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flowersforchoso · 6 months

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the proposal

cw: established relationship, fluff, soft bihan

it was just midday when you heard a knock on the door.

you ignored, hoping the lack of response would be interpreted as you not being in. however, it continued and you couldn't figure out why because you weren't expecting any visitor(s). it was still early, so it bothered you a little.

another rapping and you rose from the futon. briefly combing through your hair with slender fingers to appear presentable before walking towards the door and undoing its locks, which revealed a lin kuei ninja

"greetings" he said, bowing slightly. "i hope this meeting finds you well"

"hello" you dryly replied, subtly letting it known there was no further room for pleasantries. he seemed to get the hint, going straight to the point by clearing his throat then continued

"the grandmaster wishes to see you. do accept his request"

"oh" you blinked in puzzlement since bihan never utilized his authority this way before, sending underlings to summon your presence, so this was new to you. if he wanted to see you, he knew his way here.

"alright" you say before adding, "but i will have to change first"

"come as you are" the ninja simply said, as if sensing your worries and seeking to dispel them. "it will not be necessary, since it is urgent". now this concerned you. for what could possibly warrant such urgency?

you hesitated a bit, then complied with a step forward. closing the door behind you to follow your unusual guest

the walk was silent as he led you to your destination. your mind wandered about, thinking of what to expect since it was untypical of bihan. worry began to creep in when your thoughts took a dark detour by conjuring up negative imagery of him hurt. at best, gravely injured; at worst, a corpse. which caused you to shake your head in an attempt to eject the grim and refocus elsewhere, your gaze landing on the back of your companion.

wanting to alleviate your anxieties, you initiated small talk. trying to pry your way into getting an answer "i hope he's alright, your grandmaster"

"you will find out in due time" he mumbled, shutting down your attempts; being intentionally cryptic that provided no relief. you huffed in annoyance at the needless secrecy, trudging along the path.

you arrived at the countryside with towering trees dotting the landscape, searching for bihan in the expanse and spotting him. he was waiting under an oak tree in a dark blue hanfu, an attire befitting the leader of a deadly warrior clan and you couldn't help but wonder why he was dressed so… ceremonial, as you approached him. he dismissed his underling with a nod, to leave you both

"so what is the occasion?" you inquired taking in his appearance. he looked magnificent; all grand and imposing and handsome as ever which made you feel insignificant because you paled in comparison to him.

bihan remained silent and immobile, only staring at you. as if committing your face to memory while you let out an awkward chuckle in self-depreciation, assessing yourself "i would've dressed up nicely if i knew there was one"

but he shared none of your worries. his being of an entirely different nature resulting in an almost mechanic affectation; not knowing how to act. ransacking his mind for how to say the words and weighing the implications—whether you'd be receptive to them or not. sweat trickled down his neck and the lack of response from him was worrying to you

"is everything alright?" the drop in your expression drove him into action; actualize the purpose for which you came in a slight tremble of his fingers to carefully retrieve a ring then got on one knee

"marry me" he pleaded. looking up to you for an answer, and to your astonishment. because you hadn't expected such gesture. your eyes widened like a deer in the headlights as you gasped, processing what had occurred. and when it finally hit you, yelled:"yes! yes! i will marry you"

hearing those words expelled his fears in an exhale of relief. happiness was an understatement to how he felt having diligently planned and now reaping the fruits of his labour. he rose to his feet, sliding the sapphire ring on your finger while you squealed in excitement then embraced him, feeling light from his musky scent and expression of want to eternally make you his.

"i would've kissed you if it weren't for your mask" you dreamily sighed, savoring the moment and snuggling against him.

"when we're behind closed doors, you'd have your fill" he replied, a smile coloring his voice that made you blush before detaching to make sense of his emotions from the little you could see; meeting brown eyes and lovingly peering into them

quirking an eyebrow, you ran fingers up his broad chest in playful seduction and purred, "so…what should i expect from being married to you?"

he caught your wandering hand, halting the caresses to intertwine it with his. leaning forward to repay in equal measure, sultrily whispering, "whatever you desire"

warmth flooded your cheeks, painting crimson. the words that danced on the tip of your tongue were not foreign, one he had heard countless times but were still the most valuable, coming from you "i love you"

"i wouldn't want it any other way" he confessed, the profession of your love imprinted on his soul. briefly closed his eyes to envision new beginnings. a joyous home: basking in the glow of conjugal bliss, a newborn's laughter echoing off the walls, his family growing, training his progeny when they are of age into becoming strong warriors, like him. breaking from the reverie to shelve his thoughts—since they were going to be reality anyway—to proceed to the next event of the day

"come with me, i have prepared something to mark our engagement" he announced. hands intertwined and taking you to your next destination.

#bi han x reader #bi han x you #bi han sub zero #sub zero x you #subzero x reader #mk1 bi han #mk1 sub zero x reader #bi han mk #mortal kombat 1 #fluff

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urfriendlylocalidiot · 8 months

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GUESS WHO’S BACK ‼️

In honor of ITZY’s comeback

Reader x ITZY

Returning Home w/ ITZY

Coming home to your love is always the best part

Yeji

She would be so nervous about you coming home after 4 long weeks. What if you didn’t feel the same anymore? What if? Would probably stress-clean the apartment before you arrive. And it would be spotless to say the least. Everything just had to be just right for when you came home.

And just right it was, when you did arrive home, she ran into your arms, just for you to change it to a long-awaited makeout session. Even showing her the flowers you had picked up for her along the way. They were her favorite, proving that you hadn’t fallen in love with her after all. And although you were tired, you were full of adrenaline with being around her again.

Instead of unpacking, you guys decide to just have a long romantic date night. You both get changed and get ready to head out for a night out. Something she really needed, with all the stress of her comeback. You guys decide to get dinner together at your favorite restaurant and catch up on everything that has happened in the past 4 weeks. You end up staying until closing and having to carry Yeji back into your apartment, but you wouldn’t have it any other way.

Lia

You guys definitely missed each other. Like so much. Like handwritten letters every other day since you left. And so when the day finally came that you were coming home, you were honestly both elated! Yes, you had some good times with your new friends, but nothing could truly compare to being with Lia.

When you do get home, she pulls you into a hug and gives you a signed copy of her comeback cd! Needless to say, you guys have a lot to catch up on. Even though you guys wrote each other everyday, there was still so much else to talk about.

You guys end up staying in bed all day, which was honestly just what you needed after a long day of traveling. She told you more about her comeback and you were finally able to see the music videos she had wrote about recording. Obviously you told her some memories you made while away, but they paled in comparison to a whole comeback.

Ryujin

The moment you step foot into your apartment — bags and all, she jumps you.

“I missed you” she murmurs into your neck.

“I can see that” you say, chuckling.

And don’t expect this to change for literal hours. You manage to set down your bags despite having a literal Koala attached to you. It was clear that today was not going to be the day you unpack your bags. Which was honestly fine with you. For the most part of the day you guys just stay cuddled up on the couch, nodding in and out of sleep.

You guys even manage to cook a dinner for you two, it was a simple chicken and rice, but it was still the first meal you guys had together for 4 weeks. It was honestly perfect for you two.

Chaeryoung

Definitely nervous and worried about you coming home. But the excitement easily overpowers that. You’re finally coming home!! After 4 long, stressful weeks without you, you’d finally be home again. And god, you had a lot to catch up on — daily phone calls still weren’t enough to fully express everything.

So when you do arrive home, she jumps into your arms. And she relishes the feeling of finally being with you again. Like she even cries a little out of happiness of you coming home. And she cries even more when she sees the flowers you bought her. She’s just so happy and full of love now that you’re back.

You guys obviously spend the rest of the day together. She even cooks your favorite dinner since you’re actually home now to enjoy it. My god, she’s missed you and neither of you guys can stop smiling from the joy of being together again.

Yuna

AHHHH!! To say she was excited was an understatement, she was literally counting down the days until your arrival back home!! 4 weeks was far too long to spend apart. She would literally wind up at the airport like 3 hours before your arrival time. She was just that excited to see you again!

In order to kill the 3 hours though, she buys you flowers and even makes a poster for you. God knows how she found a poster making shop in the airport, but anything for you. She’s just so happy that you’re finally coming home. She was so restless without you. But thank god, you’re coming home today, so all is going to go back to normal.

When you do land and come out of the gate, Yuna literally runs into your arms. And obviously you pick her up and give her a little spin. When you eventually put her down, you see her holding the poster and flowers and pull her into another hug. Only to pull away to pull out some flowers of your own for her. Needless to say you both missed each other a lot.

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niloerua-writing · 9 months

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Another Tuesday Night

Pairing: Miguel x Black Cat!Fem!Reader

Summary: She got caught. Again. As per usual.

Warnings: Suggestive.

WC: 640

A/n: can you tell that I really like this dynamic lol? making black cat and miguel content is like cooking up a thanksgiving dinner may or may not be associated with Vagabond for reference uses

Anything that sparkled, she’d most likely take. So when it was reported that an important stone was missing in one of the highly secured labs, Miguel knew exactly who it was that took it. Needless to say, she wouldn’t even deny it either.

“I know you have it, gatita.”

Black Cat wasn’t speaking for some reason, her eyes only looking up at Miguel’s red glower as she dangled from her webbed restraints. The webs were wrapped tightly around her arms and torso, her feet barely reaching the concrete floor. Miguel’s eyes glowed with intensity as they narrowed. This isn’t normal for her in comparison to the other times he’d caught her stealing. She would whine about how pretty it looked, how it called for her, how she deserved it. Then, when reinforced that stealing is wrong, she’d grin. Miguel’s anger didn’t seem to phase her at all, it actually emboldened her. There were several instances where he got clawed when he got too close.

“So you’re not going to say anything to me now?” She caught sight of his fangs when he growled- the anger was simmering.

Miguel shifted his attention from her eyes to her glossy lips; the shade would usually change for almost every encounter. He would recall how she’d smirk or stick her tongue out whenever he had failed to catch her or when she would run off into the shadows. Miguel stepped closer, the gap between them nearly closing in. It was impressive how she kept a calm face.

“(Y/n). I’m not going to ask again.” His voice lowered, and up close, he could see her brows furrow. Her lips began to purse inward, the corners of which began to quiver. Miguel could tell she was tensing up: her shoulders stiffened, her chest heaving, and her legs being squeezed together.

“Open your mouth.” He demanded. Her face paled, and Miguel knew from her widened eyes that she got caught. And of course, it would take more than a command to get her to do as he says.

Miguel placed his hand on her jaw, his fingers pressing into her soft, flushing cheeks. He began to slowly add pressure, and after a moment of her whimpering, her mouth was open. A crystalline prism was snug on her tongue, and her breaths were becoming noticeably jagged the more Miguel stared at her pathetic expression. He was almost enjoying this.

As soon as he realized what it was he really came for, he carefully picked up the gem in her mouth, stepping away from the Black Cat.

“What am I ever going to do with you?” He turned his back on her, sighing as he shook his head. The sound of a snap and a heel click prompted the man to turn around again, only to see her standing freely atop his torn webbing, large steel claws retracting back to their normal size.

“I don’t know,” Black Cat gave a stretch, the flex accentuating her curves under the fringe decorated catsuit. “Maybe take me to dinner first and give me a gift before cutting right into the chase for once? I’ll be nicer that way.”

Miguel frowned.

“You’re the worst date I’ve had since I’ve met you.” She sashayed right past Miguel, her arm brushing against his. There was an animalistic urge beginning to wake within him.

Black Cat smirked, her grappling hook whirring out of her gauntlet and gripping onto one of the pipes overhead. Before Miguel could reach for her, she was pulled away, landing atop a window ledge.

“Don’t worry, I’ll come back.” She beckoned her claws at him and giggled. “Spiders are my favorite things to play with anyway.”

As soon as she dove out of the window, Miguel looked at the gem he picked out from her tiny mouth. His fingers had traces of the lipstick she wore.

He won’t let her go that easy next time.

#miguel o’hara x reader #miguel x you #miguel x y/n #fem reader #x reader #aureo shorts

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gooobley · 9 months

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Self. The quivering pitter patter of the mind, thoughts whisking and shifting with the wind. Thoughts which mimic raindrops in the pale lucent night. It’s almost as if my mind is one of its own. It nearly feels that if I remain stable in my unwavering attempts, that once, and maybe just once, i’ll someday see it. Perceive it. In all its utterly perspicacious brilliance. Preeminence radiates off the mind in similar fashion to bountiful rays of the oh so mighty sun. Understood? Its sheer amazement is unquantifiable by even our own acutely attentive, but needless to say, sublunary esse. In comparison, its unco idiosyncrasy simply can’t be traced with reasoning. Now then, with that understanding, here’s a question for you to ruminate on; “Is there really anything more important than self?” I would like for you to ponder on this subject matter for quite some time. Even if you feel like you have an answer, even if it’s already locked and loaded, hold it. Why? Because i’ll answer for you. No. Self is the end all be all. The originator, as well as the only everlasting thing of substance, in a person’s existence. Self is imperative to a person’s being as it is just that; their being. Without self you are nothing, without self you turn shallow inside and out. A dimmed void of regurgitated notions, a shattered remnant of what you once were. There’s this saying that goes, if a tree falls in an empty forest, and no one is there to hear or perceive it. Does the sound still exist? We’ve all heard it before. Now, here’s a spin on it. 5 boys are inside one of the boy’s house. There sits a vase on the kitchen table of the house, and since the boys are inside the house with that vase, said vase exists with no problem. However, let’s say the boys leave the house to go play outside. Since there is no longer anyone able to perceive the vase, it no longer exists. At least not in their current world. That goes to say, it is imperative to us as the very pinnacle of the humane, that we discover ourself before anything. Finding yourself can take time. Decades even. Some even go a lifetime without finding out who they truly were. On a the other hand, all this discussion regarding ontological beliefs brings into question several other notions. Such as: “What determines self? What makes someone themself? Or better yet unique. Is the true value self just an abstraction preordained at birth?”. Let’s say we grab two ordinary boys, make them live throughout the exact same life as the other, would they think the same? Or is there a genetic, or innate factor involved in the way a person turns out in life. Is it all just sociological? Or is there some things we just simply don’t decide when it comes to us as individual entities. Nevertheless, no matter how you cut it, you as a obviously distinctive terrestrial creature of this land, can not be trumped or repeated by anyone or anything. Doesn’t matter how difficult or how many times attempt to replicate it, you, will forever be special. Don’t forget those words.

wanderlust

#cyberspace #goodnight #take care of yourself #the mind's eye #i will always be here #don’t fear the inevitable #behind the curtain

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evolutionsvoid · 1 year

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The beach is a pretty popular destination for those who visit the coast, at least from what I have seen. Sun, sand and surf as they as they say! Get a clear sky with the sun shining, and the ocean right there for all the swimming and shenanigans you want. At least if you are a human or other such fleshy creature. For us dryads? Not so much. Saltwater doesn't agree with us, but a bright sun and warm sand is pretty inviting! So if you ever see dryads show up on a popular beach, you can be sure they will be setting up shop way aways from the waves and will stick to sunbathing. Also, if you are a human seeing a dryad come to sunbath, do accept the fact they are going to be naked and do not make a big deal about. I mean, half of all dryads walk around without clothes pretty much every day! It's just how we do things! Anyways, needless to say, the beaches along the coast see quite a lot of visitors and tourists. If it is a warm sunny day, it is guaranteed! However, visitors may notice that there are some places where the tourists and even the locals don't go. Some beaches remain empty of any sunbathers or swimmers, despite their beautiful location. In many cases, these places are left alone for the wildlife, which I love! Plenty of species use the shoreline in their day-to-day lives, so we need to leave room for them! In some cases, though, these places aren't left alone voluntarily. The cases where locals flat up refuse to set foot on these shorelines because they value their own skin. Outsiders may see these empty beaches and figure they found a secret paradise, all for themselves! The only other creature upon these shores is just some bird, but there is no need to pay them any mind. Right? I mean, what's a bird going to do? Usually the following up thought to that question is "where did my teeth go?" Because it turns out those birds can do a whole lot...

The species I am referring to is the Pugiblis, a large flightless bird that strolls the coastlines of tropical climates. The sandy beaches, rocky shores, tide pools and nearby groves of palm trees are where they like to hang. The species can easily be identified by their brilliant crest of feathers, as well as the weird strutting they do across the shore. There is no mistaking one when you see it, as their silhouette is quite distinct, as they seem to carry themselves with a different energy then other birds. White plumage with bursts of brilliant crimson upon the head, shoulders, arms and tail. Upon their head is a bulbous basal knob, sitting atop a curved beak. Further down the body is where the real interesting stuff lies, as their wings have turned into something quite incredible! As I said, they are flightless coastal birds, which may give the impression that they gave away flight for swimming. Nope! The Pugiblis does not swim, in fact it isn't that big of a fan of getting wet! Much like dryads, they don't seem to like the seawater, and I respect that! Their feet are not webbed and their feathers are not designed to deal with an aquatic lifestyle. So instead of flippers, their wings have turned into something much more awkward looking. Most of their arms look pretty normal, with plumage and a drape of colorful feathers. But once you get to the part you would call a "hand" it becomes pretty bulbous and bare. It looks almost swollen, and the skin has hardened into thick scales. Hooked claws emerge from the mass, but they pale in comparison to the meaty knot that has replaced their wings. When the Pugiblis walks, they keep their wings folded up like all others birds, but those hands still stand out amongst it all. Such a strange structure! I wonder what it is for? Well, you can easily get your answer if you walk up and ask one! And the answer is: POW! When a predator or intruder gets too close for comfort, the Pugiblis raises its crest of feathers and lets out some guttural sounding grunts. Not a very pretty song, but it does convey a message. Ignore their warning, and those wings come out and do their thing. When the bulbous hand is folded up like that, it is actually being held back by an impressive setup of bone and muscle. Essentially all the muscles once used for flight are now converted into storing energy within these mitts. When an attacker starts threatening them, the whole system is released and the hand swings forth with incredible force! Hardened scales and thickened bone has turned these wing hands into meaty clubs, and the muscles behind it all send it snapping forward to clobber foes. If you think the Pugiblis is some fragile songbird, you will get some sense knocked somewhere when this bird decks you. Their strength is nothing to sneeze at, as these same club wings are used to crack open the shells of fruits and mussels. If this thing can split a coconut in two, think of what will happen to your face when a punch connects! Plenty a predator have felt that impact, and have stumbled off with shattered jaws and less teeth then they started with. As mentioned before, Pugiblis are omnivores, going after both fruit and flesh. Thick shelled nuts and fruits don't stand a chance against their blows, and same goes for clams and crustaceans. Their curved beak is used to slip into these cracked foodstuffs and extract the meat within. They are also used to probe the sand for any buried treats, as they will happily eat stuff they don't need to punch. The claws at the end of their hands are used to help position their hardened meals just so before letting out a powerful chop. They also are used for preening and cleaning themselves when they need to look good. This is an important thing for them, as Pugiblis woo the ladies and intimidate the guys by looking magnificent. The brighter the feathers, the healthier they are. Also, a pristine crest shows that they don't lose many fights, as those who get the sap beaten out of them don't tend to keep their style that good. So when you see a Pugiblis strutting down the beach with crest at full mast, just know you are dealing with the master of this shore, who is ready to throw down against any who challenge that title. The reason why shorelines with Pugiblis colonies are left alone is because this species is highly territorial. They have their stretches of beach that they patrol, and any who walk onto their turf are immediately seen as challengers. So even if you just want to sunbathe, don't expect them to stay away when you lay your towel on the wrong spot. They will totally go after you unprovoked, because in their eyes you already made the first offense of intrusion. Attacks by Pugiblis are brief but brutal. The slowly strutting, croaking bird will approach at almost a cautious pace, but when its on its on. They suddenly dash forward with crazed energy and start swinging. Punches fly, legs flail and kick, and the beak gets to stabbing. In some cases, usually against larger targets, the Pugiblis isn't above spitting up a previous meal and launching it into the opponent's face. Those who scramble away from this attack do so with bruises, cuts, probably broken bones and some loose teeth. It is not a good place to be and not a pretty way to spend a vacation. And don't even think of fighting back, as that just makes them even angrier. Beating them won't even solve your problem, because if you somehow scare off or kill the attacking Pugiblis, another one will most likely come rushing in swinging. It turns out, if you succeed in defeating one Pugiblis, the others see you as the one who now owns this turf. Thus it means if they beat you, they get the land! Your brief victory will just mean more aggressive birds lining up for a shot at the champ!

Pugiblis aren't even friendly to their own kind, what with the territorial nature. Even more so when the breeding season kicks in. The big crested males with the prime beach spots get the ladies, and tempers flare when other guys get jealous. Challengers arrive and the brawls go down, with each fighter looking to beat the other into retreating. Thankfully, most fights last mere moments and some don't even occur at all. The feathers and strutting signify health and strength, and angry calls back and forth equate to a shouting match or trash talk. You'll see them square up and circle around one another, letting out grunts and croaks at their opponent. Some of the big birds put on enough of a show that the others run off before a single punch is thrown. When it is time to lay eggs, the females retreat more inland, using their claws to dig holes in the ground for a nest. They will sit upon these eggs and protect, from both predators and angry males. It turns out some male Pugiblis will smash eggs they know aren't theirs, to lessen competition for their young and to perhaps free up the female for another chance at breeding. Not sure why the mother would go with the guy who destroyed her nest, but different species play by different rules. Thankfully, the females are just as good at punching as the males, and can defend their eggs if a nasty vandal approaches. It should be noted that not all Pugiblis have red feathers, as others have arisen with different colored plumage. It tends to vary by regions, with different places having slight or drastic changes in color. I have even seen some with blue feathers, and it is marvelous! However, Pugiblis with red feathers don't agree with my sentiment. Any bird with different colors to their crests are clearly outsiders, and thus should be driven away. Whenever the red and blue ones interact, it is always violent and filled with spitting, grunting and punching. These birds just do not get along, or just really love to fight. Due to their aggressive nature, these birds are left well alone by the locals. The shorelines they live on are kept free from beach goers, or at least smart ones, as no one wants to mess with these angry avians. However, that doesn't mean they're not hunted! Pugiblis are indeed hunted for their meat and plumes, but such efforts must be done from a long range. Those who shoot these birds must be sure they're dead before going in to collect their kill, as an injured Pugiblis will be twice as dangerous. With their fighting prowess and proud nature, it should be no surprise this species' image is used a lot in crests, on signs and as mascots for fight clubs. Their colors and garbs show up a lot in said arenas, as fighters find kindred spirits within these birds. In more darker corners, however, Pugiblis fights are pretty popular. Birds are captured and thrown into rings with others of their kind, while the audience bets on who wins. While their brawls in nature end with a bruised loser, these battles are to the death. These type of fighting rings are illegal, but obviously that doesn't stop everyone. At least I can take a bit of satisfaction whenever I hear that one of these imprisoned birds got loose and beat their cruel master to death. And before anyone asks: no, I haven't ever been hit by one. Not exactly a thing I want to experience. I have taken plenty of beatings during my time as a researcher, so I think I got that area well covered by now. I mean, what do you think happens every time I walk into Eucella's office with another stack of papers? Honestly, I would probably prefer fighting the bird! They seem more merciful! Har! Chlora Myron Dryad Natural Historian

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“Pugiblis”

Look, you know if birds had fists they would punch people. Seagulls wouldn't wait five seconds to sucker punch you and run off with your fries.

#ibis #bird #avian #monster #creature #art #drawing #boxer bird!

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missviola-arts · 9 months

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Jesus, has it really been a year since I've posted here?? I'm sorry for vanishing like that!

Couple of life updates!

I got an amazing job in the field of organ donation last November, but currently I'm taking a small break from recovery and I'll be taking tissue from our branch to our main office on weekdays.

I also got a dog in January. She's a mini aussie, and she's just turned 8 months old. She's precious, and she keeps ripping up my carpet.

Additionally, we welcomed my first niece into the world last July. I can't believe she's already a year old. Time is wild.

I've had a couple of surgeries since I last posted, the biggest of which was spinal surgery to improve my quality of life. It was really a game changer. I still have some pain, but it pales in comparison to the agony I was living with constantly before.

Needless to say, I've been busy af. I won't make any promises to upload more frequently, but I do want to at least make an attempt to get back to drawing more when I can make the time! Finger crossed I see you all again before August 2024.

#my art #artists on tumblr #cityscape #procreate

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casspurrjoybell-19 · 11 months

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CLAIMED - Chapter 16

*Warning: Adult Content*

“Alright, that's enough for today. Rest up well tonight, we have one versus one sparring tomorrow,” Pack Warrior Tank stood, tall and strong, his arms crossed and eyes observant as he mind-linked other Warriors.

The Crescent Moon Pack Warriors stood in various groups, scattered across the expanse of their lush training field as they sparred in pairs.

Both Beta Jaxson Ortiz and his Mate, Head Warrior Corey Cahill got back to work soon after their tether was broken, although they had been granted a few rest days to recoup from the stress of their lives these past few months.

Needless to say, Corey did not manage to get much actual rest throughout those few days, as his Wolf Dashiell anxiously prodded his consciousness every few minutes, ordering him alert and awake to protect their precious Mate from anything and everything that had even a one-percent chance of being a threat to his well-being.

And as of now, they were so busy catching up on paperwork and new Pack happenings that they had yet to act on their new arrangement.

The arrangement that made butterflies burst from their chrysalis in Corey’s stomach to even think about.

All of the Pack Warriors immediately paused at Warrior Tank's announcement, partners giving each other fist bumps and high fives for spars well-fought as they began the long trek back toward Jaxson and Corey, the first and second Head Warriors, to retrieve their belongings and sweat towels.

"Hey, thanks for leading the meeting with that crazy Alpha on your own today. I could feel Dr Benji's discomfort this entire time and I can't fuckin' bear leaving him alone any longer," Tank said, turning his head to flash a crooked, lighthearted smirk in Corey’s direction.

Although, despite his nonchalant exterior, Tank could not fully mask his anxiety from his friend.

Corey could immediately tell that he was feeling a sense of turmoil by the way one of his hands shakily came up to ruffle through the light brown waves atop his head.

As long as he could remember, Corey has always been incredibly sensitive to the emotions and body language of others.

He always considered it his mind's attempt to compensate for his body's lack of ability to outwardly portray emotions, his stony facade forever affixed in a perpetual state of what some called 'resting bitch face.'

Corey nodded respectfully back at Tank, his firmly crossed arms tightening with concern at the mention of his Mate's current ailment.

"Your situation is completely understandable. Our mates should be our greatest priority at all times, leading a simple meeting pales in comparison to your current responsibility," Corey replied truthfully, narrowing his eyes out into the distance as he initiated a silent headcount of their Warriors in order to ensure that no one was being left behind.

"Yeah but you and I both know this isn't our regular 'weekly roundup.' This one is probably gonna be a shitstorm, what with the crazy Alpha of that Feral Pack that keeps giving us issues," Tank breathed out, another hand raking through his hair which was becoming more and more messy by the second.

"But man, I can't focus on anything worth a damn today. No matter how many times I experience it, Benji's estrus cycle always makes me feel like my nerves are going to burst right out of my damn skin," the large man said, shaking his head with an incredulous expression, brows drawn up and eyes crinkling with stress as he bent down to grab his tactical bag. "I don't even want to imagine what it would be like if Benji was full Fae, your brother is in for it when Daffodil finally gets his."

Corey hummed in understanding, leaning down to grab his own tactical bag as he completed his count and their Warriors were all finally within a stone's throwing distance of them.

The Fae race was known for being extremely fertile, with all of their people possessing the inherent ability to carry a child and give birth regardless of gender.

Once they find their mates, they tend to go into a bimonthly estrus cycle, one that is similar to that of a Luna's heat.

However, it’s main difference lies in the magic that the Fae releases during their cycle, said to make the experience indescribably intense, as if influenced by some sort of hallucinatory psychostimulant.

"See you tomorrow, Boss," the husky voice of one of their best Warriors, Gray shouted as she passed me, heading to retrieve her own tactical bag that leaned against the roots of the large willow tree that they used as their training base.

Corey nodded in acknowledgement toward her before more voices began to join in, prompting a cacophony of goodbyes to fill the air as everyone began heading back toward the Pack House, although the Head Warrior lagged behind to make sure that all belongings were claimed.

"I'm gonna head out while I still have at least a shred of sanity left," Tank grumbled, reaching out to smack his heavy palm down onto Corey’s shoulder in a friendly parting gesture. "See you tomorrow at the ass-crack of dawn," he shouted as he jogged backward in the direction of his and Doctor Benji's second-floor bedroom, shooting a formal salute in Corey’s direction before turning back around to face his destination.

Not a moment later did he manage to scale his muscular form up the wall, effortlessly hoisting himself up and through the open window.

His urgency to get back into his Mate's vicinity was not at all lost on Corey who could more than understand the constant, protective itch that lurked just under the skin of a Dominant Mate, shrill alarm bells incessantly ringing in the forefront of their brains whenever our other half was not within sight or scent's distance.

The same alarm bells that were currently making Corey involuntarily move toward the conference room in large, hurried strides, seeking out the place that he knew where Jaxson would be.

His heart skipped about ten beats as he rounded the corner, his large body suddenly feeling light as a feather despite the heavy bag of weaponry that weighed down on his shoulder.

‘There he was.’

Corey’s lips twitched upward a millimeter as his brain attempted a smile, although the brief display of emotion would be lost on most, if not all, of those who witnessed it.

His Mate, Jaxson stood there, propped up against the wall, his cute, springy black curls kissing his pale forehead as he tilted his head down to stare at his cell-phone.

His long legs crossed at the ankle as he lounged against the wall outside of the conference room door, completely oblivious to the large man who was making his way down the hallway in the direction of the both of them.

This man was tall, likely above six and a half feet of lean muscle.

Just this observation alone indicated to Corey that he was the Feral Pack Alpha that they were meeting with today, Alpha of a pack in which most of the members spent their lives in Wolf form.

He was barefoot, with dark, flowing hair terminating just underneath his pecs and clothing that comprised of nothing other than a heavy cloak and britches made of stitched rawhide.

The Alpha wore multiple necklaces and rings made of bone, ones that told tales of battles long fought and long won, clinking dully as he walked.

However, the most noticeable feature was his skin.

Skin that was saturated with swirls of black ink, covering every visible inch aside from his upper neck and face, on which a straight, thin line of ink led steadily over each cheekbone to meet on the bridge of his nose.

The Head Warrior held the visiting Alpha’s intense, hazel-eyed gaze as they silently sized each other up, Corey’s Wolf, Dashiell rising higher in otheir consciousness as they recognized the presence of another Alpha, especially one that was deemed dangerous in the eyes of the Crescent Moon pack.

Corey moved with even more earnest intent as he neared Jaxson, his eyes never leaving the threat of an Alpha as he moved to enter the conference room but not before his eyes drifted down to his feet and back up again, a foreboding hint of darkness in their glassy depths.

Now, there are very few things that manage to quell anger inside of him.

However, a threat, no matter how inconsequential, toward anyone important to Corey is the quickest way to achieve it.

He barely contained a growl from escaping his tight chest as the Alpha disappeared, instead gritting his teeth and swallowing down his frustration as he breathed in the infinitely calming scent of the beauty before him.

‘The scent of my mate.’

"Stop grumbling like that, you big meathead," the voice of Corey’s beloved graced his ears, finally detaching his eyes from the spot at which the Alpha disappeared and instead shifting them down to the smaller man in front of him, the Beta who held his entire heart.

A teasing smirk graced Jaxson’s plump lips as Corey gazed down upon him, his pale skin seeming to hold an ethereal glow in the light that cascaded down from the large hallway window.

Meanwhile, a perfect, black coil drifted down into the space between his bright green eyes.

No matter how many times Corey did, each time he saw Jaxson felt like the first as he perpetually fell deeper into the spell of all that he is, delightfully hyper-fixated on every little detail.

For example, he could easily find himself completely enraptured for hours over the way his Mate’s adorable nose crinkled in four different spots when he was angry or the delicate but proud curves of his kneecaps or the way his sneezes were somehow akin to the sound of a cat's meow, or the way he...

"Uhh. Hello. Earth to Corey."

Corey blinked as Jaxson's hand waved in front of his eyes, the action snapping him out of the infinite trance that he surely would have lost himself in if not for his Mate’s intervention.

The Warrior cleared his throat in an effort to regain his bearings, reaching out to take Jaxson's wrist between his fingers.

He fought the gnawing compulsion to pull him straight into his chest and never let the smaller man go but he realized the action to be slightly unprofessional given all of the higher-ups currently filing into the conference room beside them.

Instead, he settled for tugging Jaxson’s hand to his lips, instilling a soft kiss to the thinner skin of his inner wrist.

"Oh thank fuck, I thought that my sarcasm sent you into shock or some shit. I swear I'm working on it, I'm just kind of an asshole at heart and it's hard to unlearn stuff and..."

Corey silenced Jaxson with the tip of his index finger, pressed delicately against his plump, pink lips.

Lips that he wanted to... to do so many things to.

"There is no need to change any part of who you are for me, Jaxson," Corey murmured, his own lips still brushing against the sensitive inner part of his Mate’s wrist. "I am fully aware that you mean no ill intent."

Jaxson’s pale skin tone immediately gave way to a light pink color that quickly permeated his high cheekbones, his eyes glistening and lids wavering as if there was something that he desperately wanted to say sitting directly behind them.

However, instead of speaking, he released a pent-up breath, gently pulling his wrist away from Corey’s hold and brushing past his Lover to the door of the conference room.

Just before he could slip inside, the beauty shot Corey a somewhat shaky smirk that the head Warrior could sense was slightly forced, slapped on top of his true emotions like a band aid.

"Well come on, they aren't going to wait all day for you to stop staring at me like you want to eat me, you cannibal."

Corey followed obediently behind Jaxson, eyes immediately darting around the large, rectangular table that filled up the center of the space.

At the far right end of the conference table sat Alpha Oasis Amador, tall and proud as he mumbled back and forth with Corey’s little brother and Luna, Berlin Cahill, who sat just to his right.

Next to Berlin, Beta Jaxson Ortiz was currently sliding into his designated seat, slumping his body into the leather the moment it made contact.

Filling the rest of the right side of the table were about six more of the Crescent Moon pack higher-ups, including Oasis' assistant Sam, their Head Patrollers and a few others.

At the center of the other side of the table sat the Feral Pack Alpha, flanked by two muscular Wolves who were obviously a part of their Pack judging by their similar state of dress and the sharp-looking tattoos that painted a large portion of their dark skin.

They sat, arms crossed against their bare chests, lips set in a straight line as their kohl-lined eyes discreetly but continuously scanned the group.

Corey could tell his own kind from miles away.

These men were Warriors.

He quickly took his assigned seat and set his tactical bag next to him, all senses unwaveringly observant as he settled in.

His position, which was directly across from their guests and closest to the only exit door, was intentional, as he could easily get across the table to intervene just in case any of their guests decided to handle business in a... less than favorable manner.

His head snapped to the left and the already fairly quiet room completely silenced as Alpha Oasis cleared his throat.

The Crescent Moon Alpha sat straight up in his high-backed chair, setting his clasped hands on the tabletop in front of him as he prepared to speak.

"I will skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point, as I am well aware of the fact that we are both exceedingly busy men," Oasis deadpanned, his expression steely and incredibly impassive as he held the icy gaze of the Feral Pack Alpha. "Alpha Sephtis, We are gathered here today to discuss the matter of your pack members crossing over our territory lines. It has occurred multiple times over the past few weeks, and has continued despite multiple warnings. We demand an explanation in lieu of degrading our packs'... relations."

An uncomfortably tense silence descended into the room as the Feral Pack Alpha did nothing but stare at Alpha Oasis for a long moment.

It continued that way until one of his Warriors proceeded to shift his weight, bone necklaces clacking as he leaned over to whisper something into his Alpha's ear.

Corey shifted sensory focus to his hearing, attempting to key in on the hushed conversation, however the language that they utilized to communicate amongst themselves was indecipherable, not akin to any that he'd previously studied.

The Warrior then returned to his previous, watchful position as Alpha Sephtis began to speak.

"We acknowledge the territorial claims of none other than the Cave Sands Pack," the Alpha spoke of his pack in third person, sardonic words weighed down by the thickness of his accent. "Your... statements carry no weight to us. Whatever fertile land the Moon Goddess provides will be used as hunting ground for my wolves," he finished matter-of-factly.

Corey’s jaw tensed as he picked up on the threat hidden in his words as well as the thinly veiled shift in body language of his Warriors, whose eyes ceased their continuous scanning to now focus exclusively on Alpha Oasis.

Corey quietly shifted his shin back and to the right so that he could easily access the spare knife and hand-gun that were tucked discreetly into his heavy combat boots.

'Corey, be on high alert,' Oasis' voice boomed in the forefront of Corey’s mind, his Pack Link sent with a distinct urgency.

'Already one step ahead, Alpha,' Corey responded immediately.

Although he could sense his flaring anger through the link, Alpha Oasis showed no outward change in emotion, a useful skill he'd steadily gotten better at over the past few months of leadership.

There was another long pause before Oasis spoke again, his lips forcing themselves up at the corners into the semblance of a smile despite his intense frustration that rippled through the Mind Link.

"My pack is my utmost priority, which I am sure that you can empathize with as a fellow Alpha. Therefore, I am sure that you can also understand my... dissatisfaction with constantly sending my Patrollers and Warriors into high-alert every other day due to your constant breaches," Oasis breathed, leaning forward in his chair. "After all, I would just hate for one of those breaches to have to turn into something that would benefit neither of us."

Alpha Sephtis' eyes narrowed into slits and Corey’s fingers tingling as he forced them still in his lap.

"Is that your attempt at some sort of threat?" he spat back, his upper lip curling into a snark as he barked a humorless laugh in Oasis' direction.

Corey’s fingers slipped down to brush the top of his boot as Alpha Sephtis' crossed arms tightened and the tips of his fingers dug slightly deeper into his biceps.

Oasis' head tilted the slightest bit as he leaned forward even further in his chair, his strong triceps bunching against the fabric of his short sleeves and blue eyes darkening with intent.

"Take my words as you will, Sephtis. Just heed that the Crescent Moon Pack will not tolerate another breach with the same courtesy as I am extending to you now."

The room boomed with the guffaws of the Feral Alpha as his eyes turned wild, their hazel depths swirling with a crimson tinge as he also leaned forward in his chair, his body language intentionally mimicking that of Alpha Oasis.

He muttered something in his native language, a series of harsh clips and guttural tones before he continued his verbal assault in English.

"You think that you scare me, mongrel?" his hazel-crimson eyes shifted to drink in the rest of the group, a disgusted sneer contorting his face into quite the menacing sight and accent thickening through the filter of his fury. "Your pack is nothing to me," he literally spat this time, right onto the floor to the side of his chair as to emphasize himself and add insult to injury.

"Listen, asshole. Alpha Ossis is being really fuckin' nice to you, so I advise you watch yourself before..." Jaxson's beautiful voice made Corey’s palm involuntarily wrap firmly around the hilt of his silver blade, his gaze flickering around the scene, within which tension was steadily rising to a boiling pitch.

However, before Jaxson could finish his statement he was interrupted by none other than the visiting Alpha.

"Oh, shut up Omega. The Alphas are speaking," Alpha Sephtis hacked in his direction, sending Alpha Oasis directly to his feet.

"You will respect our Beta while on our territory," Oasis grumbled, his eyes swirling with a metallic hue as his Wolf, York began to rise to the surface.

Luna Berlin's eyes were wide and terrified at this point, delicate fingers finding his Mate's wrist and stroking against the scent glands there in a feeble attempt to calm him down.

"That is your Beta?" Sephtis roared with laughter once again, although the wildly sinister look seemed to still be almost tattooed on his face, not unlike the ink on his skin. "That boy looks none other than the likes of any other cock-slut in my pack."

Corey’s hackles immediately rose and nerves vibrated at the insult hurled toward his mate, barely containing the craving to launch himself across the table and crush the skull of this man with his bare palm.

"You know, I have just thought of the perfect solution," Sephtis said, moistening the corner of his lip with the tip of his tongue as he leaned forward even more, his now almost completely crimson eyes flickering back and forth between Oasis and Jaxson. "Let me have this poor excuse for a Beta and you will never have to worry about one of my own on your territory again, how about that?"

Alpha Sephtis' heavily calloused hands splayed out wide on the top of the table and quickly began to move toward his target, his excitement about his 'solution' glaringly evident.

"After all, winter is quickly approaching and I could always use another bitch to warm my cock... AHHH."

Everything moved very fast in the moment that Corey began to see red.

Before he or anyone else could even blink, Corey was crouched on top of the table, chest heaving and canines fully bared down at the scum who sat beneath them.

Corey was very aware of the fact that Sephtis’ Warriors had swiftly moved into place as well, spears with blades of bone pointing directly at his heart but he did not care.

The rich baritone of his growl filled every inch of the room, sinking it into complete and utter silence as the Alpha stared incredulously down at his hand.

His hand that Corey’s silver blade now grotesquely protruded through the top of and into the dark mahogany of the table, a long crack now apparent down the length of it from the sheer force of impact.

Corey’s free left hand steadily gripped the stock of his Glock 19, the muzzle of which pointed directly at the temple of the...

‘Poor excuse of an Alpha.’

"You will do well to remember that our pack triples yours in size and it is now evident that our intelligence follows suit."

Corey’s Wolf, Dashiell pushed into the front of his consciousness, prompting his right hand to twist the blade even further into Alpha Sephtis' flesh.

Corey ignored the his howls of pain as he continues, keeping his voice low and pacing incredibly calm in order to ensure that the Alpha hears and understands...

‘Every single word.’

"Because if you ever even so much as breathe in the direction of my Mate again, I will find the greatest pleasure in making you disappear."

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thefallennightmare · 2 years

Text

One Mind-Five

Pairings: Druig x Eternal!Reader

Warnings: angst, fluff, swears, and maybe some smut here and there.

Summary: For so long, the Eternals were on their own. That was until a Celestial event brought them all back together. Reader is reluctant to help because in order to do what her fellow Eternals are saying, she would have to connect with a century old love; one that she promised herself that she would never work with again.

A/N: I really don't know how many parts this will be. Kind of going with the flow.

TAGS (OPEN): @niiight-dreamerrrr @moonlightreader649

“Son of a bitch!” I hissed, smacking the hand away.

Druig shook his head with sheer annoyance. “I have to clean your wounds, but I can’t if you keep smacking my hands away.

“Haven’t you ever heard of gentle hands?”

A playful smirk pulled at the corners of his mouth. “I think we both know my hands are always gentle, love.”

My face burned red when I realized exactly what he had been talking about.

“So cheeky,” I teased.

Druig continued on trying to clean my wounds, but he let out a deep sigh. “I can’t see anything with you sitting like this.”

I was sitting on the edge of his bathtub, body leaning all the way to my left while I tried to hike my shirt up as high as I could.

He looked around the small bathroom before nodding towards the bed in the other room.

His bed, our bed.

“Dru, I’m still covered in blood and deviant guts. I don’t want to get your sheets dirty.”

Druig remained silent, only standing to his feet and extending a hand towards me; clearly not bothered about the fact I was about to ruin his bed.

Swallowing the nervous lump in my throat, I allowed him to help me up from the edge of the tub and walked slowly towards the bed. As I was about to lay back, Druig stopped me.

“I need you to take off your shirt.”

My brow raised. “If I wasn’t bleeding from three different holes on my side, I’d kick your ass for trying to get me naked.”

Druig shook his head with a smirk. “It’s nothing I haven't seen before, Y/N. But I need to get a better look at your wounds to clean them.”

When I didn’t move, he let out another sigh. “I promise I won’t look at any part you don’t want me to.”

He made a cross over his heart, another action showing that he meant his words.

Lip caught between my bottom teeth, I searched his eyes and saw that he truly meant what he said.

Slowly, I began to lift the shirt above my head and tossed it in a heap onto the floor. It was covered in blood and dried Deviant blood and guts so needless to say, it was trashed.

Even if I stood in front of him in pants and a bra, Druig’s eyes remained on mine as he laid me gently onto the bed, the pillow being the first thing of comfort I felt in days. We traveled on Kingo’s private jet, and those seats are anything but. As I took in a deep breath, Druig’s lingering scent from the pillowcase engulfed my senses and I closed my eyes, body relaxed instantly.

The pads of his fingers worked quick but gentle as he brought the peroxide covered cloth over my wounds, the stinging sensation paled in comparison to the way his fingers felt against my cold skin.

Wind blew in through the open window, curtains dancing at the floors, and in the distance outside, I could hear chatter from the other Eternals. While Druig and I were in here, the rest of them were getting ready to have an impromptu funeral for Gilgamesh.

My heart ached for Thena, knowing that she lost someone that she loved so dearly. Gil had been by her side through everything and even with Thena’s Mahd Wy’ry, he never left.

I turned my head towards Druig, a sudden wave a guilt washed over m, and I needed him to know how sorry I was for leaving. Even if we already apologize, I needed to say it once more.

Druig worked precisely as he slowly stitched up the wounds, eyes glued to them. With Ajak gone, we didn’t have someone to heal us which meant we needed to heal the old fashioned way.

I marveled at the way his bottom lip was caught between his teeth as I quietly muttered his name.

His eyes fluttered up to me while releasing his bottom lip. “Did I hurt you?”

I shook my head. “I wanted to apologize again for leaving.”

“We can talk more about it once this is all over,” Druig gave my thigh a squeeze.

“Does that mean you’re coming with us?”

His body tensed as my question and I realized that he was still unsure about his decision.

“Why are you even going, Y/N?” He questioned, halting his actions for a moment.

I did my best to shrug. “Believe it or not, I love this planet even if it has a bunch of flaws. There’s people here that I care too much about to let die. I’m not ready to give it all up quite yet.”

It looked as if he was mulling over my words and I wondered if it helped or deterred his decision.

Silence fell between us as I watched him resume to stitch me up. His features were hard as he concentrated which caused his tongue to slightly peek out from his lips; something he always did.

My heart started to grow the longer I watched him, the love for him I buried deep so long ago began to fill it once more. I tried everything to move on from him, to forget him or the memories we had, but the more I tried, the less it worked. I found myself dreaming of him every night and the dreams were so vivid, it felt as if his body was on top of mine, tied together in my sheets.

We always joked about being connected with our minds but now knowing what we did about Arishem creating us, I couldn’t help but wonder if he created us that way on purpose; almost as if we were soul mates.

My gaze fell onto my left hand which was placed on top of my stomach, right above where Druig had been working. Every so often, I would catch his eyes darting from my wounds to the ring on my finger.

The black diamond caught in the setting sun and with the bright light that was casted over me from the lamp on the table next to the bed, it casted a shadow over the gold band.

“Why did you ever ask for it back?” I wondered, breaking the silence.

“It was a gift for you, for our love for one another. It didn’t feel right to take it back,” Druig stated while sitting back into the chair he had been perched on.

He cleaned his hands on a rag before motioning back to me.

“Try not to go after any deviants for a bit, ya?”

I smirked while leaning up on my elbows. “No promises.

“Now get your gross ass in the shower to rinse off. I’ll find some clothes for you to wear,” Druig jokes while he helped me to my feet.

After one of the most rewarding yet disgusting shower, I wrapped the towel tightly around my chest and paused, wondering if Druig was around. Even though he had seen me naked many times before, I still felt weird about it. It had been so long since we both saw each other bare, it would have been like our first time all over again.

“Druig?” I called out.

Silence.

My feet smacked against the hard floor of the bedroom as I scurried I saw a pile of clothes on a freshly stripped bed; black skinny jeans with one of his old black shirts to match.

He loved the way I looked in black.

Once dressed, I ran my fingers through my hair as a makeshift comb while walking out into the crisp night air. No one was around so I figured they were all down by the river, ready for Gilgamesh’s funeral.

We would burn his body and Thena would let his ashes go into the water; it’s what he wanted.

Everyone was standing in front of the large fire and I made my way next to Thena, hand placed softly on her lower back. She smiled down at me as I laid my head on her shoulder, a silent action to let her know that I would be by her side now, no matter what happened.

“He hasn’t stopped staring at you.”

I removed my head from Thena’s shoulder and followed her gaze over to Druig, who in fact, had been staring at me. I gave him a small smile.

“Did the two of you make up?” Thena asked.

“We don’t have to talk about this now,” I suggested.

She gave my hand a tight squeeze. “I need something to keep my mind at peace.”

A flash of light shined under the skin of her forehead so I nodded, knowing that if this conversation would keep her Mahd Wy’ry at bay, then we could talk about Druig and I.

“We’ve apologized but I don’t think we’re ready to pick up where we left off. There’s still so much left unsaid. He promised we could talk about it after everything.”

“Does that mean he’s coming?” She asked, hopeful.

I sighed with a slight shrug. “I don’t think so. He wouldn’t leave with me a century ago, I doubt he would now.”

Thena turned to look back to the large flames of the fire and bumped her shoulder with mine. “I wouldn’t give up on him, yet. As I mentioned, he can’t keep his eyes off of you.”

Druig was in fact still watching me with an unreliable expression across his face. Usually I was keen on what he was thinking or feeling but tonight, I had no idea what was going through his mind. And that scared the shit out of me.

#druig #druig x reader #druig masterlist #druig and reader #druig x yn #druig and yn #druig and you #druig x you #druig reader insert #marvel #druig angst #druig eternals #druig fic #marvel eternals #the eternals

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lovelyyandereaddictionpoint · 2 years

Note

Since position is illegal in Japan somewhere in the 40 - 50ish

I think is because Exsotica turn down a proposal for the them prince of the country

Just a inner joke

I hope I understand you, right

So if Exotica was on the official timeline of Japan something they do now will affect the rules of the future?

It would be mighty Interesting if high officials were scared off of taking such a jewel from the entertainment district in the first place

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

Exotica | Turning Down A Prince

It would be like any other appointment at first

Nothing out of the ordinary

But that would change the moment the head wife was supposed to dismiss the patron

He revealed he was actually a prince under the emperor Taishō

He more or less demanded that within the next day that you be packed up and ready to go

You would have talked his selfish, pompous, butt into the ground if it weren’t for the head wife’s calming grip of your hand

When she was able to get you away from him, she explained how he actually did have the power to run the house into the ground

Even if you did refuse it would mean nothing because either you’d be forcefully taken or the house would suffer anyway at his wrath

Unfortunately he seemed like the type to choose the former

You almost scheduled an appointment with Warabihime

But you stopped yourself

Maybe this was what was supposed to happen, I mean in the story the only other Oiran was Koinatsu (who was a lovely woman by the way)

But you weren’t even an Oiran!

Heck you were in a category of your own: not sticking to one house, actually providing financial advice, betterin the economy with modern insight

You weren’t supposed to be here anyway so why fight this

You sadly spent your day being with this arrogant prince who only let you be alone when it was time to rest

being sure to comment about how much of a pig sty your home was

To commemorate your leaving you took a trip back to your found-family’s home

The family cried, sharing hugs, old times, and gifts to remember them by

They allow you to take one of the side rooms so that you can unwind

Just starting to take off all your garments you were visited by all the women from each house who had taken rounds and some had snuck out to see you

More tears from the girls and head wives alike wet the remains of your kimono

But when all was quiet and you were left alone to look at the moon you began to cry

Being the leading horse in a battle was much easier, than being one on a trip to a rapid river:

As you cried, curling into yourself you failed to notice the observant presence in the corner

“What’s the problem, (Y/n)?”

Your crying stopped immediately when you turned from the window to come face to face with a kneeling Muzan. Shocked, you stop crying immediately, picking up your jaw to answer properly.

“I’m set to marry a prince. I have to leave tomorrow.”

The air grew heavy with the glare you were sure he had on. Not directed at you but at the idea that’d you’d actually be taken out of his reach. A pale hand reached to hold your neck, not too tight, and rubbed the ball of your throat. He just caressed it, seemingly enamored with how little your neck was in comparison to his hand.

“Which house?”

You didn’t want to say but the cold feel of his hand was more of a threat than an action of endearment.

“Tokito House.”

You expected to feel the delayed breeze of the demon lord speeding away but instead feeling the push against the back of your head into the shoulder. You smelt the crisp coldness of his suit as you relaxed into him. For a second you wanted to just forget this but if it wasn’t him then who? You? All the houses? It just had to be him. You went for the hug, pushing down the fear you had and silently crying on the shoulder of Muzan Kibitsuji.

Needless to say the next morning you were no longer betrothed and there was barely a body left.

#yanderes #yandere x reader #yandere #yandere x you #yanderexrea #yandere demon slayer #yandere kny #yandere harem #yandere boy #yandere male #yandere muzan x reader #yandere muzan #muzan x y/n #demon slayer #yandere muzan kibitsuji #Exotica #Demon Slayer Exotica #yandere kimetsu no yaiba

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this-is-ally-and-im-confused · 2 years

Note

Hi!!! So you know I’m in a bitter mood because reasons. And I’m feeling stabby. Anyway! Could you please write a matty thing where he comforts reader after reader’s ex somehow shows up or whatever. Also protective bf matty 🥺 please and thank you. You’re amazing and I can’t to see what you come up with.

Awww hi M! Don’t worry I got you :)

Taglist: @snugglyducklingbrewhouse @nucksgal03 @oowenspower @hugheshugs @boeswhore join the taglist!

Matthew Tkachuk is a sweetheart.

Regardless, he’s only a sweetheart to the people he loves. Which is about as many people as he has fingers. To the people Matt isn’t fond of, he can come across as a cold, dangerous, and calculated hunk. To you, that couldn't be farther from the truth.

Especially on a night like tonight. Matt’s arm was wrapped tightly around you. His smile was wide and his laugh was loud. Your shared friend group was sitting at your favorite booth, in your favorite bar. It was splendid. Conversation topics flowed from plans for the off-season to the latest episode of the bachelor. It was a great time.

Until your ex decided to show up. You see, Matt he'd found you about two months after y/e/n had dumped you. The man that you had loved decided that he “needed to be free” and by “free” he meant sleeping with every woman he could get. It broke you. You had put so much effort and thought into a relationship to have it slapped right back into your face.

Thank God you had met Matt. Matt showed you true kindness and caring. He brought you out of the destruction your ex had left you in. Needless to say, having the man who broke your heart stand in front of your table of friends made you disgusted.

The man that had once meant everything to you, had paled in comparison to Matthew. Matt could light up a room, score a winning goal, and make you feel like a queen. Y/e/n couldn't.

“Didn’t realize you're a puck bunny, y/n.” your ex slurred out.

Bad choice. Within a second, Matt was standing and ready to fight. Besides being an amazing person on the inside compared to y/e/n, Matt had 5” on your ex, fighting skills, and 20 pounds.

“You shouldn’t have fucking said that,” Matt growled out. His hands balled into fists. Your hand reached up to meet Matt’s chest. You were scared of how quickly this could escalate.

“Matt, he's not worth it,” you said gently. You looked to Matt’s friends Johnny and Andrew for some help. You were also desperately hoping that your ex would come to his senses and leave.

“You’re not fucking worth it,” Matt said with venom towards your ex, “but if you ever hurt my girl ever again–I’ll fucking end you.”

With that, your ex walked off with his head hanging low. Matt was quick to check you over and make sure you are okay. His eyes scanned over you in worry. You assured him that you're a little shaken up, but for the most part fine. Matt didn't move from your side for the rest of the night.

#nhl imagine #my amazing moots <3 #nhl blurb #hockey imagine #matthew tkachuk #matty tkachuk #where can I find a hockey boy

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wangshuus · 3 years

Text

love like you | xiao

pairing: xiao/gn!reader

genre: angst+fluff

wc: 4.1k

summary: you and xiao are polar opposites according to him and because of that, he deems himself unworthy.

note: this is my first time writing for genshin and i love xiao so much so this is essentially a bunch of word vomit i whipped together while listening to love like you from the su soundtrack :’)

(i’ll have to go in for another proof read after but pls take this for now)

fic under the cut

In the land of Liyue, the Adepti were acknowledged for being the protectors of the sacred land, guarding both it and its people. As most of the adepti resided in their abodes, there was but one that stayed within the vicinity of the Wangshu Inn. Xiao; the Vigilant Yaksha, Conqueror of Demons, Alatus. He went by many titles, many names all of which carried the story of the adeptus himself. Upon the years of history carried through Liyue in its passing generations, it’s known to many that despite having the looks of a young man, the adeptus was not someone you would want to take lightly. The Yaksha carried thousands of years worth of burden, shackles of guilt and terror binding him to unpleasant memories. With every passing day, he is harshly reminded of the way he and his polearm skillfully worked through the bloodied dance of weapons on the battlefield, crimson liquid painting the ground and his very hands. It stains so intensely that it was like an unseen tattoo that reminded him of eons of slaughter he partook in, the lives and dreams he so greedily took from people. It was something only he could see and something he would continue to see for many more years to come according to him.

He very rarely got close to anything or anyone, devoting his life to duty and the orders granted to him by Rex Lapis to protect the beloved land of Liyue. For this very reason, he never thought much about emotions or the overall concept of it, seeing it as a worthless matter, a weakness even, for it could not help in the slaying of those in battle. All he ever knew at that point was violence, having his purity harshly stolen from his grasp all those centuries ago and being left with not even a single grain of what it was like to feel anything pleasant. Whenever he did feel anything, pain, suffering and agony were the only things that filled his system therefore to him, it was better to feel nothing at all. Needless to say, he was somewhat unapproachable on several levels, but who could blame him?

There then came a day in which all of this would away as an estranged guest made your way merry when into the Inn. You, (Y/n) were a mere mortal traveler with a dendro vision chained upon your hip, specializing in the field of healing. You stumbled upon the inn, looking to take on commissions and requests in exchange for a room for the time being. Your fates clashed with each other during your first encounter when you were tasked to deliver almond tofu to the adeptus that was specially made by yourself. You could still remember stuttering over your words in embarrassment during your first meeting as he revealed himself to you, commending you for your culinary skills but telling you to leave immediately, saying something along the lines of it being ‘too dangerous for mere mortals to stay in the presence of adepti for too long’. It was accurate to say that you two took an interest in the oddity of the situation. Why did Xiao decide to reveal himself to the simple human, knowing very well his mere presence was already a threat to you. Why did you not turn away in fear just from the adeptus’ profound deathly gaze? There were several unspoken questions between you two at the time but that one fateful encounter had caused a shift.

You had decided to extend your stay at the inn a little longer than you intended to. You went about the daily tasks set out by Verr in exchange for your stay every day that you were there. The completion of your tasks leads to a delivery that had become habitual to you during your stay at the inn. Every day you’d made your way up to the highest terrace in the inn to drop off a plate of almond tofu to the adeptus. On some days, he’d reveal himself and on some others, he chose to remain unseen-- and to you, this was okay. As the days passed, it began to be more apparent how odd this whole shift was for the both of them.

You are an adventurer, someone who sought out to travel the lands, and yet, you remained grounded at the Inn, your fascination and curiosity driving your patience to learn about the distant Yaksha and fuelling your willingness to stay settled at the inn instead of seeking for the thrill of adventure. Xiao was an adeptus, a being that has lived for many years on end, a being that has slaughtered countless, a being that carried an indescribable amount of karmic debt for all the treacherous and ungodly amount of terror he has bestowed upon thousands in the past. He could not explain to himself why he even decided to associate with a simple mortal, thinking that there was something wrong with him at the time because he knew that if he were in his right mind, he would have never even bothered taking a glance at the human. But then again, not all things could be explained. From the days that you had stayed at the Inn for that time, you would find yourself visiting the lone adeptus every evening, delivering a plate of what became familiar to him as your almond tofu, the one that deemed to be the closest to that of the dreams he so greedily devoured all those years ago.

Months had passed since the first day you first set foot into the inn. You had managed other work and commissions throughout the time but often found herself coming back. you became well acquainted with everyone who worked there, practically making it her second home in fact. Even when you did have to part ways, you would pass by whenever you could, sparing your time and energy at least once a week to come reeling back like a moth drawn to a flame. The reason behind it was very evident to you, nothing that you would ever admit to hiding at this point. You did enjoy the company and atmosphere of the other humans at the inn but at the end of the day, everything came back down to the enigmatic adeptus that resided there.

Sensing your presence had become second nature to the adeptus, him knowing the very moment you set foot into the Inn. He would never admit it to himself, but he found himself looking forward to the mortal’s visits. He still thought about the first day he decided to reveal himself to you, feeling a little more content about it with every passing day. But something about the whole ordeal scared him to no end. He wished it wasn’t the case but he was well aware of all the changes and feelings that had bloomed since you waltzed into his life. The feeling of bubbling excitement inside of him every time you came back to him, the feeling of embarrassment of when you’d blurt out compliments towards him, feeling more comfortable and daring as the visits continued. The feeling of protectiveness washing over him when you told him stories in which you got even the slightest bit injured. One may view this just as someone showing emotion; but that was the problem for him. He wasn’t supposed to show emotion-- he wasn’t supposed to feel-- according to himself at least. Rather, he didn’t deem himself worthy to feel pleasant emotions.

“Xiao” A familiar voice called out to him, turning to face the direction from where he stood, which happened to be the spot where he viewed the familiar landscape of Liyue.

You made your way towards him, holding out a plate of almond tofu which he had come to admire. He took the plate from your grasp and greeted her with a light hum of acknowledgment before beginning to munch down on the tofu. You let out a soft chuckle before standing next to him and leaning on the railing, staring off into the starry skies you had become accustomed to seeing, though every time, it never failed to amaze you. Your eyes gazed at the twinkling stars in the sky as you began your usual routine of speaking about how your life has been since you last saw each other. You had become accustomed to Xiao’s aloof demeanor at times like this because you knew that despite him seemingly looking uncaring, he was secretly listening to your rambling. You stared off into the distance as you spoke, your attention being stolen by the stars. While at work on the plate of almond tofu in his hands, Xiao took these moments to look at you as he silently listened to your long-winded sentences.

In serene moments like these, it was hard for Xiao to keep his composure. Though the stars in the sky glimmered so beautifully, they paled in comparison to your eyes when they sparkled so passionately when you spoke of your adventures. In moments like these, Xiao was reminded of your courteous nature. He was reminded of how good you are, going about your time adventuring the lands, specializing in the art of healing with the assistance of the beloved vision clipped at your side. You lived for adventure; you lived to help those in need. It was in moments like these when he became painfully aware of how different you were from each other.

It had been so long since Xiao ever considered himself to be good in any way. He was all too aware of the disgusting red that painted his hands permanently, the hands which have slain countless beings in the past. The hands that he did not see worthy to touch anything so fragile in fear that it would break, feeling as if anything would die at even the slightest touch of his fingertips. You see, when he met you, he was so sure that he was far from anything good and you proved himself to be right in his mind; because you were what he deemed to be good in his eyes. And he was nothing like you.

Before he knew it, he was left with an empty plate and a bustling mind full of thoughts as he looked out into the distance along with your words flowing freely with the wind. You turned back to see Xiao in all his glory, taking in his presence, eyes lingering upon him like the first time you met him. There was never a day that passed where he didn’t look stunning in your eyes. The reserved yaksha was nothing short of a challenge for you to get close to. Even to this day, there are times where he was standoffish towards you. In moments like these, you’re reminded of how you’ve barely scratched the surface of his character, being well aware that he’s lived far longer than you and will quite possibly continue to live way beyond your time. Though he hasn’t explained every single detail of his past to you, there have been significant points in time where he has opened up about snippets of his past, to which you grasped and held onto as much detail as you could when he went on. You’ve picked up that Xiao isn’t the most well-articulated when it comes to explaining his feelings but you paid no mind to it, taking pride over the fact that he has yet to slit your throat open with his spear. There have been countless occasions in which you’ve praised Xiao but none of them have truly projected your feelings towards the adeptus.

Xiao was not truly aware of how deeply you felt for him. Sure, he thought that you were interested enough to stick around and pester him for who knows whatever reason. However, it went way beyond that. You admired him so dearly, his presence being one in which you ironically found an indescribable amount of comfort in. You’ve listened intently to his wise words of wisdom, his tales of his bloodstained past that he was willing to share, as well as his little remarks about how peculiar humans are. You saw beyond the seemingly frigid, cold, and distant demeanor of Xiao and instead saw a boy with such a yearning to be tender, gentleness being beyond his reach according to him but to you, he was gentle.

You noticed the way he would handle the little things involving you. You notice the way his tone has changed in the slightest when talking to you whenever he does, softer than the first time you had initially met. You notice the way he acts when it comes to physical touch, preferring to make little to no contact to you but his touches were soft and fleeting whenever touch was necessary. He’s told you several times in the past that he has a brute touch preferring a distance to keep himself from hurting you. From that alone, you knew he’s gentle, reluctant to admit it though due to the events of the past but nonetheless, his gentleness was hard to grasp but must be cherished greatly and that is something that you have done.

“Xiao” You called out to him. He turned to face you, noticing how you were staring right back at him, your arms resting upon the railing as you gazed at him.

“Is something wrong? You seem a little more spaced out today.” You spoke out again.

He sighed before clicking his tongue. “It's nothing that should be of any concern to mo--”

“--mortals like you, I know yada yada yada. You’ve said that far too many times in the past. Now tell me, what’s truly wrong Xiao. I did make you listen to my rambling so it’s only fair that you shoot something my way.” You cut him off.

Annoyance laced his features as he let out his nth sigh of the day. He turned to look at you, giving you a serious, almost cold look.

“I am already greatly aware of how odd some human tendencies are, knowing you mortals do some strange actions that even I question to this day. But you, you are the most peculiar of ones that I have encountered. You wish to stay with someone as myself, someone who could take your life in a single heartbeat. So tell me, why does someone like you continue to linger?”

Lo and behold, a question that you were surprised to hear from him, though you knew the day would eventually come when he would ask. Why did you continue to come to him time and time around? You let out an exasperated sigh as you turned to him with a lighthearted smile in an attempt to lighten the tension that filled the air.

“I enjoy your company, that’s all. Is it so wrong to spend time with someone when you enjoy them being around?” You stated. His eyes narrowed at your response.

“I do not believe it is normal to risk your life simply for mere company, it is not worth it. I refuse to believe that your motives are as light-hearted as that. Is there something that you desire that is beyond that of human capabilities?” He stated.

Your eyebrows furrowed and your smile faltered at his aloof response. What was with the sudden cold demeanor he decided to put up front? You held eye contact with his warm amber orbs that held a stare ironically as cold as the mountains of Dragonspine.

“It’s because you’re you, Xiao. I come back and spend my time here because you are you. I enjoy the little things about you and the time we spend together, y’know? I enjoy the way your eyes light up at the sight of almond tofu, I enjoy your little declarations of how odd us mortals are, I enjoy hearing you open up about even the littlest of things. You’re special in my eyes, Xiao. You’re strong in so many different aspects, you’re wise in the words of advice you speak and last but not least, you’re gentle. Those are just a few of many aspects of yourself that make you so special to me.”

Xiao’s face contorted to one of bewilderment for a brief moment before morphing to one of disbelief, scoffing at the statement. ‘Gentle’ he thought. When you mentioned him being gentle, he thought to himself that it was a load of pure nonsense.

“Calling me gentle is simply blasphemous. I have told you countless times that I am far anything related to that of a tender nature. I leave nothing but a trail of anguish and regret. You’re foolish to see me in anything of a good kind of special, even more so if you see me as gentle.” He firmly stated as his arms crossed tightly across his torso.

Archon’s Xiao’s mind was a mess. He was in a stubborn state of denial as he refused to believe the words that slipped past your lips, writing them off as lies. He covered the creeping insecurity that arose in him with a stone cold demeanor like he always did. He couldn’t accept it, he couldn't even fathom to believe what makes you think he’s so special.

“Listen Xiao, you’re being awfully stubborn right now.” You said dejectedly. Despite his current manner, you wouldn’t back down, seeing this as one of the only opportunities where you could truly and openly speak about how you felt towards him. You turned so that you were fully facing him, standing your ground as you spoke to him.

“You think so lowly of yourself sometimes y’know? It saddens me to know that you only ever see yourself like that.” You stated.

“I am stating nothing but the tru--” Xiao spoke.

“Listen to me, Xiao.” You cut him off, him being surprised by your snapback.

“You’re far more than your own past. I’m aware of everything you’ve gone through from what you’ve told me. Forgive me for I’m unable to fully sympathize with you but I can’t let you continue to do this to yourself. I’ve only known you for mere months out of the thousands of years you’ve lived but I’ve been around you long enough to know that you’re not as bad as you claim yourself to be.” You paused for a moment to gather yourself before you continued on, looking that Xiao was very much paying attention, an unreadable look on his face.

“You’ve told me yourself that you’ve been around long enough to capture the knowledge of the world to an extent. You’ve told me that you’re aware of how barbaric and lethal your own strength is but you’ve never told me that you hold tenderness inside you, even after all you’ve been through. You hold such valuable knowledge in the field of strength but you’ve failed to notice that the gentleness in you is not completely gone.” Your own hands stretched out and firmly held onto his gloved ones as you continued speaking.

“You speak about yourself as if you’re not worthy of feeling anything but the anguish and pain as a price to pay for your actions. You’re allowed to feel vulnerable, you’re allowed to feel curious, you’re allowed to feel happiness. I want you to be more honest with yourself so that you can see that you’re worthy enough to feel good emotions. You can extend yourself out to others and the human world and allow yourself to be free. Still after all this time, I sense you feel that it’s necessary to keep me at an arm's length but that’s not true nor is it something that I want. Though this fact alone proves my statement. The fact you wish to keep me away is a sign that you hold that gentleness within but you can still learn to be gentle without having to lock everyone out. Your loneliness isn’t an inevitable conclusion, and I’ll prove to you that it isn't. I wish to stay with you not only because I enjoy your company but because I found something in you worth cherishing. I want to see you grow from whatever anguish you hold, even if it’s just a little bit. I know my life might be merely a second in yours but please, let me do what I can in my lifetime to make you feel worthy and feel loved, because I truly do love and care for you, Xiao.” Your grip tightened around his hands, fearing that he’d yank them away from you with every passing second. Although you firmly stand your ground, you were internally malfunctioning at the whole-hearted confession to the adeptus in front of you.

Xiao felt as if the wind was knocked out of his lungs, face contorted into that of even more disbelief as he found himself still trying to process this whole ordeal. He took the time in processing the words that came directly from your heart as it went straight into his, a warm feeling erupting inside of him, something that felt to foreign to him that it scared him a little. Though your words held a weight to them, it was much more pleasant compared to that of his past memories, but it wasn’t enough to distract him from the way you desperately held onto him.

He was well aware that he could pull away from you at any moment, knowing that your strength could in no way match his but he couldn’t do it. The moment your hands touched his, even through his gloves he felt the firm gentleness of your grasp. You were no hydro user but in that very moment, he felt as if you washed away the bloody sins that stained his hands for years on end. For once he felt clean; for once he felt pure, rid of all the unpleasantries of the world for these very moments that he spent with you.

You noticed how Xiao stood still. You feared that you might’ve severely angered him from the way you snapped at him, but the look on his face told you otherwise.

The usually serious and stern face of the adeptus held such a soft, perhaps vulnerable look. His eyes were wide and in the moonlight, you could tell that they were glossed over from the way they shone with emotion, mouth slightly ajar, possibly trying to find the right words to respond to you. He didn’t need to say anything though because from that look alone, you got all the answers that you needed.

You slowly let go of his hands as one arm moved to wrap around his waist and the other going towards the back of his head, reeling him in closely for a foreign yet mellow embrace. His hands awkwardly stayed at his sides before they slowly and hesitantly moved to hug you back, leaning in gently to your touch as your hand led his head to the crook of your neck, allowing him to bask in the warmth you so generously offered him. For the first time in archons knows how long, Xiao felt a warm liquid spill from his eyes, staining your shirt. Your hands ruffled through his hair in an attempt to soothe him in his time of vulnerability. His hold on you was still so light, almost as if he was afraid he’d break you if he held on even tighter. The hand that ghosted over his back made its way to one of his arms and tugged at it, encouraging him to hold on as much as he needed.

“It’s okay Xiao, you can hold on tighter. I’m not as fragile as you may think. You don’t have to be scared of breaking me.” You chuckled lightheartedly.

His grip did tighten, as he began to mumble words with his face still buried at your side. Something along the lines of apologizing for snapping at you earlier. Your smile widened as you held onto him even tighter if that was possible.

Xiao knew he wasn’t perfect, he was far from it in fact. He had so many flaws and rough edges but that was okay--that’s what made him Xiao. He never understood until now why you thought he was so special and to be quite frank, he still didn’t understand, but he was determined to understand it one day. He wasn’t good like you but he wanted to start believing that he was good in his own way, wishing to truly do something that he felt was right by you in the future. Though it wouldn’t be the easiest of journeys, he was determined to do something that feared him to no end--for you. He wanted to learn how to love, how to love you even more and openly express it to you but also, learn how to love himself, just as you loved him.

“Thank you, (Y/n).”

#genshin impact #genshin impact fanfiction #genshin impact x reader #genshin xiao #xiao #xiao x reader #love like you #fanfic #fanfiction

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gryffindors-weasley · 3 years

Text

Late Nights, Early Mornings

Benedict Bridgerton x Fem!Reader

Summary: When you can’t sleep, Benedict will always be there.

Word Count: 2.1k

Warnings: none—fluff, kissing

A sigh left your lips as you rolled further onto your side, resting your head tiredly on Benedict’s shoulder. You weren’t entirely sure of the hour, it could have been late in the night or early in the morning. Either way, you could not sleep and that much was certain. You’ve got far too much energy to sleep, though you were far too tired to do anything else but to stay in the comfort of your bed and hope dreams find you. Your mind wasn’t active with anything important in particular—well, maybe a few things.

Your mind was bouncing between one trivial thought to the next in a restless loop, anywhere from the happenings of early that evening to the walk you wanted to take through the garden with Benedict the following day. It left you no other choice but to settle for sulking, to dance your fingertips across his chest as you so often did. Your touch was featherlight as you did just that, eyelids tauntingly heavy as you continued the absentminded action.

It was a rather tiresome night at Lady Danbury’s estate, the events she holds always proving to be extraordinarily exceptional in all aspects. Your feet ache from a night of dancing with your beau and his brothers, your mind exhausted from holding one too many conversations, some of which with people you’d never even met prior to that evening. Not only that, but the event itself was much too long after the first hour or so, and the fatigue settling upon you would very much agree with that statement. You were quite sure you would be sore once you get up for the morning.

Needless to say, there was ample reason for you to be fast asleep in that current moment, but your mind fervently says otherwise as you remain awake.

Admittedly, it was rather peaceful as you lay there. The warmth of the sheets juxtaposed with the breeze filtering in through the open windows sweeping across your skin—it felt entirely calming. With it brought the subtle sound of said breeze gusting through the leaves on the multitude of trees in the garden, the scent of flowers wafting in. Moonlight streamed in through the arched windows, weaving around the burgundy curtains draping around them and stretching across the hardwood floor.

It was a sight all too beautiful—a different kind of beauty than that of elegant gowns and finely tailored suits, of polished dancefloors and well practiced music. While you did enjoy the constructed beauty of the estate you could call your very own home, even the very room you currently reside within, it paled in comparison to the natural glamour all around you. The intricate gold detailing around each and every door frame, the meticulously painted portraits on the walls, the grand pianos and chandeliers; they were all nothing short of gorgeous you must say. But there was something utterly enamoring about the way the curtains swayed with the wind and stars that twinkled above you.

Your gaze flits to Benedict as you breathe out another sigh, a soft smile on your lips. You’re smiling at the way his hair sits in tousled tangles of dark brown curls, dipping freely over his forehead. It was never necessarily neat and managed to begin with, and the thought alone had you stifling a quiet laugh. You gaze at the way his lashes curl over the tops of his cheeks, and the bridge of his ever so kissable nose and the soft smattering of freckles that dance across it. Your attention focuses on the occasional tightening of his grip around your waist out of instinct should you stray too far from him, and the moments he wakes up briefly just to kiss your forehead before drifting off. It was a seemingly unbreakable habit, one that you adored so wholly. It is but a wonder how his love can be so delightfully dizzying, how he himself could be so wonderful. But he is.

You hadn’t known quite how long you’d been caught up in your own thinking, in your own admiring, but you had most certainly known of the hand enveloping your wrist and the soft laugh sounding in the otherwise quiet room. One that startled you only slightly.

“I can feel you staring, my love,” he states, the corner of his mouth quirking to a smile before he turns his head and peeks an eye open at you. “I’m afraid you’re not as discreet as you may think.”

You smile brightly, beamingly as you lean up and press a kiss to his cheek. He smiles in bliss at the action, eyes fluttering closed only briefly.

“Sorry,” you mumble quietly, fingers still swirling on his skin, “couldn’t sleep.”

He hums softly in acknowledgment, your words capturing his attention fully as he turned his head to look at you. His eyes take in your sleepy expression, your grin there and just for him nonetheless. “Perhaps you’d like to tell me why?”

You bit the inside of your cheek to fight your growing smile and your efforts were quickly proving to be futile the more you held his amused gaze. He knew you were up to something, you always were and he always knew just when that was. He could tell by the very smile that had been playing on your lips and the mischievous look filling your stare.

“My mind won’t seem to let me forget the way you’ve twirled me directly into the Queen herself this evening.”

There it was.

His tired laughter continued once more at your words and you couldn’t stifle your own a moment longer, nor did you hesitate to scrunch your nose in displeasure at his reaction. “And I suppose you think that is all my fault? Never mind your perpetual clumsiness, of course it couldn’t be that.”

His jesting words were spoken softly against your lips, his nose brushing against your own as he kisses you to silence your inevitable scoff. Your inevitable complaint for stating the obvious. You relax against him then, almost letting yourself become distracted. Truthfully, you had, it wasn’t hard to with the way your lips meld perfectly with one another. Or perhaps it was the way he smiled against them because of the sheer love in his heart for you before continuing with a kiss far too intoxicatingly gentle and sweet to ignore. The way the warmth of his palm pressed gently to your flushed cheek before sliding down your arm as it had moments before. But, with all the reluctance in the world you part from him, a teasing smile on your lips.

“Yes,” you start, nipping the very tip of his nose. “I very much do think so, my love. And I do believe you are just as clumsy as I am.”

“Am not!” He defends, propping himself up on his elbow, his blue stare now narrowed playfully at you as his hand never leaves your arm.

You scoff incredulously, trying not to be swayed by your desire to kiss him once more though you will admit it was rather hard to ignore. “Need I remind you of the incident at Somerset House?”

He squints down at you as you raise your brow in a silent challenge, lips kiss swollen and pursed as you wait for him to break. He could deny it all he so desires, but you knew for certain that he’d had more than enough clumsy encounters for the two of you. You narrowed your eyes the more moments that passed, still amused and still patiently waiting as the brunette just inches in front of you bit the inside of his cheek. He was so close his breath fanned across your lips.

“That table was deceiving,” He explains, causing you to tip your head back and your laughter to escape you without hesitation as he flops back next to you with a bounce. “How was I to know it’d topple over like that?”

Your teasing smile had soon dwindled to a soft one as he settled close to you, your laughter mingling in the air. His eyes nearly sparkle as he looked at you, his grin equally soft. “Regardless, you nearly knocked a rather expensive painting off the wall in your attempt to grab my hand and flee from the mess you’d created. How ever shall I forget that?”

Your voice is soft and spoken with the utmost of lighthearted teasing, a squeal leaving your lips when his hand moves from your wrist to envelop your own, tugging you swiftly to be impossibly closer to him. His smile is sleepy and fond, your joined hands coming to rest on his chest as his thumb brushes gingerly over the back of yours. It’s quiet for a few moments, your cheeks flushing over the sheer lovingness held in his gaze.

“I don’t believe you shall ever forget it, you love to tease me far too much on the matter,” he chuckles, though not an ounce of exasperation finds its way in his tone at the obvious fact that surely you will mention it again.

Your smile is beaming as you nudge his nose with your own, lips brushing over lips and breath fanning warmly and softly over skin. Your kiss is tender and fleeting before you drop your head to his chest with a quiet sigh, hiding your face in his neck. He joins your sigh, his fingers trailing up and down your spine in a delicate touch.

For a short while you took the moment to bask in the safety of his arms, in the rhythmic beat of his heart as your ear remained pressed upon his chest. Traces of his laughter still shake you ever so lightly, his lips pressing to the top of your head in a simple moment of affection. He knew no matter how much you joked about it, the events just a few hours prior still bothered you. Even if it’d been just a little bit. It was the Queen after all.

The silence may have been brief but he felt as if he should say something, anything. He knew he needed to.

“In all fairness, you must know that you look rather cute when you’re flustered,” he states. He smiles when he feels your otherwise quiet laughter puff against his neck.

You lift your head slightly, resting it on his shoulder to better see him. “Must I?”

He lets go of your hand to brush the hair out of your face, to brush his thumb across your cheek. He felt as though his heart nearly bursted in his chest with the way the moonlight glimmered over you, with the way it made your eyes shine brighter than any star. With the way you looked at him, a look that will always give him butterflies, that will always make him melt. He nods. “Yes, you must.”

The corner of your mouth quirks up at his words, and you blink at him tiredly. “She nearly spilled her lemonade on my dress, and she hadn’t looked very happy with me.”

“Do not worry, darling, I have smoothed things over. She loves me after all,” he says, the pad of his thumb moving from your cheek to sweep over your lip.

The roll of your eyes was expected, something bringing out the softest of laughs in him as he tilted your chin up and kissed you. “Then I must say I don’t blame her.”

He parted from your lips to kiss the very tip of your nose, to kiss your cheeks, your forehead, your jaw. Your laughter sounded by the time he made it back to your mouth, his forehead rested on yours as he relished in that very moment. Any bit of time he has with you, just the two of you—it’s time always cherished. Even if it’s you teasing him in good fun for his clumsy mistakes, and him hopelessly trying to deny such clumsy incidents. It’s all he’d ever need and it’s all he’d ever want.

“I think we should go back to sleep now, Y/n/n,” he murmurs, tugging the blankets back up.

You finally could agree on that statement, the fatigue of the day just catching up with you as you yawn. He tucked you close, his hand soon finding yours as he lays back against your pillow. The moment you’re comfortable, your joined hands rest on his chest once more, fingers entwining and legs tangling.

“I love you, Ben,” you whisper softly.

He smiles at the nickname, peering down to meet your sleepy gaze. You press one final kiss to his lips to further confirm your affections, the action wordless and fleeting before you let your head fall to his shoulder.

“I love you more,” he murmurs, the corner of his mouth tugging up in a lopsided smile.

He’d love you forever—in the late nights and the early mornings.

—

Tags: @dreaming-about-fanfictions @awritingtree @writeroutoftime @elennox03

#benedict bridgerton #benedict bridgerton fanfiction #benedict bridgerton fic #benedict bridgerton x you #benedict bridgerton x reader #benedict bridgerton oneshot #benedict bridgerton fluff #bridgerton #bridgerton fic

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battlinghurricanes · 3 years

Text

DEIPHOBUS TIME!

I'm honestly not entirely sure how I got such a deeply involved concept for his character and motivations, but I definitely did. I just feel like he fits into an especially interesting place in everything and that there's a lot of great potential with him.

Shout out to @petalveinedwarrior for enabling me and also I'm very sorry for being incredibly long winded. My bad.

Also DISCLAIMER! I am NOT an expert on the Trojan War and all its surrounding mythology lol. This is just for fun, based on my own fairly limited knowledge of the myths (though I think I pretty much cover everything that’s relevant to this). These are just my headcanons woven with some details from various myths. Sorry if anything’s missing or inaccurate!

SO!

First and foremost, I headcanon Deiphobus as the oldest of Priam and Hecuba’s children after Hektor.

Hektor calls Deiphobus the dearest of his brothers, and to me, this is why. They are the closest in age and they were the closest growing up, best friends when they were young. They also get the closest to being on equal footing which means a lot to Hektor, who often feels distance between him and his other siblings because of being heir to Troy.

Despite the relatively equal ground and Deiphobus treating Hektor with a very casual familiarity, deep down, he idolizes him. Deiphobus adores and admires Hektor, ever a younger brother in how he looks up to his strength and intelligence and reliability but close enough in age to not feel the same envy as so many of their younger siblings.

Deiphobus is aware that he is next in line to inherit the throne of Troy after Hektor, and the possibility of that is more real to him than to the rest. He doesn’t envy or want the responsibilities Hektor has to bear being the first son and admires him for it rather than resenting him. He never wants the weight of Troy on his shoulders.

Additionally, as close as they are, Hektor confides more openly in Deiphobus than the rest of their siblings. Consequently, he has a more realistic idea of both the burden he bears and also the ways he struggles to manage it like any human would.

Deiphobus holds Hektor in the highest regard- he means the world to him. It is a strange and unique combination of relating to and understanding Hektor exactly as he is and then loving him so dearly for how remarkably he seems to do in all of it, all that Deiphobus adores and strives to be like.

Hektor calls Deiphobus the dearest of his brothers, but Deiphobus would never need to say the same of Hektor, that much has always been obvious.

Deiphobus himself is ferociously loyal, boastful and fiery proud, wild and energetic, and always quick to smile and laugh with a sharp sense of humor. He’ll defend his own with tooth and nail, Hektor first and foremost, and they make a well balanced pair. Hektor’s level headed sense of responsibility softens many of Deiphobus’s rough edges, and Deiphobus’s enthusiasm breaks through many of Hektor’s more anxiously formed reservations.

Deiphobus would do near anything for Hektor, to a concerning degree in the eyes of some, but Hektor, by his nature, isn't overly controlling. He doesn't want Deiphobus to change how he is. Mostly, the only place Hektor truly pushes him is on moral grounds, for better rather than for worse.

Deiphobus hates to spend time overthinking anything, which benefits him in some ways, but also frequently has him following the example of those around him without considering what might lean towards cruelty. Hektor never tolerates hurtful and needless rudeness or otherwise, and their friendship doesn’t spare Deiphobus his reprimands.

Hektor's needling, though, has him step back and reexamine his actions and the second look is generally what he needs to correct his missteps. Admittedly, he’ll sometimes act better in some way solely to please Hektor, but far more often than not, he’ll come to recognize why it’s best with time and continue that way from his own compulsion.

(He grows and his conscience sounds irritatingly like Hektor.)

Deiphobus is actually one of the best of his siblings at not holding a grudge. He might for drama or humor’s sake, but once a squabble is past, he’ll easily set it aside in favor of having fun with whoever he fought with.

Regardless of his flaws, Deiphobus is amiable and of the opinion that it’s never worth passing up a good time over some pettiness. He’s never one to ignore the value of little joys, no matter how fleeting they are.

Before the war, when he is still younger, there is Antheus. He’s the pretty son of Antenor, and both Deiphobus and Paris are quite taken with him. Paris’s involvement rubs him the wrong way, but he elects to ignore it as best he can. It doesn’t sit right to consider policing Antheus’s actions. He can hardly demand he stop seeing Paris while still insisting on his company, after all.

Besides, he can’t really complain. Antheus favors him with his presence often, laughing at his jokes, stealing off his plate when they share meals, tumbling with him when they wrestle. And when Antheus lifts his hand to idly toy with his lower lip as he smiles slyly at him, Paris is the last thing on Deiphobus’s mind.

Hektor teases him sometimes when he turns up ruffled from some exchange turned overzealous, but his flustered frustration pales in comparison to his excitement, so Hektor gets away with it. Oh, he loves Antheus and the feeling is so heady, better than the most potent wine.

Then it all shatters when some men rush into the palace with Antheus’s limp body carried between them. He was in the gymnasium with Paris, they learn. One throw from Paris with a warped discus and Antheus was gone. Deiphobus stares at the blood soaked in his lovely hair.

Deiphobus is ready to rip Paris apart, but when his brother is guided in after, there’s just no room for it. He’s in complete hysterics, shaking all over as he hyperventilates, and screaming would have gotten through to him no more than their family’s vain attempts to calm him down.

Paris is inconsolable afterwards. He retreats in on himself, though without any attempt to defend himself, first to give himself the blame. He makes for a pitiful sight, and at first, Deiphobus can’t stand being in his presence at all, to take his anger and grief out on him or otherwise.

It doesn’t take that long for Deiphobus’s anger to grow more painful than cathartic anyway and, well, it is hard to lash out at someone acting exactly how he feels. He feels the same heartbreak and pain he sees in Paris and he can’t find it in himself to rage against him when he’d rather just sit and cry himself.

Paris does take it upon himself to face Deiphobus after a time and claim responsibility for what happened that day. Deiphobus doesn’t forgive him, doing that feels... off, but he manages to convey that he won’t turn on him for the accident with Antheus. He thinks that might make Paris feel better but he can’t truly tell.

It all still hurts then, even as they try to get things to settle. Nothing but more time can do anything more to heal those wounds.

And time passes and then Paris returns from Sparta with Helen, and, well.

The brewing war doesn’t drive a rift between Deiphobus and Hektor, but it does force a new distance between them. The pressure on Hektor spikes and never eases, and the time he has to spare becomes exceedingly rare.

Much of the time the two would have spent for themselves together now shifts to working together to manage the complications that come with this new conflict; Deiphobus has new responsibilities to shoulder himself. More work, less play, but the mutual affection and respect between them remains just as strong as before.

Deiphobus can’t help but feel a certain bitterness over having the casual companionship of his brother taken away from him, but he does all he can to set it aside. He refuses to let it be another source of stress for Hektor, so often too caring for his own good, and he doesn’t hold it against him anyway.

As always, Deiphobus remains aware that these tasks could easily have been his and, privately, he feels woefully inadequate in the face of that possibility. And truly, it just serves to make Hektor even greater in his eyes, handling it all with grace he can’t imagine. He knows he’s not perfect, yet still, it’s hard to imagine that anything could ever truly bring Hektor down.

And so, Deiphobus helps his brother in the ways he can and loves him as ever, always ready and eager to fight at his side.

Deiphobus leads a contingent himself, and does it well. It comes easier to him to manage a smaller group like that. He does as directed and guides his men through the fighting. One can say what they will about his ability to lead, but his capability as a warrior is undeniable.

Things shift between Deiphobus and Paris as well. Much of Troy turns on Paris, some faster than others. Deiphobus ignores the greater dramatics which, in his opinion, help nothing. Still, it is often tempting to berate him for his flippant disregard of the battles so he does, which is, admittedly, not entirely unwarranted.

However, Deiphobus and Paris share a mutual, unspoken understanding that they simply cannot focus on the war at all times. Sometimes it must be set aside. This is more often true to Paris than to Deiphobus, but that invites Deiphobus to keep Paris’s company when he can no longer bear all the stress.

In turn, when Deiphobus approaches him like that, Paris can trust not to be reprimanded as he so often is, as that gets ignored along with the rest of it. So there are times during the war where the two can be found together affably, chatting about nothing important. Their personalities can still mesh in such moments.

And, well, it’s shocking how steady things can stay over nine years of war, but they do. Death and loss become far too familiar companions, but they can do nothing but keep fighting through that, and things proceed much as they have been.

Until, of course, Achilles.

With all the cruelty of fate, it of course follows after they get the closest to driving away the Achaeans as they ever have. Such a brief, amazing hope. In his unmatched fury, Achilles slaughters their soldiers, butchers many of his brothers, escapes Scamander’s rage through the grace of the gods, and drives the army behind Troy’s wall with his advance, except for-

Then-

Hektor is dead.

Deiphobus tastes blood in his throat screaming at the sight behind the chariot.

In a way, it’s a blessing that it takes twelve days to get Hektor’s body and another twelve to bury it. With his death, command of Troy and her allies has passed to Deiphobus, and he could barely lead his own horse after losing Hektor, much less an army.

Deiphobus falls to pieces. He can barely process it, losing the one he held in the highest regard, held every confidence in, believed in to his core. Hektor was the best of all of them and now he’s dead, leaving him shattered. Deiphobus is hysterical, wildly heartbroken.

In this time is when Priam first turns on his remaining sons. He lashes out at them as he prepares to ransom Hektor’s corpse, degrading them as the most worthless of his sons. Still half blind with tears of grief he can’t hold back, he thinks that it’s true in the same moment he thinks of how he will now have to take Hektor’s place, worthless ruin though he is.

Most often, Priam refrains from speaking of his remaining sons after that, and in rare, fleeting heartbeats he almost seems contrite over cursing them. Neither is enough though to keep him from savagely reproaching them in unpredictable instances as Troy continues to spiral towards its doom. Deiphobus shakily chokes down his father’s abuse without a word.

Of course, he returns to the battlefield once Hektor is buried, coming to truly learn the crushing weight of his new role. How did his brother bear this? Every day feels like one failure after another; he’s not strong enough, not smart enough to do this. He tries anyway, each day more taxing than the last.

Deiphobus can hardly bear Paris after Hektor’s death. A large part of him hates him for it, desperate to pin the blame on someone despite knowing deep down that he’s not responsible. Though, even then, part of him is drawn to Paris, broken same as him, shaped by a sort of desperation to grieve for their brother with him. Misery loves company.

His anger burns hotter, but now he can’t bring himself to berate him even in the way he did sometimes before all this. He never confronts him with his hatred, such that it is. He simply avoids Paris entirely, knowing that if he indulges in the impulse to curse him for what happened to Hektor, he would fall apart at the seams.

Even now he can’t face the truth of what happened and keep going. It is all he can do to try never to think about it.

And then, with the aid of Lord Apollo, Paris kills Achilles.

The undecided limbo of Deiphobus’s feelings towards Paris topples into something like affection the moment he hears of it, connecting them once more. Paris has destroyed Hektor’s murderer, avenging him, and that matters to Deiphobus more than anything else.

That night, the two of them drink together until it half kills them, close enough to keep knocking shoulders as they revile Achilles with the worst profanities they know. It’s the only celebration they can muster after everything, but they’re both laughing for the first time since they lost him.

(When the night grows damnably late, Deiphobus’s attempt to laugh turns into retching and Paris collapses to the ground when he tries to get up to help. They suffer the agonizing morning together.)

They make a strange pair from then on. Friendship would be a generous word given the still unavoidable tension between them, but they somehow manage to maneuver around that and share a certain closeness. They maintain it despite differences that grind against each other. Sad as it is, it’s one of the only things either of them have left.

Paris and Deiphobus also weather Priam’s spontaneous tirades together. Usually wordlessly, but there is something to be said for the company of someone enduring the same pain you are. It is a quiet solidarity, but a significant one.

They talk of the war far more often now. Every day it devours more and more of their lives, always harder and harder to ignore or set aside. On rare occasions, they do still manage it. Those conversations make for a breath of fresh air, though that does little to stave off the feeling of drowning.

And then Paris takes a poisoned arrow and dies.

Deiphobus doesn’t wail and sob in the same way he did for Hektor. He’s too numb for it now. It hurts in an unnatural, distant sort of way. All he can muster is a ugly, stilted feeling of shame for letting himself come to care for him in the first place. Of course he would die like the rest, he should know this by now. He crumbles further.

After Paris’s loss, there's only two reasonable options for what to do with Helen. Either they need to return her to Menelaus or arrange a new marriage and keep her in Troy.

Helen pleads to be returned to her first husband but Deiphobus competes with Helenus to be the one who weds her. Troy does not stop them. There is a quiet but tangible tension to the city and he doesn’t think their people would tolerate Helen departing. He competes with everything he has left and he wins. And they marry.

That first night, Helen stares at his back while sitting in her new place on his bed. She expected to be treated like a piece of meat, a feeling she's grown well used to through living her life under the eyes of men, but he's barely even looking at her. He fought for her hand with an undeniable, feral sort of desperation. What was it for if he doesn't even want her?

"Why?" she asks him. "Why bother going through every effort to marry me only to be so cold now? What do you want?" Her voice would cut razor sharp if only she wasn't so tired.

He turns to face her with bloodshot eyes narrowed in a glare, riddled with barely restrained anger and grief. "I'm not letting you leave," he forces out and Helen pushes down the urge to scoff because that much is obvious.

"It has to be worth something," he continues. "There has to be something we fought for. If we just let you go back, then it won't have been worth jack shit." He paces, not looking at her again. "I won't allow that. Don't think you can avoid all this so easily now that Paris is gone. There has to be a point. My brother is dead because of this shit! If you're gone, then what would be the fucking point?!"

His brother. He means Hektor. He means Paris. He means every last one of them, so many dead. He means Hektor.

Helen doesn't reply. There is nothing she can say to that. For all that it doesn't make a difference, what he's laid before her is something she knows well. She's spent so long now berating herself and blaming herself for all that's come to pass and she understands. She hates this, all she wants is to go home, but she understands him.

She knows that they both hate each other and themselves all in equal measure. What a wretched pair they make, Helen thinks.

Not that they make much of a pair at all. They're rarely ever together. Deiphobus camps outside whenever he can, and when he can’t, he goes out of his way to avoid her. Helen accepts it as the best she can expect from the truly miserable situation this has become. The war drags on, but the truth hangs in the air that Troy is losing.

Then the horse.

The people, starving so desperately for peace, bring it inside the walls. Deiphobus tries to be cautious. He tries to think of what Hektor would have done. He commands Helen to walk around the horse, calling out in the voices of the Achaeans' wives. If there's some wretched spy or invader, let them show themselves. He'll kill them.

No one answers. Deep down just as desperate for peace as them all, he breathes a sigh of relief and leaves the damn horse.

He hopes the Achaeans filled their mouths with blood, biting their tongues as hard as they must have.

Troy is burning. The Achaeans fill the streets with slaughter; they are everywhere. Reunited with her husband after so, so long, Helen tells Menelaus where Deiphobus is. And so, Deiphobus dies alongside Troy.

(Deiphobus and Hektor meet again in the Underworld and Deiphobus tries to apologize for his failure to keep Troy safe. Hektor will hear none of it, refusing any of the anger he has every right to put on him. Still, a long time passes where Deiphobus silently and anxiously wonders if that was a lie, if Hektor truly does hate him for what happened.

Hektor keeps throwing him tense, unsettled glances sometimes when he thinks he’s not looking, even though he never says a thing. Each one worms further and further underneath his skin and he starts to squirm under the conviction that he’s done something wrong. Something Hektor holds against him.

When it finally grows so unbearable that Deiphobus confronts him about it at last, Hektor flinches and doesn’t disguise his fear and upset. Deiphobus braces himself. But then, mangled in with confusing, ashamed apologies, Hektor recounts for the first time how he died.

Athena luring him to his death in Deiphobus’s shape, speaking in his voice. How he turned to face Achilles believing he had support. When he called for a spear from his brother, he was alone.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I think of it at all, I’m so sorry I let you believe I was angry with you because of it. I’m not, it had nothing to do with you, you shouldn’t have to know of it at all. I just- remember it sometimes. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

Deiphobus feels nauseous. Hektor looks even more so.

“If I had actually been there-”

“No! Don’t do this. Achilles would have just killed you too.”

“We wouldn’t have died alone, then.”

They clutch at each other, these battered remnants of their souls, carrying with them the wounds of their lives.)

#the iliad #deiphobus #hektor #hector of troy #paris of troy #and misc others i wont tag lol #trojan war #greek mythology #my writing #goal: make everyone else have thoughts and feelings about deiphobus too #hes my randomly selected emotional support child of priam #and hes perfect for my favorite thing #weird little character studies #hopefully this was at least somewhat interesting to read #its been a long time since ive done a post like this #an unsurprisingly it is way too long lol #sometimes it really is just all or nothing with my headcanons #i also think about the version where achilles is going to marry polyxena and deiphobus grabs him while paris stabs him in the back #inchresting

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little-mad · 3 years

Text

Little Jackpot Pt. 11

~ Last Part ~ Next Part ~

The first thing Ambry noticed when she began to regain consciousness was the fact that she very much was not on solid ground. In addition to a slight but persistent up and down movement, she could also feel a strong heartbeat that was not her own pulsing through her body. It was then that she noticed the spongy texture of the surface she was lying on.

With her senses finally together enough to finally fully wake up, Ambry’s eyes flew open. The moment they did, memories of the past couple hours began to flood in. She’d been abducted by Kole, stuck in his grasp, and then...then she’d done something drastic, something that explained why the surface she was resting on was so absurdly big.

Ambry swallowed down a wave of intimidation as she shifted into a sitting position atop Sebastian’s palm. She had been in the human’s hand before, but she had been quite a bit bigger then. Now her entire body easily fit into the cup of his palm.

With the massive black clad wall that was Sebastian’s chest blocking one side, and his right hand blocking the other, Ambry couldn’t see much of the world around them. From the glimpses she got though, she could tell they were outside, walking down a street in the city. Normally she would have considered Sebastian’s behavior to be smothering, but at that moment she was honestly grateful. She didn’t think she could handle experiencing the whole world at an increased scale right now.

“Ambry?” A voice softly called from above. Ambry had to tilt her head back quite far in order to see Sebastian’s vast facing staring down at her in concern.

The up and down movement she’d been experiencing, which she now realized had been Sebastian’s gait, came to stop, indicating he had halted his journey.

“H-hey.” Ambry greeted with an awkward wave. “I can’t believe how huge he is!” She thought to herself incredulously. Any natural, instinctual fear she’d had of creatures of human size now seemed to be on overdrive. Despite knowing the human holding her was a friend that would look out for her, Ambry’s increased heart rate and the nervous sweat developing on her brow told her that her body didn’t buy it.

“She’s awake?” Ambry jumped slightly at the sound of Adrien’s voice coming from somewhere out of her view.

“How are you feeling? Are you hurt?” Sebastian questioned, managing to keep his voice low and steady despite the urgency in his tone.

Ambry shook her head. “I’m fine, just a little lightheaded is all.” She called up to the witch, being sure to raise her voice so it would reach his faraway ears.

A small yelp slipped out from the pixie’s mouth when the hand she was sitting on suddenly began to move upwards. The movement was slow and careful, but still jarring for the tiny passenger. When Sebastian’s palm stopped its ascent in front of his face, Ambry hurriedly tried to compose herself.

Rather than saying something immediately as she had expected, Sebastian remained silent while his deep green eyes carefully inspected the pixie resting in the palm of his hand.

While Ambry liked being the center of attention at times, she did not like being an object of close examination. Having such a massive being drink in every detail of her much smaller form gave her a swirly feeling in her stomach.

A touch of red began to tinge Ambry’s cheeks. “Wh-what are you doing?” She asked, shifting uncomfortably.

There was a pause, in which Sebastian didn’t respond and instead continued to look Ambry over. Just when she was about to snap at him to knock it off, he moved the hand containing Ambry slightly down and away from his face. “Physically you look alright.” He noted, some of the tension in his face easing up. “Let’s just get you home, then we can discuss things.” Ambry gave a small nod of agreement.

With that, Sebastian returned his hands to the position they had been in when Ambry woke up before setting off again. While she still wasn’t able to catch sight of him, she could hear Adrien’s footsteps following behind Sebastian. She was once again appreciative of Adrien’s ability to know what a person needed without having to ask. Rather than get close to Sebastian and crowd Ambry, he had elected to stay back and out of view so as to not overwhelm her. She’d have to find a way to thank him for his consideration later.

The rest of the trip from there was brief. It was only a couple of minutes before they reached home. Once inside the house, Sebastian made his way to the kitchen. He pulled up a stool at the peninsula before very slowly lowering the hand holding Ambry down to the surface of the counter. Taking the cue, she rose to her feet and stepped off of the soft palm.

It was at this moment that Ambry finally started to take in the larger environment. As expected, everything looked even bigger and heftier than it used to. The countertop she stood on now was like a vast expanse of endless sleek white marble. Needless to say, she felt positively minuscule.

With cautious and measured movements, Adrien took a seat at the stool beside Sebastian. This left Ambry standing on the countertop with two absolute titans looking down at her. She gulped heavily.

“Your wings, are they ok?” Adrien asked gently. At their mention, Ambry’s wings gave an involuntary twitch. She realized Adrien’s question must have been brought on by the fact that she had opted to continue riding in Sebastian’s hand rather than fly herself. It was true that normally Ambry would have flown by now. And while her wings weren’t injured, they did feel heavy behind her back. It wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling, she’d experienced it before after flying excessively and overworking herself. This time she wasn’t exhausted from flying, but rather from the size reduction process she had undergone.

“Yeah, I’m just exhausted.” Ambry admitted. “Which is why I passed out earlier.” She tacked on. She supposed it must have been alarming for the two humans to find her not only a couple inches smaller, but also inexplicably unconscious.

“Why--Ambry, what happened to you?” The intensity of Sebastian’s question drew her eyes to meet his. She could see the concern still tugging at his brows, and his pale lips were pressed together in that way they always did when he was fretting over something.

Ambry blew out a sigh. It was time to unveil the pixie secret. While there were no rules or laws in place restricting pixies from revealing their hidden ability to humans, it was something of an unspoken rule that it not be brought up unless necessary. Given that Sebastian had just witnessed Ambry shrink before his very eyes, she figured it was pretty necessary at this point.

“Every pixie has the natural ability to decrease their size at will.” She started, instantly earning wide eyed stares from both of the witches sitting in front of her. “But, because of how draining it is, on top of how fickle and unpredictable it can be, we rarely ever use it.”

“Fickle how?” Sebastian pressed.

Ambry shrugged. “In various ways. For one, it's easy for a pixie to end up shrinking more or less than they meant to.” She explained. “It’s also completely impossible to control how long we remain at our reduced size.” This was the bit that most nagged at the back of Ambry’s mind.

“You won’t stay this size forever, will you?” Adrien inquired.

“As far as I know, a pixie will always return back to their original form eventually. It could take a couple minutes, or a couple weeks.” Ambry had only personally known one pixie who had ever used their shrinking ability. He had done it just to test to see if it would actually work. It had taken four days for him to go back to normal. Apparently there were stories of pixies who had been stuck at their reduced size for nearly a month. There were even some legends that claimed it was possible to stay reduced forever, but those were mostly dismissed as old wives tales.

“So it’s essentially a waiting game.” Adrien concluded.

There were worse things than having to be so small for an indeterminate amount of time, still being in Kole’s hands came to mind. Yet Ambry couldn’t help but be filled with dread at the prospect of potentially being stuck this way for weeks on end. It would be like starting her adjustment to the human world all over again. Not to mention how much more vulnerable she was at this size.

Ambry was forced out of her worrying when she noticed something large steadily approaching her. She instinctively cringed back when Sebastian’s finger got near to her. However, when the fingertip big enough to cover her whole face gently touched her cheek, she found herself surprisingly not pulling away.

His skin was warm, and she could feel the ridges of his fingerprint on her cheek. It was an overwhelming comparison between their individual sizes, and while there was that part of her that was completely intimidated, it was quieter than usual. As Ambry locked eyes with Sebastian, she, in a strange way, actually kind of found his gesture comforting. Sebastian wasn’t particularly good with physical displays of affection or consolation, so for him to even attempt this was shocking in and of itself. But the fact that it was actually sort of working was even more shocking.

“If we have to wait, we have to wait. We’ll do it together.” The white haired witch assured her.

“Yeah, we’ll do whatever we need to make you more comfortable.” Adrien put in, a soft smile on his lips.

Were Ambry one prone to cheesy emotional displays, she would have teared up then and there. But as it was, she opted to choke out a quiet “thank you” instead.

#g/t #giant/tiny #g/t writing #g/t story #g/t community #sebastian altalune #ambry #my writing #ocs #trahb

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jokerfan99 · 3 years

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My Top 10 Favorite Anime Villains (Updated) by DarkChild316

In a different time and a different world, I did a list of “My 10 Favorite Anime Villains”. I am older now, and hopefully much wiser and now thanks to the global pandemic and my new subscriptions to Hulu and Funimation I’ve had the opportunity to go back and revisit so many classic anime that I feel like I should re-do it. Plus I’ve gone back and looked at my previous list and shook my head thinking to myself: “My God man, what in the f**k were you thinking with some of these choices!” So, I’ve gone back and redone the list, now this list is strictly for the men only. If you want to see a list dedicated to my favorite female villains, check out my list of “My Top 10 Favorite Anime Villainesses.” But for this list, here is my updated list of My Top 10 Favorite Anime Villains:

#10. Shishiho Makoto (Rurouni Kenshin): Growing up as a kid, Ruroni Kenshin was one of the first anime I had ever watched, and this guy was someone who I hated with a passion. Looking back at it years later, I realize now what an amazing villain and foil to Kenshin that Makoto was. Unlike a lot of villains on this list, Makoto wasn’t just evil for the sake of being evil, Makoto’s evil came from the worst type of trauma: betrayal! In this case the betrayal came from Makoto’s own government, where Makoto survived not only multiple gunshots, but being doused in oil and burned alive, leaving him in complete and utter agony. What puts Shishio on my list is what he manages to do after surviving death. He compiles an army of the best fighters Japan has to offer and plots to overthrow the entire Meiji Government. While in complete agony. Who else can claim that? Did I also mention he’s topping the list of the best fighters in the show? His swordsmanship is second only to Kenshin himself as he proves in their absolutely epic fight.

#9. Hisoka Morrow (Hunter x Hunter): Hunter x Hunter is a show with several great villains that truly stand out, and while Meruem was memorable, pardon me for believing that Hisoka was the standout villain from that show. A devious killer and master Nen user, Hisoka is driven by little more than his desire to find and kill strong opponents. Be they young children or master criminals, he’ll pursue them to the ends of the Earth with a bloodlust on par with that of a wild predator. Likewise, he doesn’t care what happens to himself or others in this pursuit. Mass civilian casualties, the loss of his own villainous allies or even the loss of his own limbs barely phases him, so long as he gets to fight with someone that tests his limits. As a result, he more often than not embodies chaos incarnate, wreaking havoc in his pursuit of battle and leaving a mountain of corpses behind him. Needless to say, this puts him at odds with the series’ protagonists at regular intervals. Not only do Gon and his friends fit the bill for what he seeks, but they often take on enemies that prove to be exactly what Hisoka is looking for. And yet, this also serves to make him all the more interesting. Where other villains might strike out at the protagonists and heroes immediately, Hisoka schemes, allies himself with and double-crosses people regularly, always finding the best angle to work in order to reach his goals. He may not be a world-ending anime villain on the level of a Meruem with seismic ambitions, but he’s undeniably the most interesting and brilliant villain in Hunter x Hunter to see at work.

#8. Izaya Orihara (Durarara!!): If you think of a list of top anime villains and this guy isn’t one of the first people who comes to mind, please raise your hands so I can have a few words with you in private with no cameras or eyewitnesses. The crazy thing about Izaya is that he doesn’t even realize he’s evil, and that’s what makes him great. He loves humanity; from the depths of his bones he loves us all. This is why he makes it onto my list; he does progressively more cruel acts against humans, putting people in situations that generally lead to their deaths. He is also a master of parkour and highly skilled with a switchblade in his hand (as evident in the above picture), which he generally only uses in dire situations or fights against Shizuo. In short, I absoulutely love this guy. I thoroughly enjoyed the way he manages to manipulate an entire populous, and that’s why he’s more than earned a spot on my list.

#7. Dio Brando (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure): You might have thought it was someone else, but it was me, Dio! All meme-worthy jokes aside, Dio Brando is unquestionably one of the most iconic anime villains of all time and, thanks to his series’ late-blooming popularity outside of Japan thanks largely to the 2012 anime adaptation, one that still feels modern in our minds. Dio is a tenacious bastard that takes advantage of the generosity of the Joestar family to further his own power, being intolerably dickish to Jonathan by constantly tearing him down, trying to make him look bad in front of his dad, spreading rumors to sully his reputation, and sabotaging his relationships. This escalates into killing his dog (his f***ikg dog of all things!), poisoning and later stabbing his adoptive father (I mean WTF!), and becoming a freakin vampire. Even after decapitation, Dio gets his revenge and sets in motion many of the events of the series, making a formal return in Stardust Crusaders as the main villain once again. With raw ambition taken to the extreme, iconic lines, poses, and outfits, incredible abilities from Aztec mask-induced vampirism and the time-stopping power of The World, Dio’s menacing presence towers over his series and over anime as a whole, which makes him MORE than deserving of a spot on my list.

#6. Light Yagami (Death Note): Yes, he’s a VILLAIN, get over yourselves Light Yagami fanboys! Anyway, there are a number of different adjectives and superlatives that could be used to described the lead character of Death Note: Diabolical, calculating, and determined to make the world in his own image all describe Light who was easily the most clever man in Death Note, as evidenced by the layers upon layers that composed his elaborate plans. Light started out as a good kid, doing well in school and heading to a bright career in police work like his father. But when he gets possession of the death note, he begins a remarkable descent into a disturbing mastermind who becomes judge, jury, and executioner for the entire world. But what truly makes Light's character stand out remains complicated throughout the story. His ultimate goal is to make the world a happier, safer place; a noble but perhaps misguided goal. His idealism and nobility still shine through when he doesn’t have the Death Note. When he temporarily relinquishes ownership of the death note to throw L off his trail, Light loses all memory of the death note and he reverts to his normal personality. His sense of morality returns and he shows more compassion for those around him. He even refuses to use Misa Amane to get information out of her when L asks him to. These qualities help to create a complex character who ends up being a detestable villain, yet you still kind of root for him to come out of this story as a winner. Light’s progression through the series is marked by his sheer brilliance. He's got a calculated and strategic mind that would make the great philosopher Machiavelli jealous, and the power of the death note adds a callousness that makes him free to use people in whatever way necessary to accomplish his goals. It’s highly entertaining to see his intricate plans play out. But Light’s messiah-like ego is just as big as his brain, and that arrogance ultimately leads to his tragic downfall.

#5. The Major (Hellsing): An evil Nazi Scientist, I know everyone is just rolling their eyes right now thinking I’m reaching for the low-hanging fruit for this one, but just hear me out here. While he may seem like an obvious pick for a list like this, The Major’s goals, however, are somehow far more unhinged than what may first appear. Despite being an impassioned orator and uncompromising strategist willing to sacrifice countless soldiers, the Major himself had no especial loyalty or passion for the cause of Millennium. His sole obsession is to plunge the world into an unending conflict to the point of endangering not only the lives of others but also his own. The Major’s leadership of Millennium, his decades espousing the genocidal ideology of fascists, and subsequent war against the Hellsing organization, the Vatican, and the entire world serve only as a pretext to satiate his insatiable bloodlust. The Major is one of anime’s most insidious villains, a charismatic, nihilistic sociopath driven purely by his sadomasochistic death wish.

#4. Shou Tucker (Fullmetal Alchemist): Now, you may be recalling that in my previous version of this list, I had Envy listed as my choice as my favorite villain from this show. Well after careful reconsideration, I’ve had to reevaluate my decision and give that spot to this creep, because while Envy’s actions were despicable to a point, they PALE in comparison to this guy! He only really appears in one episode if I remember correctly, yet in that one single episode, he made more of an impact then most villains make in a lifetime, which really says a lot about this guy’s character. What was it that made him so memorable you ask? Well, it could have something to do with the fact that this man transmutaed his own dog and daughter to create a talking chimera, which hadn’t been done before, and for what other reason…all in the name of recognition in the world of alchemy! That mere fact alone made this guy the most hated man in all of anime, the fact that he sacrificed his own family for the sake of fame, with absolutely no hint of remorse, made this guy the definition of an absolute living piece of shit and the only thing worse is how the episode ended, but I won’t spoil that one for you if you haven’t seen it.

#3. Gendo Ikari (Neon Genesis Evangelion) Up next is a man competing with the likes of Medusa Gorgon for the title of “Anime’s Worst Parent”, Gendo Ikari, please step up to the front of the congregation. Now Gendo is a man who’s list of atrocities throughout Evangelion is far too many to name, but I’m going to try my best to list them here: You have being actively complicit in the premature instigation of a biblical apocalypse, resulting in a near extinction-level event that caused the death of nearly two-thirds of the human population. Emotionally neglecting his own son Shinji estranging himself from him for over twelve years, only to offer him up as a sacrificial pawn in his bid to artificially bootstrap humanity’s ascent into evolutionary godhood so that he could be reunited with his dead wife. Cloning said wife’s DNA into a harem of emotionally dependent albino ingenues who share a dogged infatuation for their creator. And that’s not even mentioning the horrific emotional abuse and mental manipulation he inflicts on Dr. Ritsuko Akagi and her mother Naoko. All-in-all Gendo is proof positive that love not only has the capacity to overcome any obstacle, but sometimes it can truly make monsters out of us all.

#2. Griffith (Berserk): Griffith did nothing wrong; at least, not by his own drives and ambitions. A peasant who grew to become the leader of his own mercenary band, Griffith was a self-driven man who pursued his desires with unparalleled efficiency. No matter the situation or obstacle, he found a way to overcome them, whether that meant facing down an army of thousands or assassinating a country’s leaders. All the while, he amassed a legion of friends and followers who would follow him to hell and back, caring for him as much or more than he cared for them. As a result, they were dragged down with him when his ambitions saw him imprisoned, tortured and maimed. They cared little though, risking life and limb to save him and help him salvage a life with what he had left. That wasn’t enough for Griffith though. When given the option to become a demon and continue the pursuit of his dreams, he whole-heartedly accepted it; even though it came at the cost of sacrificing the lives of each and every one of his friends and allies. But that wasn’t the worst of it, to further spite the early desertion of Guts, Griffith proceeds to rape Casca, Guts’ love interest, in front of him as Guts is held down by demons. So yes, Griffith did nothing wrong by himself. By everyone else though, he did them the worst of injustices, and continues to do so with each breath he takes, all of which makes him a compelling and infuriating villain.

#1. Johan Liebert (Monster): I’ve covered a wide variety of monsters (pun fully intended) on this list, but THIS monster (again, pun FULLY intended) truly takes the cake when it comes to anime villains. A serial killer who would fit in well in any blockbuster film, Monster told the story of a man who had truly become monstrous; a charismatic, intelligent sociopath with no other goal than to kill everyone else in the world. Johan didn't just kill people, he made other people into monsters just like him. This skill of his corruption is first displayed in his youth, when he used stories to convince the other boys in his orphanage to kill all the staff, and each other. Johan is often compared to Light Yagami of Death Note, but the two couldn’t be any more different. Light's fatal (and genius) flaw is his own ego, which leads him to put his own life above all else, even his goal of changing the world. But Johan has never been afraid of death. Quite the opposite, he welcomes and embraces it, being more than willing to put his own life at risk, and one of his signature traits is how he challenges people to shoot him. Another of Jonah’s signature traits is his skills as a masterful manipulator. Where Light and other on this list had to resort to supernatural means to get what they wanted, Johan just used his own wits and knowledge of human nature. He's easily the most frightening villain on this list because he’s the truest to life villain on this list and he exposes the base human nature of his victims and of human society. Monster's remarkable story was almost entirely due to Johan alone, and it’s why he’s #1 on my list.

So that's my updated list, what did you guys think about it? Love it, hated it? Go on and tell me what you think and let me know who your favorite anime villains are. See you soon!!!

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