#when he eventually leaves the wardens to be with a lover or to just be somewhere quiet | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

imdoingaokay · 1 year

Text

R!Companions If The Inquisitor Dies

(A/N) I like angst. Sowwy.

I’m a Cullen girlie so I started thinking of what he would be like if his Inky died and… I made this.

Also, I want to say that, without The Inquisitor, I genuinely don’t think The Inquisition would last that long. And I don’t think it’s because The Inquisition would lack leadership or anything, I think it would lack the draw or the figurehead that would garner the support needed to maintain it. So it’s kind of implied that the Inquisition disbands.

It is also implied that this all takes place a while after Corypheus is defeated… Except for Solas’ part (hehehehe)

TW: Death, descriptions of death, burning and burying (idk maybe you’re claustrophobic), and more sadness.

Major Spoilers

Sorry again, love you pookie bear

Blackwall/Thom Rainer: Blackwall watches The Inquisitor fall, he tried to shield them, but it all happened too fast, far too fast for him to realize what was happening. He’s rushing over to his friend as fast as possible as if that’ll prevent them from dying, but once he sees how limp The Inquisitor is, even he knows that his friend is dead.

His only comfort is that their death was quick and hopefully, painless. He’ll throw himself into the drink for a little while. Just for the period of time right before and after The Inquisitor’s funeral. Afterward, he stays with The Inquisition for some time. He does what he can, making the adjustment.

He leaves much later, whether to the custody of the Grey Wardens or himself, but he never forgets his friend, never forgets what they did for him.

Romanced, he’s rushing over to his lover, scooping them up in his arms while he pulls them away. He begs them to open their eyes and pleads with the Maker to not take them away… not yet. But when the battle is over, and the rest of the party sees Rainer and The Inquisitor, it’s obvious that their friend and his lover his gone.

He drinks for a bit longer than he would if he was just a friend, and is less able to help around Skyhold. With what little he is doing, he feels like a coward, but he simply can’t will himself to get up and help.

Eventually, he’ll leave like he would before, but as he watches them burn or bury his lover’s body, he realizes that a part of him will be locked away in his lover. He’ll still be him, but he’ll be unable to show the same love and devotion to anyone else.

Cassandra: Cassandra is immediately slicing the bastard who killed her friend, and with a quick swipe of her blade, the offender is gone. She still turns to her friend and attempts to wake them, but after feeling for their pulse, even she realizes that her friend is dead. She solemnly waits for the rest of the group to gather around and help her transport her friend's body back to Skyhold, as is most likely the one sending the letter to Leliana of the Inquisitor’s death. Initially, she thinks of taking the role of Inquisitor, only to immediately reject the idea. However, she continues to work tirelessly to help the rest of The Inquisition deal with the death of their leader, but it’s hard. She also tries to help the lover of The Inquisitor, but even though she tries, she can’t seem to find the right words to comfort them. She’s struggling too, The Inquisitor was her friend as well.

Romanced, she’s immediately dragging her lover away, crying out for them, but even she has to accept that she has lost another lover.

She does everything she would if the pair wasn’t together, but she officially swears off love. No one else can measure up to Regalyan or her Inquisitor. And with her focus now on the Seekers and The Inquisition, Cassandra finds herself unable to focus on things like love.

Cole: He knows immediately that The Inquisitor is gone. It doesn’t help, of course. All he does is shout for his friend, but once the battle dies down, Cole watches the rest of the group gather around the motionless Inquisitor. Cole whispers that their friend is dead, which potentially leads to some angry words being thrown at him, depending on who is present.

He stays around Skyhold, mostly helping those who grieve The Inquisitor. He spends most of his time with The Inquisitor’s love interest if they had one. He finds his efforts fruitful, as some of those he attempts to help accept it far easier than some. But the ones that don’t accept his help, Cole knows they need it the most. So he sends others to help instead, people willing to talk to them, and comfort them. Part of him feels The Inquisitor’s spirit from far away, and he hopes they aren’t too upset with his antics.

He’s just trying to help, after all. Kind of like The Inquisitor.

Cullen Rutherford: He hears about it right after Leliana, a letter attached to a bird flies through the hole in his roof and down the ladder right to his desk. He absentmindedly opens the letter, where he reads frantic, scrawled words that culminate in some of the most dreadful words he’d ever read.

“The Inquisitor is dead.”

He rushes over to Leliana, who is already speaking to Josephine, and all three retreat to the War Room where they begin to discuss what the next steps are. Cullen does his best to put on a brave face, he does what he can to provide some sense of stability, but he’d be a liar if he wasn’t struggling himself. The Inquisitor seemed so… invincible, so strong, how were they able to survive so much and then just… die? It didn’t make any sense.

The most Cullen is able to do is send a prayer to Andraste, asking her to give The Inquisitor a safe journey to The Golden City, they deserved that much.

Eventually, Cullen will head home, to his siblings in South Reach, where they will accept him with open arms. Cullen continues to live on, spending time with his family, teaching his nephew chess, and sending letters to his friends in The Inquisition. He sets up a clinic for former templars and even gets a Mabari down the line.

But most importantly, he keeps on living.

Romanced, he was just thinking about them. He was sitting at his desk, musing over some paperwork while his mind drifted to a few days ago. He was laying in bed with his lover, while they clung to his chest, asking for reasons not to leave on this trip. He had laughed, petting their hair gently as he said “You have to go, my love.”

He watched them sigh and get up, their hand still lingering on his arm, “I love you” they had whispered.

“I love you t-”

“Cullen.” He heard, Leliana standing in front of his desk. He smiled for a moment, about to greet her, but her furrowed eyebrows and deepened frown told her there was nothing to smile about. Her next words were careful and gentle, but still, they got their point across. “I’m afraid that The Inquisitor perished in the ensuing battle.” She said, watching Cullen’s face morph into something unexplainable. He furrowed his own brown and opened his mouth as if he was about to ask what kind of joke this was, but as he saw the painfully sympathetic look on Leliana’s face, he knew.

He moved so suddenly his chair fell backward, he could barely look at the desk where he and his lover had-

“We need to discuss… the next steps…” Cullen shook his head, his breathing becoming rapid, all he could hear was his own heartbeat, that and the singing of…

“Perhaps we should-” Leliana began, only to watch Cullen pass by her. But with every step he took, he felt his legs slowly become heavier and heavier until he all but collapsed on the bridge that connected the battlements to the rotunda. Leliana quickly followed after him, attempting to comfort him. His head hurts, and he can’t seem to stop hearing the agonizing sound of the lyrium, calling out to him.

Somehow he gets into his bed, unable to work for the rest of the day. When his lover’s body comes back from wherever they were sent, he’s in a bit of a better place. Maker, it crushes him if he sees that they were still holding onto his coin. He prays that they won’t go too far, that they’ll wait for him on the other side, and that somehow, they’ll be there when he dies. He begs them not to go too far, that he’ll be with them soon, that he loves them, and he’ll never forget them.

It takes more time, but eventually, he finds himself back in South Reach, where he opens a clinic for templars and lives his life. But even then, he waits for the day when he dies, the day he can finally see his lover again.

Until then, he’ll keep living.

Dorian Pavus: Shoots the bastard as soon as he sees his friend fall. Dorian surrounds The Inquisitor with a shield and tries to feel for a pulse. But their body is still and limp, Dorian knows what has happened.

He attends the funeral, out of respect, and out of a sense of loyalty. But he can’t bear to watch the body be buried or burned, Maker he can’t watch. He’ll leave, deciding to focus his energy on Tevinter rather than The Inquisition, which is something he planned, but he had wished he would have more time before he had to return. He misses his friend every day and hopes that whatever afterlife they’re in, if they are in one, hopefully, they’ll save him a seat and a glass of wine for when he eventually kicks the bucket.

Romanced, he cries out, rushing over to his lover. He’s in denial as he tries to heal his Amatus, begging them to open their eyes. He pleads with the Maker, begging them to take him instead. He gets angry right after, angrily shouting at them “Why didn’t you get away? Why didn’t you run to me?” He has to be pulled off, has to be taken away from his lover’s body, as he begins to sob into his lover’s armor. It’s painful to watch, but nothing more painful than what Dorian feels.

As his lover’s funeral draw near, he throws himself into wine. And intends to drink himself to death, but then he gets sent a letter from another Magister, Maevaris.

He tells himself that he’ll keep living, at least, for The Inquisitor’s sake. But he’ll never love again, because he’s too busy, and because no other man will ever be the same as his Inquisitor.

Iron Bull: He shouts for his friend immediately, destroying the poor sod who killed The Inquisitor before they can desecrate the body further. Bull has seen many, many dead bodies, but he never imagined one day seeing The Inquisitor. Of course, he’s imagined the necessary steps of subduing The Inquisitor if they ever tried to betray him out of nowhere, but he would never imagine them like this.

He attends the funeral of The Inquisitor and tries to figure out what the next step is for him, for The Chargers.

He’ll leave eventually, as his place was by The Inquisitor, but with them gone, there’s no need for him or his crew. He goes out drinking with The Chargers before they leave Skyhold, and he invites the rest of the inner circle, encouraging them to tell stories of The Inquisitor’s antics. It turns into a more pleasant night than anyone expected. When he leaves, he hopes that he left the rest of his friends with more positive memories than sad ones.

Romanced, all he can get out is a weak “kadan?”

He doesn’t cry, not yet, not here. He waits until he’s back in Skyhold, where he sits in the tavern, unable to stop thinking about the way his lover fell, the way their hair looked, their mouth, their eyes… Maker, their eyes. All of a sudden, he feels a hand on his shoulder and looks up, seeing Krem. It’s a simple “You okay, boss?” But that’s all it takes for Bull to let lose a torrent of tears. He clings so tightly to the dragon tooth necklace his lover gave him that he thinks he might break it. Krem and the rest of The Chargers comfort their leader the best they can, but everyone realizes that there isn’t much that can be done, as the love Bull held for his Inquisitor was far deeper than he ever described up until that moment. But The Chargers will be there for him. It’s Krem that makes the comment that The Inquisitor isn’t really gone, as the dragon tooth still is with Bull,

“Which means something, doesn’t it Boss?”

Bull can’t help but agree, Krem’s right. The Inquisitor hasn’t left him, and he hasn’t left them either. Even when he leaves Skyhold with the rest of The Chargers, he hasn’t left them. They’re always together.

Josephine Montilyet: Josephine has the heavy task of informing the general public and the nobles of the Inquisitor’s death. Her friend’s death hurt, but she was relieved that her amount of work seemed to distract her from the heavy amount of pain she felt. She’ll leave eventually, but not without saying goodbye to her friend during their funeral. She ends up back in Antiva, working to see that her family’s business is upheld, especially after all the work her friend had put into helping her restore her family’s fortune. Platonically, she takes The Inquisitor’s death the best out of everyone but it also helps that she wasn’t present for her friend's death in the first place.

Romanced, she was not expecting it. She was minding her own business, scribbling down a letter for some high-ranking noble in Ferelden. Then all of a sudden, Leliana walks in, solemn and quiet. Leliana allows Josephine to send her a letter before Leliana asks Josephine to take a walk with her. After all, Leliana thinks her friend deserves some privacy before she hears the news. So Leliana ushers an oblivious Josephine into the War Room, where Cullen was already waiting.

Everyone could hear Josephine’s anguished cries from any corner of Skyhold. Josephine clings to Leliana, unable to support her weight as her mind tries to picture her lover in various different positions. Her mind immediately goes to what she will say to the nobility, to the chantry, but Leliana hushes her diplomat, claiming that she’ll take care of it. Josephine doesn’t want her to, but she can’t seem to get out any words in between her sobs.

She moves back to Antiva fairly soon, once all is taken care of. She begins to focus more so on her family and their trading business, potentially using this as an excuse to avoid any marriage proposals given by other nobles.

Leliana: Aside from those in the direct party, Leliana is the first to find out. She’s the one to tell Josephine, Cullen, and the many soldiers and spies under her. She prefers to be the person who tells The Inquisitor’s lover if they don’t already know, and she watches them crumble or slowly slink away, unable to truly cope with the news.

She spends time praying, asking why The Maker would take someone like The Inquisitor away when the world still needed them.

If Hardened, she realizes she will get no answer, and furiously draws away from The Maker, deciding to spend less time praying and more time doing, as The Maker has yet to hear her pleas so far.

Softened, she’s more kind to herself, she believes that The Maker must’ve taken The Inquisitor back because it was just their time, that it had to be, some good reason… that’s why Leliana has lost someone yet again… That has to be it.

Sera: Watching Inky crumple has her tearing her attention away from whatever they’re fighting. She calls out for help, and attempts to wake her friend, but to no avail. As the battle dies down, she watches as the rest of her friends gather around her. Sera’s confused, after all, The Inquisitor isn’t supposed to die. Not yet. They’ve survived so much! Haven, nobles, that dragon… how… how do they just… die?

She cries at camp, after hiding from everyone else. She feels ashamed of her tears, it takes the sight of someone like Blackwall or Varric to cry for her to feel less bad about her tears. And even then, she still hides them away.

She doesn’t stay in Skyhold for long, unable to attend her friend’s funeral. She believes it’s stupid to hold a funeral for someone when there’s work to be done, so she leaves. She gets back to work as a Red Jenny and never looks back.

Romanced, she cries out. She shakes them, kisses their face, anything to get them to wake. For one moment, she wishes she had magic to heal the wounds her lover had. It’ll take at least two people to drag her away from her Inky, and even then, she’s kicking and screaming. She’s reminded of her dreams where she watches her lover die, she’s reminded of her Inky kissing her cheek and saying in such a stupid voice “I’m not going anywhere”

That stupid liar! That stupid, perfect liar! Why would they lie to her? Why would they say they would never leave when there they were, gone?

She stays for the funeral before leaving, she thinks her lover deserves that much. But even then, she’s only there to say goodbye, which she doesn’t even say. It’s more of a “see you soon” if anything. She carries the memory of her lover with her, which is good enough for her.

Solas: Solas watches his friend stumble, Corypheus was recently killed, the orb destroyed, and his friend… who weakly falls to the ground. He’s torn between leaving and staying. On one hand, if he leaves, he’ll avoid the tormented look of agony The Inquisitor’s friends and lovers will hold. But they might also think that he was the one who killed them. But Solas can’t bring himself to leave, so he goes to his friend’s side. They’re gone by the time he catches them, and Solas quietly wishes that The Inquisitor didn’t have to die. He watches his friend’s inner circle climb the stairs and listens to the heartbreak that follows. While his friend’s body is carried away, Solas slips away and disappears, in hopes nobody will care or notice he’s gone. He continues his quest to tear down the veil, and with seemingly nobody to stop him, he seems to be well on his way.

Romanced, he rushes immediately to his lover’s side, but the moment he reaches them, his Inquisitor is gone. It isn’t relieving, watching his ex-lover die, the one person he expected to keep him tethered to the idea that this world may still deserve a chance. He leaves once the body is carried away, and continues his journey, but he is so much sadder. Because, at least if his vhenan was still alive, he could see them in his dreams. Now, all that he sees is their body, as if the spirits of the fade are taunting him with his failures. He hopes, in a way, that he’ll come across his lover’s spirit somewhere, so he can apologize, so can confess everything. But with the vastness of the fade, with the low probability of it all, Solas comes to the conclusion that perhaps he doesn’t deserve such closure, he just wished he could give that to his vhenan instead.

Varric Tethras: He doesn’t realize they're dead at first, focusing more on the hordes of enemies he’s dealing with. He shouts out that The Inquisitor is down, but that’s about it. Eventually, when the last of their enemies are taken down, Varric gets a chance to realize what the fuss is all about. When he hears the suffering cries of friends or potentially a lover, Varric realizes what happened. He hangs his head and lets out a quiet “shit” before turning away, unable to look.

He sticks around Skyhold, helping the Inquisition the best he can before he sees he’s overstayed his welcome, which is when he returns to Kirkwall. Every once in a while, he gets reminded of The Inquisitor’s death, and how… maybe if he had noticed faster, they would still be around.

Romanced, he notices much faster. Previously, he had made a joke that he was actually unable to take his eyes off of his lover, so watching them crumple in the middle of the battle really caught his attention. After a few bolts from Bianca, he rushes over to attempt to revive his lover. Once it registers that his invincible Inquisitor is dead, he’s struck with a terrible feeling of helplessness. He holds them tightly and gives a quick prayer to Andraste or the Creators, someone who could potentially save them. But as his friends gather around him, even Varric has to come to grips with reality.

He’s more introspective in the coming days, staying close to his lover’s body as if he’s waiting for them to spring up and claim some elaborate prank. But as their body burns or is covered by layers of dirt, he accepts that it’s over.

He’ll never really get over the person that helped him move on from Bianca, the person that made him feel like he was the best version of himself. And he’s okay with that. So he just does what’s needed. As with the friendship route, he’ll stick around for a little while, and then return to Kirkwall. But every day that passes, until death finally takes him, he’ll wish for the comfort of his lover, his Inquisitor, once more.

Vivienne: She watches The Inquisitor fall, and quickly rushes over to them. A ward here, a healing spell there, she attempts to revive her colleague, but when she checks for a pulse and feels nothing, she sees that her efforts were for nothing.

Vivienne is a great help to Skyhold and whoever The Inquisitor’s lover is, even Sera finds Vivienne around to kindly help her through her grief. Vivienne also helps The Inquisition during its more vulnerable stage of healing after The Inquisitor’s death. Once she believed her work was done, she’d eventually return to the fancy courts of Orlais, but not without being prepared to defend the late Inquisitor if anyone dare disgrace their name.

181 notes · View notes

crossdressingdeath · 2 years

Text

Time to be sad about the end of DAI. ...And by the end of DAI, I really mean the period between DAI and Trespasser, as clarified by the codex entries we get re the companions at the start of Trespasser.

The thing with the two year gap is that... it seems like eventually the entire inner circle (other than the advisors) left. Some of them it's a little unclear (Sera doesn't have a "The Last Few Years" codex entry, and while she's pleased to see everyone they all were gone, so it doesn't mean she was away from Skyhold, but if romanced her journal does say it's "been too long" since she's seen Quiz) and a lot of them seem to have been leaving temporarily, but... yeah, looks like the entire inner circle got to go off and do their own thing, while I get the impression Quiz was still stuck in Skyhold. Varric's in Kirkwall, Vivienne's dealing with the Circles (or Divine), Cassandra is hunting down Seekers or looking for Fade rifts depending on whether or not you told her to reform the Seekers (or Divine), Cole seems to be being sent on assignments with the scouts, Bull's off with the Chargers (if he's Ben-Hassrath it's a little unclear whether or not he left Skyhold, but if he's Ben-Hassrath he doesn't really count as a friend all things considered and if he did stay that would honestly make everything worse in the long run), Blackwall's either reconnecting with his men or doing Warden shit (or I believe in Warden custody if either you made him keep up the lie or didn't do his personal quest), Dorian's in Tevinter (although if romanced he's the only one with a clear timeline, since he specifically says he's been gone a month), and Solas obviously isn't around anymore.

I just... I can't help thinking about Quiz, cut off from all their friends and their lover, getting letters from all their friends about how they're getting on with their lives now that Corypheus is dealt with, and they're dying and it's been two years and they're still stuck in Skyhold. It would be so isolating, getting all these letters from people who are clearly enjoying their lives post-Corypheus when Quiz is still in that castle in the Frostbacks. Trespasser gets down to business pretty fast, so the game doesn't really dwell on what things were like during the period between the end of DAI and the start of Trespasser (some of it would presumably canonically be taken up with doing many side quests, but not all of it), but... I don't know. It just must have been lonely, especially if your Quiz doesn't get on super well with some or all of the advisors.

#dragon age inquisition #dragon age trespasser #i'm nowhere NEAR playing trespasser again and yet i'm getting sad about it already

516 notes · View notes

taevbears · 1 year

Text

Magic Shop - 06

He’s waited a long time to see you again.

⤑ pairing: (eventual) OT7 x female witch!reader; Taehyung focused ⤑ genre: magic au, romance, hurt/comfort, slow burn ⤑ rating: 18+ ⤑ word count: 8.2k ⤑ warnings: minor character death, abandonment/loss, depression/grief, oppression against mages, a bit of self-deprecation, brief description of sexual activities. ⤑ note: Happy birthday Taehyung! Your chapter happens to fall align with your birthday lol (at least, in the time I’m posting it. I seriously didn’t intend for it to happen, but it worked out this way!). For all my visual readers, the references I used for the shop are from the FESTA 2020 staircase photoshoot, BE concept photos, and of course, the 5th Muster: Magic Shop intermission clips. I also couldn’t decide if I wanted to make Taehyung a crow or a raven lol. But I’m happy to finally change gears from the dark and dreary with this story and into more light-hearted and fluffy moments. There are only a couple more chapters left until this first part of the series is done, so thank you so much for sticking with me and all the lovely comments ^^ I hope you all have a wonderful, warm, and safe new year!

Chapters: 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 (final)

An awkward silence passes as the mysterious man smiles at you all. Then, hesitantly, after clearing his throat, Seokjin is the first to speak up. “I’m sorry, but who are you?”

“Ah, that’s a good question.” The man rubs his chin, taking his time to think of an answer. Then, with a slight smirk, he replies, “You can call me whatever you want.”

“Don’t you have a name?” Namjoon tries.

He shrugs his shoulders. “My last owner called me Taehyung.”

“Okay. Taehyung,” you test out his name as he turns his full attention to you. His eyes are a dark amber, almost like honey. It’s a little difficult to look away from them. “H-How do you know who we are?”

His smirk widens as he quirks up an eyebrow. “Ah, that’s a shame. It sounds like you don’t remember me yet, darling.”

You blink. “Wait. What?”

“We used to be lovers.”

“Wait—”

“WHAT?!” the boys echo around you, nearly screaming, just in as much shock as you are. Maybe even more so.

The mix of confusion, disbelief, and panic causes Taehyung to burst into laughter. He claps his hands, eyes squinting to crescents between his fits of giggles. “I’m kidding! You guys are too funny.”

“That doesn’t answer… I’m…” you start, your brain seizing over the fact that a mysterious, handsome, possibly Wicked man is joking about you two being lovers once. You know it isn’t true. You’ve never seen this man before in your life. Yet, you feel so flustered.

In your arms, you feel Yoongi brush his tail around your arm. His dark eyes are trained on Taehyung, watching him carefully. It’s as if he isn’t sure what to make of him just yet either.

“Why don’t you all come inside? You seem pretty tired,” Taehyung suggests, gesturing at the old and broken building. He doesn’t wait for an answer as he spins around, walks down the short pathway, and leaves the door wide open.

“This is a bad idea,” Seokjin whispers as the four of you huddle together in a circle to discuss. And he’s right. None of you have ever met this man, yet he seems to know you quite well. The building is sketchy and in disarray, as if no one has taken care of it for years. The entire thing looks like it’s on its last leg and could collapse at any given moment. It’d be incredibly stupid if you blindly take his word and follow him straight into a trap.

“Let’s just hear him out,” Hoseok surprisingly disagrees. He’s usually more on the cautious side, especially when it comes to trusting strangers. “He might be able to help us lay low from the wardens.”

“Didn’t you see his eyes? He looks like he’s Wicked,” Namjoon argues. “He could corrupt our minds and devour our hearts.”

“And turn us into toads,” Seokjin adds with an affirmative nod.

The black cat in your arms meows, causing the boys to glance down at him before looking to you for a translation. “Yoongi said he’s not Wicked. He’s something else.”

“What? A mage?”

“A demon?”

“Familiar,” Taehyung answers right beside you, somehow joining your little circle without any of you noticing. There’s a brief glimpse of amusement in his golden eyes when you all jump back and yell in surprise, but the expression quickly changes. With a long, exasperated sigh, he tilts his head to the side and calmly reasons, “Come on. You guys didn’t mind me when I was with you in the forest. Do you dislike my human form this much?”

“He did help us out,” Hoseok points out, eyes flickering between you guys and the man.

“It’s not the best-looking place right now,” Taehyung admits, nodding toward the building as a piece of plaster falls off. He promptly ignores it and continues, “But the wardens won’t know you’re here. The shop will keep you safe from anyone troubling you. And you guys can stay as long as you like! There are enough beds for each of you.”

Namjoon sighs and rubs the back of his stiff neck. All of you haven’t had much of a proper rest since the night of the attack, always on the move and always on your guard. “That does sound better than sleeping on the ground for another night.”

“I’m not a good cook, but I can see what I have and get a stew going. There’s a marketplace in town with good meat and vegetables, too. Whatever ingredients we’ll need for supper, we can find it there.”

Seokjin’s stomach growls at the mention of food and he curses under his breath. Ears red, he mumbles, “Maybe we should stay for dinner at least.”

You watch as your companions are won over with the promise of a hot meal, Hoseok and Namjoon immediately agreeing to Seokjin’s suggestion. Throwing caution to the wind, the three of them enter the suddenly inviting abode.

That just leaves you and Yoongi.

The cat’s dark eyes have Taehyung in his gaze since he appeared before you all. Suspicious and weary, but Yoongi doesn’t seem to think that the man intends to harm any of you. And while he observes the amber-eyed brunet, your gaze is fixed on the building before you.

It’s odd.

You were so young when you were taken to Blackstone Castle, you don’t remember your parents or the town you were born in. You don’t know if you’re from the countryside like Namjoon, who helped his family pick ripe tomatoes and other crops in the summer and grew up in a tight-knit community. You don’t know if you’re from the seaside like Seokjin, who’d go on fishing trips with his father and older brother and help his mother at their family restaurant. Like Hoseok, who was born in the castle, you’ve never been outside those walls until now.

Yet, you feel like you’ve seen this place somewhere before.

Taehyung’s gaze is intense as he stares at you, drinking you in. Almost like he can’t believe you’re real and standing before him. Your attention is pulled away from the building when he inquires, “Aren’t you curious?”

It’s an innocent question, but it draws you toward him all the same. Taehyung, with his hypnotizing eyes and alluring voice, extends an arm like a gentleman for you to take. Your determination to seek answers falls right into his hand as he leads you through the threshold with a smirk and shuts the door behind you.

Once upon a time, when the trading town of New Haven was just beginning to develop, a mysterious shop seemingly appeared out of nowhere. The first settlers, exhausted and burnt out from working nonstop, stumbled through the large doors and were pleasantly surprised to find exactly what they were looking for: a table with a delicious feast, soft beds for a good night’s rest, warm shelter against the grueling cold night. After spending some time to refresh themselves and heal their tired hearts, they were able to head back to work the next day happier and with rejuvenated energy. However, just as strangely as the shop arrived, it vanished just as quickly, as if the shop itself was made of magic.

Some people claim that the shop only appears when you need it the most; when the days are hard and difficult and you’re in need of comfort and love. Others would say that the shop didn’t exist at all, and that the settlers were just dreaming of their heart’s desires after they built the town. Either way, the story has become a legend.

Over the years, the type of shop it was has changed. Some stories say it’s a teahouse and pub with brewed teas, coffees, and homemade alcohol that have healing properties or a bakery with bread that always tastes freshly-baked and buttery, no matter how long it’s been put on display behind the wooden shelves. Some say it’s a quaint inn with the softest beds, guaranteeing the best sleep of your life. Some say it’s an entertainment lounge with musical instruments that play on its own, and the sounds of laughter and dancing can be heard long after the building is empty. Some say it’s an actual shop with oddities from foreign lands and objects that symbolizes luck, wealth, protection, or love.

What is consistent, however, is that the shop is almost unnoticeable upon first glance, seamlessly blending in with the surrounding neighborhood wherever it pops up. And once it’s fulfilled its task, it disappears as if it were just a dream. Like magic.

Stories like this have become forgotten when the teachings of the Devoted interfered with the whimsical and wonderful curiosities of the masses. New Haven, built upon by hard work and dedication, provided a safe place for weary travelers coming from the ominous forests and long, worn-down roads. People come and trade goods for coins, share stories of wild tales from their quests, provide information with fellow travelers, and recruit help from the growing guilds. The story of the settlers and the first discovery of the shop is kept alive through word of mouth from the townsfolk, but not many people believe it anymore.

Magic, after all, is forbidden. Even in a town like this.

Thus, without a purpose, the shop begins to deteriorate. The vibrant colors within the shop fades, the displays of artifacts and souvenirs collect dust among the untouched books, the breads are stale and the drinks are not as tasty, the instruments are out of tune and the equipment for other hobbies are broken, and the building itself becomes an empty shell of the liveliness it once had.

People pass by the shop all the time, but no one ever stops by to look inside. It’s become abandoned, haunted, left to rot with the elements.

And the only living thing near the old building is a lonely raven, whose unwavering belief and magical affinity keeps the shop on its last leg, long after its previous owners have left him all alone.

Inside the old shop are remnants of what the place used to be.

At the entrance is a small lobby with a check-in counter and a seating area. Behind the worn-out leather couch is an antique shelf collecting dust and cobwebs among its books and decorative pieces. On the other side of the entrance is a mysterious dark-painted door that seems to be permanently locked. A light above the door with a strange symbol of mirrored parallelograms doesn’t seem to work.

To your left is a faded teal-colored parlor room with an upright piano that is out of tune and an easel by the window with spots of colorful painted residue. Oddities collected from travels are displayed in this room, from dolls with inhabited spirits to scales and fossilized eggs of a mythical beast. They’re decorated around a round wooden coffee table with a fancy red sofa and white chairs pulled around it, inviting and cozy for long talks, playing music, and hanging out. At the back of the room is a reading nook with several books off its shelf, untouched for years with paper yellowing over time. And just above the reading nook is a loft that overlooks the entire parlor and entrance, where a fortress of blankets and pillows have been made.

To the right is a cozy tavern with a long bar separating the kitchen from the seating area. Bottles of wine and ale are aging behind the bar, as well as jars of half-empty coffee beans, tea leaves, and other herbs and aromatics. Various pots and pans are in the kitchen, as well as a huge cauldron that sits on the hearth of a fireplace. Mixed chairs of different colors and designs are gathered around the tables. Though, the one that stands out is a long table by a window with a long bench on one side and five different chairs; an arrangement perfect for a big family or a group of friends.

There are stairs between the entrance and the tavern that seem to lead to the bedrooms that Taehyung promised. From the outside, the floorplan of this building doesn’t make a lot of sense. With such limited space, it feels like you’ve entered a rundown shack and crossed the threshold of a hidden mansion.

“What do you think?” Taehyung asks, observing each of your reactions.

Namjoon is already thumbing through some old books on a shelf, eyes sparkling when he seems to find some he hasn’t read before. Seokjin looks puzzled and curious at some of the runes and artifacts on display, as Hoseok picks up one of the jars of pot pourri and observes the ingredients inside. Even Yoongi leaps from your arms and finds a spot on the couch he feels comfortable in.

“This is amazing, Taehyung,” you breathe, taking it all in. It’s weak, and the place could use a good cleaning and fixing, but there’s a whimsical feeling that you know all too well.

This is a building full of magic.

“I’m glad,” Taehyung replies warmly, eyes squinting to crescents and cheeks rising as he smiles. “This is the Fate Reader’s Requiem. At least, that’s what my old owner called it. The shop has had many names over the years, as it’s served different purposes. Lately, I’ve been calling it The Raven’s Nest, but it could use a new name.”

“What do you mean by that?” Hoseok asks, looking over his shoulder at him.

“Come on! I have to show you upstairs!” he urges with a flash of a boxy smile. Your arm is still linked with his as he pulls you along, and the others stop what they’re doing and follow after you two, a bit worried that he might hurt you with his eagerness. The wide, creaking steps lead to a single white window. There isn’t a hallway, but along the diagonal walls are eight doors. Four on each side, facing each other. All the doors look identical to each other except for one. That one, you assume, leads to Taehyung’s room. The two of you stop in the middle of the narrow room – the steps barely wide enough for three of you to stand side by side – as he beams down at the others. “See? I told you there are enough beds. Go ahead and pick one.”

You exchange looks with the others, all who seem more curious than anything else. Then, curiosity bubbles to anticipation as each of you stand before your own door.

“There’s even one for you, Yoongi,” you note with an excited smile, seeing as the room next to yours has a cat door. Though, you’re not sure if the previous owners happened to have small pets, or if the building itself put one for him.

Regardless, the excitement is hard to contain as you grasp the doorknob and push it open. You hear Hoseok and Seokjin shout in awe, and Namjoon gasp as they enter their rooms. But you stand, silently stunned at the room before you.

It’s a simple room with basic furniture: a bed, a bureau, a mirror, a wooden chest, a simple table, and a reading chair. There’s an ensuite bathroom with scented oils and essences already in stock. It’s much bigger and nicer than the dorm you shared with Mina and your other roommates in Blackstone Castle, and even more so than the tiny bedroom you moved into in the enchanter’s quarters.

What gets you is the wave of nostalgia you feel upon seeing it. Even though it’s your first time being here, you’ve seen this room before. You’ve dreamt of it so many times, even during your Harrowing.

“You picked that room last time, too,” Taehyung quietly tells you.

You turn around to face him, not sure if he’s just messing with you this time. “Taehyung…”

“Wow, pretty girl,” Hoseok interrupts, coming to peer into your room with the others. He wraps his arm around you with a cheerful smile. “This one suits you.”

“I don’t think I want to leave,” Seokjin admits with a bashful laugh through his chosen door. “The room I have is perfect!”

“It’s definitely better than just sleeping anywhere else, I think,” Namjoon confesses, not sure if he’d be able to give this place up after what you’ve all seen. You’re sure he, Hoseok, and even Yoongi could feel the faint, protective, magical aura this place has as well.

“I’ll give you some time to settle in while I get the stew started. The rooms should have everything that you need,” Taehyung tells you all, though his amber eyes don't leave your gaze. He offers a small smile. “We can discuss it after we eat and rest up, yeah?”

“What do you make of all this?” you quietly ask, sinking deeper in the warm bath water. The white foam from the soaps and shampoo are your favorite scent, filling the bathroom with the distinct aroma.

Yoongi sits on the edge of the bathtub, seeming tempted to pop some of the foaming suds covering the bath water.

“I don’t know if we can trust him,” he says, sounding distracted. He raises a delicate hand, eyes focused on a particularly big bubble by your leg.

“Should we stay the night?”

Yoongi hisses when you move your knee the second he strikes, causing him to miss and nearly fall into the tub. You bite back a snicker as he grabs your thighs to keep his balance, glad that he’s in his human form so he can’t claw you.

“We could,” he replies, coolly, calmly, as if he isn’t half-drenched in your bath water. “He’s a bit strange, but Taehyung doesn’t have any malicious intent.”

“His eyes are of a Wicked man, though.”

“Your eyes were almost Wicked too,” Yoongi mutters under his breath, casually dropping a shocking revelation to you as he wipes his wet hands on his pants.

You sit up straight in the tub. “What! When?!”

“It was when Seokjin got hurt. When you were fighting Adriel,” Yoongi answers, refusing to look at you. His cheeks distinctly turn red as he turns his gaze at a random tile on the wall.

You’re in shock, not realizing you almost turned Wicked. You just remember feeling so angry. When you found Seokjin, he was at the brink of death. And at the time, you couldn’t help but think of the what-ifs: what if you hadn’t gotten there sooner, what if Miss Eunjeong stayed behind with the children, what if he didn’t make it that night. Once you were certain that Seokjin was alive, you just attacked. You didn’t hold back as you cast spell after spell at the beast, not realizing that Adriel was the monster.

The only reason you stopped was because—

“Don’t think about it,” Yoongi cuts in sharply, snapping you out of your thoughts. You blink rapidly. You’re hugging yourself so tightly, your nails are digging into your skin. Your heart is racing so fast, your breath is short. As if the outrage, helplessness, and fear back then were just beginning to resurface again. “It’s in the past now. Seokjin and the others are okay.”

You stopped because you heard Seokjin call for you. You stopped because, when he could’ve sworn he saw a flash of golden amber in your eyes, he looked terrified of you.

“Sorry,” you mumble, sinking down in the bath water again. He’s right. Seokjin is probably asleep in his room, or helping Taehyung with supper. Hoseok and Namjoon are freshening up and resting around the shop as well. “I didn’t know… I thought he…”

You feel Yoongi place his hand on your knee, trying to comfort you. “Taehyung… he has an innocent aura to him. It’s almost child-like,” Yoongi tells you, and you try not to shiver when his thumb rubs your skin. “He must have lost someone important to him to have turned Wicked. But he must have found something within himself that gave him reason to hold onto his humanity.”

A heaviness fills your heart. Taehyung mentioned a previous owner, but it looks like no one has entered this shop for a very long time. Has he been here all alone all this time? When he appeared before you and Hoseok as a baby bird in the castle, and as a raven in the forest, was he trying to seek you out?

I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.

We used to be lovers.

You picked that room last time, too.

Does Taehyung think you’re his previous owner?

“Yoongi,” you ask, thinking about how both Adriel and Taehyung managed to regain their humanity after they’ve turned. “What exactly makes a person Wicked?”

It’s a bit funny what humans deem as magic and what they think is entertainment. In the Fate Reader’s Requiem, the shop was just that. Entertainment. Bells and whistles and illusions as the owner, known as the clairvoyant, pulls wool over people’s eyes for a pretty penny and a good laugh.

“It’s not real,” they would say, eager to see what trick she has up her sleeve. Eager to break the illusion and find out how she does it.

To many mages, it’s almost a mockery of what true magic really entails.

But to the beautiful and mischievous clairvoyant, it’s just as entertaining for her to have them believe they know better.

“Oh, you got me again!” she would say with a perfect smile, promising to find a better way to prank them next time. And Taehyung, her raven familiar, would wonder why she dabbles into silly tricks and games in the first place. When the clairvoyant is actually a proficient fortune teller and potion master. “It’s just for fun, and the customers are happy when they think they’re right. If they walk out of this shop feeling happier than they did coming in, that’s all that matters to me.”

She was selflessly kind, as charismatic as she was beautiful. Found him during a particularly harsh winter, and called him the greatest and warmest gift.

And Taehyung was in love.

It was just the two of them, aimless wanderers as they traveled the roads together by carriage, helping curious adventurers with vague advice for their journey or playing a game for trade during their quests. While she enjoyed pranking the skeptics, she also genuinely helped a lot of her clients as well: selling handmade lucky bracelets with protection spells, adding essence of magic in the baked goods, giving accurate and helpful advice to those who truly want to seek answers. And in their travels, the shop would appear at every stop, providing them a home they can settle into before they must pack up and disappear again.

New Haven was the town she liked most. It was a bustling town, full of fellow travelers and stories. It was the place she and Taehyung spent the most time in, a place that they could settle together, a place that they called home.

She told Taehyung that’s all she ever wanted for them. A place to settle down, a permanent residence for the shop. While it’s nice to travel the world and take in new sights and experiences, she’s always wanted to find a place she could always come back to. And New Haven, to her, seemed to be that place.

Despite how often her abilities teetered between magic and illusion, she was always so careful. After all, real magic was taboo. And her foresight has always been reliable, letting her know when it’s time to move to a new place, when people are becoming too suspicious.

“I’m tired of running away all the time,” she confesses to Taehyung one day, petting his feathers as she looked out the window, into the town she loved so much. “Wouldn’t it be nice if we could stay here for a long time too?”

They didn’t leave as baseless gossip around the pubs spread about her and her affinity to magic. They didn’t leave when some of the townsfolk threw stones at them, trying to drive them out of New Haven. They didn’t leave when they tried to burn the shop and almost killed them.

They should've left when the hunters came.

They’re a ruthless, violent group. Persistent as they knock on the doors and demand to know how the clairvoyant does her tricks and illusions, forcing her into revealing her secrets. They drove all the customers away, turned the once beloved regulars against her, creating more hearsay as they called her a con artist and a scammer.

Taehyung doesn’t remember the reason why they took her and tied her up against the wooden pole, throwing stacks of hay and easily flammable foliage around her feet. He doesn’t remember the reason why a preacher from the Devoted stood before the rowdy crowd, calling her a sinner as he riled them up more. He doesn’t remember why no one stood up for her when all she wanted to do was make people happy.

He does remember the hurt and fear in his owner’s eyes before the anger started to seep in. Taking over him completely, until he saw red. Until all he could feel was something pure and foreign.

Hatred.

Black feathers sprout from his arm and his nails sharpen into talons. He gasps and tries to hide it, to shift back into a full human. Among the outrage, the terror, and the betrayal that weighs heavily in his broken heart, he can feel something fighting against it, trying to keep him from transforming.

“Taehyung, don’t lose yourself,” the clairvoyant pleads as the smoke rises and the embers grow. Although she’s being made a spectacle, he can hear her voice as if she’s standing before him. “I have one more prediction. It’s about your future. Won’t you listen to it?”

There’s too much going on. The clamor of the crowd, chanting like a cult. The fires grow steadily as smoke fills the air and goes into her lungs.

Physically, he starts to change. As he blinks, his eyes become a little more golden. The suppressed darkness and negativity start to taint veins, coloring them black against his skin and spreading from his chest to his neck.

“One day, Taehyung, we’ll meet again. You’ll be happier then. More than you’ve ever been at this point. You’ll fall in love again. You’ll be surrounded by good people who will keep the shop alive, who will give comfort and joy to people better than I ever could by myself. Those people will be your family, Taehyung. And they’ll love you so much.”

Taehyung doesn’t realize he’s crying. He feels so small. He feels so helpless.

It isn’t fair. Why her? Why did they all turn against her? She did nothing wrong. She only wanted to make others happy.

“Don’t lose yourself, Taehyung. Keep holding on. I’m sorry I won’t be with you much longer, but take care of yourself. Take care of the shop. Remember, no matter how harsh the winters are, you’re a person full of love and warmth.”

Taehyung sobs as her screams pierce the smoky air.

When you come down from your bath, you see Seokjin cutting some vegetables in the kitchen and Namjoon dutifully stands by the cauldron and stirs the pot.

“I thought Taehyung was cooking the stew.”

“He’s playing with Hoseok,” Seokjin says, nodding toward one of the small tables where the two of them are laughing together and peeling potatoes. It seems like they’re trying to see who can make the longest peel without magic. “All he’s doing is boiling some meat, so I’m adding more ingredients to make it tastier.”

“Do you need help?”

“Yeah, grab a spoon and let me taste the broth,” he instructs, hands full as he continues to chop cabbage and carrots into chunky pieces. You pick up a ladle, scoop up a spoonful from the cauldron, and carefully take it to Seokjin. You watch a little too intently as he leans toward you, puckers his plush lips, and blows gently on the liquid before tasting it. HIs lips smack a little as he nods his head. “It’s better.”

“Really?”

“I want a taste too,” Hoseok tells you, pouting playfully when he sees you and Seokjin.

“Me too!” Taehyung chimes after. Even cat Yoongi hops on the counter and meows at you that he’s hungry.

Thus, somehow, you end up going around and feeding each of them. Even Namjoon, who could perfectly get some himself as he’s supposed to keep an eye on the soup. He smirks as you glare at him, muttering, “I hope you burn your tongue.”

“Behave, baby,” is all he says, voice deep as he raises an eyebrow. You ignore the skip in your heart as you maintain a straight face and flip him off.

Taehyung smiles as he observes your interactions with each of them. “You know, this is the liveliest this place has been in a long time. It’s really nice.”

There’s a tug in your heart when you recall what Yoongi said. How he must’ve lost someone important to him. How quiet and lonely the shop was in all these years. Quietly, you ask, “Can you tell us more about the previous owner?”

“Ah, she was a lot like you. Pretty. Kind. Brave.” He trails off a bit, and you can see the lingering love he has for her in his voice and his face. The fond expression is clouded with sadness as he continues, “She passed away a long time ago, though. As you can see, her magic is fading from this place and the shop needs new owners to keep it alive.”

“New owners?” Seokjin repeats, carefully dumping the cut vegetables into the stew. He glances over at you, and you meet his gaze for a brief second, shocked.

“That’s right. The shop runs through magic. Without it, it’ll just deteriorate and collapse upon itself,” Taehyung explains, looking at the current state of the shop. “Actually, I wanted to ask if you’d want to be the new owners.”

“Why us?” Namjoon asks, a bit hesitant. Only because it seems too good to be true. You and the others need a place to stay, and the shop, although falling apart, feels more like home than Blackstone Castle ever did.

“Destiny,” Taehyung simply replies, glancing over to you as well. “I think there’s a reason that we met, and why I found you guys again in the forest. I think there’s a reason why the three of you have all dreamt of this place.”

Your eyes widen as you look at Namjoon and Hoseok. “You guys too?”

“It was only once or twice,” Namjoon admits from behind you, “but after dreaming of running and being chased, I sometimes ended up here. Whenever I dreamt of reaching this place, it didn’t feel like a nightmare anymore.”

“I saw it in Divination class,” Hoseok says, a bit bashful. “There were lots of people living with us, cooking and eating together, playing music and dancing, laughing and having fun. We were a family. I didn’t think it would come true at first, but I wanted it so badly.”

“Me too,” you murmur, looking at Seokjin. You’ve told him your prediction about the shop that fulfills many needs and comforts. “I didn’t think it’d come true either.”

“I’ll give you some time to think about it. I think there’s still enough magic in this shop for three more days. Then, once it runs out, it’ll disappear for good,” Taehyung explains as he holds up three fingers. Then, his face lights up when he suddenly remembers something. “Ah! But I do have one more question.”

“What’s that?”

There’s a glint in his amber eyes as he asks, “Do any of you need a familiar?”

It feels like the world moved on too fast after she left.

Sunlight peeks from a heavily curtained window, shining some light into a dark and gloomy room. But Taehyung has long since been awake, hand touching the side of the bed where she would’ve laid. Sometimes, he doesn’t bother to get out of bed at all, even when the shop provides him all the things that would’ve made him happy: instruments like trumpets, trombones, and saxophones playing a jazzy tune, a new canvas upon an easel with vivid colors of paint to use, fresh strawberries and cooked meat already waiting for him at the dining table. Eventually, the music stops, the muse to create remains untouched, and the food becomes cold.

The hunters leave after tearing the shop apart, only finding a lonely raven hiding in its nest.

One of the hunters gives a young boy a dagger. “Take care of that animal, boy.”

The young boy nods and approaches the loft where Taehyung hides. He raises the weapon, sharp tip pointing right at him, but Taehyung doesn’t move. Perhaps this is better than having to spend another day without her.

But the boy has a change of heart. When the other hunters aren’t looking, he carries the raven to a window and sets him free. “Go. Before they notice.”

So, Taehyung flew off to start anew.

Years passed, and day by day, things got a little easier. He still feels so small and fragile, and it shows in his form as a baby bird. And while he wishes he could put everything behind him, the magic shop still follows him. Whether he’s in an eastern temple, a southern desert, a northern snowscape, or a western forest, the shop is always there to comfort him.

And then, one day, when he feels numb enough to forget the pain, he enters it with the intention of releasing its contract with him. With dead, amber eyes, he stares at the dark-painted door by the entrance.

A door that leads to the heart of the shop.

Beyond it is a small, empty room with white walls, but it can transform into whatever the owner of the shop desires: a banquet, a loft, a studio, a game room. As Taehyung enters, it's a séance room. One that the previous owner held many of her readings, whether true or not.

Sitting on the table is a crystal ball. To his surprise, he sees an image inside it.

He sees her. The old owner. She smiles and waves at him, keeping her promise of meeting him again. Taehyung grabs the ball in his hands, looking into it with disbelief. “Clairvoyant!”

The image changes. An ominous fortress. Blackstone Castle.

Is he meant to go there?

As a small raven, he flies across a thick forest until his wings are exhausted. But like most familiars, he can sense magical auras nearby. It gives him the strength to keep going. Many animals are attracted to mages, including dangerous predators. It isn’t uncommon for wolves, bears, and big cats to lurk near the castle. He does his best to avoid getting attacked by any of them.

By the time he reaches it, he collapses from a tree, dizzy, tired, hungry.

“Hoseok, look!”

When Taehyung opens his eyes, he’s being carried by warm, gentle hands. He feels the tips of fingers carefully rub his feathers, and two faces peering down at him. Yours and Hoseok’s.

Contracts between a mage and a familiar tend to be straight-forward. For Hoseok, who is still considered an apprentice, it’s simple.

“Defeat me in battle, and I’ll become your familiar,” Taehyung dramatically tells him.

The two stand across from each other in front of the shop. Hoseok seems nervous as he holds onto his wand, glancing around as if anyone would stumble upon you guys at any given moment. Even though Taehyung has assured you all that he’s put up invisible portals to prevent any human from walking into the match, turning them around if they happen to walk through it. The rest of you sit on the porch steps with Yoongi on your lap and Seokjin passing some snacks over your head to Namjoon.

It’s the second day. Dawn barely breaks through the horizon before flashes of bright colors emitting from Hoseok’s wand light the dark skies. After supper together and wishing each other good night before breaking off into your separate rooms, all of you feel more rejuvenated than you had in days. Fed, well-rested, safe, and sheltered. You can’t quite imagine a better place than this.

Yoongi purrs in your lap, his eyes darting back and forth between Hoseok and Taehyung with interest. Effortlessly, Taehyung becomes a raven and flies overhead, dodging the bullets of light that shoots from Hoseok’s wand. Neither of them are holding back as Taehyung would swoop down and peck his ear, tug on his hair, or scratch his shoulder.

This is how it should be, Yoongi seems to tell you. No need for Harrowings or unnecessary deaths. Just a good, ol’ fashion duel between magical beings.

Twenty minutes later, Hoseok lands a hit on Taehyung, who dives down and rolls on the ground, shifting into his human form. “Ow. You win.”

“I won?”

“He went easy on him,” Seokjin scoffs, munching on his snacks.

“Hoseok knows how to make ambrosia. That’s the hardest concoction to make,” Namjoon points out, not only because of how rare the ingredients are, but because of how difficult and time-consuming it is to get them. And even then, it is very easy to mess it up. “We can let him pass this one.”

“Hoseok! You won!” you cheer, running up to him as Hoseok screams in triumph. He catches you in his arms and spins you around in glee.

Taehyung, voice hoarse, dramatically rolls to his back and looks up at Hoseok. “You have proven your worth, apprentice. No, enchanter. I shall be your familiar and help guide you through your magical journey from now on.”

Hoseok laughs as he extends a hand to the raven. “I’m looking forward to having you by my side, Taehyung.”

A connection between them is instantly made. A special bond between familiar and mage. You look over at your own familiar, sharing a knowing look with him.

“We should celebrate,” Seokjin suggests as he stands up with a proud smile. “I’ll cook something nice for all of us.”

“Maybe we can look around town as well,” Namjoon adds, seeming curious about what's in New Haven. The rest of you agree, in need of new clothes and supplies since everything has been left behind at Blackstone Castle.

Before heading out, Namjoon warns you and Hoseok not to use any magic. Even if the people seem friendly, they could easily turn you to the hunters if you warrant enough suspicion. Taehyung is eager to help you guys blend in, transforming your enchanter robes into casual attires.

It feels a bit strange. You’re not used to wearing something so pretty. In comparison, the enchanter robes are so plain and simple. One bland color without design or appeal.

Taehyung takes a step back to admire his work once the illusion spell is cast on your old clothes. There’s a sincerity in his voice as he murmurs, “You’re so beautiful.”

“Thank you,” you reply back, a bit flustered. Perhaps it’s because Taehyung himself is so handsome, or perhaps it’s his honesty that makes you know he means what he says, but he has a way of making you feel so shy.

The boys have changed their robes and armor for suits, and at the entrance where you’re all gathered, it’s like you can’t stop looking at each other.

“Wow! Jin, you’re so handsome!” Namjoon loudly exclaims, causing Seokjin’s ears to turn red as Hoseok touches the fabric of his suit. Even though he and Namjoon are wearing something similar.

“You don’t look bad yourself, Joon,” you comment when Taehyung brings you in. Hoseok’s jaw falls open as the redness from Seokjin’s ears spreads to his face and neck. In the tiniest, quietest voice, you think Namjoon compliments you back. But Hoseok is already all over you, openly admiring how nice you look in your new outfit. Even Yoongi stares at you so intensely, you almost want to ask your cat if anything is wrong.

The five of you enter town and spend the day exploring.

You and Hoseok feel like children, fascinated with everything around you. He excitedly points at horses pulling a carriage or some of the funny hats some people wear on their heads. At a clothing shop, the two of you try on some of the silly hats you guys saw, bursting into fits of laughter the more flamboyant and ridiculous they are. When he hears music from street performers, he pulls you along to dance with him, both of you giggling as one song blends into another and another.

Seokjin has your arm linked around his when you enter the famous marketplace. It feels like a place that’s easy to get lost in. Merchants have set up stands, selling everything from armors and weapons, common and rare artifacts and accessories, and daily ingredients for home-cooked meals. He sees you eyeing one that sells flowers and buys a small bouquet for you. His whole face turns suspiciously red when the old merchant smiles at him and says, “You make a lovely couple.”

For lunch, Taehyung shows you a place by a river that instantly becomes Namjoon’s favorite spot. The five of you sit by the grassy bank, admiring the way the sunlight shimmers off the reflection of the water. Yoongi growls at him in disdain when Namjoon rests his head on his spot – your lap – but proceeds to climb on his chest and glare down at him menacingly. Seokjin and Hoseok finally share a drink together, clinking bottles of alcohol. You giggle when Hoseok gives a curious Taehyung a sip of his, and laugh harder at the utter disgust on his face that follows afterwards. Namjoon smiles when he feels you absently run your fingers through his hair. He tells you that he’s happy, and you admit that you are as well.

By sunset, when all of you finally return back to the shop, you and Seokjin immediately prepare a celebratory supper for Hoseok and Taehyung. Although you were all gone most of the day, the place suddenly seems cleaner. Brighter. You hear Taehyung playing with the piano and it doesn’t sound out of tune like it had before. Even the food tastes more delicious, and you’re not sure if it’s because Seokjin has an eye for high quality ingredients and impeccable cooking skills, or if there’s a bit of magic that’s poured in from the shop.

“Taehyung,” Namjoon begins as dinner begins to wind down. “I think we’ve all made our decision already. About the shop.”

After meeting you and Hoseok, Taehyung can’t get you out of his mind.

Perhaps it’s because you really do remind him of his previous owner. Even if he isn’t completely certain you’re her in another life.

For days, Taehyung would watch you from the crystal ball, seeing little glimpses of your life. He sees that you’re a hard-worker, serious about your studies, and self-motivated in learning new things. He finds you really admirable, and knows that you’re very kind with the way you took care of him until he got better.

He sees your relationships with the other boys, and how easily drawn you are toward each of them. Namjoon and his admirable intelligence and gentle nature. Seokjin and his witty humor, playfulness, and consideration. Hoseok and his fervent passion and unyielding optimism. Yoongi and his calm, comforting aura and constant assurance.

He feels a bit envious, wishing he could be a part of that too.

The shop, once a place of painful memories, suddenly gives him a bit of hope. It isn’t every day that he is able to look into your life. Sometimes it’d take weeks or months for a new vision to appear. But every time it does, the warm and optimistic feeling of hope resurges within him.

Taehyung sees visions of darkness, flames, betrayal, loss, and terror that occurs during that fateful night. He sees how it’s ripped you all away from everything you’ve known and everything you’re used to. But a smile appears on his face when he sees something else.

You, at the shop, helping Seokjin cook for everybody and sharing quick kisses when he passes by you to grab a utensil or an ingredient. You with Namjoon at the reading nook, noses stuck in your own books and heads resting on big pillows on the floor, but you’re reading the same lines over and over as his fingers absently massages and trace patterns on your leg. You and Hoseok dancing together at the parlor room, even when there isn’t music playing, and he’s incredibly smitten as he spins you around and dips you before slowly bringing you back up for a kiss. You and Yoongi napping together in the afternoon, seemingly innocently, had it not been for the fresh bite marks against your thighs and neck.

Then, he sees you and him.

Taehyung gifts you pretty things: coins, jewelry, bottle caps, buttons, polished rocks. He sings to you while you work, pecking your face with teasing kisses before pressing his lips against yours. At night, he shows you his nest at the loft and has you lie among his collection of pretty, shiny things. There’s an alluring look in your eyes as his hands tugs on the strings of your corset. His eyes seem to glow with desire as he drinks you in, watching your reactions as he tenderly kisses your neck, your collarbone, your breast, your torso. He sees his large hand pin your wrist down as he brings your hips to him, and how your hand clenches the fabric of a blanket beneath you as your lips part open.

There’s more that the crystal shows him, but Taehyung is already gone. Determined and flustered to see you again.

On the third day, all of you have gathered around the dining table with the deed to the shop sitting before you. It feels like an easy decision.

Of course, all of you had to treat it like a business and figure out ways to make profit. Seokjin and Hoseok like the idea of keeping the tavern and providing warm meals and cold drinks to customers. Although none of you have experience in owning a shop, Namjoon is good at numbers and offers to take care of the back-end of the business, such as bookkeeping finances and sales. Taehyung is adamant about the mysterious room in the entrance, selling you to the idea that it can have many uses in both the professional and personal sense. And all of you, including Yoongi, like the idea of providing entertainment at the parlor room with music, dancing, and games.

“Is there a catch that we should know about?” Hoseok asks as he reads through the contents of the deed one more time. All of you look at Taehyung for confirmation.

“It’s not a catch, per say,” Taehyung begins, shifting uneasily as the room falls silent. “I just want to reiterate that the shop is driven by magic.”

“So, is the shop going to drain our magic or something?” Namjoon asks, hesitant.

“No, nothing like that,” he assures you all. “One mage alone can power the shop by casting spells, doing small rituals, and crafting potions. Three mages and two familiars living here will make the upkeep easy.”

“What about non-magical beings? What can I do?” Seokjin nervously questions, seeming to want to contribute as well.

A slow, boxy smile appears on Taehyung’s face as he locks eyes with you. “Do you know what the most powerful kind of magic is? It’s love.”

Seokjin snorts in disbelief. “Isn’t that a little too cheesy?”

“He’s right, though,” Hoseok defends, sighing as he thinks of Miss Eunjeong’s parting words to him. “It sounds simple, but loving yourself, loving others, sharing that unconditional and mutual feeling with someone can be difficult.”

“You have to face the ugliest parts about yourself and accept it. Find ways to choose love when things become tough. It’s a constant effort,” Namjoon adds, and it feels like all of them are looking right at you when he says, “You can love someone so much, and never know if they truly love you back.”

“It’s a little scary,” you admit quietly. Even now, you feel so vulnerable opening up like this. Are you even a person worthy of being loved like that? Although you know that you love the boys, are you deserving of theirs?

All of you fall quiet again, thinking about it. With all of them, you had to hide your feelings from them in one way or another. With Hoseok, it was because he was in love with someone else. With Namjoon, you were both rivals and had a reputation to keep. With Seokjin, it’s because an affair between a mage and warden is forbidden. Even you and Yoongi stay strictly in the lane of mage and familiar.

“But you’re willing to try, right?” Taehyung asks, looking between you all as if he already knows the answer. “As long as we all love each other, as long as we’re together, the shop will become more than just a business. It’ll be a home. We can settle down and continue to have happier days from now on.”

“We give the best of each other,” Namjoon says with a soft smile toward you, being the first to sign. “I’ll show you.”

Hoseok signs as well. So does Seokjin. Yoongi dabs his paw in the ink and presses it on the paper. Taehyung’s name is already on the paper. That just leaves yours.

You pick up the quill and draw in a breath. It feels like all your dreams are coming true. A new home, a new family, a new life.

Ink spills into your signature and seals the deal.

Thank you for reading ♡ Comments & reviews are greatly appreciated! Taglist: @natalie-rdr; @scentisterror; @aloneatpeace To join the tag list, please read [here].

Previous | Series Masterlist | Next

#magic shop series #bts x reader #ot7 x reader #taehyung x reader #namjoon x reader #seokjin x reader #hoseok x reader #yoongi x reader #bts magic au #bts witch au #bts fantasy au #bts au #bts fanfic

112 notes · View notes

leggerefiore · 2 years

Note

how do you think warden ingo would react to a yandere volo very obliviously liking his s/o and being creepy towards them and the s/o keeps getting scared of volo? like he says something like "i want to drag you to the distortion world with me" to ingo's s/o and ingo hears it? Wouldn't this be fucked up if it happened?

Anon idk why but your last line was read in like a stoned dude voice after describing something mundane

anyways you sent me into a fic spiral on accident so have this

cw: yandere, happy ending(?), slight physical violence (ingo and Volo punch each other), one-sided volo/reader, ingo perspective

Ingo would admit he was probably more patient than he needed to be. He knew you, his spouse from a time he could recall despite his best attempts, were uncomfortable with the blond man who had seemingly fallen for you.

It certainly made him distressed from his point as your husband, but, at the same, he trusted you more than anyone. Still, it was disheartening to see you show up at his cabin after claiming you were going to stay in your home in Jubilife. The Warden always welcomed you and gazed out in the mountain scape to see if anyone unwanted followers had come. If he spotted anyone, his Gliscor was sent out to guard.

Your presence was always a welcome one in his home and futon. Still, his concern about the merchant was growing. While unrelated to you, he often found Volo wandering around the mountain muttering to himself while looking at ruins. Even Melli had taken to complaining about the appearance of him. Ingo supposed this wasn't much to hold suspicion over, yet he knew it may just be related to his interactions with you. Everywhere you went under the orders of the Galaxy Team, he managed to be there. Occasionally, he helped and offered seemingly friendly advice, but he also discouraged you from handling the noble of that region.

He recalled when you were banished from Jubilife and unable to be taken in by him under Irida's orders. It was with a heavy heart that he was forced to accept this circumstance. The clan leader promised that you were somewhere safe and that she would never truly let harm befall you, a symbol of her friendship she made with both the Warden and you. His stomach twisted when he heard you were with Volo, however. He recalled your worries about how overly friendly he was despite your clear disinterest and the mild flirting he gave, ignoring your dedication to Ingo. You had not lost your memories, unlike him, so your marriage meant more to you than Ingo could even understand himself.

Eventually, this period ended, and you were welcomed back to your initial residence. Ingo took to hanging around the village after finishing his duties in the highlands. He saw Volo approach you about something and felt an unfamiliar burning in his heart when the blond dared to grab your hand. Your face was one of shock. Ingo was at your side in no time, glaring at the blond. He merely snickered at the situation. No words were shared, but the smile on his lips left the Warden uncomfortable.

You refused to leave his side for the rest of that day.

He wouldn't have wanted you to anyway.

Eventually, you spoke of more and more situations in which Volo seemingly attempted romance with you. Exploring across Hisui in search of rumoured pokemon, you found yourself haunted by him clinging to you with grey eyes filled with something between fear, rage, and adoration. He endlessly tried to convince you that Ingo was an awful choice in a lover. “He has nothing,” he told you while grasping your hand between both of his own, “I have so much more to offer you if you take up my side.” You refused his offer with extreme disgust. Ingo should have felt angry.

For some reason, he only felt pity.

Many more events followed, with Volo desperately trying to win your affection despite your discomfort and lack of interest. Both you and Ingo came to the conclusion that he seemed lonely. Who did he have for company outside of you? Originally, you were quite amicable with him. He did offer you help and tips for your journey, even battling you to help test your strength. You almost considered him a friend, but something laid just under his surface. Something that consumed whatever sun shined within him into an endless, shadowed eclipse.

Volo was pitiable, but his actions became more and more intense. It was to a point where you found yourself constantly at Ingo's side to avoid him. The venomous glare he sent to you both was as potent as a Drapion's own. Ingo could tell he despised the way you clung to him. The Warden glared back, ready to call upon his pokemon to guard you at a moment's notice. Luckily, due to these occurrences frequently happening in Jubilife, you were left alone.

He blinked, and suddenly, he heard a cry for help from the peak of Mt. Coronet. Immediately, he called for Sneasler to carry him up the mountain. She obviously had heard the noise, too, as she moved fast. The Alpha pokemon had taken to you immediately, gleeful to see her stoic Warden flustered and smiling. If you were important to Ingo, you were important to her. A scene came before him as he ran out of the mountain cave.

You were knocked to the ground, gazing up in horror at the horrifyingly grinning Volo in odd clothes. A pokemon that was beyond Ingo's knowledge floated behind him with glowing red eyes. Shadows wisped around it endlessly, and a portal swirled behind it. You cried as Volo tugged you to your feet. “Arceus may not have heeded my call,” his voice was eerily calm and controlled, “But I still have you, my angel. I'll spite this cruel god yet by taking you with me.” You shook your head. Trying to escape just seemed impossible from his grip.

“I'll never love you,” you hissed, “My heart was taken long before we even met!” Ingo needed to move, but he felt frozen to the ground in fear of the pokemon floating behind Volo.

“Is that what you think? Well, we'll have awhile in the distortion world to change that” he began moving you again. Your scream pierced the air again. Ingo suddenly felt the ability to move return to him. Quickly, he began to sneak around the temple. “No one's coming. Even that purple-haired fool paid us no true mind, too busy with Voltorbs to care,” he laughed, “Even your precious husband doesn't know. I almost regret opening the portal that brought him here on accident, but it also gave me you.”

“You — you're the reason Ingo was brought here?” you snapped. Volo grinned at you. “I hate you! I hate you so much! Do you even know how much pain you caused?! Emmet cried for days!” The blond was completely unmoved. The name Emmet sent an uncomfortable pounding through Ingo's head. There was no time to ponder it, however. Tangrowth was freed from her ball. With little hesitation, the grass-type attacked the pokemon. It cried out, but quickly found itself retrained by vines and psychic energy, Alakazam also sent out. Volo glared as Ingo charged him. The Warden was not one for physical violence, but there could always be exceptions. Harassing his spouse and taking him from his previous life were simply unforgivable.

You gasped at the scene. Punches were thrown, but eventually Ingo overpowered the blond. Before he could restrain him, however, he called upon his Togekiss and flew away. Nothing was said. The unknown pokemon dispersed after that, returning to its portal and closing it. In the distance, the sun began lowering itself into the horizon. Ingo felt exhausted. Everything had moved so fast. “Ingo, are you alright?” you asked, kneeling beside you and wiping the tears that had unknowingly begun to pour from his eyes.

“Shouldn't I ask you that, my dear?” His voice cracked. The name Emmet left a greater pain than he first expected when coupled with the stress of nearly losing you. He embraced you tightly. Both of you began to sob on the mountaintop. The Warden's pokemon watched on in confusion.

“You saved me…” you whimpered, “I love you so much. I never want to be apart again.”

“I love you, too,” he managed to get out, “Let's… Let's go home.”

You both had much to discuss and recuperate from.

Safe, you were, however, with him.

#ingo x reader #ingo/reader #pokemon ingo x reader #yandere #yanstuff #ingo.ima

129 notes · View notes

laalaaliaa · 1 year

Note

Okay so I got a little bit excited when I read your navigation so here I go with the request!

Can I get a DC request with Harley Quinn and her sidekick friends to lovers type of thing??? Like the reader used to study under Harleen Quinnzel to become a psychiatrist so the two of them were already pretty close and the reader really admires Harleen and wants to be just like her. But then the reader gets a front-row seat to the Joker turning the reader's idol into Harley Quinn and so because of how loyal and protective the reader is over Harley, the reader joins the clowns only for Harley's sake and becomes her sidekick that would only listen to Harley alone. The reader doesn't like being a villain and frequently tries to make Harley go back to her old self or suggest they become good guys instead and leave Joker forever so he wouldn't hurt her anymore. From that point on the two can have a falling out because of their different views, which results in the reader getting the boot out of the clown family. In the meantime, the reader tries to redeem themselves for the crimes they have committed and tries to become a hero. A long while passes until Harley finally realizes how much of a monster Joker was to her and runs away, having nowhere to go. But then the reader finds her, dressed as a hero, and approaches her removing their mask and revealing themselves to Harley. The two make up and start living together in the reader's apartment with Harley deciding to try out being a hero as well. During all of that Harley realizes that the reader has always been good to her and is her one true love, they both confess and become the most chaotic crime-fighting couple!

The reader can be whatever gender you want, though I prefer if they would either be gender-neutral or female. Also, if this whole thing was too cringe for you, feel free to delete it, I know I could've worded that all better but couldn't. Write it in whatever format you want, however you write it or do it, I will be happy with the finished product anyway! Feel free to tweak the idea or add some things in it if you want as well. Just have fun with it! Thank you if you decide to do this and good luck! ^^

Thanks for the request, I’m sorry if it took awhile, but I loved the whole plot, sorta reminded me of ‘Harley Quinn’ on HBO Max. I also decided to make this a two part story just because i love the plot a little too much~ Enjoy.

Harley Quinn X Eventual!Vigilante!Fem!Reader

Warnings: Violence

Proofread? No

Limelight pt. 1

Harleen Quinzel was the only person you seemed to mesh with. It all started when you first met her, her sarcasm seemed to match your own, thus came a new beginning for the both of you.

You worked under her wing, you were like a sidekick (if psychiatrists had side kicks of course). Everyday seemed to be a new learning experience, for you at least. She taught you everything you needed to know, and you—well you were just you.

Your arms were stacked with papers, your arms nearly folding under the weight as you carried on towards Harleen’s office.

She was sat in mere darkness, the only light that seemed to illuminate her office being the tiny desk lamp you bought her. With a huff you dropped the papers on her desk, breaking her concentration with the files she scanned through.

“That was totally necessary, and very generous.”

“You’re welcome, Dr. Quinzel.”

Her harsh stare towards you seem to break, a smile breaking across her face as she lifted her black framed glasses off, blinking like a robot before she spoke.

“Are these all for me?”

“Yes, a sweet gift from the warden.”

Harleen made a ‘tsk’ noise with her mouth, leaning back in her chair as she tossed her glasses on her desk. You decided to be the helpful person you were, shuffling papers around as you arranged them neatly. Your eyes seemed to buldge out the sockets as you picked up a paper, an infamous grin staring back at you.

“We finally got him?” Harleen looked up at you, snatching the paper out of your hand as she laughed humorously, dropping it onto her files. “Well if you consider Batman dropping him off at our doorstep last night ‘capturing’ him, then yes.”

Harleen seemed to notice the worried glint in your eyes, making her smile reassuringly at you as she stood from her spot, taking your hands in hers comfortingly. “This,” She started, gesturing around her office. “Will be you one day. You can’t let the bad guys intimidate you.”

You seemed conflicted, a child-like frown on your face as you crossed your arms. “I know that Harleen, but this is the freaking Joker we’re talking about.” She seemed amused, trying her best to stop her forming smile as she joked. “Yes, it is the Joker, but he’s just as crazy as the rest, maybe even crazier.”

You became silent, causing her to become silent for a moment. You shifted in your spot anxiously before she grabbed her office keys from her desk, as well as a few other items. “Wanna go for a little walk?” You contemplated, even though you knew she’d kick your ass out and drag you, so you mumbled a lame ‘sure’.

As you made your way through the Asylum, Harleen gave you a quick assessment of each notorious bad guy. To say you weren’t too keen about being in a room—alone might one add—with these bad guys would be an understatement.

“The riddler isn’t too bad.” Harleen spoke, breaking your stare from each of the cells that contained inmates. “He’s like the rest of us, just with a whole lot more problems, and annoying riddles.” You opened your mouth to speak, only to silence yourself as you came across the one person you weren’t delighted to see.

“Harleen, you said a walk, not an evaluation.” You whisper shouted, lingering behind her as she motioned for the guards to open the gates leading towards the Joker’s cell. He was sat on his bed, back towards the both of you as he fiddled with his straitjacket.

“Relax, you can stay out here, and I’ll be going in there.” You placed a protective hand on her shoulder as she began to walk towards his cell, stopping her in place as she glanced back at you.

“What if—what if he hurts you.” You mumbled lowly, physically tensing as the Joker turned around to look at the both of you, a careless grin on his face. “He won’t, I promise. Do I ever break promises?” You only shook your head, making her nod as she turned her back to you once again.

You watched silently as she conversed with the guards standing in front of his cell. Within a few seconds they opened his cell and let her in, shutting it behind her and leaving her all alone.

“A pretty nurse? All just for me, they’re too kind.” He joked, not even a trace of a smile on Harleen’s face as she pulled a chair up across from him.

“Joker, how are you feeling?” She spoke firmly, pressing the recorder on her tape recorder as she stowed it in her lab coat. He eyed her pocket, as if he could see the tape recorder, before he smiled widely.

“Well let’s see, I’m locked in a straitjacket, stowed away from rest, and I haven’t seen the sun all day today, I’m feeling perfect doc.” Harleen silently jotted a few things down, quickly glancing up at the Joker.

“Do you feel angry?” She questioned, his smile still etched on his face as he leaned forward, his teeth shinning at her mockingly. “Angry? I could never, besides I’ll be out of here in no time.”

“What makes you so sure?” The Joker seemed amused by her pressing tone, a cackle falling from his lips as he tried his best to move in his straitjacket. Harleen quickly stole a glance in your direction, catching sight of you, who seemed busy biting away at you nail as you were already staring back at her worriedly. She smiled at you.

“Oh my, a possible lover doc?” She turned back to the Joker who held a mocking smile. She only cleared her throat, ignoring his statement as she spoke.

“Can you answer my question Joker?” He pouted, booing loudly as he leaned against the glass box keeping him locked away. Harleen only stared at him, her stare never once holding fear, making him smile.

“Wanna know why I’m so sure,” He started, gazing back at a curious Harleen. “I’m so sure because one way or another, I’ll get help from the inside, or the outside.”

Harleen wrote silently on her paper, her glasses slipping slightly, causing her to push them up. “What makes you think anyone, in here at least, will help you?” The Joker seemed deep in thought, silence surrounding the two before he laughed.

His crazed laughter went on for minutes, before he leaned towards her, whispering softly, “Between me and you—Harleen, I’ll take my chances with you.” She seemed un-phased, quietly clicking her pen shut before she stood.

“I’ll be back in a few days to see you.” She was swift to stand ignoring his ear scratching laughter before making her way towards the cell entrance and exiting.

She smiled at your worry, silent as you continued to ask questions, even hugging her as you told her how unsafe it was to be alone with him of all people.

Weeks had passed since the Joker had been brought in. Your worries had been off the charts, especially for Harleen. She had seemed to grow a somewhat interest in him.

You believed it to be her caring side, watching from the sidelines as every other day, turned into every single day. With a troubled headset, you stepped into her office, greeting her weakly as she continued to work on her ‘Joker Analysis’ paper.

“Why are you always with the Joker?” You asked naively, watching the way her head snapped up as she looked at you with hooded eyes. “What do you mean?” She played innocent, in hopes you’d back off.

“It’s just, you’ve visited the Joker nearly everyday for the past week now.” Harleen seemed calm, quickly and silently stowing his file away as she stood. She paced for a bit, silence growing between the two of you before she spoke.

“I’m just curious about him, aren’t you? It’s not everyday you get the chance to figure out why the ‘clown prince’ is the way he is.” Your eyes were squinted as you stared at her curiously. You said nothing, only reaching for the files you left on her desk. Harleen seemed stumped, her mood now ruined due to your silence.

“Y/N, why don’t you just trust me?” You quickly turned back to her with a frown, your files clenched between your hand as you retaliated, “It’s not you I don’t trust Harley.” She shook her head, settling back down into her seat as she scoffed, an offended expression on her face as she spoke.

“I’m still Harleen, not Harley, not whatever he claims me as, just trust me Y/N.” You felt a part of you still, watching a defeated expression form on her face before you sighed, settling down across from her. You were being a terrible friend at the moment.

It wasn’t that you didn’t trust her, it was him you didn’t trust. He was a psycho, an infamous clown known for his heinous crimes. “Harleen, just—just promise me you won’t do anything you’ll regret.”

She smiled, a light laugh falling from her lips as she held her pinky finger out. You cracked a smile, wrapping your pinky finger around hers. “I promise.” With all your troubles swept under the rug, you spent the rest of the night working alongside her, up until you fell asleep.

Your head snapped up, papers falling towards the floor as a siren rung loudly throughout the asylum. The office was empty, no sign of Harleen as you stood, your vision slightly disoriented from sleep as you stumbled out her office.

You flinched harshly, gun shots ringing out as you made steps backwards, the sight of armed goons coming closer. You stumbled over your feet too many times to count. Stupid heels. With determined effort, you tried your best to find Harleen amidst the chaos.

Unknowingly, and quite stupidly might one add, you ran straight into the chaos. Multiple eyes locked on you, a pair you feared causing you to tense up. “What a surprise, just for good ole’ me?” Joker spoke with a cackle. You silently stood your ground, the tiniest of fear in your eyes as you glanced at his armed goons.

“Where’s Harleen?” The Joker acted confused at you statement, rubbing his gun alongside his head as he spoke, “Harleen? I don’t—oh you mean my good dear Harley.” He only laughed louder, motioning his goons to grab you and bring you closer.

You quickly tore away from his goons, only to land in Jokers arms as he pouted playfully at you. You squirmed fearfully, your voice still strong as you spoke, “Where is she?” He only laughed at you question, pointing towards a figure that was being hauled away unwillingly. Your stomach dropped, and in an instant you tried to chase after Harleen.

You were stopped by his goons who stepped in your path, looming over you with dirty grins as they pushed you backwards, right into the Joker. “Not so fast, I think you deserve front row seats my dear.” Your face was laced with confusion, a scream nearly falling from your lips as his thugs hauled you along.

Who knew sitting in a helicopter across from the Joker could be so awkward. Silence loomed over the helicopter, with the Joker telling unfunny jokes, and his stupid thugs laughing along. Where is Harleen? Seemed to be running in your mind on replay. Had he hurt her? Or worst of all, kill her?

You shivered in fear, glancing out the helicopter with a confused expression as you landed atop the ‘Gotham Chemical Plant’ building. You felt your heart jump out your chest at the sight of Harleen awaiting your arrival. Her clothes were torn and tattered, her makeup smudged and her hair a mess.

You were quick to exit the helicopter first, hugging Harleen in relief as you tried your best to inhale her natural scent. You both pulled away, her with a smile, and you with a worried expression. “Are you okay?”

She only nodded, gazing back at the looming figure behind you, causing you to turn and flinch at a grinning Joker. You opened your mouth to retaliate, only for you to choke on oxygen at the sight of Harleen kissing the Joker. You were stunned, absolutely stunned.

Your heart hurt, was it out of betrayal? Had she been planning this all along? You broke out of your mental dilemma just as they pulled away from one another. “Y/N, I know you’re probably confused, but—I love him.” You only frowned, disappointment for your close friend obvious.

The Joker only ignored you, dragging her along towards the chemical plant. You bit your lip, debating if you should follow or leave, and in the end you followed. Did your heart nearly fall out your chest as you followed them all the way to the top? Yes, it did.

Once at the top, you quickly looked down at the large chemical container, prompting you to back up immediately. Harleen was to busy ogling the Joker who seemed to be telling asking her a multitude of questions. Would he hurt her? You knew he was a violent criminal, but Harleen’s happiness seemed to be the only thing that mattered to you.

“Y/N my good friend, do you know why we’re here?”

You shook your head.

He grinned.

“My dear love Harley—Harleen.” You cut him off, a stare off between the two of you as he gripped Harleen gently. He laughed in defeat, tilting his head down as he nodded. “You’re right, my dear Harleen is here because I think it’s time for my love to be reborn.”

Your brows furrowed at his statement. As if a light switch flipped in your head, you were a second too late. As you reached for Harleen, he pushed her over the edge. Her arms were spread, as if embracing her demise as she fell into the chemical bath. You looked down, tears in your eyes before you turned to the Joker, pointing angrily at him.

“Save her, or I’ll kill you myself.” He laughed at your statement, his hand quick to grip your hair, making you help as he spoke. “You couldn’t even kill me if you tried.” You felt your heart crumble to pieces as you sunk to the floor, silent tears streaming down your cheeks.

She was gone.

Harleen Quinzel was gone.

#harley quinn x y/n #dc comics #harley quinn x reader #dc imagine #dc harley quinn

64 notes · View notes

anarrowthroughtimesideblog · 1 year

Photo

All this talk about Dragon Age: Absolution got me thinking about my Dragon Age ocs 😅 I already mentioned them in the past but during these festivities I revisited their designs so.. here they are! Dragon Age: Origins:

Niniel Mahariel: A calm and clever Dalish deeply attached to her clan, it was very difficult for her to leave them behind to join the Grey Wardens. As an experienced hunter, Niniel is skilled with a bow and arrow, as well as a knife. In battle she's fierce but clean in her kills, many of her enemies don't even hear her coming. Has a strong connection with nature and animals. Romanced Alistair, survived at the end of the Battle of Denerim.

Ilen Surana: An overconfident and cocky young mage, he lived all his life locked up in the Circle, famous among his peers for his constant escapes to see the outside world. He uses blood magic to get himself out of trouble and really doesn't care if it's dangerous, for him it's just another tool. Has strong resistence to demons. Romanced Morrigan, survived at the end of the Battle of Denerim. He's Kieran's father.

Evelyn Amell: A somewhat snooty and superficial girl, she loved her life in the tower and was Irving's favorite pupil. She detested the Grey Wardens because they forced her to live a very miserable and hard life, but she quickly adapted to her new duties and became a strong and determined leader. She is specialized in arcane magic. Romanced Alistair while having a short lived fling with Leliana, survived at the end of the Battle of Denerim. She's Samael's cousin.

Dragon Age 2:

Bran Hawke: Previously named Brunilde, they changed their name after Leandra’s death. Impulsive and generally a difficult person to get along with, initially they felt for the mages but after Bethany’s death in the Deep Roads and her mother’s passing, they saw the potential danger they posed, becoming more resentful around them. Then they decided that Meredith was right and adopted her way of thinking, almost coming to adore her in a twisted way. They sided with the templars and was against any unknown or uncontrolled magic. They killed Anders in a burst of rage, something they will regret for many years, even if they didn’t always see eye to eye. After the events of the Gallows they started a new life as a pirate with Isabela, trying to heal from all the hurt they suffered. They survived in DA:I.

Kendra Hawke: A witty but caring rogue, she’s easily described as a goofball with diplomatic leanings, always lifting up the spirits when needed. Would do anything to keep her friends safe and actually really loves Kirkwall, even if it’s kinda of a shithole. Joined the mercenary band to keep her sister’s magic go unnoticed by the Templars, was neutral towards the whole mages vs templars thing, but eventually sided with the mages to protect Bethany (who sadly was discovered by the templars while Kendra was away and became a Circle mage) from Meredith’s wrath. Her heart belongs to Fenris and she survived in DA:I. Samael Hawke: Complete loose cannon, you never quite know if he's going to solve problems with tactful diplomacy or brutal violence. A pretty jaded person due to all the betrayal he's encountered, which has driven him to become even more depressed as the years roll on. Leans way to much on Anders (who eventually becomes his lover) and Varric. Always by mages side, he hates Meredith and the templars with a burning passion. Unfortunately he did not survive in DA:I.

Dragon Age: Inquisition:

Kithari Adaar: A mercenary warrior that loves a good fight. She didn't consider herself chosen by Andraste but regardless of this fact she decided to stay in the Inquisition to give her life a new purpose by doing something for the greater good. She didn't particularly care for mages or templars. She hates orlesian nobles but at the same time she’s fascinated by chevaliers and their training. At first glance she seems unfriendly and unapproachable but deep inside she’s very emotional and has a vulnerable side. Her best pals are Sera and The Iron Bull. Romanced Josephine, who helped her embrace her romantic side. Ena Trevelyan: A very religious and pro-circle Knight-Enchanter. Before the fall of the Circles, she was content to spend her life in the Ostwick tower, passing her time studying magic and history. She thinks that Circles as an idea were fine but currently in desperate need of a reform. She was very frightened of demons because they almost succeed in tempting her during the Harrowing, ultimately conquers this fear during her trip into the Fade. Good-willed and a bit naive, she believes everyone can be reedemed, no matter what they have done in the past. She’s very close to Vivienne, considering her as a mentor-like figure, and Cassandra, sharing with her a passion for smutty literature. She ended up with Cullen, even if it took a while to put their differences aside (y’know, her being a mage and him being an ex-templar). Darel Lavellan: Artificier archer who lost both his wife and child during The Fifth Blight. When circumstances put him in charge of the Inquisition, he was against becoming the Herald of Andraste and just wanted to go home to his people. As time passed he took it as an opportunity to represent the Dalish and generally the elves, as he also opened up more to the outside world. He governed the Inquisition justly and pragmatically, with the goal of restoring order and promoting his people's interests when he could. He can be described as honorable and trustworthy man, particularly intelligent and knowledgeable despite being isolated from civilization for almost all his life. He’s closest to Blackwall (they share the same passion for woodworking) and Dorian (even if sometimes they butt heads over some arguments). He fell in love with Cassandra, stayed beside her even when she became Divine.

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition #dragon age 2 #dragon age origins #warden #hawke #inquisitor #da*ocs #arrow's art

18 notes · View notes

hopalongfairywren · 2 years

Text

Whumptober2022- New Year's Eve

Awesamdude ran as fast from Dream as he could, as soon as he respawned. Dream didn’t chase after him, although he very much could. Instead, the man seemed more interested in using him as a warning, or as Dream said, “You can walk out of there and be a walking, living example of why you don’t fuck with me.” Sam still half-expected to see Dream pop out from behind a tree trunk, pickaxe or who-knows-what-else in hand, ready to finish him off.

But it wasn’t like Sam was doing well, even without his killer’s pursuit. His face felt like it was split in half, the cool metal off the netherite pickaxe mixing with his warm and sweaty face, creating a special icy-hot hell that stung even more ferociously now that he was sprinting through the forest south of Pandora’s vault, with all unspoiled wilderness ready to eat him up and chew him out.

Eventually Sam did have to come to a halt, grimly, digging his nails into the palm to try and divert some of the pain. Even though he was no longer stuck in the prison, there was still the problem of being lost in the woods in the middle of the night, bleeding heavily. If any zombie or skeleton found him he’d be dead. Or, what if Tubbo or Eret found him? Killing him for good this time? That would have been better than Dream doing it. Dream, who has the prison keys now.

“Oh Ender I’ve failed Tommy. I failed at everything. My one job. I failed, and now Dream has more power than ever before.”

Sam bit his lip, trying to steal himself. Crying wouldn’t help him right now, if anything it would be dangerous, alerting monsters of his presence. The Warden didn’t cry. Sam liked to think he wouldn’t cry if he ever got into a situation like this. He wanted to think the tears running down his cheeks were caused by the stinging gash across his face. He wouldn’t cry. Sam leant against one of the tall oaks, exhausted enough to keel over right then and there, but before he could do that, a flicker of light from the corner of his good eye caught his attention.

He clasped his bony hands to the tree bark, squeezing his eyes shut. Probably a pack of phantoms. Those poor hungry bastards smelled an easy meal, no doubt smelling the fresh blood everywhere.

Sam hadn’t slept in days, so of course, a hungry pack would seek out a tired man like him, especially a tired, probably bleeding-to-death man. He might die again, but he wouldn’t let some undersized dragons with bioluminescent eyes and see-through heads kill him that easily.

He could still blend into the trees, thanks to his creeper heritage, which was both a blessing and a curse. But the tell-tale ghostly shriek of a phantom never came, and the smell of a lit torch wafted towards him. Not a phantom, but someone else was nearby.

Sam winced as he heard the sounds of leaves crunching getting nearer. Then his world was bathed in bright yellow light, that somehow managed to make his wound sting more. As soon as his eyes adjusted, Sam let out a gasp of disbelief. A man with a red jacket, and curly hair. It was Ponk. Ponk, who he had tortured and mutilated, Ponk, whose arm he cut off, Ponk, who had once been his lover. Out of all the people to run into Sam right now, and take him out, (probably) it could have been Tubbo, still intent on avenging Ranboo.

It could have been Dream, coming back for round two, but it was fucking Ponk. In the middle of nowhere, in a forest.

Sam could make another run for it, but he could feel himself sizzling- running too fast again too soon would definitely blow him (and Ponk) up. Just as Sam’s creeper heritage could be a blessing, allowing him to effortlessly blend into forest biomes, so too was it a curse, that he could involuntarily explode if he got too hot.

It was why Sam had been careful to keep the temperature inside and around the prison at least somewhat cool and have ice packs at the ready whenever he was at the prison. But even his creeper ancestor’s amazing stealth couldn’t hide Sam when he was illuminated by a torch, so Sam just stood there, waiting. The last time they'd seen each other, Ponk told him he wouldn’t kill him, because death was too kind a fate for someone like him. Sam wondered if he would be spared, for this reason as a sort of cruel mercy. After all, Ponk wouldn’t have to lay a finger on him. If blood loss didn’t kill him, he'd certainly fall victim to a mob, or he'd just die slowly of infection.

But Ponk just stood there, and the moonlight glinted off of his face so brightly that Sam couldn’t make out any facial expressions, even his non-blood-filled and weeping eye. He was lucky the pickaxe hadn’t gone deeper like in the case of Quackity. The time standing there was only a few seconds but it felt like an eternity. Then Ponk spoke. Quietly, but there was no mistaking the surprise and concern in his voice.

“Sam?”

Sam couldn’t help it as hot tears streamed down his face, mixing with the blood. He forced himself to speak, his voice hoarse and croaky.

“Ponk, please. I need-” Sam shuddered, coughing a clot of blood up onto his hand. Ponk’s eyes were wide. “I need help.”

holy shit, are you starving? I could practically carry you home. And you’re in a prison jumpsuit? Were you in prison? What happened? Ponk’s voice was high-pitched, and Sam vaguely wondered if he should obey the command to shush himself, or reply to Ponk’s self answering question. His voice came out more pathetic than he thought it would.

“Dream. He- I, okay it’s… a long story. So Tubbo and Eret and Techno were seeking revenge… So they locked me up in prison, and then Dream found me… He let me go but he put a pickaxe through my face…”

Ponk’s worried expression turned cold. “So this is retribution? For killing Ranboo and kidnapping Michael?” He questioned.

Sam didn’t say anything. Ponk sighed, long and tired.

“Sam, do you remember how after the prison breakout, I visited you?” Ponk asked, his voice weary.

Sam could only nod. “I told you back then that next time you needed help, I wouldn’t be there for you.” Sam felt tears roll down his face.

“I-'' Sam began to choke out. Sam didn’t even know what to say. If he should say anything at all, or just stay silent and wait for Ponk to decide his fate- after all, if Ponk was going to kill him, it didn’t make any sense that he'd waste precious resources healing Sam first.

Sam finally forced his mouth open. “If I could take that day back, Ponk, I would. I’m so sorry.” The words came out less eloquent than Sam hoped for.

“You don’t get to apologize now, and hope it returns us to normal… You lost that privilege.” Ponk’s voice trailed off, and Sam felt his measured anger, his own tightening throat, both of their anguish.

“I told you months ago that next time you needed help, I wouldn’t be there for you…”

He said softly.

“I know, I deserve to be slain by you on the spot. If you want to, I won’t bother you.” Sam said quietly. Shame burned in his cheeks as he waited for Ponk’s response, trying and failing to gauge his emotions. It was so much harder to do so after Sam had hurt-no, tortured him.

Ponk took a step forward. “You don’t deserve it, Sam. You need help. I couldn’t just let you die out in the woods, because dying wouldn’t have fixed anything, just like the prison didn’t fix anything. Because if there's one thing I've learned from all this, it's that people never change for the better by suffering. Even the ones who cause suffering. And I’m a doctor. I prevent and stop suffering.” Ponk stood up straight, face neutral once more.

He then dropped his bag on the ground next to Sam. Unsure, Sam limped towards it, discreetly looking into the contents of the bag. It held bandages, antiseptic salves, gauze, tweezers, and painkilling ointments, even a canteen of water which Sam took as he realized his throat and mouth were practically burning. But what caught Sam’s attention was the small, silver polished mirror in the bag. He recognized it, because it was a gift he had given Ponk one anniversary, years ago. And that added to the heartbreak.

A jagged, still bleeding slash-mark cut across his face. The wound was long but not deep, starting at the bridge of his nose and just barely missing the corner of his eye as it sliced his eyebrow in half.

Ponk still watched him with narrowed eyes. “Use the first aid Sam, I don’t care. But I’m not going to help you further. Put it on yourself.”

Sam shuddered as the cool water slipped down his throat, and Ponk propped his head up slightly so he wouldn’t choke. Ponk was staring down at him, his expression unreadable. Sam had always prided himself on being able to pick up what the other was feeling, even with his mask. But Ponk was tensely neutral, not friendly but not hostile. And then Sam realized the absurdity of his situation, in the middle of a forest at night, barely keeping himself from crying, and taking supplies from the first aid kit of… The man who Sam had killed, and tortured.

Silence followed as Sam shakily began to apply the antiseptic salve to his face, and then wrap the bandage around it. Clumsily done with all things considered, but still, better than walking around with an open wound. Ponk was still quiet. He didn’t make any move to help him, looking away whenever Sam tried to make eye-contact. He didn’t want to touch him.

The message that went unspoken between them ‘don’t mess with the server’s only medic’ was loud and clear enough.

“I’m sorry.” Sam whispered, and it was pathetic. Ponk looked down at the man who was currently wincing as he applied more bandages to his wound. It stung and Sam’s legs hurt and his stomach ached, but nothing compared to how he felt seeing Ponk. Misery, just misery. He almost wished he was reckless enough to refuse help, and let himself die again. But then he’d respawn in Pandora’s Vault, and with Dream now controlling it, he would be signing himself up for a fate worse than death.

It didn’t matter how detailed or thoughtful the apology was, nothing would bring Ponk’s arm or his first canon life back. And when Sam finally finished with the bandages, he realized nothing would take back the jagged, painful-looking scar that cut across the face in the mirror that he saw. It would turn from ruby-red to a coppery color tinged with green as he applied antiseptic ointment to it. But it would always be there.

Sam held up the mirror, startling a little as he noticed Ponk’s reflection behind him. He had been watching quietly. A comfortingly familiar silent awkwardness spread between them, as usual. The scar reminded him of a snake, which reminded him of Quackity, which reminded him of Dream. Sam shuddered. He turned around to face Ponk.

“ I don’t fully forgive you. I don’t know if I can. But you will leave this place as soon as your infection clears up, which will probably take a few more days. I need to spend a lot of time away from you. Possibly an eternity. But I stick to the Hippocratic Oath. I won’t stoop anywhere near your level. And I hope that one day you can dig yourself out of the hole you made.” He said.

And without another word, he left, and sometime before the sun rose, Sam returned to his home, numb to even Fran’s happy whining and frantic licking.

The burning pain in Sam’s face turned to a dull, no less painful, but not fiery, ache. In fact, that ache seemed to spread to Sam’s entire body, because the next day (at least, Sam thought it was the next day.) His entire body was screaming in pain, muscles sore and cramped. He made himself a bowl of broth and watched as Sam began to clumsily feed himself. And yet, as he ate, Sam couldn’t shake off the weariness, both physical and emotional that was radiating off of him.

#whumptober2022 #no.11 #self done first aid #blood #gore #eye horror #first aid #past torture #fic #dream smp #c!sam #c!ponk #not me rehashing the plot of an old fic...

3 notes · View notes

salty-croissants · 5 months

Note

Hi!!!! Can I request pre relationship hc for bullfrog. Like when you first meet and stuff? (^^)

Thank you for the request !

I wanted to try and make a bit of a prequel to the events of the series with this one by imagining the reader meeting Bullfrog in the past to then eventually see him again in the Warden’s prison , it just sounded like a cool concept :)👍

Hope this turned out okay !

Details : use of gender neutral reader ;

strangers to lovers ;

presence of mature themes , including swearing , blood and an attempted assault ( reader gets saved in the end , dw !! )

It all begun during one very rainy night …

It was late , and due to the fact that it had been a very long day at work and that you didn’t have your umbrella with you to offer some shelter from the unforgiving weather you had ended up trying to head for a shortcut passing through a more repaired alleyway …

You’ve never liked that road , but at that point you were soaking wet , freezing and just longed for the warmth and comfort of your home …

You just had to be fast and not draw attention and everything was going to be just fine like usual .

… or at least , that’s what you thought .

After some more walking you were starting to see the lights outside the alleyway , which meant you were very close to leave that unsettling darkness and get closer to your apartment , but right before you could let out a sigh of relief and think about how silly you were to always worry so much about things you heard them :

heavy footsteps behind you … and they were rapidly approaching .

< Well hello , beautiful … out late , ay ? >

Your heart started pounding in your chest , as four ominous looking strangers surrounded you , blocking every chance of escape …

It seemed like things had taken a very , very bad turn .

< Come on babe , there’s no need to be afraid … we aren’t gonna hurt you , are we boys ? >

< Damn , they’re even more cute up close … >

You found yourself completely frozen in place , as the four cornered you more and more , and immediately jolted back when one of them tried to touch your shoulder …

< G-get away from me !! >

< Aw , don’t think you got much of a choice here , sweetheart … better make things easier for yourself and just go with it .

Wouldn’t wanna get in trouble now , would you … ? >

You could feel your body shake , both for the cold of the rain and your sheer , paralyzing fear …

You could only close your eyes praying to whoever might be listening that someone was going to see what was happening and get you out of that horrible mess …

… that’s when you heard the man behind you let out a scream , followed by the sound of a blade slashing through his neck .

< What - what the fuck !? >

< Dammit - I can’t see shit , where did that bastard g - >

Another scream , followed by a thud told you that another one of those creeps had been dealt with …

After taking a deep breath , you slowly opened your eyes to get a clue as to what the hell was actually happening , and what you saw made your eyes widen : the two remaining men were furiously fighting against a frog with a white hoodie , without being able to land a single hit on him …

< Stay still you little - >

He moved so quickly , your brain barely even registered the moment when his blades landed the final hits , leaving a pool of blood mixing with the puddles on the ground .

When he turned around to look at you , you couldn’t help but take one step back , still shaken by everything that had happened …

< Everything is all right now , mon ami … I’m not going to hurt you . >

His voice was very calm and reassuring , with a bit of a French accent .

< I , uh … I’m very sorry you had to see all of this … if you wish I could accompany you home to make sure that nobody else tries to harm you .

… actually wait , that might sound like a creepy thing to say - je suis désolé , I — >

< Pfft … it’s okay … I’d like that . >

You couldn’t help but chuckle in front of just how unexpectedly kind and … honestly adorable that strange frog was …

As you slowly got up , you realized just how tired you were after the scare you just experienced , but before you could lose balance and fall back down he immediately rushed to support you .

< Attention - >

< Ah … thanks … sorry about that . >

< No need to apologize … just take it easy , I got you . >

The journey back home didn’t encounter any more complications , and the two of you had quite a nice time just talking to each other :

you discovered that the name of your savior was Bullfrog , and that he was an assassin … he didn’t really tell you a lot about himself other than that , but frankly that was all you needed to know .

< Well , thanks for walking me home Bullfrog … I really appreciate it . >

< Ne le mentionne pas y/n , it was my pleasure . Though I’m afraid I will need to get going soon … there is another important task I need to get done tonight . >

You nodded in response , while taking out the keys to your apartment from your pocket .

< Say … I hope this isn’t a bit too forward , but you know , if you ever need a safe place to stay you can always come here . It’s the least I could do , you saved me after all … >

< Merci , I’ll keep that in mind . >

Bullfrog smiled at you , before disappearing in the shadows of the night like he had never been there in the first place …

As you finally entered inside your home , promising to yourself to never enter a dark alleyway late at night ever again , part of you was hoping that one day you would see him again …

… who knows , maybe that was going to happen … possibly in some maximum security cell …

#captain laserhawk #x reader #bullfrog x reader #bullfrog captain laserhawk #captain laserhawk bullfrog #captain lazerhawk bullfrog #gender neutral reader

140 notes · View notes

wrenqueenisboss · 2 years

Text

Why You? - c!dream x gn!reader

Table of Contents - Masterlist

Dream - Masterlist

warnings: angst, reader death, grief, scar mention, kidnapping mention, sickness (tell me if I missed anything!) pronouns: you/yours words: 905 summary: dream learns that his freedom came too late and now, he's alone once again a/n: back with angst! >;) a/n pt 2: there will be a part 2 for this eventually!!

~-~-~-~-

News didn't travel very quickly into the walls of Pandora's Vault. Every kernel of information had to pass through the warden first, a sure barrier as Sam was not a forgiving or lazy man. He also had quite the grudge against his only prisoner, Dream.

But Sam never hated you. In fact, you two were friends at first, before everything had gone to hell. You might have genuinely been the only person on the server who was truly good.

Ever day, with your sunny smile, you'd take a long walk throughout the server. If you saw an animal - or one of your friends - in need, you'd do absolutely everything you possibly could to help. So when the peace shattered around you and war broke out, you were the one person that everyone collectively agreed to keep safe.

But people often confused your kindness for weakness and ignorance. They were sorely incorrect.

Wilbur, driven to insanity by his impossible dreams, tried to lure you into his trap. He needed you. Well, more accurately, he needed Dream out of the way. He needed the dangerous and mysterious man to be neutralized before he could truly finish his symphony. And the only way for that to happen, was for you to be used.

Usually, Dream didn't need to wear his porcelain mask to keep the air of eerie calm that seemed to always surround him. But when he caught word, that day, that you had been kidnapped, he snapped. Only muscle memory made him put on his symbolic face covering before unleashing his rage and wrath. Wilbur never forgot that day either, or maybe that's because of the pale scar over his heart....

You knew that Dream would always be your protector. So naturally, you vowed to always be his protector too.

Back-to-back, you guys would fight. You'd keep him from acting too rashly, and he'd keep you safe from everyone who tried to harm you. And despite everything that you would be put through, you retained your heart of gold.

Everyone learned that hearts of gold are infectious. Because day by day they saw Dream soften. No longer was he a loose canon, a dangerous rogue with selfish motives. No. Now, he was the holder of your heart, as his had been stolen too.

Twin souls, made for each other.

All that came to an end, though, when Dream was taken away. Sam, someone who had once been your friend, chained Dream in front of you. Quackity, a man who you and your lover had despised for the longes time now, laughed the entire time.

From then on, you were alone. Once again, you took your long walks throughout the server, just observing each and every depressing change to the place that was your home. You felt the happiness leave your heart with each day you spent without him.

Being away from you was agonizing for Dream. Far more agonizing than the hours and hours of torture he endured. Physical pain was something he was used to, but definitely not emotional pain. The years of closing off his heart to avoid this very thing had left him too vulnerable.

But finally, Quackity left him alone.

Now, he was truly alone. In the worst way possible.

He didn't hear from anyone, another crack in his already-shattered heart of ice. Sapnap only visited him to deliver a threat. George didn't visit at all. Neither did you. Why didn't you?

He'd mull over the question for hours on end. It consumed his corrupted mind. The only person that had ever truly shown him love - the only person he had ever truly loved - hadn't come to see him in a time he needed it most.

But news traveled very slowly through the obsidian walls of his horrible cell. He suffered behind a wall of flowing lava, while you died slowly, desperately trying to fight off a sickness that was draining each of your remaining lives.

Sam never told him you were sick. So while you laid for days on end in your bed, too sick to move, Dream cursed your name, angry that you hadn't come to visit. He blamed you, while you cried because your body was too weak to carry you to your lover.

That's why Dream stood still when he finally saw.

The first thing he did after being freed; Dream sprinted to your home. The quaint little cottage he had helped out build after an "accidental" griefing.

He knocked eagerly on the door, heart beating fast as he waited for you to open up your home and wrap him in a hug that he'd been waiting a year to get.

He anxiously twirled the poppy in between his fingers as the seconds stretched to minutes, mind racing as he recalled each beautiful memory with you he had saved.

Bored with waiting, Dream let his eyes wander. But his whole body froze when his emerald eyes caught sight of the smooth gray stone.

"Y/n a soul too pure for this world," it read.

His tears were on display for the stars to see; the mask left - in pieces - in a corner of his abandoned cell back in the prison.

There was nothing left to do but cry as he laid the poppy in front of your headstone.

"Why did it have to be you, my love?" his broken voice whispered. "If only I had kept you safe."

~-~-~-~-

Taglist: (send an ask to be added) @graymoon2 @allywritesforfun @pixviepie @cloudslostlibrary @toodeepintofandoms @meimeihershey @icarusthefoolish @bluospirit @ghostofscarley @dukina

306 notes · View notes

imdoingaokay · 2 years

Note

So I read your hero of ferelden being inquisitor post (which was amazing!) and so I raise you this: after they take care of corypheus or after trespasser, they end up disappearing/dying again due to their job being done (or something similar.) how would the origins companions react?

I literally sat back in my chair and did the most guttural, evil laugh I’ve ever done. Angst incoming!

Btw, yes I am back from the dead, I am so happy! I have another, fluffier ask coming in soon... like, in a few minutes soon.

Solas spoke quietly to the Warden-Inquisitor, but was surprised when he took away the anchor, his former friend slowly began to disappear. He didn’t mean to kill his friend. But he knew that something was wrong.

So he fled.

It took a staggering walk for the Warden to get back to the Winter Palace, but when they did, they weakly fell into the arms of their companions. One explanation later, their inquisitor faded from existence.

The Hero of Ferelden had died once more, leaving their friends and loved ones alone all over again.

Alistair (Platonic): If he’s a warden, and still alive, he’s upset, but not surprised. He feels angry, his friend disappeared again after sacrificing themselves for the greater good just like last time. His friend wasn’t supposed to be dead, not again, not after coming back. He remembers back at Denerim when he wept the day his friend died. Luckily, he’s older now, so he doesn’t cry. Instead, he merely mourns in silence. If Alistair is sacrificed instead of Hawke in The Fade, he’s sort of relieved to see his friend in whatever afterlife there is. The two feel less alone with one another.

Now, if he’s king, it doesn’t change much. He’s angry, furious even. The Inquisition will have whatever troops they need, Ferelden owes the Inquisition and its Inquisitor. If the Inquisition disbands, The King sends his regards with a small sum of gold. That way, the Inquisition (or what’s left of it) can begin once more with a bit more gold in their coffers.

But whatever the Inquisition may need, they need only ask. The Inquisition was the last thing the Warden was a part of, that counts for something.

Alistair (Romanced): Alistair is probably not at The Winter Palace, having sent Teagan in his place for Ferelden. Or he’s being kept busy in Weisshaupt. So when he gets word of his beloved departing again… all hell breaks loose. Warden or King, hardened or not, Alistair cries for the first time in ages. He does it away from view, however, returning to his lover’s room alone. He clings to their clothes, pillows, their sword, anything. Whatever carries a hint of his warden, he’s willing to settle for anything.

If he’s the warden The Inquisitor left in the fade, he’s relieved to see his love again. It’s a bittersweet reunion, but the two are so happy to be together, that they don’t mind the sadness.

There are rumors of a pocket in the fade that is reminiscent of an old camp, where two grey wardens rest. Demons and spirits stay away from the pair, making it a safe place for someone to rest. The pair will gladly tell stories of their time in the blight and will warm the heart of anyone who passes by as they recall their sickeningly sweet love story.

Of course, if he’s alive… there’s always a chance of children. Now, two years is a long time, and crazy enough, with a bit of luck and 10 or so years of being apart, two people, taint or not, might just make a baby… or two. He’ll dote on them endlessly, and refuse to leave their side. He might even attempt to leave the Grey Wardens so he can provide a fitting life for his children, perhaps seeking out someone who can take care of them when he eventually succumbs to the calling.

If King, it would be better if he had children. Because then, at least, he wouldn’t have to worry about his legacy any longer. He had a child, an heir. So now he doesn’t have to remarry. And he doesn’t want to move on. Not from his Warden, not from the woman he loved.

Leliana (Platonic): Leliana is furious, at Solas and herself, and what makes it worse is the fact that the Warden-Inquisitor died in her arms. They muttered out apologies to their friend, claiming that they did not know or that they didn’t wish to worry her. Depending on whether or not she was hardened, she thinks differently of the time she spent with her friend.

If softened, she’s more thankful rather than angry. The Maker works in mysterious ways, and while their time together was brief once again, Leliana is grateful for the proper goodbye she was able to get.

Now, if she remains hardened, she’s furious. If the Inquisition was supposed to “save” Solas, it isn’t anymore. Leliana is gonna hunt down Solas, and she’s gonna make it hurt.

Leliana (Romanced): Solas might want to pray to whatever gods he wants, but Leliana plans on hunting him like a dog. It may not have been his fault, perhaps it was because The Warden was done in Thedas after Corypheus was defeated. But as far as she is concerned, her lover was murdered by Solas. Screw “saving” Solas, he’s going to die. Divine or not, Solas might want to start counting his days.

And for the next few years of her life, she will busy herself with Solas and the impending doom that is to come. But, there are also the few moments in between the battles and espionage and the dreadfully long after (if there is one) where Leliana pauses. She stops for only a moment, nearly freezing in her tracks at the gravity of her situation slowly presses into her.

Whenever it happens, Leliana will find herself in her room at the end of the day, crying for her lost love.

There is something in me that says that I don’t think Leliana would have kids with her warden, but on the chance she does, she is beside herself. Like the others, she immediately rushes to find them and weeps at the sight of them, she holds them so tightly that she forgets that they’re still young and can’t be squeezed too hard. After deciding to hunt after Solas, she sends them away to be raised in Orlais, where they will be raised by nannies and surrounded by nugs, anything to keep them away from the fighting.

Morrigan (Platonic): She left her friend once at Denerim, and when she left Skyhold, she expected her friend to stay. The two had talked for ages about their experience with death, and coming back to life. So when the warden disappeared again, she finds herself resolving to bring them back again. She tries and fails miserably to reach out into the fade and bring back the person she thought of as a true friend. She researches every possible way to bring them back, but she is always unsuccessful.

She can’t focus on Solas, she is the only one who feels as though it isn’t his fault. She focuses solely on her friend and her attempts to get them back. She doesn’t give up, but eventually, she slows down, and a year or two later comes to a realization that her friend had given her closure. During the time the pair spent together, Morrigan forgave herself for leaving her friend's side at Denerim. And what was better, the warden forgave her too. In a strange way, the warden came back as most spirits do, they needed closure on something. Her friend didn’t just come back for her, obviously, but the relationships they had made, tethered them to the mortal plane for a bit longer. For a few years, they lived out the life of a hero, one that succeeded. Perhaps it was a happy ending after all.

Morrigan (Romanced): Same as above, but so much more frantic. She doesn’t know why they didn’t tell her. She doesn’t know why she didn’t know. She was supposed to be an expert on these types of things! And then there’s Kieran, who’s completely distraught. He asks her where his father is, and tells her that he misses him. This drives her even harder than before, as she stays up, late into the night to find something that will bring him back.

It takes a long while, but she is successful in bringing… someone back. It’s a vicious fade demon that took the form of her lover. Morrigan nearly loses her son before banishing the demon. But before he disappears, Morrigan sees her lover one last time. It’s a bittersweet moment, as the corruption of the fade demon disappears, but Morrigan feels her lover’s hands on her cheek before he turns his attention to Kieran. They say something to the boy, bringing a smile to his face, and the next thing the pair know, the warden is gone.

Morrigan feels guilty for the demon but is comforted when the following nights roll around and Kieran reports seeing his father in his dreams. In a place not unlike the fade. The only difference is, that Kieran knows he’s safe… probably because he has his father there to protect him.

Zevran (Platonic): He was at The Winter Palace with them. He was the first person the Inquisitor saw when they passed through the last eluvian. He was there to comfort them, telling them of their plans once they were done with The Exalted Council. But when they’re gone, he stills.

He was with them for obligation, then, maybe for treasure. But in the end, he stayed with his friend because he cared for them a great deal. His time with them was short, but he would always appreciate it. And he would also appreciate the fact that The Warden never killed him.

He joins the Inquisition, or whatever is left of it. He works alongside Leliana if she’s there. If The Inquisitor decided Solas could be saved, he admires his late friend’s kindness, but Zevran knows that if he sees Solas… Zevran may not give him the same sympathy.

Zevran (Romanced): He’s there, still. Cradling his lover like before, telling them of their plans once more, but instead of keeping his cool, he can’t help but feel his tears begin to fall.

Maker, help him if, in the time that The Warden returned, they had children because his first worry will be their safety. He’d think that if his warden disappeared, perhaps his children would fade away too. If they’re still there, he’s so happy to know his beloved Warden left him with something to remember them by.

As for his plans with Solas, Zevran may infiltrate Solas’ group. And he does a pretty damn good job, sending whatever information he can to the Inquisition. He doesn’t get close to Solas himself, deciding that Solas will most likely recognize him as the Inquisitor’s husband/partner. But he gets close to others and takes whatever information he has from them. And he’ll probably stay there, as long as he isn’t caught. But if he has kids, it’s a short-lived escapade. He finds himself too worried for his own good and quickly goes home, with nobody knowing the wiser.

94 notes · View notes