occasion).

Each couple for sure had date nights, where the others would clear out to Monty and Mia's, and sometimes at their house for a change of scene, swim under the stars, game of pool etc...

And for at least one weekend, Mia moved into Abercorn and the boys moved around the corner for a break away from their partners (they all still spoke to their significant other every day/night).

There would (of course) be friction and frustrations between them, minor disagreements that could have challenged their peace, but they were fortunate enough to have space from each other in the big house or escape to the garden. No one ever stayed mad for long.

2. M&M

This scene was one of the first to take root in my mind. We approach the party unsure of how they'll move past the past few weeks. James feeling the need to repair the damage caused by the regatta and reeling from the tension between them, pours his soul into singing Perfect. Lily is positioned in his best friend's arms, not his, but she watches him intently and he feels like she's seeing his sincere apology, feels like they are connecting. It was kind of mean of me, making it so that you all could see him have that fleeting hope, only for their talk to not go his way. The thing is, Lily felt the sincerity too, felt the connection too... but she wasn't in a place where she thought she could be in his life, because she didn't want to burden him with her friendship and the complexities that would bring...

bonus Emme at Monty's bash

Emmeline was gritting her teeth through the whole night, she was trying to show that she was a significant part of James' life, that she was sticking around. When Monty took to the stage, she stood with the group when he invited Lily to the stage she felt blind rage. This girl was everywhere, so involved in this family she would always be around... James moved to his mother's side, and Emmeline took leave to the bathroom, unwilling to watch everyone fawn over the performance. She wasn't there to see the switch, to see Lily and James come together on stage, to sing in harmony, to take a bow hand in hand or disappear together right afterwards.

The boys perform as she knew they were due to and she is caught up in how great it is, James is built to be centre stage, and they put on one hell of a show.

She doesn't know his world has shifted, that the reassurance Lily gave him moments before he got up there was all he needed.

I wanted the break-up to be out loud in front of the ones who needed to hear it, I didn't want it passed along in whispered messages. They all had to know he had had enough, and his mind wouldn't be changed.

#asked and answered #everlong #directors cuts #jily #funbunnypotter26

11 notes · View notes

crmsnmth · 1 month

Text

September Sky Chapter 3, Part 4

I put my cigarette out in one of them and stood up, my pack rolling off my lap and bouncing just right to be pushed under the bench. "Fuck," I said, dropping down to grab them.

"Why is it every time I run into you, you seem to be on the floor." A squeaky voice said from above and behind me.

I tried backing out from underneath the bench quickly. I didn't quite make it, and when I went to stand, I cracked my head on the bench.

'Ow, shit fuck. Goddammit. " I could only speak in curses. Addison stood there, trying to conceal the fact that she was laughing. I didn't blame her. I would've laughed too. I stood up, rubbing my head where I had hit it. I checked my fingers for blood. There wasn't any. At least not where I had been rubbing.

Addison stood in front of me, a cigarette in her right hand. She was just as beautiful as the last time I saw her. Maybe even more. Her hair was up, once again held by a bandanna. A plain black shirt with short sleeves and a V-neck. A gray skirt and her beat to shit combat boots. Gorgeous.

"Hey," I stuttered, still rubbing my aching head.

"Hi. Are you alright? Sorry about laughing. I couldn't help it," she replied.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just another concussion. It's all good," I said.

"Are you sure? That looked like it really hurt."

"Yeah, I'll be fine. No big deal." I dropped my hand away from my head and smiled, trying to show that I was just fine. "What's up?"

"Here to see my roommate's band."

"What one are they in?"

"Empty Playground."

"Are they any good?"

"They were until I started having to hear the guitar lines all the time. Skip's the singer and guitarist."

"What the hell kind of name is Skip?"

"His real name's Jason. It's just a nickname."

"How does one go about getting a nickname like that?" My mouth moving faster than my brain again.

"You know, I'm not really sure. He already had it by the time I met him."

"Fair." Reel it in Chris, you sound like a jackass.

"What brings you out?" She asked, blowing smoke out into the air. The smoke danced with itself with spins and loops.

"Nothing. Just wanted something to do."

"Really? You came out by yourself?" I didn't understand why she was so shocked by that.

"Yeah. I came here alone. Seriously, why does it matter.?"

"It doesn't. It's kind of cool. Most people just don't go if they go alone," she said.

"Really? I guess I never paid enough attention to notice." A drop fell onto my arm from a tree branch above us. The water was cold and made me jump a little. Addison leaned forward and put her cigarette out with the others dying in the ash graveyard.

"I'm heading back in. Want to come and hang out with us?" Addison said, asking, but somehow telling me that I was coming to hang out with her group at the same time.

"Yeah, sure." I pointed at the empty glass in her hand, "I'm grabbing another one. Can I buy you a drink?"

"Sure, Vodka-Red Bull," she said with a cute, satisfied smile on her face. It just barely brought out the dimples in her cheeks. I liked that smile a lot. It was the kind of smile that wrapped itself warmly and tightly around your heart and danced alone to the beat of sinus rhythm.

The first band was just starting to play as I followed her back inside the building. A couple of kids still hung around the bathroom, waiting in line for a line again. Over by the stage, a group of kids were slam-dancing to the quick 1,2,3,4 drum beats and the three-power chord guitar. The vocalist was shouting the lyrics, but I couldn't really hear any of the actual words. So, I headed back over to the now busy bar.

4 notes · View notes

mmvalentine · 2 years

Text

Lover Like Me pt 7 | Feysand

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 ** Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 LET THE DRAMA COMMENCE. See tags for CWs it's a bit spoilery.

I’ve never been much of a club person myself, and as soon as we step into Rita’s, the pounding music and claustrophobic press of bodies reminds me why. Still, I am constantly reeling at how much everyone keeps doing for me- am actually pushing down the discomfort it brings on what feels like a daily basis- and so I’m more than happy to do things they want to do, even if I really don’t.

I follow close behind Rhys while we order drinks and locate Azriel and Cassian. I’m holding onto one of Rhys’s belt loops because I’m quite sure if I don’t the crowd will swallow me whole. When Mor produces shots, I down mine quickly and chase it with a gulp of my scotch and soda.

“Hell yeah!” Cassian exclaims, and drinks his, too.

“To Feyre and sold paintings,” Azriel says, and Mor and Rhys raise their tiny glasses to that.

“Alright, alright,” Mor says, waving her hands. “Are we all supposed to hang out together all night or am I allowed to wander off and talk to pretty girls?”

“You can wander,” I tell her with a laugh. “Thank you for being here.” She kisses me on the cheek before she goes.

“Come on Cassian," she says, "I’m pretty sure I saw a set of straight/ gay twins on the way in.” Cassian frowns.

“How do you know-”

“I know…”

I lose their voices quickly, and when I turn back Azriel, too, has melted into the crowd.

“And you?” I tease Rhys. “Tempted to try your luck out there?”

“And leave you to fend for yourself?” Rhys asks, in mock indignance.

“I’m perfectly capable on my own.”

“You’re miserable here," he argues, eyebrows raised.

“How would you know?”

“You were drinking before we could toast your own success.”

I sigh, caught out. “I’ve never really liked clubs,” I admit.

“What is it?” he asks. “The noise? The crowd? The lights?”

“The dancing,” I confess.

“The dancing?” he repeats.

“Yeah I just… I don’t like dancing. I don’t really know how, I just feel so awkward out there.”

Rhys cocks his head at me. “What if you’re dancing with someone else?”

“Well that’s worse, then they’re just looking at me flailing around.”

“That’s not-” Rhys cuts himself off. “If I can make it non-painful, would you dance with me?”

“How are you going to making it non-painful? I think you underestimate my lack of grace.”

“Will you trust me?” He holds out his hand.

And I do. I trust him, even though I should know better; I should have learnt my lesson by now that beautiful men who whisk you away and promise you a better life are not worth trusting. Even though it feels like waiting to fall, waiting for the ground to hit me, I find that I do trust Rhys and the home he has made in Velaris. Maybe it’s because Rhys’s friends are lovely, and they trust him, and that makes it feel safer. Or maybe it’s because I want to trust him, want so badly for the world to be a better place than it has seemed so far. Either way, I finish my drink, put my hand in his, and pretend I’m just talking about dancing.

As we slide between moving bodies and find space before the DJ, I feel my heartrate pick up. Anxious, I’m always anxious when I have to dance in front of people. My mother used to tell me that I take myself too seriously, and it’s true that I don’t like feeling like a fool.

“Put your arms around my neck,” Rhys tells me. I do so, shy as my wrists land on his shoulders, and he looks right at me. “Trust me,” he says again, and before I can reply that I do, his hands slide over my hips.

The shock of his touch has my cheeks burning. We're so close I can feel his breath on my neck, and I swear I get a little dizzy in that instant. I drop my gaze, a Latin pop song is suddenly very loud in my ears, and I don’t know what to do with my feet. “I’ve got you,” Rhys murmurs, and with a light tug he’s holding me tight against him as he starts to move. Just a gentle rock, at first, his hips moving with the rhythm and me, pulled with him.

“Okay?” he asks, and I try to loosen up and let him move me. Try to follow his feet, and wonder how he knows where to step. I nod, and Rhys smiles. This close, it’s so lovely that I have to smile back. The noise of the club is dies right down, the crowd barely there. How can I notice anyone else when Rhys is right here? I'm distracted enough that I don't think so hard about where I'm going, and Rhys moves us a little more. I'm lined up all the way down his front, against the hard wall of his torso, and I can feel the warmth of him through my pale satin shirt as we move little sharper, a little deeper into the music, and oh my gods I’m doing it. I’m dancing, and actually this is fun. I relax a little, and put my teeth on my lip to stop myself grinning like an idiot.

"See?" Rhys says in my ear. "Not so bad right?"

Rhys steps back from me suddenly. Before I can be alarmed, he turns me round, catches me with my back against his chest. I laugh as I land, I sway in his arms and his fingers splay across my hip so he can keep us moving.

"I think this is cheating," I say.

"Nonsense, you're a wonderful dancer."

He curls around me, my hands land on the arm that’s folded over my waist and I lean into him. I can’t help it, it’s so delicious and he doesn’t seem to mind. It’s seamless, it’s easy when he’s doing all the work. I still feel like I’m clumsy on my feet, that my hips don’t move smoothly like his do, but this is the first time that I understand why people like this. When I feel the cold tip of Rhys’s nose on my shoulder, I break out in goosebumps.

He spins me back around and this time he’s holding my right hand, elbow loose as his steps nudge me back and then forward. I'm about to ask him where he learned to dance, but when I meet his eyes the question dies in my throat. The way he's looking at me... it's almost more than I can handle. He leans his forehead against mine, and I'm breathless. I close my eyes, try to remember how to work my lungs.

Rhys pulls back, and when I open them again he's grinning at me. So I grin back and keep dancing with him, and when he twirls and recatches me I just feel so happy. I’m warm like whiskey, and I am so acutely aware of every place our bodies touch. At the hips, and at our hands, and where his fingers press into my lower back. I’m glad of the excuse of the dance, and my inexperience, to cling tighter to him, savour the moment. The crowd sighs, and the liquor spins in my head.

“You’re kind of amazing, do you know that?” I tell him. I don't know when I got so brave.

“I’m not the one who just sold thousands of dollars worth of art,” he says back, white teeth flashing in the coloured lights. I shake my head.

“You just… you are though,” I say. Rhys gives me a strange look, that I can’t quite comprehend.

The song ends and as the next one begins, faster and more electronic than the last one, but we're still standing still. I don't want to leave his arms, not right now and hell, maybe not ever. Is this okay? I think. Am I allowed to like this? To want this? I feel the stroke of his thumb in the small of my back, even though we've stopped dancing. I find myself staring at his lips, they way they're slightly parted, and my fingers have found the edge of his collar at the back of his neck.

Rhys looks as if he is about to say something, when suddenly Mor appears beside us.

"You guys!" she shouts over the music.

"You," Rhys responds, less enthusiastically.

"Are you just dancing with each other?"

"What's wrong with each other?" I ask.

"You're supposed to be meeting your new lover," she tells me.

"My who now?"

"Anyone!" Mor says. "What about Tarquin? He's cute, and he's into you!"

Rhys snorts. "You can do much better than him, Feyre darling."

"A lover like you?" I tease.

His gaze snaps back to mine then, an unexpected intensity in his eyes.

“No,” he says. Snarls it, so angry that I am shocked.

Hurt, actually. Is the idea so repulsive to him?

As quickly as it had come, it vanishes. He looks away, and when he speaks his voice is light again.

"A lover nothing like me, if I can help it."

"Here here," Mor mutters, and scans the crowd as if she could pluck a suitor from the writhing mob.

Rhys's words ring in my ears, but I can't think about it right now. Not here, where it's so loud I can barely process my own thoughts. Rhys's hands are still on my waist, but I slip out.

“Do you want another drink?” I yell.

“Sure,” Rhys shouts back. “I’ll come with you.”

“No, you stay,” I tell him. “Dance without a weird hanger-on-er.”

“You’re not a hanger-on-er,” Rhys grins, but he steps back and starts dancing with Mor anyway, and I watch them for just a second before I head toward the bar.

“Two scotch and sodas please,” I tell the bartender, and while he’s making them up I lean against the counter top and turn Rhys's words over in my head.

A lover nothing like me.

I can't think about this.

Since I've moved into Velaris I think it's been fairly obvious that he's my favourite. I just thought maybe I was becoming his favourite, too. Is that stupid? Why would he like me better than his childhood friends, his family? Why would he like me like that?

A lover nothing like me.

I can't think about this.

I try to shove it away, to take back out later when I'm alone and sitting in the quiet. I'm wondering whether it will be weird now if I go back out there and keep dancing with Rhys, when my phone buzzes in my pocket.

I pull it out, and feel a flash of guilt when I see Tarquin’s name. In all honesty, I had forgotten we were supposed to meet him here.

Tarquin: We just arrived, are you guys here?

I bite my lip, and text back. I really should have put more effort in for the person who made this whole night happen.

Feyre: Yeah, I’m just at the bar!

I pay for my drinks and take a sip, supposing I should wait for Tarquin to find me before heading back to Rhys. I scan the room and don’t see him, although it’s dark enough that I’m not sure I’d recognise him unless he were fairly close.

“Feyre.”

I spin, expecting to see umber skin and gold jewellery. The smile is already half way formed. But it’s not him.

It’s Tamlin.

I have a drink in each hand and a frozen expression on my face. In the throb of the music, I hadn't recognised his voice.

I’d like to say that a million thoughts run through my head in that second, but embarrassingly, it’s just blank. I cannot think of one single thing to say, I have no words or even emotion except for shock. My brain tries to reconcile here, this club, the people who brought me; with him, the past, a life I had thought I’d left behind, but was clearly so very close behind me still.

“Tamlin,” I whisper.

“Oh so you haven’t got amnesia,” he says lightly. “Then it’s strange you’ve forgotten you’re mine.”

That’s all he says before his hand grips my elbow and I’m being dragged through the room. The drinks slosh out of their short glasses and it’s only the icy cold splash on my hands that prompts me to set them down on a tall table as I’m pulled along.

“Tamlin stop,” I say, and my voice comes out stronger than I thought it would. “I don’t want to go with you.”

But he’s so much bigger than me, and I trip along in his wake. I think, at least we’re in public. At least he can’t do anything to me while there are witnesses.

But then he shoulders open a side door and my heart drops into my stomach.

I try this time, really try to twist out of his grip. I fall to the floor, trying to surprise him with the shift in weight. I try to grab onto the frame of the door, I try prying his fingers off my elbow.

It doesn’t work.

Tamlin hauls me out into the alley and slings me against the wall. I shrink back, ashamed that I do but my body is so afraid of him.

“How did you find me?” I breathe.

“You forget Feyre,” he says, mockingly, “that I am very well connected. When your little painting sold, it went instantly onto the Instagram of an art dealer who worked for my father. Tagged the location and everything. All I had to do was pretend to be a fan and ask where around the gallery where I might be able to find you. It didn’t take long. A prick named Eris told me.

“And then I saw the painting in person and I thought, that looks awfully familiar. Looks like something that was in my house last time I checked. So it seems someone is a thief as well as a little slut.”

“You can’t steal what’s already yours,” I retort.

“Which is why you’ll be coming home with me without a fuss,” Tamlin replies smoothly.

“I’m. Not. Yours,” I growl.

“The fuck you’re not. My car’s parked out the front. Now walk.”

“No.”

“I said walk.” And this time something hard and very cold presses into my belly. I look down to see a gleaming silver pistol between us, and that’s it.

It’s over.

Just like that, the life that was just starting to crystallise around me blows away like gun smoke and it’s not that I shouldn’t have trusted Rhys, it’s that I shouldn’t have trusted any of this. That it would last. That it would be stronger that Tamlin.

I think that some people who spend time with bad people become very hard and untrusting. They don’t let anyone in and they don’t love. I’ve had the opposite reaction, somehow. After my parents died, after my sisters were awful, after Tamlin started to change, all I wanted was to be loved. All I wanted was to believe in goodness and for things to get better and I wish… I wish now that I was that first kind. The cold, untouchable kind. Better too discerning than not discerning enough, no?

I close my eyes against the tears that spring up, but Tamlin knows. He can see it in my face.

“See,” he croons. “You can be reasoned with after all.”

The pistol moves, now that he knows he has me, and I turn to walk with him. What else can I do?

I take all of one step when a dark figure steps into the alley behind us, and then Rhys is here. Rhys is here.

Rhys is here and there’s no witty one liners or taunts, there’s just his shadow in my peripheral vision and then the incredibly loud crack of two hits. Fast, one after the other. And it takes me a full minute to process what has just happened- Rhys has punched Tamlin square in the face as he’s turned, and then kicked the pistol out of his hand. Before Tamlin can recover, Rhys has scooped up the gun, emptied the bullets and tipped the pistol into the nearby dumpster with a frown of distaste. And only now that Tamlin has been disarmed do the words come.

"Are you alright?" he says to me. Cross over in three steps. Voice low and urgent, eyes searching. I nod, and wonder if I'm going into shock. His fingers lift my chin and he's looking me over.

“Rhysand you shit,” Tamlin spits.

“Tamlin, you fucking coward.” Rhys rounds on Tamlin, and his face twists with fury.

“You know, you’ve always been a bully but now you can’t keep a woman around so you threaten her with a gun. I didn’t think my opinion of you could get any lower but here we are.”

Tamlin laughs. “What are you going to do, Rhysand? Lecture me about violence and then hit me again? This is why no one ever takes you seriously.”

Rhys ignores the jibe. “What’ll it take to get this through your head?” he asks instead. “She. Doesn’t. Want. You. So just leave her alone.”

“She doesn’t know what she wants,” Tamlin says.

“She is standing right here,” I hiss. “And what I want is to never see you again. Please. Please. Leave me alone.” My voice breaks on it, and I don’t care that I’m begging.

“No.” Then he lunges, reaches for me, and Rhys steps in.

The fight breaks out now, really and truly this time, and oh it is awful. The sound of knuckles against bone and soft tissue is a sickening, wet thud that won’t stop coming. I go to call for help, ring Cassian or Mor or the police, but I’m trying to use my phone with one eye on the fight and my hands are shaking so badly. I don’t understand this male thing, this bloody and snarling tangle. I feel so painfully helpless, as the dial tone in my ear rings and rings, but I don’t dare run to find anyone. It’s like if I’m not here to witness it, anything, anything could happen, the worst could happen and if I stay then at least… at least… but this is where logic fails me, I don’t know what I’d be good for but at least Cassian is picking up now.

“The alley,” I gasp. “They’re fighting, I didn’t know what to do, come quick.”

“Which door?” Cassian says, and his words are short and sharp.

“Side door nearest the bar. Do I call the police?”

“No. They’ll side with Tamlin, they always do.”

“Okay. Just.. just hurry Cassian.”

“I’m almost there.”

And then the call disconnects, and I’m just left there staring and useless while Rhys and Tamlin make each other bleed.

I can’t tell who is winning, whose punches are landing. Everything is just a mess and there’s a part of me that wonders if I should try get between them, if I should try pull them apart. Another part of me is quite sure that if Tamlin has no qualms about sticking a gun in my stomach, I’m not a likely barrier to further injury.

Cassian, Azriel and Mor burst through the door at that moment, and I sag against the wall with relief. They shoulder their way into the fight, and haul the two apart. Azriel pushes Rhys behind the three of them, and Tamlin stumbles back, wiping blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.

“If it isn’t Rhys’s little friends come to save him,” Tamlin taunts. “What the hell are you doing here, Morrigan? Still trying to be one of the big boys?”

“Shut up Tamlin, I’ve beat your ass before,” Mor says, sounding bored. I’m instantly so impressed.

Tamlin’s eyes cloud over, and he bares his teeth.

“You’re on the wrong side,” he says, and the laughter is gone from his voice. “All of you. Protecting a fucking criminal.”

“I told you, I can’t steal my own paintings,” I say. I swear, the adrenalin is making me babble, I don’t know why I’m even talking. But Tamlin smiles a dark smile.

“Not you, sugar,” he says. “This one.” He looks at Rhys. “I have a restraining order, you may recall. One that you are now in violation of.”

And I’ll never know how he does it, but at that moment there’s a bleat of sirens and a police car is blocking the entrance of the alley. They’re coming toward us now and unbelievably, pulling Rhys into handcuffs. I try to catch his eyes but his face is impassive and selfishly, I want him to reassure me.

"You have the right to remain silent."

I blanche.

“Feyre, did you call the police?” Cassian, eyes wide. I shake my head, back and forth trying to make it make sense.

"No, I…"

“Anything you can say can be used against you in court.”

“Feyre did you call them?”

“No, you said not to, so I didn’t!”

“You have the right to talk to a lawyer for advice. You have the right to have a lawyer with you during questioning.”

“Rhys, Rhys are you alright?” Mor now, calling over the shoulder of the police woman. He finally looks up, and he looks much calmer than I feel.

“Who the hell called the police?” Azriel says.

“If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you.”

“Rhys, I’m sorry.” I’m truly panicking now, but it’s the only thing I can think to say. “I’m so, so sorry.”

At this he meets my eyes, and it's a sad, half smile that he gives me. "It's okay," he says.

“If you decide to answer questions now without a lawyer present, you have the right to stop answering at any time.”

Rhys is still holding my gaze. "It's okay," he murmurs again. "Stick with Mor. I'll be just fine."

And then the officer pushes down on his head and he's bundled into the car and the world blurs.

***

MASTERLIST

TAGLIST: @ghostlyrose2 @highladysith @stardelia @feysand-loml @tillyrubes10 @ratabrasileira @live-the-fangirl-life @maybekindasortaace @annejulianneh111 @thebonecarver @rowaelinismyotp @loosingdreams @pitrsattabhaadmeinjao @achernarlight @swankii-art-teacher @sjmships @courtofjurdan @teddytdr @positivewitch @thalia-2-rose @darling-archeron @rapunzel1523 @fairchildjace @hopefulacademia @story-scribbler @fandomstalker27 @realbookloverproblems @dealfea @s-tormwitch @cretaceous-therapod @whenyadoesntcutit @scatterbrainedgirl @whoever-you-choose-to-love @endlessdaydream @themoonthestarsthesuriel @rarephloxes @timesconvert @mis-lil-red @alerialumina

#feysand #feysand fic #acotar #rhys x feysand #content warnings:#violence abuse guns fights #i told you #we were gonna get darker

53 notes · View notes

thelazyhermits · 2 years

Text

I completed Book 5, so I’m now all caught up with the ENG storyline. Now, I can cover Book 5 events with my Yuu which will all be underneath the cut.

Edit: I’ve decided to go back and edit this since I’ve changed my mind on a few things since I started writing Twst fics, and thanks to those fics, there are things I don’t really need to include here on what would already be a long post just with the book’s events lol

For the most part, the beginning of Book 5 proceeds like it does in the game, that is up until the scene at the wishing well.

By this point, Yuu has gotten pretty good at reeling her boys in, so before they can do anything to piss Vil off, she intervenes and promptly gives the Ace/Deuce/Grim trio some smacks to keep them from doing anything stupid.

While they’re complaining about the rough treatment, she apologizes for the rudeness of her sons and tells Vil that she’s still working on their manners.

While Epel is marveling over how well she subdued the idiot trio, Vil comments that he’s glad at least one person in her group has some manners/common sense and knows when not to stick their nose into other people’s business.

Yuu proceeds to tell him that, despite her actions just now, her feelings aren’t that much different than her friends’ feelings. However, unlike them, she doesn’t think she currently needs to get involved in Epel’s situation since she knows he’s a strong guy.

Epel isn’t some damsel in distress that needs saving, so she won’t do him the disservice of treating him as such. However, that said, if Epel were to tell her that he needed her help, she wouldn’t hesitate to agree, even if that meant facing and having to take down the dorm leader of Pomefiore himself, because she considers Epel a friend.

While Epel is moved by her words, Vil is amused by her gall. It takes some guts to say something like that without any hesitation straight to his face.

In the end, he realizes that she’s just like her kids, just slightly more tactful lol

Soon after that, Vil takes Epel away like in the game, with Epel making sure to thank Yuu as they’re leaving since he really did appreciate what she said earlier.

After the Pomefiore students leave, Ace/Grim complain about Yuu’s rough treatment and how she’s really no better than them since she essentially picked a fight with Vil too lol

Meanwhile, Deuce is feeling conflicted since he wants to help Epel, but at the same time, he realizes that Yuu made a good point earlier so he doesn’t know what he should do about Epel’s situation.

When he confides in her about this, Yuu tells him that she doesn’t see anything wrong with Deuce trying to help Epel. She really admires the fact that he’s genuinely bothered by Epel’s situation and can’t just leave Epel be.

(It reminds her of Midoriya/All Might whom she’s sure would’ve reacted similarly.)

That’s why she suggests finding a way to support Epel without forcing their help on him. That way, he’ll know they’re there for him, but they’ll also be respecting his feelings.

Which leads to Deuce making the decision to try out for the SDC with Ace/Grim since he knows that Epel will be a part of it but doesn’t actually want to be, so either Deuce can take his spot or at least be around to keep an eye on Epel.

Yuu had a feeling he would go this route, and she gives him her full support.

So, from there, Ace/Deuce/Grim begin practicing for the SDC audition. Yuu remains on the sidelines and takes care of playing the music and providing feedback.

She had been asked if she would try to audition, but she was quick to say she isn’t particularly good at singing/dancing. That’s why she thinks it’s best for her not to audition.

(What Yuu doesn’t realize is that, while it’s true that she’s not really good at dancing, she actually is a good singer. She just doesn’t think she is because Mumei had caught her singing to herself in the past and insulted her to the point where she came to truly believe she is bad at singing.

Plus, there were times when Mumei would get violent when he insulted her singing, so as a result, she developed a fear of singing in front of others since she would unconsciously just expect that outcome every time despite rationally knowing that not everyone would be like Mumei.

That’s why she never sings around people and has basically developed stage fright to the point that if she were asked to sing she’d freeze up in fear and start remembering Mumei’s cruelty.)

Like in canon, Kalim & Jamil end up joining Ace/Deuce/Grim with their practicing and provide advice to help them improve. So things are mostly like in the game for this portion of the book.

One slight difference is that, in the scene with Azul, Yuu admits that she knew the live broadcast claim was just a lie to corner Jamil. She hadn’t been told as much, but she could tell that Jade was lying since she’s good at noticing when someone is lying.

However, that isn’t always the case with people as skilled at lying as Jade. He just wasn’t putting in all his effort in that lie as he would with other lies, so she was able to see through him that time, which Azul finds impressive since most people can’t see through Jade even when he’s not putting all his effort into a lie since he’s just that good at it.

Another difference is that Kalim tries to get Yuu more involved in the practice sessions since it’d be more fun that way, so she ends up getting more dance lessons from him.

During one session, Kalim tries to get Yuu to sing, telling her to do it for fun and not to worry about what anyone says about how she sounds. While he only has the best intentions, he basically backs Yuu into a corner, causing her stage fright to start to kick into gear.

Thankfully, before it can get bad enough to be noticeable by anyone other than him, Jamil intervenes and asks Yuu if the idiot trio has registered for the audition since that’s required.

Upon finding out that hasn’t been done, Jamil suggests that she go find Rook to register her friends while they continue with their practice session.

Yuu leaps at the chance to escape and gives Jamil a grateful look for his timely intervention which she doesn’t think was purely by chance.

So, rather than go to Rook’s classroom with her friends like what happens in the game, Yuu heads there on her own to get the job done while her friends are practicing.

While, unlike her game counterpart, Yuu knows who Rook is by this point in the timeline, she doesn’t see him in the classroom when she walks in. That’s why she approaches Leona in hopes that he might know where Rook is. When she explains why she’s looking for Rook, Rook promptly appears right behind her, scaring the living hell out of her lol

Although she’s used to Rook jump-scaring her, Yuu still gets scared every time he jump-scares her since she’s just that bad with jump-scares lol

As a result, Yuu yelps and promptly starts clinging onto Leona since her instinctual response is to latch onto whoever is closest to her when she gets scared like that.

A noticeably irritated Leona complains about her screaming in his ears, and she apologizes and tells him that she’s bad with jump-scares.

What she doesn’t realize, because she can’t see his face in her current position, is that Leona’s irritation is mostly directed at Rook whom he’s currently glaring at lol

Rook is completely unaffected by the glare and instead just marvels at the beautiful sight of protective Leona. He just loves seeing Leona & Yuu interact since he finds their friendship to be quite beautiful and fascinating.

When Yuu pulls away from Leona to face Rook, Rook apologizes for scaring her, just as he always does whenever this happens. At this point, Yuu thinks he does it on purpose like Lilia cause this just happens way too often lol 😂

From there, the conversation transpires like it does in canon, with the only difference happening at the end when Rook offers to act as Yuu’s escort to class cause he’s a gentleman and he wants to make up for startling her earlier.

Of course, it goes without saying that Rook is always happy to have another opportunity to hang out with Yuu so he can observe her haha

Knowing what Rook’s trying to do, Leona immediately shoots that idea down and says she doesn’t need an escort from the likes of him lol

While she doesn’t mind Rook’s company, he can get overwhelming at times, and she doesn’t want to worry Leona. That’s why Yuu politely declines Rook’s offer and says she’ll be fine on her own, so after exchanging partings with Leona and Rook, she promptly leaves the classroom.

Up until audition day, things proceed like in canon, and audition day itself is much like it is in the game as well.

The only real difference is that Yuu is friends with Ortho, so she approaches him upon seeing him at the audition which leads to her finding out why he’s doing the audition, and since she knows Ortho/Idia by this point, she’s able to clear up any misunderstandings that Cater and the others have related to the Shroud brothers like what happens in the game.

(Here a joke would be made about how Yuu seems to know everyone at NRC which isn’t too far from the truth lol)

The next divergence from canon happens after the audition results are revealed and her group along with Jamil & Kalim head for the Pomefiore dorm.

When the Pomefiore students start challenging them, Jamil orders Yuu to stay out of the fights, but she tells him even if she wanted to she couldn’t because almost the entire dorm dislikes her.

She has no doubt that the Pomefiore students will take any chance to aim attacks her way, with the claim that it was “accidental” or that it was her fault for getting in the way or cause she picked a fight with them first, etc.

Based on what she knows about Vil, Yuu has a feeling this is all just to get the guys on the SDC team warmed up, and she’s sure Vil would’ve ordered his dorm members not to harm her. However, they could easily get around that order by using the previously mentioned excuses.

For her, walking into this dorm is like entering the metaphorical lion’s den, even more so than the Savanaclaw dorm lol

Upon hearing this, Kalim and Jamil are noticeably displeased since this is their first time hearing about how bad things are between her and Pomefiore. Meanwhile, Grim and ADeuce are irritated and ready and willing to beat up anyone who tries to harass Yuu.

In the end, Yuu’s sons don’t have to do anything, however, because Kalim surprises everyone when he moves to the front of their group and announces his name and the name of his family, much to the confusion of the Pomefiore students.

Kalim declares that Yuu is his friend, which means she’s also a friend of his family’s, so if something were to happen to her, he and his family will hold the perpetrators responsible.

Once he gets over his surprise about Kalim coming up with such a clever strategy and actually purposely using his family’s influence to his advantage, Jamil immediately backs him up and starts talking about how wealthy and influential the Asim family is and how he’d pity anyone who ever made an enemy out of them.

Just as the Scarabia duo had hoped, the Pomefiore students start growing nervous at the prospect of doing something to incur the wrath of Kalim and his family. They’re quick to lie and say that they had no intention to do anything to Yuu since Vil only told them to target the members of the SDC team.

While Kalim happily expresses his relief over their words, Jamil guides Yuu and Grim off to the side and says that as long as the Pomefiore students focus on the rest of them then there will be nothing to worry about.

As a result, none of the Pomefiore students ever dare to do anything to Yuu, so she and Grim are just able to sit back and relax while the others are fighting.

Yuu was very surprised by what Kalim did earlier since he’s normally not one to use his influence like that, but it really means a lot to her how the Scarabia duo quickly took action to keep her safe and that they were looking out for her like that.

After the boys clear their challenges, they meet up with the Pomefiore trio in the ballroom, and things proceed like in canon.

When Crowley later shows up and makes the suggestion of hosting a training camp at Ramshackle, Yuu is exasperated with him coming up with new responsibilities to put her on her shoulders, but she can’t say she completely hates the idea since having everyone stay at Ramshackle with her and Grim sounds like fun.

Of course, that doesn’t stop her from questioning Crowley about why he’s okay with this since, whenever the topic of Yuu joining one of the main seven dorms comes up, Crowley is always saying that Yuu can’t go living in a den of wolves. It’s much too dangerous.

Yet now he’s saying he wants all these guys to live in her dorm for the next month. He’s really giving her mixed messages here.

Crowley quickly says that this situation is fine cause it’s only a temporary thing, and with someone like Vil there, he has no worries about Yuu’s well-being since Vil’s responsible unlike most of the NRC students lol

(He’s not fooling Yuu, though. She knows that he’s just doing this all for the sake of getting publicity for NRC since it’ll look good for their school if their group wins at the SDC.

A part of her also thinks he wants to keep her at Ramshackle cause he’ll have easier access to her to make her do all his annoying tasks since he can’t really do as he pleases as much as he’d like in the other dorms cause there’d be plenty of witnesses lol)

In the end, Yuu agrees to the idea of Ramshackle being the host of the training camp since it means getting more funding for Grim’s tuna addiction, and she can get more funds for the sake of further renovating Ramshackle.

(Plus, this will allow her to keep an eye on Vil without making herself look suspicious. Because she had a dream about Snow White like in canon, she can’t help but feel paranoid, even though she hasn’t started seeing Vil’s childhood memories yet and she hasn’t been having Snow White dreams every night, so for her peace of mind, she wants to keep tabs on Vil.)

However, that’s not all Yuu asks for since she realizes this is an ideal opportunity to make a deal with Vil.

Before agreeing to lend her dorm for the training camp and to help out the SDC team, Yuu requests that Vil give some consideration to giving her his blessing to adopt Epel, which catches both Pomefiore boys off guard.

Since becoming friends with Epel, Yuu has had her eye on him being a potential son candidate, but she hasn’t said anything up until now since she didn’t think she’d get Vil’s blessing since almost everyone in that dorm hates her.

However, since becoming properly acquainted with Vil right before winter break, Yuu has started to think there’s a chance that he could give her his blessing, but of course, she still had some doubts since she’s basically the antithesis of his dorm’s aesthetic and she doesn’t consider herself someone a person like Vil would approve of.

That’s why she wants to make use of this opportunity to prove herself to Vil since she can, through her efforts to support the SDC team, show him that she’s someone he can entrust Epel to.

Fortunately, Vil is willing to accept her offer since it’s not like he’s promising anything. He’s simply agreeing to let her prove herself to him, and he would honestly like to see what she does.

(Rook is all excited over Yuu wanting to include one of Pomefiore’s precious first years in her beautiful family since he personally considers it an honor to be a part of such a fasinating group. He’s a big fan of Yuu’s family and likes to watch them as if they’re his favorite soap opera lol 😂

Meanwhile, Epel has no idea what to make of this surprising turn of events. The poor boy is so confused cause why are they talking about his adoption all of a sudden and why the hell would she need Vil’s blessing???

However, much to Yuu’s sons’ surprise, once Epel’s confusion abates, he’s honestly quite chill about the whole adoption thing. Like yeah it’s strange but he likes Yuu and thinks she’s cool. She’s someone both Leona and Ruggie respect, which speaks volumes to Epel, and Epel just likes how it’s easy to relax around her.

So, in the end, like Ortho, Epel accepts getting adopted without any fuss, which really boggles the minds of Yuu’s other sons lol)

Once that’s all settled, Yuu grabs Grim so they can hurry back and begin cleaning up Ramshackle since she refuses to allow her new temporary dormmates to see Ramshackle in anything other than pristine condition.

Of course, it’s not like the dorm is a total mess since Yuu routinely cleans it and makes Grim help her out. She just wants to ensure it’s in as high quality condition as possible for the sake of her pride.

Thankfully, Yuu’s able to get some more cleaning supplies from Sam who charges it to Crowley cause it’s the least Crowley can do to help out with this new training camp which Sam, of course, has already heard about.

When they get back to Ramshackle, Yuu has Grim and the ghosts all working to get the dorm into tip top shape, with Grim moaning and groaning about it the whole time lol

By the time the SDC team arrives at Ramshackle, the dorm is looking great, and Grim’s totally exhausted. Meanwhile, Yuu’s just proudly smiling about how nice the dorm looks haha

That smile fades, however, when she gets a vision that shows what will happen if Ace/Deuce/Grim try to sneak a midnight snack against Vil’s orders. Yuu isn’t present in the vision since Grim knew that if she was awake she would’ve tried to stop them lol

(Thankfully, the vision happens when the Pomefiore guys aren’t around to see her have it, so she doesn’t draw any attention to herself.)

Since she doesn’t want her friends to have to suffer the effects of Vil’s UM, even though they’ll just be reaping what they sowed, Yuu talks with Vil later on about all the junk food and sweets that he’ll be confiscating and asks if she can just bring it to someone else to eat since she thinks the temptation will too great for her friends if the food’s just left at the dorm.

Naturally, Grim/Ace are very much against this idea, and Deuce/Kalim aren’t too fond of it either.

Vil goes along with her idea since it really doesn’t matter to him what happens to the food as long as no one in the dorm eats it.

So, after gathering up all the food that Vil has prohibited, Yuu takes it to Savanaclaw to give to Ruggie cause she knows he’ll make good use of it and won’t let anything go to waste.

Ruggie is naturally over the moon about this turn of events, and he’s feeling better about not passing the audition after hearing about Vil’s strict rules lol

However, upon hearing that all those guys will be living under the same roof as Yuu, Ruggie’s good mood does a quick 180. He immediately tells her to call him if anybody tries to pull anything despite her assuring him that none of the guys staying at her dorm are the type to do that kind of thing.

Ruggie’s not too convinced, but he lets it go, all the while thinking he should pay her dorm regular visits just in case. (Leona probably encourages him once he finds out that Rook is one of the guys staying at Ramshackle lol)

Later on, after rehearsals are over and when the Pomefiore trio aren’t around, Yuu explains to the rest of the guys why she got rid of the food since Ace/Grim were giving her the cold shoulder for her betrayal and Deuce/Kalim looked like kicked puppies.

Upon hearing about Vil’s UM, the idiot trio quickly change their tune and are grateful to Yuu for saving them, although Grim’s still bitter that he didn’t get to eat the desserts that Trey made.

The next day, Yuu is given the title of manager since Vil’s technically paying her, and this is how she can prove herself to him. Yuu accepts the position, determined to prove what an awesome mom she is lol

Aside from helping out with rehearsals, Vil gives Yuu the task of making the meals based off the training menu he gives her. It’s her first time preparing food based off a menu like this, and she’s a little excited about delving more into a type of cooking she doesn’t necessarily do a lot of.

Fortunately, her cooking is good enough to meet Vil’s standards, and everyone else enjoys it too. However, regardless of how much everyone likes the taste of a “mother’s home cooking”, the first years still find themselves wanting more like in the game.

For their sake, Yuu does her best to find ways to make snacks that will help satiate their appetites but not go against Vil’s strictly enforced diet.

The only other change I would add is, during the scene when they watch the commercial that has Neige in it, Yuu internally freaks out over how he looks like a male version of Snow White. Like she’s used to guys in this world resembling Disney characters, but this guy seriously takes the cake lol 😂

Yuu also notices how the air around Vil seems to subtly change when Neige’s face appears on screen. This naturally puts her slightly on edge since she can’t help but worry if there’s something going on between Vil and Neige.

Because Yuu has been studying the commercial so closely due to his resemblance to Snow White and his unknown relationship with Vil, Ace gets a little jealous and asks her if Neige is her type - someone she feels drawn to like how all the girls online feel.

His words catch Yuu completely off guard since she had been so lost in her thoughts, but since she’s good at reading Ace, she quickly realizes what the problem is and gets amused.

For Ace’s and Vil’s sake, Yuu says that, while it’s true Neige is attractive, she’s not interested in him in that way, just merely curious since Rook had revealed he was their rival, which technically isn’t a lie.

She also adds that, to her, Neige really has more of a “cute” charm, so if she were to meet him, she’d wanna look out for him like you’d do for someone younger than you, even though he looks like he may be older than her.

Knowing how “beautiful” was a key word in the Snow White movie, Yuu continues by saying that that’s why she’d be more inclined to use words like “cute” or “adorable” for Neige rather than “beautiful” or “gorgeous”.

Fortunately, Ace settles down upon hearing that and snickers over Yuu comparing Neige to a kid she’d wanna look after. Meanwhile, Rook expresses his delight over hearing Yuu’s thoughts on Neige and getting to learn more about how she views others since everyone has their own concept of beauty, and he enjoys seeing things from new perspectives.

And just as she had hoped, things seem to calm down around Vil as well, although there’s no visible changes with his expression to indicate her words had any effect on him.

For the rest of the day, things proceed like in canon. After dinner and the scene with Epel’s juice delivery, Vil brings up the topic of everyone’s hair/skin care routine like he does in canon.

Yuu is the only one outside of his dorm that Vil doesn’t question since he’s been working on her hair/skin care routine since A Much Needed Makeover. He uses her as an example of how much better one can look if they actually properly take care of themselves since her appearance has noticeably improved in the last month thanks to him.

That night, after everyone has turned in, Yuu hears Kalim singing outside and goes to investigate. Grim remains behind in the room unlike in canon cause Yuu told him she can go check on Kalim on her own since she could tell Grim was exhausted after the long day he had.

This leads to Yuu hearing how Kalim is frustrated over not getting one of the main vocals and how that made him realize that he always got things as a result of Jamil holding back.

Yuu reassures him that there’s nothing wrong with him feeling this way since, if she was in his shoes, she’d feel similarly. If she gets something, she wants to earn it, not just be given it because of her status/title/position.

In a sense, it’s like Kalim has been lied to his whole life since he had no idea what Jamil had been doing for his sake, which has to be a miserable feeling.

However, she thinks it must be even more miserable to have to force yourself to hold back all the time like Jamil has been doing all these years, which she’s sure Kalim agrees with, which is why he’s reluctant to vent about his frustrations.

Yuu brings up what she told him in Book 4, how he can always come to her if he needs someone to vent to, and says that the offer still stands. She’ll always be willing to be a listening ear to him since he’s her friend, and she wants him to get things off his chest rather than keep them all to himself and deal with that burden alone.

No matter how minor his issues may seem to him, Yuu thinks Kalim has every right to want to complain. His feelings are just as valid as everyone else’s, so despite how well off he is, she doesn’t want him to think he has no right to ever complain about anything.

After Kalim thanks her, Yuu tells him that, regardless of the group role assignments, she still thinks he’s plenty talented/skilled, so if he really wants to be a main singer, she has complete confidence in him being able to make it happen.

Kalim proceeds to give her a big hug as he thanks her since her words made him really happy. Despite her being taller, he pats her head just like he would do for his little sisters haha

Yuu doesn’t mind the affection since her past left her touch starved, and it makes her happy whenever Kalim does this kind of thing and praises her for being a good girl/kid.

Eventually, the PDA moment gets brought to an abrupt end by Jamil who comes out of hiding so he can scold Kalim for the excessive PDA, which Jamil is always getting onto him about since it could result in a scandal if the heir of the Asim family is seen being so affectionate with a girl lol

Kalim just laughs off the complaints and says it’s amazing how Jamil always seems to know whenever he’s being affectionate with Yuu, which only increases Jamil’s ire 😂

(Jamil’s half-tempted to scold Yuu too for encouraging Kalim’s inappropriate behavior, but he refrains since he knows how unused to affection she is and she can’t really help that she likes all the positive attention she gets from Kalim.)

Soon after that, they all head to bed since they don’t want to risk getting in trouble with Vil for breaking his self-imposed curfew.

(In regards to how Yuu feels about Vil’s strict rules, she’s not necessarily a huge fan of them, but at the same time, she understands the reasoning behind his actions which is why she goes along with them since she can tell that he really does want what’s best for everyone.)

From there, things proceed like in canon except there’s no midnight snack run cause Yuu got rid of all the unhealthy food.

(As far as Yuu’s dreams are concerned, because there’s a month worth of time leading up to the SDC, she doesn’t have dreams related to Vil/Evil Queen every night, just every so often.

At the start, she just has dreams about the Evil Queen, but during the week leading up to SDC, she starts to see Vil’s memories in her dreams.

In regards to the whole Mickey Mouse scenario, Yuu has been seeing him, but she doesn’t tell anyone about him since she figures it’s better to keep this to herself.

Since she came from a world where Mickey is a fictional character, Yuu finds this whole situation very surreal and half wonders if she’s lost her mind cause of all the craziness at NRC lol)

(Regarding Yuu keeping an eye on Vil, she’s doing this constantly, because she’s so paranoid, and as a result, she’s able to pick up Vil’s worrisome behavior during the time leading up to the SDC, such as him asking his phone who the fairest of all is, which is sending all kinds of warning signs to Yuu.

Because she hasn’t had a vision about Vil’s OB yet, Yuu does her best to support him in hopes that she can reduce his stress levels, so that horrible outcome can be avoided.

She’s not too confident, though...)

The next canon divergence happens after Epel and Deuce run out in the middle of rehearsals.

(Yuu was afraid this would eventually happen since, up until this point, she had been keeping an eye on Epel since she could tell he was stressed. She had taken every opportunity to talk to him and get him to vent to her, but sadly, that still wasn’t enough to stop Epel from giving into his frustration like he does in canon.)

Immediately, after Deuce leaves, Yuu elbows Ace in the gut and pulls him into a headlock, so she can grind her knuckles against his head.

When Ace complains that he didn’t do anything wrong, Yuu retorts that she’s not doing anything wrong either. If Ace gets to say whatever he wants, then she’s gonna do whatever she wants too. If he has a problem with that, he can try to stop her.

Naturally, he does try, but Ace’s physical strength isn’t a match for hers, especially when she’s irritated, and he just makes things worse for himself when he compares her strength to that of a gorilla’s lol

To finish off his punishment, Yuu brings her face close to his and gives him one of those wet/sloppy mom/grandma cheek kisses right in front of their upperclassmen, much to his disgust and great mortification 😂

While Ace screams, Grim starts laughing hysterically at his expense, which leads to Ace chasing him around the room. Satisfied with a job well done, Yuu leaves the two to their own devices, so she can go after Deuce, figuring that Vill will call for a break considering two members of their group are now gone.

(Kalim & Rook got a big kick out of Yuu’s handling of her children. Kalim thought it was hilarious while Rook’s waxing poetry about how beautiful a mother/son’s bond is lol

Jamil’s a mixture of amused and exasperated. Vil would probably be amused if he wasn’t exasperated over the matter with Epel and Deuce.)

As she heads off to go look for Deuce, Yuu’s Quirk activates, showing her a vision of Deuce & Epel together on the beach. She doesn’t see everything that happens between the two, but she does see the part where Epel explains why he has to obey Vil and she sees some of what Deuce does to help Epel out.

(By this point, Yuu had actually already heard about Epel’s situation from Epel during one of the vent sessions they had since he felt comfortable confiding in her cause she was genuinely concerned about him, and she’s easy to talk to.)

What really catches her attention is when, after one of the scene skips, she witnesses the use of what she later learns is Deuce’s UM during some kind of brawl with regular civilians.

After the vision ends, Yuu ponders the matter as she continues her search for Deuce. In the end, she decides not to interfere with the events of her vision since she doesn’t see her interference as necessary.

While she would like to avoid Deuce getting into that fight, she’s not sure how to make that work since she doesn’t have the whole story of what happened on the beach. She only saw the end of the fight.

Since she doesn’t want to burden Deuce with a lot of details when he’s already got enough on his plate, Yuu just keeps everything to herself since she knows Deuce & Epel will turn out alright in the end.

She also decides to ponder the matter of that attack Deuce used for later since she’s very curious about it but doesn’t think this is the time to be focused on figuring out what happened.

When she later finds Deuce and gives him the water bottle she brought along for him, he apologizes for storming off, and she tells him that, while she personally didn’t mind what he did cause she can understand why he did it, he’ll need to apologize to their upperclassmen later.

Yuu then tells him that she’ll hear him out if he wants to talk about what’s on his mind, so Deuce decides to confide in her and get everything off his chest.

After he finishes, Yuu remarks that the two of them are alike, which surprises him. She explains that they’re both the type who gets caught up in their own heads and will suffer as a result.

Deuce does it because he wants to become better at using his head and assumes that he needs to use his brain to solve all his problems.

Meanwhile, Yuu does it because she just overthinks too much and dwells on things unnecessarily. While she is good at thinking several steps ahead, there are times when that’s to her detriment cause she gets caught up in the what-ifs and all the countless possibilities for whatever she’s caught up in at the time.

That’s why she admires Deuce who doesn’t let himself get too bogged down by thoughts like her. Once he sets his mind on something, he doesn’t second guess himself; he doesn’t let his worries get the better of him.

Before she can completely share her thoughts from that last paragraph, their conversation gets interrupted by the arrival of Rook & Kalim who come by to check on Deuce, and their conversation is much like what happens in the game.

When the subject of Epel gets brought up, Deuce mentions how he thinks Epel is like him, which is why he couldn’t leave Epel alone.

Yuu encourages Deuce to do what he feels is best in regards to the Epel situation since she thinks that, if anyone can help Epel right now, it would be him.

This leads to Deuce making the request to get the blastcycle so he can take Epel to the beach.

As this is happening, Yuu makes a call to Crowley to get the two permission to leave campus, saying it’s all for the sake of improving the team’s bond, so Crowley can’t say no lol

After Deuce leaves to go find Epel, Yuu returns to the ballroom with Kalim and Rook and explains the situation to Vil, who’s obviously not pleased with this turn of events.

Yuu tells him that she got permission from Crowley and that, while this is an inconvenience for everyone present, she thinks everyone will benefit in the end if Deuce & Epel have a moment to talk.

She’s fully confident that Deuce will be able to help Epel to the point that she’s willing to say that she’ll take any kind of punishment Vil can dole out if he’s not satisfied with the two boys’ state when they get back.

Vil holds her to her word, and in the end, he sees that she was right since both Epel and Deuce come back in a better headspace after that beach trip, although he is irritated about the fight that happened.

However, he refrains from punishing Yuu and instead just makes Deuce and Epel run laps like what he does in the game.

Later on, Yuu talks with Deuce about what happened on the beach, and since he has no idea what that strange magic was either, she offers to help him try to figure it out, so whenever they have some free time, they try to experiment to see if they can replicate what happened on the beach. Unfortunately, they’re not successful in their efforts.

Another event that happens outside of canon is that, at one point, Yuu finds herself alone with Kalim, who’s doing some independent practicing.

Because it’s more fun to sing/dance with others, Kalim drags her into his dance practice since Jamil had said that teaching others is a great way of revision. Plus, this way he’s even more motivated in his dancing since he’s having even more fun now.

Yuu is far from being a good dancer, but she has fun learning with Kalim. However, things become less fun when he tries to convince her to sing with him.

Thankfully, this time around Kalim notices her obvious discomfort, so he’s more gentle/considerate as he talks with her about her singing.

When she eventually admits that she gets stage fright cause of insults she received over her singing in the past, Kalim promises that he’d never say anything bad about her singing.

It isn’t like they’re singing for others’ entertainment. Kalim just wants to sing with her cause he loves singing and thinks it’ll be even more fun if they do it together.

Kalim really wants to help her feel more comfortable about singing and regain that love she once had for it since he thinks there’s nothing sadder than her refusing to do something she once enjoyed just because she’s afraid of how others will treat her.

However, that said, Kalim has no intention to force her to do anything she doesn’t want to do, because she’s his friend and he wants to respect her wishes.

After that, they return to practicing the dance moves for the SDC performance. All the while, Yuu thinks about her earlier discussion with Kalim and how she would like to be able to sing with him and to be able to overcome her fear, so Mumei has even less of an influence on her.

Yuu trusts Kalim. She knows he’d never say/do anything cruel to her unlike Mumei. If she’d be safe to sing around anyone, it would be him.

That’s why, eventually, after she gathers up her courage, Yuu tries to sing along with Kalim who’s been singing as he dances with her.

(Since she has been listening to the guys practice Absolutely Beautiful for a while now, Yuu knows all the lyrics by heart, so she has no trouble following along.)

Her voice comes out as really quiet at first because of her nervousness, but Kalim still manages to hear her and proudly beams at her as he grows noticeably more excited.

Gradually, thanks to Kalim’s encouraging smile, Yuu’s able to increase the volume of her voice, but it’s still nowhere near as loud as his because he has let his excitement take over lol

Even though it was incredibly nerve-wracking and embarrassing, Yuu has no regrets about singing since it really is fun just like Kalim said it would be.

When the song ends, Kalim pulls her into a hug and starts twirling her around as he praises her for overcoming her stage fright and for having such a pretty voice. He tells her it’s a shame she didn’t audition since Vil would’ve surely wanted to have her on the team.

While she thinks he’s just being really nice, Yuu thanks him for his kind words and for giving her the encouragement she needed to try to overcome her fear.

Around that time, Jamil, who had been secretly watching the two since Yuu had started singing with Kalim, makes his presence known, so he can scold Kalim for the PDA lol

Kalim just laughs off the scolding before eagerly telling Jamil what a good singer Yuu is, much to her embarrassment. Her embarrassment only grows when Jamil says he knows because he overheard her singing.

While she was okay with singing in front of Kalim, the idea of anyone else listening to her is extremely embarrassing for Yuu who hasn’t completely overcome her stage fright.

That’s why when Kalim starts talking about how Yuu should sing more often for others to hear she quickly shoots down that idea since she doesn’t think she can handle singing for more people in her current state.

Fortunately, Jamil seems to understand her feelings, so he explains to Kalim that conquering fears isn’t all that simple. That’s why Kalim shouldn’t be expecting so much out of Yuu so soon after she started making steps to overcome her fear.

After getting chastised by Jamil, Kalim apologizes to Yuu, and she assures him that she’s not upset since she knows he only had good intentions.

Kalim quickly cheers up when he asks if she’ll still be willing to sing with him and Jamil. It can be their little secret!

Yuu agrees just as long as this isn’t a regular thing cause she doesn’t think she can handle doing as much singing/dancing as Kalim likes to do lol

The rest of time leading up to the week before SDC proceeds like it does in the game.

After getting SDC tickets from Crowley, Yuu decides to give them to Malleus since she has figured out at this point that he’s not used to receiving invitations/getting involved in these kinds of festivities, which leads to Malleus reacting much like he does in the game.

(In regards to the greeting card Lilia delivered to her, Yuu figured it was from Malleus since she had given him a Christmas present before he left for winter break and he seemed like the type to send cards like this. Upon seeing the initials, she realized that he was Malleus Draconia since that’s what all the signs she had observed up until that point had been pointing to, and there’s no way there’s another person as strong as him with the initials M.D. lol

Also, aside from sending her a greeting card, Malleus also had a present delivered as thanks for the Christmas present she had given him.

The present was a ring he created with his magic that acts as a shield, so if she’s ever under attack, a magic barrier will appear to protect her and reflect the attacks, which comes in handy whenever she gets involved in OB battles.

After receiving the greeting card and present, Yuu immediately wanted to send a card back to express her thanks, but since she didn’t know his address, she contacted Lilia since she figured he’d be able to help her out.

Lilia promptly teleports back to Ramshackle and says he can deliver it himself, scaring the hell out of her in the process lol

So, since Yuu sent a card to Malleus, she doesn’t give him the SDC tickets to make up for not sending one like in the game. She just does it because he’s her friend and she wants him to have fun at the fair.)

That night, Yuu has another dream about Snow White/Evil Queen, and from then on, those dreams happen every night, which puts her on edge since, up until this point, she only had these dreams every so often, which makes her worried that this means an Overblot is on the horizon.

Fortunately, Yuu still hasn’t started seeing any of Vil’s childhood memories, so she’s clinging to that futile hope that an OB won’t happen - that she won’t have a vision, like she did the last four times.

Regrettably, her hopes were futile, because, a few days before the SDC, Yuu has her first dream about Vil’s childhood memories. Even worse, after she sees several scenes from Vil’s past after seeing another scene about the Evil Queen, she has a vision of Vil’s OB.

Yuu wakes up with a jolt after the vision ends and tries to fight off her mounting panic once the reality of what she just saw sinks in.

Once again, someone is going to Overblot and not just any person. It’s a dorm leader that she has come into contact with. It’s a person she knows. Again.

Four times was bad enough but five? There’s no way this is just a coincidence. Of course, she started thinking that a while ago, so this has been weighing heavily on her heart.

Not wanting to wake Grim, Yuu hurries out of their shared bed and heads for the living room, all the while hoping that Vil won’t catch her awake past curfew.

In hopes of going unnoticed, Yuu finds a corner that she can curl up into and will put her out of the immediate line of sight of anyone entering the living room.

Her thoughts are racing like crazy, and unfortunately, she only continues to spiral the more time passes.

All she can think is how it can’t be a coincidence that all these OB incidents are happening while she’s around. Even though she doesn’t understand how, she must factor into all this somehow.

Which causes her to feel immense guilt since she doesn’t want to be the cause of anyone’s suffering. However, what she feels especially guilty about is the fact that, despite possibly being the source of NRC’s problems, she still wants to remain at NRC and doesn’t want to go home, which she thinks is very selfish of her.

When she thinks of going “home”, Yuu’s traitorous mind reminds her of what’s waiting for her there despite her best efforts to not think about Mumei, and she works herself even further into a panic which often happens when she dwells on her memories of Mumei’s past abuse.

As a result, Yuu eventually finds herself crying and in the midst of a panic attack, because it’s all just gotten too much for her, so it gets increasingly harder for her to breathe.

All her worries and fears that have been steadily building up have finally reached their boiling point. She has been successful in keeping them contained until now, but it’s just gotten too much for her so it all comes pouring out.

Thankfully, Jamil arrives on the scene before she can pass out. Upon seeing the state she’s in, he quickly uses his UM on her and orders her to match his breathing and take slow/easy breaths.

Once he has gotten her breathing to even out, Jamil stops using his UM and tells her to wait as he gets her something to clean her face with.

When he returns with a wet towel he got from the kitchen, Jamil comments that he had sensed someone was in the living room, so he thought it might have been an intruder, so he was very surprised to find her instead.

After taking a seat beside her on the floor, Jamil asks why she’s hiding in the corner, and she explains that she didn’t want to be seen breaking curfew.

In a situation like this, Jamil thinks the smart thing to do would be to find someone rather than try to handle all this by herself, but he goes quiet when she asks him if he really would’ve asked for help if he was in her shoes.

Because Yuu knows he wouldn’t have. Just as she’s used to solving her problems on her own, so is Jamil. Neither of them are accustomed to being prioritized/helped since they’re the ones who are always having to put others’ needs above their own.

Knowing he can’t really argue this point with her, Jamil instead asks what brought this on, all of a sudden. This is his first time seeing her in such a state, so obviously, whatever happened must be serious.

This leads to her explaining that she had a vision while she was sleeping and how that got her to thinking about how often the OB incidents have been happening and how she’s always at the center of each incident.

When she confides in him about how she doesn’t want to be sent back to her world, how she wants to stay even though it’d be in everyone’s best interest for her to leave, Jamil tells her that he doesn’t think she’s as much to blame as she believes.

Yes, this is all very suspicious, and it’s highly unlikely that it’s all just a coincidence. However, he finds it hard to believe that she’s the sole cause for these incidents.

Even if she is, Jamil has no intention to allow her to return to her world. When she gives him a surprised look after hearing that, he asks if she has already forgotten the promise she made to him to help him obtain his freedom.

Jamil has every intention to hold her to that promise since he considers her a useful ally, considering the great influence she has at NRC and her power of foresight. He plans on making good use of her, so until she completes her end of the deal, he won’t allow her to go back to her world.

(Of course, he won’t admit that he has no intention to allow her to return to a world that will take away her freedom and force her back into a life of constant abuse. He wants them both to have the freedom they deserve and will make sure it happens.)

He tells her not to underestimate him since he can easily come up with several plans to ensure she doesn’t get forcibly sent back home. If necessary, he can just take her back to Scalding Sands since the Asim family will protect her because she’s a friend of Kalim’s. No way would Crowley dare to go against the Asmi family if he wants to continue receiving funding from them.

Rather than be put off by Jami’s choice of wording like she knows she should be, Yuu gets really happy when he calls her useful, because she spent the majority of her life being called useless by Mumei.

(That’s exactly why Jamil purposely used such words.)

Even though she had been trying to rein in her emotions ever since Jamil helped calm her down, Yuu starts crying again when Jamil says he’ll ensure she doesn’t have to go back to her world and throws her arms around him because she’s so happy/relieved.

Even though he’s smirking, acting like a villain by claiming he wants to use her, Yuu sees through his act and knows that he genuinely wants to help her, which means the world to her.

While the hug catches him off guard, Jamil allows it cause she clearly needs it since her emotions are a huge mess right now.

Once she eventually calms down, Jamil has them move to one of the couches rather than remain on the floor and gets her some water, so she won’t get dehydrated thanks to all the crying she did.

Now that she’s calmer, Jamil asks if the vision she had was related to Vil since that would fit the pattern since he’s the only vice dorm leader who has Overblotted and he can’t really imagine Rook Overblotting, not that he can really see it happening to Vil either.

After giving him a nod because of her drawback which limits how much she can talk about her vision, Yuu explains that because the vision happened while she was dreaming she’s not sure when the OB will happen because she can never tell when a vision is supposed to happen when they occur while she’s dreaming.

For all she knows, Vil’s OB could be a year from now, but considering recent events, she highly doubts it.

More than likely, it’ll happen in relation to the SDC since this is such an important event to Vil, so the day of competition is when they should be on their guard.

They’re in a predicament here since Yuu has no undeniable proof that Vil will OB during the SDC, and she’s sure that if she brought up her vision to Crowley he’d just write it off as a dream despite her drawback preventing her from going into detail about her vision since it’s just so unlikely for Vil, of all people, to OB.

Plus, they can’t just up and cancel the SDC, nor can they forbid Vil from entering since that would just make him more likely to OB and disappoint all his fans.

The ideal situation would be to prevent Vil from reaching the mental state that would result in him Overblotting, but Yuu thinks it’s unlikely because OB incidents appear to be events that can’t be changed. No matter what they do, she’s sure that Vil’s OB will happen.

Which means the only option they have is to formulate a plan for how to act once the OB happens. Ergo they need to have multiple evacuation plan options and supplies that will be useful during that period of time like Kalim’s magic carpet and antidotes for poison since poison is Vil’s specialty.

Of course, another option for Jamil would be to ensure he and Kalim are nowhere near Vil on that day since his top priority is Kalim’s safety. However, because it’s so close to SDC, he knows that they can’t afford to drop out, especially since that in itself could lead to Vil Overblotting.

Plus, he knows that Kalim would never go along with it. If Kalim were to find out about Vil’s OB, then he’d want to do whatever he could to help Vil out, even if it meant putting himself in the line of danger.

And Jamil still wants to participate in the competition since it’s a part of his plan to improve his reputation, and him dropping out at the last minute would do the exact opposite.

As a result, Jamil thinks the best thing he can do in this situation is do everything possible to isolate OB Vil in order to ensure the SDC doesn’t get ruined and that no one gets caught up in the crossfire.

Because they don’t want to burden the others’ with extra worries or risk them mentioning Yuu’s vision to the Pomefiore trio, Yuu & Jamil keep all this information to themselves and spend the days leading up to the SDC planning in secret for how to deal with Vil’s OB.

Aside from that, things proceed like in canon, and the next canon divergence happens while Yuu/Grim are walking around the fair with Riddle/Trey.

During the scene when they come across some Savanaclaw students trying to pick a fight with the RSA dwarfs, Yuu immediately inserts herself in between the two parties and scolds the Savanaclaw students for causing trouble this early into the event.

After pointing out how they’ll make Leona look bad if their dorm is the only one to cause trouble during such an important event, Yuu tells them that if they wanna fight so bad she’ll take them on.

Thankfully, rather than take her up on her offer, the Savanaclaw students back down since they’re under Leona’s orders not to mess with Yuu. Plus, they also don’t wanna risk making Leona look bad.

After the Savanaclaw students leave, Riddle praises Yuu for how well she handled the situation, although Trey thinks she didn’t really need to challenge them to a fight lol

When Yuu turns to properly look at the dwarfs and greets them, she’s surprised when Snick suddenly says, “Ah, it’s Koneko-chan!”

Grum: Huh, so that’s Koneko.

Dominic: Snick, Grum, that’s rude! You both know that’s not her actual name! That’s the nickname Che’nya-senpai refers to her as! We don’t have her permission to address her as such like he does!

Rather than point out that Che’nya never technically got her permission to use that nickname, Yuu just assures them that it’s fine since the nickname doesn’t bother her, and it’s cute since it’s a cat-related nickname.

(Koneko means “kitten/little cat”.)

Riddle is exasperated that Che’nya is having this kind of influence on others, and Trey just shakes his head, not really all that surprised lol

Dominic reveals that they’ve heard a lot about Yuu from Che’nya, so it’s nice to finally meet her in person.

(Since Book 1, Che’nya took an interest in Yuu cause she was an obvious cat lover, and he just finds her intriguing. He’s also grateful for how she helped Riddle/Trey out in Book 1.

As a result, he occasionally mentions her to Neige, whom then told the dwarfs about her, usually after he’s paid NRC a visit and gone to check out Ramshackle/eat Yuu’s sweets lol)

Around that time, Che’nya arrives on the scene, appearing right behind Yuu like he often likes to do. He also likes to cover her eyes and make her guess who he is, which he does here.

After she correctly guesses his identity like she always does, the rest of this scene goes mostly like it does in canon, although Che’nya takes the time to talk with Yuu some unlike in the game.

Che’nya also asks Yuu for some of her homemade sweets, which Riddle and Trey scold him for lol

The next divergence from canon happens after rehearsals when Vil heads out on his own following Neige’s performance.

Like in the game, while the other first years walk off to get some food, Yuu briefly sees part of the Evil Queen dream play out before her eyes, which catches her off guard since that clearly wasn’t a vision. She had already thought the dreams were weird enough as is, but now, she’s even more confused by them since they’re now happening when she’s awake.

Right after that happens, Yuu’s Quirk activates, showing her a brief vision of Vil offering some apple juice to Neige.

Yuu had already had a bad feeling because of that dream scene she just saw, but now, that feeling has only gotten worse since this is basically a reenactment of Snow White.

Even though all she sees is Vil handing the apple juice over to Neige, she knows that nothing good will come from Neige drinking that juice because of the expression Vil is wearing and how his voice sounds totally unlike himself.

After her vision ends, she finds herself alone with Jamil since Rook and Kalim had gone after Vil while, unlike in the game, Grim leaves with Ace and the others to get food.

Jamil chose to remain behind with her since he was the only one who noticed her having a vision, and he wanted to know what she saw.

Yuu quickly tells him that they need to go after Vil before he hurts Neige, but Jamil disagrees, saying that their top priority should be getting the stadium cleared out.

From what he can tell, Kalim and Rook went after Vil cause they were worried about him, so they’ll likely stop Vil before anything can happen to Neige. So rather than unnecessarily join them, Jamil thinks they’re better off taking care of everything else that needs to be done.

Since he makes a good point, Yuu reluctantly agrees and proceeds to help Jamil get everyone out of the stadium along with the other first years whom he contacts like in canon.

She also collects a bag from the dressing room Jamil and the others had been using, which he had packed with everything he thought they would need, and also the magic carpet which he had secretly brought along to the stadium.

Eventually, Jamil takes the magic carpet to go check on Kalim and the others. Yuu had wanted to go with him, but he told her to remain by the stage since the carpet will move faster with less weight on it and he’ll likely have to carry Kalim and Rook out.

From there, things proceed like in canon with Jamil helping Kalim and Rook escape and meeting back up with Yuu. While Jamil is giving antidote potions to Kalim and Rook who were affected by Vil’s poison, Ace and the other first years show up, having finished Jamil’s assigned tasks.

Vil shows up shortly thereafter, and the OB battle begins, with Yuu using her Quirk to predict Vil’s movements and guide everyone in battle, catching Epel and Rook, who still don’t know about her Quirk, by surprise.

In addition to using her Quirk, Yuu also makes use of the ring Malleus gave her to reflect Vil’s magic attacks back at him, which catches everyone off guard because she hadn’t gotten around to telling anyone about the powers of the ring.

It’s as Yuu describes the powers of the ring and declares that she’ll send everything Vil throws at her right back at him that the cogs start turning in Deuce’s head.

That’s why, while he doesn’t completely understand it yet, Deuce is quick to join Yuu on the frontlines to distract Vil/take his attacks while the others attack the blot monster.

Regrettably, even with everyone working together and all the strategies Yuu and Jamil had come up with to prepare for this battle, things still end up getting drawn out, making this the longest OB battle Yuu has dealt with.

Once she notices how much time has passed, Yuu tries to knock Vil out with a gut punch with Deuce’s help, like what happened during Azul’s OB battle, but even that’s not enough to knock Vil out, so Yuu gets sent flying back. Thankfully, Deuce and Jamil are able to catch her before she hits the ground.

(Yuu didn’t try to punch Vil in the face like the other OB guys cause she was afraid that his face is insured for lots of money and that damaging it would put her in debt for the rest of her life lol 😂)

It’s at that moment Deuce asks everyone to clear the area and leave the rest to him. When he gives Yuu a knowing grin, she quickly realizes what he’s going to do, so she and Epel quickly get everyone to get out of the way before Deuce uses his UM.

So, like in the game, Deuce uses his UM to defeat Vil who promptly loses consciousness, thankfully doing so before his magic ran out.

After Vil has been stopped, Jamil forces Yuu to lie down on the magic carpet, because she used her Quirk for such an extended period of time, which is dangerous for her health, and is now suffering from the drawbacks of her Quirk.

Because of the cloud of poison surrounding the stadium, Yuu can’t be immediately taken to the infirmary, but Jamil made sure to pack plenty of potions and anything else he thought he’d need if they somehow ended up in a situation where they wouldn’t have easy access to the infirmary.

Knowing better than to argue with Jamil, Yuu obediently does whatever he tells her and drinks one of the potions he had packed.

While the potion will help with her currently high fever, Jami’s not confident that it’ll prevent seizures, so he really wants to get her to the infirmary as soon as possible.

During this time, Vil regains consciousness, and the dialogue following him waking up is like what happens in canon.

The only thing slightly different is the discussion about Yuu and her Quirk once Vil takes notice of her state.

Unsurprisingly, the Pomefiore trio are very surprised to hear she is from a different world and has the power to see the future. If it wasn’t for the fact they witnessed that power in action, they’d have a hard time believing her, but they can’t deny what they saw with their own two eyes.

(Jamil & Yuu refrained from mentioning how they knew about Vil’s OB ahead of time and all the planning they did for it since they wanted to avoid any complaints about not saying something sooner.)

As they’re all wondering what to do about the stadium and Yuu’s need for the infirmary, Malleus arrives on the scene, and things happen like they do in the game, with everyone being very surprised that Yuu is acting so friendly with him to the point she gave him a funny nickname.

Upon noticing her weakened state, Malleus asks for details, which leads to everyone explaining everything that happened, and Yuu tells him about her Quirk and its drawbacks since she trusts him with this information.

(At this point, she had already told him about coming from another world since she trusts him, but she decided to keep her Quirk a secret since it seemed only fair that she had some secrets, like him lol)

Once he hears the whole story, Malleus uses his magic to repair the stadium, so the SDC can still happen like he does in canon.

Yuu is very happy about this, but she’s also disappointed that she won’t get to watch the competition because of her current state since now she can be taken to the infirmary thanks to Malleus dealing with the poison gas that had previously surrounded the stadium.

When she expresses her disappointment, the guys performing are also disappointed for her sake, and Vil apologizes since he knows he’s the reason she’s in her current state and he feels he should take responsibility.

Before Jamil can take Yuu to the infirmary via magic carpet, Malleus surprises everyone when he casts a blessing on Yuu that temporarily relieves her of all the ailments plaguing her and tells her that it’ll last for the next few hours so she should be able to see her friends perform. She’ll just have to leave after their performance.

Once she gets over her surprise, Yuu happily hugs Malleus as she profusely thanks him and tells him that he’s the best, catching everyone else by surprise and giving some of them a near heart attack lol

Malleus is initially surprised, but he then gets amused by how brave she is since she’s willingly hugging him despite knowing his true identity. What a strange human she is.

From there, things proceed like in canon, and Yuu has a great time watching her friends perform on stage and thinks they did an amazing job and put on a performance that all the other competitors would be hard pressed to beat.

Like Rook, Yuu does notice how much different this performance is from rehearsals, but she still thinks it’s their best performance yet because Vil is performing, not for the sake of beating Neige and becoming the fairest of all but for the sake of his teammates and fans whom he doesn’t want to let down.

In her eyes, Vil has never looked more beautiful than in this moment.

After their performance, Lilia teleports to where she is, catching her by surprise, and explains that Malleus asked him to bring her to the infirmary since the blessing he bestowed upon her should be wearing off right around this time.

Even though she would much rather stay at the competition, Yuu knows she needs to prioritize her health, so she leaves her cell phone with Grim, asking him to make sure their vote for their team gets made while she’s gone. She told him that he could stay and enjoy the festivities since she didn’t want him to be stuck at the infirmary, and someone needs to make sure their vote gets put in when it comes time for the voting.

After that, Lilia takes her to the infirmary, but rather than just leave her there, he starts rummaging around the cabinets and begins putting a potion together.

When he later presents the potion to her, Yuu grows nervous because of its ominous color and because of what she has heard about Lilia’s cooking from Malleus and Silver.

Lilia insists that with this potion she’ll make a full recovery in no time. He’s an expert when it comes to this matter, so she has no need to worry.

Of course, Yuu is still plenty worried, but she unfortunately has no way out of this situation since he just up and pushes the potion bottle to her lips lol

The potion tastes as bad as it looks, but she doesn’t have to suffer through the taste for long since she passes out almost immediately after she takes it, which Lilia says is a sign of a very effective healing potion 😂

On the bright side, when she finally regains consciousness, Yuu is freed from all her ailments just as Lilia promised.

However, on the not so bright side, Yuu wakes up with an absolutely awful taste in her mouth that sets off her gag reflex.That’s why she quickly pulls herself out of bed and hurries over to the nearby sink.

After turning on the faucet, Yuu just holds her head underneath the running water, taking turns between drinking the water in hopes of getting rid of the awful taste in her mouth that’s practically caked to the inside of her mouth and gagging.

Fortunately, things don’t get any worse than her feeling nauseous, so she doesn’t actually get sick.

Much to her surprise, Yuu eventually feels a gentle hand on her back, making her realize that she’s not alone in the infirmary like she had first assumed because it appears to be nighttime now.

When she turns her head to see who’s with her, her surprise grows upon seeing Vil looking at her with noticeable concern.

After explaining that he was under orders to remain in the infirmary over night, Vil asks Yuu if she’s currently experiencing side effects from overusing her Quirk.

Weakly, Yuu shakes her head before explaining what happened with Lilia, and Vil becomes visibly annoyed since he knows how Lilia can get when it comes to potions.

Once he knows the problem, Vil heads for the cabinet Lilia used earlier and grabs a potion that he thinks will help Yuu feel better, and thankfully, he’s right since she’s finally able to get rid of the awful taste in her mouth and settle her stomach after she drinks it.

Meanwhile, Vil grabs a towel and takes care of drying Yuu’s hair that got wet while she was sticking her head under the faucet since he can’t just leave that wet mess as it is lol

After Yuu thanks Vil for helping her, he has her return to her bed, and that’s when she finally notices Grim is on the bed, fast asleep.

According to an exasperated Vil, not too long ago, Grim had finished eating all of the food Yuu’s friends had brought for her to eat after she woke up and has been out cold ever since. That’s why he didn’t wake up.

Under normal circumstances, Yuu would be exasperated too, but this time, she doesn’t mind Grim eating all the food since, after what just happened, she’s not too interested in eating.

Once they’ve both made themselves comfortable on the infirmary beds they’ll be using for the night, Yuu asks Vil how things turned out with the SDC.

Upon hearing that Neige’s team won, Yuu feels just as frustrated as Vil and the rest of her team since she had really wanted them to win.

(What she doesn’t say is that, after having seen Vil’s memories, she really wanted him to win and finally get that victory he has been so desperately pursuing all this time.)

However, Yuu doesn’t think Vil completely lost, and she tells him as much because, no matter what anyone else says, there’s no way anyone could’ve ever been more beautiful than the Vil she saw during that final performance, not even Neige.

The Vil who was performing for his fans and teammates despite his battered body was exceptionally beautiful. That’s why she’ll never forget that performance for the rest of her life.

Upon hearing that, Vil stares at her in surprise since he can tell she’s not just trying to butter him up. She truly meant every word she said.

He’ll never admit it, but those words made Vil genuinely happy. They’re words that he really needed to hear after everything that happened that day.

Rather than say as much, of course, Vil plays it cool but still thanks Yuu since he’s the type to shows appreciation when he feels it’s deserved.

After that exchange, Yuu eventually shares that she had been having dreams that appeared to be memories of his past. She has no idea why she had those dreams, but because of them, she can understand what led to him getting into the kind of headspace that led to him Overblotting.

Yuu also expresses her confusion about his situation since she can’t understand why any competent movie producer would want to kill off someone as beautiful and talented as Vil. Aren’t those the kinds of actors that people want on stage for as long as possible? Or is she just missing something cause she’s not an expert on the whole filming process?

While she can understand how people find Neige more relatable than someone as perfect as Vil, it’s still weird to her that producers aren’t capitalizing on Vil’s talents and making character roles that would fully allow him to shine.

Personally, she thinks Vil could make a great hero as long as they put in the time to design a suitable character role for him.

However, if they’re so dead set on making Vil a villain all the time, then why not make movies where villains are the lead roles? It was done in her world, so she doesn’t understand why it couldn’t be done in TW.

Those movies are especially interesting in her opinion since they provide depth to villains and actually make viewers want to root for them in some cases.

Yuu thinks that a really good story has a hero and villain that are so multi-dimensional and interesting that people can’t decide who they should root for because both sides are so compelling and have understandable reasons for why they do what they do.

She thinks Vil would be perfect for that kind of role. If anyone could make the viewers fall for/root for a villain, it would be him.

As she’s talking, Vil is both pleased and amused when she expresses her confusion about why he doesn’t get better roles, and upon hearing her talk about the movies from her world, he becomes very interested since TW doesn’t have those types of movies and she’s right that he would be perfect for them.

(What he won’t admit is that he’s very happy about all her praise and how confident she is about him being able to pull off any role he’s given.)

Vil is quick to ask her about the movies from her world, so up until they turn in for the night, Yuu recounts all the movies she has watched that involved a villain having a starring role.

(Even though she came from a world of heroes, I think villain focused movies would still exist, especially since there was a time when Quirks didn’t exist, so they could’ve been made prior to that. Regardless, movies are all about exploring different ideas outside of what’s normal in the real world, so I think the movies in her world cover a broad spectrum of ideas.)

Little did she know that Vil was absorbing all this info like a sponge, fully intending to try to make use of it in the future in hopes that he could get the ball rolling so movies like that could become normal in TW.

That’s why Yuu is surprised by what a good mood Vil is in the next morning, but she just chalks it up to him being glad to leave the infirmary.

However, what really surprises Yuu is when Vil randomly declares that he’ll give her his blessing to adopt Epel since he has decided that she has earned that right after everything.

Catching her off guard, Vil reveals one of the main things that convinced him to make that decision was all the times last month Yuu sought Epel out to talk to him when he needed to vent since she hadn’t realized Vil knew about that.

Of course, Vil says that he may change his mind if he deems Yuu a bad influence on Epel, so he expects her to act accordingly, to which she promises that she’ll be a good role model/mother.

After that exchange, right before they part ways after being released from the infirmary, Vil gives her a smile and gently pats her cheek as thanks for the very enlightening conversation they had last night, surprising her one last time lol

Meanwhile, Rook, who had come to check on the two first thing in the morning, starts waxing poetry about how radiant a happy Vil looks and how beautiful it is to see a friendship grow right before his very eyes haha

Around when Vil and Rook leave together, Ace/Deuce, Epel, & Jamil/Kalim come to check on Vil and Yuu, so they all end up checking out the fair together.

(It wasn’t until I looked at translations for Book 6 that I realized Book 5′s ending happened the night following Vil’s OB, ergo before the second day of the fair.

I’ve decided to change that since that night Yuu & Grim were in the infirmary, and Grim ate so much that he didn’t wake up again to look for Vil’s blotstone

Plus, I want to put some available time in between Books 5 & 6, so some events can be squeezed into there, like Camp Vargas.)

The second day of the fair passes with Yuu having fun with everyone, and it’s during that time that Yuu meets Neige who had come looking for her.

While he saw her right before rehearsals, he didn’t realize until after the fact who she was cause he was more focused on greeting Vil at the time.

Neige sought her out cause he wanted to thank her for helping Dominic and the others yesterday, and after hearing about her and her delicious sweets from Che’nya, he’s been wanting to meet her.

They don’t get to hang out for very long since Neige has to run off to meet back up with his friends, but they exchange contact info so they can remain in contact.

Neige also asks to take a picture with her to celebrate their new friendship, and all Yuu’s fans on Magicam go crazy when Neige later posts it. It blows up super fast.

Meanwhile, Cater is freaking out cause he can’t believe Yuu got lucky enough to take a selfie with Neige. He immediately tries to go looking for her in hopes that he can take a picture with Neige too, but sadly, by the time he finally finds Yuu, Neige has already left lol

When Vil sees the selfie which gets shown to him by an enthusiastic Rook, he’s unsurprisingly nowhere near as thrilled as Rook 😂

The rest of the day passes with Yuu having fun with her friends and enjoying the festivities.

As far as the rest of Book 5′s events are concerned, the encounter with Mickey happens later that month after other game events, like Camp Vargas, have happened, because Grim briefly forgot about Vil’s blot stone and it took a while for him to get an opportunity to slip past Yuu who usually goes to bed after him.

When that night finally comes, Yuu has her next encounter with Mickey and gets the idea of taking a picture of him with her ghost camera to confirm if she really is seeing him or hallucinating the whole thing.

While she doesn’t really have an interest in showing anyone else Mickey cause she still has no idea what to make of this crazy situation, she does consider at least showing Grim to see how he reacts, which leads to her noticing that he’s not around, so things proceed like in canon.

I’ll end things here since this post really doesn’t need to be any longer than it already is lol 😂

#TABF AU #fortune in twisted wonderland #once again I wrote too much #although it couldn't be helped considering how long book 5 was lol

27 notes · View notes