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deebris · 2 days

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The Mysterious Visitor I

Batfamily x batsis (platonic!)

Synopsis: On a cold, snowy dawn, a naive young girl knocks on the door of Wayne Manor in search of her brother, whom she hasn't seen in a long time.

Warnings: The reader is 13 years old and is Damian's twin sister; the tone of the story is somewhat sad; this will have a second part.

Word count: 2.1k

Note: I felt the need to emphasize that Talia is very attached to the reader and kept her hidden from Bruce. Although it's obvious that the reader is their biological daughter, I still haven't specified her physical characteristics.

It was late at night when the doorbell of Wayne Manor rang. Much to Alfred’s dismay, he seemed to be the only one awakened by the sound, as he didn't hear anyone else getting up to answer the door. Whoever was waiting outside seemed patient, or perhaps shy, since it took a good two minutes for the bell to ring again. A single chime, just like the first time.

It was snowing now; no one would be crazy enough to show up in the middle of the night in this cold unless it was something important. Because of this, Alfred hurried to slip on his slippers, moving as quickly as he could to the entrance, but still cautiously peering through the peephole to see who the visitor was.

All he could see was the top of the head of someone very short, with a few strands of hair standing up, covered in snowflakes.

“Who is it, Alfred?” The sudden question from behind didn’t scare him, but it did surprise him. Dick had been awakened by the sharp sound of the doorbell the second time it rang and came down quickly to check.

“I don’t know yet, Master Dick,” the butler replied, intrigued, glancing quickly at the boy to see him rubbing sleep from his eyes. Alfred noticed how he stepped forward, obviously cautious about who might be on the other side. “I can handle this, sir,” he stopped him while turning the knob and opening the door without giving him a chance to protest.

Alfred tightened his robe as he felt the cold air rush in, ruffling the white hairs on his head and making the hairs on his arm stand up. He looked in astonishment at the young girl standing before him, clearly suffering from the outside temperature. Her lips were trembling and chapped, with a trace of dried blood coming from one of the cracks. Her rapid breathing also did not go unnoticed, forming a cloud with each exhale.

“Can I help you, miss?” he asked with furrowed brows, feeling pity for her condition. Perhaps she was just a street child seeking shelter; you didn’t seem dangerous in any way.

“I-is this the W-Wayne Manor?” The question came out stuttered, and your eyes had a confused expression. He wasted no more time and extended his arm to pull you inside. It didn’t seem right to leave you out there.

“Come in, come in. Don’t stay out there, it’s not healthy.” He had that concerned, almost paternal tone, and you didn’t refuse his gesture. You grabbed the old man in a hug to keep safe from the cold, grateful he didn’t push you away. In fact, he pulled you closer, placing both hands around you and guiding you to the largest couch in the room.

“It’s just a girl,” he announced to Dick, who had been trying to peek at your figure since the door had opened.

“And who is she?” Dick moved closer, sitting on the couch facing the one where you and Alfred were seated and embraced. You didn’t seem to want to leave Alfred’s side anytime soon, appreciating the warmth he provided, clutching him firmly.

“What is your name, dear?” You heard the old man’s question, but it took you a while to respond. Alfred didn’t mind being ignored, or at least he thought he would be, already averting his eyes from you until your fragile voice was heard.

“Y/n,” you pronounced your name simply, so quietly it could only be understood due to the common silence of the early morning.

“What were you doing out there? Where are your parents, young lady?” Alfred pressed on with more questions, rubbing one of his hands on your back to bring comfort.

Now that he could look at you more attentively, he saw how well-dressed you were. And just by feeling the fabric of your coat, he knew it was an expensive garment. Your knowledge of Wayne Manor also didn’t escape him. It didn’t seem like something important to note in this situation, but you certainly weren’t an abandoned child; you were probably lost and knew them somehow.

His question seemed to upset you, as you turned your face to hide it, avoiding giving an answer. He noticed your reaction and decided to change the subject: “Let’s take off this coat and get a blanket. What do you think?” He moved you away, already pulling the sleeves of the garment off your arms, and you didn’t resist. The coat was damp from the snow and definitely no longer served to keep you warm.

“She’s going to get hypothermia if she stays like this,” Dick said hurriedly as he went to get a blanket, finding a thick enough one on one of the armchairs. Someone must have left it there before going to bed.

“I will light the fireplace,” you heard the old man say as he got up from the couch and picked up some sort of stick, probably a large lighter, to start the fire.

You opened your mouth to try to thank him, but stopped yourself, finally feeling shy upon realizing you were in strangers’ home. You felt a large, soft blanket wrap around you, turning your eyes to see the tall boy crouched in front of you, draping it over your shoulders.

“In a few minutes, you’ll feel better.” His voice sounded genuinely concerned, and you felt guilty for disturbing their night. You regretted disobeying your mother; you were supposed to be home now.

Dick saw your lost look, wondering who you were. Your expression was distant, and he thought you were lost in thought, until he felt your hand grab his wrist, preventing him from getting up. Your touch was gentle, yet cold, and now your eyes were focused on his.

“Does Damian live here?” you asked hopefully.

“Damian?” This caught him off guard. He was confused, processing for a few seconds what he had heard. From his confused tone, you felt your hopes fading, thinking he had no idea who you were talking about, but his next words encouraged you a little more: “How do you know him?”

You hesitated. At first, you weren’t sure if they were trustworthy, and your mother always said to be careful with whom you spoke. Growing up within the League of Assassins made you aware of how evil some people could be, and having grown up under Talia’s extremely protective arm, who treated you like an untouchable jewel, you were limited to conversations with few people, developing an abnormal fear of strangers. But bad people wouldn’t have taken you in as they did, would they?

“We’re siblings. Is he here?” Your confession didn’t carry the same weight for you as it did for the two men in the room. Alfred heard well, and like Dick, widened his eyes. Neither of them remembered Damian ever mentioning he had a sister. If you were truly an al Ghul, where was Talia? That woman might have had the blood of a viper, but she didn’t seem like the type to let her daughter wander alone at night.

“You said… He’s your brother?” Although Dick’s question was directed at you, he looked at Alfred, who returned an intrigued frown.

“Yes.” Your voice sounded simple to him, still not noticing the tension in the room.

“Master Dick,” Alfred said his name as a cue to follow him, walking away from the couch, and the boy quickly stood up. You found it strange and turned your neck to see them going to talk in the corner of the room in whispers, watching them with curiosity.

“I think it would be wise to inform Master Bruce.” The butler sighed, trying to speak as softly as possible, knowing you were watching them. “If she is Ra's al Ghul’s granddaughter, it’s convenient to take her home as soon as possible and avoid any unnecessary conflict with the League of Assassins.”

“You think she ran away from home?” Dick asked, turning to see you, who now was no longer watching them but had your gaze down, playing with your hands.

“I suppose so,” Alfred said punctually, moving away and walking to the stairs, climbing them with his usual formal posture. “I’ll wake him up. Stay here.” He seemed calm, but inside he was worried.

“Right…” Dick murmured to himself while taking slow steps back to the couch. He analyzed your face for a few seconds before sitting hesitantly beside you. You were almost disappearing inside that blanket, wrapped up like a cocoon, and he found it a bit amusing. All he could see was your head and hands.

You didn’t bother to say anything, nor did he. Instead, he clasped his hands together and paid attention to anything else, trying to hold back the urge to ask questions but couldn’t help himself: “So, you’re Talia’s daughter?”

“You know my mother?” You raised your gaze, and your tone was excited by the possibility.

“Not personally.” He picked at his nails before deciding to keep the conversation going, as the silence was becoming too uncomfortable: “My name is Dick, by the way. But you probably know that.”

“The old man is your grandfather?” For the first time, you referred to Alfred as “the old man” out loud, which made him smile amusedly. Dick found it funny how the nickname sounded innocent, imagining how the man would react knowing someone had referred to him like that.

“It's like he was. He's family.”

“Is Dami your family now?” You asked, trembling with the answer. It wasn’t something to be proud of, but you couldn’t help feeling jealous, and you hated it. It was an excruciating feeling, mixing sadness, anger, and other confusing emotions.

Dick frowned at your question. You seemed disappointed with the idea and it didn’t escape his notice how you were completely unaware of Damian’s current life. It’s been more than two years since he came to live here, enough time for Dick to see him as he always saw his other brothers and participate in patrols as an equal.

“He’s my brother too,” he tried to sound compassionate, and suddenly the silence returned, as you didn’t want to talk anymore and he didn’t know what to say. A lump formed in your throat and your heart felt heavy with each new beat. “How old are you?” He tried again, this time changing the subject.

“Twelve,” you answered immediately, but then shook your head and corrected yourself: “Thirteen.”

“Twelve?” Dick repeated the first answer to try to confirm, letting out a muffled laugh at your strange confusion.

“It’s thirteen.”

That was impossible. Damian was thirteen.

“I still haven’t gotten used to the new age. My birthday was on Monday.”

Damian’s birthday was on Monday.

Dick swallowed hard. He lost his voice for a few seconds, trying to piece things together in his head. He felt his heart race with nerves, doubting if he had been hearing voices all along.

“Y/n, right?” He said your name, seeing you nod positively. “Are you and Damian by any chance… twins?”

You heard him well, but couldn’t help feeling your heart ache with sorrow. He had no idea who you were, even after you knew Damian saw him as a brother. The realization that Damian hadn’t even mentioned you was painful, and as you felt the tears start to roll down your cheek, you quickly wiped them away.

“Hey, hey. Why are you crying?” He moved closer, brushing your hair back with his fingers. You seemed to be the type to answer yes or no questions with gestures, as you nodded positively to him once again.

“Twins…” Dick whispered to no one, trying to come out of shock.

“Y/n,” he called your name hoping you would pay attention, but you continued trying to dry the unstoppable tears. “Y/n,” he called for the second time, and you finally looked at him again.

Now, analyzing your face after what he had just discovered, he finally noticed how much your features resembled Bruce’s. It was like he had been blind and now could finally see.

“Does the name Bruce Wayne mean anything to you?”

“He’s the owner of this house,” you said nonchalantly, as if that was all that mattered and you needed to know.

His next breath came out shaky, completely incredulous. ‘Damn Talia,’ he cursed mentally. This night would be long and, undoubtedly, very complicated.

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chaewritesjjk · 3 days

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Obsessive Bestfriend; Gojo Satoru

Gojo Satoru x Fem! Reader drabble

wc: 779 (not edited)

Synopsis: You get rejected by your crush, but lucky for you, your best friend is there to help you get over him. WARNINGS: MDNI! 18+ (please), somnophillia, dub-con, foul language, name-calling, fem! reader, dirty talk, hand-jobs, reader is eaten out, and a lot of very NSFW things!!!!!

You just got rejected from your first-ever 'real' crush.

You are crushed. He was the first actual guy you liked. And on top of that, he was one of the nicest friends you ever had. And you just ruined all that just by asking a simple question. Yes, you had a physical and emotional attraction to different guys before- but this one was different, yeah it's a cliche - I know. Now you are in your best friend Gojo Satoru's room crying your pretty little eyes out before him.

"ToruUuuU.. Sniff am I not girlfriend material or something?! Sniff " You ask, he just sighs and looks at you,

"You know, there are billions of other guys that are nicer, and smarter than h-"

"NO! I wanted him! And when and where am I supposed to find a better guy than that?!" You exclaim as you cut him off, you look up at him to find an annoyed expression on his face,

"You know, I could've had a girl over today but I canceled just to hear you talk about some dumb boy, just get over it." He says as he rolls his eyes at you.

You stare up at him and here come the waterworks again - you start sobbing uncontrollably, making him feel bad.

"Look, I'm sorry, but maybe it's a sign that it wouldn't have worked out anyway? Who needs a boyfriend when you have me right?" He looks at you waiting for an answer,

But to no avail, you keep on crying. He sighs again and pulls you in for a deep embrace.

He can't help but smile as you cry. Is it bad that he knew this would happen? He predicted all of this. You get rejected, and you come crying to him. It's always him. He is all you have. You need him.

He strokes your hair and begins comforting you with his words, "...there there, I'm always here for you. You don't need to worry..." Then you slowly start to drift off into a deep sleep.

"ah.. hnghhh... " What? Why were you making these noises? You groggily open your swollen eyes. You are then met with a sudden wave of pleasure from your pussy. With widened eyes, you look down and see none other than your best friend peering back up at you; between your legs, chin glistening from your juices, and smiling.

You gasp and try to close your legs only to be deflected by Satoru's hands holding them down. He goes back down and continues eating at your cunt hungrily - sucking on your clit and lapping up the juices you secrete.

"To-toru! What are you doing?" You panic and try to squirm away from his touch. He smacks your thigh - "M'only trying to help you get over your rejection, s'just be a good girl for me and take it." He continues to aggressively eat you out, and you can't help but let out loud moans. You feel a familiar feeling rushing to your stomach as he starts to tongue fuck you.

"To-toru- m'gonna cum!" You cry out as you arch your back, you are now gripping his hair to angle him to get more friction of his tongue and your bare pussy. As you get closer and closer to your climax, You feel fingers start to insert into your leaky hole; this sends you over the edge. You cum on his fingers right away - a whiney wet whimper leaving your mouth.

"He is s'dumb for not wanting you - look at you. He's missin out." He coos at you kissing your cheek. Your eyes hooded and droopy, legs open; still in the position he was eating you out in, your cunt glistening and the room filled with the sound of heavy breathing.

"You needed this, it was the only way to get over him, sweetheart. N'now, he wouldn't want a dirty slut like you would he?" He pulls you in his arms and starts stroking your hair,

"You don't need anyone else besides me. M'the only one always here for you aren't I?" he says looking down at you, you look up at him meekly and start to realize - he's right.

He's always been there for you - no matter the weather or time. You really don't need anyone else besides him. And if you lost him... you would probably crumble. He knows all your deepest darkest secrets, and you know his - well, most of them. So you nod at his question and snuggle into his chest starting to dose off. Satoru gives out a smile, his breath shuddering as he feels nothing but a dark wish being fulfilled - you're his, and you know it.

a/n: my first fic 😭 it's just a short n' cute fic that I completed in like 2 days. I have so many drafts and ideas but I didn't know what I wanted to post so send me more ideas! thanks for reading!!!

#yandere x reader #satoru gojo x reader #yandere smut #jjk x reader #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu gojo #jjk smut #chaewritesjjk

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mononijikayu · 2 days

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“i canʼt hold enough of you in my hands.” — gojo satoru.

His little fingers peeked out from the blanket, and you couldn’t resist the urge to gently stroke them, feeling their soft warmth. You looked at your husband, who let out a little laugh as you showed him your son’s little chubby fingers. There was much to love about your little dawn. If life had ever begun, it would be when your son was born. And Satoru believed that as much as you did — that’s for sure.

GENRE: post hidden - inventory arc (2010s)

WARNING/S: domesticity, fluff, family, comfort, angst, trauma, implied death, violence, romance, hurt/comfort, character death depiction of death, depictions of loss and depression, mention of pregnancy, depiction of the aftermath of birth, depiction of parenthood, depiction of blood, depiction of killing, depiction of suffering, depiction of anxiety, mention of death, mention of grief, profanity, family drama;

LISTEN: l'amore dice ciao (slow take) by armando trovajoli

NOTE: i knew i said i wasn't going to write more, but i ended up writing this because i ended the other one so sadly that i realized i needed something that was genuinely happy. so i did that. i'll be writing more within the next eleven days. but we'll see, depending on my schedule!!! i love you!!! enjoy <3

masterlist

u s and t h e m

IT WAS QUITE AN EXPERIENCE, BRINGING HOME A BABY IN YOUR HUMBLE ABODE. You had never expected to be so overprotective over anything in your entire life, especially not on a simple car ride. But here you were, cradling your most precious treasure in your arms, heart pounding with a mix of anxiety and overwhelming love. Your newborn son, Satoshi, nestled against your chest, was the very embodiment of fragility and new beginnings.

The car ride from the hospital to your home felt like an eternity. Every bump in the road, every sudden stop or start, sent a jolt of worry through you. You tightened your hold on Satoshi, making sure his tiny head was well-supported, his small body swaddled snugly in a soft blanket. The world outside seemed too chaotic, too unpredictable for someone so small and innocent.

Beside you, your husband, Gojo Satoru sat with his bright blue eyes fixed lovingly on the little bundle in your arms. His usual carefree demeanor was replaced by a focused intensity, every bit the protective father.

He kept glancing between you, sleeping Satoshi, the road ahead, and Ichiji who seemed more tense than usual. Satoru’s tension could be felt from that far, you suppose. But you can’t fault your husband at all. His hand occasionally reaches over to rest reassuringly on your knee, as though it was to calm him and you simultaneously.

“Are you okay, darling?” he asked softly, his voice a gentle caress.

You nodded, but the anxiety still lingered. “I’m just… it’s so surreal. He’s so tiny, so perfect. I want to make sure everything is perfect for him.”

Satoru’s cerulean eyes softened, and he reached over to brush a strand of hair from your face. “You’re already doing an amazing job. He’s lucky to have you as his mama, darling.”

Satoshi stirred slightly, making a small cooing sound that melted your heart. You looked down at his tiny face, marveling at his delicate features. He looked exactly like Satoru, that’s what his mother said. And you could definitely see it. His small mouth quirked joyously the way his father does. His white–silver locks were as tender and soft as Satoru's own. His chubby cheeks were warm too. And you were so in love. So entirely absorbed by your love for your son.

The car pulled into the driveway of your little home, and Satoru quickly got out to open the door for you. He extended his hand to help you out, his touch steadying you as you carefully stepped onto the pavement. You whisper a thankful retort to your husband, who grinned at you and turned to Ichiji, who nearly jumped when Satoru thanked him genuinely.

Satoru led the way as you walked into your home, his six-eyes trying to check for any changes in the house. When you both got in, it seemed safe enough but then again, Satoru led you to the nursery. Every inch of the nursery was built by your husband. He was excited about trying to make it as bright as possible, as colorful as possible and he had meticulously prepared in the weeks leading up to Satoshi’s birth.

The quaint little room was better than you could have imagined it. Satoru had not wanted to show you anything until the baby arrived. It was a surprise for both you and your little boy. It was just a perfect little haven of soft pastels and gentle light. You were impressed with how it all blended together, how he had managed to put everything into a theme. But you knew that’s just how much your husband loves your son. Looking at him, you wondered how much more you could love this man, how much more love your heart can take for him.

“Did you do everything from scratch?” You whispered to him, mindful of your little boy.

He hummed in reply. “But it’s not just me. ‘miki and ‘gumi both helped, y’know? I couldn’t have done it without them!”

You smiled when you heard that. When you told the two that you were expecting, it was a whirlwind. Tsumiki was jumping up in joy, Megumi seemed stunned that there was to be a baby. You didn't expect Megumi to have a loud reaction, he was always more quiet. But you knew that overtime, he was just as excited as his elder sister. He showed that through his little acts, like asking about the baby, asking if you both needed anything. He was tender like that.

You wouldn’t say that your pregnancy was a dream. It was hard. You were nauseated all the time, you were crying day and night, you couldn’t keep food down. But your two little ones did what they could to help you out. Megumi knew that you couldn’t eat much, but he would make sure there was already hot tea and some slices of fruit you can eat for you to enjoy in the mornings.

Tsumiki made sure that she helped you out with some small tasks Satoru allowed you to do, that she could embrace you when you feel like crying about some little things. They were both wonderful with you throughout the pregnancy, they’ve always been wonderful to you since you met them.

At this moment, you wanted to see them both. And you were sure they’d like to see you and the little one. But you knew that they won’t arrive until tomorrow. You were thankful that your mother took Megumi and Tsumiki with her until you could come home from the hospital.

You gently laid little Satoshi in his crib, tucking the blanket around him. Satoru stood beside you, his arm wrapped around your waist carefully. He lets out a small sigh as both of you watch as your son settles into his new environment. The room seemed to glow with a serene tranquility, the weight of the world momentarily lifted.

“He’s perfect, isn’t he?” Satoru whispered, his voice filled with awe.

You leaned against him, feeling the steady beat of his heart. “He is. And he’s ours.”

“Hm, he’ll always be.” He agrees, his hand tracing across the small of your back. “The kids will love him, I’m pretty sure.”

“Tsumiki will just gobble him up.” You laughed softly.

“And Megumi’s gonna be a bit flustered, ‘m sure.”

“Hey, he’s just a little shy! He’s trying.”

Satoru kissed the top of your head, his lips lingering as if trying to imprint the moment in his memory. “Hm, he is.”

“Thank you.”

“What for, darling?”

You smile at him. “For giving me this lovely little life.”

He laughs, pressing a kiss against your shoulder. “Darling, if anything, I should be the one saying that, hm?”

“I love you.” You whispered against him, letting your hand trail against his free hand. “Genuinely.”

“Love you too, very much.” He squeezes your hand back. “All four of you. We’re going to be okay, darling.”

Tears welled up in your eyes, a mixture of happiness and the sheer weight of the responsibility ahead. “I know. ‘cause we have each other.”

He smiles. ”Nothing better than that.”

As you stood there, watching over your son, you felt a profound sense of completeness. The future held many uncertainties, but this moment was perfect. Surrounded by the love of your husband and the new life you had brought into the world, you knew that together, you could face anything.

Satoru’s hand found yours, squeezing gently. “Welcome home, my little dawn.” he whispered, his voice filled with emotion. “This is just the beginning.”

You nodded, resting your head against Satoru’s shoulder, feeling the warmth of his love envelop you. In that small, serene nursery, surrounded by the promise of new beginnings, you felt a deep and abiding peace.

This was your peace.

This was your home.

And this was your future.

You were truly content now.

SOMEHOW, ADJUSTING WAS QUITE A WORD TO LEARN. Life as new parents to your little boy, Satoshi, was a whirlwind of joy, exhaustion, and moments that you knew would become cherished memories. And though it was hard most days, stressful even — you both would not trade it for anything else.

Gojo Satoru, ever the dedicated father, decided to take paternity leave, putting his duties aside to focus on his growing family. He didn’t care about what the higher ups were going to say about it. He just sent a phone call, turned off his phone and left them to deal with the situation until he could come back. He was not going to let any sense of his duty ruin his first glimpses as a father.

The decision brought a new level of warmth and connection to your home, a sanctuary away from the chaos of the world outside. It was more common now to see Gojo Satoru standing by the kitchen at two in the morning, trying to warm up frozen breast milk or being up and about by seven to make Megumi and Tsumiki’s bento boxes and see them off to school.

Satoru’s presence was a source of comfort and strength postpartum. He refused to let you raise a finger while he was in the house. You were still healing from the birth, he said. The best thing for you is to enjoy your relaxation and rest, while he does his part. It’s the smallest thing, he says to you as he gives you your breakfast that morning, there’s nothing to worry about.

Most nights, when he lets you go to sleep as much as you can — you end up waking up to walk towards the bathroom to pee and you would see him, sitting in the living room. You would stand there, watching him as he finds himself cradling Satoshi, whispering sweet words of love and promises for the future. His cerulean eyes, usually so full of mischief, softened with a tenderness that melted your heart each time you saw him with your son.

You couldn’t help but enjoy seeing him so domesticated, to be at such a peace with himself, with his life. This was such a far cry from the Gojo Satoru you had known in your youths. And it was so beautiful, how genuinely graceful he had adapted to his new life. He was always there, with a gentle touch and a reassuring smile, ready to do what he had to for your comfort.

“He’s just so small!” Tsumiki gushed, looking at the baby and then at you and Satoru. Her smile was from ear to ear. “Satoru-san, he looks exactly like you!”

Satoru laughed softly, a sound filled with pride and joy. “Hm, doesn’t he? He was born on my birthday too! My precious little ‘toshi.”

You chuckled, feeling the warmth of the moment. “Yes, he does. But look closer, Tsumiki. He’s got my nose and my stubborn streak already.”

Tsumiki leaned in, examining Satoshi’s tiny features with a thoughtful expression. “Oh, you’re right! I can see it now. He’s a perfect mix of both of you.” She looked up, her eyes sparkling. “He’s going to be so loved.”

Megumi, standing a bit shyly to the side, as he looked at you and nodded. “Yeah, he is.” He stepped closer, peering at Satoshi with a mixture of curiosity and affection. “Welcome home….Satoshi.”

Megumi and Tsumiki were adjusting well to having a baby around the house. Satoru teased them both about being Satoshi’s elder siblings often, Tsumiki was gleeful and Megumi was always bashful. It was so lovely to watch. The house became more livelier than ever before.

You always noted that Tsumiki was a natural caregiver, always ready to lend a hand with diaper changes or soothing Satoshi when he was fussy. You and Satoru often told her that she didn’t have to, but she insists that she wants to spend time with him. She adored him, her nurturing nature shining through in every interaction.

Megumi, on the other hand, was more reserved. Shy about expressing his love for Satoshi with words, he found other ways to show his affection. He would sit quietly by Satoshi’s crib, reading aloud from his favorite books, or he’d be the first to arrive when Satoshi’s cries echoed through the house, ready to offer a pacifier or a comforting touch.

Satoru reached out, ruffling Megumi’s hair gently. “You’re going to be good to him, hm? Aren’t you, Megumi? I’m counting on you to help keep an eye on him when I’m not around, ‘kay?”

Megumi’s cheeks flushed slightly, but he nodded with determination. “I will.”

You felt a wave of gratitude and love for your makeshift family, the bonds between all of you growing stronger with each passing moment. “Of course we will.” you said softly, looking at each of them in turn. “We’re going to take care of each other, always.”

Tsumiki smiled warmly. “I’m so happy. It’s like our family keeps growing, and it’s just... perfect.”

Satoru pulled both Tsumiki and Megumi into a gentle hug, careful not to jostle Satoshi in your arms. “We’re a team, always remember!” he said, his voice filled with conviction. “No matter what, we stick together.”

“Of course!” Tsumiki cheered in reply.

Satoru looked at Megumi, pulling him closer. “What about you, ‘gumi? We’re all in this together!”

Megumi flustered, trying to shove your husband. “Ugh, stop—”

“Ehhhh! Just say it once, come on now!”

“I don’t wanna!”

“Megumi, come on! Satoru–san has a point!”

“I still don’t want to!”

As you watched this heartfelt moment, your heart swelled with emotion. The little ones have had quite a rough life, you knew that much. But to know that they have a home here, that they were happy here. The love and unity in your heart for your little home were palpable. Despite the challenges ahead, all the things you may never know — you knew that with your husband and the kids, you’ll always be fine.

Satoshi stirred slightly, his tiny hand reaching out as if sensing the warmth and love around him. You gently kissed his forehead, whispering softly, “See, Satoshi? You’re so loved by everyone, you know?”

Satoru glanced at you, his eyes shimmering with unabashed joy. “We’re going to give him the best life, darling. I promise you that.”

You smiled, feeling a deep sense of peace and contentment. “I know we will. Together.”

The gentle hum of life outside seemed to pause in reverence for the precious moment unfolding within your home. Satoshi nestled peacefully in your arms, his tiny fingers curling and uncurling as if grasping at the very fabric of love that surrounded him. The soft murmur of your family’s voices filled the air, a symphony of warmth that your little boy seems to be so in love with.

“Hey... can I hold him?” Megumi asked, his voice hesitant but hopeful.

You turned to Megumi, seeing the earnestness in his eyes. This was a big step for him, wanting to connect with his new brother in such a tangible way. You looked at Satoru, who was grinning. You smiled and nodded.

Satoru’s smile was warm and encouraging. “Of course, Megumi. Just be gentle, hm? He’s still too small, after all.”

With careful movements, You carefully handed Satoshi over to Megumi. The young boy’s face lit up with a rare, genuine smile as he cradled the little bundle in his arms. Satoshi, sensing the familiar presence, settled almost immediately, his tiny hand reaching up to grasp Megumi’s finger.

Satoru wrapped an arm around your shoulders, pulling you close. “Look at them.” he whispered, his voice filled with emotion. “We’re really doing this.”

You leaned into Satoru, your heart swelling with love for your family. “Yes, we are, aren't we?" you replied softly. “And it’s perfect.”

Megumi looked up, his expression one of pure wonder. “He’s so small.” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. “But he’s... perfect.”

“You’re doing great, Megumi,” you whispered, your heart swelling with pride.

Tsumiki joined you, her eyes shining with happiness. “He loves you, Megumi. You’re such a good big brother to him already."

“....am not his big brother.” he says shyly, scarlet blush across his face.

“Nah, you are.” Satoru whispers at him, smiling as he pats Megumi’s hair. “You will always be his big brother, okay?”

You giggled. “And he’s happy about it too. He’s happy to be carried by his big brother Megumi.”

Megumi’s cheeks turned pink, but he didn’t look away from Satoshi. “I just….. want him to be happy.” he murmured, his voice barely audible.

Satoru wrapped an arm around your shoulders, pulling you close. “He’s happy because he’s surrounded by love.” he said softly, his eyes meeting yours. “And because he has the best siblings in the world caring for him.”

You smiled at him, so full of love.

“I love you, all of you, my love.”

Cerulean eyes looked at you, tenderly.

“I love you too, darling. So so much.”

epilogue

One afternoon, you found Satoru in the kitchen, attempting to bake cookies with Tsumiki. Flour dusted his hair and apron, and Tsumiki giggled as she helped mix the dough. The sight was a blend of chaotic mess and heartwarming sweetness.

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” you teased, leaning against the doorway with Satoshi nestled in your arms. The smell of burnt sugar was already wafting through the air, a clear indicator that things might not be going as planned.

Satoru flashed you a mischievous grin, his blue eyes sparkling with playful defiance. “I’m a man of many talents, darling. Baking just happens to be one of them.” He tried to flick flour at you, but it mostly ended up on Tsumiki, who erupted into fits of laughter.

“Yeah, sure.” you said, laughing as you shook your head. “I think you might need to add ‘kitchen disaster’ to your list of talents.”

Just then, Megumi walked in, drawn by the noise and commotion. He took one look at the flour-covered Satoru and the batter-splattered Tsumiki and rolled his eyes.

“You’re making a mess.” he said dryly, though there was a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. “We could just buy cookies from the local bakery.”

“Come on, Megumi!” Satoru called out, waving a dough-covered hand. “Join the fun! We’re making memories here!”

“Satoru–san’s right, Megumi!” Tsumiki says, giggling as she plays with the batter. “Come on!”

Megumi looks at you and you laugh, nodding. “Go on. It’s not that bad. If anything, we can clean it up. It’s okay.”

Reluctantly, Megumi sighed and pursed his lips. He slowly grabbed an apron from the hook and joined in, his serious demeanor softening as he started to help. Slowly, the kitchen started to be filled with laughter and playful teasing, a symphony of familial love.

When the cookies finally came out of the oven, they were slightly burnt and oddly shaped. Satoru picked one up, examining it critically before taking a big bite. “Mmm, just like I remember from years ago.” he said with a straight face, making everyone laugh. “Didn’t you use to make us bake after missions?”

“Yes, but it did not look like that.” You smiled at him. “We could make new ones, if you want?”

“Yeah, let’s make one that’s digestible.” Megumi says as he started using the cookie cutters on his batter.

“Hey! They are perfectly digestible.”

“I don’t know, my love.” You tout as you looked at him teasingly, “It doesn’t seem to be good right now.”

“Oh just you wait, I’ll make another batch!” He says, almost determined to prove you wrong. “‘miki! Get more flour and butter! I’ll get the eggs!”

“I’m on it, Satoru–san!”

“Satoru, be careful, don’t run!”

“But I gotta get it done soon!”

“This isn’t masterchef, don’t rush!”

In the end, your husband made a more pleasant looking batter — but it was because you were making sure to watch everything as you cradled your little son in your arms. Megumi didn't need anything else but praise when it came to his cookies. They looked so round and perfectly golden. Tsumiki’s own batch was also pretty, she added pink sprinkles in her batter which made it more bright.

When all the dishes were taken care of, the cookies were left to cool. Megumi prepared both of you a cup of black coffee, while Tsumiki plated the rest. Satoru whistled as he settled everything away where it belonged.

"These cookies are... interesting," Megumi remarked, taking a hesitant bite.

Tsumiki giggled, nudging him playfully. "They're not that bad, Megumi. It's the thought that counts, right?"

Satoru leaned back in his chair, a satisfied grin on his face. "Exactly! Besides, the company is what makes them taste good." He ruffled Megumi's hair, earning a good-natured eye roll from the boy.

You smiled, feeling a deep sense of contentment. "I have to agree with Satoru on this one. Being together makes everything better."

Satoshi, sitting in his high chair with a cookie of his own, babbled happily, bits of cookie smeared around his mouth. His bright eyes sparkled with joy as he looked around at his family.

"Satoru-san, can we make more cookies tomorrow?" Tsumiki asked, her eyes wide with excitement.

Satoru chuckled, wiping a smudge of flour from his cheek. "We'll see, Tsumiki. Maybe we'll try making something else. How about a cake?"

"Yeah!" Tsumiki cheered happily with infectious excitement.

Megumi looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking up. "Can we make a chocolate cake?"

"Chocolate cake it is," you agreed, laughing at the enthusiasm of your children. "But maybe we should let Satoru handle the mixing next time."

Satoru feigned offense, placing a hand over his heart dramatically. "Hey, I think I did a pretty good job! Next time, I'll show you all my true baking skills."

"Sure, sure," you teased, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "We'll hold you to that, Mr. Talented."

The conversation flowed easily, filled with laughter and lighthearted banter. As the evening wore on, you found yourself marveling at the simple joy of being together. The challenges and uncertainties of life seemed distant, overshadowed by the love and warmth of your family.

Later that night, as you tucked Tsumiki and Megumi into bed, they both looked up at you with sleepy smiles.

"Goodnight to you, Gen-san!" Tsumiki whispered, her eyes already drooping.

"Goodnight, sweetie," you replied, brushing a kiss on her forehead. "Sleep well."

Megumi gave you a small, shy look with a blush on his cheeks. "Thanks for the cookies..... And for everything."

Your heart swelled with love as you kissed his forehead too. "You're welcome, Megumi. Sweet dreams."

Back in your bedroom, you found Satoru already lying down, Satoshi nestled in his crib nearby. You slipped into bed beside him, feeling his arms wrap around you instantly.

"Thank you for today," you whispered, resting your head on his chest.

He kissed the top of your head, his voice a soft murmur in the darkness. "Thank you, too. For everything. I wouldn’t trade this for anything in the world."

You smiled, closing your eyes as you listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. "Me neither. Together, we'll make every day special."

One night, as you lay in bed with Satoru beside you and Satoshi nestled in his crib, you whispered, “Thank you for being here, Satoru. For all of us.”

He turned to you, his eyes filled with love and a hint of mischief. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else, darling. You and the children are my world.”

You smiled, feeling a deep sense of contentment. “Even if your cookies are terrible?”

He laughed softly, pulling you closer. “Even then. But don’t worry, I’ll keep practicing. One day, I’ll get it right.”

With a playful roll of your eyes, you kissed him gently. “I’m sure you will. But until then, we’ll just enjoy the burnt ones together.”

Satoru chuckled, his fingers brushing a strand of hair from your face. “Sounds like a plan, my darling.”

In that moment, surrounded by the quiet hum of your sleeping children and the gentle cadence of your husband’s heartbeat, you knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, your family would face them together. And with Satoru’s unwavering love and determination, you were certain that your home would always be filled with laughter, warmth, and the sweetest memories.

You wanted more of Gojo Satoru.

You wanted everything of him.

You wanted more of him in this life.

You can't hold enough of him, you think.

You can't hold enough of him in your hands.

167 notes · View notes

hugmekenobi · 2 days

Text

S3: The Bad Batch (9)

Chapter Nine: The Harbinger

Gif by @barissoffee

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Series Summary: Ever since Eriadu, Clone Force 99 had been a fractured squad. Months have passed but you're finally back with the Batch but Omega is still out there and you won't stop until you find her again.

Chapter Summary: As you're all awaiting word from Fennec, an unwelcome but familiar face comes to your aid

Masterlist for S1 and S2

<Previous Chapter

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers (we're in the lovers stage now)

Chapter Warnings: Canon-typical violence, swearing, angst (reader and Omega fall out), fluff, limited (y/n), Ventress and reader get into it a bit, brief mention of blood, emotional hurt/comfort, nickname (sweetheart), reader being described as strong cause Hunter can't get enough of that lol, kissing

Word Count: 9K

Author's notes: Yet another chapter that gave me more trouble than I would've liked but I think it came out alright! Yet again @burningfieldof-clover came to my aid and I appreciate it sm! Hope you reader enjoy!

It was an unusually gloomy day by Pabu standards. Fog and dark clouds cast a shadow over the island but that didn’t stop the people from going about their jobs.

“Well, that’s the last of it.” Wrecker said as he lowered the crate for Crosshair to finish transporting into the sailboat. “Go catch something big to eat!” He tossed the fishing line to the fisherwoman.

“You got it, Wrecker.” She replied cheerily. “Thanks for the help, Crosshair.”

Crosshair only acknowledged the thanks with a grunt and toss of his head as he walked off.

Wrecker gave Crosshair’s shoulder a playful slap. “Aw, look at that. You made a new friend.”

“We checked the ship’s comms. Still no word from Fennec.” You said as you and Hunter came down the stairs to join the other two at the docks.

“Since when do we wait around for intel?” Crosshair queried.

You suddenly had one too many horrible flashbacks to your time with Cid.

“Well, she’s the only lead we have. If her contact can tell us what an M-count is besides what we already roughly know, we might figure out why the Empire’s targeting both Omega and you.” Hunter explained with a glance in your direction.

“We already know why they’d be after me. It’s Omega…” You trailed off as you saw the look Hunter was giving you. The two of had gone round and round in this debate since Teth when you’d also appeared on that target register. You maintained the position that you were unrelated to Omega and Hemlock so you shouldn’t be a priority, but Hunter thought that it was too risky to assume that now and so you both needed to be careful.

“Besides, does it matter? We’re not handing them over.” Crosshair said resolutely.

You inclined your head in both thanks and agreement at the sentiment.

“Can’t be prepared if we don’t know what we’re dealing with.” Hunter said before the four of you set off to go find Omega.

“Batcher, wait!” Omega called after the hound as she ran off down the beach, but the dog paid her words no attention.

Omega jogged after her to see her come to a sudden stop and her whines were filled with anxiety. “Batcher? What is it? What’s wrong?” She asked as she gave Batcher some reassuring pats.

Batcher turned towards the dark cave and let out a low growl.

Omega brought out her torch and examined it. “It’s just the cavern. We’ve been in there plenty of times.” But the dog seemed insistent that something was amiss. “Okay, okay, I’ll check it out.”

Omega wandered further into the cavern, and it was then that she came across something very peculiar. “Where did that come from?” She thought aloud as she stared at the unfamiliar ship in the cave. She ran up to give it a closer inspection, but Batcher’s retreating whines made her turn around. “Batcher? Where are you going?” She hissed but a chill ran down her spine as she turned and shone her light on the stranger that appeared.

“Hunter.” Crosshair pointed in the direction of Batcher who came running out in the distance, barking urgently in your direction.

“Where’s Omega?” You voiced worriedly.

The four of you didn’t wait to come up with an answer, instead you ran to meet up with Batcher and you came to a pause as you saw a strange woman dragging Omega out of the cavern.

“I wasn’t doing anything!” Omega grunted as she tried to loosen the stranger’s grip on her. “Let me go!”

“Hey! Let her go!” Wrecker ordered as you all made your way down to the cavern entrance.

“You heard her. Let her go.” Hunter repeated, his voice a low threat.

But you weren’t paying attention to the hold the woman had on Omega.

Instead, you took in her face as she stepped into the light and your heart stopped as you stared at the figure. She may have grown her hair out but there was no mistaking what you saw.

There was no mistaking the disturbance you sensed in the Force.

You recognised that face.

You recognised that raspy, sultry voice.

But what you couldn’t comprehend was the fact that she was actually standing in front of you.

You’d heard word that she’d died.

It may have been a futile gesture because if you could recognise her, she probably recognised you, but you moved your lightsaber out of sight anyway. You didn’t want to give her the temptation and you didn’t want to endanger the others with the confrontation that could unleash.

The figure subtly flicked her eyes over to you but said nothing. It wasn’t the right time yet. Instead, she responded to the clone’s demands. “Gladly.” She released her hold on the child.

Omega dashed over to the four of you.

“You know, for a rogue squad who are trying to lay low, you’re failing spectacularly.” She commented, unimpressed with the group in front of her. “Especially that one.” She looked down at the kid.

“And who are you?” Crosshair asked guardedly.

“Fennec sent me.”

“We never gave her our coordinates. How’d you find us?” Hunter questioned.

“I have my ways. I hear you’ve been asking questions about M-count.” She came closer to you all and crossed her arms. “Very reckless to inquire about such things. It attracts the wrong kind of attention.”

“And why is that?”

“That’s the real question, isn’t it?” She shot back. “First, tell me why you want this information.” But she was met with a firm silence. “Consider it my payment.”

“We already paid Fennec for the intel.” Hunter said.

“Not my problem. Either talk or I go.”

No one talk, no one talk. You begged internally as the others all crossed their arms and stayed quiet.

“It’s for a friend.” Omega said hastily.

It took a lot of willpower to hold back the expletives than ran through your head.

“The Empire’s after her, and she thinks it’s because of some M-count experiment they’re doing.” Omega continued, stumbling slightly over the words. “But we don’t know what that means.” She didn’t divulge what you’d already theorised and dismissed because that could endanger you.

You loved Omega, but fuck did you wish she could be a little better at lying. You then noticed the icy blue ices flit towards you again, but it was so quick, you knew the others hadn’t picked up on it.

“It’s something in the blood. Everyone has it, but at varying levels. Those with a high count, were believed to be more capable of wielding the Force.”

“The Force? You mean Jedi.” Hunter realised. He and Crosshair closed ranks whilst Wrecker put his hands protectively on Omega’s shoulders.

You stayed rooted to the spot, but felt the confused glances being sent your way and no wonder- that had been the one thing you’d ruled out instantly and now it was being suggested again. There was no way you’d been that blind… you couldn’t have been that blind to something like this, could you?

“You’re saying I’m a Jedi?” Omega gasped excitedly before she realised that she’d already given the lie away. Then another type of realisation hit her. She looked over at you only to find you frozen where you were, the only sign of life being the look of alarm on your face. “Wait-”

“Of course not. Your blood doesn’t make you a Jedi. You’d have to be trained for that. And I’ve never known a clone to be Force-sensitive. But clearly, none of you are normal.”

Okay, that was supporting what you’d already said at least.

“You got that right.” Wrecker said proudly.

“The Kaminoans did make millions of you. So I suppose it’s possible. But if you do have a high M-count, consider yourself warned. The Empire will hunt you down.”

Again, those eyes darted between you and Omega.

“There’s your intel.” She finished and turned to walk away.

Omega shrugged out of Wrecker’s hold and darted in front of her. “Wait!”

“Move, child.”

“So is that why the Empire’s been after me?”

“I can’t determine your midi-chlorian levels without testing you.”

“Then test me. I can handle it.” Omega insisted.

Your stomach dropped to your feet and your blood ran cold as you heard those words. “No.” You blurted out.

The others all looked at you in surprise since that was the first time you’d spoken or moved since arriving.

“No. You’re not testing her.” You said again, more forcefully this time and you walked closer to the two of them and placed yourself between her and Omega.

“(Y/N), stop.” Omega tried to get you to move but you weren’t budging.

“You should listen to her, child. The truth is rarely comforting.” The woman stalked off and waited further inside the cave. She already knew the outcome of what was to come.

“Why can’t I get tested?” Omega demanded, her brow furrowing in anger as she looked at you.

“Because she’s dangerous!”

“But she wants to help me!”

“She’s not just anyone, Omega. That’s Asajj Ventress and you’re not going near her!” You said protectively.

The name meant nothing to her, and Omega just shook her head. “Or is it because you don’t want me to be like you too?”

In a way you didn’t because you knew the added danger that would put her in, but you knew that wasn’t what she was implying with those words. You took a step back in shock, “No, Omega, I swear I-”

“You never told me about these tests. I need answers and she’s the only one prepared to give them to me! You could have but didn’t!”

And that very fact was going to haunt you. You looked at her imploringly. “Omega, please-”

“I need to know what I am, and you were never going to let me find out.”

Your throat closed up as you heard the betrayal in her voice. “Omega-” You breathed as you attempted to reach for her, but she stepped away from you.

“No. You had your chance.” With that, Omega and went to stand in front of the woman she now knew as Ventress.

“Just remember, you asked for this.” Ventress said to the young clone.

Hunter tried to catch your shoulder, but you just powered past him.

Stay with Omega and do not let her out of your sight. You said to him as you shoved through the rest of them.

Hunter still found himself torn as he watched you leave. He took a half step in your direction before he paused and turned in the direction of Omega and Ventress.

“I’ll go.” Crosshair offered. “We need to check Tech’s files to see if she’s right and you two should stay here first.”

Hunter nodded his thanks before he and Wrecker followed Omega and Ventress into the cavern.

You anxiously paced up and down the corridor of the Marauder. How had you messed up this badly? The answer had been staring you in the face! But instead of covering all your bases, you just rejected it without thinking! In your urge to keep Omega safe, you had done the very opposite and you’d hurt her. The one thing you’d never thought yourself capable of doing and you’d done it. And now you had pushed her in the direction of a Sith assassin! “Fucking dammit!” You shouted as you punched the wall, the emotional turmoil you were experiencing in the Force meant the area you had hit caved in on itself.

“Oh, good. I never liked that wall.” Crosshair drawled as he stepped on board.

You heaved an irritated sigh as you rectified the dented metal. “Why are you here? You need to be back at the cavern.”

“You dropped a pretty big name. We need to make sure you’re right. I mean, we can’t just take your word for it anymore- in case you’ve forgotten why we’re now in this mess.” He added pointedly.

You turned your head to sharply in his direction, “I’m very fucking aware.” You snarled as you retreated to the cockpit and started pacing again.

“So, you got something wrong, it happens.” Crosshair said nonchalantly as he pulled out Tech’s datapad and brought up his old files.

“This is a pretty big something, Crosshair.” You snapped as you collapsed into a seat in the cockpit, but your leg continued to bounce restlessly. “But it’s definitely Ventress and she shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near Omega.”

“Or you.” Crosshair reminded you as he continued to scroll through the files.

“I don’t fucking matter right now.” You said angrily as you stared at the floor.

“There are four people that would disagree.” Crosshair replied before he went still as he found the correct file. “Well, you can at least say you were right about this.” Crosshair showed you the older image of Ventress but there was no mistaking the similarities. His body language and voice were more serious now.

“Get Omega out of there but do not engage Ventress.” You wished you could go with him, but if you went back in your current emotional state, there was no telling what might happen.

“This is the test?” Omega asked as she struggled to maintain her balance. She had done as Ventress had instructed and stood with her arms out and one legs raised whilst the other foot stood on the wet rock. She was supposed to balance like this and keep the fruit on top of her head, but she kept sliding.

“One of them.” Ventress replied as she stood behind her.

“But the rock is…” Omega grunted as she had to catch her balance again. “…slippery. Can we go someplace else?” But Ventress didn’t answer so she asked another question, “How does standing on one-leg have anything to do with M-count?”

“You’re focused on the wrong things. Stop trying to have balance. Let go of your conscious mind.”

“ ‘Conscious mind’?” Omega repeated. “I don’t even know what that means.”

Ventress merely sighed and caught the fruit mid air as Omega fell forward. “Try again.” She tossed the fruit back to her.

“Come on, Omega! You can do it!” Wrecker cheered supportively as he and Hunter stood further back in the cave.

“Why don’t you two make yourselves scarce?” Ventress requested as she looked at them.

“She doesn’t leave our sight. And neither do you.” Hunter replied coldly.

“How fun for me.” Ventress said dryly as she kept her eyes on them but caught the fruit as Omega fell over. “Again.” She brought her focus back to the kid and gave her the fruit back.

Omega did find herself curious as to how you already knew Ventress and how she was aware of these tests. “Since you know about these tests, you must be a Jedi, right?” She placed the fruit back on her head.

“No, but I know some of their ways.”

Omega’s brow furrowed in confusion. “But how do you-”

Ventress gripped Omega’s jaw and covered her mouth. “Enough questions. Concentrate.”

Omega inhaled and exhaled deeply and worked on grounding herself in the current moment.

Hunter and Wrecker kept their eyes on the two of them as they wandered over to meet Crosshair who had re-entered the cave.

“I checked Tech’s files from the Republic archives. She was right.” He showed the others the screen. “Asajj Ventress.”

Hunter took that in before he got ready with his next question, “And how’s-”

“As you’d expect.” Crosshair responded. “But she’ll be fine once we deal with this.” He said as he jutted his chin over to Ventress.

“Why would a Separatist assassin be helping us?” Wrecker wondered.

“Who says that’s what she’s doing?” Crosshair countered.

The distrust that Ventress had already been sensing from them was now coming to a point and she readied herself for what was about to happen. But first, she needed the kid out of here. “Well? What happened?” She asked as she heard the child fall over yet again.

Omega sighed, “I told you. It’s too slippery.” She gratefully took Ventress’ outstretched hand. “I’ll start over.”

Ventress saw out of the corner of her eye that the three clones had advanced towards her. “No need. We’re moving on to the next test. There’s a weeping maya tree up in the colonnade. Retrieve one of its white blossoms and return before the sun sets.”

“It’s too far away.” Omega protested. “And- well the sun’s already started s-” The look Ventress gave her silenced any further arguments so all that was left to do was start running.

Ventress kept her back to the clones. “Now that she’s gone, let me give you some advice. Whatever you’re planning on doing won’t end well for you. The one that could actually challenge me is no longer with you.” She turned and felt into the Force around them, and the words got reaction she expected, but there was a different type of intensity from the clone with the skull tattoo and that intrigued her. She walked a few paces. “Think carefully. How do you want this to go?” She studied the unfriendly faces. “You asked for my help. Remember?”

“That’s before we realised who you are.” Hunter said. “Now leave.”

“You know, she knew very well who I was, and if she’d done her job right, I wouldn’t need to be here.” Ventress goaded.

“Leave.” Hunter repeated firmly, doing his best to keep his reactions steady.

But he couldn’t control the ripple in the Force around him that Ventress picked up on and she grew even more curious as to the relationship between the two of you. “I’ll consider it, once I’ve finished testing Omega’s abilities.” She saw the shared looks between them and decided it was time to test how far their protectiveness extended. “Or maybe I’ll stick around here a bit longer.”

“Wrong. Get in your ship and go. Before we make you.” Wrecker threatened.

“You can try.” She crooned.

“We’ve taken down worse.” Crosshair retorted.

“So have I.” She summoned the Force and took their blasters from them. “No cheating.” She said in a sing-song voice before she welcomed their attack.

You were feeling more level-headed now and decided to head to the cave since there was no sign of the others yet and if there was anything you could do to help with the process, that’s what you were going to do.

You stepped out of the Marauder and lightly jogged down the winding levels of Pabu, but a figure bumped into you just as you came down one of the staircases, panting hard. “Omega? What are you doing here?”

“Can’t talk. Need… to find Batcher.” Omega said breathlessly as she tried to dart past you.

“Hold on.” You caught her upper arm. “Why? Where are the others?”

“They’re… back… at the… cave.” Omega managed to get her breathing under control. “Ventress told me to go. It’s the second test and I’ve got to get to the maya tree and back before sunset!”

“Ventress sent you out?” Alarm bells started ringing in your head. “And the others are still there?” You double checked, your panic growing by the second.

“I just said that! Now I’ve got to go!”

But you’d already released her and had started to sprint in the direction of the cave.

Omega watched you go in confusion. That hadn’t been the reaction she’d expected- you had looked… worried? She didn’t have time to linger over it. She whistled for Batcher as she heard the familiar bark. “Hey, girl. I’m gonna need some help. I need to get to the Archium, and fast.” She hopped on Batcher’s back.

The sight of the three of them at her mercy sent a stab of cold fear through your heart. Crosshair was hunched over and holding his ribs in agony but what terrified you more was the fact that Ventress had Wrecker in a Force-choke whilst her blade was pointed at Hunter who was sprawled on the cave floor.

And while your mind may have jumped to slightly more ill-timed and inappropriate scenarios upon seeing Hunter’s legs spread like that, you quickly brought your concentration back to the issue at hand.

You called on the Force and pushed Ventress into the cave wall. You then heard Wrecker’s coughs and gasps for air, and you saw in your peripheral the way Hunter attempted to stand up. Stay down. You told him as you kept your eyes fixed on Ventress.

Ventress pushed herself up off the floor and wiped away the blood that dripped from a fresh cut on her mouth. “I was wondering when the Jedi would come out to play.” She sneered as she reignited her lightsaber.

She advanced towards you once more. “I wonder if you’ll even provide me with more of a challenge than that lot- not a very impressive bunch. I could do you a favour by ridding you of them, particularly that one.” She scorned as she looked to the clone with the skull tattoo. She sniggered at you as she sensed swell of emotions in the Force around you that proved her suspicions.

You glared at her and clenched your jaw but said nothing, you only unclipped your lightsaber and ignited it. The blue blade came thrumming to life as you let the connection between you and the weapon flow through you.

Ventress swung her lightsaber towards the centre of your chest.

You blocked her move and the fight between you got underway.

The others could only watch the two of you in quiet awe. Yellow and blue blades clashed against each other in well-timed and well-placed strikes. Both of your movements were so fluid, it looked like the two of you were engaged in a coordinated dance- only the stakes were much greater in this. And it was far more tense to just watch.

You were on the back-foot, there was no denying that fact, Ventress had a higher skillset, and you were out of practice. You’d only really been able to work on deflecting blaster fire and going over the different stances and fight positions could only get you so far.

But what did give you an edge was that you were fighting for your family and the people you loved and that gave you a different type of strength which kept you in with a shot.

Ventress continued her aggressive assault, but you were blocking her strikes with a degree of finesse she hadn’t been expecting. You weren’t backing down as easily as she thought you might. She had thought the argument with the child and seeing the clones in danger would unbalance you, but it seemed to fire you up and there was no loss of control. Clearly emotions didn’t distract you like they used to do with your fellow Jedi, so she had to push them in a different direction, “Falling for a clone? What would your precious Jedi Council say?” Ventress provoked again as she swung her blade around for another strike.

“Well, lucky for me they’re all dead.” You snarked back as you redirected the next jab of her lightsaber into the cave floor before you flipped over her head. But you didn’t turn in time, and she was able to land a harsh kick to your side that sent you stumbling to your knees.

You barely had time to stand up before she was on you again. You angled your blade up as she brought her blade down towards you. Your front left leg bent forwards whilst your other leg was in a lunge behind you, your knee down towards the ground and your back arched as she pushed yours closer to your face.

“I remember you. Your master died on Felucia didn’t he? During a recon mission.” Ventress said cruelly as she held her blade on top of yours.

You felt your foot slide behind you as she pressed her blade against yours, but you weren’t going to let her words unravel you- she wouldn’t win that particular fight with you. “I’d rather that than know he got bored and just left me for dead.” You smirked as you saw the words had the intended effect. You felt the wave of emotion that surged around her, and you felt the pressure against your blade drop which meant you were able to push back against her.

You pulled your blade away from hers and landed a sharp kick to her stomach to create some distance between you both. “What’s the matter, Ventress? Still not over Dooku dropping you without a second thought?” You mocked.

Ventress snarled and lunged for you again.

Her moves were becoming more undisciplined, so they were easier to block and gain the upper hand. “I don’t know how you still showed your face after that, if my master pulled something like that, I’d be pretty fucking humiliated.” You continued to press as she now became the one who had to block your strikes.

Ventress backed off for a moment to regain the composure she was surprised to find she’d so quickly lost. She’d underestimated your emotional control and you’d managed to turn things around rather rapidly. If she wasn’t careful, the outcome of this would not be favourably for her.

You didn’t give her much time to recover. “And since you want to talk about falling for people, why don’t we talk about Quinlan?” When you’d first heard rumours of her death, that had been a familiar name to go along with it, so it had been a gamble to use it, but it worked. It had been the breaking point you needed to hit.

Ventress released an enraged shout and lunged forwards.

You ducked under her uncoordinated swing, but it was a move that also left you vulnerable and she gathered herself quicker than you’d anticipated.

As you rose and jutted your blade out, it stopped by the side of her neck just as hers stopped by yours. You could feel the heat from the blade as it hummed against your skin, but you did not flinch.

You did not falter.

You held her stare.

And waited.

“I’ve got the white blossom! Wh- what’s going on? Stop!” Omega shouted as she re-entered the cavern and saw the way her lying on the rocks, brothers were beaten and sore, and how you and Ventress were standing off– your blades at each other’s throats.

“She’s been lying to you, Omega. She’s a war criminal.” You said you did not yield to Ventress yet.

“Times have changed. Something you all should be familiar with.” Ventress replied.

“We are not the same.” You growled.

“No? Clones and Jedi were pawns in the same war as was I. And we all lost.” She disengaged her lightsaber first and stared you down. “The Empire is more dangerous than you could possibly fathom. I’m many things but I am not your enemy. Not anymore.”

You breathed heavily as you looked at her, but you couldn’t bring yourself to do it, not when she could’ve killed them and decided not to. For that reason, you found part of yourself believing what she said. You deactivated your blade and watched her go to her ship.

Omega dashed over to the others to make sure they were fine.

You reattached your lightsaber and placed your hands on your hips as they all got to their feet. “Everyone alright?” When they nodded, you spoke more sternly and more seriously than you ever had with them before. “Good. All of you get to the Marauder right now.” You turned on your heels and made your way out the cave.

“Uh… are we in trouble?” Wrecker asked Hunter apprehensively, his throat still slightly sore from experiencing what he just had.

Hunter let out a knowing sigh as he watched you go. “Yeah, we’re in trouble.”

The others could only watch and listen from their seats as you strode up and down the cockpit- each step punctuated by a new reprimand.

“Of all the irresponsible…”

“Thoughtless…”

“Misguided…”

“Reckless…”

“Idiotic…”

“Foolish…”

“Rash…”

“And downright stupid plans that you could come up with… that was by far the worst one!” You stopped mid stride and faced them all. “You do not go up against a Sith assassin with just three people and blasters! That was a fight you were never going to win!”

“Hey, we were just getting warmed up.” Wrecker protested but your answering glare had him looking down at the floor sheepishly.

“And you! Exactly what part of ‘do not engage’ was unclear?!” You said heatedly in Crosshair’s direction who just shrugged and continued to chew his toothpick, but you saw a flash of regret behind his eyes. “She could’ve killed you guys; do you understand that?!”

“Sweetheart-”

“No!” You shook your head at Hunter to stop him before you continued, “She could’ve killed you all if I hadn’t shown up in time!”

“You did.” Hunter reminded you gently.

“But I didn’t!” You tossed your hands in the air and then gestured to each of them, starting with Hunter. “She had a lightsaber pointed at your neck!”

You then focused on Wrecker. “She was choking the life out of you!”

Then you shifted to Crosshair. “And you were out for the count keeled over in pain, and it wouldn’t have taken much for her to finish you off!”

You addressed them all as a group again, “I don’t know why she didn’t follow through, but she could’ve ended everything right then and there, and I wouldn’t have arrived in time to stop it.” The thought took the wind right out of you, and you inhaled sharply and braced your hands on your knees. “You are all I have left. I can’t lose-” You straightened up. “I can’t lose any of you.” You repeated softly. “Not like that.”

Hunter slowly got to his feet and walked over to you. He put his hands on your shoulders to reassure you, “We’re okay.” He said, his voice a quiet murmur as he looked at you. “We’re okay.” He whispered again as he brushed the back of his fingers against your cheek.

You felt some of the stress and upset evaporate under his touch, “Do you have any idea what it’s like to have to owe someone like that something?”

“Can’t imagine it feels great.” Hunter acknowledged, a half-smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

You managed a small smile of your own before you pulled away and looked over at Omega. “You’re done. No more tests.”

Omega frowned at you. “No way! I passed one of them and she still has more she can show me!”

“Omega, I’m telling you she can’t be trusted. You don’t know the things she did during the war. All of us do.” You replied, doing a broad sweep of the space to the rest of the squad.

“Okay, but it’s like you said, she didn’t kill them when she had the chance. She can’t really be as bad as you say.” Omega rebuked.

You hung your head with a sigh, “Omega…”

“I don’t know much about the war, but things are different now. People can change.”

“You’re being naïve.” Crosshair chimed in.

“I never gave up on you, did I?” Omega pointed out.

That made Crosshair pause and reflect more on the situation than he would’ve initially liked.

“I say we give her a chance.” She then looked glumly down at the floor, “Besides, Ventress hasn’t held anything back from me.”

Your breath caught in your throat and suddenly the ship began to feel incredibly small. You hurried outside.

Hunter immediately got up to follow you out, but he stopped and glanced down at Omega. He knew how badly she needed to know the truth of her situation and it outweighed the concerns the rest of them had. “I trust you. We won’t interfere but at the first sign of trouble, it stops. Understand?”

Omega nodded gratefully.

“But you need to ease up on her. She knows she messed up, but she cares about you, Omega, don’t forget that.” Hunter said before he walked out the Marauder and over to the maya tree where you were now sitting.

“She’s right. She’s completely right.” You said as Hunter approached and sat down next to you.

“You need to imagine how Omega feels. To her, it seems like you deliberately kept something from her that could give her more common ground with you. She looks up to you, if she knew there was a chance of something that could bring you and her closer, of course she would want to latch onto it. You can’t blame her for wanting to know.” He said honestly as he squeezed your thigh in comfort.

You brought your head back against the tree trunk and stared up at the night sky, “And that’s what kills me. I should’ve been the one to help her find out the truth, instead I just kept her in the dark and thought I knew best.”

“You’re putting too much blame on yourself. You’re human and you made a mistake. It doesn’t-”

Your frustration got the better of you and you got to your feet. “Who else am I supposed to blame, Hunter?! This is on me! I hurt Omega! I let her down!” You blinked back the angry tears that threatened to spill from your eyes.

Hunter stood up and tentatively reached for you. His eyes softened in concern as he saw the anguish written across your face and it pained him to see you so affected by this. “Sweetheart-”

You began your distressed pacing again, “I could’ve tested her; I know how to, and I didn’t! If I hadn’t just rejected the possibility of her being like me and actually done the tests, Ventress wouldn’t have stayed, and we’d be no worse off than we are now! Instead, Imight as well have guided Omega to her! And I endangered the rest of you in the process! All of you could be dead because I couldn’t do one simple thing!”

“Stop.” Hunter caught your wrist and stepped in front of you, but you averted your eyes from his. “Look at me.” But you ignored him. “Please, look at me.” He said soothingly as he delicately tilted your chin up.

Your throat bobbed with the effort of keeping the tears at bay.

Hunter stroked a hand through your hair, “Everything is going to be okay. Omega’s a good kid, she’s just hurting right now. Give it time and you two will be alright.” He pulled you to his chest and held you close. “She’s still a clone, still one of us. Loyalty runs in her blood. She’ll come around.”

It was automatic the way you relaxed into his hold and wrapped your arms around his back. She’s doing another test tomorrow, isn’t she? You asked as you rested your head in the crook of his neck.

“We can watch from a far but we’re not interfering unless we have to.” Hunter murmured as he pressed his lips to your temple.

You heaved a deep breath but accepted that that was to be the course of action.

“Come on, we should get some rest.” Hunter released his hold on you and intertwined his hand in yours as he led you back to the ship.

“No chaperones today?” Ventress observed as the young clone came to stand next to her as she waited by the docks.

“Nope. You said, ‘no distractions.’”

Ventress only glanced down at the hound that remained by the girl’s side. “I’m surprised you came to find me. I can’t imagine your Jedi friend is particularly pleased about this. They all must have told you about the things I’ve done.”

“They did.” Omega said animatedly. “But you also stuck around instead of leaving, so I think you’re trying to help me. And you may have history with (Y/N) but you like us. I can tell.” She added victoriously.

“You’re an odd little clone.”

“Thanks.” Omega replied cheerily. “So what did the tests tell you?”

“You failed the first one.” Ventress said as she passed her by and headed for the boat.

“But I passed the second. That has to mean something, right?” Omega reminded her optimistically.

“Hmm. We’ll see.” Ventress boarded the ship. “Get in. Time for your final test.”

Omega bid Batcher farewell before she too stepped aboard and offered Ventress a warm and sincere smile.

“Stop smiling. It’s unsettling.” Ventress griped as she clicked the controls that would set the boat in the direction of the open sea.

“Should we be out this far?” Omega asked. She could barely see Pabu anymore; the clouds had grown darker and there was more of a fog out here.

“It’ll be easier to concentrate.”

“On what, exactly?”

“Many who wield the Force have an affinity for nature. They connect with things that respond to their energy.”

“Oh! I know about that! (Y/N) has done it a bunch of times!”

“And yet she never thought to show you.”

Omega glanced away to mask her reaction to the comment.

Ventress rolled her eyes. The attachments between you all were so glaringly obvious, it was no wonder the child had not been exposed to the potential of a Jedi way of life. You undoubtedly didn’t want to risk her safety any more than what was at play already. “Now’s your chance to give it a try.” She brought one of the rudders up to the surface for Omega to stand on.

Omega stepped onto it and awaited further instructions.

“Close your eyes and reach out.”

“For what?” Omega queried uncertainly.

“Everything.”

Omega took the cryptic advice and began.

Wrecker lowered his macrobinoculars. “I don’t like this. We should be out there with her.” Wrecker said with an uneasy sigh.

“We gave Omega our word we wouldn’t intervene.” Hunter reminded him, taking his sights away from his own binoculars.

“You did.” Crosshair interjected.

“Besides, Ventress won’t do anything right now. She’ll know you’re watching.” You said unhappily as you leaned against the stone column, one foot braced behind you, arms crossed.

Wrecker raised his binoculars again. “We’re so far away, there’s no chance…” He trailed off with a shocked gasp as he saw Ventress looking directly in his line of vision. “How’d she know we’re watching?!”

“Same way I’d know.” You grumbled.

Omega released a frustrated grunt and opened her eyes. “Forget it.”

“Giving up so soon?”

“This isn’t working. I don’t feel anything. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be doing.” Omega replied, her voice rising in aggravation. “This is a waste of time.”

“I blame those four overprotective shadows for your lack of training and discipline.” Ventress said critically.

Omega turned to her and rested her hands on her hips indignantly. “I am trained.”

Ventress got to her feet. “This is different than being a soldier, something you’d know had the Jedi told you of your possibilities. Even if you have Force potential, they can’t show you how to tap into it and she certainly won’t- she’s too worried about what other danger that could put you in to allow you to explore that.”

Omega lifelessly jumped back into the boat, sat down, and crossed her arms. Even if Ventress was right, you were all still her family and she couldn’t just dismiss that.

“Since you seem content with that, perhaps this is a waste of time.” Ventress mused.

“I bet you don’t understand any of this either. (Y/N) even struggles to explain it sometimes.” Omega argued. “So, why should I listen to you?”

Ventress simply glided to the edge of the boat enacted the instructions she had told Omega before. She listened to the wind around her, the sounds of the waves lapping against the boat and felt beneath the water for the thriving life that lived there.

Omega watched in awe as schools of luminous green fish appeared from the deep. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, you both may not be able to always coherently explain how it worked but what you did say clearly meant something.

“I’m not the one holding back.” Ventress said, exhaling deeply and letting go of the connection.

But then something shifted, there was a low bellowing sound coming from the deep and both of them watched in confusion as the fish hurriedly swam away.

“What happened? Why’d they go?” Omega asked.

Her question was soon answered as a giant sea creature crashed beneath the bottom of their boat, making is spin out of control.

“Did you summon that?” Omega asked as she stared at the creature as it broke to the surface with a piercing screech, yellow algae dripping from its mouth.

“Not intentionally.” Ventress programmed the boat to head back to the docks.

You pushed off the column as you felt a creeping disturbance settling in your veins and Crosshair’s words confirmed it.

“Well, that doesn’t look good.” He stated as he saw the action through his scope.

“Get to the Marauder.” Hunter ordered.

The boat didn’t make it very far. The vessel was completely capsized by the creature, and they went flailing into the water.

They treaded water for a moment before Omega felt a tentacle wrap around her leg and pull her under.

Ventress dived after her and dodged the other tentacles as she ignited her lightsaber and cut through the one that was pulling Omega further down. She grabbed her and made a break for the surface.

Omega gasped for oxygen as she reached the open air and the two of them quickly swam to their upturned boat and stood on top of it. They watched as the Marauder came flying into view and fired down on the creature but, judging by the enraged screeches and flailing of tentacles, that seemed to only anger it further.

“Your friends are making things worse. I can do this on my own!” Ventress yelled above the chaos. She let the tentacle that came for her wrap around her body and bring her closer to its mouth. She didn’t focus on the danger of the situation, she only focused on bridging the connection between the animal and her.

Omega brought out her comm, “Hunter, stop firing. Ventress can handle it.”

“Doesn’t look like it from up here.”

“You’d trust (Y/N) in this situation, you should trust her too!”

Hunter glanced beside him to where you were sitting in the co-pilot’s chair expecting to see disagreement but instead- despite the reluctance on your face- you nodded your head.

Omega looked on in admiration as she saw the creature quiet down and let out an affection rumble as Ventress pressed her hand against its face.

“You actually did it.” She breathed as the animal set Ventress back down and retreated back to the depths. She’d never seen that gift be used to actually calm a threat before, she’d only ever see you do it on non-threatening animals and it gave her a true indication as to what you could be capable of too.

“Don’t sound so surprised.” Ventress quipped.

The Marauder came back around, and Crosshair descended the steps. He reached a handout to Omega to help her up before he offered the same courtesy to Ventress.

The group of you were back at the cavern as you anxiously awaited the results from Ventress.

“Did you figure it out? Do I have a high M-count?” Omega inquired as Ventress exited her ship and came towards you all.

“From what I’ve seen? No.”

You held back the massive sigh of relief that threatened to leave your lungs but despite apparent good news, something about it still didn’t sit right.

Omega hung her head in disappointment. She was still without the answers she so desperately wanted. “Then why’s the Empire after me?”

“Believe it or not, I don’t know everything. But seeing as how a high M-count would make you a target…” Her eyes shot over to you. “…Consider yourself lucky.” She looked back down at Omega.

“But I’m already a target.”

Wrecker walked up and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Uh, don’t worry about it, kid. We’re gonna figure it out. Come on. Let’s go get some chow.”

Omega sighed, “Thanks. For trying.”

Ventress gave her a small nod in acknowledgement before the kid walked away and she turned her attention back to the three of you that stayed behind.

“You’re lying.” Crosshair stated suspiciously.

“About which part?” Ventress replied coyly.

Hunter narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, “You tell us.”

“If Omega did have that potential, she’d have to be trained, which would mean leaving you behind.”

“That’s not happening.” Hunter said immediately.

“And it wouldn’t need to.” You added firmly.

“I don’t think you realise just how unique you really are.” Ventress said to you. “But even with your affinity for handling attachment, you let it get the best of you when it came to the child. You let your urge to protect her cloud your better judgement and that undoubtedly would be a problem in training her. So, what you want is irrelevant. The fact is, the Empire is after her and they’re after you…” She then looked between you all, “And they won’t stop.”

“And are you going to help them?” You challenged.

“Don’t insult me, I have no interest in the Empire’s agenda towards our kind. Plus, I don’t fancy getting into another brawl with you all even if I wanted to turn you in.” Ventress added as she saw the way the two clones tensed up and your hand drifted back to your lightsaber. She addressed you all as a group again, “So, if I were you, I’d leave this place. You’re not as safe as you think you are.” Ventress turned her back on the three of you but before she left, she said over her shoulder, “Our business is done.” She carried on walking away.

“I still can’t figure out what side you’re on.” Crosshair said.

“My own.” She responded calmly without stopping.

“You’re not worried about the Empire coming after you?” Hunter called to her back.

That made Ventress wait. “They can try. But I’ve got a few lives left.” She said cryptically.

You all made your way back to the Marauder as her ship took off.

Crosshair and Hunter paused as they saw you halt by the steps.

You nodded to them to go head in. Omega, can we talk?

Omega gave a small wave of farewell to Wrecker and the others when they entered as she left to join you outside the Marauder. She saw you open your mouth to speak but she jumped in ahead of you, “I’m sorry I gave you such a hard time. I just…” She trailed off as she saw you shaking your head.

You crouched down and rested your hands on her shoulders, “You have nothing to be sorry for, Omega. Absolutely nothing. I’m the one that needs to apologise to you.” You took a breath, “I’m sorry I never told you about the tests.”

Omega tilted her head at you, but she saw genuine remorse in your eyes. “Why didn’t you? Why did I have to hear about them from Ventress?” She asked, a hint of sadness in her voice.

You inhaled deeply and Ventress’ words lingered in your head, “I love you, kid, I just want you to be safe. I think in my urge to do so, I neglected to do the things that could truly ensure that. I got too concerned with what risks of the results of those tests could mean that I felt it was better to not even entertain the possibility.”

“I mean, you were right. I’m not Force-sensitive and we still have no idea what an M-count means for me.” Omega said gloomily.

“I may have been right…” You said gently, “…but I should’ve been more thorough and told you about the tests and carried them out. I shouldn’t have kept you in the dark and for that I am so sorry. I got what protecting you meant all twisted in my head.”

Omega looked down and scuffed the ground with the toe of her boot, “So… it wasn’t because you didn’t want me to be like you?” She whispered.

Your heart went out to her immediately and you hated that you had ever given that impression. “Oh, honey, no.” You brushed through the loose strands of hair that came to rest just past her forehead. “My only concern with it was that it would put you in more danger than you’re already in. It’s not easy being a Jedi in the best of circumstances, let alone how things are now.” You affectionately brought her chin up so she would meet your gaze as you said warmly, “But if you had been, I would’ve loved to share that experience with you.”

Omega’s expression softened as she heard the sincerity in your words. “I’m not that lost kid you found on Kamino; you don’t have to make choices for me. I can handle more now.”

Ventress may have been right about you in this situation, but it wasn’t one you were ever wanting to repeat. You could change. You would change. “I won’t make decisions like that for you anymore and I won’t hide things from you, you have my word.” You promised.

Omega exhaled a breath of relief, “I don’t like falling out with you.” She said quietly, a forgiving smile on her face.

You chuckled lightly. “I don’t like it either.” You brought her in for a hug. Let’s not do it again, okay?

Omega hugged you back tightly in answer.

All was quiet in the Marauder, save for the familiar snores coming from Wrecker’s bunk and the occasional whine from Batcher as she dreamt but nothing felt amiss.

You and Hunter were yet to fall asleep. The night was when the two of you had an opportunity to switch off for a moment and be in each other’s company without having to worry about the others seeing and commenting. It was a time where the two of you didn’t need to be Sergeant and Jedi or think about the Empire but where it could just be you and Hunter.

You were laying on top of his arm as he hugged you into his side. One of your legs was hoisted over his lap as you nuzzled into him and touched the necklace on his chest that sat proudly on display over his sleep clothes. The two of you were sharing in light, delicate kisses between breaths as you lay together.

“Did I mention how impressive you looked going up against Ventress today?” Hunter said quietly against your lips into the silence of the ship.

Do I not look like that anyway? You teased as you left featherlight kisses along the column of his neck.

“Yes, smartass.” Hunter breathed as he focused on the sensation of your lips on his skin.

Well, no you didn’t, but I’d rather you never gave me a reason to have to do that in the first place. You glanced up at him with a playful scolding expression.

“Hmm, well if you look as strong and capable as you did today, I might just have to risk it.” Hunter kidded as he kissed the crown of your head whilst his free hand ran up and down your thigh.

You narrowed your eyes at him but there was an amused smile on your face. You traced your lips along his jaw. Oh really?

He hummed in an affirmative answer before he brought his lips to yours in a soft, tender kiss like the ones before- one that did not have to lead to anything more. But as he felt your twist your hands in his shirt and heard your breath hitch, he cradled the side of your jaw to encourage you to open up to him more.

You sighed happily into the kiss and pressed yourself tighter to him and went to fully straddle his lap, but he beat you to it.

Hunter, without breaking away, rolled you so that you were on your back, and he was on top of you. He kissed you with the passion and love he could only express when the rest of his family were not around before he pulled away from your lips and began pressing doting kisses along your neck.

You felt his teeth graze your pulse point. Don’t get too carried away. You said, weaving your hands in his hair as you held back a groan and resisted the urge to roll your hips against his. The words were also a reminder for you- you both needed to remember where you currently were.

Hunter huffed out a disgruntled moan against your neck, but he stopped. However, he didn’t lie down next you again, he opted to rest his head on your chest instead.

His weight on you always acted as a secure and reassuring presence, so you always welcomed the position. It was also him offering you a degree of vulnerability and trust that he so rarely allowed himself to enjoy so it always made your heart swell when he showed this side of himself to you.

Hunter listened to the steady beat of your heart, each thump reminding him of what he was fighting for, of what he had to protect. “We need to keep you and Omega safe… and I think- I think Ventress is right. We can’t stay here.” He whispered.

“We’ll talk about it more tomorrow.” You murmured as you tenderly ran your fingers through his hair and across his scalp. You felt him release a relaxed sigh at your actions. “Right now, we need to get some sleep.”

“I love you.” He mumbled sleepily as he got lost in your touch and let the tiredness overwhelm him.

“I love you too.” You replied as you closed your eyes.

Next Chapter (to be posted)>

Tagging: @noeasyisnoisy, @arctrooper69, @dominoeffectsworld, @andreaaxy, @notgonnaedit, @superbookishhufflepuff , @jellybeanstacey0519 , @nightmonkeysstuff

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thecapricunt1616 · 20 hours

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Celandine (c.b. one-shot)

♡ Chapter Inspo: Celandine - Cures depression, brings victory and joy. Serves as a protective ward when worn. Carry to increase self-confidence when facing adversaries. Use in ritual work when you feel trapped in undue negativity. ♡ Summary: You are feeling a bit blue about your body PP, Carmy takes it upon himself to show you just how beautiful you are! :) <3 ♡ W/C: 1.2K+ ♡ Posted Date: 05/27/2024 ♡ A/N: Hello! Happy day 2/7 of the Capri 200 Follower Celebration Extravaganza!!! You can find said extravaganza ♡ Here ♡ this celebration will be going until next Sunday (06/02/24) so get your requests in! Here's another celebration ask on the books! This ask is from lovely @jesscolon529 I hope you enjoy, my darling! ♡ Warnings for BTC: Speaking of pregnancy, Fem/AFAB!reader, No use of y/n, feelings of self hate / insecurity, sad reader, comforting carmy, established relationship, not edited, Pics are just vibes, reader isn't described!! Established relationship

♡ 𝐌𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 ♡

➵ 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 ♡ ➵ 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞-𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 ♡ ➵ 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 / 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘵 ♡ ➵ 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 ♡

It had been 12 weeks since you’d delivered you and Carmy’s first baby, and your postpartum depression was in full effect. It really had not much to do with your baby, and everything to do with you. You felt gross after you delivered, you barely even wanted Carmy to look at you which he took like a stab in the heart.

When you came home, it wasn’t really different. Even though showering was…very painful, and you could really use the help and would appreciate that help very much - you couldn’t accept it. The idea of your husband seeing your naked body that you considered to be mangled and gross brought tears to your eyes. The idea of him watching blood run down the drain as you carefully rinsed your mangled bits he used to devour nearly every night made you want to throw up.

There was still a tiny part of you that believed he did this to you, so he shouldn’t be upset with the result - but somehow that just made you more angry because what if he was upset with how your body looked now, and just wasn’t saying anything? And how dare he not like your body after all you’ve done for him, for your family?!

You were stood in front of the full length mirror in the bedroom after you showered, observing yourself. You could have sex how, if you wanted. But you had convinced yourself you’d never let Carmy see you naked again in fear he would shriek and cover his eyes and run away, a bit dramatic - but still you couldn’t face the idea of your husband not loving you anymore because he saw what left you have to give after 9 months of hell.

You touch your now jiggly, wrinkly belly, pulling the skin back with your hands and sighing a bit, remembering how you used to look. Tears welled in your eyes, “you’re so fucking vain” you whispered in the mirror.

“Baby?” Carmy nudged the door open and you shout

“JESUS CHRIST!!! IM CHANGING! Shut the door Carmen!”

He jumps a bit at your sudden outburst, a frown coming to his features “why?” He asked and shut the door behind him. You quickly grabbed your shirt, sliding it over your head and pulling it out so it wouldn’t rest over your belly.

“Cause- cause I deserve privacy?” You snap, angry that he wasn’t just running away like you’d expected him - or wanted him to.

“Privacy? From…y’husband?” He comes over and rubs your arms gently “baby- are you gonna tell me wha’s up?” He asked.

Your lip wobbled, more tears coming to your eyes. You shook your head quickly and looked at the floor, squeezing your eyes shut and hot, thick, shameful tears roll down your cheeks. “I’m ruined now” you said, your voice watery and defeated.

“What?” He wiped your tears and hugged you, rubbing your back “baby what’s been goin on? You haven’t let me see you in months. I miss you, y’know that, right?” He kissed the top of your head as you sniffle in to his shirt

“I- I’m ugly now an-and wrinkly and covered in stretch marks and- and all…different down there. What if you stop loving me?” You burst into sobs. He could barely contain the lump growing in his own throat as he hushed you and rubbed soothing circles into your back.

“Princess” he said his voice cracking a bit and he led you to the bed, sitting and pulling you into his lap “I could never stop loving you. I would have to be warm and dead to stop loving you. Y’hear me? You, and little dude, are the only things in this world that matter t’me…and maybe the restaurant…but-“ he said, just to bring a tiny smile to your lips

“Mmm? See there’s that smile” he wipes your tears “what’s been bugging you baby, show me. I promise, I love every bit of you, I love you more every day- I still don’t know how that’s possible, but you make it work somehow” he teased and you blush, hiding your teary cheeks in the crook of his neck as he rubbed your back and side soothingly.

“You say that but what if you see me and you can’t help it” you sniffled a bit.

“Not possible honey” he countered. “Cmon- tell me. What’s been buggin you?”

“My belly. And - and my thighs are so big now. My belly is all…ugh. Wrinkly and has all these red marks on it. And my bellybutton looks all weird” you whine

“This belly?” He rubs his palm over it “the belly that kept our son all warm and happy n’safe till it was time f’him t’come home?” He asked and you huff

“Yes but..it’s not…normal anymore” you said and he hums in agreement.

“Y’right, it’s better, it’s new, it’s gonna take you some gettin’ used to- but I love it. Can I tell y’somethin and y’promise not t’be mad?” He asked and cuddled you into him more, kissing your cheek and hairline, wherever he could reach.

“Mm” you hummed, sniffling softly

“Your body now is the most beautiful it has ever been. Because it’s yours. It’s my wife’s body, my beautiful Mrs.Berzatto, it’s your belly, and your thighs, and your new different pussy you’re so afraid of” he said playfully in your ear to which you giggle a bit, cupping his cheek and looking at him with tear rimmed eyes.

“Y’not just lying to make me feel better?” You asked and he shook his head

“Nope- all the truth babygirl. Why would I lie t’my best girl mm? My only girl” he kissed your lips gently and rubbed your hip over.

“And - and you really like it?” You pouted

He raised his brows in the ‘are you fucking with me’ Carmy way, “want me to show you?” He asked and you felt heat in your cheeks, looking down shyly. “Okay-“ he laid you back on the bed carefully, pushing up your shirt. “I think-“ he starts kissing from your ribs, over your sternum, down, down, over your belly, making it a point to kiss each little dimple and mark

“I fed you and little boy sooo good while you were pregnant, so these? You can blame me. But I love them as selfish as it makes me” he kissed over your hips. “And these” he squeezed them with his hands “mmm fuck I looove these- I can’t wait to hold these while I’m fuckin’ you mm?” He traveled his hands up your waist, squeezing gently and continuing to ravish you in kisses.

“And these” he gently squeezed your breasts together in your nursing bra “are fucking amazing. And a literal life source for our boy. An’he’s growin so well. He’s in the 95th percentile, he’s so healthy, and chunky. Y’doin amazing babe.” He cups your cheeks.

“The most important thing though baby is you. You’re still my beautiful, kind, thoughtful wife. And I wouldn’t change anything about you, not a single fuckin’ thing, hear me?” He kisses you deeply.

You felt more tears running down your cheeks, but it wasn’t fear or sadness this time that brought them,

It was gratitude.

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thoughtsfromlayla · 3 days

Text

Chapter Four - Discordant

Summary: Morpheus seems to take a turn for the better, but a person cannot change overnight. How does it feel to finally give him a taste of his own medicine? How does it feel to go back to square one, once again?

Notes: ~6.1k words, Please don't stare at the eclipse with your blind eyes, I just didn't know how to write protective solar glasses into this AU ok

Warnings/Tags: Morpheus is trying, it's not working, two deaths of side characters, miscommunication/misinterpretation (?), reader gets their feelings hurt again cause I can't stop writing angst

Tag list is open! Just let me know :)

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Discordant (adj.) - not in agreement or harmony, to be at variance

How do you face Morpheus again after that? The simple answer is you don’t, well you try not to. However, when you go to breakfast the next morning, it’s a surprise to you that Morpheus is there waiting for you. Breakfast is less formal than dinner, yet here you were, sharing a meal with him right by your side.

Tension is thick in the air, the only sounds are that of cutlery on plates. You chew your fruit slowly while consciously trying not to look at Morpheus. This was horrible; you need wine, or something to dull your mental ability so you didn’t have to be fully here.

Your throat was still raw from the day before, and the food only seems to make it worse, scraping itself down your throat as you swallow.

“I’m finished,” You rasp and go to stand from your spot.

“Wait,” He stands abruptly, the glass on the table rattling with the sudden movement. You’re determined to leave but his fingers grab onto your wrist.

“What?” You frown at him, the warmth of his fingers spreading across your arm.

“There is a gala coming up. The Summer Eclipse Gala, please will you attend with me?”

“Do I have a choice?” You ask, not meeting his eyes. Instead you stare at how he gently holds onto you. His thumb smooths across the tender part of your wrist when he answers.

“Not really,” He says in a low voice. There was some regret laced in his answer, but you didn’t want to pay attention to that.

“Then that is my answer.” You sigh as you turn away. Morpheus’ hand is still around your wrist and even with a slight tug, he doesn’t release you. “Let go.”

“Should we… talk about yesterday?” He says hesitantly. “What is there to say?” You reply back, your voice losing itself again at the very end. When your husband doesn’t answer, you pull your arm away more forcefully. This time, he lets you go. “Precisely.” You leave, your heart pounding as you so easily defy him.

The rest of the week was spent doing exactly what he had been doing to you for the past couple of months. Which is to say, avoiding him at all points possible. You try to hide in the library, but that proves futile as he easily seeks you out there. The studio and many bookshelves do little to hide you, ironically.

The only place he doesn’t dare find you is your garden. Even he could understand the importance of that sanctuary to you. And though the flowers certainly seem to enjoy the summer sun, you couldn’t say the same. The heat had started to become unbearable and it had been days since your last visit there.

When he asks for you to dine with him, you decline and lock yourself in your room. Your stomach rumbles until Matthew sneaks you a leftover biscuit, but it was better than confronting him. At a certain point, embarrassment of letting your true feelings show turn to resentment once more.

Why did he suddenly feel entitled to your time?

“The King brought you this, Your Majesty,” Agnes says one morning as she enters your room. One of the maids holds a large box, decorated with a beautiful red bow.

You take a hold of it, albeit a bit hesitant, and unravel the gift. When you lift the lid, you’re greeted with something you have never seen before. The dress was a beautiful golden yellow, with gems that represented the sun inlaid amongst the sweetheart bodice. Lacey loops come off the bodice in a delicate design that would wrap around your upper arms. The bottom skirting was decorated with glittering swirls and the fabric soft to the touch.

“Oh! It looks lovely,” Agnes compliments with a soft gasp. She’s looking over your shoulder as you continue to stare at the dress.

“Hmm, I can’t deny it either. It looks beautiful,” You sigh as you run your fingers through the soft fabric. Your fingers come across a piece of paper with a note.

Please do me the honor and wear this tonight. Written in Morpheus’ handwriting.

“And so shall you, your grace, when you wear it today,” Your lady’s maid hums.

Right… the gala is today. It seems your plan of avoiding Morpheus would have to come to an end. But, you still have the rest of the day to yourself, best to start savoring it. You start with a bath, with extra Natterhorn milk per your request, and something else to calm your nerves. After which, Agnes starts pampering you to get you ready for the event.

Hands are grabbing at you at every angle, tugging, brushing, wiping. You felt like a marionette puppet as they direct you on where to step, where to hold your hands so that they may dress you accordingly.

“Agnes,” You gasp as she gives you another sharp tug. “I request you loosen this horrid corset for my sake.”

“Apologies, Your Majesty,” She says, giving one last tug and tying the knot, more than less ignoring your request.

In the end, both you and Agnes are huffing and puffing when you’re finally done. You watch as Agnes puts on a pair of white cotton gloves and reaches into a wooden box you didn’t have the liberty of noticing before. From it, she produces an ornate crown.

It pairs with your dress nicely, a warm gold with white gems. The points of the head piece were a bit excessive, but your inner judgment was cut short when you realized it was supposed to represent the sun. When Agnes places it on your head, you grimace at the weight of it.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty, but it is part of the uniform,” Agnes apologizes once again as she notices your contorted face.

“It is not your fault, do not fret. You did well,” You grunt as you step away from the mirror. Agnes is positively gushing as she looks you over. Her beaming increases as you give your compliments to her hard work.

Despite the heavy crown, the dress itself was light and made for easy movement. Agnes opens the door and you follow the entourage of silver knights as they lead you from the comforts of your bedroom. Matthew’s presence settles your nerves a bit as you feel his protective presence three paces behind.

“Are you excited, boss lady?” You hear him ask with a smile hidden behind his helmet. He had recently polished his black armor and you’re sure if you turn around now, you could see your reflection.

“In all honesty, Matthew? For the event, yes. For seeing my husband again, no.” You pause as the unified metal footsteps descend to the first floor of the castle. “What of you?”

“If I get to see Jessamy again…” He says beneath his breath, quiet enough that you almost didn’t hear it.

You can see the sunlight from the entrance and you’re about to ask Matthew to repeat himself. However, the silver knights stop on the final set of stairs, leaving you standing at the intersection that leads to Morpheus’ wing. He comes down in time with your steps and meets you in the middle.

Morpheus is dressed in his typical black, simply more detailed than usual. He switches his flowing robe for an off shoulder cape that only reaches his mid thighs. His black tunic and pants were dusted with silver and dark blue, giving the illusion of the night sky at certain angles. Sitting comfortably on his head was a crown: silver with curving onyx gems that resembled the moon.

He’s close enough now to take you in your full glory. The dress he bought for you was the correct choice. It hugs your figure in all the right places; the dress was, after all, altered to your size. When the fleeting rays of sunlight come through the large window, it reflects off your dress and illuminates you. The Sun only shares a portion of His light, but you’ve managed to take it and make it your own.

“You look radiant,” He breathes the truth as he comes closer to you. You notice his finger twitch as he resists the urge to touch you.

“Save your falsities for someone else,” You snap, surprising yourself even. The crown was way too heavy on your head for pretenses.

“Very well… but we should at least pretend to like each other for the guests tonight.” Morpheus offers his arm to you and turns, the breeze from the entrance coming through the hallway.

“Then let us begin,” You reply as you hook your hand to his arm.

Crossing the castle threshold, the eclipse was already beginning to start. The trees rustle in the gentle late spring wind, its shades creating crescent shadows on the ground. You’re able to enjoy it from afar as the two of you walk the distance to the grand ballroom.

Slowly, daylight surrenders to night and the nocturnal critters emerge from their slumber. Crickets chirp, fireflies float around you, and moths fan their wings in the moonlight. The smell of petrichor turns heavy once more as you reenter the castle, the doors opening wide with an announcement of your and Morpheus’ arrival. The silver knights part, Matthew leaves your side, as does Jessamy, as Morpheus leads you to the center of the ballroom.

“Welcome, esteemed guests of the Dreaming. Tonight, we shall once again celebrate the astral lovers of Sun and Moon,” An announcer bellows into a horn. Cheers and unified clapping follow. “During Totality of the eclipse, we welcome you to witness the first dance of the night, to be shared with King Morpheus and Queen Consort Y/N.”

A fanfare plays and the crowd turns to the open ceiling, watching with shielded eyes as the moon slowly clips into place. Night dominates the sky, the moon blocking the sun except for the defining ring around it. Footmen scurry around as they quickly light the abundance of candles and chandeliers they could reach.

The grand ballroom gleams with the light of a thousand crystal chandeliers as you and Morpheus turn towards each other. The light fractures and creates halos across the marble flooring and stone pillars. Morpheus bows and you curtsy low, and the action reminds you of your wedding night. Slowly, he clasps his hand over yours gently and a firm arm wraps around your waist.

The string ensemble starts and you try to fight the smile that creeps on your lips as you’re easily pulled in time with his steps. Morpheus smiles as he studies your face closely. You're dancing once again.

The candle light seems to be absorbed into your figure as you glow under its warm light. Spinning hand in hand with your husband, you’ve long since given up holding back your smile. You’re grinning, radiant and warm like the sun.

You and Morpheus glide across the ballroom floor, floating like stars amongst the clouds. He is fluid in his movements and leads the dance easily. You hold on tight as the lights begin to blur together, all together have you forgotten how heavy your crown was. To onlookers, the two of you were beacons of elegance and the definition of harmony.

The music stops and you’re face to face with Morpheus, breathing hard. The sound of applause is muffled in the background of your mind. Morpheus looks pristine as well, perfectly composed as he softly gazes at you through starry eyes. You’re the first to break eye contact, the raw emotions he tries to show you too much for now. You can see that he is trying to be better, but after months of neglect, one dance is hardly enough to make up for it.

Morpheus doesn’t try to hide his emotions, and with deflated shoulders, leads you quietly to the matching thrones at the front of the ballroom. There, they stand high and mighty, dark, and carved with intricate designs of stars and ravens. You see Jessamy and Matthew waiting for the two of you there and some relief returns to you knowing that Matthew would be there to watch over you.

The roofless ballroom makes it hard to believe that it is only noon. Save for the ring of sun, the sky was casted in perpetual night. The stars make their appearance, as they always do, and accompany their moon, twinkling with admiration at viewing the people of the Dreaming early today. Even the critters of the night came out from their slumber, and if you listened carefully enough, you could hear their chirps and songs of night past the orchestra.

The throne is stiff and uncomfortable to sit in. When you glance over at Morpheus, he takes to it easily, spreading across the throne like a lounging cat. His presence fills the space and it’s easy to see how he is so perfectly fit for this role.

An emissary comes before you and bows, the lady on his arm following suit. He wears his best for the ceremony and when he speaks, it smells of rich alcohol and fruits.

“Congratulations on your marriage, Your Majesties. As emissary of the Kingdom of Kreya, we wish you a wonderful Solar Eclipse celebration,” The man smiles at the two of you and you smile back.

You take another glance at Morpheus and see his jaw ticking in the low candlelight. A second passes and he still doesn’t respond.

“Thank you, we hope to visit Kreya soon,” You reply instead. It has been long since you’ve heard a rumor of your failing marriage. At the very least it’s good to know that to people looking in, there was nothing wrong between you and Morpheus.

This is what he wanted, was it not?

From his perspective, your urge to take control basked you in a new light that he’s never seen before. Your response seems to snap him out of whatever deep thoughts he had and a cough brings him back to the present. Or, if he wanted to be honest with himself; your presence brings him back to the present.

Others follow in his footsteps, giving their congratulations, their salutations from their kingdoms, and other comments they wished to address to you. Morpheus and you take turns responding, each one vague and surface level.

The last emissary was a face you knew all too well. Soft brown curls wrap around a kind face. She dawns on flowy fabric of white and gold and a cape made of olive leaves. Calliope smiles when she sets her eyes on you, and you hear Matthew’s armor clink as he attempts to move from his post. The promise he made early into your relationship is evident in his mind.

A subtle hand rise from you was enough to stop him and the black knight settles back. The tension remains thick as she ascends the steps. She bows and speaks.

“I congratulate the King and Queen of the Dreaming on their union. From Boeotia, my sisters and I give out blessings for a bountiful year.” Calliope speaks to you specifically, and even when there is no ill intention written on her face, something ugly deep within you dares not to look at her.

The pain and suffering you had to endure, half of the reason is because of her. Your anger and despair leave you and instead reveal itself as its true form. Is it jealousy? Perhaps. You’ve long since stopped fighting it. Your bracelet tightens around your wrist once more, as it’s always done when it doesn’t agree with your thoughts.

“Thank you…” Morpheus responds to her. It was your turn to respond, but you still couldn’t bring yourself to speak to her.

Calliope opens her mouth again, as if to add something else, but stops herself after some hesitancy. It’s not before long that Calliope accepts the short answer and leaves you. An even shorter amount of time for a footman to come to you and Morpheus with goblets of wine that you all too eagerly grab at.

If it weren’t for your position, you’re sure you would be drunk beyond comprehension. It is a tradition of the celebration: to relieve oneself from their physical bodies and dance amongst the Eclipse. And you can only do that by drinking until your body can’t understand the physical world anymore.

The dark wine glitters as you swirl it around in the silver goblet, and you feel the tingling sensation as it goes down your throat. Other nobles mingle with each other, the occasional ping of glasses touching echos in the large room.

Squinting, you notice a certain blond standing alone in the corner, his dark glasses still covering his eyes. He is talking to some other man, his charismatic smile never disappearing, even when he takes another sip from his glass. As if sensing your gaze, he turns to you and raises his glass in your direction. You were the first to break eye contact, taking another sip of your own drink. You see Lucienne and Hob enjoying themselves at the snack table, watching as Lucienne looks away when Hob stuffs several cookies into his coat pocket.

The alcohol was potent, leaving you feeling light and dizzy, but a sudden commotion on the other side of the room leaves me sober. Yelling and clashing of metal against metal piques your interest as the ballroom doors slam open.

“I apologize, we-we tried to stop him!” A silver knight huffs out, chasing after the man who barged in.

A calm hand from Morpheus quiets him and the knight stops. The elderly man is still charging towards the two of you, dancers parting quickly from the marble floor as they watch.

“Where is she?” The man asks—or demands, more accurately, standing strong in the center of the dancefloor. He wears red, unblemished armor that stands out like a sore thumb against the Dreaming’s more subtle colors.

“Whoever you seek is not here, stranger,” Morpheus’ voice booms across the room.

“You, Teleute, will bring back my dead son. I will kill you if it means I will get him back…” He bravely points at your husband, completely ignoring his statement.

You and Morpheus share a quick glance at each other. Yours is riddled in confusion, what could this random man possibly want with his sister? Morpheus shares with you a more concerned look as he finally pieces together the information.

He recalls the conversation he had with the Corinthian under old moonlight about a madman named Rodrick Burgess. Briefly, his eyes meet with Corinthian on the far end of the room, who seems all the more pleased that his target has waltzed right into his grasp. The Corinthian had taken a small break in his chase so he could attend the festival. In the end, it seemingly works out for him anyways.

“Are you challenging the throne?” Morpheus accuses, looking down at him. You hear the shifting of feet as Jessamy and Matthew squirm with anticipation.

Morpheus remembers once more of his nightmare regarding this specific man and you. How you laid cold in his arms, blood blemishing each portion of your body. That no matter how much he wipes away at it, the blood continues to seep and stain into your clothes. His hand slowly ghosts over yours and covers your fingers. He feels the quickening pulse underneath his fingers and allows himself a moment of peace for your still beating pulse.

“I am challenging Teleute,” Rodrick repeats.

“Death of the Endless is not here. I will accept your challenge in her stead.” You’re not sure where the courage was coming from. Perhaps it is how Morpheus is gently holding onto you. Or, more likely, how the alcohol is coursing through your system. That seems to be the more logical reason… right? “Who do you wish to be your champion?”

“I am my own champion, the Great Magus Rodrick Burgess.” He brings forth his sword, covered in elaborate jewels.

“Sir Matthew?” You call, head held high. The weight of the crown is no longer an issue for you.

“Yes, Your Majesty?” Matthew responds immediately.

“You will be my champion.” You declare. “You will not disappoint.” It is your first order as queen.

You watch with fixed eyes as Matthew crosses to the dance floor. The white marble is a stark contrast against his black armor. Your hand turns and interlaces with Morpheus’ as Matthew draws his sword.

It’s longer and broader than Rodrick’s and even before the fight begins, you know Matthew would be slower than his opponent. But your belief in him is strong and unyielding.

The two knights face each other, their stances ready. Murmurs from onlookers hush around the room, the tension as thick as the wine they drink.

Rodrick moves first, his impatience showing easily as he lunges for Matthew’s heart. Your champion gracefully steps to the side, bringing up his broadsword in a low arch to parry the attack.

Blade against blade, the metals gleam in the low candlelight. The symphony changes from a string quartet to that of steel. The two knights dance around each other in the intense duel as both display their mastery of the blade.

An unhonorable heavy strike to the head from Rodrick leaves Matthew dazed. It’s enough for the blunt of his blade to strike at the young knight’s helmet. You watch with an agape mouth as the force is enough to knock off Matthew’s helmet, the helm flying across the floor. Your grip in Morpheus’ hand tightens as the anticipation grows.

Matthew is quick to be back on his feet, his black hair tousled from the fight. You catch glimpses of his determined face as he returns to the duel. Each block that Matthew predicts, each strike that he parries leaves Rodrick flustered.

Matthew notices, and when Rodrick was starting to lose strength, he advances with a series of long arching and forceful blows. You and Morpheus watch as Rodrick meekly holds his denting blade up in defense.

With a powerful kick to the chest, the Great Magus crashes to the ground, his sword falling from his hand as the last of his energy leaves him. Matthew advances still, dragging his broadsword on the ground. The teeth-grating sound of metal on marble igniting sparks.

Your knight points the sword at Rodrick’s throat, panting from exertion. “Yield,” Matthew commands.

“I will not!” Rodrick spits at him, pushing the imposing blade away from his throat.

“Yield!” Matthew shouts, bringing the blade back and pushing pressure onto the side of his neck. A thin string of warm blood follows the cut.

Rodrick looks around the room, conscious of how the people around him start to whisper about his loss. He makes eye contact with you and glares at his defeat.

“I yield,” He says hesitantly as his eyes remain on yours.

You swallow thickly as silver knights drag him out of the ballroom, your eyes following him. Rodrick was glaring at you until he could no longer see you, his cheeks still flushed from the duel and from the embarrassment of losing.

You let go of Morpheus’ hand, wiping your palm against the softness of your dress to get rid of the excessive sweat that started to accumulate. You go to grab at your wine again, finishing the rest with large gulps to calm your nerves. The alcohol is quick to work its magic as it seeps into your system.

“Congratulations on your victory, champion,” You grin when Matthew comes back to your side. “Where’s your helmet?”

“I, uh, can’t find it…” He mutters, embarrassed. He scratches at his hair as his cheeks flush red.

You smile once more as Matthew’s true personality shows itself again. He was quite young to be a knight, and his face had left the battle without any scars; a testament to his effectiveness. A server comes by and tops off the goblet with more glittering wine.

Morpheus hovers a hand over his own cup as a silent decline for more alcohol. Meanwhile you were more than inclined to continue drinking. The excitement of the day is already taking its effect on you. When you set your drink back down, you notice that no one is enjoying the gala anymore.

They stand to the side, muttering to themselves behind open feather fans. No one is drinking, or feasting, and they share unsure glances with each other. The duel was a mood killer for the festivities.

You take another slow sip from your wine, what should you do? You watch through slightly lidded eyes as Morpheus stands from his seat. His hand falls before yours in a silent invitation of another dance. Baffled, you silently stare at the upright hand. Morpheus wants another dance?

Should you? When a bird has been locked in a cage for so long, even when presented with the opportunity of flight, it often finds itself staying. It takes comfort in what the bird knows. The outside world is dangerous, after all.

“Please,” He whispers when he notices you hesitating. You see his other fingers twitch against his leg, a tic that you’ve long since noticed he does whenever he is nervous. You place the goblet down and grab onto his hand lightly. One more dance wouldn’t hurt.

Before you leave, you turn to Matthew with a smile. “You should go dance, too. You’ve done well to deserve it tonight.”

Matthew all but perks up at your invitation, his eyes darting to Morpheus, who simply nods in approval of his request.

The two of you take to the floor and amidst the onlookers and mutterers, for once, you only notice Morpheus. “I trust you,” You say slowly.

Morpheus nods before he places a gentle hand on your waist and leads the dance once more. The music is romantic somber as the two of you glide across the floor.

Nobles and invitees around you stop whispering amongst themselves and enjoy the spectacle. Soon enough, more and more couples return to the dance floor.

The orchestra is quick to change its tune and an upbeat swell of strings has everyone clapping and jumping around in a country dance. Your smile brightens your face once more as you witness how your small dance was enough to bring people together.

You part from Morpheus as a new dance partner whisks you away for the next portion of the song. You grab onto your dance partner as you watch Morpheus spin with a new partner of his own, a soft smile gracing his lips as he witnesses your lingering gaze.

“Enjoying the ball, Your Majesty?” The new voice interrupts your thoughts. Your head turns to your new dance partner and you feel yourself jump in the middle of a spin.

“Corinthian,” You greet curtly, smile dropping.

“Hello again, Your Majesty.” He grins down at you, sunglasses still on. A silence follows and you’re desperate to change partners again.

“It seems you and His Majesty have started to become amiable with each other. I heard rumors that your marriage was in rocky waters.” He whispers into your ear as he spins you again.

“They’re just rumors,” You lie again.

The Corinthian hums, easily reading between the lines of your statement. “Well, well, would you look at that?”

Corinthian focuses his attention behind you and you turn to match his gaze. Couples waltz around you, but your eyes immediately seek out Morpheus. Your newly healed heart shatters as you watch Morpheus and Calliope spin across the dance floor. The two of them look beautiful together, her light colors clashing with his darker ones is a sight out of the romances you’ve read in your books.

Were dance partners always supposed to be that close to each other? Their gazes lock with each other as they share private words amongst themselves. Morpheus says something that causes Calliope to smile, something that lights up her entire figure in delight.

“Perhaps the rumors are quite true,” Corinthian chuckles.

You let go of him as if he suddenly caught on fire. “I need some air… Please excuse me.”

The Corinthian doesn’t try to stop you as you weave your way through the dancing couples. Before you leave the ballroom, you briefly overhear a conversation between Mervyn and Matthew.

“Huh, I thought you were some beast with how you were swinging that piece of crap around. But you’re just some normal kid,” Mervyn scoffs as he lights another cigarette.

Matthew scratches his head in confusion, the refound helmet rests between his arm and torso. It is liberating to not have to wear it for a while, and he can smell the food more clearly like this.

“Actually, I’m 1/16 pure Ravenfolk on my mother's side. Not so normal now, huh, Mervyn?” Matthew brags with a high head.

“Pah!” The pumpkin man scoffs again, a cloud of smoke following him. “And Jessamy is pure Ravenfolk so what you got to say about that!”

You’re sure you see smoke steaming out of your knight’s ears and his face turns bright red. It’s a conversation you would have loved to entertain, but in your emotions, you don’t linger long. The door is right there and you escape from all the distracted gazes.

By muscle memory, your feet take you to your garden sanctuary. The summer sun is no longer an issue for you as the night wind calms your fraying nerves. You run your fingers along the petals of night flowers and watch as they sway in tandem with the tides.

You take a seat on a nearby stone bench, watching the eclipse reflection in the small pond of your garden. An uncomfortable feeling like stone settles in your throat as you push down a hiccup. Silent tears still make it past your eyes.

You wipe away your tears with the back of your hand as you silently berate yourself for always crying. Taking a deep breath, you close your eyes and try to relax your over eccentric heart. The rustling of leaves and citrus smell of flowers calm your nerves quite well.

You hear a rustle that feels out of place and a presence behind you and you sigh deeply.

“Not now, Matthew. I really just want to be alone,” You indirectly ask your knight for solitude.

“Not Matthew,” The presence spits out the name and you gasp as you feel the cold metal of his blade against your throat.

Rodrick.

How could you forget his voice? You don’t move as you watch him circle in front of you. The point of the dagger in his hands remains pointed at your throat. You swallow your nerves, the slight movement enough to scratch your skin against the sharp blade.

“You embarrassed me. In front of all of your citizens,” Rodrick begins to monologue. It’s hard to make out his face in the dark light and the angle at which you sat, but the glare he emitted was easy to feel.

“No, you embarrassed yourself. Who told you killing someone else would bring back your dead son?” You ask to distract him. Your eyes dart around your space as you try to find a path to run away from him, or something that can hinder him while you find help.

“The ruler I serve said so. And I believe in their word.” He continues.

“Who? Desire of the Endless?” You scoff as you look at his red armor. The lustful color and crest he bore on his chest plate was easy enough to piece together. “Have you ever considered your ruler is merely using you as bait?”

“They would never,” Rodrick says back in disbelief. The blade dips slightly for a moment as he backs away.

You take that slight moment as your chance, grabbing at the layers of your dress and sprinting back towards the castle.

“Matthew!” You scream at the top of your lungs and you pray that it's heard past the music.

Hedges and thorned flowers scrape at you and get caught in your dress. The sound of pounding feet catches up to you and a yelp leaves your lips as Rodricks tackles you to the ground. Your crown dislodges itself from your head at the impact and you’re screaming as you fight back as best as you can.

His hands come around your throat and you grab at his wrist in panic. Rasping breaths leave you in huffs as he squeezes harder and harder. The edges of your vision start to go black as the lack of oxygen leaves your body wanting.

“M-Morpheus,” You call out weakly.

“No one can hear you now, you pathetic queen. No one can help you—”

The weight is lifted off of you abruptly and you turn on hands and knees as you intake as much air as you possibly could. You turn back around and stand on wobbly legs and watch as two silhouettes fight each other. One, you knew to be Rodrick but the other was new. The person was armor clad in silver, so it was neither Morpheus nor Matthew. One moment, Rodrick was standing, and the next he fell to the ground in a slump.

“Come, let’s get you back to the palace, Your Majesty,” Your savior comes closer to you. The dagger that Rodrick had threatened you with is still in her hands.

“Who are you?” You ask as she takes your hand and begins a fast walk away from the dead body.

“You may call me Gault, Your Majesty.” Her pace is faster than yours and in your still shocked state, you fall to the ground. Gault turns around quickly and bends to help you up from the elbow.

“Jessamy, subdue her,” You hear Morpheus' voice nearby. The sound of armor accompanying him.

“What?” You question as you fall back to the ground. Matthew is by your side in no time, holding you up steadily.

You watch with confusion as Jessamy holds both of Gault’s hands behind her back and kicks her knee in so that she kneels to the ground.

“Forgive me, for not coming sooner,” Morpheus whispers to you. He unclips the half cape he wore and drapes it over your shoulders. Your abrasive run through the gardens leaves you more exposed than what would have been considered appropriate.

“Wait, no, stop,” You interject as he returns his attention to Gault.

Morpheus ignores you, insisting to himself that your ramblings were from shock. It’s obvious to him that Gault was going to hurt you. As soon as he noticed that you weren’t in the ballroom anymore, he was quick to leave the dance and come looking for you.

To find you being hovered by one of his own soldiers with the weapon in her hand was evident enough in his eyes of treason. You looked horrible, your dress in shambles and thin cuts scattered across your body.

“I was protecting the queen,” Gault states the truth slowly. “I had no intention of hurting her. I merely wish to keep her from harm.”

“Listen to her, my lord. Please, I beg you, she is speaking the truth,” You plead once more. The hold that Matthew has on you shifts from protection to restriction as you try to fight against him.

Morpheus ignores you once more, and while your cries hurt him, bringing you justice will satiate the pain. “You do not get to decide what I saw with my own eyes. How do you think you should be punished for the attempt on my queen’s life?”

Gault pushes her head up higher even as the realization dawns on her. “I am not afraid.”

“You should be.” Morpheus stalks closer to her.

“I will rather die afraid than knowing I lived without truth, my lord.” You hear Gault whisper.

Morpheus doesn’t bother with a response. The shadows of the eclipse seem to elongate his shadow as he paths closer to her. Your pleas once again fall on deaf ears and tears sting your face red. Your screams have turned raw in your throat as you helplessly watch.

In the darkness of the eclipse, you barely register the sound of Morpheus unsheathing Jessamy’s blade from her scabbard. You don’t see it, but you feel it—the sticky warmth of blood splattering across your face. The iron taste rests heavy on your tongue as your mouth falls open in a gasp. It mixes with the wine and creates a concoction that makes you dry heave in the grass.

You hear it, too. As Gault doesn’t die from the first strike and her blood effectively drowns her as she tries to breathe. Morpheus swings again and the head thuds to the ground, her body following quickly after as Jessamy lets her go.

Your scream echoes across the vastness of the night.

Ah, Morpheus you walking red flag you. Also, I'm not going to lie, idk how to redeem Dream boy over here after this chapter cause wtf is this bitch on (I know I wrote him but what the fuck?)

Someone tell me I did good, it's summer and I no longer get academic validation

♡ Yours, Layla

Tags: @dnarez @arunawayheart @acdassenza @ella33 @karma-is-a-god @bluespecs14 @boo8008 @dragon-kazansky @i-voluntears @deniixlovezelda

#the sandman #dream of the endless #morpheus #morpheus x reader #the sandman fanfic #dream of the endless x reader #dream x reader #the sandman x reader #sandman x reader #destined dreams of love

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eunoiaastralwings · 2 days

Text

First Snow

featuring bucky x reader

fandom mcu- tfatws era

warnings talk of his trauma, fluff

a/n reader you are my oc - deal with it ;) inpirsed from my oc's storyline and a series

Bucky saw as it started to snow in New York city for the first time in this year.

His expression immediately darkened. He remembered the cold of the ice – the white of the snow, the pain Hydra had caused.

He wasn’t too fond of snow after what happened to him in the snow, where it all began – where he was kidnapped and made into the Winter soldier.

No.

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. Snow was merely another season. He wouldn't let it hurt him anymore.

He looked around at the city, snowflakes falling gently to the ground. But there was no escaping it – snow meant winter. And with winter came the memory of cryo-freeze in Hydra.

Bucky’s fists clenched involuntarily. He had to get a grip – but all he could see was the white surroundings and the pain that came with them.

“Bucky! Bucky!”

Right then – you ran up to him – grinning as you quickly wrapped your arms around him, just as the first snowflakes fell around you.

Bucky’s eyes widened as he was suddenly embraced by you. He stiffened up at first – his instincts from being the Winter Soldier still strong.

But then relaxed once he recognized the familiar feeling of your arms around him – you were his light, the agent that was trusted and sent by Steve to look over and monitor his recovery in Wakanda – something tells Bucky, Steve knew you would fall in love with each other – and especially why he had asked you of all or anyone.

He hesitantly raised one arm and gently touched your hair – his metal hand trailing down your silky locks of wavy hair.

“Gotcha!”

You grin up at him.

Bucky then chuckled – still a bit surprised at your sudden appearance, but then again, he should have been you were always only within arm’s length always caring and loving him.

He gently wrapped his metal arm around you – holding you close and then again reaching with his flesh hand to gently stroking your hair.

“You really know how to make an entrance, Doll.”

He teased – his voice low and affectionate.

But you noticed, his blue eyes flickering slightly towards the falling snow, trying not to frown at it and focus on you.

You knew his fears with snow.

“You know. . . in there’s a myth in my culture – if you watch the first snow with someone, your love will be fulfilled. . .”

You smiled – explaining to him to ease his mind.

Bucky's gaze softened, a warm smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“Is that right?”

He asked – a hint of playful disbelief in his tone.

He pulled you closer as the snow continued to fall – his hand gently stroking her cheek as he marvelled at you – still unable to believe someone like would choose someone traumatized and used like him.

“Well, then I’m glad I got to spend my first snowfall with you, Doll. But. . .our love is already pretty damn fulfilled, in my opinion.”

“I agree!” – You giggle.

“But it’s true – In Seoul, the communication network crashes when it’s the first snowfall of the season! It’s crazy! They’re all trying to set up dates with their crushes. Why? If they watch the first snow together their love becomes true!”

You smiled explaining to him.

The entire time – Bucky listened to your explanation with a soft small smile – completely captivated by your passion and enthusiasm.

He gently brushed your soft light bangs and leaned down to kiss your forehead.=

“Well, in that case. . .I’m grateful for this snowfall, for bringing us together. . .” – Bucky said softly – his blue eyes sparkling with affection.

“And not just because it made my very beautiful girlfriend come running out into the snow to surprise me. Though that was a nice added bonus.”

He adds – knowing you’d had come out knowing his fears with snow and you had officially changed his view of the snow into something else more beautiful with your words.

So you grin – having successfully distracted him from the trauma of the snow before nuzzling towards him.

“Me too. . .”

His heart swelling with contentment with your nuzzling.

“You know, Doll. . . I never thought I’d be the type to believe in superstitions.” – He said – a hint of wry amusement in his tone.

“But if there’s even a chance that watching the first snow together can make our love even stronger, then I’ll take it.”

“Me too – always and forever.”

You promised.

*Bucky smiled down at Tara, gently tilting her chin up so that their eyes met.*

“Always and forever, my Darling doll. . .” – He whispered, his voice filled with love and adoration.

“You’ve given me everything I could ever want or need, and I promise to return that love with every ounce my heart.”

Bucky leaned down to kiss you deeply – pouring every bit of adoration and loyalty he felt towards you into the kiss.

“I love you. . .”

You figured against his lips.

“I love you more, doll . . .”

tagging: @batsyforyou </3

@winterarmyy - since you liked this idea of Bucky's trauma associated with snow :)

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glade-constellation · 2 days

Text

Long ass text post here we go. All my thoughts and feelings on the current TSAMS lore.

Just a warning, there are 2496 words under the cut, lmao.

MOON :

(Warning, there is a brief mention of suicidal ideation in this section.)

First off, the whole thing with Moon. I’m personally not the biggest fan of how the fandom is handling his situation, considering he’s most likely dealing with some form of psychotic PTSD. Solar literally died in his arms. That is going to have repercussions on his mental health. He’s not crazy or insane, he is severely traumatized. And it’s not like this was a sudden change in how he behaved, he’s been showing signs of decline since Solar’s death. Monty literally saw Moon hallucinating three weeks before this confrontation happened, and just decided not to tell anyone about it. Jack heard Moon mumbling about his plans for Ruin, but Jack is young and didn’t know how to handle the situation. Moon’s computer saw the signs and also told no one. It’s not like he just snapped. This has been a steady decline built up over months. People were either too scared to share, or saw the signs and just wanted to believe nothing was wrong with him. Moon got this bad because no one tried to help him. It doesn’t help that people are viewing Moon’s self destructive actions at his literal feelings on certain things. Sun literally told Earth that Moon will say rude things to get out of an argument quicker. Everyone is so upset about the things Moon told Earth, but they aren’t understanding that Moon very likely meant absolutely nothing of what he said. He was trying to run, but Sun and Earth were standing in front of the door. He was currently running on the mindset of “hurt someone enough and they will just let you leave”. Earth has every right to be upset that he even said those things, yes, but Moon is not thinking rationally right now.

Some of the stuff he kept repeating really shows how far he’s fallen into his depression. He doesn’t care how much his family currently hates him. He doesn’t care if Solar hates him after he brings him back. He doesn’t care about pretty much anything that isn’t directly related to bringing Solar back. He even said he doesn’t care if he himself dies. He has one goal in mind and is completely blind to everything else. This is suicidal ideation. He may not want to die, but he doesn’t care if he does.

That being said, Moon has crossed so many lines. His morals have been skewed way past what most people consider wrong and right. He’s hellbent on getting Solar back, no matter the cost. He’s genuinely not thinking of anything but his end goal, which is going to, probably literally, blow up in his face. The whole point of why he’s doing this in the first place is to make his family happy, and he’s putting in a lot of effort to make it happen, but isn’t liking the real reaction he’s getting. His family isn’t just upset with him, they are scared of him. Moon may not have heard this, but both Earth and Lunar’s first question when hearing about Moon’s current state was “Is he safe to even be near right now”. Which is a valid question considering how physically violent Old Moon was. Lunar even states remembering these reactions when they used to share a body, and how much it scared him. For being so dead set on reminding people he’s not the Old Moon, it’s almost funny how far he’s crossed the line of what Old Moon did.

Even worse, Moon is using Old Moon’s sacrifice as a way to push his own current ideals. He feels he has a legacy to live up to, considering Old Moon gave his life to save Killcode, and also feels he is failing miserably at it. Killcode still ended up dying later on, Solar died in his arms, his family is still going through hell. He blames himself for everything going wrong, even if we as an audience know none of it is his fault. He won’t stop until he feels vindicated of these “failures”. Eclipse had a comment in a recent episode about how all Moons run on a hyped up sense of ego, and that’s very clearly showing with what Moon’s feeling right now. Moon takes extreme pride in being the protector of the family, and feels he has failed in every way imaginable.

( I would also like to point out how Moon keeps saying he’s getting back a Ruin for what he did, but that’s not even his plan anymore. When Bloodmoon took Ruin, Moon sent Molten after them and said he could have Ruin. Ruin was the whole reason Molten even showed up in the first place. Moon changed trajectory and decided to use Bloodmoon to bring Solar back, because he agreed to let Molten have Ruin if he could find where the two had gone. Bloodmoon may be a reoccurring villain, but he had nothing to do with Solar’s death. He’s honest in mourning as well, over his brother that Moon helped kill. Bloodmoon is a bystander in this situation that is being dragged in unwillingly. Yeah, maybe that’s a good idea considering Bloodmoon is going after Monty, but this feels morally wrong. )

Sun :

This episode showed a lot about how far Sun has come in the past two years. Back when the show first started, Sun would have immediately caved in an argument like this. He would have made a point to get his side across, but his voice would shake and he’d stutter over his words and physically cower away from Moon. Now he faced Moon and very clearly spoke his side of the argument. He walked right up to Moon while talking too. It’s almost got this bittersweet feel, because he’s grown past his trauma with Old Moon, but like. It’s sad that his reaction is what it is in the first place. The moment he learned what was happening with Moon, he acted resigned. Like he knew he was going to be the only one to be able to deal with it. He never should have needed to learn this reaction in the first place.

Eclipse comment about Sun being the most stable in this situation is so sad to me, because it’s true. Sun has spent his entire life dealing with Moon. Most of Sun’s problems that he’s had to deal with, for his entire life, have been due to Moon. It’s the sad truth. Sun woke up, then Moon appeared and straight up told him that he would make his life a living hell. When they finally began functioning as siblings and decided to split bodies, Moon created Eclipse. On top of Eclipse, Moon still acted out and would both verbally and physically berate Sun. When Moon was reset, he then had to deal with Moon misjudging his grief over what he had lost. He’s had years of experience handling Moon and his outbursts. Sun may not be perfectly fine, but he is currently the most equipped to handle this situation.

There’s something poetic about how this current situation parallels Sun’s past. He also dealt with a psychotic episode after he killed Bloodmoon, and was locked in a box as Moon’s attempt to stop him from killing Eclipse. There’s a lot of similarities. I think the biggest difference is simply how Sun is handling this versus how Moon handled it. Moon trapped Sun in a small box that he could barely move around in and stripped him of his magic, leaving Sun completely defenseless. The fact that the box was invisible was probably also not helping with Sun’s hallucinations. Sun was left alone in probably one of the most defenseless positions he could have been left in, and didn’t seem to be planning on ways to help him after Sun was trapped.

Sun is going in with a plan, something Moon didn’t have. He also has help from the rest of the family. What I’m hoping is that Sun won’t do the same to Moon, and that the containment room that gets built is an actual room. I’m hoping Sun plans for after Moon gets captured. Earth probably won’t want to hold a therapy session with Moon after what Moon said to her, but that doesn’t mean they give up on giving him therapy. That doesn’t mean they give up on getting him help. (With the luck of the TSAMS characters, this probably won’t happen, but I wish.)

Earth :

Earth as a character in general is probably the most relatable to me besides Lunar. It sometimes makes talking about her situation hard for me, so I apologize if this section doesn’t do her justice.

It’s obvious that Sun isn’t the only one dealing with revisiting old trauma. Earth has brought it up in many episodes how much she can’t bring herself to trust her own family due to the Creator. She wants to, so badly. She makes excuses for her brothers when she sees signs of them not being truthful, because she wants to believe they would never hurt her that way. She wholeheartedly did not want to believe something was wrong with Moon until Eclipse brought her irrefutable truth.

She’s stumbling. She already deals with a heavy amount of self doubt, and now she is dealing with everything Moon said to her. A lot of who she is is built around this idea of needing to be perfect, to be good at what she does. That was the whole point of why the Creator made her. She is the Better Daycare Attendant. Moon calling her a fake therapist and telling her that she’s bad at what she does tore down that already wobbly sense of perfection. She’s been trying to logic her way through every time she feels herself become imperfect or inadequate, but she can’t work past what Moon told her using the same tactics. Not only is Moon someone whose opinion matters a lot to her, he was blunt in the way he worded things.

Her trust is shattered, her pride is destroyed, and it’s bringing up a lot of past trauma she hasn’t fully worked through. She’s also still dealing with Solar’s death on top of this. The only person who will sit down and listen to her problems, that she is comfortable talking to about them, is Eclipse. He’s one of the most unqualified people to help deal with these problems, in all honesty. Everyone else is either busy or dealing with too much of their own shit. There’s a lot she needs to work through, but there isn’t a clear or easy way to do that. There never really is, but this situation is definitely terrible circumstances for it.

I do think we might see an argument between her and Monty soon. Learning that they kept Moon’s condition a secret did not make her happy. In my opinion, a valid reaction. I don’t really care how good Monty and Moon’s friendship is or used to be. They absolutely shouldn’t have kept this information to themself.

Lunar :

There isn’t much to say for him as he didn’t have a large part in the episode (understandably on Reed’s part). He honestly has so much going on right now that I’m not really surprised by his reaction. It’s just one more thing going on. He’s stressed constantly and can barely handle what’s happening just with his own stuff.

It’s interesting to me that he said the situation would make him cry. Currently, I feel like Lunar hasn’t really cried since he was revived. He’s more prone to bursts of anger nowadays, or just some form of dissociation. Him saying he would cry and talking about his past when sharing a body with Moon feels like falling back on old trauma responses.

I’m interested to see if we get his reaction to this situation in future episodes.

Eclipse :

Obligatory Eclipse mention on my part. I’ve already talked about him recently, but I will always take any chance to talk about my guy.

I absolutely love how he keeps trying to tell himself he doesn’t know why he’s helping. He obviously knows why he’s doing it, he’s just too prideful to admit it. I’m still not over the “I’ve come to learn with Moons, they’re really egotistical. Reminds me of myself.” He is so overly self aware, and finally seems to be at the point of realizing that.

It’s upsetting that there’s a real chance he’s going to leave once Solar is back. Dark made it sound like he was going to have to die in order for Solar to live, which is even worse. Despite Moon saying that no one will ever love him, I do think Earth will mourn him when he’s gone, regardless of if he dies or leaves. There’s a slight possibility Lunar would as well, considering Lunar still has a part of him that wishes for the brotherhood they could have had. After that one conversation in the atrium, Lunar seems to have calmed down a little, and Eclipse has definitely grown a little past where he was.

Solar :

This section is pretty speculative, and more about stuff I couldn’t really fit in Moon’s section that related to Solar. (Warning, this section briefly talks about suicide.)

I am still reeling over what Moon said about Solar’s reaction when he brings him back. The whole line about letting Solar die again if he wants. Like, there are several layers of “fucked up” to that statement.

First, I don’t believe Moon one bit on that statement. I don’t truly believe that Moon would ever, under any circumstance, let any of his family willingly die. He is much too prideful of his role as protector, and he cares far too much for his siblings to let them get that far. He’s also grieving for Solar, I don’t think he’d ever let go of him if they’re able to bring him back. He didn’t let Killcode die when they separated, there’s no way he’s letting Solar right after he gets him back.

Second, that’s not how that works. If Moon brings Solar back, he is then responsible for the life he brought back. Willingly letting Solar die again because Solar wants it is literally enabling suicide. That’s just, no. I wouldn’t ever be able to look at Moon the same if he allowed that.

But I doubt Solar would want that if he was brought back. As much as he’s probably going to hate what Moon’s doing right now, I highly doubt he would throw away another chance at life. He would absolutely respect the effort put into getting him back, even if he didn’t necessarily like the actions taken. I don’t think Moon’s plan is going to work anyways. I really do think Eclipse is going to be the one to pull it off, probably after Moon tries, which is going to cause a lot of things between them.

#🌟 Ten Talks #🫧 Lunar Laughs #tsams #sams #the sun and moon show #sun and moon show #tsams moon #tsams sun #tsams earth #tsams lunar #tsams eclipse #tsams solar

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fieldofdaisiies · 1 day

Text

azriel x eris | 5,2k words | warnings: explicit descriptions | masterlist

Azriel drops his hands, resting them on the mattress on either side of his hips. The top-most straps of his leathers are undone. Now that a hint of worry creeps in, he can’t continue immediately.

He is no newcomer to bedroom activities – quite the opposite actually as Azriel is very acquainted with many practices in the bedroom. But there is one thing where he lacks experience, where he has no experience at all: he has never been with a male.

A male that is his mate.

Everything will be more intense. Feel more intense. That is what the mating bond does to lovers.

Azriel’s heart starts to race again, and he feels how his palms turn a little clammy.

Eris can sense his mate‘s sudden discomfort and asks, “Are you scared?” He reaches for his mate’s hand and lifts it to his mouth, then kisses his palm.

Azriel's throat feels too tight all of a sudden and he needs a small moment to answer. “I‘m worried I will do something wrong,” Azriel sheepishly admits. “I have never been with a male…I don’t know if—”

“Everything will be alright, I know it.” Eris bows his head, a small smile on his lips. “I‘ll make sure you feel good and I have no doubts that in the progress I will feel just as good.”

A delicate, yet ethereally beautiful smile appears on Azriel’s lips that has Eris gasping for air. He swallows, his throat bobbing when he finds himself getting lost in the beauty of his mate. He truly belongs to him, even though it feels surreal. But Azriel is his. His mate. .

A moment passes where neither of them says something. Eris is giving Azriel all the time he needs, while Azriel silently considers how they shall continue.

Then, after sighing deeply, Azriel finally opens his mouth, the inside a little dry. “Can I…can I undress you?” Azriel clears his throat. “I want to see you.”

Without saying a word, Eris rises and lets his mate do exactly what he requested. Azriel is gentle and careful, a little shy at first and hesitant, all his touches delicate and sensual, his breath held most of the time until Eris stands before him, naked as the day he was born.

Azriel knows that he has never seen a more beautiful and at the same time painful sight.

Eris‘s chest and back, usually always hidden beneath immaculate finery, are marred by large gashes that have healed, along with many scars, smaller and larger ones. Old ones from his childhood, new ones Beron had only given him a few days ago.

Azriel swallows thickly, feeling both fury and agony within him, and lifts an equally scarred finger, carefully touching Eris‘ skin. His eyes close, lips quavering. “All Beron’s doing.”

“Mhm.”

Azriel places his palm fully against Eris‘ chest, and meets his eyes. “He was a creature.”

Eris‘ hand reaches for Azriel, not the one he has placed on his chest, but the one at his side and he lifts it to his lips, kissing the shadowsinger‘s scarred knuckles. “He was, but he is gone now.” A small smile blooms on his lips that are still pressed against Azriel‘s skin. “You shouldn’t worry about those.”

“But I do worry, Eris.” Azriel sighs. “Because I care. I care about you, Eris and I care about every little scar he caused you.”

The shadowsinger exhales audibly, his breathing a little ragged, and lowers his chin, nodding shallowly. “And I am here to help you forget everything he has ever done to you,” he says as he steps away, his eyes, despite their conversation, glazed over with desire. “I want to erase every reminder of his doing from your skin.”

Azriel’s bare feet tread lightly on the ground, when he moves behind Eris, assessing his back. His fingertips gently brush his skin, all the scars, smaller and bigger ones, until he lets fingers stroke lower, to the male‘s rear, softly caressing his skin.

“You are beautiful, Eris.” The spymaster steps into him, his lips now on Eris‘ shoulder. “I have never seen a more stunning male before.” He blows out a long breath that has Eris shuddering when it dances over his skin.

“Azriel,” he whispers and turns so they are once again looking at one another. Tears line his eyes, because everything Azriel has said has struck a cord within his heart.

Eris lets his hand trail up Azriel’s arm, to the base of his throat and then curls his fingers around the Illyrian’s neck. His lids close the moment their lips meet. Azriel gasps softly and Eris loves the sound of it.

“Together we will overcome our fear of fire,” Eris whispers against Azriel lips that are still connected to his own with a string of saliva. “Together we will erase all the memories that have been haunting us for centuries.”

“Together,” Azriel whispers. He kisses his mate so softly as if a feather touches his lips. A surge of heat and passion surges through them, and the bond starts to glow even more radiantly.

“Allow me to undress you, Azriel.” Eris takes a small step back. “I deem it a little unfair that I have not yet been allowed a glimpse of your wonderful body”

Azriel doesn’t answer immediately. Not because he has to think long about the answer, but rather because he is so distracted by his mate’s body, all the strong panes of muscles, the fine dusting of red hair on his chest and below his navel and his cock, now standing proudly and making Azriel’s mouth water.

He has never seen — he has seen naked males before (his brothers in the birchin) but never like that. He never looked at them like that, it would have been incredibly inappropriate and he hadn’t even thought about doing it. But now he is looking because it is all his. His mate.

“We can also stop here, Azriel. I won’t push you to do anything you don’t like.” Sincerity laces each of Eris’ words, and he takes Azriel‘s hands into his. “I know you have never been with a male before, I don’t want to rush or pressure you. And I don’t want you to do this because of—”

Azriel quickly stops him, saying, or rather shouting, “I want this! I want you.” His chest lifts with a deep inhale. “I may seem hesitant, but this is only because this is all new for me…but I really want you, Eris.” He claims his mouth in a searing, passionate kiss and when they part, eyes glazed over with lust, locked, he adds, “I really want you to fuck me, Eris..”

He grins, colour blooming high on his defined cheeks when he takes in Eris‘ slightly overwhelmed expression. And in a sensual voice, that is at least an octave lower, he adds the one word that breaks the camel‘s back and loosens all the restraints Eris has had on himself, “Please.”

It takes all of a second for Eris to shove the shadowsinger back against the wall, wings flaring with the impact of Azriel’s back hitting the hard wooden wall. Both their hands start to fumble with Azriel’s Illyrian leathers, trying to get them off as quickly as possible.

First, Azriel’s jacket is gone when finally all straps are open, and Eris tosses it on the floor behind him. The pants of his Illyrian leathers follow, and lastly his underpants.

Eris gasps audibly, not only at his mate’s size but… “Fuck,” he breathes, “you are beautiful.”

No verbal answer from Azriel’s side follows. He only kisses his mate, lips melding perfectly because they were made for each other.

Breathlessly, they part and Eris holds his mate’s gaze. “Oh Azriel,” he drawls, “you never have to say please when it comes to that.”

Azriel tips his head back with a low, sensual chuckle, a wicked grin adorning his handsome face. “Yet you still like to hear it.”

It annoys Eris the tiniest bit that Azriel is right. Cauldron-damn him, it can’t be possible that he can already read him so well.

Yet, Eris has to laugh, freely and loudly, and when he calms down, he says, “Shut up and use your mouth for more important things.”

It is all Azriel needs to hear before dropping to his knees in front of the High Lord of Autumn, marvelling at the beauty of mate‘s cock, that stands hard and proud. Azriel’s lips coast down Eris‘ groin, placing featherlight kisses to his pale skin, humming while drinking in his mate‘s scent.

Azriel slowly licks over his lower lip, not once breaking eye-contact with Eris. “More important things, you say?” he drawls, and drags the flat of his tongue over the broad crown of Eris length. “More important…like this?”

His hand braced against the wall behind Azriel, his head tipped back and with a growl leaving him, Eris nearly comes undone at the sight of the shadowsinger on his knees in front of him. He has no idea how he will be able to let Azriel continue. He will fall apart before they even get started, this is just too much, he knows this.

Eris lets his free hand drop to Azriel’s chin, grasping it between his thumb and forefinger, tipping it up. A sensual grin appears on his lips when he says, “You are mine, Azriel. Say it!”

Azriel grins in answer – a sight that makes Eris’ knees wobble.

“I‘m yours.” The same lips that uttered these words fasten around his cock only seconds later. Azriel sucks him gently at first, having to find out how this is done. He has always been on the receiving end, never given that sort of thing. He takes Eris a little deeper, gagging and then coughing when the tip of his length hits the back of his mouth.

Eris chuckles softly. “Shadowsinger.” His thumb strokes over Azriel’s cheek, who looks up at him through lowered lashes. “Go slow.”

Azriel runs his hand down the length of Eris‘ shaft with the next sucking motion. His lips are soon slick and swollen, both with precome and saliva and he tries once again to take him a little deeper.

"Oh fuck." Eris‘ lids grow heavy, his mind entering a stage of tranquility whenever Azriel creates magic with his tongue, allowing him to drive deeper into the wet heat of his mouth. But despite the weight of his lids, he manages to hold eye contact with his mate, and uses one hand to brush a few strands of hair out of Azriel’s face.

He can’t tear away his gaze from his mate’s eyes – the pupils have darkened with desire and seem even more endless and beautiful than before.

And as he stares, Eris tries to keep his thrusts shallow, holding his hips still to not pound too hard into Azriel‘s mouth, but when the shadowsinger’s nails pierce into the flesh of his ass, there is no more holding back. He gives into the carnal need to truly claim him as his, to fuck him.

Azriel’s eyes start to water, but he takes everything his mate gives him, until the High Lore of Autumn comes with a shout that bounces off the walls and reverberates through the spymaster of the Night Court.

Azriel swallows greedily, licking him clean and then looks up at his mate with nothing but love in his eyes.

"You are…" Eris is speechless. And breathless, but he tugs Azriel up and seals their lips, kissing him hard and deep, tasting himself in Azriel’s mouth. “Let‘s continue in bed!”

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

“Azriel.” Eris presses a hand against the shadowsinger’s chest, his cock painfully throbbing even now that it is squeezed in between their bodies. “I am a new High Lord, my powers are fresh and strong. I will try, but I can‘t promise I will be soft.”

He has tried before. But he failed. He fucked Azriel’s mouth and even though he could take it, Eris isn’t entirely sure if didn’t hurt him.

Azriel threads his fingers into the High Lord‘s hair, and tips his head up a little. A cruelly beautiful grin spreads over his face and he says, his voice dropping an octave, “Who said I like it soft?” He leans up to kiss his mate‘s jaw. “Fuck me like a High Lord would fuck me. I want it and I can take it. Have all your wicked ways with me.” Azriel lowers his head into the soft pillows and a grin spreads over his face. “I‘m fully yours.”

Eris' lips are soft and warm and when they part, he allows Azriel’s tongue to slip inside. Their tongues tangle, battling a little for dominance until they fall into a perfect rhythm. A moan leaves Eris at the feel of Azriel’s lips against his own. Where his hands are calloused and rough, the spymaster‘s lips are soft, almost silken, pillowy against his own.

"I know what you said, but nonetheless I‘ll try to be gentle, Azriel." Eris feels the soft tickle of Azriel’s breath on his nose, before he sits back on his heels. "I don’t want to hurt you."

Azriel slides his hands up Eris thighs in a languid motion, eyeing the High Lord‘s hard length, mouth watering once again at the sight and the prospect of what is about to come. "I know you won’t hurt me," Azriel says.

Warmth blossoms in Eris' chest, sparks igniting in his heart and now also a kernel of nervousness comes alive within him – he is worried he will hurt his mate.

Hesitantly, he reaches for the small bottle of oil, coating his hands first and then his length. Azriel watches him through a heavy-lidded gaze, lips parted in silent admiration.

Eris is consumed by heat as he leans into Azriel, kissing him softly, while gently working his mate open with his fingers first, using more of the oil, before positioning the tip of his cock at Azriel’s entrance.

"You really want this?" Eris asks, his fingers gently travelling down the side of Azriel’s face.

"I do," Azriel confirms, shifting only a little but making Eris slide in the slightest bit.

"Fuck!" He gasps loudly, his body tensing and a hint of pain passes over his face. His fingers curl around Eris’ biceps, nails digging in. "Don’t stop."

Eris follows his mate’s request, slowly letting him adjust before moving any further into him.

This is their first time. Their first time as mates. They need to savour every small moment of it, fully devouring the moment they share, their bodies finally coming together. Golden tendrils start to weave its way toward the other male, tangling with Azriel’s shadows, the bond glowing brightly within their souls, reflecting in their eyes.

Once settled, and after checking in once more with Azriel if everything is alright, Eris sets a soft rhythm, carefully pumping into his mate.

"Does that feel good?" the High Lord asks.

Azriel‘s lids slowly open. "I have never felt so good, Eris. You—fuck!" He throws his head back with a loud groan when Eris curls his hand around Azriel’s cock, stroking him while still moving inside him.

"I?" Eris rasps.

"You fuck like a god." A lazy grin spreads over Azriel‘s face. Eris returns the grin and begins to move a little faster — his rhythm still affectionate and luscious. Azriel’s back arches, knee jerking up and mouth falling open and a deep groan leaves him.

Eris finds himself marvelling at the fully blissed-out look on his mate’s beautiful face and has to grin. This is perfection, he realises.

The feel of Azriel around his cock, the shadowsinger’s sensual noises, the sight provided to him in combination with Azriel’s scent, rich and musky, almost tips Eris’ over the edge, but he needs to be strong just a little longer. He doesn’t want this moment to end too soon. And he wants Azriel to come first.

"Let go, shadowsinger," Eris drawls, stroking him harder.

Azriel doesn’t have to be told twice, he is almost at the edge, barely able to hold back any longer. So he lets go.

His come coats Eris’ hand and his own chest, and this is when all restraints Eris had on himself break.

He bends over Azriel, claiming his mouth in a searing kiss and against the spymaster’s lips, he says, "I‘ve wanted this for so long." He kisses him again. "I have been waiting for this for so long. I have been waiting for you for so long."

Eris‘ knees buckle, a shudder courses through him when he sucks the skin of Azriel’s throat between his teeth. He needs to let everyone see that Azriel is his. They may have not yet accepted the bond, but Azriel is his, and everyone should become witness to that and see the marks Eris leaves on his skin.

The High Lord’s cock twitches at the sight of Azriel writhing beneath him, riding out his own high. The shadowsinger’s can sense his mate’s nearing release and his right hand brushes up Eris’ chest until he places his palm flat above his heart.

"Let go," Azriel whispers. "Fill me up and claim me."

Eris’ muscles tighten, his nerves are on fire, his skin prickles and then the dam breaks and release washes over him like tidal waves of pleasure, drowning him wholly.

But Azriel is there to catch him, to help him swim. The growl that erupts from deep within him rattles the whole Forest House, shaking all of the furniture, the cutlery and the windows.

The High Lord gets no chance to catch a breath. Not when Azriel is on him a second later, kissing him languidly, sloppily and Eris knows that this was only the beginning of their love making. The starter and the main course will be served in a moment.

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

Eris is quickly rock-hard again when Azriel’s fingertips trace the dips and swells of his lower abdomen. “How do you want me?” Azriel groans, rocking his hips against Eris’ thigh, letting him feel just how aroused he is while placing a trail of kisses down his neck.

“Just like this,” Eris mumbles and his right leg jerks up the moment Azriel’s broad hand grasps him, calluses adding the perfect friction when he strokes his palm up and down his engorged cock.

“Just like this,” Azriel repeats, grinning into the skin of his mate. He brushes his thumb over the tip, collecting the bead of liquid. “Later I would really love it if you fucked me against—”

Knock!

“My Lord?”

Knock!

Eris almost sends a burst of fire through the door, turning whoever is out there and disturbs him and his mate into dust. But he opts for the more proper response and throws his head back with a groan, then in a voice he tries to keep level, he says — or rather shouts, “Not now!”

“But you have a visitor, my lord.”

“Send them away! I have important business to tend to — I‘ll be available in two or three days.”

“It is really important.” The sentry’s voice trembles and Eris can practically feel how much he hates being outside this door. The sentry knows exactly what they have been up to in the past hours, or days — time has become a blur, and they have lost all sense of it in their frenzied love making.

“It can’t be more important than this,” Eris grumbles and turns his head to kiss the shadowsinger‘s head. “Nothing is more important than this.”

Azriel chuckles lowly, curling his fingers tighter around Eris’ shaft, stroking him hard. His tongue pokes out, collecting the small droplets of sweat on Eris‘ neck

“It‘s your mother, my lord. And your brother. Lord Lucien.”

Everything stops, and even Azriel drops his hand. The shadowsinger doesn’t like Lucien, but he knows how much the clever fox probably matters to Eris.

Eris is his mate, so whatever concerns his brothers will from now on also matter to him. Be important to him.

“I—”

“Go!” Azriel sits up in bed and tilts his head at Eris. “Go see your brother.”

“We‘ll continue that later.” Eris rolls off the bed and hurdles to the dresser for a pair of breeches. “I‘ll—”

“We have all day and all night to make love, Eris. And the following days. I‘ll stay right here, naked and ready for when you return.”

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

Nervousness kicks in at full force the moment the new High Lord enters the throne room through the backdoor.

He is greeted by his mother who immediately pushes up from her chair and runs to him, the edge of her dress bunched and held in one hand.

“He is only gone half a day and this court already seems brighter and more alive,” are the words she says upon greeting her eldest and when a loud sob leaves her, her arms wrap tightly around Eris, pulling him flush to her chest.

He is so relieved to see her healthy and fit. Azriel told him about their journey and her arrival in the Night Court, but he could only fully believe that she was well once he saw her. Now he feels at ease.

“It is over,” she says, her voice trembling while holding him safely. A few teary, and whispered words are exchanged, almost like neither of them can believe that the nightmare is truly over, and the horrors that haunted this house for as long as Beron lived are no longer.

It takes them a while to part, both their face blotchy, eyes swollen and damp, when they step away from each other. She drags in a deep inhale and her gaze shifts to the door.

“I‘ll give you two some space.“ Imale cradles the edge of her dress in her hands. “I know my way around here, Eris, I‘ll find something to do in the meantime.“

She brushes past her oldest, and Eris needs a moment to calm his rapidly beating heart before he can do anything. He has no idea if the sight of Lucien back in the Autumn Court will break him, or if it will heal a part of his soul and he knows he will only find out if he dares to look.

Lucien is still standing in the doorframe when Eris eventually lifts his eyes to him.

They are brothers, and have always been and will always be. But centuries of distance, old cold and open wounds lie between them. You can’t just simply erase that and make up.

His little brother doesn’t give him an answer, only stares at him through one eye that is fine and one made of metal. Eris himself should have torn out Amarantha‘s throat for that, but he was too much of a coward to do so. Just like many times in his life.

“Congratulations on becoming High Lord,” Lucien eventually says, his voice cold, void of any kind of emotion and it breaks Eris‘ heart. In all those years, he should have tried to find him, to check on him, and didn’t do so. He can’t blame his little brother for his indifference now.

“I understand this isn’t easy for you, Lucien,“ Eris says, untangling his fingers and then folding them again. “That‘s why I appreciate you coming here even more.”

Deep inside, though, Lucien knows that his older brother has a good heart and that is why he is here. He wants to see it, wants to see his brother's good heart. Wants to see his brother. Wants to have his brother back in his life.

Lucien takes a few steps inside, his heart pounding in the same rhythm as his footsteps sound on the floor.

Eris is almost shaking — this moment is more intense than he has ever anticipated. He only wants to hug his little brother, explain and ask for forgiveness. Nevertheless, he knows he is not deserving of it.

Eris‘ gaze meets Lucien's with a mixture of longing and apprehension. They are brothers, bound by blood, and yet there are centuries of distance between them.

How do you start anew? How do you make up for all the time that has been missed? How do you forgive?

The brothers' eyes lock, and for a moment, the world around them fades away.

The weight of their unspoken history is palpable, a heavy cloak that lies over both of them and is a heavy weight on their shoulders. The silence is almost unbearable, a tension that stretches between them like an invisible thread threatening to snap.

A flicker of unspoken emotions passes between them, a shared feeling of the wounds they have gotten over the years and the time lost between them.

Lucien takes another step forward, and Eris inhales sharply.

Vulnerability, but also hope is etched upon the new High Lord's features as he keeps his gaze on his younger brother. Little Lucien — now a grown male, strong, powerful. And he has missed all of that. Has not seen him grow into the male he now is.

As their gazes hold, the walls of the Forest House, and the woods outside seem to fade into the background, into insignificance, leaving just the two of them. Eris doesn’t even think about his mate, waiting for him in his bed chamber. This is about his little brother, and no one else.

"I often found myself wondering if you would come here ever again." His throat starts to burn when he sees the pain in Lucien's eyes. His little brother is closer now, and he can sense every little emotion within him.

"You are my brother, Eris."

It is not exactly an answer to what he said, but it is all Eris needs to hear. A single tear rolls down his cheek, the back of his mouth aching. He also takes a step forward, and inhales sharply.

"We've taken different paths, but somehow I knew we would always end up on the same one when we're older again, Eris."

Lucien slowly removes his hands from his pockets, not once breaking eye-contact with his older brother.

"I hurt you, Lucien," Eris' voice trembles, thick with emotion, as if teetering on the edge of tears.

"You ensured I was safe after what…he had done to Jesminda and I had been exiled."

Eris marvels at the strength his little brother has gained, standing before him now, talking about Beron, Jesminda, and about what had been done to him.

"I did, but I should've done better. I should have done more, fought for you to stay, protected you better."

"No," Lucien's voice is resolute, a mix of strength and compassion, as he steps closer to Eris. "You did everything you could."

"No, I should have risked my life for my little brother, Lucien. If you were dying on your knees I should be the one to rescue you. If you were drowned at sea I should be the one to give you my lungs so you could breathe. I should have been the one to keep you warm and safe. I should have protected you with my life." Eris' voice breaks, his hands curling into fists at his sides as more tears stream down his cheeks. But he ignores them and continues. "I should have been the bigger brother you deserved."

A small, sad smile tugs on Lucien's lips, then he scrunches his nose a little and sniffs.

"You can be this brother now. From now on, we'll be carrying each other until we say goodbye on our dying day."

Eris cautiously opens his arms, a mix of regret and longing in his heart. Lucien steps in, his eyes now wet as well, mirroring the emotions Eris feels.

He wraps his own arms around his older brother, and it feels so oddly familiar.

Their hug is like a strong connection, a way of saying things without speaking. Eris holds his little brother tightly, tears streaming down their faces as they find comfort in each other's presence. It's as if the hug is healing the wounds of the past, of the centuries they lost, the centuries without the other one being present.

As they hold onto each other, Eris and Lucien share a moment of understanding, they let their emotions run wild, and allow themselves to be vulnerable..

"Though we don't exactly share the same blood, you're my brother and I have never stopped caring about you. I’ve never not thought of you, or your safety," Eris says, voice weak and shaky.

"No matter who my father is," —Lucien leans back a little, leaving the embrace— "I will always be your brother."

"After everything that has happened?"

He reaches his hand up to grasp Eris' shoulder. His features are stern and slightly cold, but his heart is slowly healing, the wounds finally sealing. “Yes, after everything that has happened, Eris."

"Thank you for coming here, it is a big step, I know this. This place…the memories."

Lucien bows his head, his eyes flickering with unspoken words.

"Will you—" Eris lifts his hand to his mouth, coughing, then clearing his throat. "Will you be staying for longer?"

This time, Lucien shakes his head. "No, no, I won’t. I think I am not yet ready for that."

"I understand."

"It is not only because of this place, Eris, but I‘m an emissary. I need to head to the Mortal Lands for…emissary business."

"That’s alright." It really is. Eris only wants what is best for his little brother, and for him to feel comfortable.

"But I want us to talk again. Talk about everything. In peace. Just the two of us. Maybe in a different place — or court."

Eris exhales a long breath, his chest heavy, although his heart seems to feel lighter after their conversation. He smiles a little when he lets his gaze run over his little brother, who is no longer so little. “We will talk. About everything and I will explain everything to you.” He sighs. “I can’t quite— it doesn’t seem real that you are ready to forgive me and be my brother again.”

Lucien smiles in response.

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

“Where were we?” Eris pulls down his breeches, his shirt already discarded.

With a chuckle slipping through his lips, Azriel pushes up on his elbows the moment his mate pulls back the blanket and climbs onto the bed, consequently also on top of him.

“You held your promise,” Eris smirks, lying down atop Azriel, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “Still naked and ready.”

He rocks against the spymaster and manages to elicit a sound he has come to love in the past hours, a sweet and simple moan.

When he leans in, though, to steal another kiss, Azriel stops him by placing his hands on Eris shoulders, then letting them travel up so far that he can cradle his face. “Tell me about your meeting with your mother. And your brother. Tell me everything, High Lord.”

tag list for ACOCD @hnyclover @honeysuckle-daydreams13 @a-frog-with-a-laptop @queercontrarian @fandomsmultiverse @acourtofbatboydreams @chunkypossum @baileybird71 @beckkthewreck @hells-sluttiest-new-arrival @owllover123 @acotarobsessed @goldenmagnolias @honeysuckle-daydreams13 @v3lv3tf0x @talibunny30 @allyhill @popjunkie42 @skyesayshi @going-through-shit @mybestfriendmademe @12334555666 @nickishadow139

general Azris tag list: @azrielsbabyg @lady-riel @moonlightazriel @aayo-whatt @brekkershadowsinger @ladyelain @banasheefan56 @a-frog-with-a-laptop @ofduskanddreams @berryzxx

#acotar #acosf #azriel #azriel x eris #azris #eris vanserra

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iamleesi · 2 days

Text

THE HUNTERS & THE SOLDIER

Pairing: Avenger! Bucky Barnes x OC! Avenger Reader

Summary: You, Bucky and the brothers are having troubles understanding literally anything. And a certain Super Soldier finally confesses why he is so harsh towards you.

Warnings: Really obsessed behavior, kidnapping, mention of stalking, unwanted kiss on the cheek and some disturbing behavior (none of it towards reader or any of the main characters), blood, feeling sick and I think that’s it? -> 18+!!

Other: English isn’t my first language.

-> Masterlist

-> Part eight ; Part ten

-> Garden of Eternal Love (09)

You had been walking through the almost empty streets of Lincoln for about half an hour, just minding your business as you walked past by the very few strangers on the streets. It was late at night, probably around four in the morning, but you figured that a city like this would have more people around at this hour. Perhaps it was due to the latest disappearances that more people decided to play it safe and get home early.

You almost didn’t recognize the sound of Bucky’s bike as he stopped a few feet away from you, removing his helmet. He looked quite pissed, and he wasn’t completely wrong to feel that way. After all, it could have jeopardized the mission if the police found him there at the cemetery, alone at night, nearby a an open casket when just a few days ago someone stole a cadaver.

But what was done was done.

“Emma.” He called out, making you stop in your tracks in front of him.

“Fancy seeing you here, I thought you’d be in jail by now.” You said, causing him to roll his eyes.

With a scowl, he tossed his helmet your way and you caught it with a frown. “Get your ass on this bike, we already wasted a lot of time.” He instructed after seeing your expression.

You signed, resigned to the situation. The walk you had managed to calm your nerves, but you mentally noted to finally have a proper talk with him once you got home. There were a few questions you had to ask him, and the fact that he resented you for something you couldn’t control made no sense coming from him, who had been Hydra’s puppet for way longer than you. Not to talk about the fact that he seemed somewhat of a different person tonight, although the snarky comments were still there.

“Fine.” You mumbled, slipping the helmet over your head before swinging a leg over the bike and settling in behind Bucky.

He glanced back at you, his expression unreadable beneath the dim streetlights. “Hold on thigh. I’m not sure I’ll stop if you fall over.” He said, his tone still harsh.

“Where do I hold on to?” You asked.

“Me.” He replied.

You took a moment before forcing yourself to wrap your arm around his waist, before you heard the engine roar. Soon enough, you two were speeding in the street straight to the address Dean texted you.

* * * *

Bucky slowed the bike down as you reached an imposing iron gate, locked securely with a massive chain. As soon as he turned off engine, the only source of light disappeared, leaving you both into complete darkness once again. You could see Dean’s Impala parked not far away from the bike, though, so Dean and Sam must have found an entrance nearby.

The only sound that broke the silence was the soft crunch of Bucky’s footsteps as he navigated in the darkness, his torch casting feeble beams of light to illuminate the path. You spotted a gap in the fence, just wide enough for someone to slip through.

“Hey.” You called out, drawing Bucky’s attention. “Over here. Watch your steps.” You murmured, stepping through the opening.

Bucky followed suit, illuminating the scene before you. Despite the land having an owner, the place looked abandoned. The trees twisted and contorted in an unnatural, almost, shape and the overgrown lawn was just a tangle of weeds and thorns.

“Not even Steve’s backyard sucks this much.” You heard Bucky say, as you two started trudged along the road leading to the house.

You didn’t respond, the sudden feeling of a splitting headache made you momentarily speechless. It felt as though someone was repeatedly hammering at your skull, the pain so sharp that you had to squeeze your eyes shut and clutch at your temples.

“Hey.” Bucky’s voice cut through the haze of agony, as he noticed your distress. His hand landed on your shoulder. “You alright?”

Struggling to open your eyes, you were met with a blurred vision you had never experienced before. Sure, a simple headache wasn’t uncommon for you, but this intensity was new. It felt as though your head was being crushed from within, and then, a warm liquid trickled down from your nose.

“What the-” You began, reaching up to wipe away the liquid. As your vision cleared slightly, you realized it was blood.

“You’re not dying, are you? Loki will turn me into a snail if you die.” Bucky’s attempt at humor fell flat, his concern evident beneath the dry chuckle he let out. Watching you struggle to maintain your balance, he swiftly looped an arm around your waist for support.

Your health had always been great, thanks to the fact that your blood was mixed with the Wendigo’s. You couldn’t even die if someone really tried, and many people tried over the years and yet there you were. That’s what made this sudden pain and disorientation so baffling, it was starting to feel more like something deep within you was struggling to break free. You knew it wasn’t normal, but you didn’t really try to think of what was happening when you felt like fainting.

You barely registered what Bucky was saying, the piercing sound in your ears shutting out everything else.

Bucky quickly maneuvered one of your arms around his shoulders, carrying you towards the house. The Super Soldier barely had time to watch his surroundings, but he saw a shed in the distance, not far from the house, and he did a metal check of going there later - he had a strange feeling about it.

By the time he reached the house, you were already unconscious and Bucky didn’t waste a second to pound on the door repeatedly until Sam swung it open.

“Hey, man- what’s wrong?” Sam asked worriedly, immediately helping Bucky in carrying you inside - although Bucky could have done it on his own.

“I don’t know.” The Soldier said tersely, as they laid you on the couch, and as if your pale skin wasn’t alarming enough, the nosebleed didn’t seem to stop.

With gentle but firm hands, Bucky positioned your head to prevent you chocking on your own blood, pressing a few napkins taken from the nearby coffee table against your nose to staunch the flow.

“Sam, the bathroom has this button that cleans your-” Dean began, entering in the room, but cutting himself off when he saw your figure laying on the couch. He ran to your side, looking between his brother and Bucky. “Is she dead?!” Dean’s voice rose in panic.

“No.” Bucky reassured him, checking your pulse because he wasn’t too sure himself. “She’s never been sick before. She was fine until we walked beyond the fence, it happened almost immediately. She never said anything about feeling even remotely ill today.”

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance that went unnoticed by Bucky since he was still focused on you. Sam approached the window, drawing back the curtains just enough to peer outside for confirmation.

“It’s the symbols on the trees.” Sam began, causing Bucky to turn his attention towards him, waiting for an explanation. “Most of them are anti- demonic symbols, made by Malcom himself probably to… ward off demoniac entities.” He looked at anything but Bucky’s eyes as he spoke.

Bucky’s frown deepened. “What does this have anything to do with her?”

“Wendigos are demonic entities.” Dean sighed. “And her blood is mixed up with theirs, which explains the sudden sickness. She was able to enter because she’s still half human; other creatures wouldn’t have that privilege.” He explained.

“She… Is she going to die? She’s losing a lot of blood.” Bucky’s concern was evident, his voice oddly soft as he kept his eyes on you.

Dean glanced down at you too, his expression wasn’t too different from his. “There are no symbols in here, she should be safe. Just give her some time.” He reassured, although his tone was worried.

“You could have said this before we came here, I would have dropped her home.” Bucky said, pissed.

“We didn’t know it would have an effect on her. She was born human, after all.” Sam let out a sight, slightly feeling guilty about your state.

Bucky clenched his jaw, tossing away the bloody napkins to get clean ones as he continued to attempt to staunch the flow of blood from your nose. “Where’s Malcom?” He asked, remember the whole reasons why he drove all the way here to the cemetery.

“Not here.” Dean sighed in frustration, sinking down onto the other side of the couch. “He vanished, just like Mrs Miller and the creature locked in her house. We’ve hit a dead end once again.”

“Why call us to come here, then? You could have given us this information back at the safe house.” Bucky muttered, shorting a glance in Dean’s direction.

Dean took a moment before answering, almost as if he was thinking of a proper answer to give.

“We don’t know if Malcom is dead or alive and we don’t know if he took a part in all this mess, so we wanted to leave things as we found them… which involves his laptop.” Sam explained immediately before Dean could respond, retrieving said laptop from the nearby table. He approached Bucky, offering him the device. “He left behind some videos, of himself, and I think you should take a look.”

Bucky turned his attention on the screen as Sam pressed play.

The footage opened immediately with a desolate yard, where Malcom’s figure moved silently. He approached a tree, where some probably homemade stairs were nailed on its trunk. Which each step he took up to what Bucky imagined was a house on the tree, the camera trembled and he could hear some noises in the background.

Finally, Malcom turned the camera towards himself, his smiling face finally on the screen. Bucky was able to see his house on the back so that must have been the backyard as he suspected.

“Hello!” Malcom greeted the camera cheerfully, waving. “Today it’s truly a wonderful day, I made a friend - Adam.” He chuckled. “He’s quite the popular guy around here, I met him at a bar downtown and everyone greeted him - that never happened to me.” Another chuckle followed. “But truth be told, I don’t really like him. He’s my future girlfriend’s boyfriend, Cassandra can’t seem to get rid of him… though I know she wants to.”

In the background, muffled screams could be heard after Malcom’s words, his smile faltering for a brief moment. “Sorry about that, that’s Rue.” He explained. “She isn’t much of a social butterfly, much like my Cassie, that’s why I brought her home.”

The camera turned to reveal a woman, her resemblance to Cassandra herself was unsettling. She was on the floor, bound and gagged, her eyes wide with terror as Malcom approached. “Say hi, Rue!” Malcom’s tone was sickeningly cheerful and Bucky decided then he was some sort of psychopath. “She’s the tenth.” Malcom continued. “Only a few more to go before I practice enough so I can take Cassie back home with me. I want our relationship to be perfect once I manage to get her to like me back, so let’s hope for the best!” He cheered. “Now I gotta go, gotta take my girl Rue on a date.”

The camera was turned off, but not before he left a kiss on Rue’s cheek.

Bucky sighed, lowering his head, processing what he just saw. “What- what did he mean?” He knew that already, but he wanted to have confirmation.

“We believe he kidnapped girls that looked like Cassandra to, as he put it , practice on how to be… a suitable partner, as stupid as it sounds, to eventually get her to like him.” Dean explained briefly. “He said she was the tenth, but there are eleven graves outside.”

“Graves?” Bucky frowned in confusion.

“Keep watching.” Sam instructed, sighing.

Bucky complied, and another video began. This time, Malcom appeared in his room, his face covered in dirt and he had his usual smile playing on his lips.

“It’s finally the day!” Malcom’s voice was laced with excitement, as he giggled. “I’m going to bring Cassie here today, everything went according to plan. She’s so, so happy, and so am I! Everyone’s just so happy today!” He moved towards the window, the camera following his gaze to the backyard where the tree with the treehouse stood. There was a sign that said ‘garden of eternal love’, even.

But it was the freshly dug pits in the ground that caught Bucky’s attention.

“Except for Rue.” Malcom giggled again, pointing to a particular pit. “I wanted to let her go but her father’s a cop, I couldn’t risk it.” His tone shifted to sadness, though Bucky sensed the insincerity. “I never laid a finger on any of those women, never harmed them. But they all seemed to hate me! And now they’re dead!” He exclaimed before taking a deep breath to calm him down after the sudden burst of anger.

“I didn’t kill them, though. I gave them a choice, and they made the wrong one.” Malcom said, the camera zooming on his face. “I am not a killer. My mommy raised me to be a good boy, and they’re closer to God this way anyways. So if anything, I did them a favor. Now, I’m gonna take Cassie home, she’s about to leave work… wish me good luck!” He bit his lower lip in excitement, waving one last time at the camera before the screen turned black.

“I’d choose the bear.” You mumbled suddenly, causing their heads to snap in your direction as you finally woke up.

“What?” Dean’s brows furrowed in confusion as he looked at you from his seat.

“Man or bear… I’d chose the bear. That’s a damn psychopath.” You muttered tiredly, forcing yourself into a sitting position. Your head was still pounding but it was slightly getting better. “I only saw the last part, tell me he didn’t record himself doing things to those women.”

“He didn’t, physical pleasure isn’t the reason he took them.” Dean reassured you. Thankfully.

“Glad to see you’re not dead.” Bucky said with what you swore was a hint of relief in his voice.

“Glad to see you didn’t leave me out there.” You said, sighing. “So what now? What do we do? We have absolutely no clue about anything and I feel like we’re making steps backward instead of forward. I even wonder why Fury sent us here; we’re spies, not FBI agents for fuck’s sake.” You exclaimed angrily, raising to your feet. You had to steady yourself against the wall to avoid falling, since your legs were weak. “And now, not only Cassandra is probably dead whether it’s because of this man or her father, but all those women are too, and we are here with empty hands - I’m this close to having a breakdown.”

Your words hung in the air, they knew you were right. Sam and and Dean fought a lot of monsters before and they solved a lot of cases on their own, but this was Hydra. And Hydra can’t be found if it doesn’t want to be found, so it made sense that they cleaned the scene - because at this point the only reasonable answer is that they were the ones to delete all the evidence. Perhaps they left Malcom’s laptop to make all the suspects fall on him.

“What now?” Sam’s tired voice cut through the tense silence. “Should we call the cops? Spread the word about those videos, Cassandra disappeared not too long ago… if the police put out an alert for a serial killer on the loose, we might scare him into making a mistake.” Sam suggested.

“No.” Dean objected immediately. “Involving the police would be drawing all the attention on Malcom, and what about Hydra?”

Sam took a deep breath nodding at his brother’s words and didn’t answer.

“Every time I think we’re getting somewhere, shit happens.” Bucky sighed, frustration evident in his tone. “Was it Michael Sawyer who kidnapped Cassandra or was it Malcom? It feels like all we have are speculations and nothing concrete. Are we even sure this is Hydra? First Tony mentioned traces of the super soldier serum in the victims, now we’re dealing with supernatural creatures? Fury doesn’t even have the decency to answer the fucking phone.”

“Midlife crisis is hitting hard.” You mumbled, earning a glare from Bucky. “Sorry, not the time… Listen, let’s do a recap with everything, alright? See if we missed something.” You suggested. “So, what do we know?”

“That Fury sent both me and Sam and you and Bucky here knowing what Hydra was doing. He paired us up because we know things about the Wendigo and you two have been in Hydra most of your lives. We know that Hydra want an army full of those creatures for their own twisted ideas, and Michael Sawyer is involved since he used to be the crazy scientist in the facility you were kept in. Also the Wendigo inside his house is not a hint we can ignore.” Dean summarized most of it.

“How did the Wendigo end up in his house? And how come it didn’t eat anyone? Are you sure you were the only one that could control it?” Sam asked, the last question was directly for you.

“Yes, when I was in there.” You nodded. “But it’s been ten years, so maybe… maybe they found someone else.”

“Or they found another way.” Bucky said.

“Or they found another way.” You repeated, agreeing with what he said. “After all, they’re capable of anything.”

“Do we still believe that the Wendigo in question is Cassandra?” Dean asked, looking at each of the people in the room.

“It’s the most logical reason. Imagine: you manage to create your own, boring life after Hydra falls and one day your daughter brings up your past. She’s a threat to you, and for the people you worked with, so you eliminate her and whoever might have a clue, which was Adam.” Sam explained his point of view, and you personally agreed with it.

“Why now? How did she even find out? And why didn’t the police investigate when she disappeared?” You asked, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Hydra has tons of connections, it wouldn’t be wrong to think they intervened in the investigation. After all, corrupted cops are not unusual.” Bucky suggested. “And to answer the other questions, you mentioned that Cassandra vented about her biological mother’s other daughter to Adam, and the thought of it drove her insane. I’ve been thinking, what if the woman has connections with Hydra? He disappeared for the first time when Cassandra was left on the doorstep and he kept in contact with this woman for what now? More than twenty years? Was this other child older or younger?”

“Younger.” You replied. “She should be in her mid-twenties now. William has been texting me details he keeps remembering. But this girl in question isn’t Michael’s daughter, so technically they’re half sisters. Why would she be so mad about it?”

“Because Sawyer kept this part of her life private. I was angry at the world too when I found out that our father had another son with someone who wasn’t our mother, and he was more present in his life than ours. He left me and Sammy starving in motel rooms while he brought our half-brother to baseball games. I wanted to kill him; it was the very first time I genuinely wanted to hurt my father and the kid he chose over us.” Dean said, sharing a part of his and Sam’s life neither you or Bucky knew anything about.

His head low as he spoke. “Cassandra was left on Mrs Miller’s doorstep before she could even walk, and then years later she found out that her biological mother was asking about the other daughter and not her.“ Dean finished.

“It would make a lot of sense to think that she wanted to find out more about her biological mother, digging in her father’s past. Which eventually led her to find about Hydra and what her father did to people during the time he was away.” Sam said, sitting on the couch beside Dean.

“Another reason to think this woman has ties with Hydra too.” Bucky added, reaffirming his previous point.

“This makes sense, actually.” You acknowledged, registering the things they said. “And what about Malcom? Was Cassandra just too unlucky to be caught between a rock and a hard place? On one hand, a psychopath obsessed with her who kidnaps women, and on the other, another psychopath who’s a part of a terrorist organization that kidnaps people.”

“But then again…” Bucky let out a heavy sigh. “These are speculations. Whether it makes sense or not, concretely what do we have? Almost nothing.”

You bit your lower lip, then turned to Sam and Dean. “Did you two check the whole place? Maybe there’s something around here. At least to know if it was Malcom who took Cassandra or not.”

“Except for a few creepy things upstairs, the house is normal. No signs of fights, hidden doors or blood. Absolutely nothing. Everything’s just dirty, but I don’t think the guy’s first thought was cleaning the house.” Dean replied.

“What about the shed outside?” Bucky suggested. “I saw it when I was bringing her in after she gracefully passed out.” He pointed at you, and you rolled your eyes at the remark.

“Uh… is there a shed outside?” Dean raised a brow, clearly unaware of it.

Bucky pinched the bridge of his nose, his annoyance evident. Understandably. Malcom was nowhere to be found in his house and who said he wasn’t hiding there?

“We’ll go to check.” Sam said, hitting his brother lightly on the shoulder.

“I’ll come with you.” You proposed, though you weren’t feeling much better than before. The headache persisted, and you had a bloody taste in your mouth, but at least now it was manageable.

“No. You sit your ass back down.” Bucky sternly said.

“No.” You protested.

“It’s better if you stay here.” Sam backed Bucky up, rising from the couch ready to get out and see what both him and Dean had missed.

“What? Why?” You asked, frowning in confusion.

“We’ll explain later, Em, but I really don’t like the idea of you dying.” Dean explained cryptically, his words leaving you more confused that before. He wasn’t making any sense.

Bucky moved to join the brothers, but Dean halted him. “When Sam said ‘you’, he meant both of you. Have fun while we’re away, kids.” He remarked with a good smile, before leaving with Sam and closing the door behind them.

“I hate those two.” Bucky grunted, sinking further on the couch.

“They’re not so bad.” You shrugged. “They just don’t make sense sometimes. I heard them talk about stopping an apocalypse once. Weird, isn’t it?” You chuckled at the absurdity.

Bucky looked at you with a raised eyebrow. “You do realize a God, specifically your best buddy, tried to conquer Earth just to get back at his brother, right? What makes you think other Gods aren’t as bad? If we’re even talking about Gods here.”

“I’m not really an expert in Gods’ behavior, James, I only know two. One has murderous instincts after every minor inconvenience and the other one is frightened by lizards. Nothing really makes sense here.” You shrugged. “And Loki isn’t bad once you get to know him.”

“Didn’t he try to turn you into a lizard because he knew you’d run to Thor and Thor would embarrass himself in front of everyone?” He reminded you, emphasizing Loki’s nature. He wasn’t close to the God of Mischief, but he knew you were. For some reason.

“Everyone has issues.” You said, shrugging, trying to rationalize Loki’s actions. Not that he ever did anything against your consent, you did actually think that his idea was funny. “Besides, he was the only one decent enough to not treat me as some kind of outcast when I joined the team.”

“Nobody treated you as such, I was there.” Bucky countered.

“You did.” You reminded him. “I’m not saying they weren’t kind. But they never tried to- listen, it’s not the place to talk about it. Everything’s in the past, so let’s just wait for Sam and Dean to get back so we can go home.”

Bucky didn’t respond immediately, his gaze fixed on you as you settled down on the other side of the couch. “How are you feeling?” He asked with genuine concern in his voice.

You met his gaze before replying. “Better than before.” You shrugged. “Thank you for not leaving me out there by the way.”

“Why? Would you have done it?”

“No.” You answered honesty, shaking your head. “But I don’t have a burning hatred for you.”

Bucky looked away for a moment. “It’s not like the reason why I don’t like you is an excuse, Emma. And I already said I’m trying to be better. You- you didn’t even apologize to me, not once ever since we met again.” The last part was almost murmured, and you could sense some frustration.

“Met again? What does that even mean?” You scoffed. “And you keep acting as if I had a choice. You never held Wanda or Pietro accountable for actually joining Hydra willingly, so why me?” You demanded, desperate to have some answers. “What have I done to you? Why do I need to apologize?”

Bucky bit his lower lip, struggling to find the right words. “Wanda and Pietro never brought me back to Hydra when I finally managed to escape.” He confessed, meeting your eyes with an unreadable expression and your frown deepened. “You did.” He finally said.

… what?

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nyoomerr · 20 hours

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#2, incomplete fic rec?

#2: an incomplete fic for the fic rec ask game

i personally can be wary of reading a WIP fic only for it to end up abandoned / never seeing a conclusion, so i'll reassure you that these are all recs for fics that, while currently incomplete, are being regularly updated!

"In the Red" by ibex_ascendant: sy is carefully trying to pay off his family's debts through steady hard work, when suddenly his debts are bought by a mysterious asshole who wants sy to pay them off ✨ with his body ✨ like it's some kind of dogblood drama. except, there's all sorts of weird details, like this mystery guy feeding sy blood, and sy's health slowly improving all of a sudden, and mystery guy's genuine upset that sy hates him for all of this… it couldnt be... acTUALLY BINGGE?? this one has one of my favorite mean-slash-extremely-pathetic bingges ever.

"two lonely souls at sunset" by lilacbuddy (with art by the amazing @/softandworm!!): sy (a pidw native in this au) is one of bingge's many forgotten spouses - a husband who bingge doesn't even remember the name of. bingge, who has just returned from the mei vs ge extra, decides it may be worth it to entertain the idea of finally getting to know sy, who seems to be a bit different from so many of his other spouses. this is one of my favorites to come from this year's bingyuan minibang!!

"through the eye of a needle" by funeralstrut: luo binghe - the powerful, blackened emperor - crash lands outside sqq's house. this is a problem, because the luo binghe of this world is still a sweet little white lotus disciple, meaning that this new luo binghe can be no one but bingge himself. bingge decides the best way to resolve this situation is to introduce himself with a fake name and move into the bamboo house himself, giving sqq a very awkward roommate situation.

"in search of a flower" by anonymous: sy has even worse luck transmigrating, and ends up stuck in the warm red pavilion as a brothel worker. bingge, post mei vs ge extra, discovers this world during his search for a nice shizun of his own and very quickly comes to the natural solution: using all his riches to buy out every second of sy's time. since it's something that usually squicks me in binggeyuan fics, i'd like to give an extra warning for the "sy / original character" tag here, but it's a generally vague and hand-wavey "yeah he's a brothel worker" situation :>

#im actually reading quite a few wips rn... and the number is only growing as i try to check out all the bingyuan minibang goodies 🙈#i hope you like these ones - thank you for playing!#nyoomerr ask #fic recs

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halleyscomet14 · 2 days

Text

feeling rough

relationship: billie eilish x reader

warnings: mentions of vomiting, nothing at all that includes images! fluff

word count: 1077

summary: reader starts off the day feeling a bit strange with a headache, when things start to feel rough, billie is there to the rescue.

a/n: this is a little short, i just felt like this was a good place to end it. if you have recommendations on which song would fit this fanfic, tell me (doesn’t have to be billie!) i am planing on writing some other sick day story with a different plot, as i have a couple of other things in mind.

small bits of sunshine came into your bedroom as you opened your eyes. the sun shone brightly through the half closed curtains. you turned to your left, hoping to see a glance of billie, only to see that she had probably already woken up and was in the other room, or had fled off to work. nonetheless, you pulled yourself to sit on top of the bed. you stretched your muscles as you tried to open your eyes. a hand went up to support your head when you felt the sudden ache. with your hand on your head, you rubbed the area, trying your best to release your tension. it didn’t work and the headache only intensified. gosh, what was this about?

you shook it off, assuming it would go away as you got ready for the day. you stood up on your feet, and walked towards the bathroom in your room. flicking on the light, you saw your reflection in the mirror. hair tangled, the underneath of your eye purple, cheeks red. you looked so horrible, and felt so horrible from the massive headache. you reached for the teeth brush as you started still at the mirror, wondering what happened.

you walked towards the living room, hoping that billie didn’t have much to do that day. it was very clear you missed spending time with her. you smiled as you saw your girlfriend, sitting at the couch watching your favorite sitcom. she turned around only to see you leaning on the doorframe as you watched her. she also smiled, “good morning baby!” she said in a low voice, looking at you from the couch. “hey” you replied back, in a soft voice. you slowly walked towards her at the couch. you sat down as she opened her arms to hold you tightly. you obeyed, and you fell into her arms, feeling safer than ever.

you snuggled into her sweater, feeling her warmth. she reached out her hand to hold yours. you also locked your eyes to the screen, and started watching the show, when all of a sudden… fuck.

gosh, you felt sick to your stomach. you felt sick all of a sudden. before your brain could think properly, you ran out of billie’s precious arms, and rushed towards the bathroom, kicking the door out of the way. you leaned down as you threw up. it was the worst feeling in the world. your knees felt weak as you kneeled down to the floor. holding on to the toilets cover, you held your eyes closed as you felt this overwhelming feeling that it was going to happen again. this was before you felt a soft hand delicately pulling your hair out of your way. still eyes closed, you breathe deeply, trying to feel at least a bit better. she starts rubbing your back with her palm as you continue to breathe slowly. you sigh, brining your hands to cover up your face in embarrassment and in some realization that you might be sick. it was always a hard time

for you, being sick.

you turn towards billie, seeing that she was on both knees, looking at you with a calming gaze whilst her eyes looked worried. “i think im okay.” you say to her, pressing yourself against the wall with the help of your feet. she softy smiles at you, “i’ll get you a bottle of water. don’t make sudden movement!” she says as she pulls herself up. she reaches out her hand to your head, grabbing it and putting a kiss on your forehead. you look beside you and push the lid of the toilet down and flush. why did this have to happen?

thoughts rumble on in your head as you hear billie’s footsteps bringing you a bottle of water and what seems to be a couple of pills. she passes you the bottle in her hand, “take small sips, baby.” she advises. you try to open the cap of the bottle, but from the weak position you were in, you couldn’t. billie chuckles on your pointless effort trying to open up the lid. “oh shut it.” you say giving the bottle back to billie, asking her to open it. with one twist the cap comes off, and she looks at you smiling, almost laughing from your manner of acts.

“did you feel rough yesterday?” billie inquires. you look towards the floor as you take a sip, “not at all! i just woke up with a headache this morning. that’s all!” you reply. she looks at you puzzled, trying to figure out what might have happened. “let’s get you to bed, baby girl.” she offers as she stands up, only to lean down to grab you in her arms. “ah! warning!” you say in billie’s arms, as you jokingly punch her. she carries you to your bed, softly putting you down. she lays the comforter on top of you, and fixes your pillow. she lays down next to you, “hungry?” she asks. you look up to the ceiling, “not really…” you reply. “well you need to eat. you’re already weak.” she says. you sigh loudly “i have shit to do today! not the time to be sick.” you say, pulling yourself up with the intention of getting up from the bed, you get pulled down with the help of a hand.

“you’re being annoying.” you groan. “gosh you’re so crotchety when you’re ill.” she replies, jokingly. “hows your stomach feeling?” billie asks while she grabs a strand of your hair and starts playing with it. “not well.” you reply in a baby voice. “should i make you something plain to eat?” she asks. you groan again, “i’m not hungry.” you say pursing your lips. “you really need to cooperate with me, mama. or you’re not gonna get out of this sick.” she says, standing up on the bed. “take this pill, and i’ll get you some toast. that’s plain enough that you don’t get nauseous. agreed?” she continues. “yeah.” you reply.

billie gets up from the bed, and as she’s walking towards the door, she hears, “billie!” from your voice. she turns to you, “something wrong?” she asks you. pill in hand, “thank you” you say quietly. billie smiles at you, you reflect. she starts walking towards you, and reaches in to place a kiss on your forehead. she holds your face with her two hands and slightly squeezes your cheeks, then lets go.

#billie eilish #billie eilish fluff #billie eilish smut #fanfic #spotify #hit me hard and soft #hmhas #ilomilo #wwafawdwg #when we all fall asleep where do we go #don’t smile at me #b99 #dsam #hte #happier than ever #finneas

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anithesunshineoutlaw · 1 day

Text

The Van der Linde Boys Cuddling Headcanons

( Realistic, Includes: Kieran Duffy, Arthur Morgan, Bill Williamson, Micah Bell )

Trigger Warning: Portrayal of PTSD, Insecurity and Narcissistic Behavior

Kieran Duffy

Kieran would be the type to hold you very loosely. Whatever he does such as playing with your hair or rubbing your back, he would do it in an extremely gentle way. The sensation of his touch would be so light you might as well mistake it for the graze of a water droplet.

He would speak in a hushed tone, barely moving his body as to not risk disturbing your comfort. Every other minute he would ask how you're feeling, if you're still okay with this, and so on. Admittedly the man is terrified of being too much for you and driving you away. You are everything he has. Literally. He has no one else in this world and frankly, he doesn't need another, as long as you are around it's all he can ask for.

Arthur Morgan

Arthur is the best cuddler ever. Being held by him is like laying in a flower field on a sunny day. It's comforting, peaceful..it's love at it's finest. His arms wrap around you like the warmth of the sun showering you in the day. His hold is gentle but tight as if he can't help but doubt he will deserve to feel this again. He won't say it, no and if you wished to leave he would let you go. But he can't deny to himself that he needs you.

Your love and touch are like medicine to him. The mere action of embracing you melts his heart. When he has you in his arms it feels like this thing between you two..will last forever. That he won't be pushed away again. He won't be alone.

While you cuddle, from time to time, Arthur would lean down and kiss your forehead or he would cup your cheek and admire you for a moment. Not saying a word, just staring into your eyes. You are so beautiful to him. So so beautiful.

Bill Williamson

Bill is not the fondest of cuddles, not because he doesn't like doing it with you but more so because he can never bring himself to relax. Even as you lay in his arms, you can feel the tension in his muscles. The constant alert and fidgeting, the quick heartbeat, and the gasp at every sudden noise. His hand jolts towards his weapon at every sound, you can barely calm him down after that point.

He acts like he's not afraid. He's just protecting you, that's all. He's not paranoid. But it's a lie and you both know it. He is afraid, he always is. Especially when having you with him. He can't help but fear you will get hurt. He doesn't know by what but just the thought is enough to keep him awake at night.

His hug is safe in a way. Like a shield from the world around you. He doesn't do much but hold you to his chest but he does strike up a conversation, throwing in a joke every now and then. It's his way of showing he likes spending time with you.

Micah Bell

Micah is not the cuddly type. He would cuddle you if you want, of course, he would but it's not his favorite pastime with you. He is more of a kisser you see. He would prefer to have you in his arms and shower you with kisses rather than just..hold you. But in order to have the affection he wants from you, he knows he'll have to do what you ask for, at least sometimes. He's not dumb after all. Selfish but not dumb.

So he does. He'll wrap his hands around your waist and hold you for as long as you wish. Just say the word and you're free to go...unless he gets comfortable, then you're gonna have to stay with him a while longer.

Micah wouldn't do much. Aside from tightening his hold on you every time you move all you might get is a short talk but that's about it. He might have a cigarette or a drink while cuddling you, just something to keep him busy. His hand would run through your hair from time to time, just a brush but it is a sign of his care. You mean something to him. What? Only he knows but you are going to be staying around.

#red dead redemption 2 #red dead redemption two #rdr2 x reader #x reader #rdr2 headcanons #kieran duffy x reader #arthur morgan x reader #bill williamson x reader #micah bell x reader #romantic headcanons #tw: portrayal of ptsd and narcissism

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thriftingfreak · 2 days

Text

Nothing Lasts Forever

Pairing: Luke Castellan x female ares!reader

Summary: Some moments in time where Luke and you can’t seem to figure out how you feel about one another. Part 1??? Maybe more if y’all like it!

Warnings: Yearning. Pretty much a yearning page at this point. Also a lot of background building. My bad yall. This is so long i’m sorry _____________________________________

the very first night

The day you rolled into camp is a day that will go down in infamy.

At least, for Luke it would.

There was no day he would ever remember more clearly.

The sun rose among the clouds beating down upon the plethora of kids and teenagers. He could remember helping some of the younger Demeter and Dionysus kids in the fields with their different crops ranging from strawberries to the beloved camp grapes. Luke wasn’t the biggest fan of grapes himself but he never turned down one from a Dionysus kid.

“Yes, those look perfect Courtney” A grin spread wide across his face as he watched the girl pluck a perfectly ripe strawberry from the plant. If anyone knew how to grow good fruit, it was a Demeter kid.

As he stood up, he brushed his khaki shorts clear of dirt. A flash of a shadow appeared from the corner of his eye. As he turned around, he came eye to eye with a very bewildered face.

“Where am I?” You muttered out. You bent over, placing your hands on your knees. He could tell that you had been running from something terrifying enough to prompt the expression.

“Camp Half-Blood” was all Luke could muster up.

“What?” Oh, this poor girl had no idea how her life was about to change.

“Are you okay?” Luke asked, looking you up and down. Your jean shorts were slashed and your right elbow looked like it had been burned.

You looked up after catching your breath, you shook your head. It was a dumb question, because anyone could see you clearly weren’t doing too great. To this day Luke still felt embarrassment from it.

But even with your confusion and aloofness, you followed him to the infirmary and get the cuts and gashes cleaned up.

Your feet dragged along the path, a couple feet behind him. When Luke turned around, your eyes were pointed toward the ground to the mud stained tennis shoes.

He wanted to explain Camp Half-Blood and every single thing that came with it, the good and the bad. Although now definitely wasn’t the best time. He was afraid you would burst into tears or worse, start hitting him. Luke learned that some of the campers react in that manor, the hard way. Thoughts rattled his brain trying to figure out the best decision.

“Why are you staring at me? Never seen a girl been chased by a big ass bear before?” you snipped at him. At least she wasn’t crying, he thought.

“Uh, actually I have” Luke smiled at you, hoping you would appreciate the sentiment.

You did not. A scowl festered on your face. Maybe from all this anger you’d end up being an Ares kid.

This thought process would prove him to be correct.

Entering the infirmary, he guided you over to a room with several beds. Collapsing on one of them, you shoved your shoes off. You brought your knees to your chest, staring at the ceiling. It was difficult to comprehend the sudden and profound change in your life. Luke knew the feeling all too well.

Luke sat down in the chair across from you. He watched you, almost with care. You seemed to notice though because you immediately sat up.

“Is someone going to explain what’s going on here?” He noticed the sudden quietness in your voice.

Taking a deep breath Luke started the same speech he gave every new camper, with some exceptions. He left out minor details usually directed toward young campers. You clearly weren’t young, at least 16 or 17. Pretty old for a new camper but hey, Luke didn’t discriminate. A part of him didn’t want to scare you away with all of the knew information, leading to little white lies.

“I’ll give you a tour tomorrow morning of camp but I think you should just rest up for now” Luke stood up, walking toward the door. As much as he wanted to stay, he knew the Apollo kids had to do their job.

“Oh by the way” He turned around to face you, “I’m Luke.”

You gave him a curt nod before shutting the door in his face. __________________________________________

a place in this world

It took a couple of months but it finally seemed like you were settling in. Even though your mom had told you about the Gods and Goddesses and how your father was a God, you didn’t have the heart to believe her. That was, until a hairy brown creature was chasing after you.

For the first time in weeks you noticed you didn’t wake up with a heavy heart, missing home.

Someone else noticed it too.

Luke, very slowly, had built up your trust. He really was a good guy, even though he annoyed the piss out of you at first. Countless lonely nights in the Hermes cabin had been made better by him. He would listen to you complain about everything and cry over missing your mom.

That was until an intense game of flag football concluded in being claimed.

After Chris had thrown the ball to some poor Athena kid, you chased after him. Yanking the strap around his waist so hard it sent him flying into the ground. When the ball launched up in the air, you had caught it, sprinting so hard you thought you were going to throw up. In the end, it didn’t end up counting as a point for your team, to your disappointment. Although when a red holographic boar appeared over your head, peace finally seemed to settle in your heart.

The Athena kid did end up in the infirmary after the game but in your defense no one had explained the rules of flag football to you.

On the other hand being claimed meant moving out of the Hermes cabin. In some ways, this was an upside. No more blue dye in your shampoo or whip cream on your face. You wouldn’t feel like you wanted to drown the Stoll brother.

The one who was affected by your claiming the most though was no other than Luke. So many warm nights of your body heat radiating off of his own were no longer. He couldn’t reach out to you in the dark anymore. Now it’s for the better, he thought.

Even with these bubbling feelings, he couldn’t force himself to come to terms with them. They would sit in the back of his throat, burning and itching. But maybe the pain was worth it.

That night he helped you pack your things up to move in with your newfound siblings.

“I wonder why it took so long to get claimed” You wondered out loud, shoving your childhood teddy bear into your backpack.

“The Gods do everything on their own time” Luke’s face fell into a solemn stare. You knew it was a touchy subject for him, specifically his own father. Ares may not have been the best shoulder to lean on but in his own ways he still managed to beat out Hermes by a mile.

Doing your best to shake his mind from it you said, “Did you see Bryce though? I really didn’t mean to yank him so hard” You smiled at Luke and in return you were granted the smallest laugh.

The next morning, you were itching to hang out with your friends (and distance yourself a tad from your brand new siblings). It was a group Luke got along with, but didn’t care much for. Gods knows why. Of course, however, your new found sister Clarisse remained a part of the friend group and Luke never really liked her. She was soft with you and some of your other siblings but rarely anyone else.

The rocky path crumbled under your shoes as you made your way to dinner. You swung your water bottle around your hands before spotting a warm and familiar face.

“Hey Poppy” a smile broached your face. You linked arms with the daughter of Athena. Even though you loved your friendship with Luke, Poppy was your number one. She had only been here for a month before your arrival, causing a very tight knitted bond between the two of you.

“How was the first night in the Ares cabin?” Sharing a look, you both knew the answer. You shrugged. There wasn’t much to share. Your brothers and sisters didn’t seem to hold their rage as well as you thought they might. Arguments ended in screaming matches. Or a dagger being thrown.

“Listen, I’m hot-headed but they really take it to the next level” You both giggled.

Right before you stepped up to the pavilion, Poppy unhooked your arms, turning to face you. “Are you sitting with us today or,” she paused and in air quotes she said “Lukie Pookie?”

Ah yes, the nickname everyone around camp designated upon him. You knew Poppy meant no harm by it but even just by the mention of him, it felt like a pillow smashed your stomach.

Brushing it off you quickly looked around for him, “I was planning on sitting with you guys and I don’t even think he’s here yet.”

Poppy raised an eyebrow and pointed to the curly haired boy across the pavilion. Shrugging once more, you grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the opposite side of the benches.

Your friends, a cluster of kids from different cabin, were gathered in their usual spot. Before you could even sit down, someone called out your name. Whipping around, it seemed as if the curly haired boy teleported.

“Speak of the devil” Poppy muttered. You lightly smacked her shoulder.

“Hey” A soft smile graced Luke’s lips, “Mind if I sit?”

Interesting.

His eyes lingered in yours for a moment before you shook yourself out of it.

“Of course!” You patted the spot next to you. You mouthed a quick ‘sorry’ to the group, just incase.

A flash of hesitation crossed his eyes but he plopped down anyway.

“Mhm! I’ve been meaning to ask you Luke” your friend Ben started “I was wondering if you could help me with my swordsmanship?”

Luke nodded quickly before turning to face you. It was the signal that he wasn’t interested in the conversation. Although you knew Ben would pry about it later as Ben was also a child of Hermes.

But he didn’t see things in the way you did. Instead Luke focused on how your hair fell in front of your eyes. It took everything he had in him to not move it. Others around him could talk and talk and talk but he was only ever focused on you. Over and over again he chose you. But what were best friends for, right? __________________________________________

snow on the beach

The sound of footsteps against a shallow pier never particularly bothered Luke. That was if they weren’t disturbing his peace.

The humming of the trees blowing in the wind, soothed his mind over. His eyes followed the way the fish swam with air bubbles peeking over the surface.

Watching the water helped slow everything down. His particularly dense relationship with his father was starting to wear down on him. Luke knew how even the scar on his face didn’t do his hatred justice.

Too clouded by his thoughts, he didn’t notice a familiar giggle breezing behind him.

You placed your fingers over Luke’s eyes and he immediately reached up to touch your hands.

He turned around and peered up, meeting your gaze. Luke’s breathe slowed when he met your eyes. There was a mutual sense of warmth between the two of you. Shared between little moments of laughter and light. And just by looking up at you, he knew he was in a little too deep.

Luke could, of course, fess up. But even the thought of that made him want to hurl his cookies. It’s not like he wanted these feelings and trust, he’s tried to get rid of them. They were more painful than awkward. The flutter in his stomach when you stood just a little to close to him. The way he caught his breath anytime you looked up at him and smiled. Or the shakiness in his throat and on his tongue whenever you quipped a snarky comment.

He quickly stood up reveling how he towered over you so easily.

His eyes glanced down to your hands which had been pulling something out of your jean pocket. A small string bracelet was cupped between your hands.

He snatched it from you, looking it over. It was covered in red and blue zig zags. His favorite colors.

“Hey” you whined, “I worked hard on that.”

A grin broke out on his face, “Is it for me?”

You frowned, “Well it was supposed to be but since you don’t seem to have much patience, I’ll be taking it right back!”

Before you could seize the gift back, Luke’s arm shot up in the air, holding the bracelet overhead. It was a trick he pulled on you plenty of times. Of course it did nothing but annoy you yet that was the fun of it.

Many could not dupe a child of Hermes. Even so, if there is one thing you inherited from your father it was the fight response in oppose to flight.

Your hands wrapped around the front of Luke’s orange t shirt, bunching it into a fist. Swiftly you yanked him back just enough before you efficiently shoved him backwards.

In the blink of an eye, he performed a large flop into the lake. Although the water that had skyrocketed upwards, dunked you clean with water. Worth it.

Now soaking wet, his mane of dark curly hair, bobbed up and down in the water.

“Not cool” He sputtered out. He pulled his upper body on the dock, holding his hand out for you to grab.

You sighed, knowing what was about to happen. In order to escape future prank endeavors, you had to let him do it.

Before you knew it, you were handing over your right to dry clothes.

Head hitting the water first, you tumbled off the deck. Your entire body, including the dry clothes, plunged into the inhospitable water. How on earth could fish swim in water this cold?

As soon as you breached the water, Luke shoved your head down. Well played.

“Was that necessary?” you groaned, water stuck in your ears and nose. Luckily it was pretty shallow otherwise you would have been way more upset.

“I have bad news” Luke paused, running a hand through his hair, “I think I lost your bracelet” He hesitantly waited for the backlash he was about to receive.

As soon as your mouth started to curl into a frown he knew it was over.

You dove headfirst into Luke. He tumbled back and you pushed him so far under he hit the sand. Although it wasn’t that deep, he managed to grab onto you, pulling you underwater with him.

Your laugh threw bubbles all around. His brown eyes shot open. For a minute he seemed like he was searching yours for something.

In just a couple of moments, it felt like the world stopped moving. You could feel the air in your lungs start to sting. Maybe it was time to resurface.

You mentally clocked all of the seconds you could spend underwater without passing out.

But when Luke smiled, all of your thoughts went muddy. He grabbed your hand, pulling you up.

You gasped for air, feeling the sharpness. It quickened when you realized Luke’s shirt cling to his body.

Look away look away look away look away.

A hint of rose rushed to your cheeks. You cursed yourself for thinking anything different.

After you two had burned every ounce of energy you had, you found yourself laying on the deck, eyes closed.

You could hear Luke breathe as his chest fell up and down.

The sun started to set in the distance, and the buzz of grasshoppers with Luke laying next to you is all you needed.

It’s all you ever wanted.

Almost as if he read your mind, Luke mumbled “I could lay here for hours.”

You hummed in response, simply glad he appreciated the sentiment as much as you did.

Something tickled your cheek with its moisture. You opened your eyes to find small snowflakes falling from the clouds. Snow, specifically snow at Camp Half Blood was rare.

It was weird, but it was fucking beautiful.

It crossed your mind that maybe it was Zeus’s doing, a little reward. You were reminded that even though the Gods had failed you time after time, there were small moments where none of it seemed to matter.

Like laying next to the boy who pulled at your heart strings when snow fell.

You glanced at Luke and caught a glimpse of his smile. The way his lips tugged at each other, you knew he felt the exact same way. It was provoking the way you both knew the ins and outs of one another.

In the back of your mind, you knew the snow wouldn’t last long as it was the start of summer. But oh how you enjoyed it so.

As some would say, nothing lasts forever.

———————————————————————

Authors note: I definitely meant to put this out sooner however I have been booked and busy! Now that it’s summer, I should definitely have more time to write because I love writing this stuff. Lemme know if you guys want more pieces in time of Luke and reader! Also if you have any requests or recommendations send them in!!!!

-Bee

#luke castellan #luke castellan x reader #percy jackson #pjo #luke castellan x ares reader #percy jackon and the olympians

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